depression era dress original or reproduction?

J

Jluthye

Registered Guest
Hello all,,, I am pretty sure this one is a early 1930s dress nice rich velvet brown unlined...

But it is in excellent condition! is this an original or do you think reproduction? I am not up to snuff on stitch techniques yet.... thats my next dating technique to learn :-) Background,, I bought a large estate and there are a bit of clothes from this era in the bunch, this one was baged and folded over on a hanger, burried in the older stuff, so logically I htink it is but the condition is just remarkable and the stitching looks so , I dont know just perfect. were they using machines in this era?

Un lined, side snaps, garment snaps in sleeves, velvet is rolled and hemmed along the whole dress good 6-8 inches longer "V" un the back very simple very small waisted dress

also is this really a velvet dress? or is there a better term
thank you all in advance!! :-)
Jennifer:cats:
 
Silk velvet is more fluid and much lighter in weight than the equivalent rayon. And if you hold it up to the light and look from inside, it is semi-sheer.
 
thank you again! yes it is light.. not really see htrough but super light garment as a whole,,, I htough older fabrics were heavier thats part of why i was wondering reproduction or not.super soft, feels like those plush baby blankets they make now a days
 
yes, gorgeous color

oh, Jennifer? may i make a request?? :rolleyes:

when you post, can you add your photos so they don't make the thread so fat that we have to scroll to see them, and also to scroll to read??

sorry, :violins: but my eyes get all buggy when i try to scroll-read-scroll-read

thanks in advance :hiya:
 
Depression era dress

:icon_coolsnow:I have to admit, I got a chuckle out of your question about sewing machines and whether they were used in this "era". Sewing machines have been in use since they were first invented in 1790...see below:
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A sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch fabric, cards and other material together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. Since the invention of the first working sewing, generally considered to have been the work of Englishman Thomas Saint in 1790,[1] the sewing machine has vastly improved the efficiency and productivity of fabric and clothing industries.
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When my grandmother passed away my sister and I received her Singer treadle sewing machine and that machine was made in the first decade of the 1900s. The stitches it made/makes are still tighter and better than the new machines even.

So, in answer to your 2 year old question about whether they were using sewing machines back in the 1930s, the answer is...ABSOLUTELY!!! I have a dress made in 1885 that has machine stitching. I also have a little dress that was made for a 2-year-old child dated 1851. The little dress is completely hand sewn and every stitch is flawless. I am amazed every time I gaze on this dress. I understand that back in those days in Great Britain (probably elsewhere as well) the affluent society people used nuns in the local convents as seamstresses. Those ladies had nothing better to do that sew, day in and day out. They didn't have to worry about some whiny man wanting a meal or other things. :mad:

It makes me angry these days to see young women who do not even know how to hem a dress or make a stitch. Back when I was in high school (and it doesn't seem like THAT long ago...late 1970s) we HAD to take Home Economics. That class was invaluable to teaching young ladies how to cook, sew and the general mechanics of running a home. Of course my mother was the biggest influence in my life. She made sure her daughters could cook and sew before we left home. I was cooking canned biscuits at 5-years-old. I thank my mama every day for everything she instilled in us.:USETHUMBUP:
 
Ha,

Thank you Keyslammer!

Since then I have learned much....I was very fresh then :-)

As far as taking home economics in high school, I didn't. I had to choose computer programming or home economics. Well I chose the wave of the future! It is truly sad though. When entering the real world I had no clue how to run a household, I still don't really. We are training a generation to push button and write programs. If there isn't an app for it then I can't do it lol

I am in the process of learning how to sew:-) with a machine that is. I got a 1953 singer with all the original heads/attachments? I just need to oil everyting and sit down with someone :-) when I get time that is.

Jennifer (Jluthye :-) )
 
Learning how to sew was probably one of the best, most practical things I learned in school, along with my 1/2 semester of personal typing--taken in anticipation of having to type term papers in college! My home-ec sewing projects led to me making most of my own clothing in high school and into my mid 20s, and has been invaluable in selling vintage clothing, as I can do most of my own repairs.

I am aghast at the number of young women and men who do not know how to cook, sew on a button, iron anything, etc. Both of my boys help me with meal preparations when I can harness them, and I'm going to make sure they both know how to sew on buttons, tack up a pant leg hem if needed, etc.

I was lucky to have a dad who taught his girls how to use hammers, screwdrivers, saws, planes, putty knives, and assorted other tools, so that when I went out on my own, I could manage a household by myself when needed. I think parents today do their kids a disservice by not teaching them at least the basics of taking care of oneself and one's home....
 
I agree: these are life skills and sometimes I wonder at what we teach kids because they don't seem to know the necessities and if you don't learn them at home, you're on your own!

I learnt to sew, knit and crochet when I was five - I was very keen and by age seven was making different shaped rag dolls for each era and sewing elaborate outfits of underwear, gowns and accessories for them. My favourite was Elizabethan, my doll wore a wire cartwheel farthingale and a tiny stuffed bumroll made out of one of my dad's old shirts! My parents had a book on costume and the rest I learnt at the library.

I studied Home Economics at high school, it was the first time I had used a sewing machine - up until then I would make dresses for myself, all hand sewn and hand embroidered with flowers and stars. I read the "Little House on the Prairie" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and was inspired by her sister Mary's neat stitches even though she was blind. My stitches are good but I still don't feel like they're good enough thanks to Mary.

Nowadays I still prefer to do hand work - I have a seamstress who does the machine work for Circa, as it's just not my thing. I can do it of course: I studied costume design and construction and have made many garments, but I like the control you get from hand stitching, it feels so much more personal, I feel as if I'm putting a little magic into them all.

Nicole
 
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