1940 McCall Project Update

Whoohooo...the end of 2015! I am so excited for a new year.  I didn't do a lot of sewing in 2015 because I was so busy with work (and then so tired when I wasn't working as a result), but I'm looking forward to changing that balance in 2016.  One way I hope to do that is to to continue to focus on what I'm really passionate about– the 1940 McCall Project.  For those that may not know, I am absolutely obsessed with both this year and this pattern company and am trying to hunt down and sew all the patterns from 1940 from McCall.

How far have I come with the project?

Pattern Collecting
For the pattern collection, I estimate there are 456 main patterns with the copyright of 1940 and 89 transfer patterns (for a total of approximately 545 patterns from the year 1940).  I now own approximately 49% of all the main patterns and 65% of the transfer patterns! Woohooo...half way there!  You can follow my pattern collection on pinterest.

Sewing
To date, I've sewn up 24 garments from the 1940 pattern collection (+ 1 honorary mention, the last transfer pattern from 1939).  I keep track of all my sewing on a special 1940 McCall Project blog page.

Below is a photo recap of the garments I've sewn and some of my favourite items.

One of my favourite fabrics to sew with has been viscose because of the drape and it's good match to the 1940 designs.  I've sewn up four dresses using viscose fabric:

1. McCall 3939, the Acai 'Hiatus' dress; 2. McCall 3638, the grey 'Tea Dance' dress; 3. McCall 3560, the brown 'Birthday' dress; 4 McCall 3820, the 'Scottie' dress

Separates, separates, separates...I love separates.  You will have seen by my recent post that I love sewing and wearing 1940s trousers, which makes it great to also sew matching topper jackets, blazers and blouses.  I hope to sew more of these types of garments in 2016!

1. McCall 3619, the 'Swing' jacket; 2. McCall 3769, the 'Lantern Army' jacket; 3. McCall 764: the 'Birdie' blouse; 4. McCall 3662: the 'Sew Bossy' top

More separates and matching pieces as well as my only needlework pattern to date (the House of the Seven Gables cross-stitch pattern):

1. McCall 3864: the 'Windy' skirt; 2. McCall 3606: the 'Christmas Collegiate' skirt; 3. McCall 789: the 'House of the Seven Gables'; 4. McCall 3554: the 'Black Cherry' blouse

Three of my favourite makes include the Scottish Christmas dress and hat and the 1940 nightgown (wearing that now!):

1. McCall 741: the 'Scottish Christmas' hat and McCall 3574: the 'Scottish Christmas' dress; 2. McCall 3624: the 'Luck o' the Irish' dress; 3. McCall 4043: the 'Mysterious McCall' dress; 4.  McCall 3980: the 'Wish Upon a Star' nightgown

I didn't set out to sew around a colour palette but apparently, I sew a lot of red, white and blue.  For my next makes, I'd like to focus on making a capsule wardrobe of pieces that go together but I'm still deciding on the colours.

1. McCall 3744: the 'Summer Days' dress; 2. McCall 3678: the 'Famous Hooded Princess Dress'; 3. McCall 3968: the 'Jumpin' the Shark' skirt; 4. McCall 3641: the 'Rabbie Burns' dress

I'm happy that I have a mix of summer and winter dresses.  I would like to sew more summer related work clothes for travel.  Here's my summer collection of dresses:

1. McCall 3865: the 'Bright Side' dress; 2. McCall 3684: the 'Clackett Cantina' dress; 3. McCall 3686: the 'Fall for Cotton' dress; 4. McCall 3908: the 'First Crepe of Summer' dress

I can't wait to focus more on the 1940 McCall Project in 2016.  I've got some fun ideas and projects lined up!

Hope you all have a lovely New Year's Eve and are dreaming about sewing plans :-)