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Pattern Review - Sewing the 1930's Sportwear Set by Jem Vintage Patterns

A few months ago, my neighbor’s daughter brought me this gorgeous fabric (and tons more) when she was cleaning out her dad’s closet. The green corduroy and coordinating floral really caught my eye and I knew I wanted to make a matching set. And by the way, to avoid any uncomfortable inquiries, that is not a baby bump you see, but my very own 48 year old belly bump in all it’s glory.

I posted a photo of the fabric on Instagram and asked for pattern suggestions. Jordan from
@JemVintagePatterns suggested her 1930’s Sportswear set. It was the perfect match for the amount of fabric I had, so I went over to her Etsy Shop and bought it.

When I downloaded the pattern it was actually in my size (size 38 Bust). I don’t think I even looked at the size because I figured I could adjust it fairly simply. Thankfully I didn’t have to adjust much, and after measuring the pattern, I made the following adjustments:

  • I widened the bottom hem hem on the blouse by about 1 1/2”

  • I increased the waist on the skirt by 2”

The Blouse was meant to have side vents from the bottom to the waist, but I knew that I wanted to sew the side seams shut. Adding the extra fullness ensured that it was the right size in my hip area, so I’m very happy with that adjustment.

The skirt adjustment turned out to be completely unnecessary as it made the skirt 2-3” too big in the waist. I think I did not measure myself in the right place because I ended up removing the fullness in the end.

I absolutely love this outfit so much! I’ve worn the top a ton and the whole outfit again yesterday with the scarf tied a different way. It’s so comfortable and cute at the same time! I also thought the corduroy would be too hot in warm weather, but it’s turned out to be just fine.

The photos in this post were taken my my dear friend, Angie (aka @Suchastitch on Instagram) on our sewing getaway up in Arnold, CA, when we stayed at the Casa Azul Cabin. It was a delightful alpine A-Frame home in California Foothills. I wish I took more pictures of the cabin itself as it has quite the vintage 1970’s meets modern decor along with a curated selection of Corningware as well as original Nelson lighting. In any regard, the surrounding area is lovely as you can see by the photos, which were taken just outside the cabin.

Here is the breakdown of the outfit:

Top & Skirt - Made from gifted fabric using the 1930’s Sportswear Set pattern from Jem Vintage Patterns

Scarf - Thrifted in Portland, Oregon when I was visiting Angie

Shoes - Vogue - Remix Vintage Shoes

Jewelry - Made by me

Until Next Time, Happy Sewing!

xo Jennifer