Oldest Folkwear Contest Entries - Part 1

And, an entry that we loved and is much more recent, but a first Folkwear make for this customer is a stunning version of our 201 Prairie Dress (one of Folkwear's first historic patterns).  Katie says, "This is the first Folkwear pattern I ever made! The prairie dress and apron. I made it during 2021. It was my first time sewing ever! I grew up loving Little House on the Prairie and things set in the wild west. I thought sewing this would enable me to ‘time travel’ and step into that moment in time. In essence it was a gift to younger me as well. I made this all by hand, since then I have made many things and now sew on a vintage treadle machine! Thanks to Folkwear for getting me started on my sewing journey!"

This was one of my favorites, the 116 Shirts of Russia and Ukraine by Lisa, who said this was a "Russian Blouse that I made when I was a senior in high school in 1979! This photo was taken last summer, so as you can see, I am still wearing it!"

I love the embroidery (and how long it has lasted).  

Another amazing 116 Shirts of Russia and Ukraine came from Innes, who said:  "I'm sending photos from my wedding:  September 26, 1981.  I made the Russian shirt (pattern 116) for my husband to wear for the wedding, and also used that embroidery pattern to make a matching panel for my pinafore."  You can see both in the photo below.

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And yet another set of amazing 116 Shirts of Russia and Ukraine, are these shirts by Jenn.  "I made this [original] shirt for my husband around 1976 and I think it was my first Folkwear project.  I used the Russian and Ukrainian shirt pattern. We were folk dancers; we still are, though older and slower. . . . I adapted the shirt I'm wearing in the picture from the same pattern, and embroidered the pieces in Ireland during a bicycle trip around 2000. Both shirts are made of cotton kettle cloth and embroidered with perle cotton. I've made Art's shirt bigger with gussets, because he isn't as slim as he was as a young dad. My dad taught me about embroidering on waste canvas.  I have a shirt his mother brought from Byelorus when she immigrated around 1903.  It's too fragile to wear now. I wore several out when I was a teenager."

I really loved seeing the entries of people who used our patterns for wedding attire. They are so sweet and really beautiful.  There are a number of them below (we had over 12 entries with wedding attire!).  

Bev said:  "I made my dress based on Folkwear #215 Empire Dress, out of silk that I found in the Spadina fashion district of Toronto.  It was 108" wide, and I am very short, so I only needed one yard of fabric, cutting cross grain.  It was a luxury at $100/yard.

I also made my husband's linen shirt, based on the Folkwear #202 Victorian Shirt pattern, and made him a bowtie from the same blue fabric as my dress trim."  See them both below!

 

I loved the clever way Susan made both her wedding dress and her groom's shirt from the 117 Croatian Dress pattern.  She says, "I made our wedding clothes in the summer of 1979. . . . we were both enrolled at Washington State University. The fabric was a silky material, probably a polyester? And yes, we still have the clothes and the pattern!  I loved the detail on the front, and the covered buttons. It was PERFECT for the wedding. And we loved that we were matching but weren’t over-the-top twins!"

 

And Debby, who said this of her wedding attire: "I had a few ideas in mind and was excited to get started.  I headed to the local fabric shops to see what they had to offer. One of the shops carried Folkwear Sewing Patterns.  As I looked through them, #204 the Missouri River Boatman’s shirt pattern caught my eye.  I loved the billowy flow of its style.  I decided this would be the one to make.  Peach and Cream were my wedding colors.  For my husband’s shirt I chose a soft mid-weight cotton fabric in cream.  I wanted to add something special, a sentimental touch to each garment.  The neck placket of the Missouri River Boatman’s shirt was a perfect area to add some hand embroidery.  Choosing floss colors that complemented my dress, I stitched flowers and vines with 2 overlapping hearts into the design. As I worked on his shirt, happy-meditative forever memories formed in my mind.  It was 44 years ago and I no longer have the shirt or the pattern, but I do have the attached photos to share."

 

Grace sent us this photo and said that she had made her husband-to-be a nightshirt from our 202 Victorian Shirt pattern, and "On April 23, 1988 we married. We wore outfits that were (loosely) inspired by traditional European folk costumes, including a basic white muslin shirt. My new sister-in-law sewed the shirts for us, using that same Victorian shirt pattern.  My husband still wears his shirt and vest when he's feeling festive. Thank you, Folkwear, for being part of our family history!"  The vest is 222 Vintage Vests.

 

And, Dee, whose bridesmaids wore our 246 Calico Day Dress for her wedding (and she made two of them):  "These photos are from my wedding in September of  1980. They are all made from Folkwear Pattern # 246 Calico Day Dress , out of cotton calico in autumn colors. I chose this pattern as best to complement the Victorian style of my gown. The patterns were purchased at Joann fabrics, in San Mateo, California. This was a much smaller, very nice fabric store, a  shadow of the giant Joann stores that have recent left the market. . . . These pictures are especially dear to me."

 

Beth, who made this dress for her brother's wedding: "I made the Garden Party Dress 220 back in 1983 to wear to my brother's wedding.  It's a pink cotton blend print, and I used leftover fabric to make a bow for my hat.  I borrowed the color theme from the pattern envelope.  Loved the dress and still have it."

Suzette also made the 220 Garden Party Dress to attend a wedding: "I made up the Garden Party dress in 1987 or 8 to wear to my step sister's wedding.It was in cotton calico. Floral in pale pink, yellow and a light grey-green. I don't have it anymore but re-purchased the pattern and made it up again in my current size, in a Liberty of London floral in similar colors, in cotton Lawn.... I love the pattern. So flattering."

 

And this lovely, and very 1980s wedding dress (I love it!) from Angel: "My oldest Folkwear make was the Gibson Girl blouse which I used for my wedding dress on Aug. 19, 1984. I used a soft polyester fabric with a bit of a shine to it and added an elastic waistband covered with a satin cummerbund. I added tulle and pearls to a plain hat and the bridesmaids all carried parasols - very 1980’s!!! Our wedding was at 3:00 in the afternoon on an unbearably hot summer day!"  She looks gorgeous!

 

There were some old and fun-loving Folkwear memories, in our entries.  Marianne said: "I made my first Folkwear garment at age 16, in 1980. At the time, I was a large self-taught seamstress, although my (wonderful hippy) mother had made a few simple clothes for us when we were young. I had been trying to expand my repertoire with garments made with patterns from the big pattern companies at the time....until our (off-the-grid, homesteading back in the woods) neighbor took up a side gig as a representative for a new little pattern company called "Folkwear" (which I guess was 4 years old at the time), and those patterns totally rocked my sewing world! One of the first ones I made was the Edwardian Underthings, which I unwisely chose a very loose gauze for (not knowing how challenging the pin tucks would be). I made both the top and bottom of the pattern, but the petticoat ended up being pretty wonky in terms of how it fell with the stretch of the cotton gauze, so I ended up making another in a tighter weave. Thanks to a photo shoot that a family friend did of myself and two of my friends in the river that flowed behind our home, I have attached a photo of the three of us with me in my Edwardian Underthings (I am in the middle of the photo). I loved that top and wore it for many years....It was quickly followed by many other Folkwear pattern creations."

Another beautiful 203 Edwardian Underthings was made by Joellen who said: "When I got a new sewing machine I wanted to try out some of its features. Edwardian Underthings was my first endeavor. I used a feather stitch, insertion lace, gathers and pin tucks. For a while I used it as petticoat under big skirts. As best I can remember I made it in the 80s."

 

A few other early Folkwear makes of note are the 107 Afghan Dress.  Several people said this was one of their favorite makes.  

First, Rosanne who collaborated with friends all over the country to make this dress. "It was in July or August of 1980.  I remember because I spread the pieces out on my kitchen floor in Columbus and tossed the shisha mirrors on the bodice,  and then I gotdown on my hands and knees and glued each of the shisha in exactly the place it landed,  because I wanted it to look really spontaneous and not overly designed.  I remember that really clearly because it turned out so well. This dress is spectacular.  My friend Ellen Specht, now living in Eugene Oregon, did all the sewing, designed and embroidered all the crewel around the mirrors along with the beading.  It is an heirloom garment. Thanks for the opportunity to show it off after all these years."

 

Barbara made this beautiful 107 Afghan Dress to wear out when socializing: "I made this dress in 1978 from Folkwear pattern 107 Afghan Dress. I used cotton fabric for all the panels. The pattern came together quickly since it was straight stitching rectangular pieces of fabric. I sewed it on a Singer treadle machine that someone electrified."

Kris made this lovely 107 Afghan Dress: 

Finally, I love this fun and festive 107 Afghan Dress by Jane: "I have always loved your patterns, and bought a lot of them from a local California fabric store in the 70’s and 80’s. The afghani dress was a fave. I made this dress out of scrap fabrics, and wore it to a Christmas party in 1994. My husband loved it, and it was a hit at the party!"

 

Stay tuned for a few more entries from last month's contest.  There are so many great Folkwear makes and so many great stories.  Thanks for all the submissions and for traveling along with these stories.