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YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/5wDfqHCQjIU
Everyday Fashions of the Thirties as Pictured In Sears Catalogs, Edited by Stella Blum, was my go-to resource for inspiration for my 1930s wardrobe.
Polka dots were loved in this era for house dresses, day dresses, evening wear, and by all ages.
Polka dots were also popular for accessories.
And this Sears Catalog offering in 1933 sent me down a rabbit hole. "Practical! Popular! Polka Dots! The great Garbo wore a polka dot scarf when she returned to Hollywood!" Did Greta Garbo truly enjoy wearing polka dots?, I wondered.
It seems she did!
And items from her wardrobe sold by Julien's attest to that pattern being in her wardrobe multiple times. Link provided.
Garbo's wardrobe included polka dot garments even into the 1950s. This black polka dot shirt dress is highlighted in the book Greta Garbo: The Mystery of Style. I'll provide a link to archive.org where the book is available to borrow.
Garbo wasn't the only Hollywood icon to sport polka dots and an androgynous style. Do you recognize this polka dot-wearing stunner?
Hollywood icons weren't the only fashion influencers of the time. Miss America 1926, Norma Smallwood, won hearts in her polka dot swimsuit.
The Fabric
That's it! I'm inspired! The Industrial Revolution had given us the ability to create perfectly round and evenly spaced dots by mechanized weaving. I find a beautiful black with white polka dot rayon fabric.
The weave is so amazing! This will become a 1930s day dress with a pattern by Vintage Pattern Lending Library.
And in a storage bin of fabrics purchased from a retiring costumer I find a pique that I think will be fun for accessories with this dress.
The Pattern
A single pattern with 5 options for hats for this wardrobe is Wearing History E-3012 Sporty Toppers - 1930s Hats. View 3 seems like the style Garbo and Dietrich would both love, and I certainly do, so that's my choice for this ensemble.
I've purchased this as a print-at-home pattern and as Wearing History e-patterns are easy to print and assemble, I have it ready in the time it takes me to drink a cup of tea. Link provided.
The pattern pieces for View 3 are simple:
Front Crown and Back Crown.
Brim.
Guides for the ribbon for the ties, and the headband.
Sewing the Hat
The pieces are cut from the pique for the crown and brim.
The ribbon ties will be a double-sided satin and the headband a grosgrain ribbon.
A crown lining is cut from a scrap of polka dot printed cotton.
I'll sew the lining first to get a feel for the darts and general silhouette. I transfer the markings from the pattern by creating a hole in the pattern with an awl and then using a heat-erasable marker for marking.
The back and front crown lining pieces are pinned and then sewn together.
The pattern markings are made on the pique fabric and the darts sewn and pressed in both the front and back crown pieces.
Before sewing the crown pieces together, the brim and satin ribbon ties have to be attached to the front crown. The two brim pieces are sewn right sides together at the curved edge.
The seam allowance is trimmed and the remaining seam allowance clipped to allow the edge to curve smoothly.
The brim is turned right sides out and pressed.
The raw edges of the brim are pinned to the Front Crown piece matching markings and clipping as necessary.
The brim is basted in place at the lower and side seams of the crown piece.
The satin ribbon ties are basted on the sides of the crown piece over the brim as marked.
Now the front and back crown pieces can be sewn together.
The instructions, whether the hat is lined or not, have the grosgrain ribbon headband attached to the lower edge of the hat. I decided to use my grosgrain inside the hat as added structure. I pressed the lower edges of both outer and lining.
I sewed the grosgrain ribbon to the inside of the hat with the bottom edge meeting the foldline.
Now the lining can be pinned and then hand sewn to the exterior of the hat.
The lining and outer layers are tacked together at the peak to keep the layers in place. A small tuck is made and the peak tacked to the front dart to create the upper depression.
Tie the ribbons into a bow...
... and the Polka Dot Hat is finished!
The Finished 1930s Polka Dot Hat
I hope you enjoyed this journey into 1930s polka dots and another jaunty hat creation! Thank you for being here!
Hugs,
Jeanette
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