tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post2514745117786272641..comments2024-03-14T16:03:32.434-04:00Comments on Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing: The House Dress: a Humble HistoryGertiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04314542159287533507noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-91798210805752345752013-06-09T12:56:55.053-04:002013-06-09T12:56:55.053-04:00Just found this site while looking for 1950's ...Just found this site while looking for 1950's housedress patterns. My mom and her sister used to buy theirs at Orbach's in L.A. Most of them wrapped to the back, instead of the front, and had different trim designs on the bodice. (Watch early I Love Lucy episodes to see Ethel Mertz wearing them) <br /><br />I would love to find a sewing pattern for these.maxiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10865418667670121346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-85825686016867118792012-08-25T03:17:52.765-04:002012-08-25T03:17:52.765-04:00I grew up in the '50s. Most moms didn't w...I grew up in the '50s. Most moms didn't work outside the home then. My mom would put on her "housedress" and lipstick just before my father was due to arrive home. She might have busted her butt all day polishing and waxing the hardwood floors but she was supposed to look pretty for the breadwinner and make her work seem effortless. She did have dresses she wore out for shopping which had really full skirts, which could be dressed up with the additional of crinolines. (I found them very itchy!) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-18016220471955089272010-08-21T02:47:53.622-04:002010-08-21T02:47:53.622-04:00What a nice and refreshing find. I will be coming...What a nice and refreshing find. I will be coming back. I make vintage aprons for my girlfriends. My touch is to add my saved chinese food cookie fortunes and hide them in the pockets when I wrap them up as a gift. My friends tell me that on a blah house cleaning day, it's just so nice to reach in the pocket and pull out a fortune and giggle! I bet these house dresses could hold a ton of little slips of wisdom.SuzieQnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-45070146210308493602010-08-13T15:18:54.159-04:002010-08-13T15:18:54.159-04:00I love those patterns! They look so comfortable an...I love those patterns! They look so comfortable and cool! So what if maids wore them? They are pretty.1merrie1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-41350283535001666662010-05-27T12:25:44.186-04:002010-05-27T12:25:44.186-04:00Love your housedress feature. These dresses look ...Love your housedress feature. These dresses look so good I wish I could have one made! I grew up in the 40's, 50's, so the styles are all familiar to me.<br />I like your blog very much - be back to read the rest of it.<br />MarilynMarilynhttp://Merillion.Wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-32770018257199030672010-05-19T11:50:25.122-04:002010-05-19T11:50:25.122-04:00Simplicity 2275 was the first vintage pattern I bo...Simplicity 2275 was the first vintage pattern I bought and the first dress I ever made. I was insane: I chose a unidirectional print and insisted that it needed contrast piping trim. I'd never attempted matching prints, piping, or curved seams before, and there I was doing all three in one dress. I used to be in a music club that played "old-timey" music at festivals and open mic nights, and older ladies would get so excited, not only about the music, but about that dress.<br /><br />I'm a major fan of housedresses, too. They're comfortable, washable, and I can make them with huge pockets that hold everything. I can make them in bright colors with wacky trim. Woven cotton is cooler than a [knit] T-shirt in our miserable south Texas summers. <br /><br />The maid/waitress connection doesn't bother me. Whether society appreciates them enough or not, waitressing and cleaning are totally respectable and necessary occupations. Yes, they were the only work available to many women for a long time, but that wasn't the <i>women's</i> fault, was it?<br /><br />I'm a little amused/perplexed/dismayed by the extreme avoidance of housedresses by so many modern women. My family's version of feminism meant being who you were as a person first and foremost; that you felt like wearing a big pink dress didn't mean you had to stick to cooking and changing diapers. (Besides, I make mine myself, so they're artistic, too. Picking the fabric and trim is at least half the fun.)<br /><br />From a purely practical and aesthetic standpoint: Are we supposed to think that pajama pants and sweatshirts, while gender-neutral, are an improvement? No, thanks!Little Black Carhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14313164876855565140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-3291276820505330672010-04-20T15:00:07.012-04:002010-04-20T15:00:07.012-04:00I loved reading all the comments on housedresses. ...I loved reading all the comments on housedresses. <br /><br />@Mary in Winston-Salem, those dresses Ethel wore were from Orbach's dept store in L.A. My mom and her sister had several of them. Whenever I catch an I Love Lucy episode, it brings back memories of shopping with my mom and aunt. We'd shop at Orbach's (cheaper) and then we'd go to Bullock's (expensive) for lunch with a fashion show. They'd take copious notes and come home to knock off the fashions they liked.maxienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-34594916448623208402010-04-12T18:02:02.236-04:002010-04-12T18:02:02.236-04:00My grandmother used to wear them to do housework i...My grandmother used to wear them to do housework in. They were flowered cotton coat-style dresses back in the sixties and seventies here in Oslo. The idea was to spare your "good" (expensive) clothes from wear, tear and stains. The housedresses were also very easy to wash and my grandmother did not wear any apron over them. Ah nostalgia. My grandmother sewed most of her clothes and a lot of clothes for me and my dolls as well. (Sailor dress, soft baby blue coat with glass buttons, even a flower-power dress with buttercup yellow collar and cuffs). <br /><br />I have almost the same nostalgia for housedresses as I have for flowered old-lady bathing suits and little white smocked rubber swimming caps. Oh and faded terry robes smelling of the seaside out of summers past.<br /><br />VibekeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-28654092665251932342010-04-09T13:11:55.610-04:002010-04-09T13:11:55.610-04:00I'm a huge fan of house dresses! I wear them ...I'm a huge fan of house dresses! I wear them everyday after work and most of the weekends. I always make them with pockets so I can sew with my ipod and cell phone handy. They're super comfy and I don't care if I make a mess while I'm cooking because it's just my house dress! I think they're much more comfy for cleaning in, and if I get cold I just put on an old cardigan. Try it, Gertie, you'll love it!Shanniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01182299521225765221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-18200488681658798662010-04-09T12:28:27.933-04:002010-04-09T12:28:27.933-04:00I think interest in house dresses will increase an...I think interest in house dresses will increase and for a lot of reasons (cuteness not being the least of it). When I first <a href="http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/homage-to-the-humble-house-dress/" rel="nofollow">wrote about it</a> last summer, I was sure people would laugh and some did but you know, I'm glad to see others think this new trend is going to pan out. I prefer the vintage stuff and hope those will become available and be successful. Fwiw, summer is coming, I need clothes, it's time to make and sew up some house dress patterns.kathleenhttp://www.fashion-incubator.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-52442300107025791072010-04-09T07:04:39.995-04:002010-04-09T07:04:39.995-04:00I love your collection of house dresses and got ma...I love your collection of house dresses and got mad for trims, hearted-pockets and all the rest. Thanks for sharing.<br />ElenaGigiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01089684931559093185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-89018678948788431612010-04-09T03:42:34.470-04:002010-04-09T03:42:34.470-04:00I think that a house dress is totally appropriate....I think that a house dress is totally appropriate. I have been dreaming about making one for years and have not got around to it, this post has inspired me to get cracking!Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14698470851821519913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-44596690433622765262010-04-09T01:36:12.825-04:002010-04-09T01:36:12.825-04:00I have a few housedress patterns and have successf...I have a few housedress patterns and have successfully made a wrap one into a nice day dress. So I would say, go for it!<br /><br />After reading your post, I was reminded of "The Secret Lives of Dresses" posted by Erin over at www.dressaday.com. #5 and #10 are both along the line of the "housewife" dress. Check it out, it's great reading.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13984385864865301366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-65471760548303180712010-04-09T00:45:03.804-04:002010-04-09T00:45:03.804-04:00Repurposed Girl: Yes, I DO often end up wear just ...Repurposed Girl: Yes, I DO often end up wear just my underthings when sewing and fitting! Except on really hot days when we've got all the windows open - we live on a busy street and so it's not just my husband who gets the floor show! Those days, the old zip front house dress is priceless for retaining my dignity - ha!Moehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08462484062508881226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-34022570430137829652010-04-08T20:00:00.840-04:002010-04-08T20:00:00.840-04:00Great post and love wearing my house dresses durin...Great post and love wearing my house dresses during the summer. My sisters tease me about it every chance they get. Prior to sewing garments my mom would buy one herself and one for me during her shopping excursions. Now that I sew I use a new look (can not recall the #) shift dress pattern for making house dresses for my mom and I, which is bit more fashonable. <br /><br />Thanks for a great post.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03688900287732221253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-8879148854203867452010-04-08T19:59:25.589-04:002010-04-08T19:59:25.589-04:00I remember my grandmother's housedress- with c...I remember my grandmother's housedress- with carrots on the pocket! but the matronly shaped garments. She wore them over her slip or dress or nightgown but Never out of the house. They were to keep her warm and modest and protect her nice clothes from chores and aerosol hairspray.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-30115732263760095492010-04-08T19:12:46.468-04:002010-04-08T19:12:46.468-04:00One of my favorite patterns in life is a housedres...One of my favorite patterns in life is a housedress, I found a pic on an old etsy listing:<br />http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36190318<br />I love how they are styled holding cooking accouterments so you know it's "supposed" to be a house dress, at least in the long-sleeved version. <br />Anyway, enjoyed this post- I'm a big fan of the housedress- it's how my so-called wearable muslins often end up getting their greatest use. Also love the housedress concept especially because I have pets, and like to keep my street clothes fur & snag-free, so a la Mr Rogers, I change every day when I come home! Housedresses also an excellent excuse to use adorable quilting cottons that wouldn't necessarily work for anything else. <br /><br />I have fond memories of my grandma's ubiquitous house dresses too- in my lifetime anyway, she usually made & wore ones with snaps, smocking, and turquoise floral- and usually with ric rac somewhere! And I have one bizarro find from grandma- never, ever saw her wear it and not sure what it's really meant for- a dressing gown? But it's crazy vivid green & turquoise brocade that zips all down the front but is floor-length and fiendishly 50's-formal glamorous-- somehow doesn't seem dressing gown-y, I'm thinking brunch coat, maybe. Utilitarian with pockets, elbow-length (widish) sleeves and full zip, but the fabric is so over the top. But I don't think anyone ever wore it, we found it in a box, probably a zany "treat yourself!" gift from one of her sisters that she didn't have the heart to get rid of. I keep saying I'll use it for sewing in cooler weather since the front zip is easy-access for trying on. But absurdly, riotously gorgeous and wrong all that the same time. Too casual/too formal.Hillaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01324854929065302634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-13109492087327078292010-04-08T18:33:50.781-04:002010-04-08T18:33:50.781-04:00I think housedresses actually evolved out of the &...I think housedresses actually evolved out of the "Bungalow Apron" which was basically a coverall for dresses. Before and after World War I, as servants became more expensive (thanks to competition from factories and offices), more strenuous housework was taken on by middle-class women who needed serviceable clothes to do those jobs. Porch dresses and morning dresses were iterations of that coverall apron, because in those days, no "respectable" female wore slacks.<br /><br />I have two patterns from 1919 for "adjustable dresses, also suitable for apron" and one from 1921 that's already called a housedress. They're all pretty sack-like but mirror the style silhouette of the times.<br /><br />I think the reason housedresses in the 60's and 70's became more smock-like is because they also mirrored the silhouette of the period - remember the tent dress?1912 Suffragettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05400228383660911132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-54517786324743924232010-04-08T18:07:00.054-04:002010-04-08T18:07:00.054-04:00I'm very torn about house dresses. Or rather w...I'm very torn about house dresses. Or rather wearing them as cute out of the house garments.<br /><br />When they're more fitted, or have cute pockets, or are made out of interesting fabric I kind of love house dresses. I like the idea of wearing a comfy (and cute) dress around the house, or running out to do a few errands.<br /><br />On the other hand, there is maid aspect to it. Many people in my father's family did housework and laundry to help support themselves and their family. Poor black women had extremely limited options for employment. <br /><br />If I were to imagine what my life would have been like in the 1940s or 1950s, it frankly would have been horrifying. Living in Jim Crow America? No thank you. <br /><br />My father's family fled the south due to racist violence, and where they ended up (Indiana) was a Klan stronghold. I mean, in many ways my grandparents and parents worked hard so I would never have to be a maid. So it's a little weird to dress like one.<br /><br />On the third hand, I do think it's possible to wear house dresses while being conscious of what they meant then, and what they mean now.Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16558271291899670360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-26216698725883285352010-04-08T17:27:25.711-04:002010-04-08T17:27:25.711-04:00I discovered Walmart grandma housecoats/house-dres...I discovered Walmart grandma housecoats/house-dresses when I was pregnant with twins 25 years ago. Put on bed rest, there was do darn way I was going to spend all my days in a nightgown. So the housecoat became my dress of the day. And the muumuu styling let me grow and grow.<br /><br />I still love them! I don't use a robe, I have a house-dress. In it, I can go the the car or mailbox and feel like I am not transgressing. <br /><br />But, I need something that is NOT Walmart. No more muumuus! I want something pretty! Unfortunately, I am now that grandma, with Aunt Bea's figure. Sigh.Rosie1925https://www.blogger.com/profile/14232906422200267881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-50217984912734425642010-04-08T17:23:50.265-04:002010-04-08T17:23:50.265-04:00Growing up I knew a lot of lovely great-spirited w...Growing up I knew a lot of lovely great-spirited women who wore these things, in seersucker with rick rack trim, buttoned or zipped up the front. Even as a seven-year old I shuddered but now I remember both the ladies and their housedresses fondly. Thank you for taking the time to research this garment and I look forward to seeing your interpretation.sewistafashionistahttp://sewstorebought.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-64527466349470593432010-04-08T16:45:21.439-04:002010-04-08T16:45:21.439-04:00I absolutely love the Simplicity 3306. I mean, doe...I absolutely love the Simplicity 3306. I mean, does it get more feminine and lovely than that?<br /><br />Most of the early patterns are totally wearable nowadays. Great post, Gertie!Conchahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01149886331153813631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-66306726346197525312010-04-08T16:28:36.644-04:002010-04-08T16:28:36.644-04:00I have a few house dress pattens and have definite...I have a few house dress pattens and have definitely thought about making a few for summer especially. I don't like shorts, so I prefer to wear skirts when the weather is hot. On the weekends I'll pull on whatever is easiest. If I could figure out what to make these dresses out of that doesn't require ironing... Like Mrs. Strange, I have also been planning on making a "hostess gown" pattern as a robe. I have a normal wrap and tie robe, but when I'm doing anything around the house it comes loose and slips open. I'd really prefer one that closes with a button or snap made of a comfy velour. And I love the puff sleeves.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08848789612409874592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-55716340973962659532010-04-08T16:09:27.605-04:002010-04-08T16:09:27.605-04:00Totally with you! And thanks for the sociology les...Totally with you! And thanks for the sociology lesson too.<br /><br />With a day/house dress one can pop on some smart flats, pearls and a cardigan and be ready for shopping or lunch out and about!Beckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01495309815825183088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3259455441759015869.post-31906068659940464372010-04-08T15:57:08.778-04:002010-04-08T15:57:08.778-04:00Sorry about this, but I couldn't help myself -...Sorry about this, but I couldn't help myself -- I hope you like it Gertie!<br /><br />(To the tune of "Just a Housewife, from the musical "Working" with apologies to Stephen Sondheim)<br /><br />All I am is... just a housedress.<br />Nothing special, nothing great<br />Wear me when you mop the kitchen<br />Shop for groceries, clean a plate.<br /><br />Wear me if you’re someone’s mother.<br />Wear me if you’re someone’s wife.<br />In fashion I seem unimportant<br />I’ve just clothed a million lives.<br /><br />Made of cotton, maybe linen.<br />Zipper closure, maybe snaps<br />Heart shaped pockets, if you’re clever<br />Princess styling or a wrap.<br />Line the seams up, Join the pieces.<br />Dropped some stitches, start again.<br />Re-thread the needle, press the pedal<br />Jammed the bobbin, count to ten...<br /><br />(2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9..10<br />4..5..6..7..8..9..)<br /><br />All it is is just a housedress<br />Just a housedress, nothing great.<br />What it is is “out of fashion”<br />What it is is “out of date.”<br />Will I be dressed up like my mother<br />If I make this throw-back dress<br />Why persist with homemade clothing<br />Didn’t women’s lib free me from this awful mess<br /><br />I don’t mean to complain at all<br />But they make you feel like you’re two feet tall<br />When you don’t fit the clothes in the store<br />(it’s just a house dress)<br />All the clothes on the racks and walls<br />They don’t fit my body, style or life,<br />(my life)<br />You’re “fab” if you fit the latest styles<br />But you’re a jerk if you say you won’t<br />(and wear a housedress)<br />People say that they think it’s fine<br />If the choice is mine<br />But you know they don’t<br />What I do, what I choose to do<br />May seem lame to you<br />But it’s not to me.<br />I sew my clothes because I care<br />Cause I really care<br /> to dress like me<br />And I mean, did ya ever think,<br />What it really means<br />To buy Off the Rack<br />And wear all the same clothes<br />That everybody else does?<br /><br />So I’ll make my simple housedress.<br />(It was good enough, for my mother<br />nothing special)<br />I will wear it,<br />(I’ll wear it)<br />when I cook<br />(when I shop)<br />And it will fit me<br />(and my body)<br />like a glove<br />(one of a kind)<br />And I will love to wear this dress I made<br />(just a housedress)<br />with my own two hands.<br />Just for me<br />(like my mother’s)<br />Just my housedress.elizabethenoreply@blogger.com