Tag: 1950s

1940s, 1950s, bobby soxers, jane russell, jayne mansfield, lana turner, marilyn monroe, sweater girl

Rebellious Fashion: The Sweater Girls

Lizzie Violet

When you hear the word sweater girl your mind might automatically go to Marilyn Monroe or the many curvaceous women of the 1950s. However, the term sweater girl and the fashion itself started long before that. If you want to find out more about the origins of the sweater girl, watch this video.

It’s the mid-1940s, and the world is at war. Many young men are off to fight the biggest battle of their lives and are likely away from home for the very first time. They’re also incredibly stressed out. During this time, women’s fashion was also changing drastically, and one of those changes was the sexy, tight-fitting sweater. Not only was this a way for women to show off their curves, but the sweater girl also became a symbol of World War II and a way to help distract men from their daily lives as soldiers. That isn’t when the sweater girl trend began. It actually started much earlier than that, and the original model for the sweater girls was not Marilyn Monroe,  as many people believe.

To learn the origins of where the sweater girl started, we need to go back to the year 1937. Before we dive into the history, let’s just talk a little bit about what exactly a sweater girl is.

The sweater girl was a 1940s and 1950s fashion trend that originally was very popular amongst Hollywood actresses, and as with a lot of fashion trends, young women started to emulate the way that these actresses looked. For many, it was a way to express their sexuality in a time when women were still supposed to look a certain way. That style itself was also very controversial, as many would say that women dressing in such a sexy way was showing society’s moral decline. When in fact this was giving women a sense of empowerment, and of course, many didn’t like that.

To add to the sexiness of the very fitted sweater, it was often worn with bullet bras and either pencil skirts or capris, or other tighter-fitting pants. You even see photos of women wearing tight-fitting sweaters with shorts. 

Let’s get into the history of the origins of the term sweater girl.

It’s said that the original actress who encapsulated the ultimate sweater girl was Lana Turner. She was dubbed sweater girl in 1937 after appearing in a very sexy fitted sweater in the film They Won’t Forget. Trust me, no one forgot how absolutely sexy she looked. From that moment on, other actresses realized how much attention they could get with these very snug-fitting garments and also began wearing them. This new fashion trend then created what the world viewed as a new version of a sex symbol. 

It’s also said that Lana Turner’s picture was very popular with soldiers during World War II. Along with Lana, soldiers would have many photos of other actresses and pin-up models with them. Apparently, this was a source of comfort for them, and it helped them a bit when they were homesick. It was also a great way for them to be distracted from the horrors going on around them. 

The popularity of the sweater girl grew when actresses such as Jayne Mansfield, Jane Russell, Patti Page, and, of course, Marilyn Monroe started also wearing the tighter-fitting sweaters. 

The styling of the tight-fitting sweater could be in a variety of different ways. It could be plain with either a turtleneck or some variation of a scoop neck, and occasionally a V-neck, but not as often. Very often, as well, they would be embellished with either embroidery, sequins, or some sort of beading. Often, you would see these in sweater sets as well. These beautiful sweaters not only highlighted the beautiful hourglass figures due to their form-fitting shape, but they also got a little bit of help with the famous bullet bra.

At this time, we were also seeing more progress in the way that fabric was being made. You could get fabric for sweaters that was made with cashmere or angora, and even yarn for knitting that had become softer. It wasn’t that itchy scratchy wool any longer. Because fabrics such as cashmere and angora fabrics could also be made thinner and this would also add to the ability to have it more form-fitting. Occasionally, sweaters would also be made with cotton, though at that time, I don’t think cotton would hold up as well as wool. I feel like it would have eventually lost shape a little bit. Over time, of course, cotton did improve with technology.

I absolutely love the look of bullet bras, and they’ve become very, very popular in today’s pin-up culture and rockabilly culture. The sweater girl look has never really vanished. Many companies make modern versions of the bullet bras, as well as you can still find vintage ones. Unfortunately, a lot of vintage lingerie and underpinnings don’t hold up to newer ones. In a lot of cases, the elastic fabric needed for flexibility in a brassiere often deteriorates, and a lot of the structure is lost because of that. Though I do see a lot of vintage lovers posting about finding original bullet bras. I’m sure if you are somebody who sews or you know somebody who does, parts of that bra can be fixed in order to make it wearable again.

As I mentioned earlier with the evolving exposure of the women’s figure can cause controversy around the tight-fitting sweaters. another clutch your pearls moment of women wanting to show off their bus lines and their wastes. Many felt that this was the moral downfall of youth post-World War II, even though this trend started before the war. According to a couple of articles that I read about this, they were saying that the bobby sockers were the worst influencers of all of the women. During this time, bobby soxers were usually either teenagers or women in their early twenties. I think every generation picks that sort of age range to blame for the downfall of society. 

  • Two coeds looking at poster advertising the San Souci Club at Arlington State College, 1958

There is even a movie called The Sweater Girl. The Sweater Girl is a 1942 film that was written by Robert Blees and Beulah Marie Dix, and it was directed by William Clemens. This movie also starred actors Eddie Bracken, June Preisser, Philip Terry, and Betty Jean Rhodes. The movie was a low-budget comedy, and the plot is about college students attempting to solve a series of murders on campus, while at the same time, they’re trying to put on a big show for the school.

Then, in 1944, Navy Screen Magazine did a one-reel short that showed portions of the special Armed Forces Radio Network recording session. This session was with Bob Hope, where he introduces Judy Garland as a sweater girl before she begins to sing Over the Rainbow. Apparently, Garland asked Bob Hope why he thought that the men in the audience were so crazy about sweater girls, and of course, in his wisecracking lines, he said, “That’s one mystery I’d like to unravel”. Very typical of Bob Hope of that era.

As I mentioned in the video, here is a guide if you would like to try out the sweater girl look!

1. Sweater & Top

  • Fit: Choose a form-fitting sweater that hugs the bust and waist. Stretchy knits or wool blends work best.
  • Neckline: Crew neck, scoop neck, or slightly sweetheart-shaped. Some vintage styles had subtle puffed shoulders.
  • Length: Tuck the sweater into your high-waisted skirt or pants to emphasize the waist.
  • Colors: Pastels, red, black, or cream were classic. Solid colors are more authentic than bold prints.
  • Optional Details: Buttons or small embellishments, like a tiny bow or knit pattern, add retro charm.

2. Skirt & Bottoms

  • High-Waisted Pencil Skirt: Knee-length or just below the knee, fitted but not overly tight.
  • A-Line Skirt: Offers a softer, more playful look while still accentuating the waist.
  • Wide Belts: Cinch the waist further; a simple leather or fabric belt works perfectly.
  • High-Waisted Pants: For a slightly more casual look, tailored trousers with a defined waist also work.

3. Hair

  • Victory Rolls: Iconic 1940s rolled hairstyle.
  • Soft Waves: Loose, side-parted waves for a more 1950s look.
  • Updos: Simple chignons or ponytails with curls at the ends work well for a polished look.
  • Accessories: Hair scarves, ribbons, or vintage-style hairpins complete the look.

4. Makeup

  • Eyes: Neutral eyeshadow, winged eyeliner, and defined brows.
  • Lips: Classic red or pink lipstick, matte or slightly glossy.
  • Cheeks: Subtle blush to highlight the cheekbones.
  • Optional: Light mascara or false lashes to enhance the eyes.

5. Shoes & Accessories

  • Shoes: Pointed-toe pumps, Mary Janes, or classic kitten heels.
  • Bags: Structured handbags or small clutch bags.
  • Jewelry: Simple pearl earrings or a delicate necklace.

Additional links:

1930s Summer Fashion: https://youtu.be/2dVsUeQXpkg
Tasha Could Make That: https://tashacouldmakethat.com/
Andi Satterlund: https://www.patreon.com/c/AndiSatterlund/about
Poison Grrls: https://www.poisongrrls.com/

If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe, give this video a thumbs up if you liked it and also, I now have memberships on this channel and those memberships do include early access to weekly videos, eventually I’ll do semi-regular members only chats, you’ll get discounts to new products, I’ll also do some members only posts, videos and possibly some tutorials shortly. It does not cost that much to join, and it helps out my channel.

I have a Patreon. I would love it if you became a member.  https://www.patreon.com/killerkitschdesigns

If you are inclined, I have a Ko-Fi account. All donations are appreciated and will help me upgrade my equipment (lighting, microphones etc).

Thank you so much!  https://ko-fi.com/killerkitschlizzie

Other links to follow! Discord: https://discord.gg/yPeZRJpWpk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/killerkitsch13/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/killerkitsch13

Website: https://killerkitschdesigns.com/

1950s, 1960s, art, beatnik, poetry, rebellious fashion, writing

Rebellious Fashion: The Beatnik Generation

Lizzie Violet

If you’ve ever heard the word beatnik, one of the first images that likely comes into your mind is of a lanky male or female dressed head to toe in black with a beret on their head, a turtleneck, slim slacks on their body, and loafers on their feet. As well, you may also associate them with poetry and smoky jazz cafes or coffee houses. However, there is so much more to the history of the beat generation. They were rebellious and spoke out against the way that society had changed after World War II. They were using their fashion style and their words to voice out against what they believed to be a world moving in the wrong direction.

To find out more about the beatnik generation, its history, and its style, keep watching.

“The term ‘beatnik’ was coined by Herb Caen of the San Francisco Chronicle on April 2, 1958, blending the name of the recent Russian satellite Sputnik and Beat Generation. This suggested that beatniks were “far out of the mainstream of society” and “possibly pro-Communist.” Caen’s term stuck and became the popular label associated with a new stereotype—the man with a goatee and beret reciting nonsensical poetry and playing bongo drums while free-spirited women wearing black leotards dance.” {Wikipedia}

If you’ve ever watched a movie from the mid-1950s up to the early 1960s, you may have come across scenes that take place in Bohemian-style coffee shops. In those scenes, you’ll see poets or musicians doing some sort of beat style poetry, spoken word or music, and there were always bongos. One of my favorite movies with beatnik style is the Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak movie called Bell, Book, and Candle. It also stars one of my favorite all-time actors, Jack Lemmon, who, of course, works in a coffee house and is part of the house band, and he plays the bongos.

Before I get into what the beatnik style was, I want to talk about the history of the beatnik culture.

As with many fashion trends, it is usually inspired by some kind of culture or era, or some kind of artistic inspiration. Beatnik fashion is no different. Firmly linked to what is called the Beat Generation, it was considered a counterculture movement, and it was heavily influenced by artists, intellectuals, and anyone who was off the beaten path. and they usually frequented coffee houses, bookstores, jazz clubs, or some very smoky, underground-type establishments. It was a very Bohemian style culture. Toronto had its very own counterculture, artistically driven, Bohemian-style neighbourhood. That was Yorkville back in the ’50s and ’60s. Today, if you were to visit Yorkville, it is not anywhere related to what that culture was back then. Now it is very sheeshee, high-end, boutique stores, rich people’s playgrounds. A far cry from what it was during its beatnik generation era. Other little pockets in the city of Toronto also had a similar culture; the Annex was one of the other ones. Every major city would have an area that was dedicated to the beatnik generation. London, San Francisco, and New York are other examples of large cities that have a very colorful and interesting history in their culture. Speaking of New York City, this was where the movement began.

Beatniks were considered rebellious, and in their own way, they were rebelling against society. What was that way, you ask?

As with many artists over the centuries, they rebelled through their art, and with the beatniks were amongst those artists. The beatniks were rebelling against conformity, materialism, and what American society became after World War II. 

After World War I, the world went through a cycle of wealth and insane spending, to the Great Depression, and then to war. When the Second World War ended, the world began having a cycle of wealth again. People had become materialistic, and their spending habits had changed greatly from the decade previous to the war. This was one of the things that the culture was rebelling against. They were critiquing what was now perceived as the American dream. Keeping up with the Joneses. The stages of life once again being: get married, own a house, have a car, and work at a job that you stay at for your entire life. The wife stayed at home and cooked, cleaned, and raised the children. As Bohemians, they wanted to live their lives freely, artistically, and not have to follow the rules of what was considered the standard way of life. Through their art, they were trying to find a way to liberate themselves from all of that.

  • ruth weiss in San Francisco, 1973

During this time, several writers and artists became incredibly well-known. 

Writers such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs are considered to be key figures in the movement. If you’ve read any of their works, you would see a very strong message in them about fighting against this conformity. 

Other important poets, writers, and artists of that time would include Edie Parker, Ted Joans, John Asbery, and Ruth Weiss.

As I mentioned above, a huge part of the beatnik culture was the poetry scene and the music scene. Here in Toronto, I was part of both of those scenes. I ran a cabaret called Lizzie Violet’s Cabaret Noir, and part of that Cabaret was poetry and music. I was good friends with a lot of very Bohemian-style artists. One in particular was Nik Beat. Nik’s name was a variation of the word beatnik. Nik was a very well-known artist and poet in Toronto, as well as a huge supporter of the arts. He had a weekly show on the radio station CIUT. I performed on the show a few times, and I’m very grateful to have known him. Unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago, but as I was writing the script for this video, I was thinking about Nik as well as my time in that scene.

  • Camera+ recipe? ? scene: Portrait ? crop: Square

Along with running a cabaret, I was also a spoken word artist. Being a spoken word artist, I was also part of the poetry community. I’m no longer part of that scene as I had walked away from it when the pandemic happened, and at that point, I had already moved on to other artistic endeavors.

As promised, let’s talk a little bit about beatnik style.

Beatnik style was a combination of a few different looks. Both men and women embraced this style, and one of the reasons was its simplicity. But I’m getting ahead of myself, let me tell you a little bit about exactly what beatnik style is.

Beatnik style was probably at its height towards the end of the 1950s, and it was usually described as a very minimalist, intellectual, and androgynous style. Men and women tended to wear very similar styles. This look would include mostly black clothing, occasionally another color would pop in, such as white, and it was a mishmash of turtlenecks, skinny tight pants similar to narrow-legged trousers or ankle-length capris, and the footwear was always comfortable. Women who were into beatnik fashion usually steered away from high heels or any kind of uncomfortable, fashionable footwear.

Another very well-known and very familiar beatnik style is the striped long-sleeved top. It would be in the fashion of either a turtleneck or a Breton-style top. Breton would be a wide, round-neck or boat neck shape.

Along with berets, as headwear, you would almost always see beatniks wearing sunglasses. It didn’t matter if they were indoors or outdoors. They were also very likely not to be sun worshipers in any sort of way. They would rather spend their time inside a dark, smoky coffee house.

Women’s hairstyles tended to be long and straight with bangs, a variation of the Bettie Bang that was popular in the 1940s. Bettie Page especially made that look famous. Men usually had longish hair with beards, and often their beards would be in the style of a goatee. 

The beatnik minimalist look would not have any flashy patterns. As I mentioned above, the striped top was probably as flashy as they got. 

Below are a few articles I read when doing my research for this video!

https://vagazine.com/exploring-beatniks-and-the-beat-generation-legacy/

“WHO WERE THE BEATNIKS”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatnik

https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/8395/how-beatnik-style-made-the-underground-mainstream

How the Beat Generation Created the Uniform for Disaffected Youth

https://gbacg.org/finery/beatnik-fashion/

Would you consider your look to be Beatnik? If you were around in the 1950s, would you be part of the Beatnik culture?

I hope you enjoyed this video, please subscribe, give this video a thumbs up if you liked it and also, I now have memberships on this channel and those memberships do include early access to weekly videos, eventually I’ll do semi-regular members only chats, you’ll get discounts to new products, I’ll also do some members only posts, videos and possibly some tutorials shortly. It does not cost that much to join, and it helps out my channel.

I have a Patreon. I would love it if you became a member.  https://www.patreon.com/killerkitschdesigns

If you are inclined, I have a Ko-Fi account. All donations are appreciated and will help me upgrade my equipment (lighting, microphones etc).

Thank you so much!  https://ko-fi.com/killerkitschlizzie

Other links to follow! Discord: https://discord.gg/yPeZRJpWpk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/killerkitsch13/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/killerkitsch13

Website: https://killerkitschdesigns.com/

1800s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, adjustable skirt, rebellious fashion

Rebellious Fashion: The History of Skorts

Lizzie Violet

When you hear the word skort, you are likely to visualize part of an outfit that a tennis or golf player might be wearing. Did you know that skorts have a much richer history than that? Did you know they were once considered rebellious fashion? If you want to find out more. Watch this video!

In my continuing series about rebellious fashion, today, we’re talking about the skort!

Before I get into the history, for anyone wondering what a skort is, let me explain. 

A skort is a combination of shorts and a skirt. The current design has a flap of fabric that covers the entire front of your shorts. If you look at female tennis players, you will generally see them wearing this garment. The beginnings of skorts started long before modern times!

Beginning around the 1890s, women began cycling. A huge fad that women felt they should be able to be a part of. However, their heavy skirts did not allow for them to do this with ease. Being able to use a bicycle also allowed women even more freedom. You also need to remember that we also have the Suffrage movement happening at this time, so every little bit of independence was a huge win. It is rumoured that many of those leading the movement enjoyed being able to utilize a way of transportation that only men did.

The original skort was more like a very voluminous pair of trousers. This allowed freedom of movement for the female cyclist, as well as allowing them to safely use the bicycle. You can just imagine getting one of those long and bulky skirts caught in a bicycle chain. That would have led to some serious injuries.

How did these trousers fare? Not very well. At that time, women simply did not wear trousers. According to society, it took away from their femininity. Trousers were meant for men. After getting a taste of the freedom of cycling as well as trousers, many women didn’t want to go back. This had women rethinking the clothing they were currently wearing. Restrictive corsets, huge skirts, bustles, and sleeves. In addition to trousers being meant for men, the cycling trousers would do something shocking to society. It exposed women’s ankles. Women would still be wearing wool stockings with their cycling trousers, but… society still had issues with this.

Could there be a compromise? 

French designers would have the answer.

Always innovators of fashion, French designers were the first to evolve the cycling trousers into skorts! The French creation would be the trouser skirts. This allowed the freedom of trousers while continuing to keep modesty in check. In 1911, Paul Poiret produced several designs that were a combination of skirts and trousers, which were known as jupe-culottes, or also known as harem pants. 

In the 1930s, there was a fitness craze and the desire to have more athletic-looking bodies. Because of this, even more women were taking up sports, especially tennis and golf. The skort also became popular as everyday wear. Skorts were still fairly long at this time, and it wasn’t uncommon for a woman to wear wool stockings with them. 

In 1931, enter one of our favourite rebellious fashion designers, Elsa Schiaparelli! Elsa designed a pair of skorts for Spanish tennis player Lili Alvarez. This version of the skort was a pair of culottes (which Elsa is well known for), with a piece of fabric draped across the front for modesty. It was the first time that skorts had been worn to Wimbledon. Some of the audience members were aghast and vocal with their thoughts on the skort. When it was worn at the French Open, the audience was much more relaxed about it. 

In the 1930s, you would also see women in college adapting skorts as part of their athletic uniforms!

Then the skort lost popularity. They were still being used in sports, but not in everyday wear. At this point, it was no longer considered taboo for women to wear trousers, and the skort lost its edge. 

Then, in 1959, the skort reappeared in a 1959 Spring/Summer Montgomery Ward catalogue. In this version of the skort, it was a pleated skirt with shorts underneath the skirt. 

Welcome to the 1960s and short hemlines, skorts evolved again to fit with those styles and would remain short for the most part, up until today.

Today, skorts are fashionable in sports and everyday wear. As everyday wear, you get the best of both worlds, shorts and a skirt. Perfect for breezy summer days! However, their history is much more important than that. They were a very important part of feminism, allowing women to participate in the same luxuries as men, from cycling to sports. It was a rebellious statement, and we should always remember that.

At some point in the near future, I plan on self-drafting a skort and will have a tutorial for that.

Other links: 

Rebellious Women of the 1920’s: https://youtu.be/rYlkmwHPNFU 

Rebellious Fashion: Hatpins: https://youtu.be/fkw-5-PbAPc 

I hope you enjoyed this video. Please subscribe and give this video a thumbs up if you liked it. Also, I now have memberships on this channel, and those memberships include early access to weekly videos. Eventually, I’ll do semi-regular members-only chats, and you’ll get discounts on new products. I’ll also do some members-only posts, videos, and possibly some tutorials shortly. It does not cost that much to join, and it helps out my channel.
I have a Patreon. I would love it if you subscribed!  https://www.patreon.com/killerkitschdesigns
I have a Ko-Fi account if you are inclined. All donations are appreciated and will help me upgrade my equipment (lighting, microphones, etc.). 
Stay Kitschy T-shirt! https://ko-fi.com/s/d1c506b10f

Thank you so much!  https://ko-fi.com/killerkitschlizzie

Other links to follow! Discord: https://discord.gg/yPeZRJpWpk

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knitting, knitting community, vintage knitting, vintage knitting patterns

Fall/Winter Knitting Plans!

Lizzie Violet

Check out my latest video on YouTube!

1950s, 1960s, halloween, rockabilly, sewing, vintage sewing

Spooky Sewing! Bat Skirt Tutorial!

Lizzie Violet

It’s spooky season!

In this video, we are going to do some spooky sewing and I’m going to tell you how I made my bat skirt! I’m also going to chat about why I chose bats as my theme this year!

I use my Cricut often for sewing. There is a detailed tutorial coming in the near future for this. Please make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss it!

There is an even more detailed blog post over on Patreon! You can follow me for free there. In the new year, I will also be adding paid content with lots of fun projects! The link is below.

Thank you for watching! Please subscribe and tell your friends! I post a new video every other Friday! Subscribing and clicking the bell notification icon ensures you won’t miss a video!  https://youtube.com/@killerkitschvintagelizzie 

If you are inclined, I have a Ko-Fi account. All donations are appreciated and will help me upgrade my equipment (lighting, microphones etc). Thank you so much! 

https://ko-fi.com/killerkitschlizzie

Other links to follow! 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/killerkitschdesigns 

Discord: https://discord.gg/yPeZRJpWpk   

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/killerkitsch13/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/killerkitsch13  

Website: https://killerkitschdesigns.com/

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, cricut, cricut air explore 2, haslam, haslam drafting system, haslam system of dresscutting, knitting, knitting community, sewing, vintage knitting, vintage sewing

The Haslam System of Dresscutting: Creating a toile

Lizzie Violet

In this video, I am going to show you how to create your toile! I will also be adding some tips and tricks throughout the video.

Supplies you will need.

  • Pattern pieces
  • Toile fabric
  • Sewing machine
  • Fabric scissors
  • Pins
  • Contrasting thread – easier for fitting
  • Marker – I use this in the fitting phase

If you enjoyed this video, please consider liking this video and subscribing.

That’s it for now. Thank you for watching. Stay kitschy and I will see you soon!

Thank you for watching! Please subscribe and tell your friends! 

If you are inclined, I have a Ko-Fi account. All donations are appreciated and will help me upgrade my equipment (lighting, microphones etc). Thank you so much! 

https://ko-fi.com/killerkitschlizzie

Other links to follow! 

Discord: https://discord.gg/yPeZRJpWpk 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/killerkitsch13/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/killerkitsch13 

Website: https://killerkitschdesigns.com/

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, cricut, cricut air explore 2, haslam, haslam drafting system, haslam system of dresscutting, knitting, knitting community, sewing, vintage knitting, vintage sewing

The Haslam System of Dresscutting: Creating the pattern pieces

Lizzie Violet

In this episode, I am going to show you how to use your pattern block to create pattern pieces from the pattern block/sloper. I will also show you how to create the facing pieces.

Supplies you will need:

  • Template
  • Pattern block/sloper
  • Tracing paper
  • Pattern 
  • Pencil
  • Marker
  • Eraser
  • Pencil sharpener

A few things to note. These patterns don’t come with a seam allowance and most cases the facings. For the pattern pieces, I add a ⅜” or a ⅝” seam allowance (or seam allowance of your preference.

Back pattern piece

Front pattern piece

If you enjoyed this video, please consider liking this video and subscribing.

That’s it for now. Thank you for watching. Stay kitschy and I will see you soon!

Link to where to buy the pattern book we will be working from: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/945123558/the-haslam-system-of-dresscutting?click_key=f7158d4cc9a382a9e71341d1702d6fa08eb33a74%3A945123558&click_sum=1644bd67&ref=shop_home_active_21&pro=1&sts=1 

Thank you for watching! Please subscribe and tell your friends! 

If you are inclined, I have a Ko-Fi account. All donations are appreciated and will help me upgrade my equipment (lighting, microphones etc). Thank you so much! 

https://ko-fi.com/killerkitschlizzie

Other links to follow! 

Discord: https://discord.gg/yPeZRJpWpk 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/killerkitsch13/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/killerkitsch13 

Website: https://killerkitschdesigns.com/

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, cricut, cricut air explore 2, haslam, haslam drafting system, haslam system of dresscutting, knitting, knitting community, sewing, vintage knitting, vintage sewing

The Haslam System of Dresscutting: Creating the Sloper/Pattern Block

Lizzie Violet

Today we’re going to build the front and back sloper/pattern block. Do you have your tools ready!!!

As I mentioned in the previous video, you will need a few items. 

  • The .pdfs
  • Some kind of tracing paper or large sheets of something. I personally use brown packing paper to draw my patterns on.
  • Poster board or as we call it in Canada Bristol board. I glue my template to it, to give it more structure. You will also use the poster board to make your pattern block. 
  • Pencils, pencil sharpener, eraser, and markers. 
  • Paper scissors
  • Glue of some sort. Elmer’s glue works, but I personally preferred using a glue stick. It was easier for me.
  • I also found an awl as a handy tool for punching the holes.

Please also see my blog post on Patreon for this information (free):  https://www.patreon.com/posts/haslam-system-of-87543607

Now. Let’s put together the back pattern block!

Alright! We have our pattern blocks ready to go. In the next video, I will show you have to draft your pattern! Please make sure you have already downloaded the pattern book. I will link it again below.

Back Sloper

Front Sloper

If you enjoyed this video, please consider liking this video and subscribing.

That’s it for now. Thank you for watching. Stay kitschy and I will see you soon!

Thank you for watching! Please subscribe and tell your friends! 

If you are inclined, I have a Ko-Fi account. All donations are appreciated and will help me upgrade my equipment (lighting, microphones etc). Thank you so much! 

https://ko-fi.com/killerkitschlizzie

Other links to follow! 

Discord: https://discord.gg/yPeZRJpWpk 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/killerkitsch13/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/killerkitsch13 

Website: https://killerkitschdesigns.com/