Making a 1950s Pin-Up Top | Simplicity 1426

 The perfect ingredients for a quick, satisfying sewing project:

• 1 scrap of fabric
• 2 matching vintage buttons
• Remnant of thread long enough to sew on those buttons
• a Big 4 pattern without ridiculous amounts of ease (Simplicity 1426!)

I'm currently working on an 1850's corset, but I needed a quick, palette cleanser project to keep my sewing motivation high. I found Simplicity 1426 in my stash, a reproduction 1950s pattern for 5 different bra tops that I've been wanting to try for years. I had a remnant of vintage printed cotton (given to me by my grandma, who likely bought in between the 1960s-80s) that was just enough to cut out View B, with some piecing on the back.

Changes I made to the pattern:

• I changed the arrangement of the buttons so that the two buttons were placed horizontally rather than vertically; this was more aesthetically pleasing and allowed me to tighten up the band of the "bra" for more support
• I added bias strips of white cotton sateen to the straps for some subtle contrast (you can watch my video below to learn how I did that!)

Overall, I really enjoyed working with this pattern. I cut a Size 8, which had barely any ease and fit almost perfectly, with the exception of the straps that are a bit too long -- but I'm petite anyway, and should've checked the strap length before sewing. Not only is the pattern true to size, it's a quick, easy make that can be achieved in a few hours. You can adapt most of the views of the pattern into tops by extending the bottom bands to cover the midriff. 

I also had just enough fabric left over to make a matching face mask! Safe and stylish 😍