1940’s Style
The PHOTOGRAPH
It all started with a photo of my Nanny, Eileen sitting on her bed; a cup of tea and a cigarette in hand, the morning sun streaming through the window lighting up the waves of her hair. I think she is in her early 20’s in this photo, so that must make it late 1940’s, early 1950’s. I always wonder who took the photo, one of her 5 siblings or maybe a boyfriend? Perhaps this wasn’t her bedroom but somewhere she was staying on one of her many trips to Butlins along the coast of the East of England. Before last year I’d never seen this photo, so I don’t have the exact details. It’s nice to wonder.
The pyjamas my Nanny wears really caught my eye. Floaty, light weight cotton, I’m guessing white and you can just about see a dainty floral pattern. Bloomer style bottoms, ruched at the knee, frills are a definite theme, on the armholes, the bottom of the trousers, the yoke and neckline of the blouse. I wanted to capture the soft, romantic, young and feminine feel, not only from the style of the pyjamas but from the entire feel of the photograph in my own design.
Designing
Imitating the design of the pyjamas in the photograph wasn’t my plan, I want to envelop the mood in a nightwear set that also incorporated my own style and make it a little more modern. I, myself wouldn’t be comfortable with the style of trouser my Nanny wears, the ruched fabric around the knee would irritate me while I slept and the same goes for the high neckline too. I didn’t want something so restrictive. So I sketched a couple of ideas, looked through endless summer pyjamas, modern and vintage, online and in books and went through my own wardrobe for details, just to see what would grab my attention. All whilst keeping comfort in mind.
After sketching out a couple of ideas, I narrowed it down to a less fitted, cropped blouse and shorts. I knew I wanted shorts and not the original cropped, knee length pj bottoms but I wanted to keep the frill and feminine look. I took away the high neck and replaced it with a low v, buttoning up at the centre. To give balance, I added short sleeves and a frill to match the ruffled hem of the shorts.
I’ve actually never made shorts before and haven’t got a block to start from, so I went in search of a pattern that would suit the design. I came across ‘At The Seams Patterns’ on Etsy and decided on the ‘Amy PJ Shorts’, the first time I’d ever used a PDF pattern, this is how long it’s been since I’d made anything, guys! So out of touch with the modern world of dressmaking! I then searched for the kind of blouse I wanted, a pattern to start from and just couldn’t find anything that would work. I set about creating my own. I used the McCalls Sewing Pattern 8032 (bought from Minerva) bodice as a starting point, a dress that I had previously made for my sister’s 30th birthday present. I knew it would fit me as we are very similar in size. After altering the bodice pattern, you can barely see any of the original features once I got it looking like my sketch.
The Fabric
So…fabric is expensive, I think we can all agree, dressmaking isn’t a cheap hobby. So for the toile, I found a crisp and clean (looked completely unused) double 1980’s duvet cover in a charity shop for £3. I know it’s 1980’s because I have since found the same design on ebay for £20. It is beautiful and I will definitely be shopping for fabric, table cloths, sheets and duvet covers in charity shops again. I have so much left, I think I can get a whole dress out of it, so look out for that in the future.
The fabric for the real deal was a valance sheet that belonged to my Nanny and Grandad, also 1980’s era, I remember it being on the single divan bed I used to sleep on when I stayed at their house. It was spotless, of course, it belonged to my Nan who kept everything pristine. The large floral pattern is a contrast to the toile’s dainty pattern but I feel it works really well for the 1940’s/1950’s style I am looking to achieve and matches a little better with the style of the pj’s in the photograph. The cotton is soft and lightweight, perfect for summer evenings. The sheet was destined for the bin as my parents were clearing out my Grandad’s house after he passed away. I rescued it, along with several others. If there’s one thing I’ve inherited from my Grandad Joe, it to never throw anything away that might be useful later on. Some call it hoarding, others would say it’s sensible and environmentally friendly. Sometimes this trait is a blessing, other times it can be a curse.
The Finished Pyjamas
If you have made it this far, you are SO deserving of seeing the finished article! Thank you for reading to the end. Here they are in all their glory (and me too). My daughter directed a little film for me, coming up with the scene ideas and ‘The Girls Book of Glamour’ for a prop. I hope you like them, if you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you.
Pyjama Playlist
I really like to set an atmosphere when I’m designing a new garment, part of that is creating a playlist to listen to while sketching and sewing! Some songs really remind me of the people in my life or the moments I have shared with them. Below are the songs I gathered for the ‘Breakfast in Bed’ project. If you can think of any songs to add, let me know! I’d love to hear from you.
Visit the Playlist page or my Spotify profile for all the other soundtracks I have created for my projects.
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3 responses to “Breakfast in Bed.”
Love it all 🥰 love the story, the designing and the end result 👌💛
Thank you so much! 🩷
Wow! Fantastic. Exciting. Really looking forward to seeing it and reading the interesting stories from the past to the present . 😘