Groovy Times

Last week I shared the bunnies that I made for Easter. I had lots of little ones to sew for! One bunny had custom fabric for a special little one who loves the planets!

I had extra fabric left over, and thought it would make a great button up shirt! I picked a pattern, and got to work!

This particular pattern is from 1973.

What was going on in 1973? Well in 1973 there was the Watergate Scandal, the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade, and the opening of the World Trade Center.

A quick internet search also told me; “In 1973, a major piece of civil rights legislation was the Rehabilitation Act, which aimed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities. Specifically, Section 504 of the act prohibits discrimination based on disability in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. This section has been particularly important in ensuring equal access to education and other public services for people with disabilities. Additionally, the act included provisions for affirmative action in employment by the federal government and government contractors.”

The most popular song of 1973 was by Tony Orlando and Dawn. Here it is in case you want to take a peek at 1973’s most popular song.

Makes sense that this song would be so popular considering that the Vietnam war was still going. However, in 1973 the U.S. formally withdrew from the Vietnam War with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords.

Children in 1973 were watching The Electric Company and Sesame Street. Both were wildly popular shows on PBS.

In 1973 Nasa launched Skylab, which was the U.S.’s first space station.

For me this sew represented education, because of the school buses featured on the fabric and the planets. When you take into account the children on the bus on this fabric are diverse, it makes it the perfect fabric for a 1973 pattern!

The pattern had all of the pieces for the short sleeve button up shirt. Unfortunately the pattern pieces for the vest and pants were missing. I was glad that the pieces I needed were still there!

The pattern was cut out and ready to be assembled.

The first thing to do was to sew the front and back together at the shoulders. I then trimmed the seams and used a zig zag stitch to prevent fraying.

Next, I ironed under the front facings so I could then sew them. This creates a finished edge on the inside of the shirt.

I then pinned the collar pieces, with the right sides together. I sewed around them, leaving the bottom section open. When you sew it to the shirt, you use the open portion to tuck in and hide the seam.

Once the collar was sewn on it looked like this. I still had to put the sleeves on, hem them, sew up the sides, hem the shirt, and add the buttonholes and buttons. Lots to do but I was getting closer!

Pinning the sleeves into place.

With the sleeves sewn on I measured and ironed the sleeve hem. After the hem was sewn I trimmed, then used a zig zag stitch on the sleeve to shirt seam.

I marked out the button holes using my best judgement! This pattern called for snaps but I wanted to use buttons. There were no button markings for the shirt.

The button holes were complete and it was time to hem the shirt. I measured and ironed the hem into place. On small hems like the sleeves, I usually don’t pin it in place. When it’s a longer hem, like the shirt bottom, I pin it to make sure it’s accurate.

I sewed the buttons into place, then there was only one more thing to do. I added my little tag onto the side seam.

The shirt was finished and ready to be sent out! I love the way it turned out! It’s “hip and groovy” (if I want to use 1973 slang), and to me doesn’t look at all like fashion that’s 52 years old!

Sewing old patterns, and taking a glimpse of what the world looked like when they were new, is always interesting. With this little glimpse into history I hope that each one of you reflects on what was then and what is now.

I do know that 1973, although chaotic at times with the political turmoil, such as Watergate and the Vietnam War, nurtured education, equality, and civil rights.

What a groovy time.

As for me, onto the next!