40's day dress

Went shopping at JoAnn Fabrics recently to buy some thread, when I came across this pattern for just $1 in their patterns department.


Immediately the fangirl inside of me went bonkers. This was something that my great grandmother, and my great aunts wore back then during WWII, and probably by now have put up in their attic or basement to collect dust. Plus, I figured this dress would be a great sewing challenge and a great dress to do my pin-up shoots for the fall.

As far as what type of fabric I should use for this dress, I was thinking of something similar to what women wore back during that time. During the war, there were a lot of rations, which meant that there was a limit to what was available. Fabrics like silk, wool, and nylon were often used for the war effort, leaving other fibers such as rayon, linen, and corduroy available for women's fashion. Cotton may have been available to women during that time (I'm not 100% sure), so for the sake of authenticity and comfort, I'm going to stick with either lightweight linen or Rayon. . . with floral or polka-dot print. :)

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