#Sewingtheseventies Qipao/Cheongsam

Completing a sewing challenge with over a week to spare…This is sky falling down territory!

When I saw the #sewingtheseventies challenge by Steely Seamstress, I really wanted to take part. It was pure coincidence that I just happened to be working on a seventies sewing pattern (1972) and my fabric choice was not only vintage…but as seventies as anything! Fate, you wanted me to do this post and be apart of this!!

Here’s my entry…

I’m going to call this dress a ‘qipao’ rather than a ‘cheongsam’. Both are correct, just ‘qipao’ is the Mandarin way and ‘cheongsam’ is the Cantonese way. My husband speaks Mandarin so I’m used to calling it a qipao.

The Pattern

I bought this pattern, Simplicity 5010, on Etsy and I was ummming and ahhing about buying it for months. Firstly, at the grand price of £20 including postage, it would be the most money I have ever spent on a sewing pattern. Secondly, it was from America, with no postal insurance so maybe it wouldn’t even turn up.

BUT…I was in love with that keyhole neckline. Other qipao sewing patterns just didn’t come close and I’ve wanted to sew a qipao for a while. I even love it more than the qipao on my make nine list, which was is also gorgeous.

For a bit more information about vintage qipao patterns there is an excellent blog post here by Devine Stitches

Fitting

I knew the fit on the bust would be perfect. I bought the 34 inch bust pattern specifically so I wouldn’t have to do a bust adjustment. I hate doing those! However, I know vintage sizing is still different from todays and I have a pear shape. I knew the fit wouldn’t be perfect everywhere.

….and as suspected I did need to add a bit more space for my bum/hips. I used a really small seam allowance for the back seam so it is baggier then it should be. I wanted to err on the side of caution, which was great for my hips but not no much for the waist. I think everything fits except the hips so that’s a pretty easy fitting issue to solve.

The wind is making it very difficult for you to see the great A line skirt shape but this dress is so comfortable!!

The Fabric

I got this fabric from the sewing weekender fabric swap. Thank you lovely person who donated it! It’s a fabric I would usually say isn’t my style but as soon as I saw it, I loved it! I thought it would be perfect for a qipao.

I have no idea what it is made of. All I know is that making those rouleau loops was a complete nightmare. It feels quite stiff and synthetic but cuts and sews nicely.

I am so happy with this dress and am just waiting for sunnier days. My only gripe is how annoying the facings are and I intend to fully line the whole thing next time.

I turned the collar down for these pictures because I was a bit intimidated by how tall the collar was! I was planing on making it shorter but now I’m very happy with the length. To see the full collar and more of this dress, you can watch my Youtube video below:

Happy sewing!