How to Make Flapper Dresses for Juniors
In the 1920s, also called "The Jazz Age" and "The Roaring 20s", women dressed less conservatively. In 1920, women gained the right to vote. They became more confident. "The Flapper" dress of 1922 through 1929 was named after women's galoshes that flapped when they walked. The tubular, low-waist dress allowed a woman to dance while showing off a bit of leg for the boys to see, but it gave her a boyish look.
Things You Will Need
- Pattern (For a Junior size sheath dress)- Junior sizes run smaller than Misses sizes
- Fabric (3 yards of nylon taffeta, knit or cotton)
- Fringe (at least 1-inch wide) - It comes on 10-yard spools for $5 to $10, but you only need about 5-feet or less for the dress.
- Thread
- Pins
- Scissors
- Sewing Machine
- Lay your pattern on the fabric, making sure the fold line is straight along the fabric fold. Be sure to cut the darts.
- Cut out the fabric. There is one front fabric and two back fabrics.
- Place the two back fabric pieces with the right sides facing.
- Pin the inner (farthest from the arm hole) pieces together along the inside seam.
- Sew the inner side of the fabric pieces together, leaving a 1/2-inch seam.
- Leave 12-inches in the top back for the buttons and closing tabs.
- Reopen the back. It is now in one piece.
- Place the front piece even at the shoulder seams, with the back piece, right sides facing each other.
- Pin the front sides and shoulder seams to the back side and shoulder seams facing it, leaving the arm holes, neck line and hem opened.
- Sew the facing shoulder seams together.
- Sew one side of the front piece with the back piece side that is lined with it.
- Sew the other side of the front piece with the back piece side that is facing it.
- Turn in the neck lines fabric, leaving a 1/2-inch seam.
- Pin around the inside neck lines. Machine stitch the inside neck lines.
- Turn in the fabric for both sleeve holes, leaving a 1/2-inch seam.
- Pin around the sleeves lines on the inside.
- Machine stitch around both sleeve holes on the inside.
- Turn in the bottom of the dress hem by 1/2 inch. Hemstitch the bottom of the dress.
- Turn the dress inside out so the right side will be outside.
- Place the fringe top strip around and on the inside of the dress hem.
- Pin in place around the hem. Machine top stitch around the hem.
Headband
- Cut off about 2-feet of the braid from the fringe.
- Pin each end of the braid together to make it a circle. Machine stitch down the seam. You have a finished circle.
- Add a feather to it.
Add a long beaded necklace and high heel shoes.