Sewing up the oldies: Kwik Sew 2762 and 3306

I have an enviable pattern collection, dating back to the 70's.  Some people might be put off by it, but it gives me a lot of joy!  One of the aspects of my pattern collection that is particularly nice is I have a lot of the old original Kwik Sew patterns.  Kwik Sew is now a part of the McCalls franchise, as is Butterick, Vogue and Simplicity, but they haven't been producing a lot of patterns as of late.  When I bought most of mine was in the 90's, early 2000's, when it was still an independent company, producing their patterns on white paper with each of the sizes drawn in a different color. They are a dream to work with!  I often stalk ebay to see if there are any of the older styles that I've missed! 

This first dress was made using Kwik Sew 2762 from 1997.  This is a t-shirt dress that can be made with or with hood and kangaroo pocket.  It's got a side slit on one side only.  I think that a lot of Kwik Sew patterns are basic designs that are timeless, and this one falls in that category.  Use whatever hem length is in style for your particular decade!  I'm thinking that longer hem lengths are coming back, so I made mine long. 

This is the perfect little sporty, run around town dress.  I made mine using a very nice cotton/linen/lycra knit from Fabric Mart.  It's breathable and opaque, with a nice enough heft that you don't see lumps and bumps through it.  I thought the solid cream would be a little too plain, so I used a black cover stitch to highlight the pocket and hems.  And I dyed a white drawstring a dark gray for accent.

The natural fibers do wrinkle, as you can see from the back, but that's okay with me- I'd rather be wrinkled than sweaty!  The Kwik Sew draft is different than the other big 4 patterns, and for me the size large fits without alterations in most cases.  Sometimes the shoulders are too wide, so I'll merge over to a smaller size on the shoulder width, but that's about it.  They are definitely drafted for taller women, yay!!!! I never have to add any length to a Kwik Sew pattern.

Another pattern that I've always wanted to make from the Kwik Sew line was Kwik Sew 3306 from 2005. This is a tank dress for wovens with two interesting hemlines. The really nice thing that you can't see in my photos is the construction of the neckline and sleeves.  It has a one piece facing that finishes the neckline and armholes, so you don't need to worry about facings flipping out on you while you are wearing it!

This was made using a black cotton gauze.  I can't say that I know alot about the construction of gauze fabric, but this one was very delicate and is literally tearable- no scissors needed.  So, I needed to be careful to not choose a style that was fitted in anyway, or else the seams might tear while wearing it!

I graded out to a larger size than I needed because of this, and I think that it really looks better with a belt. But if it's a really hot day, I'll be wearing it sans belt!

If you are a pattern collector, do you have either of these patterns in your collection?

Do you remember the Kwik Sew patterns with the white paper?

Happy Sewing!
Ann