The 40's Fashion Calender

So I've just discovered yesterday that Brittany from Va-Voom Vintage is doing a wonderful 40's Fashion Calender Challenge for herself, which involves 12 smallish projects to complete during the year to help create a veratile 1940's style wardrobe (assuming you have a few basics to begin with) So I thought I might join her, and do some of the challenges as she does, probably with a slightly less strictly 40's aesthetic, as I'm much more into the 50's

I've already missed her January Challenge, but as it is a project to make floral pins to brighten up a winter coat, I thought I might catch up on it later in the year, when winter hits us down in the Southern Hemisphere. I've just missed out on the February Challenge, However, the challenge was to make a Blouse and Turban, and I did sew a blouse from a Vintage Maudella Pattern during February, and I had (sorta, maybe) enough fabric left over for a turban. As I didn't have a pattern like Brittany did, and I'm too cheap to buy one, I did a little bit of research (googling) and found this tutorial that I liked the look of. Initially, I wasn't sure I could make it out of a woven fabric as the person who wrote the tutorial has used stretchy knit fabric. I then found this tutorial, which has a photo of instructions for a similar style turban, from a 1940's dressmaking book, using woven fabric. So I decided to use a bit from both tutorials, as I liked the gathering band from the first one, but the blunt bow ends from the second one. I didn't quite have a wide enough piece of fabric for either tutorial, but gave it a whirl anyways.

First I started with 2 longish strips of fabric. As I didn't have wide enough fabric for the tutorials I found, I left the triangle of fabric at the end (remember, this is scraps I'm using) so it had a bit more length to reach over my head.

The pieces cut from what I had leftover

After cutting out the strips, or rather trimming bits off the remaining fabric to make strips, first I overlocked around each piece, then I sewed the 2 together at the end with the triangles, then sewed around 5-6" right sides together from 1/2" from the center seam and hemmed the remainder of that edge. I made a small fabric tube, and threaded that through the 1/2" opening and around the open edge, gathering in that seam, to give the ruched effect to the front of the turban.

Sewn together, getting a good press

I made a small fabric tube, and threaded that through the 1/2" opening and around the open edge, gathering in that seam, to give the ruched effect to the front of the turban and tried it on to see the effect. Excuse the just before bed selfie.

Trying it on, half made

I finished it off this morning by hemming the other long edge, as well as the 2 small ends. I then added a fabric loop to the back of the turban as well, to help hold the wrapped edges in place.

Then I threw on my Maudella 1326 Blouse and my Burda Style 6966 pants and went to church (after taking a few selfies of course)

This is how I looked after wearing it for hours

I wore my new Turban out to my regular Church this morning, then to Godly play at another church for lunch, and everybody loved it! I certainly didn't think I could pull off a turban as well as I did, but now I am looking forward to making and wearing loads more!

What do you think of Turbans as a fashionable piece of headwear?

Dixie O'Dare