The Jerusalem Dress

A 1950s Dress in Jerusalem, Israel

 Recently my husband and I had the privilege of traveling to Israel, and you know I *had* to sew a vintage dress for the trip!  Israel is one of my favorite countries, and holds a special place in my heart.  (I’m a Jewish Christian.)

So for the 1950s dress I planned to wear in Jerusalem, I spared no expense! 😉  I purchased five or six yards of a beautiful blue floral print designed by Gertie for Joann Fabrics, which reminded me very much of a watercolor Marc Chagall painting.  I felt it was the perfect mixture of 1950s flair with a nod to the Jewish theme at the same time.  For the bodice I chose a coordinating eyelet fabric.

Sewing the bodice… (Everything is better when your pins match your fabric.)

The ruched waistband was attached to a flat base.

Then the bodice was stitched to the waistband, with gathers in the front.  It’s starting to come together!

Once the full rectangular skirt was attached to the bodice, I folded under the inside waistband to completely encase the raw edges and make everything polished and professional.

Finally, I hand hemmed the yards of full skirt with tiny, invisible stitches.

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In Jerusalem

I purposely chose the high boatneck and three-quarter length sleeve design not because of the weather (as it was absolutely stifling in Israel in late summer), but to be respectful of the Orthodox Jewish dress code that many observant Jews in the area follow.  Orthodox women usually cover the neckline up to their collarbone and never let their arms show above their elbows.

 I wear sleeveless tops regularly back in the States, but I think it’s important when in a foreign country to not offend people.  Israel is quite secular in many areas, but I opted to stick to a more conservative dress code around Jerusalem since we were staying in the Jewish quarter inside the Old City walls.

The bodice and sleeves are cut in one piece as you often see in 1950s styles.  It makes for a bit of extra bulk under the arms, but it’s the way they used to make many of their dresses back in the day.

These pictures were taken directly outside the Israel Musuem which, among other things, houses the Dead Sea Scrolls.  I learned to read Hebrew when I was a teenager, so going through this place and reading fragments of scrolls from the Bible dating back thousands of years was unbelievable.

The sun was shining so brightly on the white limestone that it was quite hard to not squint.  Between the lack of petticoat and the addition of sandals instead of high heels, this was definitely a rustic version of my usual 1950s outfit!  But I absolutely loved wearing it in Jerusalem, and I’ll never forget the day I wore it there.

While in Israel I also had the chance to visit Middle Eastern fabric stores and pick up some gorgeous fabrics.  If any of you are heading to Israel in the near future (which I highly recommend!), you must check out the fabric shops in Nachalat Binyamin in Tel Aviv!

Till next time,

Katrina Holte

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you be secure.  May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.’ ” Psalm 122:6&7