I got these secondhand. Twenty dollars for both of them (together! Can you believe that?). The seller thought they were from the 1950's or 1960's, which sounds reasonable to me since the maroon dress has what feels like polyester interlining (I think my mother had a blouse set made of a similar fabric in the 1970's or early 1980's). They're both made in very much the same way as McCall's M4548, with interlining. They're in rough shape but were nice-looking little dresses when they were newer. Anyway, they have a good home now.
The blue dress is maybe a large-toddler size and the maroon dress would fit maybe a slender 5-year-old, more or less.
The blue dress
Slate-blue cotton, machine-sewn, very faded, with a black cotton lining in the bodice and sleeves, black cotton hem facing, and blue marbled glass buttons down the back. Matching neck binding. The grow tucks are still intact and the sleeves have been shortened by taking a tuck up around the bicep (this was done after the dress was made; the lining was folded and topsewn along with the dress fabric). Bias strips applied around the wrist openings. Applied band down the back for the buttons with a vertical tuck down each side. Skirt at natural waistline with knife pleats all the way around. One vertical tuck taken down the center front at some point after the dress was finished. Some of the seam allowances are overcast, some are not.
More pictures on Flickr.
The maroon dress
Lightweight wool with a pearl-gray polyester (or other synthetic) interlining in the bodice, sleeves, and hem facing. Brown polished cotton was used to reinforce the skirt at the waist seam. Applied button band down the back with a tuck on each side; small brown shoe-type buttons and hand-worked buttonholes. Black cotton neck binding. Black cotton patch pocket on right front skirt. The skirt is attached at the natural waistline and knife-pleated around the sides and back; the front is flat. One large vertical tuck taken out of the front at some point after the dress was finished. Bias strips applied around the wrists. The sleeves were cut in two pieces but the sleeve linings are cut only in one; this might have been for reasons of economy rather than style. There were grow tucks in the skirt at one point but they were let out; there are only slight creasing and faint seam-lines left.
More pictures on Flickr.
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