Happy Holidays everyone! Well, many things have gotten done and yet other things did not. So, firstly, the corded petticoat? Well, it is still on the sewing table half done. If anyone of you ever desire to make one these fabulous petticoats don't try to do it 3 weeks before you need it unless you have 24 hours a day to work on white-on-white and don't mind going blind. Considering my petticoat only has about 20 rows of cording so far, a friend of mine has made one with triple to four times more than that! Yet when the petticoats are done and starched they are fabulous to wear but...
The second thing is I was going to make my dress from a patterned cotton
http://lachatelainechocolat.blogspot.com/2010/10/victorian-for-dickens-faire.html Well, oddly enough, I can't find the blasted fabric! I had taken the sample pictures last summer but when decided to get started on the dress, I couldn't find it. My friend Catherine (of starched corded petticoat fame - yes, she is the friend I spoke of above) helped me ransack my house and we still didn't find the fabric. But! And perhaps it was meant to be, Catherine grabbed out of a stash box a midnight blue taffeta with a minute corded stripe pattern and said, "This is what you should use for your Dicken's dress!" So, dear readers, I did.
I made the taffeta into an 1840's, fitted bodice, buttoned down the front with little lapels and cuffs in a contrasting embroidered burgundy silk taffeta. The skirt is cartridge pleated onto a narrow waistband and then attached to the skirt. It is very 'riding habit' like. I like a tailored dress style - not really a ruffle and lace gal.
The chemisette I wore with it was from my Regency dress so I didn't have to make that. The top-hat is actually a Ralph Lauren hat from the 1980's go figure but it worked well with gown.
Both photos by Steph Selmayr
The pictures are a wee bit dark only because the venue is suppose to be Dicken's London at night during the holiday season.
I also made a muff to go with it as I didn't want to carry a purse, so the muff was made to have a pocket for my 'junk'.
This is my photo of the muff as well as another image (above) of the gown.
So, dear readers, that was my Dicken's dress adventure. I have not designed and constructed a Victorian in a while. I used one of the McCall's patterns to start and altered away to make it the way I needed it. Although I had a different design in mind as usual my gowns evolve as I build them.
I don't do a lot of Victorian events anymore but I would still like to make the cotton day dress if I ever find that fabric. Alas, if I don't, I have other day dress fabrics in the stash!
Cheers!
