Friday, 1 January 2016

Happy New Year!

It's 2016 and I can't believe I've actually done it! I wanted to have all of my past costumes uploaded by the New Year and this is the last one. I saved the best 'til last and it seemed fitting to have a ballgown for New Year.

This is my latest ballgown that I completed two summers ago. I wanted a new gown as I didn't want to wear the same dress as the year before to the same event but I also wanted a project that wasn't going to break the bank. Since the ball was in the summer, a muslin dress therefore seemed the obvious choice.

The bodice was made using the same Truly Victorian pattern (TV442) as my first Victorian ballgown, but instead of using the bertha I applied some beautiful wide cotton leavers lace to the neckline. I didn't use a pattern for the skirt - this was simply a huge rectangle of fabric cut from three widths of fabric, pleated onto the waistband on my dress form. To add a little weight and structure to the hem I made three deep tucks at the bottom. This really created a beautiful swirl when dancing as the whole skirt lifted up when I twirled - such fun!!

I also made two different sashes and flower posies to pin at the neckline so that I could wear the dress to more than one ball. One was of fushia coloured satin in a simple bow and the second was a dark green and blue tartan sash stolen from a later 1870s pattern, that created a waterfall look at the back - unfortunately I don't have any good pictures of this so that will have to be saved for a future photo shoot.

So there we have it - I am now up to date and ready to start sewing and posting in real time as I begin some new and exciting projects.

Wishing everyone a very happy New Year and especially happy sewing...

Sunday, 27 December 2015

Countdown to New Year No2: An 1860s picnic outfit

This outfit was planned for a Victorian picnic on the Isle of Wight. As mentioned in my previous post, I had chosen to make a Garibaldi blouse to wear with a crinoline skirt. I felt that this 1860s fashion was perfect for the relaxed atmosphere of a picnic as well as being light and comfortable for wearing outdoors in hot weather. I used Truly Victorian's TV441 1861 Garibaldi Blouse Pattern to draft the blouse and then added my own touch by hand embroidering the front yoke panels.

To do this I took another piece of the same cotton, wider than the pattern piece and created rows of tiny vertical pin tucks. Between these I removed some of the vertical threads to create drawn-thread embroidery. I then cut out the pattern piece from these prepared pieces of fabric and basted them to the plain cotton piece for support and made up the blouse as per the instructions.

I finished the neck, yoke edge and cuffs with cotton tape that was box pleated with the edges of each pleat caught together in the centre to create a three-dimensional effect. This was based on some trimming ideas that I came across in an 1860s magazine. It took time and perseverance to complete but was well worth the effort in the end.

I wore the blouse with a very large pleated crinoline skirt. I miscalculated when I was cutting the skirt and accidentally made it up with four panels ( cut from the full width of my cotton-rich curtaining fabric) when I only really needed three. The result is a luxuriously full skirt that really captures the size and scale of an 1860s skirt even when worn over a smaller, round crinoline. It is heavy to wear but I enjoy the look that it creates. I finished the waist with a sash sewn from pleated cheap pashmina scarves.