Now on to the fun part!

Sorry for the delay, but there are A LOT of weddings in the summer so work has been crazy... well it still is.


On with the tale...

I used a thick silk dupion as my fashion fabric and polished cotton as my lining. I wanted to mainly use natural materials for the dress, so I used a cotton thread to sew it with.

I cut lining out following the patterns I made, adding seam allowance and tracing all the darts and folding lines using a tracing wheel. Then carefully laid the lining on the fashion fabric, keeping it true to the grain.

I roughly cut around the lining pieces, leaving about an inch of the fashion fabric, I will explain why in a moment. When all the pieces was cut out I basted the fabrics together running a basting thread up and down the pieces using the basting guide from Frances Gimble's books .

After the basting I would sew a small stitch next to my sewing line, just a millimeter or 2 from it, starting with one side and slowly roll the fabric together while I continued toward the other side. I would to the bottom part last. The rolling of the fabric will insure that the outer fabric is just a little bit bigger than the lining and that should prevent some wrinkling. After all the basting is done I cut away all the excess fabric except at the bottom, as you never know.


Next time, is about sewing it together.

The Examination gown - The Pattern

I used the 'Drafting the Plain Bodice Pattern' from 'Fashions of the Gilded Age', vol. 1, page 15, as my block pattern, my starting point. It was very easy using the scales to draw the pattern up to scale and doing the alterations needed to make a basic fit, before making my first mock-up.

The picture shows my 1/4 scale drawing of the pattern in my size before doing any alterations to it. I had to make a report as well and these and the following pattern diagrams are taken from the report.

As stated, before sewing the first mock-up, I did some basic alterations to the pattern. I know I have a broad back, 42 cm wide, the original is 39,6 cm, so I added 1,2 cm to the original pattern to correct it. I also added a little more to the waist, but that is not a lot of differences from the original to the fit you want, when you only use your half bust measurement to scale up the pattern.
I could tell, by looking at the pattern, that it was older than the period the book portrays, 1877-1882. A glance at the wide shoulder seams leads me to believe that it's from the 1850-60's.

Sorry for the horrible pictures of the mock-ups, but they where taken late at night after a Christmas dorm dinner, so I was tired and a bit full ;).

Maybe you can see in the pictures, what needs to be altered to the pattern, if not, you just have to trust me.

On the front:

•  I have pinned it in on the side of the breasts as there was an excess of fabric.
• The neckline was to low to the front, by about 5,5 cm and to high around the sides and back.
• The shoulder seam was to long and needed to be shortened.

On the back and side:

• It was to high in the neck and had to be shortened.
• I also took some fabric out of the side piece.

The next diagrams show how I altered the pattern.

 I took out the excess fabric at the bust out via the 2 bust darts ½ and ½. It made the darts bigger and the side more on the bias.

 

2. mock-up with one sleeve sewed in place. As you can see there were still to much fabric at the bust and the armhole didn't have the correct shape. The sleeve also need to be moved more to the left, to avoid the wrinkles at the front of the sleeve.

 The new alterations on the pattern.

The first sleeve was to tight across the top part of my arm, so I almost couldn't lift it. I wanted a tight fitting sleeve, so I knew that full mobility was not really going to happen and in a period wedding dress, not needed. I did have to lift the arms enough to be able to dance with a partner.

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I then had to make the rest of the princess cut gown.

I first added the length from my waist to the floor to the front bodice pattern, then the waist dart, I just eyeballed it, and then fullness of the front, I thought I wanted. I used a lot of 90 degree angles to make things easier for myself. I used the front piece to make the side piece, and the side piece to make the back. I first made the back as if it didn't have any back-pleats and then on a 90 degree angle, added a line to guide me. I the marked the wanted fullness of the pleats at the top and at the ca. floor length and then added the desired length of the train.

Made a mock-up and then did the last alterations to the pattern.

Next step is the making of the gown, so... to be continued!

Examination gown - The Idea

For my final tailoring exam I wanted to make a period dress. There are certain things that has to be present in the item you want to make for the exam, like it has to linked to the place where you did your apprenticeship in the last term. I was, and still am, working at a bridle atalie, Marianne Carøe, where we make dresses of high quality materials, like silk and cotton lace - no man made fabrics. So my dress had to consist of silk and be a wedding dress. I also had to show the techniques I've learned. But luckily for me, I spend 4 weeks at Cosprob in London were they make period clothing/costume for stage and screen... I think most know the BBC mini-series 'Pride & Prejudice' from 1995? or perhaps 'Downtown Abbey'? maybe 'Sleepy Hollow' is better... really I could go on and on, but because I spend those weeks there I could incorporate it into my final design, plus use some of the period techniques I've learned through the years.

Because I had to link the design to my masters work I chose to do a natural form gown, a simple one. I was inspired by a gown I  found looking around the wast, unending, plains of the internet.

 

I sadly don't know where I found the picture any more, as I forgot to save a link to the site, so if you know, I would love to link to the museum.

It was the simple lines that drew me to the dress and I would love to one day reproduce it. It's simply stunning. 



My first sketch of the dress I wanted to make was rejected, so I had to make a new one.

The first design.

The final design.

As you can see the first one is looking very much like the picture of the blue dress and in the final design I have removed all the decoration of the dress and made the button closure go all the way to the floor. Even this design was almost not approved, but in the end they said yes, because my master said that she didn't see a problem with me making this dress if it was what I wanted to do.

And so the tale begins.... To be continued!

I don't know if this counts as no. 2½ or 3...

If you read 2 post down form this one, you will see the dress in this post as it was originally done. I really haded that dress, so I decided to rework it 2 years ago to make it better and more correct.

My inspiration was this portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna by Heinrich von Angeli, 1874.

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To get the right look, I made an addition to my 1885 lobster bustle. It's made of stiff cotton and be free to use the pattern. It clicks on the bustle with snaps for easy removal.

This is a picture of the first try-out of the neck trimmings. The lace is a beautiful antique lace I got off ebay, but I didn't like the look of it on... it didn't feel right to me. I later decided to use a modern one.

I decided to try on the bodice only to find out ...

... that it didn't fit. =(

So I added a center front panel to the design and continued on with making the dress, adding details and trimmings.

 

I used Truly Victorians apron pattern, TV305 and I don't like how it came out. There is not enough fabric around the bustle part for the period and too much around the waist, which I only found out after I had finished all the hand sewing ect. I used the direction that came with the pattern and I didn't listen to the little voice in my head that said "something is not right". The apron, to me, would fit better in the second bustle period than the first.

A look at the front closure.

A close-up of how to hide the opening.

And the finishing touch of the back

The only new thing is the apron, all other parts was the old dress and this is what I ended up looking like.

The skirt was a bit short in the front and I have since lengthen it. If you have the same problem with a costume, just ad some extra fabric at the to of the skirt, nobody will know, but you...

I also think that there is not enough 'puff' in the back of the skirt mid down - need more puff.. ;) But I like how this came out in the end, overall.

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I you want to know anything about the construction of the dress or how I did some of the trimmmings, just ask. Thank you for looking.

My first parasol...

This parasol is an antique one from about 1850-60s, I got it cheap on ebay in 2010, it has 2 broken stokes. The stokes are made from reed, so I re-enforced them with wire and it is still holding.

This is a picture of it before I re-covered it. The silk was split in all but one panel.

As you can see in this picture the condition of the parasol was very poor, the 2 stokes was broken completely off.

This is a close-up of one of the repairs I made. It's NOT how you are suppose to do it, you should replace all the stokes with new ones. But I didn't have a lot of money and my repair still holds 4 years later.

This is the first test of the new cover to see if it fitted. I completely hand sewed it as the original was done. It's important for me, personally, to replace like for like, when ever possible, when I repair antiques like this one.

And the finished parasol with the original trim sewn back on like it was before. I still have the original silk from it.

Not my best...

This is my second Victorian costume and it is about 1 year after the first one. I'm about ½ year into the first semester of collage, to train to become a womens tailor - not that that shows... It is suppose to be about mid 1870's, just to give an idea to were I was going. Not much to tell.

This try at a Victorian costume learned me that I don't know everything and you shouldn't put things off for too long, before you know it, you are out of time.Well, the last one I still need to learn. =)


Here are a few more pictures of the horror, enjoy the gore.

Uhh, look at that!

This is my first Victorian dress, I made it in the spring/summer of 2010. I'm really proud of this dress, as I made it without any real know-how about sewing and pattern making. At the time my knowledge came from historic costume books and google. I remember spending many hours online to figure out just the design of the dress. I'm glad that I didn't know how much goes into making a dress such as this or I might have never made it to begin with. It taught me a lot.

 ... and I won 2. prize in an online contest! Whoo! Scroll down the list and you'll see me...

There are many things wrong with this ensemble, but it still looks good. The sleeves are so, so wrong. I had problems moving my arms... I mean at all, there where barely any up-and-down movement, let alone back-and-forward with the first set of sleeves I made. So I made 2 new upper sleeves not knowing that that was not the problem. The new ones as seen in the picture, gave me a bit more movement, The problem was the back of the dress. I have wide shoulders and back so I need more room in the back than the average Jane. First lesson of many.


The start:
I used this pattern I found in Norah Waugh book "The Cut of Women's Clothes 1600-1930" as my basic pattern for my bodice. I enlarge it on my computer and printed it out and taped it together.

 After 2 mock-ups (without trying the sleeves) I started on the bodice. I learned from looking a pictures from ebay, how I was going to make it up.

I basted the lining (ramee fabric) to the silk the best I could, then I tried it on with the sleeves set in and you already know how that went. I then bound the seams with silk ribbon normally used for ribbon embroidery, with fast uneven stitches, as it was done in the day. It's such a nice way to finish a bodice and it doesn't take super long to do.

I found this to be a great way of making covered buttons.















This are the cuffs that are then sowed on to the sleeves and trimmed with covered buttons. I used the 'Perfect Pleater" to make the pleats. Hurts your fingers but worth it.

I don't really have any more pictures of the dress in making, but I have of the hat I made to go with this outfit.

I bought a straw hat and took I apart and put it together again the way I wanted it to look, Not really hard to do, but like anything els, practice makes perfect.

The finished hat, trimmed with vintage brown moire ribbon, ostrich feathers and artificial flowers. I combined 3 feathers and sowed them together and then with a little help from the stream iron made it fall just right.





I hope this shows you that with a little knowledge and a lot spirit you can do it! and next time, you will have a little more knowledge and make an even better one... unless you are me... (Ô_o)