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!