Monday, December 21, 2009

1830's Dress

I finally finished my 1820's/30's gown this weekend and I'm so pleased with it! That in itself is a pretty big deal for me as I generally hate the way I look in anything I sew. It's either too long waisted or the waistband hangs wonky or the sleeves look stupid or any one of a hundred things that make me disappointed and disillusioned with sewing for myself. However, this dress behaved itself and turned out well! I used the Past Patterns 1830's dress pattern as a base and modified it to suit what I had in mind. I shored up the neckline quite a bit because I don't wear it with period underpinnings, but rather modern ones and they would show in a lower neckline. I had in mind something along the lines of this painting below for the sleeves.
So, the dress is completed and I'm all excited to blog about it and I have to be confounded by owning the junkiest camera on the planet and being the most unphotogenic person alive. :-/ So bear with the stupid faces and lame camera. :-)
The neckline and armscyes are piped, the next time I make a dress with this pattern I want to make actual cuffs and pipe them. There is a dress in the Victoria and Albert Museum that has sleeves like that and I really love the look. The pattern calls for a skirt width of 100" which seemed really skimpy to me so I made mine around 130", it has a nice amount of "swoosh" but doesn't seem overly wide. I debated about what closures to use and finally opted for hooks and thread loops. I've never made thread loops before but they were easy and really look nice and seem "oh so period", I'm so happy that I chose to go that route! I darted the bodice which I think looks better, I can't make a gathered front look well on me, it always looks like I'm wearing something way too big for me. I left the skirt fairly long for this era, but it is cosier for Winter this way and since it is an "everyday" dress that seemed best. I really need a wool flannel petticoat now or even just another regular petticoat or two, multiple petticoats were the standard for this era and I don't have enough to really make the skirt look as it should.

I think this style looks good for modern use and (to me at least) doesn't seem "costumey". I want to tear apart my gathered front gown that I could not make hang right and refashion it into another gown like this one.

12 comments :

  1. I have passed along this to my wife - I know she will enjoy it.
    I think you and she could be great friends!

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  2. You look lovely! I love your dress, it's very flattering.

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  3. I love it Paris! You look wonderful. I really like how it turned out.

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  4. Oh Paris it turned out beautifully! It suits you so well and it doesn't look costumey one bit. Great job!

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  5. It's fabulous, and you ARE very photogenic! As are your beautiful children. They all look just like you.

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  6. It turned out wonderfully!!!!
    I know what you mean about sewing for your self. :/ ugh....

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  7. It's lovely and so flattering! That is a beautiful shawl you have there too!

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  8. Thanks everyone for the comments and compliments!

    Ken, I would love to be better acquainted with Patty, she seems like a kindred soul.

    Robin's Egg Bleu, I thank you but I'm glad that you didn't see the 20 other pictures that we took, lol. The more nervous I get the worse I look. Cameras bring out the worst in me. :-)

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  9. Mrs. G,

    you look lovely in the dress!! Yes, I agree that it doesn't look one bit like a costume. Do you get to wear it all the time (I mean, as an every day sort of dress). I think that would be so neat. Certainly more modest than the modern clothing you get now a days.... ;)

    I hope you plan on posting some pictures of other dress you will remake!! :)

    Fiddlin Girl

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  10. You look beautiful and so does the dress!

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  11. I love it! What a pretty prairie mother you are. :0) I have to agree about cameras and not liking my picture taken, only I thought that I had the worst one on the planet! Everytime I push the button, it waits three seconds and THEN takes the picture. Hubby just got us a better one, though, and I am hopeful that it will at least take the picture when I want to take it. ;)

    Oh, by the way, I am ever impressed how you get so much done with nine children and a husband to care for. AND a baby to nurse!

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  12. I love the second picture... with the shawl around you. The snow... the side profile everything. Oh and I LOVE THE POOF Sleeves, I just bought 9 yards of fabric to make my first dress... VERY NERVOUS!

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