A LIGHT BULB WENT OFF THIS MORNING!

This is a quickie post. I just had to share my light bulb moment.
Did you ever look at a picture of an extant gown and wonder how the heck they put that gorgeous gathering/smocking on a dress? I would ask myself how did they keep it from stretching and hold its shape, and be able to close it?

This past weekend while at a sewing workshop, I was trying to work out how to do the Truly Victorian #454, an 1845 German Day dress. I don’t need this dress till June but I wanted to have my muslin made ahead of time. The bodice has gathers or smocking, whichever you want to do, at the bottom of the center insert and the excess fabric is gently gathered up into the neckline. 

I fumbled with it and got my gathers nice and even, and then noticed the duplicate center front panel pattern piece without gathers, so it was narrower. I am supposed to sew my gathered piece on top of it just like you would flat lining, and it becomes one piece. My photo shows the top piece has been gathered, and after gathering it in to the same size as the flat center front panel, I’ve pinned them as one piece & stitch them together. Then you sew the side panels to it, and voila!

So that’s how they do it! This may open a whole new world of trim ideas for me. 

~~Val~~