After buying my 7 yards of white 100% cotton at JoAnn’s with
a 50% off coupon I swore I would work on my Edwardian petticoat until it was
done. I can’t say I’ve had blinders on because my Autumn Bustle is visible in
my peripheral vision, and I’ve been collecting some ideas for it. I think
by later today I can put what I already had started of it on my dressform and
start playing with it; finally.
I bought way too much cotton. I bought the wider 108” cotton
this time instead of the 36” wide which shrunk to 33”. The pattern called for 7
yards of 45” wide, which after shrinking may not have been enough. What I
bought apparently is the really wide stuff for backing quilts, and I only used
about 2 1/2 yds of it. So now I have lots more for, what? more chemises?
As of today I’ve spent 3 days working on my petticoat. Why
so long? I’m flat-felling all the seam allowances and this thing is loooooong. I’ve
been sitting and pinning them while watching hours of recorded programs that
had backed up. Then I’m turning over the edges of the neckline and armholes to
finish them instead of using bias tape, and then doing the same for the hem. I
sewed a very simple embroidered lace on the neckline but because of the curve
of it, the lace wants to turn up on the sides. Oh well, it’s going to be under my
dresses.
I made the largest size on the pattern, size 20. According
to the pattern, that would be about 2 inches too narrow for my waist and hip
measurements. But I remembered a couple people said it ran large on them.
Simplicity has you do 5/8” seams. I now follow the 1/2” theory and it fit me
fine, except in the bust area. I’m a little more deficit in that size range.
But I sewed up all the seams and when it came time to do the front closure it
all lined up nicely and I just folded the excess of the bust part back on an
angle a bit and removed that excess fabric, and then folded the edges under
about one inch. So now I have a nice straight line down the front.
I put in nine tiny Mother of Pearl buttons from my Aunt
Doris’ sewing collection, and then sewed it closed the rest of the way down to
the bottom.
Other than the ruffles at the bottom, it’s done.
After tearing 6 lengths of obscenely long strips to make 2
or 3 rows of ruffles, and turning under the edges on the first tier layer that
will go on it, I’ve had to cave in and leave it for evening handwork while
watching more TV. It will get done. But Autumn is calling. I spent 4 months
working on all black, and now all this white. I need some gorgeous Fall color.
Ahh! Doesn't that feel refreshing?
And here’s a sneak peek at what I’m working on now.
~~Val~~
Ooooh! That fabric is so pretty!
ReplyDeleteLove the fabric and the colors!
ReplyDeleteDear Val,
ReplyDeleteVery pretty! A little bit on the laces: some older laces have little pull threads in them that help them adjust to curves a bit. The tiny threads can be hard to find, but they're there. Many of the digitized sewing manuals of the day have illustrated guides to handling lace. A few years ago I did mostly Edwardian garments and spent hours with those manuals. You'll find them linked to and described in the Edwardian posts on my blog. http://zipzipinkspot.blogspot.com/search/label/Edwardian%20era will get you directly to Edwardian posts.
Also, when it comes to flounces, you have some options, some more and some less straightforward. Edwardian undergarments were often beautifully, not to say obsessively finished, so boy, do I applaud you for the careful work you are doing!
Very best, Natalie
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, Natalie. I've been forging ahead with other projects but thank you for giving me these tips. I've been working on my flounces off and on, although they're only 4" in length but will have two rows at least. I picked up a pretty lace that I'm going to run a lavender ribbon thru to go around the top row and may replace the lace around my neckline now with that too.
DeleteVal