The Metamorphosis of an 1885 Dress

                              
I did something different this year. I started an 1885 gown for the 2017 Costume College Gala last year in December, planning to be way ahead of the game. I replicated an Emile Pingat dress, and had it done early enough that I was able to wear it in a fashion show at Riverside Dickens Festival in Feb, and again at the Port Townsend Victorian Festival in March. At that point, it wasn’t completely done with what I wanted to do but it was wearable.

For the Riverside Dickens fashion shows, I dressed it up first as Titania, Queen of the Fairies, and carried my little donkey, Bottom, which I was shocked to discover I had been given a love potion and fell in love with the donkey. When I threw into the crowd, I heard some startled squeaks. We had fun with that. 

I made my headdress out of glittery gold Christmas pics that I wrapped around a covered headband. I also had added a long shimmering gold sheer cape that came off my shoulders but wasn’t very happy with it.

For the next time I wore it in the Port Townsend Victorian Festival, I changed it into a Victorian Fancy Dress, and portrayed, “Sunrise”. And I left my cape at home. My dress was obviously mainly black as night, then the glittering sun began to rise, and again wearing my Xmas-y headdress, I raised my arms and welcome the sun rising in the sky. My mom said I’m a clown. At least she wasn’t there when I tossed my donkey into the audience.

Sadly, the only photo of me from there has me sucking in my dry lips. I think I need to carry around a jar of Vaseline from now on. There was a pretty good 4 second video of me though.

For my next incarnation, it was to become my Gala dress for Costume College. By then I had actually forgotten that’s what I’d originally made it for, until my Mom reminded me of it. And now I had time that I could really finish it, with having a couple months before I needed it.

The original dress had a black floral lace all around the hem and train. It was also on the sleeves of the dress but trying to find something like that would be too time consuming and probably fruitless. I came up with the idea of cutting out some of the gold flowers on the brocade and appliqueing them onto the hem. I did some applique on quilts years ago, so I figured I could do it. Twenty-seven cut flowers, and four evenings of hand-stitching later, I had a hem that made me very happy with how it looked. If you got too close to it, it looked clunky, because brocade is clunky. But step back two feet, and you’d think it was part of the fabric.

I wore my gold headdress again, with the long black gloves. I added a black beaded antique reticule from my stash, and gold beaded necklace, and I was done.

 I even got some nice photos when I wore it at Costume College. This is from walking down the Red Carpet to the Gala dinner.

And from dinner. 

This is one of my Facebook friends, Laura, who made it to her first Costume College and we had fun getting photos together. 

I feel like I put a lot of work into this dress, but am pleased that I’ve gotten three wearings out of it just in one year. For a fancy costume, that’s pretty doggone amazing. I wonder what it will be dressed up as next?

Oh, and the cat. Can’t forget Chloe. She did help when I was cutting out my skirt. 

**Val**

1885 Gold & Black Brocade Evening Dress

 

Even with a couple small projects going, I was immediately distracted by this dress when I realized, finally, that I had found one that I could use the gold and black Chinese brocade my neighbor had given me. It had been brought from China by a friend of her’s years ago, and when she realized she’d never use it, lucky for me, she passed it onto me and said she knew I’d make something beautiful with it. But with only four yards it would have to be part of a dress, not the whole dress. At some point, the Squirrel in me wants to cut out any remaining gold flowers and stitch them along the bottom edges of the skirt. Stay tuned for that but not in the next couple weeks is it going to happen.

This 1885 dress fit the bill.  It was created by French designer, Emile Pingat, and held in the Philadelphia Museum of Art collection.  By enlarging the photo I was able to see what patterns I could use for it, which made it easier.

I chose Truly Victorian #462 (1883) Tail bodice ( with the short peplum) and Truly Victorian #263 (1887) Trained Skirt (the center design).

I whipped up the bodice very quickly and then put it on my dress form to work out how to do the brocade trims on it. Since my dress form tends to be bumpy in different places than me, I laid the pattern out flat and traced the lines that looked like the photo. Then I cut pattern pieces out of that, and laid them on the dress form. That seemed to look right. The top of the center portion slightly sticks up like a sail. I didn’t think the brocade and my black silk taffeta would have the body to do that so I needed to put some interfacing in it to hold it up. On the opposite side since the front placket overlaps the other side, I can’t just sew the brocade following the front lines, or it won’t come to that point at the top. 

The sleeves actually look more like a lace rather than the solid fabric down the front of the skirt. But I’m going with the brocade all over. I had an idea for the sleeves to do something like this blue bodice with solid black sleeves and a strip of brocade down it so it’s not completely the brocade.

But later I decided I wanted a little more continuity with the brocade, and cut it entirely out of that, adding a black taffeta cuff with a brocade tab on it. Right now the tab is just basted on, and I left a little tail sticking up at the top to match the front of the dress trim.

Once I got all those trim ideas out of the way, the rest of the dress went together fairly smoothly, with just the hem and the closures to sew in by hand. 

The first chance I have to wear this will be in the Riverside (CA) Dickens fashion show next Saturday, February 25. The theme is Victorian Dreams, so when I needed to come up with something for it, I decided to accessorize this dress for it. I chose Titania, Queen of the Fairies, from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A few simple additions, like a long train of shimmery gold chiffon, a headdress made of Xmas gold ball decorations, and a simple beaded gold necklace are my finishing projects this week.

After reading a short description of the scene where the Queen is enchanted by the King to fall in love with the first person she sees, which btw is a donkey, I knew I had to have a donkey with me. Without having time to walk around toy stores for one, I found a small plush one that would do on Amazon. I would have liked it a little bigger to be seen better from the stage, but he’ll do. I love going for a few laughs.

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And of course I couldn't just be working on one dress all this time, right? You are correct. I suddenly decided I wanted to make a new sheer dress to walk around in during the Dickens Festival, since my Brocade dress isn't suitable for walking and dragging the long train in the streets. I had the fabric in my stash, and wanted to make this multi-tiered dress. 

I tried a new pattern for the bodice, Period Impressions #405, because it had the little peplum going all the way around it. But it was too large all over, & I ended up cutting out almost a new pattern to make it work. And wanting to cut my throat. I probably should have made it using McCalls #5132 and just doing a bit of altering. Next time for sure. 

I started it in a sewing workshop with Shelley Peters but only got as far as getting a fitted bodice before I remembered I needed to get that Brocade dress done. So this is as far as it got. And I got all the tiers of the skirt are torn to the lengths I need to start the skirt. Since we all know that's not going to be done in time, I'm now considering wearing one of my earlier 1830s day dresses to walk the streets in. 

But then after having a little chat with Mara up in Washington about the Victorian Festival on April 1, and figuring out what to wear in that fashion show, and on the streets, she convinced me to make an 1890s skirt and blouse. I had just the fabric for it; a brown polyester with dots of brown, cream & aqua.  I had lots of it, cheap, and an easy pattern, Truly Victorian #494, and #291 walking skirt. I have a piece of aqua silk taffeta I want to try and run down either sides of the front closure, and add a bow on the back of the neck, like they did in the 90s. I don’t have much of it so I have to be careful.

I got the skirt almost done, but had a little oops with the iron. Whoever heard of polyester not melting when it’s on high heat with steam, but then melts when it’s barely warm? What’s up with that!! I’m wasting a day just doing repairs on it now. And with a week left until Dickens, it gets to simmer a little longer too. 

Yep, squirrels are running all over here. Stay tuned for further adventures.  

                                                            ~~~Val~~~

A BIT OF INSPIRATION: A Faux neckline

Even though we’re in the midst of “winter”, although in So California we have to laugh at that, my thoughts aren’t going to warm clothes. I’m already starting to think about spring and summer dresses and pretty colors. So, while enjoying reading one of Lily Absinthe’s posts written by Adam Lid about choosing colors, I saw this pretty bodice, and thought what a pretty square neckline. https://lilyabsinthe.com/2016/04/26/and-for-the-spring-florals/

But then I kept looking closer at the trims, and noticed the blue lapels were fake. The square neckline was also fake. Look between the lace pieces in the center. You can see the blue floral fabric behind it, and that it closes completely in the front up to the neck. So not a square neckline at all.

But what a pretty idea to dress up a possibly plain front of your bodice, and a very simple way to do it. It makes me rub my hands together and want to do something like that.

However, I have a couple other projects keeping me busy and planning at the moment. I’m halfway done with my 1885 Black & Gold Chinese Brocade dress that I’ll be wearing next month in the Riverside (CA) Dickens Festival fashion show. I’ve got the sleeves basted in, ready to be sewn. It needs boning and the front closures also. And a hem. I love the train in the back and am crossing my fingers it doesn’t get stepped on too often. 

I was almost ready to start on my next project, the new Truly Victorian 1911 skirt and bodice, using my jade green linen blend fabric. I’ve saved a couple ideas for the bodice trim, and can’t wait to start on it. I'd sure like to get my new corset done for it first. 

But with the Dickens Festival coming up I also wanted to make a summery 1850s dress, because quite often it’s warm while we’re there in February. That’s Southern California weather for you. But it could also be chilly and raining.

And I have to share this; my friend Cindy gave me this awesome tote bag for Xmas. I call it my MeMe Bag.

Over the holidays, I did some cooking and baking for a party, and my little sewing helper was a bad girl, and was publicly shamed on Facebook.

~~~~Val~~~~

  

When You Can’t Cut & Sew, You Plan

As mentioned in my last post, even though I was hobbled by a foot problem, I was still getting some sewing done as long as I could sit and do it. And my brain also was not resting. Can we say CADD? That’s Costume Attention Deficit Disorder, a familiar state of mind to many costumers. The designers/planners in us get carried away. 
Taking a look around my sewing room (& bedroom in the corners) I currently have piles I’m working on that include some more Regency reticules I cut out; an 1860s wrapper that since I worked on it some more, now I only need to hem it; a partially cut 1912 dress that I still haven’t found the lace fabric I want to do the neckline so it’s at a standstill. And new things are added to the pile: I finally found a dress from 1885 that I could use the 4 yds of Chinese black & gold brocade my neighbor had given me. But I was out of black silk taffeta to start cutting it. Gahh!! I’m in the mood!! I want to cut fabric!!

Fortunately, a couple days ago after taking mega-doses of Advil + Tylenol and wearing my shoes with orthotics, the plantar faciitis finally started going away. Enough that I was able to go fabric shopping for the black silk taffeta, including enough to do another dress, an 1880s black & pink princess dress.  Both fabrics were acquired, along with some black beaded lace for the front.

I’m not sure if I can use the Truly Victorian tea gown pattern and alter the neckline but the only other

option I have is to extend a bodice pattern to floor length. I notice each year as we come up on the Fall season that I start leaning towards a lot of black dresses. I haven’t had a chance to figure out just why yet.

You may remember an earlier princess dress I was playing around with and even had the fabric for that. Maybe if I had stayed with navy blue like the original dress instead of jade green, it might have still been more desirable. It's still on the planning board though. But this time of year black always wins over for me. 

And as I usually do while shopping the Garment District in LA, my eyes were grabbed by some pretties. One store was selling out its linen fabrics, the real stuff that wrinkles not the blend, and this rose one came home with me. Since it wasn’t on the planning list at the time, I’m still not sure what it will be, possibly the new Truly Victorian 1912 dress?

Oh, and then this! I found a remnant roll of 13 yds of it in the back room at Home Fabrics, and cheap cheap cheap! It’s 120” wide, curtain fabric in a beautiful golden yellow with darker gold leafy vines going down it. (The photo looks a lot lighter) It made me want to dance! Where have you been all my life? Sadly, it is polyester, but I would never EVER find something like this in expensive fabric. I bought all of it since you’re required to with remnant rolls, thinking I may only need under 6 yards and could sell the rest.

Well, guess what? While trying to fall asleep my brain thought otherwise. It can be an 1810, and an 1820s dress (I haven’t done that time period yet & want a bodice with the tab on the front and belted). Or this 1837 cream & gold striped one.  *Squirrely mind is in control now*

Or maybe this? (1834) See what I have to put up with around here? In fact I often see things I was all fired up to make on my memories on Facebook when they pop up each day. I've taken a second look at some of them and wonder what was I thinking? Or on the other hand, why haven't I made THAT yet? 

So on my way home from L.A. with visions of sugar plums dancing in my…… Oops wrong season. With visions of new dresses, we remembered a fabric store near Disneyland that our friend Trudy had mentioned that had tons of cotton fabric. So a quick side trip ensued. M&L Fabrics is at 3430 W.Ball Rd, west of I-5, just a couple miles farther west of Disneyland. It’s open every day of the week. OMG, it’s HUGE, like a warehouse!! Rows and rows of cotton bolts, mostly $5.99-$7.00 yd but then the other half of the store is tables upon tables of flat folded 100% cottons, flannels, white cottons, at $1.99 yd. We saw lots of pretty ones that could be 1850s, 1860s, and later 1930s-60s. I would also say this is a quilter’s heaven. There were some shelves with folds of satin too, and in the back room, there was some cheaper stuff, upholstery fabrics, leathers, and polyesters.  I bought some nice soft white cotton for some Edwardian combinations, $2.99 yd, but I didn’t need anything else at this time.

I only remembered to take photos of one half of the store while we were in line, and forgot to take some of the rest as we were leaving. We were a little bit excited.

So now my sewing is going forward again with the black brocade dress, which I’ve started with Truly Victorian #462 Tail Bodice pattern with the square neckline (no tail). I’ll be using #263 Trained Skirt pattern for the skirt and put the panel of brocade down the front of it. I’m going to cut out a pattern to do the brocade trim on the front of the bodice and see if I can cut strips of it to do the trim around the hem of the skirt. I’m hoping it’s not too heavy for the taffeta. 

 I’m still considering how to do the sleeves; brocade or black taffeta with brocade trim? The fabric used on the bodice trim almost looks like a sheer lace. But I’ll go ahead with the brocade and hope it’s not too heavy.

 Of course the minute I get up from my chair to get fabric, my chair gets hijacked.

~~~Val~~~