Natural Form Ensemble

(Sorry some of the pictures are a bit blurry, but you can at least get the idea. The camera wasn't too sure about the shiny fabric, and then I forgot to change the setting for taking close ups.)

This dress has been rolling around in my brain since attending costume college this past summer. I had already purchased a couple of patterns for the time period from Truly Victorian, but didn't have any definite ideas about it. While Mom and I were down in Southern California, I came across a flocked twill that I immediately associated with this dress. Since then, I have been fantasizing about it and dreaming about one day getting it finished. ( I will probably make the skirt walking length--a bit more practical for most events.) For now the project is on hold, since I don't have an impending event to wear it to, but I'll get around to it eventually.

Update: I'm planning on starting on this sometime this summer and am hoping to have it finished for Costume College this year. Since I'll be wearing it indoors, I'm going to go ahead and make it with the train. I'd like it to be as close a reproduction of the image here as possible. Wish me luck.

Well, I really did mean for this to be a dress diary, but if I had kept up with this, the dress would not have been done in time. So, instead I'll give the retrospective synopsis...

The Skirt

I used TV 225 for the foundation of this skirt, but the draped front and the back triangles I had to figure out on my own. I normally don't make a muslin of skirts; they are usually very easy to adjust, and as long as I measure before I cut, they turn out just fine. However, I decided to make one of this skirt since it was a bit different and there was a lot riding on the fit of the underskirt--if it was off, the whole thing would be a wash. I needn't have worried. It went together without a hitch, and I was able to use it as my petticoat. I also used it to drape the overskirt pattern on.

Now, I didn't have a pattern for the overskirt, but I felt I was up to the challenge. Little did I know that I would spend two days pinning and re-pinning pleats to the foundation skirt. I was ready to pull out my hair by the end of the first day, but after a good night's sleep and a fresh start, I managed to get the muslin draped to please me. I marked the darts, pleats, and grain line, trimmed the fabric (leaving myself a seam allowance), and had my pattern.

At that point I was ready to cut out my fashion fabric. I used a pin striped taffeta for the foundation part of the skirt. (The fabric has black thread, but also gold, so it comes across visually as a brown with a gold pin stripe.) For the over skirt sections, I used a light brown twill with flocked velveteen medalions on it. I sewed both layers together at the side-back seams so that nothing will shift around and also to reduce bulk at the waist (one waistband instead of two). Before attaching everything, I sewed the fringe to the front swags and made the button holes on the back triangles (seventy of them!). I used the taffeta fabric to make a box-pleated ruffle on the front of the underskirt, added a lace ruffle above that, and then added another box-pleated row of the taffeta above that. The final touch (completed while I was down at Costume College) was attaching the buttons on the back triangles (decorative only) and stitching on the velvet bow. (The velvet is brown micro velvet. If you ever get a chance to use this stuff, do. It is fantastic. You can wash and dry it. It doesn't crush. You can even iron it without a needleboard.)

Trim: I started off just placing trim on the front of the underskirt so that the dress would be just as the inspiration fashion plate. (It could still use a bit more, in my opinion.) However, now that I've got it done and have the pictures to show, I'm going to go back and add trim to the train as well. I just think it will have an overall better look to have the trim continue all the way around. The only problem is that I don't remember where I got the lace and haven't been able to find anymore. Still not too sure how I'll solve that one.

At any rate, I currently have a three inch wide row of box pleats (sewn at the top edge) at the bottom of the skirt, a row of lace, and then a row of two inch wide box pleats (sewn at the center of the strip) above the lace.

The Bodice--TV420

The bodice went together fairly easily too. I made only two muslins, and the second was only because I needed to adjust the amscye. (On me, the original pattern looks like it has a drop shoulder. I don't mind that so much, but the sleeve wasn't fitting--way too much fabric at the sleeve head, which obviously does not fit with the time period. I moved the shoulder back so that when I attached the sleeve it fit with just a little bit of ease.) I decided to use the light brown twill for the entire bodice front and back, rather than only for the center back pieces. I used the brown velvet for the sleeves, collar, the bow in back, and on the covered buttons down the front. The cuffs are the twill again, with a cream colored velvet ribbon to tie them. I added a cream colored box-pleated trim to the neckline to finish it off (another element that was sewn on at the last minute).

Now, here is the big, huge problem I ran into. The boning I used in the bodice was too stiff, so it wouldn't really conform to my body, especially in the waist area. The result is that even though the finished garment should fit comfortably, I have to lace myself a bit too tight in order the get the buttons done up the front, but the bones are still standing away from my body. The only saving grace is that because the bones are so stiff, the bodice still has a smooth, fitted look, even though it's not. I'm hoping that with a bit of work, I can get the boning to conform to my body so that the bodice fits a bit better.

The whole ensemble was topped off with a green a peach cap that Mom bought on Friday at Costume College. Wasn't that just a stroke of luck!

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