Green Gowns Galore

Well, it's been a while since I updated things here.  It's been so hectic that I really haven't gotten much in the way of sewing done.  I have been doing some trim ordering online for the green natural form gown- I am hoping that the mailman arrives today with my ecru gimp (he's still not here at it's 5pm!).  I found my old order of that beautiful cream lace that I used for the top of the natural form gown and procured an additional 12 yards so that I can add lace to the pannier overskirt as well.  That gown is coming along nicely, just waiting on bits and pieces here and there to arrive.  

This is a slightly older photo but it gives you a good idea of where this project is currently.  I have added more of that beautiful lace to the pannier overskirt, and I will trim that with the same ecru gimp that is on the upper bodice.  I am considering adding that lace to the bottom of the satin underskirt, but I haven't played around enough with it yet to make that decision.  

In addition, I began the process of figuring out the patterns needed for the Bottle Green 1912 Gown.  Pattern finding was easier than I had anticipated; I think the Simplicity fits the bill quite nicely.  I made the mockup in $2/yd muslin, and while it is white cotton, it still has some pizazz to it.  I had to borrow the narrow belt off of my bathrobe since the gown is meant to have a belt and the bodice is not quite right without it.  That said, the belt will be significantly thicker and not so... bathrobey.

 While the search for the pattern turned out to be significantly easier than I had anticipated, the search for the materials for the gown has been a NIGHTMARE.  I took a trip with a friend down to Denver Fabrics in Littleton and came back with a few basics.  First, I found the perfect bottle green satin on sale for $4 a yard.  EPIC find.  I haven't been able to find a sequined netting for the overskirt that I liked, but I did find a very nice black netting with printed velvet flowers.

The major fabrics of the skirt and underdress have been found and acquired.  The hard part is finding the trimmings.  In fact, it is much much MUCH easier to find Victorian style trimmings than it is to find 19-teens era trimmings.  Go figure.  I had assumed that as I creeped closer to the modern day, procurement of supplies would be simpler.  Guess not.  I have not been able to find even a whisper of beaded french netting for the lower bodice, and the ecru lame lace has not exactly been forthcoming either.  In order to create the beaded french netting, I ordered some E6000 craft glue and a bunch of swarovski crystal flatbacks.  If I can find a few hours to myself sometime in the coming weeks, I will attempt to make nice, beaded french netting out of high quality plain old french netting.  I may go crazy; maybe not from the glue fumes, but certainly from the task of gluing 1440 crystals onto netting!!!  I may also have to add some to the velvet printed netting as well.  For that, I will also add a beaded lace scalloped trim to the lower edge of that, assuming I can find what I want somewhere.  <sigh> This one has NOT been playing nice!

Finally getting somewhere...

Phew! Finals are over, and I have a lot more free time to work on various projects.  In fact, I had a fantastic 4 day weekend to work on the natural form gown, and I made some decent progress.  I finished the skirt, which is made of a cream colored super-shiny satin.  It still needs lace trim etc., but the worst of the work is completed.  I didn't take many photos of that process partly because the seams are all straight and there really wasn't much of interest and partly because I was just so darned psyched to have free time to sew that I just kept going without stopping!

Here's what I have so far- a mostly completed bodice with a very-in-need-of-ironing cream satin skirt.  The cream satin matches the cream of the lace perfectly, but has a bit of a sheen that really makes it pop.  I will be adding wide lace if I can find it at a reasonable price.  If not, I think it still works fairly well.

My petticoat is not quite stiff enough to support the mass of the skirt, so I will be adding horsehair braid to the lower edge of the satin skirt to give it a bit more volume.  Also, I will probably need to add some netting to the back gather to give it a bit more of the "bustled" look.  I am not used to natural form gowns, so this is a new adventure for me.

Once I had completed the skirt, I decided to tackle the first overskirt.  As you can see from the pattern piece laid out on the table, it is a large square that is then tied up to form the poof of the skirt.  Like the white satin skirt, there are 2 casings with ties sewn into the skirt that allow you to cinch it up to form the bustled look.  This is a closeup shot of the casing down the center seam of the overskirt.

 Here's the overskirt minus any trim that will be added.  I put in an order with EJoyce.com for the same lace that is featured on the bodice.  It took me 2 hours to hunt down that order- it was from sometime in 2010 so it took a lot of email searching!!!
At any rate, the skirt will be trimmed in the same cream lace that was featured on the bodice.  That will cover up the gathers in the skirt and make it look significantly more 'finished' than it does in these photos.  Also, I will use cream colored silk flowers to cover the gathers around the bustle.

So, we're getting there slowly but surely.  All that is left from a major project standpoint is the butterfly train and that will not be exceedingly difficult.  That is already cut out of the fabric and ready to go, so it is just a question of finding the time to work on that.  The trim on the overskirt shouldn't be too terrible- although that will most likely require hand sewing.  I will also have to figure out the best way to support the skirts and all of that weight so that they don't just fold in on themselves.  Coming along well so far, though!!!  :)

Holy Bottle Green Batman!

For those of you who don't know me well, I love dressing up.  It really doesn't matter the era, I just love escaping my life and transforming into something entirely different.  Usually something a little more elegant and feminine than my regular life allows me.  Last year, Matt and I went down to the Durango Heritage Celebration for the Victorian Ball and the Heritage Train, all of which is done in full costume.  We were unable to attend the Titanic Dinner due to coursework on my part, but this year we are going to make it happen.  Essentially, you are assigned a personage who is listed on the actual Titanic passenger lists.  You dine, you dance, and at the end of the evening, you find out if you went down with the ship.  That may sound fairly morbid to most people, but I think it sounds like a fabulous time!  Probably because I am a woman; a good portion of them were saved.  Being the dainty creatures that we are, we got the lifeboats first.  The men, on the other hand, were expected to be chivalrous.  Matt has predicted an 80% chance that his character went down with the boat.  We shall see.

Ok, I diverge.  I have no 1912 clothing, especially not a 1912 evening gown.  Which necessitates another project (once I have finished the current natural form gown, of course!).  After some searching, I found that there aren't too many books of fashion plates from that era, which I find to be strange because there are TONS from the Victorian era.  I did some real gown searching on VintageTextile.com and AntiqueDress.com, which happen to be 2 of my most favorite window shopping sites ever!!!  I found one of the most beautiful gowns I have ever seen, and of course it was WAY over anything I would ever be willing to spend on vintage clothing.  Too bad, because it actually would have fit me!  Anyway, I will re-create it, or at least make a go of re-creating it because it will not be easy!!!

See what I mean, BEAUTIFUL!!!!  If I can accomplish half of that beading, I would be happy.  I think that this will require finding some pre-beaded fabric, which of course will not be inexpensive.  Some of the more rich details will, in fact, have to be embroidered by hand.  But, I think it is doable.  It may take me most of the summer, but in the end I might have one of the more beautifully classic gowns of my collection.  I will keep you all updated when I start this beauty, it will be an adventure!!!!

Somewhere in History

Hi all!
Exciting news!  I decided to purchase my own domain so that I have a bit more control over how I post things and the format that it comes in.  It is under construction for the time being so there is not much going on, but hopefully I can get that up and running once coursework is done.  The new domain: http://somewhereinhistory.com.  More updates as I get things going, but eventually I will be moving over there :)
Enjoy!!!
~Shadowhawk~