June | 2016 | SewLoud

Six more weeks of silly

Well I’m just a smidge behind on posting this dress…that I made for Christmas…heck I should have waited another month and done Christmas in July. But I resolved after moving to try to be better at posting so here you get a Christmas-in-June post.

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Me, Alice, and Amanda looking so cold and Christmasy (photo from the Asbury Park Press)

*sings carols in the 90 degree heat*

Who am I kidding it was 70 at Christmas this year…but don’t worry climate change is a myth

Hey look it’s real bread!

I made this dress for another trip to Historic Allaire, they were having some Christmas shenanigans, honestly it’s been so long I forget the specifics. Oh wait there were long lines for carriage rides and decorations.

Anyway, I had just come off the high of Gettysburg (what do you mean I never posted about that either…son-of-a-sock-monkey, more catch up coming later)…where was I..right so Katherine C-G was in my house and when I wasn’t squealing over a celebrity IN MY GUEST ROOM she was getting me all convinced that I could make an 1830s dress in a week. Or something close to a week it was months ago.

Dress on the right

Nice wonky bow there Robin

Part of Katherine’s brilliant plan was pointing out I could use my nicely fitting 1860s ball gown bodice pattern and just cut it straight at the waist.

We were flipping through Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion and boy she seemed to be making a lot of sense (this is how you end up with the costume equivalent of buying a time share).

The 1830s often featured wide, almost off the shoulder necklines, and the sleeve pattern in PoF is so huge and gathered you could just put it in any old armscye. aaaand then I made a dress in a week.

Not having time for proper sleeve floaties I just gathered a wad of netting (technical measurement) and tacked it to the sleeve lining so it was in between the lining and the plaid. It cross laces with attractive black lacing as that’s what I found when running out the door.

Stink eye is given

All in all I’m really happy with it. It’s a very simple cut in a very loud fabric. oh and crazy hair. The fabric is a some kind of synthetic I bought off a vendor at Belvidere. Nice hand but definitely dead dino.

Remember 1830s is ALL about dat hair

For those who haven’t been to the Historic Village in Allaire NJ it’s a sweet working village set up from the 1830s at Mr. Allaire’s iron works. Our friend Tessa was getting faked married as Maria Allaire on Sunday and that mustered some of the local Philly costume contingent to invade.

The blushing fake bride is in the middle

It being June and hot as hades I figured a new voile dress would be a great idea…what was NOT a great idea was starting the dress the Tuesday before I needed it.

Am I capable of not being talking during photos? I KNEW IT WAS BEING TAKEN

I ordered 7 yards of voile form this AWESOME etsy seller, fabric was fabulous, got here ASAP from NYC, will be ordering again. ($2.99/yd?! yes thank you) I miss cut the front and had to recut it and ended up piecing one sleeve..so yeah only scraps really left.

The bodice is the Truly Victorian Ballgown bodice with a few alterations, second time I’ve used it for 1830s. The sleeves are out of Janet Arnold. Bodice and sleeves are lined with muslin and there’s a yard of hex net cut in half and gathered up in each sleeve. I would like to get around to making real sleeve puffers..but like I said started tuesday. The skirt is three panels two of which are in the back one in the front.

I did also finish a corded petticoat which I’ll pretend will get it’s own post someday…for when I never get around to it it’s two length’s of Joann’s Premium muslin (not that crappy crappy stuff) and sugar and cream cording. I was very pleased with it, body but now super stiff.