Sewing Spree

Here are pictures of what I did this weekend. Never have I been so determined. Never have I cherished the results so much.

Inspired by Bleak House, I searched for the perfect pattern to recreate an 1850's gown a few weeks ago. I had read reviews on Truly Victorian patterns, and they all seemed very positive, so I went to the site and looked around. This dress caught my eye immediately, and I ordered it. Then, I bought a roll of tracing paper and traced my size of the pattern, so that I could keep the pieces all in tact in case I needed them later (by the way, these patterns are sized differently, and are fitted much better than generic patterns).

Saturday morning I woke up early and sewed all day. Sunday morning I woke up early and sewed all day. Today I woke up early and sewed all day. Voila!

The dress above was my first attempt at this new pattern I ordered. It looks quite nice as long as you don't look on the inside or read the actual directions too closely. I purposely changed the sleeves for more of a day look, and skipped the piping altogether on the bodice. I had never made piping, and the idea was too intimidating, so I just used store bought bias tape. And, instead of sewing on each hook and eye separately I used hook and eye tape for the first time. What an invention! It worked wonderfully. For this dress I also gave up trying to sew the skirt to the bodice as I intended, and just made a waist band for the skirt and finished off the bodice with bias tape.

And then....I began again with the most lovely fabric I could find.





This one went much smoother. This morning I got up and went straight to the store to pick up some cotton yarn to make piping (an idea I found during research). I found my zipper foot, cut out the strips of fabric (on the bias), pressed them, and sewed in the yarn. Easy as pie! If only I knew. The piping made the gown look much better, and I found out why I was having trouble attaching the skirt to the bodice without it. I was so frightened when I finished sewing the skirt to the bodice. It was inside out and there was a pile of tangled fabric in my lap. But when I turned it to the right side it looked absolutely perfect! I don't know how I did it on the first try.
This time I also used the sleeves from the pattern. They are a little overwhelming when the dress is on, but I admit I like the way the look very much.







The colour is much richer in person - a deep rust red.






The end to a delightful weekend.

A New Era

I have decided to try my hand at Regency fashion for a change. Of course with all the Jane Austen hype, this is required of my sewing skills. One cannot pass by an era that has been recreated over and over in various adaptations of her novels. There is not much one can do with an empire waist gown, but I have joined the ranks of ambitious artists nonetheless, and feel that my attempts are not unworthy of that most esteemed authoress.

I used some one dollar fabric with small red flowers and blue dots. The delicate pattern is very much like some of the gowns from the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. It is lined with a soft lightweight cotton (labelled "colonial cotton"). The white scalloped eyelet around the neckline is actually part of a separate undergarment made from the lining fabric as well. I used the same pattern to construct this, omitting the sleeves and bodice lining.

Pattern used: Sense and Sensibility - a regency gown pattern http://www.sensibility.com/