Edwardian skirt and blouse, circa 1900-1905

I've always been fascinated by the style of early Edwardian era, with those lightweight blouses, fabrics, delicate laces and floating skirts. While I made a lot of 1910s costumes for me and clients, I never had the opportunity to make something earlier for me except an old white dress made after a Butterick pattern. 

Last Sunday I had to act in a very early Edwardian event so I definitely needed to sew something. I wanted something practical but elegant at the same time so what's better than a blouse and a skirt? Unfortunately I didn't take construction pics, the process was extremely fast. 

Fabrics used:

- Cotton sateen in brown for the skirt, flat lined in cotton

- Cotton voile in white for the blouse (Ikea curtain, from a thrift store), flat lined in cotton

- White lace fabric for chest insertion and cuffs

- White lace trim to cover up chest insertion

Blouse was made first. I cut bodice, peplum and sleeves before working on the lace. Cuffs are lined in cotton while the rest of lace is not lined. Sleeves and blouse botton were then gathered to fit armhole, cuffs and peplum. When I was done with the cotton and the lace I attached a cotton tape to refine the raw edges instead of making a facing and hand sewn snaps over there as fastening. In this way the edges were reinforced and cleaned at the same time and I didn't have to sew buttonholes. I used the same tape to make collar hem. 

Then I worked on the skirt. I flat lined it in cotton to add support and I'm so happy with this technique. It truly makes THE difference in how the skirts falls, especially in the hem. The skirt has two deeps pleats at center back and placket opening on the left side with snaps. The hem is turned with wide bias tape. 

I wanted to add a velvet ribbon as decoration to hide the stitching but I was in a rush...

I managed to take some photos before the event. The hat was also made by me last year and it's all made of black cotton sateen with ostrich feathers. 

Necklace and parasol are antique pieces from my collection! I have an addiction for mourning jewelry and accessories...

More professional shots...

More to come!

I'm really happy with this outfit, the blouse fits like a glove and is really comfy to wear in the summer heat. Being white it can be combined with a great variety of skirts so stay tuned!