1840s lilac dress

 Let's update this blog a little! Summer has passed (finally!) and this year I have been able to finish a couple of projects due to human temperatures until August... The projects are not in chronological order, I'm going to write about as long as I remember them.

First, a new 1840s dress. I had this lovely lilac cotton in stash for approx 2 years and decided to use it after a looooong wait. I already have a 1840s dress made in 2019 with a fan front but I wanted something different. I used my trusted TV German Day Dress pattern as base for the bodice, while sleeves and skirt are self drafted. I started this project at the beginning of September because I remembered the first version didn't take so long but I was wrong: the bodice took a lot. Almost 2 weeks. 1840s dresses may sound easy but they are not! The sleeves are fitted and have to be well drafted, same as for the elongated waistline in the bodice. Fittings took a while. I had no problems with the longer waistline (the facing piping took away 2,5 cm in lower edge and neckline so it shortened a lot!) but the fit of the bodice was a pain. 

I have a weird body with a very small neck but wider shoulders and a "medium" waist, which forces me to make a mix and match of my pattern pieces. My dressform has a huge neck so I can't drape my own patterns over it and this is a problem with back fastening gowns like these. I did all my best to achieve a good fit but the neck is still gaping and the hooks get unhooked. So boring. On the other hand, the bodice was so well fitted along the waistline there's not so much overlap for the hooks. I'm pretty sure these ladies had someone helping them when making their dresses because it's impossible to get a good fit without another pair of eyes... Front closure next time. No way. Or buttons. Buttons are lovely! 

Despite these issues, the bodice came together quite well. I just take in some extra cm in the neck and bust area. The bodice is flat lined in cotton, serged, boned in all seams and then trimmed with this lovely lilac braid I purchased online. I wanted to use only stash materials so I used what I had on hand, including this bold cotton cord for piping. 

The skirt was a breeze if compared with the bodice. Two rectangles pleated to the waistband with a faced hem and the same braid to cover the stitches. So easy and relaxing! 

I completed the look with a straw spoon bonnet from Nehelenia Patterns, trimmed with vintage decorations and cotton sateen ties again from stash. The dress is worn over chemise, corset, corded and tucked petticoat. I only realized my corset provokes a bad wrinkle at top of the bodice for unknown reasons (this was not present when making fittings...) so I will have to fix that together with the back fastening. The day of the event the weather was rainy, cold and cloudy so I had to wear a shawl to protect me a little; the silk parasol was just for scenographic reasons... ;)