Edwardian jumper dress and tucked blouse (1900-1905)

Finally I can talk about this dress! Before we start, I have to add I didn't draft it by my own but I used a gorgeous pattern by Black Snail Patterns for both dress and blouse; I was out of time to draft a new dress and blouse by myself so I cheated, using the pattern as guide for the main pieces and making my own alterations. 

The dress shown in the pattern is very similar to the afternoon dress I planned to make for Venice and shown in PoF 2 by Janet Arnold. Alas, I spent too much time on my 1840s tartan dress and had a very little time to make another frock before leaving. I already had fabric and trim in stash so I could start the work on the dress very quickly; the description says it's a jumper dress, an informal garment worn in summer time with a simple shape, worn over a blouse and a belt. Due to its loose shape it doesn't require a corset so it was perfect for the long and hard day in Venice. Wearing a corset for the whole day was out of question. I wanted to live the day as much as I could without feeling restricted in my Edwardian corset. A simple boned belt would have worked perfectly, and it did. 

The dress is worn over my usual Edwardian layers (petticoat, ruffled corset cover ecc ecc) minus the corset. 

In the following pics I'm wearing a vintage fur, an antique brooch and parasol, vintage gloves and a self made new hat, covered in black cotton and with a vintage birdcage veil.

The construction was really simple. No lining required so measure carefully before cutting your fashion fabric: there's no room for error! The bodice went together really easily: the sleeves and collar have a self facing, the bottom is gathered to get the "pigeon breast" of the era and attached to a waistband. I changed the way the skirt is pleated. The pattern calls for box pleating and top stitching, which I disliked. I moved all the pleats to the back to have smooth hips and volume in my derriere. I also used snaps instead of buttons and buttonholes to close the bodice because I didn't want to get crazy with buttonholes (I don't find sleeves hard as many costumers out there but I find buttonholes really frustrating!!). The skirt and the waistband close with hooks over a placket. Hem, sleeves and collar were trimmed in black to hide the top stitching. That's all.

The pigeon breast is obtained once the dress is on, using the belt as a firm base to hold the gathers in place. 

Before making the dress of course I made the blouse. Very easy construction here as well, if you already know how to make an Edwardian blouse and tucks you're half done. The pattern calls for chest tucks, collar tucks and sleeve ruffle tucks and the chest ones need to be self drafted using the guidelines included in pattern instructions. It took a while but nothing endless. I omitted the lace insertions since there was no time at all. The sleeves have an inner tape to be fitted at the elbow. I find them a little bit long for my arms so next time I will make them shorter. The rest was absolutely perfect, as it was drafted for me! Forgot to mention I used a size 12 for both blouse and dress. 

The blouse looks absolutely gorgeous also without the dress, paired with a simple skirt as I did for this photoshoot. 

1910s walking dress (revisited)

Available on Etsy: HERE

A project from a couple of months ago, at the beginning of the spring. I had to attend a Belle Epoque picnic in Turin in the city center, so I needed a dress elegant and practical at the same time. I didn't want to spend money on a new dress so I decided to restyle an old Edwardian/Titanic era dress I had in my wardrobe. Made in 2014 and restyled the first time in 2015, the dress was actually wearable despite its technical issues but it needed a massive, new restyling. You can read about the two previous makeovers here. 

I basically left it unaltered as it was made in 2015 but I remade the hem (the skirt was too long), the back pleats and the inner seams, including all the serging. I also removed the macrame lace and went for some velvet ribbons, all hand sewn.

And some photos of the event...

And the dress in motion!

It was cloudy and rainy so I wore my 1910s velvet coat. 

The flower under the bust is a tribute to Paul Poiret, plus it's part of my brand's name! The dress form does not give justice to the gown, which looks better on the real body. Unfortunately I still dislike how the skirt falls on the back, plus the neckline is really too low behind the neck BUT despite this, is still a lovely costume I'm planning to wear for another couple of times. I still have to make proper photos with it on so let's keep in touch! 

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! 

Making a 1910s velvet jacket

Hello guys! It's kinda unusual for me to write so many post in a month but I have a lot of new creations to share! As told in the previous posts I have been gifted with two of the Butterick Retro patterns last August. I made the 1912 dress and then I focused myself on the jacket, as shown in Butterick #6108. The envelope shows two different jacket options with different collar and cuffs, plus it contains a chemisette and a skirt. I omitted the skirt for now since I plan to wear it over a dress. The chemisette can always been added as detachable collar in a second moment. 

Some words about the pattern. The pattern is designed to be worn over a skirt (included) and a light blouse or just the chemisette since it's kinda fitted. The chemisette is big enough to be shown when wearing the jacket and cover the bust BUT choosing it means you cannot take the jacket off. I decided to omit the chemisette and choose a bigger size (a 14 in my case) to be able to wear the jacket with a dress or a blouse underneath. IF you'd like to wear just the chemisette, choose a smaller size. 

After this preface, the rest is really straightforward. The jacket has a very few pieces (front, sides and back) plus collars and cuffs. That's all. Smaller ladies may shorten the jacket a bit but for the rest it fits perfectly. I just had to shorten and widen the sleeves (which are too tight to fit over a dress) and this is the only alteration I made. 

I had the same purple velvet of the pattern cover in my stash. Purple doesn't offer so many combinations so I won't be able to wear it with all my Teens dress but it's a good excuse to make a black outfit, no? The cuffs and the collar are made with black worsted wool (purchased) and the whole thing is lined with black lining I had in the stash. The lining pieces were remnants of a previous project (a cloak I suppose) and I was really happy to use them and make room in my stash. 

Cuffs and collar are interfaced to hang properly. 

The construction was really easy. I didn't take photos of it, I'm really sorry. The jacket came together so quickly that I forgot to grab my phone and document the process until this morning, when I put the jacket on the dress form. It just needs a good press here and there and the sleeves are just basted. The hem is still missing and so the front closure. 

The velvet is really soft and changes colour when moving, a delight! The wool collar is so warm and so the cuffs. 

And that's all for now! Of course I'll have a proper photoshoot with the finished jacket. 

Thanks for reading! 

1912 purple dress: worn and loved!

Hello guys! In my previous post I talked about my new 1912 purple dress, all made of cotton using a Butterick #6093 pattern. Now that I made and wore the dress twice I can say I totally LOVE how it turned out! 

But let's take a breath and start from the beginning. 

As anticipated, this pattern as some fitting issues. The chart is purely indicative, the skirts are really tight so go ahead and plan to use at least 1 size bigger than yours. I ended in enlarging them of 10 cm to fit comfortable. Maybe they're a little too large but now but at last I can move in them without risking to rip the seams off! 

The bodice has also lot of ease in it. My suggestion is to measure yourself from side seam to side seam across bust at front and back and choose the best size. I used a size 12 for the front and size 6 for the back so yeah, measuring is totally necessary. The bottom of the bodice is then machine gathered to fit. Gathers can also avoided but you will need to use some math and draft a new bodice. 

A mock-up is strongly recommended, do not skip this step. Despite that, the dress went together really easily and straightforward. 

I used some black cotton in my stash to make collar and cuffs. They're both interfaced. 

I also pleated the skirts at front and back and added two more pleats in the upper part of the overskirt. The pattern calls for two overskirts for view A which in my opinion are a waste of fabric; if you have enough go ahead and add the other one and ignore my words, but if you don't have enough yardage skip it: the dress will look great the same and it will lighter to wear! For sure you don't have to skip the underskirt. 

I also shortened the upper part of the skirt about 3.5 cm to fit my body shape better simply folding the pattern and tracing a straight line onto the fabric. 

Now the best part: I have a zipper! Yes, you read it: my dress closes with an invisible zipper. I hate sewing hooks and eyes AND with the last 1912 I had some problems in dressing by my own. So I didn't bother about accuracy and inserted a discreet zipper in the left side seam of the dress. So easy!

The belt has the last step. It is interfaced and decorated with a bow. It closes with hooks and eyes. 

The dress is worn over chemise, corset and petticoat and a lace shirt. I'm planning combinations asap. I completed the look with vintage accessories and hat. 

And that's all! The whole thing took about a week to be completed, all by machine and serger. The only hand stitched parts are the black cuffs and the black bias tape in the overskirt. I sew for others and I work on my projects just when I have the time so I would say this dress would take about 2-3 days to be completed on a normal schedule. 

I'm so happy with this dress, it's comfy to wear aaaaand I didn't have to shorten the skirts: they were of my exact length! Yay! Plus, they're not super long so I don't have to keep them up while walking. It's definitely one of my favourite costumes ever.