Day 2: Current Project
Project: Purple 1770s English Gown
Fabric: Silk Taffeta, Linen
Start Date: February 19, 2016
I have to give myself a break on this one. Sure the start date is a year and a half ago, but in that time I’ve done a LOT of sewing and a LOT more research. After seeing everyone’s posts from Costume College I decided to drag it back out and get some work done.
Mistakes made:
starting a fancy 100% silk gown without doing any research at all on that type of gown
buying a scant 5ish yards of silk (can’t remember)
using waxed linen thread to baste and having tiny oil marks on the fabric because it sat there so long (this one HURTS me)
So back in February 2016 I showed up at a workshop being held by Burnley & Trowbridge. I felt pretty confident in my abilities. I’d made 4+ historical gowns at that point, could stitch quickly and neatly, and could fit a basic gown to a dress form. Surely, I was ready for some silk?
At the time I didn’t realize the general rule* for solid taffeta gowns in my chosen period was to have a matching or quilted petticoat. The instructor said I could use yellow or grey or pink or whatever… but when she said it wasn’t the norm that didn’t really click for me. I didn’t understand then that if I broke one of the “rules” the gown would stand out as not quite right. So I bought enough for the gown and a little extra for mistakes, and went on my merry way thinking I’d stitch up a bunch of petticoats in different colors later on. I still may do that just because it’s pretty, but it’s become really important to me to have a matching one for the first run.
OF COURSE the fabric sold out and I can’t find it anywhere else. This left me with one option if I wanted to stick to my new plan of a matching petticoat: cheat. After doing a lot of math I’ve figured out that I can squeeze one out of the remaining taffeta IF I use a false back a la Madame de Pompadour. So that’s what I’ll do.
*Never say never.
Progress:
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| Me at the workshop - property of Burnley & Trowbridge! |
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| Lighting was terrible but oh well. The back is actually finished now. |
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| Skirt is stitched in but I'll be adding two more panels at the front for fullness |
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| Sleeves are set and waiting on straps |
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| And here is the unceremonious location it is waiting in while I finish up some work deadlines. :( |
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