1780 Silk Day Dress from Patterns of Fashion 1

     

     

Welcome to the first of the costume diaries! I have always been interested in the period surrounding French Revolution and Irish Rebellion, but recently realised I had never completed a dress from the earlier half of that period. I had made a robe from the 1790s but that was all. So, I decided to get going with a gown for the Georgian Day at Ickworth House this May.

I needed to start right from the very begining. I needed:

- stays+
- false rump+
- the gown+
- fichu+
- stockings+
- shoes+
- pockets*
- hat & hair+

* will be finished at a later date
+ finished, see bellow

Stays

The pattern for the stays was based on Butterick's B4254 and a contemporary pattern I found. I decided to use a dusky rose colour linen for the outer layer of this corset and to trim it with off-white bias binding. I also decided to use silk ribbon for the ties at the shoulders and to use plastic boning, as it would be more comfortable to wear at the event and it was not an alteration that would be obviously un-historical when complete.

26/1/05 Once the pieces had been sewn together, the layes of the corset were pinned to each other, wrong sides together and the first few boning casings sewn in.

28/1/05 Boning slotted into cases.

24/02/05 We ran out of boning before, so we orderd some. It arrived today, but we found it was the wrong sort!

28/02/05 Finally got the right boning! Hopefully the stays will be finished soon, then!

19/04/05 Did a lot more boning on this today. It should be finished within the next week or so now.

20/04/05 I was fitting the dress today and I discovered someting - it fits better over my first Victorian corset than this one. I will finish these stays eventually, but, as May is fast approaching, I shall leave them for the moment and cheat a little with the Victorian one! FINISHED (for now)

Additional Underpinnings

- false rump

19/04/05 I have a pattern sorted out for these now. Really going to have to get on if I want the outfit finished by May.

27/04/05 This is all cut out and ready to go. I have some stuffing in the loft but have no idea how much or if it will be any good. I'll have to explore all the boxes tomorrow!

29/04/05 I found boxes and boxes of stuffing! Perfect, non-polyester stuffing! The false rump is completely finished now. I decided to make the ties at the waist very long so I could tie it round the back because I already have A LOT of ribbons to tie up round the front. FINISHED

- pockets

The pockets are going to be made of silk that I shall hand embroider with an authentic Georgian motif over the next few months. I am using silk dupion and am trimming the pockets with cotton bias. I drafted my own pattern from historical sources.

03/01/05 Pocket pattern drafted and drawn on silk.

07/01/05 Decided on final design, which I then transfered to the fabric.

8/01/05 Embroidery begun

16/02/05 I realised how little time I had spent on the pockets the other day, and so I decided to get going on them again. I have got over half the embroidery done on one pocket now, and shall try to finish it over the next few weeks before work starts on the false rump.

27/04/05 Seeing as I don't want to rush the emboidery on these and I still have quiet a way to go before I will be happy with them I have decided to make up a plain pair out of the left over material from the dress, but I'm going to make up the false rump first and make sure that the combination will work.

The Gown

For the gown, I decided to use the pattern in Janet Arnold's "Patterns of Fashion" dating from c.1780-90. This is taken from a gown at the Gallery of English Costume, Manchester. It has a vandyked collar, typical of the 1780s, a fall front skirt opening and a laced bodice.

I decided to make this gown out of this beautiful brown patterned silk I found at the Macclesfield Silk Museum, the lining will be in linen and the trim in cream.

25/01/05 The pattern is carrently in the process of being drawn up.

30/01/05 Pattern completed. Lining cut out and sewn together.

05/02/05 Silk cut out. Unfortunately some faults were found in the cloth, but luckily I had bought far more than I needed. Well it was only £2 a metre!

10/02/05 Strated to sew the pieces together.

14/02/05 Main bodice completed.

15/02/05 Today the lining has been sewn into the bodice, the whole of this pressed and the collar constructed.
There have also been some problems with the sewing machine, but hopefully it will sort itself out!
The ribbon to trim the collar and sleeves was also bought today. It is a lovely pale gold colour, and matches the inner set of petals in the design on the silk. We have also bought the same ribbon in a smaller width to create the lacing down the front. Furthermore we got some 1/8" doweling for the lacing strips down the front. This will spread the load caused by the lacing so there will be less pressure on the fabric.

  

16/02/05 Skirt pannels sewn together and pleating started. Collar pieces sewn down centre back and tacked ready for trim to be added.

24/02/05 Skirt completed.

26/02/05 Lacing pannels started.

26/02/05 Bodice and Skirt sewn together.

19/03/05 Handsewn eyelets begun.

19/04/05 Lacing Pannels Completed. The collar is also finished exept that the trim needs adding to the edges.

27/04/05 Almost there now! I have the sleve ruffles sewn in and the lacing pannels on. Still to do: one more fitting then finish lining, topstitching and do hem.

08/05/05The lining and topstitching done - now only the hem to go then its wearable! Hopefully that will be finished by Monday/Tuesday. The collar still needs trimming, then thats finished. I have decided to use the a wider version of the ribbon used as the lacing for the rushing on it.

10/05/05 All finished except the trim on the collar now - almost there!

14/05/05 Just in time, everyhting is finished and everything works. Horrah! I haven't quiet mastered not standin g on the train yet, but the forcast for tomorrow is sunny, so it shouldn't get muddy. My final update will be on Monday, when I post the final pictures.

16/05/05 Its all over! It was lovely yeaterday. Boiling hot, but lovely! There were country dance displays, 95th riffels on foot and all sorts of period things. Not very many people were in costume though, which is quiet nice sometimes! Dress worked out very well, only the lacing kept slipping - but that is how 18thC lacing is. I may put in another peice of dowling at the top of bottom of the lacing which can slot into place when it is laced up and stop it from moving.

FINISHED

Accessories

- stockings

29/04/05 Found some perfect green wollen knee-highs that match the dress fabric wonderfully! FINISHED

- shoes

28/01/05 I am really having trouble finding shoes at the moment. I have found a number of internet sites selling reproductions, however I do not have the time or the money to consider buying from them. I have been searching round high street stores trying to find and alternetive, and have found a couple of possibles, but none of them are perfect. I shall preobably use a pair that I already own, which I bought last year for my victorian outfit. They are far from perfect but they might have to do for now.

03/04/05 I finally have some shoes! They aren't quiet perfect historically...but they are perfect for what I want! I can also use them with late victorian outfits. The heel is perfect and they are made out of silk dupion (which means I wont be able to walk in puddles!). I am going to use the same ribbon I m using to trim the dress to lace up the fronts. FINISHED

- fichu

29/04/05 Pattern and fabric all sorted out, just have to get on and make it! I have decided to do shell stich around the hem to make it a little prettier.

08/05/05 As I am running out of time I am going to be using an old Regency fichu instead and finish this at a later date for another garment. FINISHED

16/05/07 Update: Georgian fishu finally made! I decided to start again, making a white muslin square fishu. I edged this with a little frayed effect, created by removing some of the warp, creating patterns in the muslin. FINISHED

- hat & hair

24/02/05 I found a hat that I had bought during the summer for a reconstruction of Scarlett's BBQ dress from Gone With the Wind. All I have to do it change the trim and then it will be perfect!

29/04/05 I have decided exactly what I am going to do on my hat. I am going to have two or three ecru feathers swooping over the crown and a large rosset of brown ribbon where they join the hat, with the ends of the ribbon drooping down.

08/05/05 After experimenting with a number of different hair styles (hedgehog etc.) I decided to settle on a style similar to that worn by Norma Streader as Verity in BBC TVs Poldark series (picture coming soon). Therefore I don't need a hat!
Step-by-step guide to my hairstyle:

1) Curl hair (I did this overnight, but I'm sure it would be just as effective if heated curlers etc. were used)

2)Take the central area of hair and put it into a ponytail high on you head (ie. leave a circle of hair all the wa around the head)

3) Pin up each section of hair in the ponytail so that they flop down again, finishing 2 to 3" from top of neck.

4) Starting from the base of the head, pin up the rest of the hair in clear sections.

5) Hairspray - and your done. (I put a little sprig of flowers into my hair for decoration)

So it really was very simple! I have very long hair though, which goes done past my waist, so I didn't need to pad it out with anything.FINISHED

Pictures

click on the thumbnail to see the whole image