... now, in fact, completly done. So I have finished the trim on Lady Taylors dress, it now goes into the completed pile until it is taken home by it's intended.
What next you ask? Well, let us revisit the list...
The Lady Selwyn Underpinnings (corset and corded petticoat)I decided against making the petticoat, found a cotton hoop skirt for far less $ than it would take to make one, maybe next season... Celtic Ensemble (chemise, underskirt, front lacing overdress, and shoulder sash) I am waiting on 5 more yards of trim to finish the overdress... 'Court' Gown- which is not really a court gown but sounded better to me than calling it 'really pretty dress' and it is by far the fanciest I will have thus far- (chemise, underskirt, overdress, full sleeves, and some form of head gear)
My Lord Husband ALL DONE Celtic Ensemble (great kilt and shirt)
My dearest friend, Lady Taylor ALL DONE Celtic Ensemble (chemise, skirt, and strapless bodice) 'Italian style' gown (underdress/smock, half bodice with attached overskirt)
Our beloved sister, Lady Stephanie 'Italian style' gown (chemise and gown w/underskirt) Celtic Ensemble- as yet TBD
So in a nut shell, I have my 'CE' overdress to trim, and my 'court' gown to make. One ensemble for Lady Stephanie and the addition to my list of one ensemble for my lord husband's mother, Lady Long. Not to bad considering MDRF is still a few months away...
Lady Taylor and I are planning a VARF trip or 2, but we both have garb enough for those occasions at this point. I can't wait to get a RF fix in!!!!
Almost, I say, because I am still stitching some trim on the gown. The construction itself is, however, completed. So I thought I'd start on the construction notes now for those who are interested...
It all started out with a random photo Lady Taylor saw on ebay and said to me "Oh, I want one like that!" So being the generous soul that I am I said "but of course, my dear" and went looking for analogous patterns... I settled on McCall's #4994, the bodice portion of view A, without the winged sleeves. Then I figured I'd just attach a long skirt to it and voila, overdress... It was a plan, or at least the start of one...
First, lets start with the chemise, as it is the first piece of the puzzle anyway. She had indicated she wanted something with open sleeves for comfort in the heat. Initially I was going to use McCall's #4091, view A, and do something I had yet to figure out for the sleeve issue. Then I changed my mind and decided to use the chemise pattern from the Elizabethan Costuming page. I really liked how it turned out For Lady Stephanie's ensemble. About 2 days before I was ready to start on it, I spoke to Lady Taylor about the sleeves. She sent me another random photo and said "something like this maybe?" and I thought I'd be able to come up with something. Then I remembered there were wingy sleeves in the bodice pattern we had selected for the over gown. Bingo! The vision of her chemise materialized and it was off to the sewing machine... The material is a cotton blend in a beautiful shade of yellow I call maize. So I made the chemise according the costume page directions but shortening the sleeves to about elbow length. Then I cut out the winged sleeves, sewed the tops of the sleeve piece together and double turned the edges to hide the raw edge and stitched it down. New dilemma, how to attach the sleeve to the wing... I decided to use my old friend the pleat! 2 pleats on the top of the sleeve, 2 pleats on the underside and I sewed the wing to the sleeve. Very lovely, and a wonderful example of ‘quasi-historical.'
Now the overdress is another conglomeration of patterns and ideas. As mentioned before, the bodice portion of the gown is McCall's #4994. For the skirt I used the overskirt pattern pieces from Simplicity #3812, Lady Stephanie's gown. The main fabric for the overdress is an unknown upholstery material in green. It has a similar feel to crushed velvet of corduroy and yet is neither... The contrast is a woven poly upholstery fabric in a coordinating green with a maize and coral floral motif. Very lovely if I do say so myself! The first step, as with most commercial patterns, was to eliminate both the princess seams anddarts *gasp- it had both!!!* Again, I had to add an inner lining of poplin for stability and to hold boning. For this dress I chose to put boning (remember, I use duct ties for bonin!) to the front of the side seams and at the front opening where it laces. I added scrap strips of poplin sewn to the inner lining to make the channels stronger, as is becoming my standard custom.
For the attached skirt, I cut the skirt pieces from the Simplicity pattern previously mentioned. In addition I cut 2, 6-inch wide strips of the contrast material to continue the line made by the bodice. I attached the skirt to the bodice in the same manner as all the other gowns. Added the grommets, fitted the dress on the Lady herself to establish the hem.
Now, on top the detachable sleeves. Yes, we decided the over gown needed some sleeves of some kind. Inspiration struck in the form of elbow length sleeves made from the contrast material and surprise, there was a pattern for just such an animal in the trusty old McCall's #4994 right next to the wings we appropriated for our own purposes earlier. Made those exactly as the pattern directions instructed, right down to the grommet placement, so not much in the way of notes for that one... However, I did alter the method of attachment slightly. I stitched ties to the edges of the bodice, instead of adding grommets.
I have been working on Lady Taylor's second comissioned gown. So far so good... She will be driving up to my house tomorrow for a final fitting and to explore her trimming options. Once I have the final product complete I'll go through all the mundane sewing details for anyone interested... Here are some pictures to whet your appetite, so to speak...
As the tile implies. Sunday I will have pictures of the lady herself in the gown, which I will of course post for your viewing pleasure. But until then...
