1870 Raspberry Silk Bustle Dress: The Bodice

I read through the pattern instructions to make sure I understood how it goes together, especially the false bolero front which is applied on top of the front AND side pieces of the faux vest (lining). The actual assembly I did in my own order, as I have developed my way of doing things where I handle each piece as few times as possible.

After having cut out the pieces, I flat lined the main bodice pieces and assembled them, using the serger to flat line. The lining is brown polished cotton, a common lining fabric in the 19th century for women’s bodices.

What is flat lining vs bag lining? Flat lining is when you line each piece by putting the wrong sides together and either serging or sewing the seam allowances together, and then treating it as one piece. Bag lining is when you sew the right sides together and then turn it inside out finishing the edges. Bag lining is more commonly a modern method, although it was used in some cases in the 19th century. Flat lining is what is usually seen on 19th century bodices (and often skirts as well).

Side back piece flat lined at the top only – the bottom will be bag lined at a later step.

The center front I did differently. I usually sew the CF seam right sides together, turn and press (yes bag lining), and then flat line the other sides. Why? So the center front is already finished. As this CF neckline is to have a ruffle of self-fabric around it, I enclosed the ruffle in this seam. I then turned, pressed, sewed in the darts, and attached the side front piece.

I then sewed the center back seam.

And attached the back to the side backs.

Next I assembled the bolero jacket overlay for the front. For the ribbon trim along the edge of the jacket, I gathered some of the 1 1/2 inch green silk ribbon using the shirring foot, with the gathering stitch 1/4 from the edge of the ribbon:

Then I pinned and sewed the ribbon trim to the right side of the bolero fronts, to anchor it down and provide a stitching line for attaching the lining:

After pinning the lining to the bolero front, right sides together, I carefully sewed on top of the stitching line where the ribbon ruffle was attached.

Turn and press, then tack to fronts:

At this point I decided to bone the bodice, saving the final bone on the side seam until after the test fitting. I fitted the lining as mock up (Truly Victorian patterns in size J fit me 99.9% of the time) but before committing the last side seam, I wanted to do an accurate test fitting. This is best done with the bones in.

BONES??? Says sewing dog. You have BONES???

Sorry Pup, these are flat steel and spiral steel bones. The two curved back seams will have spiral steel bones that allow them to curve along that seam. The darts in the front are boned by putting a bone inside the dart’s seam allowance and sewing the bottom closed.

I am using prepackaged bone casing.

To apply boning by machine, sew the edges of the boning to the seam allowance only, centering the bone over the seamline.

I also boned the inside of the center front (right), to keep it nice and straight.

Now its ready to have the shoulder and side seams sewn and have a quick fitting.

Details to finish up: sew the last two bones over the side seams, and finish the neckline of the center back piece. I applied the trim to the neckline and bound it with a piece of bias tape, and then hand tacked the trims together.

The bottom of the bodice is finished with piping, made with self-fabric. In this case, the off white silk taffeta. I used a narrow cotton cording to making the piping.

The piping is sewn right sides together along the bottom edge, turned to the inside, and hand tacked.

On to the peplum! I gathered up more ribbon to trim the edge, using the same size ribbon as the bolero so that it gives the appearance that the bolero and back are the same piece. I assembled the lining for the peplum and pressed it.

I sewed the ribbon trim to the peplum right sides together, then pinined the lining o top, right sides together. Sewing right on top of that line of stitching (same as the bolero) I sewed the lining to the peplum, turned, and pressed.

The waist edge of the lining is turned under and tacked to the flat lining (visible in another step – sorry forgot to take a photo). Fold the center back per the pattern instructions and tack to complete.

Next, buttons! I covered button molds with the off white silk using 5/8″ buttons, spaced pretty close together as is commonly seen on Victorian bodices.

On the left side of the bodice, I measured for the buttonholes and marked them with water erasable pen, then used the marks to sew the buttonholes by machine.

Sleevils!

A term, combining sleeves and evil, coined but costumers to describe the frustrating process of getting sleeves set in right. These sleeves were no exception. The sleeve part is pretty easy, it is just a standard upper and lower sleeve with two seams. The tricky part is the ruffle. There are two ruffles, an inside and a shorter outside. I did the inside of off white taffeta and the outer taffeta plaid, both pinked with the same pinking machine I used for the neckline trim.

Originally I had planned to sew the ruffles on with the seam facing out, and then covering it with ruffled trim that matched the skirt. However, I pinned it together several times trying to do that and kept getting it wrong, so I just sewed them on the right way with the serger, which finished the pesky inside seam. The ruffle is full enough that the serged seam should not show. Worst case, I can tack some bias tape over it.

To complete the look by tying in with the skirt trim, I made ruffled strips bound on both edges with the green silk ribbon, gathered them, and sewed them over the join between the ruffles and the sleeve.

Now to set in the sleeves. To get them right, I try them on and lay them on the correct corresponding side of the work table. Then hold the bodice in front of me and choose one sleeve to begin.

These sleeves fit pretty well. I ran a gathering stitch by machine across the sleeve head to ease it in. I usually sew in the lower half of the sleeve, then fiddle with the easing of the upper sleeve. In this case, the sleeve head was a little to full and I had to remove some of the fullness to make it fit. Taffeta has very little “give” to it.

Another detail is the waist tape. This is a length of twill tape that is sewn to the three back seam allowances at waist level. Two hooks and eyes are sewn to the finished edges of the front, so it is fastened around the waist when the garment is put on. This keeps the center back tight against the waist while the peplum flairs out over the bustle.

You can see the peplum lining sewn to the bodice lining in the first photo, along with the stitches holding the ribbon bow in place.

Final trim time! Using the leftover ribbon, I made bows for the sleeves, center back, center front (removable) and the ends of the skirt ruffles.

I also hemmed the ends of a length of narrow twill tape, long enough to stretch from each bow across the back of the criniolette, and sewed hooks to the end of it. I then sewed eyes under each side ribbon so the tape could be attached to bustle the trin.

I crocheted a little raspberry reticule to go with it:

Hope to do a photo shoot of the dress very soon!

1870 Raspberry Silk Bustle Dress: The Skirt

Why the skirt first? It is easier to fit the bodice over the skirt and underpinnings, than guess and end up with the bodice being too tight!

I only have ten yards of this fabric, so I was being very conservative with the design as there is no way to buy more if I run out (it was an eBay find). I chose this skirt pattern as the apron and underskirt are combined, eliminating the need for a separate overskirt.

I am going with Skirt B as it uses slightly less fabric, and I like this design idea that is included in the notes:

This photo is actually from a separate underskirt pattern, TV 203. The same image is included with my pattern TV 208 so I suspect the cut of the two skirts is very similar, if not exactly the same.

I would love to do the pleated trim but I do not have enough ribbon. I spent a day doing math to check, measuring the hems on the pattern pieces and checking against how much ribbon I have in the stash. I have enough to do ruffled trim (1.5 times the length) but not pleated (3 times the length).

So first step is to cut out the skirt. I decided to only flat line the three front panels. The back is poofed, and I was afraid the extra weight of the interlining would make it less poufy as the taffeta fabric is quite stiff enough on its own. Since a lot of the trim will be mounted on the front panels, I felt they would do better being flat lined.

I cut all the pieces (except the pocket) out of the plaid silk and only the three front panels from some cotton muslin for the interlining. Then I pressed and joined the fabric to the interlining using a serger. This is not period correct but it is great way to finish seams on fabric that want to ravel like silk, when those seams will not show. Cut notches inward so that the serger does not cut them off!

Once the pieces were flat lined, I sewed them together.

Front panels of skirt, checking for length. I didn’t do a good job of matching the plaid here.

Then I put a quick machine sewn hem in, as it will be covered by the ruffle.

Measuring the front hem width. Multiply by 1.5 to get the length of the ruffle.

To make the trim more interesting, I used a ruffle of self fabric with ribbon trim mounted on the top and bottom of the ruffle. I bound the top as the wrong side could be visible once the ruffle is sewn on. I cut the ribbon in two pieces lengthwise to do this, and since the cut edge was very prone to fraying, finished the seams with the serger.

Then I quarter marked the ruffle and ran two rows of machine gathering stitches a little ways down from the top. I quarter marked the skirt hem and pinned the ruffle on, leaving it a scant 1/4″ below the hem.

Attaching the ruffle to the skirt.

Ruffle attached to front skirt hem.

Next I assembled the three apron pieces and did the same set of steps there (hem by machine, measure, make a ruffle and attach.

Ruffle attached to skirt apron.

The apron is pleated along the side seams as marked on the pattern and sewn to the front. I finished the side seams with the serger and machine basted the top.

Time for the skirt back!

The skirt back is one large piece. I started by hemming the bottom by machine as I did the front piece. Next is to attach the skirt back to the skirt front. First, the pleats on the side backs, as indicated on the pattern, are pleated up and then the side seams are sewn.

Then I measured the hem and up the side seam as far I wanted the ruffle to extend. Visually, the ruffle needs to extend farther than the edge of the apron ruffle. They both will end right below the first pleat in the apron skirt.

I then made the ruffle exactly the same as the ruffle for the skirt front and apron. I sewed the gathering threads (see below) and quarter marked it. Next, I quarter marked the ruffle length on the skirt by measuring.

I then pinned the ruffle to the skirt at the quarter marks and drew up the gathering. I let the ruffle extend past the hem of the back by a couple inches. Once all was in place, I sewed it on.

Next I set on the waistband. The top of the back can be either pleated or gathered, I chose to gather it. The following photos show the method I use for nearly all gathering.

The seam allowance I am using for the waistband is 5/8 inch. As the seam should fall between the two rows of gathering threads, I sewed the first gathering thread at 1/2″.

First gathering thread, using a machine gathering stitch.

The second gathering thread is sewn at 3/4″

Second gathtering stitch. The seam will end up between the two lines of gathering.

Draw the gathering stitches at the same time, and the result is a very neat gather. The lower thread keeps the fabric gathers straight as they are sewn, and can be removed afterwards.

I set the waistband on the front, and then gathered the back to fit.

Stroke the gathers with the point of a pin to distribute them evenly.

With the waistband on, the final step is to add a balayeuse. A balayeuse or “dust ruffle” is a removable, ruffled piece that attaches to the underside of a skirt train. It’s purpose is to both help the train hold its shape, and keep it off the floor and clean. The balayeuse can be removed an laundered. It can either be based on or attach with buttons or ties.

As this is a small train, I just made a ruffle of eyelet to lie under the ruffled hem of the train. I measured the length of the back skirt hem and gathered a piece of eyelet on the serger to match that length. I bound the top edge with pre-packaged bias tape, and tapered the ends of the ruffle so it will disappear under the hem at the sides.

Balayeuse ready to attach to the skirt hem.

The balayeuse is machine basted to the skirt, under the ruffle.

Balayeuse basted to skirt.
Underside of skirt.

The final trim will be applied after the bodice is sewn, given how close it will be having enough ribbon trim. Here is the assembled skirt:

Next: On to the bodice!

1870 Raspberry Silk Plaid Bustle Dress – Bustle Petticoat

Completed early bustle petticoat

I used a Truly Victorian pattern for this petticoat:

The petticoat is made up of a body that is fitted in front, a gathered flounce that can be made with or without tucks, and a ruffle that is gathered and attached to the flounce. With this easy to follow pattern you can make four different variations:

  • Early bustle (1870 – 1878): Flounce goes around the entire petticoat and the back is long enough to go over a bustle.
  • Natural Form (1879 – 1882): Flounce in back only, ruffle around entire hem, does not fit over a bustle.
  • Late Bustle (1883 – 1889): Flounce in back only, ruffle around entire hem, fits over a bustle.
  • Belle Epoch (1890 – 1900): Flounce goes around the entire petticoat, does not fit over a bustle.

Since this is for an 1870 bustle dress, I used the early bustle option. Instead of a fabric ruffle, I used some eyelet lace I had in the stash. For the rest of the petticoat I used cotton organdy, which is very light and stiff. I love this fabric for petticoats! They turn out just as stiff as dip starched petticoats and you never have to starch them.

I sewed the body of the petticoat together and then the flounce. I used a 1/4″ guide foot to sew in the tucks in the flounce. For fun I used some insertion beading in the seam between the body of the petticoat and the flounce. To keep the seams neat, I used my serger on the rolled hem setting to join the two pieces to the beading:

Then I gathered the eyelet ruffle on the serger, and attached it to the flounce using a serger rolled hem.

Finishing consisted of setting on the waistband. Only the two back pieces are gathered onto the waistband, to keep the front flat. The fronts have darts in them to fit smothly over the hip spring of the corset.

Next Up – The Skirt

1870 Raspberry Silk Plaid Bustle Dress – The Crinolette

The year 1870 was in the middle of a transition from the elliptical hoops of the late 1860s and the early bustle era.

Elliptical Cage Crinoline

As you can see, the elliptical cage moves most of the mass of the skirt to the back. During the 1870s and 1880s bustle eras the “lobster tail” bustle became very common:

Lobster Tail bustle at The Met Museum

In between these two styles was a short-lived transitional style often called a “crinolette”. The skirt is more narrow than the elliptical hoop and the bustle shape makes its appearance. Unlike the lobster tail bustle, the crinolette still has hoop wires running the full circumference of the garment.

I will be using the Truly Victorian pattern for this garment – I was very excited when this came out!

This undergarment will create the correct shape of the 1870 skirt, shown here:

Now to begin!

I know from past experience that I need to shorten skirts from TV patterns at least two inches. After measuring the length of this petticoat I decided to shorten it four inches. Hooped petticoats that are too long will get caught in your shoes as you walk. They should be six to ten inches shorter than your skirt, hitting around mid calf.

There are no instructions for shortening it in the pattern, but I’ll tell you how to do it. Take the amount you need to shorten and divide it equally among the lower hoops that go the whole way around the petticoat. DO NOT MESS with the bustle hoops or the first hoop that goes the whole way around.

I took each pattern piece and drew two lines an inch apart between each of the lower 4 hoop wires, then folded the pattern on the lines and taped it. Then they were ready to cut out. Next step is to trace the lines for the hoop wires:

With the casings marked, time to start sewing the pieces together! Sew the center back to the side back, and sew on the bone casings for the bustle part only. They go on the WRONG SIDE of the garment. This is important later! Note: I sewed five but you actually only need to sew four. The fifth row goes the whole way around and will be sewn on the outside of the petticoat. However, the fifth bone casing is MISSING from the center back piece, and this is why I messed up. It is easy to add later with a ruler. This is the only issue found with this pattern.

You will have two of these two back pieces with bustle casings on and they should be mirror images of each other. There are now casings on the center back panel. This is where you will insert the bones. Sew together at the center back seam. Now you have a back piece and two fronts. Sew the fronts together at the center front seam.

The lacing panel must be sewn on before the back pieces are attached to the fronts:

The lacing panels can now be attached to the back pieces, and the fronts attached to the backs.

Match lacing panels using notch and sew into side seams.

Time to sew the outside boning channels!

I had an issue with the boning because I bought the bone casing some time ago, and between then and now Truly Victorian changed vendors for the boning. The old boning was 1/2″ and the new is 1/4″. I tested sewing a seam down the middle of the bone casing I had, but it was not quite wide enough for the 1/4″ boning. I decided to use twill tape for the casings instead rather than waste the 1/2″ bone casing. I sewed a seam on the existing bustle casings to make them a little smaller and prevent the bones from twisting.

The twill tape is wide enough for two bones with a seam sewn in the center. Never having used 1/4″ hoop boning before, I thought it prudent to allow more boning to be added if one row of 1/4″ boning is not enough. I can always buy more boning later and add it. When I put the 1/4″ boning in I found it to be quite stable, and I don’t think it will require the extra boning.

I had to adjust one boning line due to my shortening the petticoat and draw bone #5 a casing across the center back. The center back is very narrow and it is easy to draw the line with a ruler. If I had it to do over, I would only trace the top lines. The bottom ones are overkill, and if your bone casing is a different width than the pattern assumes you risk having an extra line showing.

The bone casings that go the whole way around the petticoat must be sewn on the RIGHT SIDE of the petticoat, as two of them will go over the lacing panel on the inside. Stop sewing and move the panel to avoid sewing over it. I left four inches in the center front to insert the bones.

I saw this message a lot when sewing on casings!

Here it is with all the casings sewn on, ready to insert boning.

Time to cut the bones!

To cut this stuff, I use a nasty pair of tin snips. The lengths for each bone are given in a chart in the pattern. Measure and cut the bones. Use a sharpie to mark the bone number on each one – this makes it much easier to assemble later. Tip the bone ends with bone tips. Liquid bone tipping fluid could also be used for this. My grommet setter has a dye set for bone tips. You can also use pliers to attach the bone tips. It is helpful to use 2 pairs of pliers so you can squeeze both directions at the same time.

Next put the bones into the casings!

Start at the top and put the bustle bones in first.

Then insert the hoop bones. They will overlap in the front. The pattern suggests using zip ties to fasten them, but I use tape. It is easy to undo and adjust with tape.

Wires on the lower part of the petticoat secured with Scotch tape. They are long enough to stuff the tipped ends into the boning cases on either side, which makes it even more stable.

Lace the panels with cord or narrow ribbon (I used 1/4″ grosgrain ribbon) and adjust the bustle.

Viola!

Next – The Petticoat

1870 Raspberry Silk Plaid Bustle Dress – Chemise, Drawers, and Corset

The first layer of the outfit is the chemise, followed by the drawers. Both of these I made as a set using the Laughing Moon Mercantile Pattern. Whether the drawers go under the chemise, under the corset, or over the corset and chemise is a matter of personal preference. There is evidence they were worn both ways. I prefer to put my drawers on over the corset. This is hard to do on a dress form so I have put the drawers under for this demonstration.

Next is the corset. This is the “Dore” corset that came in the same pattern envelope from Laughing Moon Mercantile with the chemise and drawers. This is a great corset pattern! Mine is covered with pink silk.

On to the skirt support!

1870 Raspberry Silk Plaid Bustle Dress – Building from the Inside Out

If you want your historical outfit to look accurate, you must build it from the inside out. Having the correct historical underpinnings are one of the most important elements, if not THE most important element, in whether or not the result looks like a “costume” as opposed to a historical garment.

My friend Kara is planning an 1870 wedding at the Cockayne House in West Virginia. The wedding is based on a historical event that took place in the house and will be targeted to the spring of 1870 specifically. I will be the mother of the groom. Since we don’t know of anything about this woman, she told me I could do anything I want.

In keeping with my theme of trying to make things using the stash instead of buying new, I chose a pink and green silk taffeta plaid from the stash, along with some matching elements for trim:

I have a ton of the dark green silk ribbon in three different widths. I cannot remember why I bought so much of this, but it looks so good with this fabric, it would be crazy not to use it. The pink ribbon I bought to make a regency sash, but it matches this fabric so well I will use it to trim this dress. The pattern I chose for the bodice has a faux vest front. The “vest” will be off white silk taffeta.

Here are the patterns I will be using:

The chemise, drawers, and corset I already have made, using this wonderful pattern from Laughing Moon Mercantile:

I will be using the Dore corset, along with the chemise and drawers.

I have been waiting for an opportunity to make this 1870 hooped bustle since I saw it come out on Truly Victorian‘s website! In 1870 they were transitioning from elliptical crinolines to the bustle. This crinoline / bustle hybrid was referred to as a “crinolette”

Over the crinolette goes the petticoat. This pattern is also from Truly Victorian and includes options for four different styles covering 1870s – 1890s. I will be using the style on the right, which is for the early bustle era:

I only have 10 yards of the pink and green plaid silk fabric, which is cutting it pretty close. After looking at several patterns and doing some math, I decided to use this skirt pattern, where the apron is part of the skirt instead of a separate overskirt. I will be using Skirt B:

I absolutely love this 1870 Senora bodice! It uses a little more fabric than the standard bodice, but by cheating a little with the skirt I can eek it out:

Next: The Foundation Garments

1780s Silk Taffeta Stripe Gown: Finished Photos

This dress makes me feel like a million bucks! I can’t say that about every dress I make, but it was definitely true in this case.

Matching the various color stripes, I can wear it with an off white petticoat, a yellow petticoat, or a dark red petticoat. Check out the album below with more photos:

1780s Silk Taffeta Stripe Gown: Planning and Construction

Today’s topic falls under the subject of outfit planning. Out of the seemingly infinite varieties of fabrics, trims, styles and ideas floating around out there, how do you decide what to make? There are several ways to approach this. This outfit is a great example of:

Start with the Most Difficult to Find Element

Sometimes you find an element of an outfit that is just to awesome to pass up. It’s rare. It’s unusual. It’s the perfect color. You never thought you would find it! Don’t pass it up! Buy The Thing and built an outfit around it. It could be anything: a piece of jewelry, fabric, shoes, any element of the ensemble really. It’s The Thing that often makes an outfit, and it is much more difficult to find The Thing to go with it, when the outfit is already made.

The Thing: This journey began with amazing necklace I bought from Dames a la Mode:

Bluish Green Collet Necklace with Clear Crystal Accents

This unusual blue/green color is one of the best colors for me, and I was so excited to find this necklace! I have worn it a lot with modern outfits, but as I soon realized, I didn’t have any 18th century gowns that match this, or even look good with it.

So I went through the fabric stash and found a yardage of striped silk taffeta I bought on eBay some years ago. It is a balanced stripe (meaning the stripe patterns are symmetrical) with a lighter shade of the same odd blue/green color, a yellowish gold, cream, and a narrow dark red stripe:

I only had 5 yards of it! I believe it was leftover from someone’s expensive home décor project, as it only had a salvage on one side. It must have been quite wide in its native state as it was still a healthy 48 inches wide. I knew I had enough for a gown (just barely) but not enough for a petticoat. So I had a choice – make a round gown or an open robe that would always be worn with a solid color petticoat. I chose the open robe. The fabric looks very nice with off white and I have some quilted silk in the dark red color that should also look nice with it. I still hope to find some yellow/gold that matches and make another petticoat. I think it is pretty near impossible to find this shade of blue green in a solid taffeta. I tried several samples I had on hand and none of them were even close.

Nevertheless, here is the primary image that is the inspiration for this dress:

1780s Blue and Cream gown sold through Daguerre Auctions.

I also have a pair of dark red shoes from American Duchess that I think will look wonderful with this fabric:

I already have the JP Ryan English Nightgown pattern fitted to myself, so I can cut this dress out and be sure it will fit me.

The pattern comes with two sleeve options and I am using the longer sleeve that has an optional cuff. Instead of using a cuff, I will put pinked trim on in two rows to create a faux cuff, like this:

Cuff detail of gown from museums.fivecolleges.edu/

As I cut the bodice on the bias to achieve the V shaped stripes on the center front, I adjusted the pattern to have no overlap in the front. I used hook and eye tape to close, as this fabric leaves very bad pin marks! I will cover the seams from the closure insertion with pinked trim.

To save fabric, I faced the hem with bias tape:

And here is a photo of the pleating on the back. There are a few pin holes, but I know of no way to do an en fourreau back without using pins!

Pleated and sewn en fourreau back.

Here is the finished gown.

Black Cotton Voile Mourning Chemise a la Reine – Construction

Read Part One Here

Construction – Bodice Gathers

As the lining was completed in the fitting stage, the next step is the bodice.  The front and backs are gathered along the bottom, neckline, and where they attach to the shoulder strap.  So the first thing I did was put in these gathering stitches.  As the seam allowance is 5/8″, I put one row of gathering stitches at 1/2″ and another at 3/4″.  Pulling both threads at the same time creates a nice even gather.  When the pieces are sewn together, the seam should be right in between these two lines of gathering stitches.  Here is one of the shoulder seams showing the gathers:

Shoulder seam pinned together with gathers drawn up.

When sewn, the seam should be right in between the two rows of gathering stitches:

Seam Placement

Then, the gathering stitches are removed:

Gathering Threads Removed

Here is the shoulder seam opened out:

The holes where the gathers were are still visible, but will be gone once ironed.

And here it is after pressing:

With a little steam from the iron, the gather marks disappear.

The bodice front and side seam must be sewn before the back gathering stitches can be done, so I did this seam first, then put the final gathering threads in:

Back, side and front with gathering stitches in and shoulder strap attached.

Once the bodice was completely sewn together, I joined it to the lining around the neckline, right sides together, drawing up the neckline gathering stitches to fit.  I usually do these in stages to avoid having a million pins falling out.  So I did the back and shoulder straps first:

Back and shoulder strap bodice joined to lining.

After sewing the seam on both sides, I gathered up the neckline and pinned it to the lining:

Neckline joined to lining.

Making Necklines Behave – Understitching

This is a modern technique, but if you are machine sewing a gown it is worth knowing.  When you join the fabric to the lining in a period correct handsewn manner, the seam allowances are folded in and the two pieces are joined.  This prevents the neckline from pulling and showing the lining.  But for machine sewn necklines, this rolling to the outside is a problem.  To prevent it, understitch the neckline.  Basically you are going to press the neckline and then sew the lining and seam allowances together very close to the fold line.  This does not show on the outside but will keep the lining inside where it belongs.

The first step is to press the neckline seam open with seam allowances towards the lining:

Pressing in preparation for understitching.

Then sew a seam 1/16″ to 1/8″ from the join between the fabric and the lining:

 

 

 

 

Understitching by Machine

Here is the completed seam:

Understitching does not have to be extremely neat as it does not show on the outside, but it does need to be very close to the join between the fabric and lining.

Once the understitching is done, press the neckline in place.  I then matched the arm holes and sewed them together 1/2″ to keep them in place:

Neckline completed and sewn together at arm holes.

Construction – Waist

The bodice is gathered at the front and backs and not at the sides – this helps you not look as fat as the sides are smooth.  To join the fabric and lining at the waist seam, I matched up the seams and center fronts.  Then I drew up the gathers on the back / side first:

Back waistline gathers pinned in place.

At this point I cut out the waistband.  I don’t usually use pattern pieces to do this, I measure the width and cut the waistband to the size I want it to be.  I have lost an inch in the waist (no wonder my stays are loose!) but I am going to make it the original size and just overlap more in the back, in case I gain this weight back in the future.  I cut the lining waistband out of the cotton organdy as the voile is a little too loosely woven and stretchy to make a sturdy waistband even in two layers.

The pattern calls for the center front of the lining to be gathered to fit the waistband, so I applied the waistband in two steps.  First I attached it on both sides to the back and sides, leaving the front unsewn between the gathering stitches:

Waistband applied to back and sides.

I then pulled up the gathering stitches on the lining, matching the center front, and sewed this at 1/2″ just to hold it while I did the fabric side:

Lining front gathered to waistband.

I then pulled the gathers in the front, matching center fronts, and pinned them in place.

Center front gathered to waistband.  Notice that due to the gathering, the bottoms do not meet exactly.  The fabric is about 1/8″ shorter.  This does not matter, but I used the lining as the reference point for the seam.  This means that more of the gathering stitches will show, but as they are pulled out anyway, it does not matter.

After the gathers were pinned, I laid the fabric side of the waistband down on top of it, pinned it in place, and sewed the seam.  Here is the waistband attached, front and back, after pressing:

Front with waistband attached.

Back with waistband attached.

Construction – Sleeves

This pattern has a very nice simple two piece long tight sleeve.  Since this fabric is very loosely woven I did not make the sleeve too tight.  It has an upper and lower piece – the seams run along the inside and outside of your arm.  When putting the sleeve together, make sure you have a left and right!  Run a gathering stitch along the sleeve head at 1/2″ to facilitate easing.

Sleeve pinned together ready to sew.

I did a simple hem on the sleeve turning up the raw edges twice.  I sewed it in by machine as I intended to add a ruffle that will cover the seam.

Sleeve with hem turned up.

To set in the sleeve, try the sleeve on to make sure you know which one goes on which side!  I then lay them on the ironing board on the correct side if the bodice is facing the ironing board.  I lost some of my photos so I don’t have one of the sleeve being pinned into the bodice.  But with this pattern there are notches and dots so it goes in easily.  Once the straight lower part is pinned in place, ease the upper sleeve into the armhole.  Here is the bodice with both sleeves in:

Bodice complete – ready for skirt!

Construction – Skirt

This is the other casualty of my photo disaster – no skirt photos.  The skirt is very easy though.  You will have four panels with a seam running at the center front, center back, and each side.   I ran the double gather along each top piece – having to gather the entire thing or even half of it with one set of gathering threads is very unwieldy.  The gathering threads go at 1/2″ and 3/4″, so that there is one above and below the seam line.  These threads are removed after the seam is sewn.

Quarter the waistband to identify the center front, center back, and sides.  To do this, fold it is half and mark with a pin.  Then fold each half in half again and mark with a pin.  Pin the center front seam to the center front of the waistband, and repeat this process with the center back and sides.  Now you have the skirt pinned on in four places.

Draw up each set of gathering threads and distribute evenly by stroking with a pin.  Then pin the gathers in place.  Once all four sections are pinned, sew the seam. 

Because the fashion fabric is so loosely woven and stretches out of shape, I pinned the skirt to the cotton organdy waistband lining wrong sides together and sewed this seam.  Then I folded the fashion fabric seam allowance under and slip stitched the front of the waistband down.

The skirt has a very narrow hem as I did not have much fabric left!  By the time I straightened the grain I had just enough length in the front.  So I just turned it up 1/4″ and then 1/2″.  Because there will be a ruffle around the hem, I also sewed the in by machine.

Construction – Ruffled Trim

The trim is made from narrow 2″ strips of the same black voile as the gown.  I measured how much I needed to go around the hem and both sleeves, then doubled this measurement and added a little extra.  Then I sewed the strips together in one continuous piece, with a narrow 1/4″ seam.

To tame this fabric before hemming, I first did a zig zag stitch along both raw edges.  I then used the narrow hem foot to hem the strips on both sides:

The narrow hem foot.

I then used the ruffle or shirring foot to gather up the trim:

Ruffling or shirring foot.

Final step!  I sewed the trim all around the skirt hem and on both sleeves.

Final Result!

I also made a quick black organdy petticoat so that the gown would appear consistently black, but I made it a tiny bit too short so you can see a white band around the bottom where the underpetticoat sticks out.  I have corrected this for the next wearing.  I wore it with black 18th century shoes and a lilac colored ribbon:

Hedgehog hairpiece by jennylafleur on Etsy.

Click here to visit her shop.

Photos were taken at Woodville Plantation by Mark Fantozzi.

 

Black Cotton Voile Mourning Chemise a la Reine – Planning Stages

I barely had time to make a first draft of my sewing Kanban for 2018 when my life was completely blown apart.  My 19 year old son, Henry Campbell, was killed in an accident on March 24, 2018.  I have not sewn anything for two months, but now that I am at the very beginning stages of adjustment, I am planning to wear mourning for costume events for at least the rest of this year.

My son Henry at his high school graduation in 2016. He was in his second year at the Community College of Allegheny County, majoring in Accounting with Mathematics minor.  He was brilliant, he was kind, and I will miss him forever.

This reminds me of a few years back when several prominent costume bloggers did posts about what was going on in their lives at the time costume photo shoots were done to show they are human and have the same struggles as everyone else.  This would qualify as my belated entry.

I do not have the option of skipping out on costuming – we have music gigs booked and the show must go on.  The first few gigs I wore either my dark blue silk gown with black accessories or my white chemise a la reine with black accessories, but I wanted to do a black gown.  Most of our events are late 18th century so I decided a black chemise a la reine would be a good choice.  Several years ago I ordered what I thought was dark blue cotton voile and when it came it was black, but it was so nice I didn’t return it.  Funny how life works.  This fabric will now become my mourning chemise a la reine.

First, inspirational photos.  I spent many hours pinning 18th century mourning things on Pinterest.  It was not as developed then as it was in the 19th century with the black crepe wearing for long periods of time.  In the 18th century it was more wearing somber colors with some black accessories or black with white accessories, and sometimes lilac or mauve which are considered second mourning colors.

This example is a Redingote, which I am not doing, but I love the ruffle around the hem and I do plan to do the same to mine.  Also note her lavender sash.

This is basically what I plan to make, but without the neckline ruffle.

The next two examples are not chemise gowns but do show how a black gown can be accessorized with white:

The first question always is, pre-wash or not pre-wash?  For a white cotton gown this would be a no brainer – they need to be washable.  However this black fabric has a very subtle sheen to it that would probably wash away, so I decided to make this one dry clean only.  Black will not show dirt.   For the same reason I am going to give this gown a moderate train.

Black Cotton Voile Fabric

For the lining, I decided to use black cotton organdy.  I thought about using some of the black linen / cotton blend fabric I bought to make Henry an 18th century suit for this coming year, but decided to keep that piece intact for now.  The cotton organdy will be lighter, which will help when I have to wear this in July.

Black Cotton Organdy

I was concerned that two sheer fabrics would not provide enough coverage to prevent my stays from showing through.  I have been wearing my white pair with elastic sides which enables me to play flute, but I’ve lost some weight and they are fitting pretty loose these days.  So I tested it over my red silk stays:

Layer of black cotton organdy and black cotton voile on top of one another – together they are opaque!

This made me confident enough to start cutting it out.  For the pattern I am using Laughing Moon Mercantile’s #133 Chemise Gown pattern:

As I want this dress to be more early 1790’s I am going with View B, fully ruffled but with the high neckline, long tight sleeves, and no ruffles.  I choose the closest size.  Since I have lost some weight – but are likely to get it back someday – I used one size up from that.  For the normal sized pieces I trace them with pattern ease to preserve the sizes.  The large skirt panels I measure and cut out without the pattern piece, so I do not waste pattern ease tracing these huge pieces.

As I tend to be long waisted and I do not want the waistline high taking it more into the late 1790’s, I lowered the waistline by one inch.  The pattern says the waist should be 1/2 way between your underbust and natural waist.  I felt this was too high for early 1790’s.

Here is the front lining being cut out:

And here are all the lining pieces cut out.  I will use these as a mockup to fit the pattern.  If they fit, they will be used to make up the dress.  If too many alterations are required I will update the pattern and cut out another one.

I sewed the lining together for a fitting.  Not bad!  The waist was a little loose so I took in the side back seams 1 3/8 inches on each side.  This left 1 1/2 inches of overlap in the back at the top and the bottom.  The pattern says it is supposed to just meet in the back – this makes me nervous.  I plan to let mine overlap 1″ and if I gain some weight back, I can adjust this without having to take the whole thing apart.  I also plan to hide a few hooks and eyes up the center back to prevent it from gaping open as I move.

Front of mockup with neckline fitting darts sewn down.

 

Back of mockup pinned 1 1/2 inches overlap in back.

Next step will be cutting out the fashion fabric and assembling the bodice …

On to Part Two