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At the Garden Gate

by Charles Lidderdale 1831-1895

Charles Lidderdale was a British artist who painted women in rural settings.

Roses

by Harry Watson 1871-1936 -British

This dress is 100 percent cotton ( of course!) and the colors are available in pink, sky blue, aqua, lime green and lemon. I liked the fabric so much, because it was soft, and I do plan on getting some in every color. I liked this dress so much that I plan to make another one in a different pattern. Shown here is piping on the neckline. Piping was invented to reinforce seams where they would get a lot of wear, but it was also decorative. You can make your own piping using bias strips that enclose string, or you can purchase it.

This is what the sleeves look like


Tied with a satin ribbon


You can get inspiration for choosing cloth and styles, from nature. This was something I liked because the color has the freshness of a blue sky and the pure white of clouds.

When seated, the dress hem is still nice and long. If you are used to wearing jeans and want to try wearing dresses, you will find the longer dresses feel more comfortable. As jeans go down to the ankle, so do the long dresses.
This pattern has a slightly low waist, which is more comfortable. The sleeves come from a different pattern, and it does have a zipper.I cut the neckline into the shape I wanted it.

This is what it looks like full length. It also has the same piping trim on the edge of the hem.

This is the elastic made from the same fabric, to wrap around the hair.

I am not the only one who thinks the fashions perpetrated on other people via the designers, manufacturers and stores, are wacked out and impossible to wear comfortably, not to mention immodest. Check this out http://www.youlookfab.com/2009/07/21/grungy-90s-fashion-trends/

Then, take a look to see what these girls are doing with history lessons and costumes: http://visionarydaughters.com/

I used the first painting as inspiration for the aqua dress that I sewed, here. The pattern no. is New Look 6586. Hints for sewing this: the neckline will be too low so you will have to raise it or alter it to the shape you prefer, as I did in this photo. It does have a zipper. The bodice has to be made looser if you want to wear it for every day, so cut a larger size on the sides and bust line, and you have to add over 10 inches to the hemline. Since you add your own sleeves, you have to move the outer shoulder line in a bit. I chose this pattern because it had a slightly lower waist. You can make any fabric into any pattern and immitate any painting. The key is color and trim. I do prefer the one piece dress shown in previous posts from the New Look Pattern and the Easy pattern mentioned, and the ones coming up are all made from those two patterns.