Men and Women at the Beach 1899 (New York Public Library).jpg)
Check the previous post for the pattern brand and number. Here is seen without the inserted tie-backs, with battenburg lace hand-stitched to the garment after it is completed. Fabric is 100 percent cotton, available in pink, white, and other colors. As I could not get enough of this color (you must have at least 4 yards of 45" fabric for this dress), I improvised by adding the extra from the lace curtain, to make long sleeves.
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Here it is with a satin ribbon around the center.
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Close-up of bodice area.Hints for more successful sewing:
The feed mechanism on the lower part of the machine (called the "feed-dog") is designed to ease the bottom piece of fabric. Therefore, you must lay the back sections down and have the upper sections of any garment on top, facing you. If you are putting in a sleeve, the main part of the garment is on the bottom, where the feed dog touches it. If you are sewing a collar or facing, the collar goes on the bottom. If you are sewing shoulder seams, the back of the garment goes on the bottom of the sewing machine, next to the feed mechanism. The feed dog is designed to ease the slack. That is why so many times, it is puzzling as to why seams do not match up. If you do not know which piece to lay on the bottom, on your sewing machine, just match them up as though you were going to join them together and look to see if there is a slightly bigger piece that does not seem to match up. Put the bigger piece next to the feed dog.
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Fabric is 100% cotton, available in pink, white, and other colors. It takes an average of 4 yards to complete this project. There was not enough on the bolt for me, so I added the trim from the lace curtain, to lengthen the sleeves.You can make what is sometimes called a scrunchy, for your hair, or any kind of clip, with a bit of left over fabric, to match the dress. I might demonstrate this on another post. You can also make a small purse to match, and even a very easy hat. You can find laces on the edges of curtain toppers and valances, and other sources. If you get them at thrift stores, cut off the pieces you want to use, bleach them, wash them and hang them outside in the sun. Iron them with a little starch, and use them for hems, sleeves, panels and additions to any garment.
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21 comments:
I LOVE IT!!! It is so beautiful I CAN'T STAND IT!!! I want one!! What a good improviser you are! I LOVE the color! You can tell I'm very enthused. I have some material of this same color, and a similar pattern, only with a boloro jacket, and I think I will make it up and improvise with lace, too! Thanks for showing that. Please show more of the things you have made!
Concerning the shoulder fit: If the dress has no divided waistline, and is virutually one piece from shoulders to hem, the bust line fits a lot better, than a blouse will fit.
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To change into something more modest, if your clothes are generally too tight or too short or too low, just add gradual changes. This could take place in the form of adding a border to a too-short skirt, or adding a modesty piece to the chest area. There are some blogs that discuss this and there are articles online that explain this
The dresses are just beautiful! You did such a great job on both of them. I would like to see more that you made. I too bought white curtins from Good Will and used the lace frills to put lace around all my skirts that were too short. What a huge savings. I would have paid a lot more if I would have bought the lace from the fabric store.
love, love , love it!
I am so excited I just want to sew something.
T hanks Lady Lydia.
As for choice of shoes, stockings, etc., slips---it is all up to the individual. You eventually learn what looks good and what does not.
You can also line this dress by cutting another set of the pattern, the back and front only, using bleeched muslin, the non iron type. You can made a petticoat by finding the waist marking on the pattern and making a half-slip with a casing for elastic, or you can cut the front and back of the dress and make a full length one, turning under the neckline and armholes twice at one fourth inch each time.
Victorian Trading Co. online has anklet sox that are trimmed in lace, to wear with dresses, if you like. The Victorians did not have to worry about stockings and shoes so much, as their laced up white boots provided the perfect streamlined look.
As for being interested in the paintings of 100 years ago: that was explained in one of my posts to feminists on the side bar: there was more yardage, nmore cloth in their designs, hence, more space to be creative with and add things. Also, nothing I wear is from the past. The fabric just came out of the factory in the year 2009 and I bought it a week ago and sewed it with a pattern produced in 2009, and found trims that are sold today in stores. I am not, however, ashamed of the Victorians. You need to educate yourself if you think there is something wrong with them, for they are all related to you and me. You can read more about them and why they wore the clothes they did, in a book called "The Benevolence of Manners" or "Simple Social Graces" by a journalist, Linda Lichter. She traced historically many of the reasons the Victorians did things, and has a chapter in that book on their clothing.
Here is a typical conversation with someone who was flabbergasted that I actually wear cotton dresses every day:
"I couldn't wear that because it would get dirty."
answer: "So do you ever wash your jeans? They get dirty, too."
"Actually, I dont. The dirty look is in. Havent you ever heard of dirty jeans? You have to wear them til they are stiff with grime and dirt."
Ans. "What exactly are you doing that makes your jeans get so dirty, and why cant you wash them?"
"Just every day wear. Sitting around, talking on the phone, going here and there. I just dont wash them. No, I dont have a washing machine."
Ans. "Could you wash something in the sink, by hand?"
"I could never wear dresses every day if I had to wash them by hand! THey would get too dirty!"
Ans. "If your jeans take months to get dirty just from sitting around in an office or at school, why would the dress get dirty so easily?"
"My mother always made me change out of my dress before I played because she said it would get dirty. Thats why I dont wear dresses."
Honestly, what is it we do at home that is so dirty that we worry about soiling a dress? You can wear an apron over it. You can also make an apron with the same pattern as the dress, just by cutting the front out only, hemming around it, and adding ties. But what is it that is so terrifying about dirt on a dress. The worst would be flour from making biscuits. What is the big deal?
Beautiful dresses! You are very creative and I appreciate your sharing your sewing tips. I may try to make this dress, but even if I don't, the ideas are great.
I've got cotton sox trimmed in lace from the Victorian Trading Co. that I wear to bed. They keep my feet warm and still look nice.
Gorgeous dress!!
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One commenter said:
Honestly, what is it we do at home that is so dirty that we worry about soiling a dress?
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I do wear dresses/skirts every day but I tend to wear denim skirts because they don't show dirt as much. I must be a sloppy house keeper because I am constantly getting stuff on my clothes, food I prepare, and I don't know how many times I have splashed myself with bleach! Not to mention my dogs get things on my clothing all of the time, LOL. What I tend to do is save my nicer clothing for going places and wearing denim skirts at home. However I'd like to look nicer at home so maybe an apron is the answer for me. (o:
Yeah, all clothes get dirty. We just wash them. You can wash a dress as easily as a pair of slacks.
Dear Lydia,
This is the prettiest dress yet! Love the pale shade of green and the Battenburg lace is the perfect accent.
Your suggestions re: placement of fabric in relation to the feed dog is most helpful. No wonder I have such a difficult time "easing in fullness" - Ha! Such a simple thing yet it makes all the difference in the world.
I can't wait to select the fabric for my next dress - I already have a lace remnant in mind for the collar.
Kind regards from a fellow seeker of beauty in everyday matters.
I prefer to wear prints rather than solids, so if I do get a spot it isn't quite as noticeable. I wear a half-apron on a regular basis mostly to keep any flour off my clothes or keep them from getting wet while I wash dishes. I am more uncomfortable wearing a solid colored knit shirt- I always feel like any spot I get on it will most definately show or ruin the shirt.
Wow! Thanks for the info on the feed on the machine. I never knew that even though I have been sewing since a pre-teen. More sewing tips would be great.
Lovely dress, Lady Lydia! Thank you for the effort you put into this blog. It is much appreciated.
I have a piece of the same lace that you used for the collar of the yellow print dress in your last post. I think we may have the same generous friend ;)
I Love this Dress!!! Please inform me if this neckline trim being in a v would help a women with a bigger bust or would it again accent the unpositive? Did I say I Love this dress!! I thought the first was sooo pretty..this one is even prettier to me if that is even possible!! In a rather different note. ...Since we are talking clothes ...I noticed that Costco will tomorrow have a sale on period movies. In the coupon flier they send in the mail there is a $10 off coupon for the movie sets that cost $29.00 before the $10 off. The shows are all from BBC. There is a set of 6 movies from Jane Austin, or 5 of George Elliot, or a Charles Dickens set or a set of Shaw movies and a 3 movie set of Elizabeth Gaskills and another set I forget who it is. These movies of course show beautiful clothes. I just wanted to include this information in case any ladies were interested. The sales starts tomorrow and runs till Aug 2 I believe. The Elizabeth Gaskill set includes the movie Cranford. I haven't seen this one. Can anyone tell me what they thought of this one? I don't mean to hijack the subject of clothes so please forgive the movie mentions. I did not know how else to let the ladies know in time.
Yes, the costumes in those movies are nice! The wardrobe of Molly and Cynthia in Wives and Daughters is mostly modest and very country looking.
Gorgeous dress! Can't wait to see more.
I have to say that the reported conversation between a poster and the lady who protests that a dress would get too dirty while admitting that she never washes her jeans, doesn't own a washing machine and wouldn't consider washing clothes by hand almost made me faint with horror. Has it really gotten to the point where people are walking around in filthy clothes they never wash and consider it "cool"?
I have been thinking of something I was reading in Facinating Womanhood last night. Mrs Adndelin mentioned to think of whatever is masculine in behavier and not do it. When I was growing up we had about every women we were around for examples of what that ment. We naturally behaved like our mentor women did. Today women who don't have this example so readily have to really think and study what is feminine behavior. The lines have been blurred. Sadly so. I never grew up wanting to be a boy. I was glad to be a girl. I did not grow up thinking girls were better than boys but just that God had made me a girl and I knew being a girl was so much fun! Who wouldn't want to be a girl! I knew boys felt the same about being boys and their roll in life. That was just how life was. There was a natural seperation of rolls. I remember when things changed here and there in what was expected by society for each and clothing styles became unisex and such. It was all so odd to us. It didn't get better. Being who I am and just being who I am and dressing who I am etc makes life simple and fun like it should be. It feel right because it Is right. Someone else can tell me I have a right to do things that are usually a man's roll or dress in more manly clothes and such but that would be like putting on a mask and not being myself. I was made by God to be a woman and when I act and dress like one I feel comfortable in my body and mind. I feel at home and relaxed. It is right with my soul. I compare it to the feeling you get when you are away from your home for a while. When you return you feel there is no place better to be than your own home. You almost let out an audible sigh of relief to be home. That is how I feel to be and act who I should be. When I dressed as the world says I feel like I am away from the home I love. Out in a strange world. Who wants that?
I was astounded that a Lady would wear Anything dirty like the woman described those jeans? Yuck! She does this because it is the fashion??? Astounding!! I too get my clothes dirty when I cook and such. Sometimes when I cook I put on an older blouse over the top of my dress or an apron to protect my outfit from spills. I am really falling in love with aprons and can't wait to make several extra pretty ones with nice bibs to wear so I don't look sloppy. An apron is so easy to slip on and off. I saw a quote from a lady that said her Mother wore 2 aprons when home working. The top one was to catch the dirt ..the under one was to have on after she took off the top one if unexcpected company came! There is no shame in wearing a pretty apron...her Mother just wanted to be seen in a clean one!With gardening season here an apron with a coouple extra big pockets would help. When the garden basket is already full of produce to bring in those pockets would hole some of it too! :)
So pretty!! I am so appreciative of all the advice and suggestions given by you and your commentors, especially regarding undies, aprons, and practical daily skirt/dress wearing. It does seem silly that we think we CAN'T do it, when pants have been considered proper attire for a lady for less than 50 years!!!
Ok, the comment about dirty jeans? That's just nasty!! Why on earth??? What do they call it? Homeless Chic? Gross!
LOL at the "homeless chic" comment above. I will remember that one!
I have an apron I use just for hanging up clothes outside. I keep all my clothespins in it! I know having a clothesline is very old-fashioned, but I love mine. My husband built it for me when I complained about our power bill. It cost us less than $80 to build, plus his effort of course. We made the $80 back on our very first power bill!
That dress is quite lovely, Lady Lydia. Did you learn to sew on your own, or did you learn from your mother and grandmother?
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