1 review for Patterns of Fashion 1874-7 Day Dress from Gloucester Museum
Rated 5 out of 5
Kendra Van Cleave –
I only made the skirt. It makes a gorgeous early natural form period silhouette. A few construction notes that I learned the hard way: Arnold tells you to cut the center front shirred panel just under two times wider than the drawn pattern piece. What she neglects to mention is that you’ll also lose length (in addition to width), so cut the panel at least 1/4 longer so that you have room to work with. If I made the pattern again, I might move the opening to the side rather than the center back, which ends up being part of the draped back and seems like a slightly odd place to have an opening. Line the center back piece with net (I used two layers) so that the poufs stand out. I used hooks and eyes for the vertical tapes at the center back (eyes sewn to the skirt, hooks sewn to the tape) so that I could open up the skirt for ironing. For the trim around the hem, you’ll want to experiment to find the right amount of fabric to put into the pleated section. I wasn’t able to get the “flopping over” look and ended up with more of a fan. You’ll definitely want to wear it over a petticoat with ruffles down the back and a bustle pad to give the correct silhouette.
Kendra Van Cleave –
I only made the skirt. It makes a gorgeous early natural form period silhouette. A few construction notes that I learned the hard way: Arnold tells you to cut the center front shirred panel just under two times wider than the drawn pattern piece. What she neglects to mention is that you’ll also lose length (in addition to width), so cut the panel at least 1/4 longer so that you have room to work with. If I made the pattern again, I might move the opening to the side rather than the center back, which ends up being part of the draped back and seems like a slightly odd place to have an opening. Line the center back piece with net (I used two layers) so that the poufs stand out. I used hooks and eyes for the vertical tapes at the center back (eyes sewn to the skirt, hooks sewn to the tape) so that I could open up the skirt for ironing. For the trim around the hem, you’ll want to experiment to find the right amount of fabric to put into the pleated section. I wasn’t able to get the “flopping over” look and ended up with more of a fan. You’ll definitely want to wear it over a petticoat with ruffles down the back and a bustle pad to give the correct silhouette.