1830s Cotton Day Dress: Autumn in Cranford

Last year while looking at the fabrics at Walmart, I stumbled across this fabulous, colorful, wonderful  cotton print.  I knew that I had to have it and I knew exactly what I would make out of it.  An 1830s day dress.  I didn't get around to making it last year, which is probably a good thing since I just recently finished the corded petticoat that is needed to go under dresses from the 1830s...one needs these sorts of things if one wants one's dresses to look right.

Anyhoo, this week I couldn't bear the siren's song of this dress any longer.  I began in earnest the planning and plotting of what I will be calling the "Autumn in Cranford" dress.  I don't know what it is about this fabric, but it seriously causes my eyes to salivate.  Does that make sense to any of you dress makers?  Am I just nuts?  Personally, I think that particular description can totally be attributed to me... I seriously dig the colors in this fabric.

The colors are so fun and old fashioned looking.

I will be using the belt from my 1830s Portrait dress that I wore to Costume College.  Also, I had in my stash some yardage of fabulous vintage lace.  Don't think it is very era correct, but since I am wanting to work from my stash as much as possible, this will totally do!

This is going to be so fun!!

I'm thinking about using the red silk for the bonnet.....I have some brown feathers that may be used to decorate it!

The Inspiration Dresses....

I have been drooling over some beautiful cotton print dresses for quite some time.  I even made a Pinterest board of 1830s Cotton Print Dresses for easy research access...That's how obsessed I have been over these as of late!!  I love how the colors of the dress, belt, bonnet and sometimes shawl are so off the wall and don't even match!  But what is fun about all of that is that everything goes together so very fabulously!  I hope that my ensemble will have the affect these ensembles do!

1825-1830 Day Dress:  Source V&A Museum

I love the red of this dress with its orange and blue flowers.  The yellow/gold belt is awesome.  All of the dresses I have been drooling over have sweet, ruffled lacy chemisettes...

1828 Day Dress:  Source  V&A Museum

Sweet yellow roller printed dress.  The double flounce on this one is so lovely!  This ensemble is more matchy-matchy, but still so gorgeous!

Source:  Fashion Blog

I LOVE this ensemble!  The blue belt really makes me smile!  I will be attempting to make a collar/chemisette like the one this dress wears.  Wish me well!  So very beautiful this dress is!

I began work on the chemisette this afternoon and will be sleeping on what I have pinned together...well, not really sleeping on it, but rather letting what was fiddled with sit on Emma and giving my brain a chance to rest and see it with new eyes in the morning...but I am sure you know what I meant!!

Good night and I hope you all sleep well!

Blessings to you my friends!

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