To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory. Isaiah 61:3

Saturday, January 23, 2016

TBT: Green Plaid NFE Day Dress

Holy Monkey.  I just saw the date of this dress and I made it in 2009!  Wow!  She is an old lady!!!  Hahahahah!!!

Anyhoo, hello there! Yes, this TBT post is being written and posted on Saturday.  Sorry about that!  Things are so super crazy at The House of White at present, that I have time to eat, sleep, work on the musical...and do school with Colton and that's about it.  So, while I have a little down time, I will share with you my green and ivory plaid NFE day dress!

I had purchased quite a lot of this fabulous large plaid cotton at Walmart years ago and made a bustle suit and had enough left over for an NFE dress.  Huzzah for Walmart huh?!


I loved the green plants that were happily living in my "ladies parlour" for a while.  Then they did what all green plants tend to do under my care.  They died.


Here is the inspiration for this dress.  I cropped it out of a colored fashion plate from 1876.  I loved the use of color with the darker color used for the front placket, sleeves and front panel of the skirt.  Happily I had the perfect color combination for the dress!


Since the hem of the skirt isn't really shown in the fashion plate, I decided to employ three layers of pleats. The bottom pleat is a box pleat, the middle row is 1" wide pleats and the top row is a double sided box pleat.
 

Fun with Picasa!!  This one actually looks like an old timey photograph!
 

The also was not shown in the fashion plate and so had to make it up.


One of the mirrors on my wall is very old and the backing is crackled in a very lovely way.  These next two images were taken in silhouette and then sepia toned.  I LOVE how they turned out!


 



Fabrics used:  

Plaid cotton
Green and Ivory poly taffeta


This is the extent of my craziness.  I decided to pleat the dark colors in the dress.  Therefore, the front placket was pleated...


...the back panels were pleated...


...the sleeves were pleated...


....aaaaand the front panel of the skirt was pleated!!!  ACK!!!





I think I have an issue with pleats?  Very much a love/hate relationship!!

Patterns that I used were:

Bodice:  TV423 1877 Two-Tone Bodice
Underskirt:  TV225 1878 Fantail Skirt
Overskirt:  Me Made
Bustling:  Me Made

I hope that your weekend is going wonderfully!  Hopefully, I'll see you again next Thursday!!

Be Blessed!

g

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18 comments:

  1. MelindaJanuary 24, 2016 at 5:03 AM

    Hi! This dress looks great for a stroll in the park! Your pleat obsession really went out of control here, but the pleated accents add a certain "chic" to the whole look :)

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    Replies
    1. GinaJanuary 27, 2016 at 7:39 AM

      Actually Melinda, I did get my picture taken while wearing in Central Park in New York City! So, that is so fun that you would say that! Ya...I do love my pleats! hahahahaha!!!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  2. UnknownJanuary 24, 2016 at 9:30 AM

    WOW!!! Beautiful, Ms. Gina! I love it!!! (I also like that you use modern materials! Period materials are just too expensive most of the time :( )

    Lovely dress and lovely lady!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GinaJanuary 27, 2016 at 7:41 AM

      Thank you so much Ruth! I do love using modern materials. I don't belong to any reenactment groups for just that reason. The expense is the main reason and I make too many dresses to justify the purchase of over $8.00 a yard fabric!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  3. AsiaJanuary 24, 2016 at 10:46 AM

    Gina, I really LOVE this dress, it's just perfect in every aspect!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GinaJanuary 27, 2016 at 7:41 AM

      Thank you so very much Asia! I am so happy this one isn't one that I have sold!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  4. DorfiJanuary 24, 2016 at 2:07 PM

    The dress is beautiful. And a pattern on fabric <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GinaJanuary 27, 2016 at 7:42 AM

      Thank you so much Dorfi! Yes, the pattern is one that I particularly love!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  5. Tiffany JaneJanuary 24, 2016 at 3:35 PM

    Your dress is utterly gorgeous!! But wow, that is a lot of pleats, do you have a pleater? I tend to have much more of a hate relationship with pleating (although I love how they look) and I can't imagine doing that many without a pleater.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GinaJanuary 27, 2016 at 7:43 AM

      Thank you so much Tiffany! Yes, I do have several pleaters. I make my own out of heavy weight card stock. That way I can custom make the width of my pleats! Huzzah! I have a love hate relationship with pleats. I love how they look, but I hate making them! hahahahah!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  6. Kura CarpenterJanuary 25, 2016 at 1:34 AM

    Truly swoon-worthy. Your work is a constant inspiration to me :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GinaJanuary 27, 2016 at 7:44 AM

      Thank you so much Kura! I am always so happy to hear that the things I make are an inspiration to someone! Totally makes my day!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  7. Black TulipJanuary 25, 2016 at 12:20 PM

    Ah, so your obsession with a quantity of pleating which would make mere mortals weep has been going strong since at least 2009! Beautiful dress!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GinaJanuary 27, 2016 at 7:45 AM

      Ha! That is such a fun thing to read! Thank you BT! Yes, the pleating obsession started way back when and has never let go! Thank you so much!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  8. Lauren StowellJanuary 25, 2016 at 12:49 PM

    My word, this is gorgeous. Your attention to detail and perfection of silhouette is such an inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GinaJanuary 27, 2016 at 7:46 AM

      Thank you so very much Lauren! The attention to detail is what oftentimes gets me into trouble...lying awake at night, day dreaming etc...But in the end is worth the effort and time spent!
      Blessings!
      g

      Delete
  9. Time Traveling in CostumeJanuary 27, 2016 at 3:22 PM

    You do what I most love on these dresses: lots of trims! And the more the better in my opinion. Wish I could have seen this dress when you wore it. I love green, and your former green ladies salon set it off perfectly. I really like those framed ferns too.
    Val

    ReplyDelete
  10. Time Traveling in CostumeJanuary 27, 2016 at 3:25 PM

    OH WAIT!! That last photo!! Did you unravel the hem to make a fringe?? You whacky lady!
    Val

    ReplyDelete

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