1850s Wedding Dress!

Good Sunday evening to you all!  I hope this week was a fabulous one for you!  For me, I finally got around to feeling like tackling my next project...a half mourning, late 1860s, elliptical gown!  I am almost done with the petticoat so Huzzah!

Today's post is about the last of the wedding dresses I made for the Dressing The Historical Bride program.  And it ties with my favorite for first place.  I don't know why this one makes me so happy, it just does!  The fringe would have put it in dead last just last year, but I think since I made the fringe out of the fabric itself, it didn't look so "fake".  Don't know what that means, but there ya go.

The dress was made out of 70/30 cotton poly and is a beautiful moire!!  I adore moire and think it's interesting that both of my first 1850s gowns happen to made out of moire (MET Moire Mourning Dress).  I know that I should have used a lighter weighing fabric, but when Mama made her 50th Wedding Anniversary Party Dress there was a ton left over.  She let me have it and there was almost enough to make this dress! I do not what we were thinking, buying so much.  Like I have said before, math is not my strong suit and so it is the norm for me to buy too much fabric, but this was ridiculous! Anyway, the skirt of this dress alone weighed 8 pounds!  So note to self, when next making a flounced 1850s dress, use a sheer fabric!  hahahahahahaha!!

I just loved how this dress turned out and now I am wanting to make a ball gown in the future!  Out of lighter weight fabric...

The Dress

A word to the wise...if you plan on making a flounced dress, please decide that you want fringe BEFORE you sew the flounces to the underskirt!  I decided AFTER I sewed all the flounces on that the skirt would look better with fringe.  Grrrrrrrrrrrr...

The pattern called for a pointed back bodice, but I had so much trouble with it laying flat, that I decided to do a straight across the waist back.

I love the long point on this dress and the way the seams work together to give the illusion of a super long "V".  I borrowed Mom's faux wax orange blossom corsage for the decoration on the dress.  I though it looked fantastic!

Hand fringed self fabric fringe actually makes me happy.  I think the world is going to end tomorrow.  hahahahaha!  Just kidding!

The Inspirations

I spent a long while searching for an 1850s wedding dress to use as inspiration.  The one below from the V&A Museum totally made my heart happy and was going to make the whole outfit similar to the original dress.  However, I had never used the pattern I purchased to make the bodice and so was really stressing out over it, even though I intended on making a mock up.  Perhaps one day I will make a bodice similar to it!

1857 Wedding Dress.  Source:  V&A Museum

After I decided against making a long sleeved bodice, I had to go on the hunt to find a short sleeved bodice.  Happily I came across this fabulous example from Kerry Taylor Auctions (Sold December 3rd, 2013.  Lot #45) Thank you Kate for permission to share the image of this fabulous dress!  

You can see more images of the dress Here.

Wanting to make sure that short sleeved bodices were used in weddings in the 1850s, I also searched for photographs from the era and found many.  Below are a couple.  Such beautiful brides!!

"Martha Pickman Rogers in her wedding gown"

Source:  mfa Boston

Source:  Skinner Auctions

In Progress

One of the most time consuming parts of this project was the making of the fringe.  Below you can see how I did it.  I laid the fabric on the floor, put heavy books down on it to hold it down and started pulling the weft threads, sometimes two at a time!  And yes, it was also a messy business!

Each strip, and I had to make 10 strips of over 5 yards, took over an hour to "pull".  I spent a lot of time on the floor!

Other tools used were a seam ripper to start the threads to be pulled and a comb to comb the fringe when it got knotted up.

A short video on how simple it is to make your own fringe!

All the fringe rolled up on a fabric tube. 

Bertha before being trimmed with ruffles and fringe

The Pattern

This pattern was a fabulous one to use.  I will most certainly be using it again!!

Well, I'm off to bed!  I hope that you all have a most wonderful week!

Blessings!

g

Dressing The Victorian Bride

Well, the big event that I have been planning for and sewing for is over.  Yesterday, The House of Whyte did a fund raiser for The Bishops House in Boise, entitled, "Dressing the Victorian Bride" and it was incredible!  I have done many, many underwear shows in a variety places, but I must say that doing it here was the best experience ever!!!  TBH was build in 1889 and Elizabeth Yates, executive director, has kept it looking very much like I would imagine it did back then.  All the charm and beauty and awesomeness of the Victorian Era can be seen and felt in every room.  I must be honest with you, I covet this house.  We wants it precious!!!  It was the PERFECT place to do a Victorian Underwear Program and I am so happy that Mom and I were able to give them a helping hand!!

After the program was over and everyone had taken their leave, Mom and I did a short photo shoot in the yard.  I am not a lover of heat by any means, so this day had been hard on me so the shoot was a super short one and for some reason Mom's camera did not live up to it's lauded praises...but that's ok, I have the memories of how the dress and hair piece looked on me and that will keep me smiling for months to come!

As said in the previous post, this project has been the most expensive, time consuming, all encompassing, involved project I have subjected myself to.  In all, I made 17 items, and I am totally counting the bodice, skirt and belt for this separate as they were uber involved (the skirt had many layers and took about 3 days to complete!)

Orange Blossom Flowers and Veil

(Links Here and Here)

1. Headpiece

2. Corsage

3. belt cluster

4. bouquet

5. Veil

Underwear

(Links Here and Here)

6. Stockings Belt and Supporter

7.  French Drawers

8.  Petticoat Chemise

9.  Corset

10.  Small Bustle Pad

11.  Lacy Petticoat

12.  Corset Cover

Wedding Gown

(Links Here, Here and Here)

13.  Bodice

14.  Skirt

15.  Belt

Mama's "Mother of the Bride" Dress

(Links Here and Here)

16  Bodice

17.  Hat

I know that many costumers keep track of their time on a project and the cost of all the things used on their project and I probably should do the same.  I just can't bring myself do to it.  It may be that it would take the joy out of what I do...or it may just cause me to cry. Whatever the case, I have no idea how much I spent it time or money, I just know that I am thrilled that it is over!!

Because I have already posted pictures of both Mom's and my dresses in color, I chose to edit most of our photo shoot in sepia tone to give it that Victorian Wedding look...I hope you enjoy them!  Mom refused to let me take any pictures of her stating that I already had some of her in her dress...Next time I shall twist her arm a wee bit harder!

The Artifacts from our Traveling Wedding Museum

Mom and I have been collecting antiques for as long as I can remember and one of the pleasures we have is sharing our findings and family heirlooms with others.  We had the opportunity to do just that yesterday.  It was truly a delight!

I can honestly say that I am happy to be done with this project. When it is so all encompassing for such a long time (I have been working on this since April) it can get taxing on the creative juices and when that is all I have been blogging about and thinking about, I could have gotten really tired of it.  I think, personally that the time is just right that I don't hate the whole thing entirely.  I still love the dress in all its fluffiness and all the things that go along with it.  Now it's time to tackle something else.  The 1860s croquet dress that's been on my "to make" list for a long time?  The hunting dress that I just re-discovered?  Who knows!  All I know is that for today, I shall not think about sewing...

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Yaaaaaaa riiiiiiiight!!

Be Blessed my friends!

g

1898 Wedding Ensemble COMPLETE!!!

Well, she's done.  And I am so happy!!!  It is so fluffy and ruffly and girly!!  In the words of Agnes of "Despicable Me"...."It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!!!!"

I can honestly say, this is the most involved, expensive, complicated, time-consuming, satisfying project I have ever subjected myself to and I am so happy, truly thrilled it's complete!  All that is left is to iron all the underwear, pack up the wedding artifacts, write a few things out, visit with my fabulous Mother-in-law, Pam (who is almost here) and take it easy!!!

If you didn't see my earlier post, pop on over and take a look see, you will witness me having an utter cow over my silk getting here.  Before today, the ruffly fluffiness was very incomplete...like only 25% was done, so it was with sheer, giddy delight (and some screaming for the whole neighborhood to hear) that the package was happily lying in my mail box this afternoon!

So, without further ado...I am pleased to introduce my 1898 Wedding ensemble to you!!

Inspiration photos courtesy of Antique Gown.  Thank you!!

 


Fabrics Used:

Bodice:

Silk Dupioni
Silk Chiffon
Cotton

Skirt:

Silk Dupioni
Bridal Weight Taffeta
Tulle
Antique Lace
Single Layer Buckram

Patterns Used:

Bodice:

Torso part of Bodice:  Butterick 5970
Sleeves:  Wisconsin Historical Society 1899 Wedding Gown
Belt:  Self draped

Skirt:  

Wisconsin Historical Society 1899 Wedding Gown

Oh Agnes...you are my hero!

 You all are so rockin' fabulous!!  Truly you are!!

Have a fabulous and blessed weekend!

g