Inspiration
Isn't this dress breathtaking?
Hours and hours of surfing the 'net produced a lot of possibilities for my next project but my goal was to make something cool, for summer, something fresh and pretty. This is it.
Now the unfortunate part: there is no pattern for this gown. I'm going to have to wing it. And this is the highest resolution image I have. It's going to be a real challenge recreating this gown, but I'm determined to give it my best shot.
Some images of other lovely gowns
I drag my kids to many historical festivals, reenactments and events throughout the summer, and a couple of them are set in the late Victorian time period. This past summer, I had no choice but to wear my 1870's bustle gown. But not next year. I'm plannning ahead. And, because the events take place during the summer, I'm making a summer gown. Something that will be comfortable in 80-90 degree temperatures.
Where did I start? On the internet. I found AGELESS PATTERNS, which offers a huge assortment of historically based patterns.
Sadly, even with so many choices, I didn't find one that was a perfect match for my gown. Thus, I'm going to make due with this one:
Pattern number 1176
1896 Costume w/Bolero Jacket & Deep Girdle
38 Bust - 26 Waist
The costume illustrated was of black Cheviot serge, made with a plain skirt and a bolero jacket waist that is bound with narrow striped black and white velvet, and has a shirred belt and stock collar of reddish violet silk. The small plastron at the throat is of ecru guipure over white satin.
1894
1896 Bicycling Suits
July 1897
Spring 1898
1898
The Embroidery:
Because this gown is white, the embroidery will play a key role in making it look summery, rather than bridal. I'm going to have to take my time to find just the perfect embroidery design. The image is very small and so I'm having a hard time determining what kind of embroidery design I'm looking at. The one thing I can tell is it's substantial, not delicate. And there may be more than one color. Maybe blue and green???
I'm digging through all the options on Secrets Of Embroidery to see what I can come up with. So far, I'm undecided. There are many I like, but nothing's jumping out at me yet.
A Late Victorian Summer Gown with Bolero
