Sheer Dress Progress

I've been working on completing a sheer silk dress for myself in my free time. Here are a few shots of the progress. I hope to complete it in time to wear to an event on Sunday.

Above: The sleeves are an open pagoda sleeve style. Since the sleeves are unlined, I'm finishing the edges with bias cut silk, machine sewn to the sleeve edges and hand hemmed. Trim will cover these edges when the dress is finished.

Bodice Lining: Ivory Silk. I had in mind a lighter weight silk, but this was in my stash, so I went with it. The top edges of the half-high lining are finished with delicate lace trim. The lining is fitted with darts - like originals - and has boning at the front darts. The sleeves will also have a short sleeve created of the silk lining fabric with lace trimmed edge. Some sheer dresses had short lining sleeves under the sheer sleeves while others had no lining sleeves.

Bodice Front: The bodice has 5 rows of hand gathering on each side of the center front. The top row of hand gathering is basted into place to the lining to keep the gathers from shifting. A small 1" wide waistband is sewn to the bottom of the bodice. The cartridge pleated skirt will be attached by hand to the waistband.

Bodice Back: a little wrinkly from laying around while I finish the sleeve details. :) The center back of the bodice contains 5 rows of hand gathering. The bodice is all ready for the sleeves to be attached. The piping has been sewn in place and the bodice lining is pinned to the outer bodice fabric, ready to be stitched into place. The armscyes and neckline are piped. Sometimes dresses had piping at the bottom of the bodice as well, although I left this bodice unpiped at the bottom because I found that some sheers did not have this piping, and I liked the look better without it for this dress.

The sheer fabric is 100% Silk Organza.

Sewickley Cemetery Event

Here are a few pictures from today at Sewickley Cemetery. Today the weather was just lovely. It felt so good to be wearing a sheer silk bodice - I could feel the breeze passing through the sleeves to cool me off. I sat on a shady hillside for the afternoon sewing on a fancy silk apron.

Sarah and I.

This outfit consists of a gathered sheer silk bodice with full gathered sleeves that has a fitted half-high silk lining beneath, green-blue silk skirt with knife pleats, and black silk taffeta swiss waist with box pleated pinked ruching around the top and bottom edges. The swiss waist laces up the back. I'm holding my black moire silk covere parasol, an original that I recovered.

We enjoyed an 1860s travelling medicine show performance by the Mockingbird Theatre Company.

Sewickley Cemetery Event

Today Vince and I participated in a small Living History event in Sewickley, Pennslyvania at the Sewickley Cemetery. I wore my plaid sheer dress made and Vince wore his linen paletot jacket and linen pants.

Sarah Buffington, Baby James and I. We enjoyed sitting under this shady tree and chatting while I did some hand sewing and Sarah attended to little James.

MET Evening Gown

This Couture Evening Gown in the collection of the MET was my original inspiration for the Marie Antoinette costume. I know, you can't tell. But, hopefully next time I wear the costume it will look a little closer to this.

How I ADORE this gown. It's so divine! I would have loved to wear this (in white) as my wedding dress. But, I was afraid it would look a little too over the top. :) Someday I would love to incorporate the swirls and bows of this ruched trim into a costume.

Fancy Dress Costume

I didn't take any 'in-process' shots of my Marie Antoinette costume. Usually I don't bother to take process shots because when I read other people's blogs I mainly just like to see the finished product and not the process. BUT, I'd be happy to post process shots in the future if there is an interest in them. Are you interested in seeing process shots of my costumes (or would you rather just see the finished product)?

Here were a few images of Fancy Dress Costume from the 1860s that inspired my Marie Antoinette Costume. I'd love to make my dress much more elaborate like these dresses for the next Fancy Dress event I attend - whenever that may be. :)

I had considered making a long silk cape-like garment like this with fur trim to wear with my dress, but since it was Spring, I didn't think that the fur would look appropriate. I didn't get my mask finished either.

I love her hair. I wonder if she's wearing false hair - the front of her hair looks awfully light compared to the sausage curls.

Fancy Dress Ball 2010

Last Saturday I attended my second 1860s Fancy Dress Ball. This ball was held by the Lancaster Civil War Explorer Post at the Union Meeting House in Marietta, PA. We had a lovely time visiting with old friends, meeting new ones, admiring each others costumes, and dancing the night away.

Fancy Dress Ball 2010

Lindsey as Marie Antoinette.

I've been wanting to use this Changeable Red Silk Taffeta with embroidered Fleur de Lis pattern for a Fancy Dress costume for ages. I thought Marie Antoinette would be the perfect costume for it!

I was really happy with the way the dress was coming along, but then I got super busy and nearly didn't have time to finish it. And the day that I was planning to sew, sew, sew I got sick! I didn't think that I would be able to go to the ball, but I was able to finish the dress up, enough to wear it, on the car ride to Lancaster. The bodice still needs boning, that's why it's a little wrinkly in the pictures, and I had to be sewn into it. But I was so thankful to be able to wear it at least! I'd like to add more trim to the bodice and skirt next time I wear it, and add more false hair to make my hairstyle higher.

The gold ship was purchased on Ebay.

I made these giant pearl earrings on the car ride to Lancaster, too! Aren't they over the top?

Fancy Dress Ball 2010

Vince in his Penguin Costume. During the 1860s men typically wore tailcoats to formal evening events, like balls. Vince was fortunate enough to have a tailcoat made by the talented Kara Bartels of cornerclothiers.com. We thought that the tailcoat would give the perfect look for a Penguin costume.

Vince researched a little to determine that, yes, Americans did know about Penguins in the 1860s. He then created this Penguin mask - yes, he sewed it together himself.

Dancing with my Penguin.

Fancy Dress Ball 2010

Mom's Harem Girl Costume. This was the dress that I wore several years ago to the AGSAS Fancy Dress Ball. Mom added short sleeves to the bodice, sheer ribbon trim to the neckline, and created this beautiful Swiss Waist with soutache trim. Isn't she lovely?

Fancy Dress Ball 2010

A few costumes from the 1860s Fancy Dress Ball hosted by the Lancaster Civil War Explorer Post.

Above: A few of the Three Graces, Zeus, and a Regency Dress (worn by Jenna Baumgartle from thesewingacademy.org).

My good friends Jim and Eileen Bish wearing their masks. Eileen's mask is a Black Cat, and Jim is the Midnight Sky. 1860s masks often had curtains on them light this.

LuAnn Swonger as Spring.

Another of The Three Graces.

1860s Sheer Dress

I'm in the process of creating another 1860s Sheer Dress this week! This dress is made of 100% Silk Organza - Ivory with a beautiful small Ivory plaid pattern. The bodice will have a half-high lining of ivory silk with a delicate lace trimmed edge. I'm reproducing the dress in the above painting. Sadly, I don't know anything more about this painting. Isn't the dress lovely though? Below are a few more sheer dress images to inspire you.

I LOVE the sleeves on this dress!