New Dress! Gettysburg! Holidays! I got to sleep in today!

[gwendolyngrey]

It doesn't really feel like Thanksgiving or the end of November.  Partly because of the weather (the trees are still bright yellow and red and it's been nearly 70 the past few days!) and partly because I've never been away from my family for the holidays before.  One of the ladies from my Tuesday night sewing circle has invited me to her house for dinner today, so I at least won't be alone on Thanksgiving, but it's really not the same thing.

Also, it's been my habit to put up my Christmas decorations on Thanksgiving evening or the day after, and I feel really strange thinking of decorating for Christmas when it's still so fall-like outside.  There hasn't even been a proper frost yet!  I suppose I'll just have to get used to living in the South and adapt... and after all, it's not as though I'm in Florida like my brother where it's still next door to summer.

Last week was crazy busy as I quickly made my wool dress for Gettysburg in between friends' visits and several dates (though there's nothing exciting to report on that front).  As usual, I was up incredibly late the last two nights before the event getting it done, and the final stitches were put in at the hotel room the morning of the event!  Of course, now that I've actually worn it I want to make changes so I hesitate to call it done, but it's a complete dress so it's technically on the finished project list.

Even though the wool is a light, tropical weight, it ended up being super bulky when box-pleated into the waistband which threw off the fit of the bodice.  The bulk of the waistband causes there to be a gap between my body and the dress right above the waist and the bodice doesn't quite close at the front point.  I'm thinking of taking the skirt off the waistband and re-doing it with cartridge pleats instead and will probably add a couple bones to the bodice as well before the next major event.



I'm really happy with how the trim on the sleeves turned out though!  I used a narrow, velvet ribbon which I applied before the sleeves were completely constructed.  I used one of the discontinued Martha McCain patterns from Simplicity to get the shape of the pleated sleeve, which ended up being much easier to make than I had anticipated.

We match!  Sort of.  :)



And a couple more dress photos:





Katie and I both got quite a few compliments over the course of the day, which was naturally very pleasant, and in spite of fitting issues I'm really pleased with the dress in general and had a lot of fun wearing it.  I think it'll probably see quite a bit of use in the future.

Comments

[ashamanja-babu.livejournal.com]

Pretty! I like your sleeve decoration.

[reine-de-coudre.livejournal.com]

so lovely, and i just adore the sleeve trim! and of course the wildly loud and oh-so-period bow! :D

glad to hear you are doing well, and i hope you have an enjoyable thanksgiving. :]

[bauhausfrau.livejournal.com]

This is my least favorite era so it means something when I say it's a really lovely dress. Kudos!

[isiswardrobe.livejournal.com]

Nevertheless it's a lovely gown!

[estela-dufrayse.livejournal.com]

noooooo! Don't change the skirt, I see this skirt treatment so rarely, it's beautiful, Please don't change it.
Your bodice could us a slight snugging up and possibly a bit shorter over the rise of the hips to cure the wrinkles, that's all.

[pinkdiamond.livejournal.com]

This :) The pleats are so glorious :) How did you sew the pleats to the waist band? I would recommend overhanding or overcasting the pleats to the bottom edge of the waist band- in effect you'll all the benefits of cartridge pleating but keep the aesthetic appeal of the box pleats. You can use the current stitch lines as a guide to where to fold the top edge over.

And the colour and trimming are also so very lovely :)

[mlsdesigns.livejournal.com]

So lovely, the sleeves are especially fantastic!
I love this style, I keep um-ing and ah-ing about doing a pointed waist or an asymetric bodice for my new wool, but I don't think it'd work so well with a plaid ... maybe I just need yet another new dress :)

[aylwen.livejournal.com]

You look lovely in your dress! I agree, a little snuggling up on the top, but otherwise I love the colour on you, the trim and the skirt - especially the skirt!

[lindseyerin37.livejournal.com]

That dress is so lovely! It's so unusual, but still looks "right!"

I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

[mandie-rw.livejournal.com]

Must repeat everyone else and say, it's a lovely dress, and the trim on the sleeves is so pretty! And I know almost nothing about 1860s construction, but I must agree that the pleats look great!

[jade-nolan.livejournal.com]

LOVE the sleeves!!!! :] i *might* even be persuaded to wear it just for the sleeves...

[saraquill.livejournal.com]

I applaud you two!

[girliegirl32786.livejournal.com]

Beautiful job!