Edwardian Gown II

I have been working on the skirt, and while measuring the two parts (the yellow underskirt and the ecru overskirt) it became clear that the yellow underskirt has been shortened, and that the tucks was not originally there. The overskirt was quite a bit longer than the yellow both in front and especially in back. I ripped up the seams of the tucks and let the skirt down again. I'm only wondering how she was planning to shorten the overskirt. That would have been hard, as it is made of netting, and already covered in fabric work.

Befor starting on the bodice I decided to read up on the edwardian tailoring techniques, and consulted my "Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques" which is a reprint of an 1905 manual. From what I can see, whoever made this gown must have been updated on the latest techniques, as all the little bits and bobs on the dress match the recommended way of doing things in the book. In all likelyhood this must have been a very expensive dress, a weddingdress, I'm quite sure. (there is a chapter on the making of wedding gowns in the book)

I have managed to get hold of a poly-cotton in the same yellow colour as the bodice lining, and I'll be using bias strips to attatch the sleeves to the torso of the bodice, as well as hemming the inside of the bodice. The boning needs to be covered at the bottom or else it will be extremely uncomfortable to wear. But before I put the bodice together I need to read up on how to clean it. I'm not even sure it can be done, but best check it as there is some discoloration under the arms, and the cuffs as well as the collar are a little dirty.

When the dress is finished I'll se if i can get hold of a manneqin and display it in the livingroom. Or perhaps store it till we get a bigger livingroom...

Edwardian Gown

We all have different things to make our day, as of me, my aunt just made my decade, sending me an Edwardian gown from ca 1904. Whoever owned it probably grew out of it and decided to let it out on her own. She never finished the job, and now it's mine (my precious....). I have documented all the different pieces (yes, the butchered it), and I am going to piece it all together, and restore it to its original state. It really is excuisite, I think it must have been a wedding dress, back then. It has the typical Edwardian structure, which is a seethrough layer of netting and lace on top of a coloured base. The skirt therefore is actually two skirts, both equally elaborate. The base is a vibrating yellow, it has two rows of tucks at the starting mid-calf, and it has a row of accordion-pleating at the bottom. It has a few stains, which I hope the overskirt will be able to hide. As the fabric is more than a hundred years old, I am reluctant to cleaning it. One never knows how the fabric will react to it. The top layer is ecru-coloured netting with lace inserts. It has narrow vertical stripes of pin-tucks, several rows of piping, and two rows of gathered netting and lace also starting at midcalf. Both skirts are trained, the ecru skirt seems to be longer in the back then the yellow one, and I've begun to wonder if the yellow one has been altered. Maybe the owner didn't want it to get dirty?

The bodice is very pretty, and also the part of the dress that needs most work done. It consists of a yellow structural bodice, and an ecru draped overbodice.The lace on the ecru bodice was tattered, but that was easily fixed. The real problem is mounting the two layers together. The infidel owner has cut the sleeves off the bodice instead of ripping the seames, which means there is no seam allowence. That troubles me. I haven't decided how to deal with that problem yet, but I'm leaning towards using a length of bias binding to join the sleeves to the torso. The neck is also a problem, I have no idea how it looked originally, I only know that there is a standing collar with hooks on it that needs a base to be mounted onto. I've looked closely at the neckline of the bodice, and I can't se a seamline, nor loops for the hooks. Which leads me to think that there must have been a binding along the neckline, with loops for the hooks, and it has most likely been cut off. Which again meens, there is no seam-allowence. Whoever did this was certainly not a seamstress.

So I have my work cut out for me, that's for sure. I'll do the skirt first, as that is the easiest part, and then start assembling the bodice. I will post the pictures as soon as possible.

Thoughts on corset construction

I have been thinking for a while about the many pittfalls of corset construction. I learned the gentle art of corseting from this web site http://web.archive.org/web/20030605225317/http://waisted.com/ . The owner of the site gives a thorough introduction to creating custom fit corsets, but what isn't covered is how extremely important it is to have some basic knowledge of how the different styles of corsets are cut and constructed. If you do not know what kind of silhouette and era you're after, you're likely to end up with a corset that either doesn't fit properly, or emphesizes the very things you wanted hidden, or moulded into a different shape. The first thing anyone wanting to create their own corset should do is get hold of a book about the subject, such as Corsets and Crinolines by Norah Waugh. Just to get an idea of the different styles and take a note of how the pattern is cut. Especially if you're thinking of making one of the really complicated ones, such as the edwardian. After that you're ready to fetch the duct tape and an old t-shirt to create the mould, so to speak.

Another thing which isn't discussed much in this site is how *^^&*$%£ annoying and hard work fitting a corset can be. First of all, you'd think after having done the whole ducttape thing that you have the perfect shape which can be easily turned into the corset of your dreams. Allow me to rectify that misapprehension right now. First of all, the waist of the duct tape mould is never tiny enough, the lower abdomen always needs to be taken in, and quite often you'll find that it is too tight over the bum. So this is something you need to keep in mind while cutting the pattern. When you've successfully put the whole thing together and you think you're happy with the look and shape of the corset, you need to sit down on a chair in front of a mirror and make sure you like the way it looks from the front as well as the side. When looking at the side view what you want is the busk to curve slightly inwards at the waist, and cup the tummy. If the busk pokes outwards, you need to alter it. A good trick is always make the corset a little longer than you intend it to be, because it tends to end up shorter in the front due to the fitting.

Last but not least, if you have spent 100€ + on a fabulous fabric, make sure you make a mock up of the corset first. It saves both time, stress and precious fabric.

Two of my own corsets

This is one of my edwardian underbust corsets, the first I ever made, comt to think of it. I found the fabric at a curtain-store in Tromsø way back when i was a student, at a bargain price. The fabric is marvellous, you can actually use both sides of it, and the corset binding as well as the boning channels are made of the fabrics reverse side.


My 1860's wine velvet corset. I really like this corset, it is comfy, pretty and very, very flattering.

1880's bodice jacket

I made this jacket of a fantastic green velvet curtain I bought in Iceland (trust me to track down the thrift stores ;o). I kept the fabric for quite a while before deciding upon what to do with it. I finally decided upon a bodice jacket with a bustled back. The cuffs and lapels are made of black velvet, and it is lined with black satin.

Jetta and Gunn Venches corsets

Jetta is proudly showing off her new corset which I must admit is quite a masterpiece. It is an edwardian overbust, made out of a fantasticly baroque fabric. It has a wowen floral pattern quite unlike anything I've ever seen, and was quite timeconsuming to work with (all 12 pieces had to match up). But as long as the end result is as nice as this is, the extra hassle is worth it. The corset is lined in my all time favourite, black cotton canvas, the waist is reinforced, and it is double boned througout. Not that she needs it. The waist line of the corset is 20 inches... I decorated the corset with black soutashe trimming, to accentuate the curves, and added lace along the top of the corset.


Gunn Wenche decided upon a mix of the 1860's scarlett o'hara and the edwardian. The corset has a straight front and comes up to the nipples, it is made for serious waist-reduction and it nips in the waist considerably. It is longline, and hugs the hips. Her choise of fabric was an unusual mix of satin and velvet. The pattern seems to be cut velvet, but if you look at the back of the fabric it becomes quite clear that it isn't. The motif is floral and reminds me of fleur de lys. She wanted it trimmed as well, and seing as the fabric is very dark, I decided on a lighter coloured trim, to pick up the highlights in the fabric. Very pretty.

Helenes edwardian ensemble

Helen tried on one of my edwardian underbust corsets at a party, and fell completely for the curvatios look. As you can see from the pictures it moulds the body perfectly. It flattens the tummy, nips in the waist and accentuates the hips and bustline. For some reason this corset has the effect of making your bust look at least one cup-size bigger.

Helene bought the fabrics in Paris, and liked both of them equally, so I decided upon using both of them for the corset. I got hold of the golden trim in the city centre, and used it to hide the boning channels and the busk. The corset is lined with cotton canvas and the waist is reinforced with a twill tape on the inside.

There was quite a bit of fabric left over after the corset was done, quite enough to make a skirt as well, so Helene decided upon an edwardian walking skirt. The skirt consists of seven panels, it is cut with flair from the knees down, and has a double box-pleat in the back, ca 20 cm below the waistline. It closes at the side with a zipper.

Another wedding

This lovely bride is Serene Browne. She got married in November, in Venice. I had the pleasure of creating this corset for her (the skirt was her own). The corset is the same basic model as the Black one I made for Dara, and these pictures really shows the overall effect of the corset. It nips in the waist, pushes up the bust, and smoothes the lines of the hips. Very, very nice.

I used two layers of unbleached cotton calico for the lining, as the fashion fabric is slightly see-through. The calico is soft yet sturdy, and prevents the corset from losing its shape. The details of the fashion fabric does unfortunatly not show as well as I would like in these pictures. The colour is antique cream, and the fabric itself has rows of pin-tucks and lace inserts. I found a reproduction of an Edwardian blouse that I sacrificed for this garment. It was well worth it. One of the advantages with using all natural fabrics (cotton) in the corset is that if she decides to die the corset after the wedding she can. Although I think it is lovely just the way it is.

Black bustle skirt and 18th century corset

I made the bustle skirt for the Xerox christmas party 2004, to go with my black 1860's twill and velvet corset. So when I finished the 18th century corset shown on the pictures i decided to take a picture of them together, even if they're not from the same period. The corset is fusion of the rococo era and the wasp waist of the mid-victorian era. It is too bad Dara (the owner of this masterpiece) didn't have the time to pose it for me, the dress form does by no means do it justice. It is made from cotton satin and the lining is light weight cotton canvas. It is double boned througout, to achieve the rigid front of the rococo corsets, and it has a scalloped bottom. The waist is reinforced with twill tape, and it is edged with bias satin binding. I decorated the bustline with knife pleated satin ribbon, same as I used for the fastening of the shoulder straps, it doesn't show very well on the pictures, but the corset is also decorated with black soutache trimming to accentuate the curves of the hips, waist and bust. This corset can be worn with only a tube top underneath ( to protect the corset), and it is by far one of the sexiest models I make.


The Skirt is made of a light weight wool crepe, and believe it or not, it is actually very cool in the summer. I wore it at Angelas wedding, and I was quite confortable (or rather as confortable one can get wearing a tightly laced corset on a summers day...) It is a one-piece skirt which has two darts in the front, and it is knife-pleated in the back. It has a double layered 30 cm silk organza ruffle at the bottom, and closes with a zipper at the side. There is a bum-pad under the skirt to create the bustle-effect, and the overskirt is bustled up in the back using a contraption of twill tapes. The overskirt is made of a very light weight satin lining, and is quite delicate. Next time I'll be using a more robust material.

Pictures

I've been promising pictures for a while, so today I took on the task of figuring out how the scanning mechanism works on the new monstrosity... We bought an all-in-one machine before christmas, and I've mainly been using it as a printer. So- here's the results. Mind you, these are all past creations, and not pictures of the wedding costumes. As I have an oldfashioned analogue camera I need to take all 36 pictures on the film first.

This is a picture of the first wedding dress I ever made, the lovely bride is Angela, take a note of the wedding cake. She made it herself. Impressed...

The dress consists of a longline gold brocade corset, a frilled and trained petticoat, an edwardian a-line foundation skirt with train, polonaise overskirt, and finally a 1830's bodice. The fabrics are all natural, the corset, petticoat and foundation skirt are made of cotton (this was a july wedding, and it was frightfully hot), the rest of the gown is made of a heavy weight silk shantung. The bodice consists of three layers of fabric; cotton lining, silk organza interlining and finally the silk shantung, and it closes in the back with a million (or so it felt at the time) tiny buttons. The foundation skirt is lined in cotton muslin, and the hem is stiffened with silk organza to better retain the shape, I hemmed it by hand to make sure no stitches were visible from the outside of the skirt. The overskirt was also hemmed by hand.

While we're waiting for Godot...

I got a tip the other day, about using my blog to tell the world about my various projects, with this in mind i just have to put down this amazing discovery I made today. I was passing by this stand in the shopping scenter where they sell Pashminas when I cought a glimpse of embroidery on one of them. And yes, they had black wool/silk pashminas with baroque-inspired floral embroidery. Wonderful. I am thinking of purchasing one of them and turn it into a waistcoat to match the 18th century overcoat I'm making for Stig. The ensemble would look a bit like the outfit Blackadder wears in the third series. Just need to check it with Stig first, to see if he would want to wear it. The fabric is quite loosly wowen and delicate, so I'm thinking of flat-lining it with a light but sturdy cotton canvas.

For those of you who're aching to see the dress, It's still not completely done, but I've taken pictures and will post them on the blog as soon as possible.

The art/costume project with Eoin Llewellyn has come to a stand still. I'm still waiting for the dress form I need to complete it. For those of you that hasn't been let in on it, it will consist of a hoop-skirt replica and a loose fitting bodice, tainted to look old.

Updates

Hello everyone,
It has been almost a year since I last posted anything here, as such a quick update is in order. We still haven't decided on a venue for the wedding, the date is blurry, and the only thing that is under control is the wedding outfits. We bought Stig's outfit in London on our last visit, and mine is under construction. I do not have any pictures yet, but trust me when I say it is coming along nicely.

With any luck we will be able to set a date as well as decide upon a venue within the next two months, this all depends on work, money and the proportions of the festivities. If we decide upon a large wedding I doubt we will be able to pull it off by June.

So in all fairness, you haven't really missed out on anything these past ten months even if we haven't updated the blog ;-)