Titanic dinner party
Apr. 18th, 2012 02:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mlsdesignsOur dinner party on Saturday was such fun! Everyone made a real effort, we all looked super, and the food was awesome! There were 9 of us, so we each made one course, and they were all scrummy!
I didn't get many very good photos, and totally forgot to leave time when I was getting dressed to snap some shots of getting into my dress, with it's crazy complicated fastening! I was planning to take some when I got undressed instead, but my corset suddenly became terribly uncomfortable as we were clearing up. I have what's known as a pigeon chest - the ends of my ribs between my breasts stick forward, instead of being nicely in line with my breastbone. This means that if a corset busk hits at just the wrong point at the top, ie. is too low or too high, and comes low enough for my belly to push it forward at the bottom when I sit down, the top of the busk digs in and becomes unbearable. It was so bad when we were clearing up I had to strip off, and still could hardly move without it hurting. I'm hoping I might be able to re-cut the 2 centre front pannels to make the top edge higher, and use a long busk.
Anyway, I do have lots photos to show you, and
Mummy looked so nice in her black and white dress, and she was very comfy! Maybe I should have been lazy and not made any undies for me either ;)
I so pleased with her sleeves / drapery. Every time she moved they swung out so prettily with the tassels on the ends :)
We had a go at some of the dances of the time, lots of One Stepping, the Grizzly Bear variation was definitely a favourite ;)
And I think we might be Tangoing in this one!
Yesterday I dressed Meg up t show you the most complicated fastenings I've ever done :)
I cheated, and made a high corset instead of a separate bra. I think it's probably a good thing I did, because I think an under bust might have been even worse with my chest.
The under dress (unfortunately made of dead dino, but it was in the stash and the perfect colour!)has a fitted lining, and the sleeves, made from the poly chiffon sari, have elastic in the neck edge to stop them slipping, which worked perfectly!
The green silk chiffon bodice drapery and overskirt are sewn to strips of cotton tape. The waist band is first taken round to the left side front to be hooked closed.
Then the top of the bodice drapery is poppered over the raw edge of the sleeve, around under the arm to the left side front.
The drapery is hooked closed and the last popper is fastened.
The overlap is trimmed with a cotton lace thingumy-bob from my Granny.
The pleated peach china silk belt is taken round to the back, under the lace trim, and poppered shut under the 'bow' of the brown silk satin sash.
Finally, the sash is poppered on top of the belt overlap.
All dressed!
The skirt is a wrap front, tulip shape, a bit hard to see in the photos because of the over skirt.
I decided I wanted a train, so just cut it extra long. This didn't quite work, because there wasn't enough fullness in the hem for it to lie nicely. As I was unpicking the centre back seam, with the idea of adding in a godet to let it lie flat, I realised it looked quite pretty with a forked tail, so left it :)
The fork also made it very easy for me to lift up my train for dancing. I stitched a ribbon to the waist band at the side seam, with a hook on the other end, that is just short of the length of the overskirt. The hook attaches to a thread bar at the fork in the skirt to loop it up to the perfect length without showing too much ankle!
I've spent the last couple of days pottering about with a bit of modern sewing - I've made a pink apron and have half made a dress. Once the dress is finished I will be starting on my outfit for our Georgian trip to Keddleston while Aubry![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
girliegirl32786 is here. I'm so beyond excited that one of my costuming friends is going to be here with me! So excited in fact, that I am completely failing at finalising a design! I know I want a jacket, but keep wiffling back and forth between ideas! I can't even decide on a fabric!!!!
I didn't get many very good photos, and totally forgot to leave time when I was getting dressed to snap some shots of getting into my dress, with it's crazy complicated fastening! I was planning to take some when I got undressed instead, but my corset suddenly became terribly uncomfortable as we were clearing up. I have what's known as a pigeon chest - the ends of my ribs between my breasts stick forward, instead of being nicely in line with my breastbone. This means that if a corset busk hits at just the wrong point at the top, ie. is too low or too high, and comes low enough for my belly to push it forward at the bottom when I sit down, the top of the busk digs in and becomes unbearable. It was so bad when we were clearing up I had to strip off, and still could hardly move without it hurting. I'm hoping I might be able to re-cut the 2 centre front pannels to make the top edge higher, and use a long busk.
Anyway, I do have lots photos to show you, and
Mummy looked so nice in her black and white dress, and she was very comfy! Maybe I should have been lazy and not made any undies for me either ;)
I so pleased with her sleeves / drapery. Every time she moved they swung out so prettily with the tassels on the ends :)
We had a go at some of the dances of the time, lots of One Stepping, the Grizzly Bear variation was definitely a favourite ;)
And I think we might be Tangoing in this one!
Yesterday I dressed Meg up t show you the most complicated fastenings I've ever done :)
I cheated, and made a high corset instead of a separate bra. I think it's probably a good thing I did, because I think an under bust might have been even worse with my chest.
The under dress (unfortunately made of dead dino, but it was in the stash and the perfect colour!)has a fitted lining, and the sleeves, made from the poly chiffon sari, have elastic in the neck edge to stop them slipping, which worked perfectly!
The green silk chiffon bodice drapery and overskirt are sewn to strips of cotton tape. The waist band is first taken round to the left side front to be hooked closed.
Then the top of the bodice drapery is poppered over the raw edge of the sleeve, around under the arm to the left side front.
The drapery is hooked closed and the last popper is fastened.
The overlap is trimmed with a cotton lace thingumy-bob from my Granny.
The pleated peach china silk belt is taken round to the back, under the lace trim, and poppered shut under the 'bow' of the brown silk satin sash.
Finally, the sash is poppered on top of the belt overlap.
All dressed!
The skirt is a wrap front, tulip shape, a bit hard to see in the photos because of the over skirt.
I decided I wanted a train, so just cut it extra long. This didn't quite work, because there wasn't enough fullness in the hem for it to lie nicely. As I was unpicking the centre back seam, with the idea of adding in a godet to let it lie flat, I realised it looked quite pretty with a forked tail, so left it :)
The fork also made it very easy for me to lift up my train for dancing. I stitched a ribbon to the waist band at the side seam, with a hook on the other end, that is just short of the length of the overskirt. The hook attaches to a thread bar at the fork in the skirt to loop it up to the perfect length without showing too much ankle!
I've spent the last couple of days pottering about with a bit of modern sewing - I've made a pink apron and have half made a dress. Once the dress is finished I will be starting on my outfit for our Georgian trip to Keddleston while Aubry
girliegirl32786 is here. I'm so beyond excited that one of my costuming friends is going to be here with me! So excited in fact, that I am completely failing at finalising a design! I know I want a jacket, but keep wiffling back and forth between ideas! I can't even decide on a fabric!!!!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-04-18 02:53 pm (UTC)And I'm super excited about our outing! Anything you wear will be awesome. Now, to finish my jacket. ;)
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Date: 2012-04-19 10:26 am (UTC)When I was working out how to fasten the thing, after looking at as many originals as I could, I came to the conclusion that the more complicated it was, the better ;) after that, I just draped my fabrics on the fitted lining, overlapping each layer until it looked right - and suitably complicated!
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Date: 2012-04-18 04:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-19 10:29 am (UTC)My fabric choices were a bit of a fluke really. When we were in Paris, one of the shops had a sale table filled with silk roll ends, and I saw the green, brown and peach fabrics together and thought 'they look like they'd go with the sari...' I got them home, and they were perfect!
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Date: 2012-04-18 06:28 pm (UTC)You might be interested in this event
http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=5569&eventId=1432
Napoleonic soldiers at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham.
I wanted to dress up all Regency and go along, but alas I am in London and already booked up.
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Date: 2012-04-19 10:33 am (UTC)That event sounds like such fun! But I'm already booked for that weekend too!
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Date: 2012-04-19 02:36 pm (UTC)