Starting a new frock
Aug. 27th, 2012 04:24 pmThis year will be our 4th year of going to the Jane Austen festival in Bath (I know!! doesn't time fly!) and so far, each year I've worn a completly new outfit for the grand parade that starts the week off, so naturally I need another new one this year :)
My hat is all sorted - the crazy yellow and green hat that I made ages ago and haven't worn yet because I have nothing to wear with it, yellow and green being really quite a specific combination ;) These are the fabrics I'm using for the dress and pelise:

The dress is cotton muslin from good old Heritage Trading. It's a very pale yellow with blue and green sprigs. I'm making a high necked gathered bodice with long sleeves and, if I have enough, a fill at the skirt hem.
This photo was taken a few days ago, showing the cords pinned in ready to be sewn into channels to gather up the bodice. It's also gathered into a neck band and will be gathered into a waistband:

The pelise will be made from the pale yellow silk brocade, a remnant I bought at the reenactors market last spring. It's going to have no waist seam, because no one ever seems to make this more unusual style, and I do like to be unusual!! It will be based on rather a lot of trial and error, but luckily there's a pattern in one of the Jean Hunnisett outer garments books taken from an original muslin pelise, and Serena Dyer did a wonderful article on Your Wardrobe Unlock'd with some good info on the un-fitted pelise style.
Since these photos I've completed the bodice and sleeves, and one sleeve is half sewn in. I still have to do the other sleeve, skirt and waistband, then I get to have fun struggling with the pelise ;)
My hat is all sorted - the crazy yellow and green hat that I made ages ago and haven't worn yet because I have nothing to wear with it, yellow and green being really quite a specific combination ;) These are the fabrics I'm using for the dress and pelise:

The dress is cotton muslin from good old Heritage Trading. It's a very pale yellow with blue and green sprigs. I'm making a high necked gathered bodice with long sleeves and, if I have enough, a fill at the skirt hem.
This photo was taken a few days ago, showing the cords pinned in ready to be sewn into channels to gather up the bodice. It's also gathered into a neck band and will be gathered into a waistband:

The pelise will be made from the pale yellow silk brocade, a remnant I bought at the reenactors market last spring. It's going to have no waist seam, because no one ever seems to make this more unusual style, and I do like to be unusual!! It will be based on rather a lot of trial and error, but luckily there's a pattern in one of the Jean Hunnisett outer garments books taken from an original muslin pelise, and Serena Dyer did a wonderful article on Your Wardrobe Unlock'd with some good info on the un-fitted pelise style.
Since these photos I've completed the bodice and sleeves, and one sleeve is half sewn in. I still have to do the other sleeve, skirt and waistband, then I get to have fun struggling with the pelise ;)