I started this last summer/fall for a steam train ride event, ended up not being able to go, and thus abandoned it partway through. I'm resurrecting it now for the Laurel Hill Cemetery picnic we're going to do in mid-October this year. Laurel Hill is a wonderful site and would be perfect for a mourning ensemble of any era, which I did spend some time contemplating...but the voice of "how about you finish one of your half-finished dresses, idiot" won out, which is probably a good thing.

Also my Late Victorian Redthreaded corset is one of the only corsets that still fits me, so it would probably be smart to do something late Victorian...

I mean, a brown silk and velvet dress also feels very autumnal!

I'm basing it on this dress in KSU's collection, dated to the second half of the 1880s:
  

I'm not copying it directly, but I liked the silk and velvet combo, the shades of brown, and especially the cutout velvet overskirt (or apron, or whatever you want to call it). I had a roll of brown and cream mini-checked drapery silk and a brown cotton velveteen that work well together, so that's what I'm using for mine, with the checked silk as the main fabric and the velveteen for the contrast.

Last year I finished the underskirt with all the pleated flounces - they're not especially fun to make but I really like how they look! Made the top drapery/swags although still need to put the ties in the back panel to pull it up.

Also made the basic velveteen overskirt and (thankfully) worked out all the cutouts. I couldn't (and still can't) think of any better way to finish the cutouts neatly than by hand - turning the edges in towards each other and hand whipping them down. I've done similar edges with a regular machine-sewn-and-turned facing, and the lining always rolls to the outside, and I hate it. Binding might be an okay other option, but I didn't want a visible binding on this, so here we are!

Good thing I like hand sewing.

I didn't start the bodice at all last year, but with the weight I've gained over the last couple of years that's probably a good thing. I've fit the bodice before skirts enough times in my early sewing career that I've learned not to do that over things with multiple waistbands, lol. I have the TV 1884 French Vest bodice pattern, which should work well enough. 

But, skirts first! I got a good start on the cutout skirt hem at sewing day this past Saturday, and have left the travel sewing bag in the living room since, so I can grab that easily when I have some hand-sewing time, and don't have to go dig it out of the hot sewing room every time I want it. If I can finish the skirts this week (?) I maybe have an actual chance of finishing both this and the 1810s dress for the September event - more on that later.