This gown is a variation on my typical Titanic Swim gown. This gown has long under sleeves of chiffon, no pearls, and the waterfall in the back is slightly longer. The original had a train, but most people want this gown floor length. Either are lovely. The rest remains the same, from the silk to hand-dying and staining a sink.
Enjoy this variation!
More photos are in this Facebook album.
Yup, yet another regency gown! This one is made from a delicate, slightly sheer cotton and closes with a drawstring at waist and neckline. The ribbon sash is just tied on. I have tons more of this fabric! Due to the border print, this gown is limited in length, and for most wearers, would be dancing length.
Though there are no additional pictures, this gown’s Facebook album is this one.
This dress was inspired by the My Little Pony character, Rainbow Dash. Dashy is a blue pony with a rainbow mane. Made of a polished blue cotton in regency styling, this dress takes an un-regency twist with a rainbow of buttons down the back. The sash can be tacked at the sides or left loose. The hair ribbon is on a spring-pin and is included. Every little one who loves her favorite pony needs something for her hair! Each pony will have a dress.
More photos are in this Facebook album.
When I need measurements, these are the charts I usually use. I usually don’t need all the measurements on any one chart, and usually also ask for base of next to the floor. Measurements can be in inches or centimeters.
When measurements are taken, please be very careful. Providing incorrect measurements can result in something that can’t be altered well. Don’t provide your dream-measurements, no matter what. Incorrect measurements, whether by accident or intentionally (a lot of brides intend to lose weight, but don’t succeed, and I’m not responsible for this) happen with some frequency. A great-fitting ensemble requires accurate measurements.
Corset chart:
Female-sexed body chart:
Male-sexed body chart:
Miscellaneous chart:
This gown was made from silk duchesse satin and lined with 100% cotton. Four different laces were used, though a few more were bought until the combination was to the client’s liking.
There are a couple design changes. On the original, the overlay meets just above the waistband. which is slightly above the natural waist. That can slightly visually add weight. On this one, the front is left more open, and the sash is lowered to the natural waist. This gown is for a woman who is about a size 10, but these changes visually slim the figure, as per her request.
There are four pieces to this gown. The first is a lace chemise with close-fitted sleeves and green lacing in casings at the neckline and bottom. The bodice closes up the back on a slant to prevent a closure up the center back panel. Several yards of heavy, white venise lace over tulle cover the skirt, which was entirely hand-sewn. The sash is made of orange silk velvet piped with black silk velvet. It is interlined with an interfacing to give it support, but not so heave that it can’t conform to the body’s curves. It is lined in black cotton flannel. The flower is permanently affixed to the sash. It closes with four heavy hooks and eyes beneath the flower in the front.
These photos were taken during a very brief rain break. I had actually had it all folded, but when there as a break in the rain, hurried to put it on the dress form to take photos. So I didn’t get a chance to iron. I took about a dozen pictures and got back inside just as it started to drizzle again. Our home at the time was far too small to take full-length pictures inside.
More photos are in this Facebook album.
I made this in 2011 for my baby brother, but due to a family emergency, the party was missed. So I got pics the following year. This ensemble included the slacks, shirt, the vest, and two coats. Since he lives in Florida, I made the blue coat sleeveless. I didn’t include the tie. He was going to get one himself in 2011, and it looks like he forgot. 🙂
The slacks and shirt are typical in cut. He did say the slacks fit him better than any other pair he’s ever had!
The green vest has two sets of double-welt pockets. A single welt is a pain to make. There are eight on this vest.
The blue coat is a piece many people miss. David didn’t realize there was one until he opened the box and saw it. The purple coat he wanted to have the versatility to wear as either the Joker or as Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka, so there are a few slight changes, notably the cuffs. The blue and purple velvet coats are both lined in orange. I found screen test shots showing this, so of course it was done.
His hair is real. The dye is temporary as he grew it to donate.
More photos are in this Facebook album.
This beautiful medieval-inspired gown is a very light silk shantung. When I say light, I mean it. The entire finished gown is only 8.95 ounces. I have a jewelry scale that weights down to 1/100th of a gram, so this weight isn’t an estimate! That weight includes 9 yards of gold gimp trim around the neckline and going down the back, the armcythes, and the top of the sleeves, as well as at the bottom of the solid part of the sleeve where the two silks meet, and the bottom of the gown. Most of the weight is the trim!
The underskirt is gold brocade and has two rows of the gold gimp trim. It has a very flat self-waistband and closes with a hook and a few eyes to choose which feels most comfortable. This skirt would be lovely worn without the gown over it and with just a gold or bronze dupioni corset. The same brocade is used to make the belt, which also closes with hooks and eyes, and has two hooks so that the purple skirt can be held up.
I made two thread eyes on the front of the purple skirt that aren’t too easy to see unless you’re looking for them.
Though I have been referring to the gown as purple, it it actually shot with magenta. You can see how this makes the silk shift color in the photo to the left.
More photos are in this Facebook album
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I made this gown from an Indian silk sari featuring India’s national bird.
The split overskirt and bodice are entirely from the sari, and the back of the underskirt is added fabric. Saris are available in set lengths. The slate overskirt has a sweep train and is tightly gathered in the back few inches. The underskirt has a larger circumference and is pleated to allow for the movement of dance without adding bulk.
The gold edging has a green glass bead in the center of each tail, a blue glass in each eye, and gold balls in each diamond closer to the edge. The bodice center panel is made from strips of the edge with the same beading, and the skirt center panel has a glass blue bead for each eye. The directions of the edging mirror each other. This gown closes in back with hooks and eyes.
More photos are in this Facebook album.
This was the mock-up of an extant gown I planned to replicate by hand (and later did). A mock-up is a tester used to check the fit. I happened to have many yards of silk dupioni laying around and decided to use it for my mock-up and to sew it by hand as well. Well, it came out nice enough that this is a bonus gown not really fit to be called a mock-up. 🙂
The original, which is the green one on the right, is in the Greene Collection at the Genesee Country Village & Museum. Known information is that the skirt has three panels with slight gathering on the front and pleating in the back. The sleeves and bodice top each have two tucks. The wonderful pointed cap sleeves have what would have been white silk ribbon bows. The sleeves are long enough that they would have to be pushed up on the arms to use the hands. I’m not sure what’s going on on the bottom, if that’s trim or discoloration, but I made tucks, and closed this gown with buttons. Buttons weren’t common, but I used them anyway. The VanDyke points around the neckline have been used a lot on old quilts. It’s the same technique, and it’s lovely. I’ve matched these details in this blue silk mock-up/replica. It was a lot of fun to wear!
More photos are in this Facebook album.
This coat is made from fine pink wool lined with a silk blend as pure silk shatters over time. The design on the collar and cuffs are sewn using two thinnesses of a fine, beautiful soutache braid, with the edging being sewn on using a cord that looks like a single strand of soutache (think of those popsicles that have two pieces that you break form the middle, with soutache being the full popsicle and the cord looking like one half), and French knots between them for the dots.
The buttons are covered with sewn soutache, all of it just like the original, except for the lining. This coat was photographed over a silk swim dress I made while outside fighting the wind during a very brief rain-break. The gown is available separately.
More photos are in this Facebook album for this coat.