Titanic Dinner gown

All silk, crystal, all hand-beaded. 🙂 Seven packs of 3mm crystal beads at 2,400 per pack. I had 142 beads left. Four packs of 4mm crystal beads at 2,400 per pack. I had 67 beads left. One pack of 6mm crystal beads at 600 per pack. I could actually have used a few more, but substituted the 4mm. None left. One pack of sequins at apps. 25,000 per pack, and I wasn’t even about to count how many are left. Maybe a third were left. Add in about 15 yards of various silks, one spool of thread at 1000 meters, most another spool at 500 meters, part of another 1000m-spool… Oh my god, this gown was finally finished. It tops the last Heaven gown I made years ago. That one only had 23,000 beads. Heh. Only.

Of course, more photos are in this gown’s Facebook album.

  

Titanic Swim gown with REAL pearls

This swim gown is made from a French silk chiffon, as opposed to the more common Indian, and the fibers are more tightly twisted, giving it a crisper feel, not as stiff as organza, but with more body that Indian chiffon. It flows beautifully, and I wish the place I bought this planned to get more in stock. As usual, all fabrics are hand-dyed (and my bathroom sink is still pink to prove it!!).

The bodice has embroidered English netting instead of the usual type of lace I usually use, and I think this one is much prettier. It’s a remnant I have had for years. The pearls on this one are genuine Australian pearls, and they add a luster even the best crystal pearls just can’t replicate. A new touch for this gown is to use them on the front of the bodice as well as at the neckline, and the effect is so rich and beautiful without being heavy. The pearls are at home now, down in Australia where this gown now resides!

More photos are in this Facebook album.

Titanic Swim gown, a variation

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.

 

 

Titanic Tea gown

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.

Titanic pink wool coat

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.

Titanic pink coat

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 try brief rain-break. The gown is available separately.

You can see more finished photos in this Facebook album, and some progress photos in this one.

Titanic Heaven gown

The only images of Rose in this stunning gown barely show the top half of the bodice. Thankfully, as this is the
Dinner Gown in white, plenty is known about it. Four heavily-beaded layers of silk organza (chiffon may be used) drape across the front of this gown over silk taffeta (dupioni may be used). The middle two layers continue onto the train, which slants to the right in Edwardian fashion. A detachable wrist loop enables the wearer to carry the train. Several versions of this gown are available, from unbeaded to Swarovski crystal. The fully beaded and crystal versions require about 18,000 sequins (silver or iridescent) and 23,000 crystals that are individually applied by hand. Beads are either fire-polished glass or Swarovski crystal, no plastic!

More photos are in the Facebook album for this gown.

 

Rose’s Titanic/Edwardian corset

This Edwardian corset is higher cut in the bust than most actually were, and extends down over the hips as most did. In the movie Titanic (technically set two years after the end of the Edwardian era, but which used an Edwardian corset for the scene between Rose and her mother), Rose’s corset was cut higher like this, and this is a replica of that. Most Edwardian corsets ended below the bust, and a tightly tucked chemise contained the breasts (actually much more comfortable than bras). This corset is made completely authentic to the era.

I made this corset using two layers of cotton drill with the 22 steel bones extending down to the top of the hips for comfort. Most seams are double-boned. A steel busk from Germany closes the front, and a full 24 feet of lacing close the back through 34 two-piece grommets. The top 12 on each side lace the main body, and the bottom 5 on each side close the bottom, which doesn’t need to be as tight as the rest. The set of grommets at the waist closer that the rest give more leverage and control to the waist. A delicate cotton lace in a pattern authentic to the early 20th century trims the top and bottom of the corset. This corset was photographed on a couple pillows, nowhere near the shape of a human body, giving the hip area a weird look. But a stiff dressform doesn’t mold, which also gives a weird look.