1795 Open Robe & Gown - Construction pt.I

I spend today working on the under dress for the 1795 Open Robe. I decided to go ahead and make it just an under dress with no sleeves so that it can have a wider range of use later (as a ball gown under dress or as a full petticoat, etc.).

As stated in the Preliminary post, this dress was taken from the 1795 pattern featured in The Evolution of Fashion: Pattern & Cut from 1066 to 1930. I have always liked the silhouette of the very early Regency. The skirts are much fuller and the puff sleeves had not yet become the norm (honestly, I don't think those little puff sleeves look good on anyone!)

The underdress pattern is incredibly simple with only three parts: bodice front, bodice back, and skirt.

The pattern for the women's dress and open robe are on the right hand side. As you can see, it is VERY simplistic. The skirt is shown in 1/16 scale, but it's very easy to make since it's essentially a very large rectangle. It's all just math =) 

You can really see the fullness in the skirt here. The pattern comes out to have an undress with 4 yards of material for the skirt alone! 

There aren't really any construction guides here (the patterns are for experienced sewists). The information on wear, fabric, and details is quite helpful, though. 

Now for the dress itself. I chose plain white cotton broadcloth. It isn't the most accurate of fabrics, I know. These full underdresses would have been made from fabrics much finer and delicate, like muslin, batiste, or even voile. Broadcloth is rather thicker and stiffer, but I had it on hand and I think it really works in created that full shape.

This shows the inside of the dress before I stitched down the bias strips that make up the gather channels. Just to give you an idea of how simple this all is. =) 

I didn't want the gathering channel on the top of the bodice to include the shoulder strap area. I have always found that look a bit messy. Since this pattern does not include a separate piece for the shoulder straps, I just ended the channel at the shoulder strap turn point, whip-stitching the cord inside so that any gathering would not continue up through the sounder strap area. 

1795 Open Robe & Gown - Preliminary

I very recently acquired an ex library hardcover version of The Evolution of Fashion: Pattern and Cut from 1066 to 1930, by Margot Hill. In keeping with my new obsession of recreating patterns (rather than using the hundreds I already have), I started the 1795 Open Robe & Gown from the Hill book. I only just cut out the pieces, so no pictures yet. But, here is the illustration from the book =)

I am also very tempted to make the men's suit, but I don't have any experience with these type of breeches/trousers. They have a unique design that allows them to not have an inside leg seam. I'll have to read up on it before I even attempt it.

Improvised Hat Stand for Dress Form

I got a bit frustrated today not being able to take pictures of my new dress and the matching hat together at once, so I worked up something to fit on the top of my dress form to hold a hat.

I used one of those giant plastic tubs that neon orange cheese balls come in (don't judge me, lol). I just cut the hard plastic and made a fitted cylinder for the neck, but it wasn't tall enough on its own. So, I added the plastic loops at the top from 1/2" heavy duty zip ties (which I often use as bodice boning). It's all hot clue, electrical tape, and scrap fabric glued over it. =)

The only downside is that I had to make it a tight fit to keep it from slipping down and making the neck too wide for the garment, so this particular contraption can only be used on my small dress form when the neck circumference is quite small. I'll have to make another one to fit my larger dress form

1880 Riding Habit with Matching Hat - Harper's Bazar

From Harper's Bazar - March 27th, 1880.

Reproduced in 1/8th scale in Fashions of the Gilded Age, Vol.II (ed. Frances Grimble)

I neglected to take as many in-progress photos with this one as I usually do. But, the design and construction is very straightforward and not really outside the norm, so constructions photos weren't all that necessary. 

Pattern Quality: Excellent! I highly recommend this one. 

Fabrics: I used some red upholstery velvet with a wave pattern, as well as a heather gray blend suiting that I purchased as a "mystery" fabric for $2 a yard! =D

Size: 35" chest, 25.5" Waist, 44"max hip. This is the size "out of the box" with no alterations.
Undergarments: On the dress form, this is pictured over a rump pad and a petticoat with rear ruffles.

Sale: Yes, this one is too small for me to keep or wear. It's on eBay right now.

This picture has been resized for posting. The scale indicated is no longer accurate.

The Vest pieces pinned to interfacing. As you can see, there is a pleat at the sides that will add width to the hip when finished. This is a riding habit, after all, so it is meant to be loose on the hips. 

Showing the open jacket pieces laid over the vest pieces. They are stitched at the shoulders and sides and then treated as a single piece after that. The vest does not go all the way to the edges of the shoulder seams on the overlay, giving a seam allowance for the collar which will not be attached to the vest portions. 

Showing the cuffs and the placket with buttons. I got these silver metal buttons for an amazing deal. 100 of them for $4.00! =) 

The sash on the bat is merely threaded through the loops, not attached, so the wearer can choose to just take it out whenever. However, the sash is covering the raw bottom of the feather bundle, which is whip stitched to the hat. 

With the jacket open you can see the bones I stitched to the inside of the collar to help it stand up. They were an afterthought, which is why you can see them. When I was making the collar, I didn't use a stiff enough interfacing, so it was a bit too floppy. 

For the placket at the back, I used a type of two piece overlapping closure sometimes referred to as a gauntlet. You typically see it on the cuffs of men's dress shirts. I don't know if they used this back then, but I saw a tutorial on it and I really like it =)