1850's Dress for the San Francisco Dickens Christmas Fair

[Rene24601]

Hey all! I worked on this for a while but was still finishing it the morning of the event. This was the first year I went dressed up and it was so much fun! This is my first real venture into historical costuming and I am so excited to get further into it.

I made everything except the corset and the crinoline petticoat made of tulle. I bought both those items at the Fair in previous years. I used Simplicity #3727 and modified the sleeves a little (made them smaller and one piece instead of two) and didn't make the collar. So here it goes.

Used a Simplicity pattern for the chemise and drawers which is now out of print.


I made this flounced petticoat to go over the tulle criniline I bought because the skirt needed more volume. I made it out of scraps of fabric I had from old projects so nothing really matches but it's underneath so it doesn't really matter.


The finished look


At the Fair:



Thanks!

[amazing_784]

I made that dress for a friend of mine who does Civil War reenacting.  Yours is great!

[Ludi]

 Wonderful job with the period shape.  Does the bodice close with those frogs or is there a hidden closure or up the back?

[Rene24601]

Thanks! The bodice has 14 hooks and eyes that close the front. Those were fun to sew on! haha. The frogs are just for looks - non-functional.

[Angry Angel]

You look great! I love all the authentic undergarments.

[morrigan_le_faye]

Great job! And the colour is very neat, too.

[Just as I am]

Nice Job!! What pattern did you use for the Dress? I love the clothes of this time period.

[Rene24601]

For the undergarments, I used Simplicity #9769 and for the dress I used Simplicity #3727. Thanks guys! I did a lot of research about the proper silhouette and the sleeve styles popular at the time and stuff. It was a lot of fun actually.

[Just as I am]

Thanks for the info. With the modern equipment available I would be tempted to finish the seams with a serger. What did you do?

[Rene24601]

The directions in the pattern said to finish the edges of the seam allowances together with a serger or a zig zag stitch. Since I don't have a serger, I zig zagged the edges. It was a bit of a pain, a lot of seams, but it turned out really nice. I've found with the 3 or 4 Simplicity historical costume patterns I've made, that you end up with a really well made garment - fully lined, finished seams, good stuff.