I set about making the pieces for this outfit last summer, determined
to take every stitch by hand, and construct it as authentically as possible.
Museum Link: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O127162/gown-unknown/
The first step was designing the jacket. I saw this dress on
pinterest, and loved the button closure design, but discovering the dress had been altered in the late 1760's and again in the 1950's, I was concerned the style was too late for our
1750's/1760's French and Indian war reenacting. I began scouring the pages of
pinterest for more evidence of this style and was rewarded with not one, but
two, examples in paintings! I was delighted, and immediately set
to designing the "perfect" tab pattern for the front.
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| Portrait of a lady in a blue dress by Léon-Pascal Glain, 1755 Portrait d'une femme en robe de satin bleu, 1760 |
I could not find the links to the original sources for these
two photos, so here's a link to my pinterest board instead: https://www.pinterest.com/EonwetheBlue/pins-for-blog/
I hemmed and hawed, and hemmed some more before finally
settling on a gradually decreasing tab width from the top to the bottom. I'm
ecstatic with how it turned out and I LOVE how speedily the buttons allow me to
dress for a day of reenacting.
I found out recently the fascinating information that
there is some pictorial evidence for button closures on Dutch and Flemish ladies
clothing in the 18th century! (Though the ones I found for this jacket were English and French) I just love the practicality and design elements
buttons afford, and the Dutch caps tip the scale in further favor of honing a
Dutch impression for future reenactments. I even have a small amount of Dutch
heritage to further entice my interest! Much, MUCH more research on the prevalence of buttons is needed before I forge ahead on that venture!
It took at least 35 hours to complete the jacket alone.
The petticoat was fairly quick, taking a mere 6 hours to
complete. I love, love, LOVE this blue color... It's called "Blue
Heaven" and I think it's aptly named.😇
I really enjoyed the experience of making an entire ensemble
by hand, and I would definitely (and plan to!) make more completely hand
stitched garments in the future. The best part of hand stitching was how easy
it was to visit with family or friends while doing so, not to mention several
delightful hours of musicals and Pride and Prejudice (the one with Jennifer
Ehle and Colin Firth of course. 😉 ) I ran short on time with the cap and was
forced to do one of the inner seams by machine. 😥 Alas and alack for the woes of the
time crunch!
I finished the jacket at the Fort Pitt reenactment just in
time to wear it for the last day. The cuffs weren't on, and I still had to make
the cream stomacher, but it was "finished" at last and I was excited to
finally be able to really wear it!
I plan to make a new stomacher piece, as at least two folks
have been set to giggles upon noticing that the tip of the stomacher looks
rather like a tongue sticking out. 😉😛
Photo credit goes to my brother. :)
