Colonial Clothing .: june 2004 :.

This was one of my first attempts at costuming. The previous year (easter '03) we went down to Williamsburg and when I found out that we were coming back the following year, I had wanted to come back in costume. So I did. There are 2 dresses (mine and my sister's) from the same pattern, it's an old Simplicity one. 5041. I made Laura's pretty close to the pattern (ha, still in my beginning years ... didn't take chances). It's a green cotton, with small yellow flowers printed on it. It zips up with zipper in the back, and on the whole it's not very accurate. Mine, the red/pink one, I made with more modifications, although not many. At this point I had wanted to be more accurate, and was looking at lots of information online. I ended up with a overdress (the outermost thing) made from a flower bud pring fabric. I used the pieces from the pattern, sewed them together, and then took the fabric for the skirt at gathered it onto the waistline. It's not lined. The stomacher (with cheap, white ribbon) is sewn directly on to the overdress on one side, on the other there are hooks and eyes and that's how the whole dress closes. The skirt was easy, though it was a bit short. Luckily I had a good amount of extra pink fabric; I found some white ribbon and made a ruffle out of that & the scraps. At this point, the skirt is gathered, but since then I pleated it onto a waistband. I think I'm wearing my pitiful excuse for a shift in this pic, and I am wearing my poofy prom skirt underneath it all to make it poof out. ;) Both dresses also have that *hideous* white ruffle around it; my only defense is that it looked like a good idea at the time. Alright, it's not bad, it's just very not period. ...... Recently, when I've worn this I've been wearing it polonaised (see pics). And I very recently just put it on my dressform, so I have a good amount of new pics to put up here (which is why I re-did that pitiful page). I also have a pic of the "undergarments" that I've been using. I know, I know, that shift is horrible ... and the skirt is just an old one that I happen to like and I use it for a lot of random things. The stays I didn't make, I bought them off of ... some site. I'll have to find it. I did, however, make the pocket. I'm pretty proud of that, I wish I could put it on the outside of the costume. ;) It's hand sewn, hand embroidered with silk floss, and I got the whole thing from a pocket kit from Jas-townsend.com.