In a sewing frenzy

[KateG]

I just checked out the Truely Victorian site where you got your pattern...neat! It was interesting to note that she says that her patterns are cut "for a modern body." This is because modern women literally cannot wear old clothes, no matter how slim. Young women, particularly from the middle and upper classes, were put in corsets as young girls and the result deformed their ribcages in somewhat the same manner as footbinding. When you handle period clothing, particularly from the 2nd half of the 19th century, when corsets were most constricting due to the narrow silhouette of the skirts, the oval of the waist is turned through 90 degrees to normal, with the largest dimension being front to back, rather than side to side as is natural. The result is that the woman's waist looks absolutely tiny when seen from the front or back, and the bustle conceals the increase in the fore and aft measurement.

Mid-19th century corsets changed the waist somewhat, by constricting the ribcage, but the wider hoop skirts create the illusion of a tiny waist with far less distortion of to the wearer's body. And the stays worn in the late 18th and early 19th century were fairly forgiving. They smoothed the body and supported or squashed the bust, but they didn't distort the ribcage.

In addition to ribcage changes, young girls in both the 18th and 19th centuries were taught to carry their shoulders back and down to create a sloping shoulder line, which means that the armholes of historic dresses are in the wrong position for modern women.

The dresses and undergarments worn by poor women and servants were far less confining and distorting, but even they did what they could to copy or adapt elite fashions to some extent - at least for Sunday best.

All in all, it's amazing how much you can change the skeleton of a growing child through binding and posture.

[cowtime]

Kate, thanks for the info you're giving us. I find it fascinating how women conformed even their bodies - talk about being a slave to fashion....

I know what you mean about vintage clothing. My grandmother's wedding suit would not fit my girls when they were 7 or 8 years old. That tiny waist. And she was a 24 year old "farm girl" who'd mothered her 6 younger brothers before she got married. (maybe that's why she put it off so long, for that time and era).


Cynth, Don't be too impressed with the sewing. The corset and bodice are not that hard to sew. It's just that the bodice fitting is a royal pain, with making mock ups (in cheap fabric) until I got the right fit, then adjusting as I went along, then correcting mistakes, etc. - more tedious than difficult.

It seems like if someone put his arm around a woman (surely at some point they did that) it would feel sort of strange with all those hard things in there.

I'm sure "copping a feel" just didn't accomplish much way back when.

[anniemcu]

Kate, thanks for the info you're giving us. I find it fascinating how women conformed even their bodies - talk about being a slave to fashion....

I know what you mean about vintage clothing. My grandmother's wedding suit would not fit my girls when they were 7 or 8 years old. That tiny waist. And she was a 24 year old "farm girl" who'd mothered her 6 younger brothers before she got married. (maybe that's why she put it off so long, for that time and era).

Actually, when my hubby and I married, I wore a late 19th Century dress. It was lovely white cotton with lots of little tucks and lace, but was designed to tie to fit, not boned or constraining. I loved it! I'll see if I can scan the photo. (Of course, I was pretty dainty in size back then, though)

[carrie]

Your work looks beautiful, cowtime!

Only tangentially related: I've always like this part of The Scarlet Letter, Hester at Her Needle.

Carol

[KateG]

Annimcu, I'd love to see your wedding photo! The reason your late 19th century dress fit may have been because it was what was known as a "wrapper." These garments were less fitted and constricting and were meant to be worn without a corset, or with only a gentle one. They were extremeley popular with women in their own homes, on the frontier, while working, pregnant etc., or in informal gatherings with intimate friends. Some of them were actually quite fancy, even though they were considered "casual." There was also a fashion in the early 1900s for what were called lingerie dresses. These were white dresses that conbined the informal structure of the wrapper with lots of tucks, frills, cutwork and lace borrowed from lingerie (and you thought Madonna's bustier tops were a new idea!). They were popular for summer garden parties, and I suspect were hellish to keep clean and ironed.

And cowtime, I've been meaning to say that your dress looks wonderful - we can't wait to see you in it!

[anniemcu]

Annimcu, I'd love to see your wedding photo! The reason your late 19th century dress fit may have been because it was what was known as a "wrapper." These garments were less fitted and constricting and were meant to be worn without a corset, or with only a gentle one. They were extremeley popular with women in their own homes, on the frontier, while working, pregnant etc., or in informal gatherings with intimate friends. Some of them were actually quite fancy, even though they were considered "casual." There was also a fashion in the early 1900s for what were called lingerie dresses. These were white dresses that conbined the informal structure of the wrapper with lots of tucks, frills, cutwork and lace borrowed from lingerie (and you thought Madonna's bustier tops were a new idea!). They were popular for summer garden parties, and I suspect were hellish to keep clean and ironed.

And cowtime, I've been meaning to say that your dress looks wonderful - we can't wait to see you in it!

Yes, I'm sure the lingerie dress is what it was. Alas, The photo that actually shows some of the detail is a halftone print, so won't scan well, and the framed one is overexposed and so loses all the detail of the dress. (whine) Ah well... I love it anyway. I don't have a clue what ever happened to that dress. I got it, along with some other absolutely wonderful antique clothing in the SouthWest back in the 1970s.

[cowtime]

Daggone it. I was looking forward to seeing your picture of your dress.

I've only gotten the waistband on the overskirt done tonight. With the holiday last weekend they have decided to kill us with mail volume. That combined with a post office meeting meant I did not get home til almost 8 tonight. I did get enough of the overskirt done last night to tell that it is going to work though.

Maybe tomorrow I can get a few more pictures.

[anniemcu]

I was able to get a fairly good photo of the print. It is still in greyscale, so detail is a bit iffy, but it gives you an idea of the elaborate lace and tuck decorations on the white cotton dress. Cripes but I was skinny way back then!

[KateG]

anniemcu -- that's beautiful, and it's definately a lingerie dress. Thanks for sharing! I love the photo, it's lots of fun.

[cowtime]

Great photo, and dress. It always amazes me at the intricate work on old garments. Wow.

[Nanohedron]

I found myself thinking, Four pages. There must be a flamewar by now. I don't know how - maybe over fair-trade vs. corporate chiffon, or something - but there must be a fight.

Frankly, I'm a bit let down.

[Doug_Tipple]

I found myself thinking, Four pages. There must be a flamewar by now. I don't know how - maybe over fair-trade vs. corporate chiffon, or something - but there must be a fight.

Frankly, I'm a bit let down.

I hesitate to mention it, but should women have a monopoly on topics dealing with sewing? I must be a little odd, becauses I have always enjoyed sewing. Currently, my sewing is limited to flute bags and simple alternations, but in my earlier years I made nearly all of my clothes and clothes for my woman friend, clothes that she wore to her office job. Although I wasn't very successful with the business, I once consigned drawstring pants and shorts to a New Age store. The store caught fire, and I lost all of my merchandise, so that put an end to that idea.

Rather than being pushed to the garage with my masculine woodworking tools, I prefer to sit at my sewing table, look at the bright colors of the fabric and thread, and listen to a Mozart piano concerto at the same time. As I said before, woman should not have a monopoly on this activity. I think that men need to be a little more assertive in this regard.

[anniemcu]

I found myself thinking, Four pages. There must be a flamewar by now. I don't know how - maybe over fair-trade vs. corporate chiffon, or something - but there must be a fight.

Frankly, I'm a bit let down.

I hesitate to mention it, but should women have a monopoly on topics dealing with sewing? I must be a little odd, becauses I have always enjoyed sewing. Currently, my sewing is limited to flute bags and simple alternations, but in my earlier years I made nearly all of my clothes and clothes for my woman friend, clothes that she wore to her office job. Although I wasn't very successful with the business, I once consigned drawstring pants and shorts to a New Age store. The store caught fire, and I lost all of my merchandise, so that put an end to that idea.

Rather than being pushed to the garage with my masculine woodworking tools, I prefer to sit at my sewing table, look at the bright colors of the fabric and thread, and listen to a Mozart piano concerto at the same time. As I said before, woman should not have a monopoly on this activity. I think that men need to be a little more assertive in this regard.

Doug, you can borrow my good scizzors anytime.

[cowtime]

I got the hooks and eyes sewn in the bodice tonight so here's a picture of the get up on myself. It's still in rough draft stage though. Nothings hemmed and the only trim I've gotten attached is around the collar and down the front. This taffeta is hard to photograph. It's not at all shiny in real life.


I agree, men should sew. I don't know why more of them don't. My neice's husband has always sewn most of her clothes and their daughters' clothes. He likes to really be creative and the stuff he does is fantastic.


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[img][img]http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/479/victoriandressfrontrn2.th.jpg[/img][/img]

[Cynth]

Wow! It is looking really lovely---I just love the two colors you picked. When you described them I wasn't sure what they would be like together, but they are gorgeous. The overskirt (I guess you call it) is so beautiful---the fabric isn't limp so the bunchings (I don't know the right words) and overlappings in the front and back have some body but they look soft and sort of pillowy---I guess that's in the knowing what kind of fabric to get. You can see why some painters liked to paint dresses like these. It is really very elegant-looking---it seems to me it fits very nicely. At this point, are all the big problems solved? You probably couldn't know this yet, but I wonder about what percent of the work has been finished. It's sort of hard to believe it's really happening---probably even harder for you .

anniemcu, I really enjoyed seeing the photo of your dress. That photo is really interesting. Every time I see it a new story comes into my head about who you guys are and what the situation is---I mean make believe stories that take place in the old days. It seems like the expressions on your faces can be interpreted in so many different ways .