Uncharted territory - 1812!

Teal 1812 Ballgown | Fall/Winter 2010

Fabric: Teal acetate taffeta embroidered with a gold vine pattern

Pattern: Draped by me.

For a fundraiser for a CT fife and drum corps this May. I started with the JP Ryan Anglaise pattern I have used so many times before as well as a peek into Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion. There were some fitting issues. The modified Anglaise pattern I used ended up a little too big over my 1770s stays. My friend, SG over at Penelope's Needle commented that the gathering at the neckline had a a bit of a list to the starboard.

With some help from SG, fitting issues were solved. I ended up gathering the sleeves in rather than pleating them. To cut down on bulk, I decided to not gather the lining. Just pleated ever so slightly at the bust.

Chinese New Year Dress

This dress narrowly avoided getting racked in the closet indefinitely. I finally finished it, tried it on with and without the corset. I came to the immediate conclusion that it needed boning in the back to avoid puckering. In went the cable ties, but it still did not fit. I am not sure how it happened, but there was a 2 inch gap in the back at the top.

I also accidentally fell in love with this black and white Chinese dress.

I was about to abandon it for good when a friend happened to be over the house. A friend who needed a dress for the very same event. Lo and behold, it fit. I'm glad the effort I put into it was not wasted, and could be appreciated at the event.