After more than two years I finally finished this project and I am so happy to be finished
Sometimes I start a project and somewhere along the line I loose interest or something does not work out as I want to. This can be discouraging and most of the time it’s better to halt the project, put it away for a while and finish it when you’re in a better headspace.
This is what happened with this project. I just couldn’t find the right fabric for the bodice. My local shops had nothing good enough and thanks to Covid many sellers halted shipping to austria for a very long time. I also thought about embroidering the fabric myself, but since I have a problem with one of my wrists it’s almost impossible for me to embroider for a long time.
A few months ago, funnily enough exactly on the day I started my project two years ago, I picked it up again. It was sitting in my ‚box of shame‘ and I decided that it’s time has come.
The underpinnings were already done as you can see in my last post. I also finished the basic skirt back then, which I never showed you.
The skirt
I again used an antique pattern but I don’t know which one I used anymore. I serged the seams on the inside, because I didn’t want to have visible stitches on the outside. The basic skirt looks a bit sad on my super skinny mannequin..I promise it looks better on me!
The pouf
I again don’t have a pattern, but it was loosley based on a diagramm for draped curtains. At first I tried to gather the fabric in the front, but hated it so much that I redid it and made some pleats.
The whole thing was sewn onto the skirt waistband. As you can see, I also decided to go with another corset unter this dress and not the pink one I made for the project. I just think, that this one is more comfortable to wear.
The bodice
Now it was finally time to start the bodice. The pattern was based on one I made some years back which was not a good idea. My body changed a bit in proportions but not in measurements which is completly normal and also a new and better corset changed…everything. It would have been easier AND faster to just draft a new pattern.
The first mockup was really frustrating: I couldn’t close the front over my boobs while the back was too big. So I redrafted the front and made changes in the back.
The second fitting was much better. The sleeves got shorter and a bit tighter, the front finally closed and my mom was able to pin the darts. The back still was a bit too big. We also decided on the hemline at this point.
I copied the changes on my pattern and then it was time to start cutting into my fabric. It is an embroidered silk from india I found on Etsy.
I really do love pattern matching and took my time to get the back and front to line up as perfectly as possible.
I flatlined the silk with some regular white cotton I found in my stash to give it more body. And then it was time for another fitting which was so much better. I only made very small changes on the shoulder and side seams.
To finish the bodice I decided to use authentic techniques for the bodice. I sewed some boning and added a waist tape to the bodice so that the finished look is smoother.
To decorate the bodice I used green braid and sewed it on by hand. And on one of the hottest day we had this year I started making the pleated batist parts for the sleeves and the neckline. Sometimes I really like to torture myself it seems. I also starched them so that they hold the shape better.
And after adding them with a few stitches..I was finished!
I’m super happy with how everything turned out and I can’t wait to go to the Palmenhaus in Vienna to shoot the outfit. But I still need to wait a bit, because I pre-ordered the embroidered boots which American Duchess designed with the Bata shoe museum! Can’t wait for them to arrive! The embroidered flowers on the shoes will probably look really cute with my outfit.