The Duchess High Low Skirt

In my last post I shared the making of the Truly Victorian 1870 Blouse Waist, pattern TV401.  It has the most glorious sleeves!

The hi-low fall of the sleeve hem reminded me of the hi-low hems of more recent fashion skirts.  I imagined these two pieces in a Historybounding pairing and went in search of a skirt pattern.

The perfect pattern is available through the Do It Better Yourself Club website as a.............free...............yes, FREE, pattern!

https://doitbetteryourself.club/product/the-duchess-high-low-skirt/

The pattern is available in a downloadable format with layering to print your size.   All instructions for printing are there for you to follow.  I happily downloaded the free pattern and decided to print it without choosing a layer/size or length or front cutout option.  That wasn't the best idea as I had forgotten I was low on ink.  But all was not lost!  I simply chose my size on my crazily printed pages and followed that line legend on my computer and then highlighted it on the pattern.

So please don't think that the following photos represent the actual pattern.  The pattern is wonderful!  My attention to available ink is not!  And here is my chosen size and options pattern which covers a large part of my queen-size bed!

I chose the long length since I'll be wearing this for a wedding but also chose the saucy high front to show off my really adorable American Duchess Colette Button Boots.  These boots are appropriate for historical impressions from 1890 -1920 but I've worn them for multiple eras and modern wear.  I can wear them for hours walking and dancing without a care.  They are my favorite boots!

When I purchased the fabric for the 1870s Carriage Gown project I knew what I needed for the skirt and bodice.  I expected that some day I would want to create a dinner or even ballgown bodice for the skirt.  I needed extra fabric for the belt and reticule and all the trims for the skirt.  I placed my fabric order with all those options in mind.  And, luckily, after cutting out my patterns and finalizing the trim options, I was going to have enough fabric for the Duchess skirt!

Since this pattern is cut with the front on the fold, the fabric has to be folded with the selvedges at the top and bottom.  For me that meant cutting everything on the floor as it was the only place where I had enough space for this huge pattern piece.

With the interior of the skirt visible when worn because of the shorter front, I cut two of the fabric for both the outside and inside of the skirt and one piece of an unbleached muslin for opacity and structure.  So I had to crawl around on the floor three times before all pieces were ready.  And I had to banish the pup to the bedroom because she thinks this is playtime if I'm on the floor!

The waist of the pattern on the above photo is in the upper right corner.  It is on the bias and the instructions make sure you know to handle the fabric delicately right after cutting and go immediately to your sewing machine and staystitch the waist to prevent that curve from distorting.

I pinned the three layers together.  Now I'm on the bedroom floor and the pup is in the kitchen.  :)  And everything is pressed immediately before pinning to eliminate all wrinkles caused by cutting and handling.

To allow the fabric to naturally fall before sewing, I let the pinned layers hang on the dressform for several days readjusting the pins at the hemline.

Time to sew!  New Project New Needle.

I flatlined the muslin middle layer to the front piece by sewing at the waist and the back edges.  I left the hemline free and trimmed some of the fabric where it had stretched beyond the muslin inner layer.  Then I sewed a French seam along the entire lower edge and understitched the seam to the inside layer.

The next step is to sew in a zipper and close the back seam.  I didn't have a zipper but I had 5 matching vintage buttons so I made a placket and sewed it to the left edge.

Then I pinned the back seam closed in the outer layer and inner layer separately and sewed the back of the skirt closed.   With all seams pressed and the layers turned to their correct positions, the waist layers can be basted closed and a waistband attached.  I measured both the fabric and the muslin and attached them both together to the outside edge of the skirt.

The waistband is folded in half, the raw edge turned under 1/2", and then hand stitched to the inner edge of the skirt turning the ends inside 1/2".  Then the inner fabric is handstitched to the skirt opening edge.

Buttonholes on the skirt back opening and waistband and then buttons on the placket and waistband.

A last good pressing and the Duchess Skirt is finished!

With the 1870 Blouse Waist:

A piece of fabric neatly edged with the scalloped pinking shears and some saved ribbon pieces becomes a pretty wrapping for a gift.

With the American Duchess Colette Button Boots and ivory silk stockings available from American Duchess, and jewelry by LadyDetalle on Etsy, I'm ready to attend the virtual wedding.

The skirt hem reflects the sleeve hem beautifully!  And the skirt has such great movement!  I can see that I will make this skirt again in the shorter option with a longer front and following the directions for a knit.  Such versatility!

This is the end of the skirt portion of this post but if you care to stay I'm going to create some special decorated cookies for the virtual wedding celebration.  The inspiration is from SweetAmbs on YouTube and Facebook.  Although I haven't made these cookies before, she always makes it look easy, and I'm willing to try.

Making the cookies.

Baked cookies.

Ingredients and tools for icing.

Tea goes perfectly with cookie decorating!

The first step of icing and marbling with edible gold luster dust.

After drying overnight, the cookies are ready for the trim.

Details added with light brown icing.

Details painted with edible gold luster dust.

Finished!

I'm sure that some day I will look back at these cookies and cringe.  I hope so.  I hope that I get better with my cookie decorating but, like my sewing, I can only improve by doing it.  So here they are and we are ready for the virtual wedding!

Ah, love!  It makes the world go 'round and it is all we need as the songs say!

Hugs,

Jeanette

1870s Carriage Gown - The Plan

Travel back in time 100 years from my last post and we are in the Victorian Early Bustle Era and the era for my next project.  Inspired by these:

The entire time I decorated (and ate) these cupcakes I thought how beautiful these colors would be in a bustle dress.  Something frothy, floofy, and decorated beautifully - just like a cupcake!  I imagined I would be in buttercream yellow from head to toe, with mint green trim, yellow roses, a frilly chapeau, and, of course, a teacup and sweets.  I knew I had to make this dream come true!

Victorian Fashions & Costumes From Harper's Bazar:  1867 - 1898 has always provided inspiration as well as guidance as to what would be historically accurate for the four periods of the Victorian Era.  In this resource the periods are defined as  1867-1874 Bustles and Puffs, 1875-1882 Natural Form and Cuirass Body, 1883-1890 Return of the Bustle, and 1891-1898 Hourglass Figure.  I already know I want something graceful and flowing and find my inspiration on Page 56 with a Watering-Place Toilette (8.17.1872).

Now that I have an inspiration and colors, it's time to gather patterns.  Truly Victorian pattern offerings are where I begin as they have their patterns divided into the respective periods.  The pattern design will reflect the proper elements and details for that period and are made so that they are customizeable to your measurements through a selection of separate pieces that you cut to your unique fit.  There is a facebook group called Truly Victorian Pattern Sewists where any questions you have about a pattern, fit, fabrics, trims, anything, is answered by the pattern designer and other members in a very welcoming atmosphere.

After I find my patterns and know my fabric needs I turn to my favorite shopping places - the destash groups on facebook.  I'm serious!  I have found some of the most amazing remnants and trims, buttons, buckles, and accessories in those groups.  A few favorites are Construction Items For Historical Costuming Fabric/Trims/Books and Historical Costumers Bulk Destash-Fabric, Trims, Ribbon Etc..  I have a very strict budget for my hobby and these groups have allowed me to find items I would never have even seen at my local fabric shops.  Patience is key in this search and not everything will be a perfect match but that will make you all the more creative in your project.

It has taken me three long months to find everything I need and here are the patterns and fabrics, the classes I have to take, the skills I have to learn, and the accessories to make my Cupcake Gown a reality.

1.  The Blouse Waist - A cream linen with light yellow embroidery, cream trim for the v-neck version, and gold vintage buttons.

 

2.  The Skirt - Parisian Trained Skirt of buttercream faux silk by bangkokthaisilk on sale for $3.99 a yard.  Couldn't pass up that bargain!

3.  The Carriage Bodice - The same buttercream faux silk with buttons created by an Etsy artist located in Australia.  The buttons are an image from Vincent van Gogh's Roses. It was 8 weeks from order to receipt and well worth the wait!

 

4.  Silk Roses for Gown Embellishment - Created in the Japanese technique with fabric found through an In Search Of post in the facebook destash group.  The faux silk will not work for these flowers and these members had small bits of real silk which I purchased and they mailed.  Score!

5.  Belt and Reticule Combination - Goldwork learned from a kit by Lady Detalle on Etsy and beetlewing embroidery learned from an online class by Elizabeth Emerson Designs.  The reticle will hang off the belt and be in the approximate shape of the pattern shown.

6.  Bonnet/Hat/Headwear - There are several patterns by Lynn McMasters of Hat Patterns - Out of a Portrait that I think could be beautiful with this gown.  One is brimless, the other with a brim.  There are also two in Harper's Bazar that I really love including the hat in my original inspiration image so I will make that decision later.  Which do you prefer?

7.  Parasol - Using an inexpensive nylon pararsol available online and my own tutorial posted in my blog in 2019, I'll recover the parasol with the same embroidered linen fabric used for the blouse waist.

8.  And the final, perfect touch, a beautiful fan!  Lynn McMasters, Hat Patterns - Out of a Portrait, creates kits for fans from several eras and I have a kit for Victorian Roses.  I have a silk thread to create a tassel for the fan.  Lynn has just created a new design of the cockade fan pictured below which I made in her class at Costume College several years ago.  I have supplies for two colors and love the compact design of the new style fan which would fit in the reticule.  Which style is your favorite?

With the completion of the fan the ensemble will be finished!  Yay!!  But now it has to be worn and photographed and since I'm in Week 21 of Safer at Home there aren't any costume events in my forseeable future.  What to do?  Create a virtual event!  I'm hoping to organize a Virtual Tea for the Last Saturday of Summer which is September 19.  More on that later except for the cookies that I'm learning to decorate for the planned tea.

I'm in my second week of a class to learn to write more interesting and entertaining blog posts for you to enjoy.  My hope is to provide enough detail and inspiration for a new costumer to begin their own journey in this wonderful hobby.  As part of my own learning I had homework to create a facebook Live stream which I did yesterday.  It is in two parts and the links are here:

https://www.facebook.com/jeanette.m.murray/videos/vb.1140526109/10224498195539321/?type=3

https://www.facebook.com/jeanette.m.murray/videos/vb.1140526109/10224498272021233/?type=3

Hugs!

Jeanette