Vague plans for a new bustle dress...
The DFWCG's next meet up is in a little over two weeks, and naturally I'd like something new to wear. We'll be going to the Sherlock Holmes ineractive exhibit at the Perot Museum, so anything bustle era, steampunk, tweed, etc. would work fine, though I've really got my heart set on a new bustle dress.
I have some fabric options in my stash, and hopefully I can manage it all from that and avoid the cost of new fabrics and trimmings. I've wanted a more summer-apporopriate and frilly/girly outfit for a while now. I picked up some striped cotton yardage that I thought would be great, but now I'm second guessing myself and wondering if the stripes are just way too narrow. What do you think?
The button card is only there for scale. (Yes, I have rulers but they weren't nearby! :p) My plan with this was to stick to the blue and white theme throughout, so maybe accent with a white underskirt and cuffs/collar/etc or white lace trimmings and have pops of crimson red bows or swags here and there. I lucked across this synthetic 'straw' hat at the thrift store that I'd modify to be sufficiently era-appropriate and would tie the whole thing together:
Though if that doesn't work, I have white hats of similar fiber that would be a great backup:
Right now I'm feeling inspired by this 1872 dress, but my plans aren't set in stone yet. Picture red where the gray bows and darker blue trimmings are.
I've also got silk that's been burning a hole in the stash for several years, and would be great for a later bustle era dress:
My plan was to use the embroidered silk as the vest portion of TV466 or TV463, and also as an accent somewhere in the skirt. Again, no solid plans beyond that just yet.
Whatever I decide, I need to get on it soon. I'll be flying to Indianapolis to visit my mom in 6 days, and staying there for a week. I can work on some stuff there, but I'd prefer to keep that to a minimum (accessories or hand sewing) so I can focus on enjoying my stay there. I'll have 3 days when I get back to finish it up before I'll need to wear it. That means I need to carefully plan and execute whatever plan I come up with. Decisions, decisions...
I have some fabric options in my stash, and hopefully I can manage it all from that and avoid the cost of new fabrics and trimmings. I've wanted a more summer-apporopriate and frilly/girly outfit for a while now. I picked up some striped cotton yardage that I thought would be great, but now I'm second guessing myself and wondering if the stripes are just way too narrow. What do you think?
The button card is only there for scale. (Yes, I have rulers but they weren't nearby! :p) My plan with this was to stick to the blue and white theme throughout, so maybe accent with a white underskirt and cuffs/collar/etc or white lace trimmings and have pops of crimson red bows or swags here and there. I lucked across this synthetic 'straw' hat at the thrift store that I'd modify to be sufficiently era-appropriate and would tie the whole thing together:
Though if that doesn't work, I have white hats of similar fiber that would be a great backup:
Right now I'm feeling inspired by this 1872 dress, but my plans aren't set in stone yet. Picture red where the gray bows and darker blue trimmings are.
I've also got silk that's been burning a hole in the stash for several years, and would be great for a later bustle era dress:
My plan was to use the embroidered silk as the vest portion of TV466 or TV463, and also as an accent somewhere in the skirt. Again, no solid plans beyond that just yet.
Whatever I decide, I need to get on it soon. I'll be flying to Indianapolis to visit my mom in 6 days, and staying there for a week. I can work on some stuff there, but I'd prefer to keep that to a minimum (accessories or hand sewing) so I can focus on enjoying my stay there. I'll have 3 days when I get back to finish it up before I'll need to wear it. That means I need to carefully plan and execute whatever plan I come up with. Decisions, decisions...