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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Fort Wellington Dress


I just finished this dress for the fort. It's the late 1830's period. The picture doesn't show the true colour, which was a more teal background fabric. It also needs its petticoats under the skirt.
It was based on an actual dress. We wanted to reproduce the pretty sleeves, which have pleats and a double ruffle at the top. The bodice has pleats laying diagonally across the bust line.
The entire bodice and sleeves are lined in cotton and boned at the bust darts and sides. We use hook and eye tape to close the back, as it's very durable. These dresses are expected to take a lot of wear!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

1812 Dress

1812 Dress

This is a cotton dress I made for Fort George. It has the typical Empire waist of the period and is made in a small print . The front bodice has gathers under the bust, while the skirt is flat. The back skirt has a gathered waistline, which adds fullness to the back of the dress. The neckline has a drawstring to adjust the fit. The small puffed sleeves are designed to fit tight to the upper arm at the cuff to keep them in place.

What you cannot see is the matching petticoat and under bodice. This is a tight fitted bodice, rather like a lightly boned corset. This is such an easy style to wear and suits many figure types!