This is my Natural Form Era entry for the Double Period Project on the Historical Costuming site Your Wardrobe Unlocked http://yourwardrobeunlockd.com.
I switched a few months back from doing the 17th century skirt I have written about here, to Natural Form era when we decided to try a local Steampunk group and they had a Winter Ball coming up. So in switching gears I did some research and was inspired by this gown:
There was something about the simplicity of it and I also wanted to try my hand at making my first corset, which would be a corselet and if I was going to the effort of making it from a pretty asymmetrical pattern, why hide it under a dress?
So I got underway wih finding patterns. I am not very familiar with Victorian so I went with some known patterns.
First the underskirt which is Truly Victorian Pattern 121: 1879 Petticoat with detachable train. I made it from muslin I had in my closest, which is why it has a patchwork appearance, but I needed it to be durable and washable, as this undergarment will need to stand up to being under my walking skirts when adventuring in the woods.
I made it with the detachable train which I attached with buttons I have from the jar my great grandmother used to keep spares in. My only complaint was that after washing the netting lost it's oompf so the back is not as fluffy as it originally was. (It also makes a great Cat Catcher)
Next layer is the top, which is just a basic peasant top pattern in white China silk with short gathered sleeves. And the underskirt, which I made from white taffeta and this lovely accordian lace which I fell in love with because of it's pleats.
The pattern is the TV 225 1878 Fantail Skirt. First a pick of all the layers of ruffles....
Then the finished skirt itself which is pulled into that lovely bustle shape by use of a ribbon along the back panels.
Now that is a lot of white. Time to break it up with a bit of blue and silver to keep up with the icy theme.
I wanted to get that same long draped apron in the two toned color scheme from my inspiration so
I used TV324 1878 Long Draped Overskirt using a turquoise blue faux satin and silver silk dupioni. I have to say I love the way this drapes and how the light catches in the silks. The poofyness of the back was also a pleasant surprise.And now for the final piece and the one that chose the colors for all the rest... the corselet. I spent a long time finding the fabric for this because I wanted this to be the only pattern, but I wanted something wintery but with birds and I wanted to explore the idea of creating something asymmetrical and mural like, so I found this lovely piece of faux silk to inspire it all. Using the pattern for TV492 1890's Victorian Corselets and carefully making my seamlines and where my pieces would meet, I cut out the pattern piece by piece, making sure a tree ran down the
front and getting in as many of the birds as I could. And this is what I got.I used steel bones on all the seam, the middle and along the back. I used rings instead of gromments because I didnt want to break up th pattern, and I also wanted to use these lovely jewlery clasps along the back.
All in all I love it, and felt lovely in it. I hope you like it too.
