24 September 2012

The Red Gown & The Hive's Challenge


This poor blog has been completely neglected during the past month. : ( I'm afraid that moving and unpacking forced me to take a break from sewing and blogging, but life is settling into a routine and I can finally share details about the red silk gown.

I finished it in time for the Hive's Challenge event last month and I have (finally) uploaded the few pictures that we took...

Modeling the completed gown with my daughter. 

The back of the gown and the polonaised skirt. 

Detail of my hair -- I usually hide my hair in a bun but decided to be more adventurous. I made a fashionable "bump" in the front; for the back I twisted two strands and pinned it up which is hidden beneath my cap. It was super quick and easy, and a better fit than a bun for this impression. 

My daughter inherited several children's clothing items which I am very grateful for, and I couldn't resist trying them on her! 



For more details about the Hive's Challenge, visit this post on the Golden Scissors blog and this post at the Buzz at the Hive blog.



9 comments:

  1. You look great!

    Could you give me any stomacher tips? I can never seem to get mine to lay as flat as yours - it starts out under tension and two minutes later it's drooping in the middle.

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    1. Thanks Cassidy! I' m no stomacher expert (this is my second open front gown) but I can offer a few ideas...have you tried sewing one side of the stomacher to its robing so there's only one side to pin? I have found that helps save time when getting ready and makes me less worried about loosing pins that might prick someone. Also, to help with the tension issue, you might want to try lining your stomacher with a heavier fabric so it's slightly stiffened. Hope this helps a little...good luck!

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    2. I pinned my stomacher directly to my stays, then pinned the gown over it. My stomacher actually was totally decorative, not structural.

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    3. Thanks, I'll try sewing one side! I've been doing as Colleen describes, pinning on both sides. It should probably be lined, too - my first one was lined and way too stiff, I think, so I overcompensated the other way.

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    4. Cassidy, good luck with the sewimg!

      Colleen, When I have tried pinning my stomacher to my stays in the past the pins end up bending. Is there a certain kind of boning that works best for this, like balleen? (My stays are boned with reed.)

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  3. I echo the others. You look fabulous. Your daughter is a picture!

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  4. I know this was posted a while ago but i just found it during a search for caps patterns. It turned out great and you look beautiful in it.

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Your feedback is appreciated. :)