Tuesday, May 22, 2012

May Regency Project: Petticoat. Finished Photos!

Thank you all, so, so much for your kind words of support and encouragement after my post yesterday. It meant so much to me to read every thing everyone shared. I bawled as every comment arrived and bawled my way through reading them but oh, a grief shared is indeed a grief lessened. I have said it before but I will say it again. You all are the best!

And it helped, I think, to be able to share with you what happened. To have these precious little ones and their little brief lives documented in written word, and with photos. It just seemed so heartless to try to push that remembrance behind me and ignore it. Now I feel like closure has been achieved, and I can move on. And Susan has been extra-cuddly and purry and affectionate and having her does help, too, so much. After all we still have each other. The Choll said something that really struck me yesterday (hope you don't mind if I share it here!)

"Grieving reminds us of what we are to one another, so I suppose there is a reason for the pain." 


That is so true. And I would rather take the sweetness of loving along with the pain of loosing than be stoic and emotionless and never experience any sort of highs or lows. Love you all. Thank you.

And so anyway, the petticoat is finished!

Final thoughts on it: I am not totally happy with it. The back fits nicely now but the front is just a little too loose. Thankfully that should be an easy fix by just unpicking the seam at the front opening and decreasing the angle of the bodice. And having a snugger fit across the bust should help with the wrinkles I am experiencing at the straps. After I make those adjustments, I think I will be very satisfied with this project. As is, it is definitely useable but until I make those changes they will bug me every time I put this on.

Here we can see the ubiquitous I-am-pregnant-so-look-at-my-belly shot: (and a side view of the petticoat as well, although that is of lesser importance, right? Because it's just so amazing and awesome to see the almost-29-week bump?? :D)

Back view. You can see that even though the skirt is fairly narrow it still has a nice fullness to it and the tucks help add a lot of body.

The only thing I would probably change next time, besides the slight fitting issues mentioned above, is the seam between the shoulder strap and the front bodice, which you can see better in this closer picture:

I think moving it down on the shoulder to just above the neckline would look a lot better. I briefly contemplated taking the skirt off, making a new bodice with the longer shoulder strap, but then discarded the idea as folly. No one will see this petticoat when it is worn and I don't think the seam placement will affect the look at all once a dress is over it. But still, something to keep in mind for next time.

I now wash my hands of this May regency project. I look forward to getting started on patterning the gown in the next week or so. But I can take my time as there is no rush for it, as long as it is done by the end of June!

Love,
Sarah

9 comments:

  1. Just lovely! I really like the horizontal flounces at the bottom.

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  2. It turned out so beautiful! And you Dear Sarah, look stunning.

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  3. Beautiful! The simplest garments can be so pretty in their simplicity.

    And your baby bump is pretty cute under that petticoat! Is your corset an expanding gestation corset? I seem to remember seeing that at some point on your blog, but when I went back through your posts I had a hard time finding it. It was the first repro gestation corset I've seen, and it looked great (if I'm remembering correctly and it was, indeed, yours.

    One question - do you mind your photos being pinned to Pinterest? I added pinned a couple pics before I thought to ask, but I can take them down if you want.

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  4. Nevermind that question, I found pictures of your stays. ;)

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  5. Abigael, I am sorry I forgot to answer about pinterest! As far as I am concerned, if I post a photo on my blog (a photo that is mine, at least ;) ) It is fair game to be used on the internet. We never know were our pics might end up and to me, it's making a mountain of a molehill to worry about it. So pin away! And thanks - it's quite flattering someone likes any of my projects enough to link to them!

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  6. Awesome, thanks so much! Your projects are definitely worth linking to - I think you have a great grasp on how to fit historical garments that shows in your costuming. It is an inspiration!

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  7. I reaaaaaly like this dress on you, Ms. Sarah, and hope you do keep (wear) it after baby Anne is borne (umm, isn't that her name)?

    Bravo, good job. Oh, and the dress looks oh so comfy ta boot.

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  8. Wait a minute . . . "petticoat"!!!! It is beautiful, for some reason, though I read the word petticoat, I thought it was a dress. Duh! Blame in on my senior moment. Still, it's beautiful and I want one to wear whenever/wherever I feel like.

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  9. Your blog has been so much help in my Regency research! It's so great to be able to see the close-ups and process so I can recreate the items myself. :)

    I had a question about the way you attached the bodice to the skirt. Did you fold under the hem allowances of the shell and lining, and then kind of sandwich the skirt in between and topstitch all the layers? Or did you stitch the shell to the skirt, then slipstitch the lining on the inside to the skirt? I know you are a busy mom but I hope you don't mind my asking. :)

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Thank you for your lovely thoughts!