I think it is decided
Sep. 20th, 2014 11:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chocolatepot... that I will attempt some pre-WWI first or second mourning. I have a beautiful double strand of pearls that were a graduation present to wear!
My first thought was that I'd make basically a black evening dress with some white or mauve trim using this pattern I took at the Chapman, which is very simple.
But then I was like, is it mourningy enough? And do I really want to use a scaled pattern for this?
There are two commercial patterns I'm looking at: Simplicity's Downton Abbey knockoff, and view A of one of Butterick's remade antique patterns. The former looks pretty chintzy, but that could be mainly down to the fabric, and the pattern could be altered to be more period if necessary. But the latter pattern looks very good to me.
Then there's Laughing Moon's, which is kind of similar. I'd kind of like to do the guimpe in bobbinet with black ribbon stripes.
And lastly, there are vintage revival PastPatterns, one a little earlier, one a little later. Pro: probably more accurate than drawn-from-scratch patterns, still already life size, just need to be like an inch bigger in the chest. Con: they look more complicated (especially without good directions) and can I handle that in a month?
Right now the Butterick one (perhaps with a guimpe) looks like the best idea to me, given the time constraints, but I still feel a pull toward the evening dress. But then there's hair. D: I can't do hair.
ETA: /o\ Now I'm being pulled in even more directions, because I remembered that I have an extremely simple 1910s dress pattern (the bodice is LITERALLY ALL ONE PIECE with very narrow gores in the sides that could be just added to the main piece, the skirt is three, waistband, that's it). Okay, but then I also have the pattern of a mid-1840s mourning dress, and I could use the early Victorian bodice I already fitted better to me to be sure that it's right the first time. Plus, while the lining is fitted, the wool is pretty much a rectangle gathered into shape, hiding the potentially ugly darts. I would need to make a better petticoat, but that's no big (ie, Mom might do it for me).
My first thought was that I'd make basically a black evening dress with some white or mauve trim using this pattern I took at the Chapman, which is very simple.
But then I was like, is it mourningy enough? And do I really want to use a scaled pattern for this?
There are two commercial patterns I'm looking at: Simplicity's Downton Abbey knockoff, and view A of one of Butterick's remade antique patterns. The former looks pretty chintzy, but that could be mainly down to the fabric, and the pattern could be altered to be more period if necessary. But the latter pattern looks very good to me.
Then there's Laughing Moon's, which is kind of similar. I'd kind of like to do the guimpe in bobbinet with black ribbon stripes.
And lastly, there are vintage revival PastPatterns, one a little earlier, one a little later. Pro: probably more accurate than drawn-from-scratch patterns, still already life size, just need to be like an inch bigger in the chest. Con: they look more complicated (especially without good directions) and can I handle that in a month?
Right now the Butterick one (perhaps with a guimpe) looks like the best idea to me, given the time constraints, but I still feel a pull toward the evening dress. But then there's hair. D: I can't do hair.
ETA: /o\ Now I'm being pulled in even more directions, because I remembered that I have an extremely simple 1910s dress pattern (the bodice is LITERALLY ALL ONE PIECE with very narrow gores in the sides that could be just added to the main piece, the skirt is three, waistband, that's it). Okay, but then I also have the pattern of a mid-1840s mourning dress, and I could use the early Victorian bodice I already fitted better to me to be sure that it's right the first time. Plus, while the lining is fitted, the wool is pretty much a rectangle gathered into shape, hiding the potentially ugly darts. I would need to make a better petticoat, but that's no big (ie, Mom might do it for me).
