A 2-day Dress and Part of a Skating Outfit

             

              This past weekend I went to an 1890's weekend hosted by the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers.  We were to skate and dance, and it meant, of course, I would need something to wear for both.  I received the bodice patterns for Christmas, but our lives were just restarting after the holidays and so sewing was delayed. 

 A week ago I started my skating outfit, it was to be a navy wool skirt with, a plaid flannel blouse. I made the skirt, and began on the blouse.  There I was sewing away, I had made the body, yoke and 1 of the 5-piece sleeves.  I went to make my next sleeve,  I finished the entire annoying sleeve, held it up to the blouse to see how it would look...and realized I had made 2 right sleeves. 

Still rankles.  

So after some shrieking and wailing, I decided to make the ball gown(which I had decided against earlier in the week because I wouldn't have enough time) as a consolation prize. I had 2 days.  I made it out of some pale blue rayon/cotton? moire and a Spanish Chantilly lace panel. I made the under skirt of  2 quarter circles seamed front and back  and then cut out 5 gores/panels of  lace and hand seamed them, which took an incredibly long time.  Then it was time for the bodice, I made the under bodice with the blue moire and the put lace over that as well.
The ball took place at Pine Manor Collage.  It had lovely paneling.

The main staircase

The Back

 The next day we had skating at the Larz Anderson Museum.  I had made a cape, based off of a 1890's cape I had from Christmas.  Its made from curly lamb and lined with cotton sateen.  I didn't have a top, but had an adorable military jacket to wear.

Ruby-grace