Victorian Ball Gown Journal
February 16, 2003
Now that I have the pattern and it has been approved, it's time to start looking for the fabric. Hopefully I can get it cheap... off of eBay or something. I've already bid on some that looks good... if it won't work I'm sure I can sell it to some late period persona in one of the surrounding groups.
March 30, 2003
Thought I bought everything for the ball gown yesterday but I forgot to get lining. Oh well... just means another trip to the fabric store. I look at the instructions today and decided to try and do without the gathered collar thing. the bodice pieces look like I won't need it anyway. The whole thing doesn't look to complicated... I'll need to get help with the closure and with the boning in the bodice. I've decided to go with a size twelve since my chest measurement has never been 32. The ladies at the fabric store made me promise to bring in pictures of the finished dress.
March 31, 2003
I'm going to at least get the fabric for the dress washed and the pieces cut out while I'm off. Since the fabric came in three pieces, I'm going to have to fuss with the pattern layout to get everything cut out correctly. I'm already thinking of the changes I want to make to the base pattern. I'm thinking about ditching the ruffled collar. The ruffled thing around the skirt looks necessary because it marks the bottom of the lace.
April 9, 2003
I need more room to do the pattern layout on the fabric for the ball gown. I think that if I can get everything laid out at once I can figure out which pieces of fabric to use for which layout. I know I have enough fabric.
Rethought the size of the dress also. The size 12 has a 34 inch chest measurement... but then I really thought about it. My cup size is slightly larger than a DD. A pattern that is for a normal 34 is not going to fit. So I did a mock up of the size 14 (36 inch chest) and that fits quite well.
April 13, 2003
Got all of the bodice pieces and most of the skirt pieces cut out. Next fight practice I'll cut out the pieces of the train. I've decided just to piece together the pieces for the ruffle that goes around the bottom of the skirt and the train. Everything else fits on the fabric correctly.
April 15, 2003
Cut out some of the sew in interfacing for the gown's bodice. Will finish that tomorrow and start on the lining. I need the interfacing and lining cut out to start on the bodice.
April 17, 2003
I did decide to cut out absolutely every single piece of the ball gown before I start sewing. I've got a box to hold it all too.
April 20, 2003
I have everything cut out except for the netting for the bustle and train. Two pieces for the ruffle of the train will have to be sewn together and one for the skirt of the dress. Not bad. I thought there would be at least one ruffle part that needed to be made out of six pieces. I'm debating about starting the dress tomorrow or waiting until my Mom comes back so I can call her if something happens. Maybe I'll start cutting out corset pieces.
April 23, 2003: 1:00 PM
Going to buy a new ironing board today too. The old one was broken then sort of fixed but it doesn't come up high enough anymore. I want to iron the fabric pieces before sewing them together.
April 23, 2003: 9:46 PM
Put marks onto interfacing, ironed fabric pieces, pinned interfacing to fabric.
April 27, 2003
Got all of the interfacing basted to the outside fabric pieces. Only two more seams to get those pieces put together enough to start on the lining. Which means dealing with the boning. But, so far so good. The placement lines and markings are starting to make sense and the bodice is looking good.
April 28, 2003: 11:53 AM
Got two more seams done on the bodice. Now I start on the lining. Tonight I want to mark the placement lines and sew in the boning.
April 28, 2003: 9:20 PM
Got the placement marks onto the lining and cut the boning to length. Then discovered that dealing with plastic boning is a bitch. I straightening it with heavy books over night in the hopes that it will be easier to deal with tomorrow evening.
April 29, 2003
Checked the boning this morning. Not as curled but definitely still not flat. Since we're going to be going to Myrkie A&S night tonight, the boning will have another day to flatten out.
April 30, 2003
Talked to mom about the boning for the bodice of the dress. Despite what the directions say, I'm going to remove the boning from the casings, sew the casings on, then put the boning back in. I also talked to her about what understitching is and how to do it. I think I'm set to go through to the zipper part.
May 2, 2003: 12:09 PM
Got the boning casing sewn to the lining pieces and have two more seams on the lining before it gets attached to the rest of the bodice. I'll need to put the boning in first. Clipped and pressed the seams on the outside of the bodice. I can probably get the bodice ready for the understitching by tomorrow afternoon.
May 2, 2003: 11:04 PM
The boning is in and the casings are sewn closed. The two seams in the lining are sewn and I'm almost ready to sew the lining to the bodice front. Just have to pink and iron the seams of the lining.
May 8, 2003
Got the five parts of the skirt sewn together as directed. Drew the placement lines in disappearing pen then chalked them. Cut the lace to length. Then discovered that the lace isn't wide enough and I'll need 11 rows of it instead of six to obtain proper coverage. So I think I'll buy more lace tonight before the meeting. After taking a 15th look at the back of the pattern envelope, I discovered that they did put the width of the lace on there. *sigh*
I think I need to get new needles for the sewing machine too. The thread is breaking a lot and it's not the tension. I've triple checked it and it's fine. I'm pretty sure it's a needle thing. Hmm. I might already have needles. Must check the machine's accessory box.
The spacing on some of the placement lines on the skirt looked wierd until I realized that two of them are for the gathered thing that goes all the way along the bottom.
The drape of the fabric I'm using is definitely different from the fabric that the pattern was designed for. I hope it all comes out ok. It's looking good though. Well, the little bit I have done is looking good.
May 9, 2003
Bought another 8.5 yards of the lace and I hope it's going to be enough. I'll probably work on it some more Sunday.
I noticed that this sort of non-SCA costuming project is good for me. No stress, just for fun, and calming.
May 15, 2003
I have one row of the lace sewn onto the skirt and the second row pinned. I think I can get away with adding a single extra row of lace between each official placement line. I've also hand hemmed the ends of a bunch of strips of lace. Not all of it but enough to get me started.
July 1, 2003
Sewed another row of lace onto the dress.
July 14, 2003
Put the last long row of lace on the victorian dress' gown and hemmed the four shorter pieces. I can probably get those all on tomorrow. Then I can start on the fun bits again.
July 27, 2003
Got the last of the lace sewn on. Sewed the back of the skirt together then pinned the skirt to the bodice. I'll sew that seam later.
It feels good to have actually made some progress and I'll be able to go a try on soon.
I'll probably skip the ruffle at the bottom of the skirt. I don't think I like the way it looks. I might look around and see if there is something else I can do in that space.
July 28, 2003
Basted the bodice onto the skirt this morning. Then tried it on. I'm definitely going to be making a corset to go with it just in case.
August 8, 2003
Took the dress over to Mom to ask about the skirt lining. I feel less stupid now. She couldn't understand the instruction that I was stuck on either. But, I do have directions from her for what to do instead. Three seams then it goes back to Mom for the zipper.
August 9, 2003
Got the seams done and it looks ok. I have the dress hanging and I'll take it over to Mom's tomorrow morning.
August 10, 2003
Mom taught me how to put in a zipper today. Zippers are easy!!! I never knew! The gown fits perfectly so I don't have to worry about making the corset. The corset is still the next costuming project. I've added a picture of it to my crafts page.
While I was putting the zipper in I burned my right arm on the iron and sliced my right index finger with a pin. No pain, no gain?
Anyway. Mom has taken it upon herself to accessorize the gown. She's looking for a purse to go with it and she's on the lookout for shoes now. She'd be looking for jewelry but I have a necklace and earrings already. Oh, she's going to look for gloves too.
August 11, 2003
Work on the dress progresses. Last night as I was starting to finish the lining I figured out the instruction just before putting the zipper in. Right now I'm working on whip stitching the bodice lining to the zipper and the skirt lining. Almost didn't do the skirt lining but it make the inside of the garment look much more finished. I think I might be able to get the lining finished tonight. After that I have to do the hems, tack the swag ends into place, attach a hook and eye to the back of the neck, and figure out if I'm supposed to leave the basting threads in the bodice.
I'm debating about the four inch gathered strip of cloth that goes around the bottom of the skirt just under the lace. Do you think it needs it? Right hand side is the view I'm doing. I'm starting to lean towards doing it. I have all of the pieces and gina_gwynne made sense about it tying the dress and the train together. The fabric frays at a glance so I'd probably hem the ruffle thing instead of just pinking it.
August 12, 2003
Have the bodice lining sewn to the zipper and to the skirt lining. I assembled the ruffle thingy and hemmed it last night then started gathering it this morning. I think I'll be able to finish putting the ruffle thingy on tonight. I'm still refusing to do the one around the neck. Yuck. Maybe I'll do some beadwork there if I have time. Next steps are tacking the ends of the swag into place and hemming the skirt and skirt lining. Then I start on the train. Now that the lace is done and the zipper is in, things are progressing quickly.
August 13, 2003: 9:50 PM
Got the dress part of the Victorian gown done. Well, done until I put the train on then there's a couple more finishing details.
Tried it on. Blah. I'm reminding myself that this week is my heavy week where I'm bloated and weight at least 4 pounds extra. The dress did NOT fit this tight Sunday.
The skirt is too short. The ruffle thing does make it look more complete though. Maybe I have enough scraps left to add a real but small ruffle to the bottom of the dress... maybe another line of lace at the hem... hmmmmm...
Picture from tonight on my craft page under "Victorian Ball Gown". Sorry about the expression on my face. I'm not amused by my body tonight.
August 13, 2003: 4:35 PM
I did fuss with the gathers this morning. I'll probably sew it on tonight. I'm having fun with the dress again.
August 15, 2003
Didn't get any work done on the dress last night even though power came back just before 9 pm. My back was twinging like it was getting ready to spasm. This morning though, I dug out my fabric scraps and discovered that I do have enough to extend the hem on the ball gown. I can cover the seam with something if I need to.
This morning I marked the the placement lines on one of the train lining pieces, ironed the pattern piece, ironed the second fabric piece, and ironed the pattern piece from the actual train. Tonight will probably be marking the second lining fabric piece then ironing and marking the train pieces. After that I need to cut out the netting pieces. Thinking that maybe, due to the extra weight of the fabric, I should double the thickness of the netting.
August 16, 2003: 9:33 AM
Bought some lace thing-a-ma-bobbies to put on the neckline of the ball gown. Definitely makes it look better. Going to talk to Mom today about the hem and whether or not I should do two layers of netting to line the train. Netting is on sale today.
August 16, 2003: 10:39 PM
Went to Joann's again today because the Simplicity patterns and nylon netting were on sale. I picked up Simplicity's new Victorian gown pattern, a pattern for craft and sewing organizers, and a pattern for 12th - 15th century Barbie clothes. Six more yards of netting just in case. Oh, and a fabric marker so I can make "Made By" labels instead of paying $2.50 for already made ones.
Talked to mom about the gown. The lace thingies are a different shade than the lace on the skirt but we're probably the only one's who will notice. To extend the hem I've made a ruffle after the same manner as the gathered thing on the skirt. The bonus being that the hem will be totally adjustable! The train pieces have been marked and now I have to cut out the netting pieces.
August 17, 2003
Took all of the dress pieces parts over to Mom's house as well as the two tubs of clothes I want to get rid of. Some of those were hers but were too big for her then.
So... dress progress. We got netting pinned, cut out, and basted for two of the train pieces. The big pieces. We had a couple of mishaps. We had to pin on top of the netting so when I basted the netting wouldn't get caught in the sewing machine. The problem was that the pins were just falling out. Even when I was just walking the piece from one room to the next. Fortunately, Mom remembered that tissue paper is often used when sewing netting to fabric. That kept the pins in.
The dress is going to be gorgeous when it's done.
I left most of the stuff over there. I brought the dress, thread, bottom ruffle, pins, and scissors back so I can do some additional finishing work on the dress part. Take out basting stitches, sew on the third lace thingy, pin on the bottom ruffle. I have glass beads that I may use to decorate the dress with.
September 9, 2003
I did not burn myself working on the ball gown today. Mom and I basted the netting to the last two pieces of the train.
September 11, 2003: 11:23 AM
Anyway, I worked on the train of the dress last night. Got the darts done, got the large pieces sewn together, and got the gathered ruffle pieces ironed out. Tonight I'll sew together those pieces, hem them, and start the gathers since the next step is to put that strip on. I think tomorrow evening will be cutting out the netting pieces for the "stay" (aka the bustle). I might be able to do the stay Saturday or Sunday morning.
After that, the stay goes into the train, the top of the train gets put into a band, and the attaching stuff gets done. Then I hem the train... very small hem because I don't have enough left to extend the length of the train. I think the whole thing may be done by the end of September.
September 11, 2003: 7:49 PM
Ok... got the gathered ruffle thing sewed together and hemmed. Now have to put in the basting lines and gather. Lots and lots of gathering. And more gathering. At least I made progress today.
September 15, 2003
Ran through the second spool of thread on the victorian ball gown yesterday. Fortunately, I got paid today so I can afford to go get another one. Hopefully, this will be the last spool. The scary thing is, I haven't had to rip any seams. There has been a lot of basting and some of that has gotten pulled out but most of the thread is actually staying in the gown. I'm getting really close to finished. After I get the gathered thingy on the train and get the train hemmed, I'll have probably a day's worth of work left on it.
September 20, 2003
I'm getting fucking sick of this gathered strip for the train. Ran out of thread, then broke a needle, then snapped the thread while doing the gathers. I'm going to have to get stronger thread for this I think. I was hoping to have all of the gathering done this weekend.
September 23, 2003
Dress update: #&$@^#$) gathered strip!!! *sigh* Found quilting thread in one of my baskets and I'm doing the basting stitch with that for the thread I pull. Tomorrow I'll start on the gathering.
September 24, 2003
Mom thinks I'm pulling on the wrong thread to gather the gathered strip thingy. She says that I should be pulling the bobbin thread. *sigh* Too late now.
September 26, 2003
Almost have all of the gathering done on the gathered strip for the train of the gown.
September 29, 2003
Dress update: I have the gathering done and the stupid strip is almost all pinned to the train. Tomorrow evening I'll sew it down then continue with cutting out the bustle pieces. The trick to the gathering I was having problems with was to gather between the seam lines and to pull the bobbin thread. I wouldn't have thought that which thread I pulled would make that much of a difference.
September 30, 2003: 12:18 PM
I finished pinning the gathered strip to the train last night and I will sew it on tonight. Next step is to cut out the netting for the bustle. I'll try to start that tonight.
September 30, 2003: 8:02 PM
At least I have the fucking gathered strip sewn to the train. Now to remove pins, cut threads, and probably pull the white thread I used for gathering out. Or maybe I'll leave that until the very last just in case. Tomorrow I'll cut out the netting.
October 1, 2003
Then I worked on the dress when we got home. Not only did I cut out the netting pieces for the bustle, I also sewed it all together and basted it to the train. I probably only have a couple more evenings worth of work on it.
October 8, 2003: 12:21 PM
I got quitea bit done on the ballgown last night. I got the top of the train into the band that attaches to the dress. This morning I evened up the bottom of the train, then basted the fabrics together about a quarter inch in from the bottom, and finally started pinning up the hem. I'll do the hem tonight while we're at the laundrymat.
After the hem, I have maybe two evenings worth of work left on it.
October 8, 2003: 9:55 PM
In other news, got the hem on the train done while we were doing laundry. One more night of hand sewing and it's done.
October 9, 2003: 5:26 PM
I got the snaps for the train sewed on this morning. Three hooks to sew on, three thread eyes to sew, and a bunch of flowers to attach. That's it. Then the ball gown is done. Unless I want to sew on glass beads, maybe decorate the train some more... too bad I don't have more of those lace motifs left.
October 9, 2003: 10:14 PM
The snaps, hooks, and eyes are done. I'm going to have to wear a corset with it. *sigh* Of course, every time I try it on I'm a size larger because of water retention. I'll probably still use the Fredericks thing with it. I'm going to have to add netting to the bustle; it's not poofy enough.
I'm not happy with the dress tonight but that's probably mostly my mood. Which is not good.
October 10, 2003
Well... the dress is done. I fixed the hem on the bottom of the dress, I sewed on the flowers, and I added some netting to the bustle. Looks good. But... as I step back and look at it:
"Some little flowers across the bottom of the band at the top of the train would look really good..."
"The bottom of the train looks awfully plain... I wonder what sort of beaded motifs they used?"
"I wonder if the hem of the train will need stabalizing so it doesn't flip over too much?"
Must. Resist. Voices.
Will get pictures tomorrow.
October 11, 2003
Put the dress on. I'm reminding myself that this is a heavy week where I gain at least 4 pounds and a dress size or two. Pictures of the gown, sans accessories, are on my crafts page.
Had to use the corset to get the thing zipped. Will try it on again next weekend in hopes for a better fit.
October 12, 2003
I really think I want the corset to wear under the Victorian gown. Maybe I'll take Friday off to work on it. It also looks like I won't be going on the fabric run Saturday so I'll have that day to work on it also. The corset I have now will get the zipper done up without strain but I think I need something that covers part of my hips. I have the pieces cut out, I have the fabric ironed, and I've read the instructions three times. Maybe I'll cut it out tomorrow evening.
I didn't totally manage to resisted the voices in my head. I beaded the band at the top of the train and I beaded the center lace motif at the top of the bodice. I need to move the snap bits on the dress down do I'm not pulling out the hooks when I do them.
October 15, 2003
Gown update:
Reset the gown side of the snaps a bit lower.