Well. I decided it would be a good idea to outfit three of my fellow students and myself in period costume for our lesson plan presentation to the class in my “Teaching Social Studies” course.
Am I crazy? (don’t answer that!)
So… yesterday I cut out two patterns completely and just the tissue for a third that I’ll cut out today… then begins the sewing.
The first is McCall’s 3669, I’m doing a modified version of the grey dress in the upper right corner. Instead of having undersleeves with a cuff I’ll be attaching a cuff to the bottom of the sleeve to gather all that material down to sort of approach the idea of the dress pictured on the left of this pattern. The fabric for this one is a pale blue with tiny dark blue flowers and vines.
The second is view B from Simplicity 4900. The reason for B and not A? Straight waistband! I have had a bad experience with that pointed front bodice in the past! No modifications for this one other then I think I’m leaving off that bow. The fabric for this is a small red gingham check.
The third, which I’ve cut the tissue out but not the fabric yet, is Simplicity 9723. I’m doing the blue one in the upper right corner. However, the pattern design is supposed to be about 1895 or so and the pattern calls for a 22″ zipper in the back… Zippers weren’t used on clothing until the 1930s and even then they started in children’s clothes… so I’m planning to use hooks and eyes for the closure. I’m using a dark blue twill-like fabric for the skirt and jacket and am thinking of using a white with blue floral print for the bodice.
The fourth dress… mine… I haven’t even begun to decide on! I want to get these three finished so we can do a fitting on the 24th… the presentation is on August 10th so I have time to do my own yet…
I think I’m going to offer the ladies a chance to buy their dresses and if they don’t want to I’ll put them on eBay… I should be able to get my material costs back at the least.
That’s it for now… Off to cut that third batch of fabric!