Pattern Review: Truly Victorian 263: 1887 Imperial Skirt

Pattern Review: Truly Victorian 263: 1187 Imperial Skirt

Pattern Description:

Has a wide front gore and a narrow side gore, which extends over the bustle to give a narrow, extended look to the back of the dress.  The full back panel has a burnous pleat at the center which also acts as the closure.


Pattern Sizing:

I made view A, the floor length walking skirt.  I made size "K" to fit over my corset.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing it?

Yes, but it absolutely needs to be worn over a sizeable bustle or it won't look right.  I had already made an imperial bustle that I drafted myself.
 
Were the instructions easy to follow?

Once again, I didn't follow instructions.  (Bad sewer.)

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  

Incredibly easy to lay out, cut, and put together.  Because the pattern pieces are heavier paper, not tissue paper, they don't move around much.  I just used pattern weights (olive jars, whatever...) to hold down the edges and cut around.  Then just pin and stitch.  Easy peasy.

Fabric Used:

First version in a mystery black home decor fabric, probably some kind of polyester.  In a later version, a green silk dupioni interlined to cotton broadcloth.  Neither version is lined, but I did interline the silk.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

The first version (not pictured) was just the slightest bit short with my shoes on.  I'm 5'8" so most things that are meant to be floor length on my just aren't.  I added about two inches to the length and did a tiny hem and it's perfect. The pleated trim at the bottom is just a tiny bit longer.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, absolutely!  It's so easy to put together and looks great!
 
Conclusion:

I'll definitely make this one again!  I'm used to projects taking me days to finish, but I had this one mostly done in an afternoon.  I did not hand sew this, except for some finishing on the hem and the back pleat. None of the green dress was hand-sewn.

Steampunk World's Fair 2017

I'm back from Steampunk World's Fair 2017!

I actually managed to finish my sewing mid-day Thursday before the event.  This is unprecedented!  I also took some halfway decent photos!

Friday was an easy outfit day.  I wore my Egyptian archaeologist/explorer costume.  It's probably the most typically "steampunk" costume I own, but of course I like to make things a bit different, so I have my very Aussie looking slouch hat.  Overall its not historically accurate, but very evocative of what European visitors to Egypt would have worn.

Pretty much everything was thrifted for this, so it was nice and easy to put together.

In the interest of honesty in costuming, here are some issues with this outfit: I ended up having to change shoes with this outfit.  The ones I wanted to wear look amazing, but there's just too much walking and the heel was too high.  My back up shoes saved me!

I ordered 2 pairs of stockings to wear with this and neither of them worked.  I ended up finding a pair of olive green tights, but of course you can't see them in this pic.

I made a massive (massive!) mistake in drafting the hip pouch.  It was supposed to have grommets and lacing up the back, but was so big that I had to stitch the back panels together and it overlapped by about 7 inches.  Oops.

Saturday was a two outfit day.  I started the day in the sari outfit.

I really love the way this turned out.  It's an absolutely beautiful lace, unfortunately because of the pleating and wrapping some of the detail is lost in photographs.

The bodice was made kind of last minute, but I used the same pattern I had used on the green dress and didn't expect any issues,  For some reason the bodice is much, much bigger than the green one.  I think I must have made the seams just a bit smaller, resulting in a looser fit.  It was difficult to wear since it kept slipping off my shoulders, this wasn't helped by the weight of the lace draped across my left shoulder.  It'll need to be adjusted before wearing it again.

I love the linen that I found for this, though, and I'm planning to do a longer sleeve and a matching skirt at some point in the future.

I changed in the middle of the day into the green dress.

I'm still really happy with this.  It's definitely an attention-getter.  It photographs well, but the color is even more vivid in person and sets off my skin and hair color really well.  It's a statement. I got loads of questions about how long it took to make (not that long) and the patterns I used (Truly Victorian), etc.  I love talking to other costumers at these events!

The bustle was giving me some issues during the day getting stuck up after sitting.  I'm not sure what I did, but it's something to keep an eye on.  I still desperately need some petticoats.  I may also need to take the top hoop in just a little bit.  Overall still happy with the look, though.

I'm really happy with the time I put into the pleats, but it's still lacking in trim.  I found a couple of yards of black trims in my stash, so I'm planning to work on adding that between events.  At some point I'll also add an over skirt and I'll trim that as well.

Something like this.  Trims on trims on trims!

I also made a hat!  It was my first time making a hat, so it's not perfect, but overall I think it came out really well and I definitely learned a lot.  It was a total pain to do since it was all hand sewn, but I'm happy with the way it turned out and not afraid to make another at some point in the future.

Not perfect, but pretty darn good!

Sunday is always saved for easy outfits,  I wore my Midnight Orchid outfit and finally got a picture of it.  I also bought this amazing sash at As They Sew in France.

I was tired.  So, so tired.

Silly shot, but a better view
of my Nasty Woman sash.

I've been planning a late Edwardian walking suit for a while and I think that this sash may be an excuse to make it.  I already bought fabric for it!  No idea where I'll wear it since the fabric is a heavy cotton flannel, but I'm sure I'll find somewhere.