1880s Day and Evening Dress
Details
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The skirt in progress. Both skirts are completely handsewn. Some period manuals suggested handsewing silk to make it hang better. I used the lining technique from an original bustle skirt I own. It's also the same technique used on my 18th century jacket and Eowyn's Travelling Coat. I sewed the 2 layers of silk and one layer of the lining in the seam. Then, I took the free piece of lining and folded the seam allowance under and whipstiched it down. The above pictures show the trim from the inside. It's sewn with large stitches like on period examples. The picture on the right shows the hem facing, made of a medium weight linen, being sewn on. The skirt is lined in a lightweight linen. The day bodice is lined in cotton sateen and dark brown cotton. It's made with a combination of machine and hand sewing, based on what was used on the original bodice. The only difference is I handsewed the binding around the bottom instead of machine sewing. The buttonholes are handsewn. The evening bodice is lined with cotton twill and faced with silk. It also follows the same hand/machine stitching used in the original bodice. The buttonholes are handsewn. The buttons are vintage black glass buttons from Farmhouse Fabrics. |
 One of the buttons on the velvet bodice. The buttons are from about 1880, a perfect age for the bodice. They're from eBay, of course! |
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