A Nineteen Teens Outfit

The front and back views of my 1910s outfit, taken Sunday at Costume College 2005. The patterns for the skirt and blouse are both taken from originals that I own (the patterns and originals will eventually be on my site). The blouse is made of Swiss voile from Farmhouse Fabrics and embroidered with blue floche. The skirt is made of wool crepe from Denver Fabrics. The skirt is made of two rectangles of fabric, and the shaping is acheived through the waist to hem knife pleats.

I'm wearing it over the 1911 corset from Corsets and Crinolines, a corset cover made from the same pattern as the blouse, and a petticoat made from the same pattern as the skirt. The hat and shoes are vintage.

How things work. The blouse is incredibly simple. It closes with snaps. The placket is just folded down center front and the snaps are sewn only to the folded edge so no stitches show on the outside. The skirt has a very interesting closure. The waistband is very stiff (I used curtain tape as it's similar in texture to the original) so it keeps the skirt at the proper high waistline. The waistband then hooks shut, and the skirt itself hooks with a hook and bar, and then the placket closes with snaps. The closure is nearly invisible.

The closed placket on the skirt and a close up of the shoes. They need slightly longer laces-they won't even tie shut when there's no foot in them, so I skipped a few eyelets.

The cuffs. The side seam of the cuff is sewn into the sleeve seam, so the cuff stays up. Like the collar, it's embroidered with buttonhole, stem and straight stitches.

Views of the hat. In the morning, all the pins were in my hair. I'm just a dunce when it comes to hair really. During dinner though, they sort of worked their way out. We think one hit Jenni (of Historically Dressed) on its way out. Oops. :)

And a seated view of it all.

A parting shot of what happens when you wear old store stock shoes and the insoles come out and decide to meld with your stockings. They stuck quite firmly and I ended up packing the stockings with the insoles still attached. Bad me :)