I finished my tea gown. I decided on having no lace added as it is already far to busy a pattern.
I’m pretty happy with the back and like the side is pretty nice too.
I decided on not having the darts in it for various reasons mentioned in a previous post. But, lord, it does nothing for me! I’m not sorry for the horrible blurry photo because it is too nasty for a clear photo.
I think I need to do three things to make it something I might actually wear in public. One is I need to narrow the shoulder so it isn’t hanging so low down my arm. I need to put the darts in to give me a waist. And finally I need to wear a corset to bring the girls up wear they belong, thus filling in the baggy material at the top of the bodice. Just nasty as it is now.
The Challenge: HSF: Challenge 17 Robes and Robings
Fabric: cotton
Pattern: Truly Victorian TV432
Year: 1882
Notions: buttons
How historically accurate is it? The pattern is good. It is possible to be machine sewn. My intention for it is to be a house gown to be worn in a home and that is accurate. The fiber content is good but I’m only guessing at the print. I machine sewed the button holes and I’m not sure about that being common or if it was even possible. The buttons are metal so that is possible. The fit is terrible but I guess Victorian home sewers would have botched up a fit too. I’d so for accuracy it is about 85%.
Hours to complete: @30
First worn: not yet. And if I don’t fix it up it likely never will be used in public!
Total cost: $70
Can you imagine a time when women had to make all there own clothes? I am sure that there were some who walked around looking fine and many others who looked like sacks of potatoes.
Yup. They couldn’t all afford Worth! That tea gown has gone into the fix pile. It is just to nasty to be seen in public.
[…] not said with a lot of conviction. I have been working on this tea gown for nearly 3 years. First incarnation: so ugly it wouldn’t photograph. It hung like an ugly sack. The second incarnation fit […]