The Paradise

Just finished Netflix binge watching The Paradise.

Credit for the photo and info on the show here.

I liked it.  The show features the above girl, Denise as she leaves her small town to work in a large department store (a new concept in the 1870’s). There were some interesting plot lines and some cool characters but we all know why I watched it…costumes!  Some were really pretty and to my eye, good theatrical representations of what might have been worn.  I did have trouble with Miss Glendenning.  Some of her dresses in season one…they were often white with extremely strong contrasting colors in them.

Link to photo origin here.

They were so strong that it seemed like modern polyester material.  It probably was modern polyester but it shouldn’t have looked like it!  I also had some issues with the actress-seemed too old for the part of a young heiress in the 1870’s looking for a husband (in season one).  They married her off in season two and that suited better.

 

Not really into the roaring 20’s but I love shiny!

I took some photos of non-Victorian dresses at the Costume Museum of Canada’s little black dress exhibit because they were shiny.  That is all.  No other reason.  Shiny is pretty!

This dress was dated 1922

Every inch of it was sequence!

This dress was dated 1922-24

Close up of the 22-24 dress.

So much work went into that!  Love it.

Dress done…now hat tomorrow?

I finally settled on how I will finish my over skirt and kept it moderate.  I decided that I can’t find that delicate line between wonderfully ostentatious and bat crap crazy.  I am a middle aged woman so there really is no reason why I couldn’t err on the side of conservative…if you can call purple floral print conservative. I went with the lace on the front.

And I managed to squeeze enough out of the lace to make a decent coverage of the ties in the back.

And the lace shows up nicely on the sides too.

Too young

My cabinet card collection has many photographs of folks that I assume to be married and they appear to be May/December kind of relationships.  In this card, the couple seems to be closer in age but seriously too young to be married.  They look to be in their late teens.  Gads!  I love Victorian dresses but some of their life style features are a bit much!

With the bangs and the big sleeves, I put this rather plain dress in the late 80’s or early 90’s.

1910 Lace gown

I give you a quicky post of a Costume Museum of Canada dress dated 1910.  I think these photos are a couple of years old…I just hadn’t gotten around to posting them.

I am dressing the mannequin but I don’t remember what the event was.

Dressed, but I wish we had some sort of corset cover and petticoat for it.

Inserts galore. If I were to make an Edwardian dress, this is the direction I would go.

More is more?

I finished the over skirt for Lilac Dream.

Now is the time to decide what, if any, trim will be added to the over skirt.

At first I liked it with nothing but I rather like the lace. With some fancy foot work I can get a lot of the ties done with the same lace.

In the modern world, less is more, but in the 1870’s they seemed to live by a MORE is more philosophy. So let’s try more. I made a pile of bows and still have 3 left. Hmmm.  That doesn’t seem quite right. Asymmetry bothers my modern mind.Nope.  Not the asymmetry that is off.Nope.

Let us try the more is more theory again.I don’t hate it…more?

Gads! I don’t know!  I think I need to walk away from it for a bit and let it marinate in my mind for a bit.

There is also the issue of the contrasting side panels that I am having a love/hate relationship with.  I have to love them…they are there because I ran out of the floral fabric. Maybe they need something…more….

Challenge #2: Blue

Sorry for the lousy photo. The lighting sucked. This was the best angle in my little room. Also, this is very plain but I may add some trim once the bodice and over skirt are done. Hopefully, by that point, I will have a name for this new outfit for the mantle.

What the item is: under skirt.  A dull under skirt.  Very utilitarian! It was made to fit the challenge and to go with the mantle I made two years ago and haven’t worn yet. 

The Challenge: #2 blueFabric: cotton

Pattern: TV 201

Year: 1870’s

Notions: 2 buttons for closures.

How historically accurate is it? I’d guess about 90%. The buttons are modern and I can only guess if the weight, weave and dyes are correct.

Hours to complete: 10-mostly hemming. It is a very easy pattern to whip up.

First worn: not yet

Total cost: @$10

It doesn’t look to bad with the purple bodice.  Options.

Let us whine now

My computer is still acting up.  I caught the latest stomache bug going around at work.  I don’t have the energy to deal with a long post.  Just gaze at some lovely shoes….

1910

I have a new hobby

Typing this blog post and possibly all others in the near future is going to be frustrating because my computer is on the fritz.  I managed to dump some coffee on the keyboard and now it is typing weird.

Now e
very time i type aN A the caP LOCKS GO ON And off. AND MY LEFT SHIFT DOESN
‘T WORK. WAhen i hit the caP LOCK BUTTON IT TYPES An a. wHEN I HIT THE
V or
‘ IT GOES DOWN TO THE NE`XT LINE. An `x aDDS An aPOSTROPHY. tHIS NOT GOING TO BE Annoying aT All….

I will be back spacing and deleting like crazy.  It is amazing how many times one needs to type an “a”.  Grrrrr.

But, you didn’t come here to listen to me whine about how a good cup of coffee ruined an adequate computer.

Sewing progress is what you want to read about.  In keeping with my sewing frenzy, I completed another project.  A belly dancing belt to wear to my new class.  (Bucket list item.)

It looks nice on the table but, doesn’t seem like “enough” when it is on.

I would like more coins but, those things are expensive.  As time goes on, I may find other things that I can add to it.  In reality, what I really need is to learn how to make them move.

 

 

I got sew much done!

1872 Lilac Dream now has a skirt.

Truly Victorian’s 1870’s under skirt TV201

It looks a bit long for 3 reasons.  Trudy, my mannequin often shrinks.  I intend to wear heels with this.  Possibly, made the hem to long.  Happens occasionally to me.  I end up rolling the waist band the first time I wear it because I’m tripping and then I re-hem.  When will I learn.

I’ve always wanted to try a contrasting skirt gore. Running out of fabric is an good time to try it.

Bow on the back of the bodice is now properly tacked down and sits straight.

I have a few more of the bows (like on the back) and more of the lace appliques (like on the bodice collar) that may end up on the skirt but first I want to make the over skirt and see how it looks and where everything lays.  No point in sewing it on only to have to move it because the over skirt covers it.

I re-did the photo of the bodice so that you can actually see the buttons on the white portion.

So far so good.  I like the dress without the over skirt so I now have another option for wear, which I think was one of the points of the over skirt.