Renoir Dress
Jun. 6th, 2011 04:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elizabeth_mnPhew! This project kind of ate my life for a while. I really want to get these notes down before I forget what I did.
I started with the horsehair bustle and ruffled petticoat. I drafted both from scratch, then I based the underskirt pattern off the petticoat pattern, but with the yoke drafted in, fuller in back, and with the front and side pieces merged, just leaving two darts at the top.
The bodice is the Truly Victorian Jacket Bodice, which I cut off at the waist. I had to shorten the bodice all the way around between the waist and underarm. I also shortened the front above the underarm, and it looks like I should have shortened the back, too!
(The horrible back wrinkle of doom, which did not appear on any of my mock-ups or fittings. Because life is unfair.)
The overskirt is the Truly Victorian Long Draped Overskirt. I merged the front and side pieces, made the front narrower at the hem, and pretty much made up my own pleating to create the drape. I also added a couple vertical ties to the back to pouf it up a bit.
The bodice and overskirt are joined into a polonaise and close with a dog-leg closure. They are joined from the center front, around the back, to the right side, then the skirt has a partial waistband and the bodice has a partial facing. The bodice buttons in front and the dog-leg and skirt placket close with hooks & eyes.
I didn’t bone the bodice at all, and everything is just one layer of the sheer cotton print over a single layer of plain white cotton. Except the overskirt, which has no interlining at all and is just a single layer of the print. Very light and summery!
I had some doubts about Natural Form and it being a bit dull, but I really enjoyed wearing this dress and I think I came close enough to the spirit of the painting to satisfy my desire.
I started with the horsehair bustle and ruffled petticoat. I drafted both from scratch, then I based the underskirt pattern off the petticoat pattern, but with the yoke drafted in, fuller in back, and with the front and side pieces merged, just leaving two darts at the top.
The bodice is the Truly Victorian Jacket Bodice, which I cut off at the waist. I had to shorten the bodice all the way around between the waist and underarm. I also shortened the front above the underarm, and it looks like I should have shortened the back, too!
(The horrible back wrinkle of doom, which did not appear on any of my mock-ups or fittings. Because life is unfair.)
The overskirt is the Truly Victorian Long Draped Overskirt. I merged the front and side pieces, made the front narrower at the hem, and pretty much made up my own pleating to create the drape. I also added a couple vertical ties to the back to pouf it up a bit.
The bodice and overskirt are joined into a polonaise and close with a dog-leg closure. They are joined from the center front, around the back, to the right side, then the skirt has a partial waistband and the bodice has a partial facing. The bodice buttons in front and the dog-leg and skirt placket close with hooks & eyes.
I didn’t bone the bodice at all, and everything is just one layer of the sheer cotton print over a single layer of plain white cotton. Except the overskirt, which has no interlining at all and is just a single layer of the print. Very light and summery!
I had some doubts about Natural Form and it being a bit dull, but I really enjoyed wearing this dress and I think I came close enough to the spirit of the painting to satisfy my desire.
