breakthrough

I think I may have figured out the hat/bonnet (more on that later) so I put it aside to work on the overskirt.

I'm using the Truly Victorian Long Draped Overskirt, but it was just not working out for me.  Granted, I am using a soft, drapey fabric, which the pattern specifically warns against, and it meant all my drapes were in a puddle at my feet.

I tried pulling up the sides more, and while that looked nice and solved the puddling, it meant the sides were now too high.  In my inspiration, the front overskirt hem is relatively level with the side seam.  I wanted to make sure there wasn't too much plain skirt showing; the look in the painting is of an explosion of ruffle from under the overskirt.

I thought about shortening the whole thing, but the side seams would still be shorter than the front.

Finally I realized I needed to make the front piece narrower; more of a rectangle, less of a triangle. This was the aha! moment. The pleats alone don't create the drapery; the tension on the side seams pulls everything into place.  With my soft fabric, I needed more tension, so I trimmed a few inches off each side, straight up to the hip.  I pinned a few pleats in, and it worked.  

 

I'll pin it up for real tomorrow; I'm a little burned out on pinning pleats today (especially after stabbing myself a dozen times with pins.)

Unrelated: I am currently eating the most magically delicious chocolate ever, Truffle Pig.  Holy crap.