I am so pleased with my re-made 1819 dress. You can get the background here or read the sewing update here! In short, the new style shares only the skirt with its former self. The new ruffles are all hand hemmed and hand sewn on. The dress seams are a mix of machine and hand sewing, depending on if I felt like digging out the sewing machine or not. All of the bodice seams are flat felled by hand. The dress closes in the back with 4 mother of pearl buttons. Oh, and let me not forget that the dress no longer has built in petticoats. Part of the re-make was to create a separate petticoat from one of the two petticoat layers built into the dress. The petticoat ties under the bust and has a single button to close the top of the bust. It is just a sleeveless, simple version of the gown. I’ll have to take pictures sometime so I can share them. But the dress… It fits! It is ruffly! It has so much more style than it did before! Just to compare, the first picture is your first glimpse of its current style, and below that is from before the re-make.
Isn’t it more stunning than it previously was? I wore it to the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers’ 1812 Ball (ok, so my dress was a little forward thinking… maybe I have a time machine?). I had a lovely time, as expected. I made some new acquaintances and renewed some old ones, I was able to wear my recently purchased kid leather opera-length (which means over the elbow) gloves and a beautiful shawl one of my aunts gave me a few years ago, I got to practice my historic hair styling techniques (more to come on that point soon), and I danced! But let me stop writing, because really this post is about sharing pictures.
I’d just like to insert a comment here: looking again at these pictures, all the ruffles on the bodice of my dress really manage to make me look much more busty than I actually am… Hm… there are a lot of ruffles going on there!
I’ll leave you with this image: a teaser for a soon-to-come post about the creation of this hair style!
- Quite picturesque, I think. Thanks for taking the photos, Carly (and Mark)!
The Quintessential Clothes Pen 
It’s beautiful!!! Very well done!!!
I do love the triple ruffled hem and the frill on the bodice (well, you know I am very fond of the mid 1810s with lots of embelishment and ruffly details)!
The overall shape really has the look of the late 1810s!!!
You all look lovely:)
And the bonus of your dress is that it is an earlier dress which has been altered into a later style, which was truly a period practise!
Sabine
Ooo, yay! Thanks for all the exclamation points! I’m so pleased that the dress achieved that late 1810s look! And that is a great point, the period practice of altering a dress to fit changing styles over the years! Thank you!!!
Thanks for posting the pictures! The ball was so much fun, and you looked lovely! I can’t wait to read about your hair too! 🙂
Of course! I’m glad you were able to get them :). You also looked quite wonderful. And your shoes look great!
I’m so very impressed, Quinn!!
Thanks! I’m so pleased that you read and enjoy my blog!