Wednesday, March 16, 2011

A Sewing Project

My friend Kate, who also works for a non-profit, asked if I could help her out.  She's been doing some of the muesum education programs in costume so the kids get a visual of one of the ways life was different in the past.  There was an 1820s style dress that was not quite right, so...sewing machine to the rescue!  One of the major problems (besides being a little big) was that the dress did not provide much modesty when it came to actively teaching children.

I dug out an old pattern for undergarments and accessories of the early 1800s from a box under my bed.  We picked out this little undergarment that would go under the dress and provide a bit of modest coverage.  Since it was going to be right next to the skin, I decided this called for some super soft Egyptian Cotton...Oooo.


Notice all the extra fabric?  I like to make sure I have plenty, I'm always scared I'll read the pattern wrong or mess it up and need more....plus, the scraps are so usefull!



Here is the finished product hanging in front of our nice blue living room walls!  It fits right up against the rib cage and buttons up the front (with buttons from the button jar, of course).  Since it cinches at the ribs, it can adjust to fit the wearer.


And this is how it looks under the dress (Kate was kind enough to allow a quick picture).  And we thought the look of a crisp white shirt under a low-cut dress was new!!!  I also added a draw string at the waist and the neckline so the dress can vary just a bit in size, plus added a pocket to one side so Kate can carry her keys with her.  Always great to help out a fellow non-profit employee.


Have you ever found the solution to a sewing problem hiding in a box under your bed?

2 comments:

  1. I love that that pattern just *happened* to be in a box under your bed!

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  2. My love for historic costumes has many, many, levels!! At least I was lucky enough to make a living off of it at a museum :-)

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