HSF Challenge 15: White

About a week ago I saw this Lucile dress from 1916. I've seen it before but this time I knew I had to recreate it. I loved that it was 18th century inspired! After I started it I realized I could finally use it for a Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge too!

I love the skirt bustled on it!

scalloped petticoat

It's not perfect... it has a lot of small flaws I'm annoyed about but I don't know how to drape patterns and this didn't turn out horrendously awful, so I feel like I got just a little bit better at sewing in this project. I really do love the original dress and after making it I love the skirt bustled up and showing the underskirt. I think this would actually make a really gorgeous wedding dress if you really spent time to put detail into it (obviously it was a wedding dress but it would be pretty today too!).

There was a blue sash for it but when I got my friend Cait to help me take pictures I forgot the sash at home! It's unfortunate because I love the blue with it! So here's a bad self phone pic to get an idea of the blue sash. 

Things I changed: The original has four skirt layers: a scalloped shorter skirt, a sheer skirt with a lace pattern on it and a loop around the skirt of one boning line, a sheer apron with a ruffle to cover the boning line, and the outer skirt attached to the bodice. I didn't have the right kind of boning to put into the skirt layer so I left it out and then didn't really need the apron with the ruffle to cover that boning line. I could have added it anyway for the added effect of a ruffle but on the original you can't even see the underskirt's lace and I like the lace.  A zipper instead of hooks and eyes (I have no good excuse I was just being lazy and once I see a project isn't going to be perfect I start to take short cuts). Finally I didn't put in the sort of under sleeve? that is sheer and is longer than the sleeve and peeks out. I don't like it, I think it looks weird so I left it out. I may go back and add the small sheer ruffle on the neckline behind the trim, but probably not. 

The Challenge: # 15 the color white

Fabric: I think a silk blend fabric for outer dress, voile for underskirt, and a white cotton  for scalloped petticoat, grey cotton fabric for lining.

Pattern:  draped on mannequin

Year: inspired by 1916 Lucile wedding dress with obvious 18th century influence

Notions: zipper, lace for skirt

How historically accurate is it? The fabric is not accurate to the original but could be accurate to the time. I guessed on construction of the dress so it could be accurate with the skirts separated from outer dress. The zipper isn't accurate but I didn't want hooks and eyes on the back though they did have zippers at the time so it's just not accurate to the inspiration dress. 

Hours to complete: 20+

First worn: For pictures

Total cost: everything was fabric from my stash except for voile which cost me maybe $10

And because the original dress was a wedding dress I had to try one picture with a makeshift veil from lace I had. I love the sharp look of the dress from the side  in this.