More Rose Wool

[atherleisure]

Eight yards of 60" wide rose-colored wool twill has carried me a long way.

First I made stays:


Then I made a pelisse:


Now I've made a skirt:






I still have a piece left that is full width for about 7/8 of a yard and half-width for about another yard so I can probably get a jacket to match the skirt out of it if I have conservative sleeves.

I used the same 1897 Harper's Bazar pattern mala_14 used for her recent 1895 ensemble, and, like her, I thought it also would work for the years just after the turn of the century. I had had every intention of interlining the hem with crinoline, but in checking, I found that it didn't seem likely that they were still doing that by c. 1905 so I skipped it. The hem is faced rather than turned up because I was planning to interline it with crinoline. Somehow my cutting got a bit wonky around the side so I wound up with only about an inch to turn up and had to hem it for flat shoes rather than the boots I intended to hem it for. (Note to self: check how much I length I actually need for my white wool 1897 dress so that I can be assured of having enough length to accommodate my boot heels.)

There are tennis fashion plates of c. 1905 that show women with skirts that drag the ground in back. It sounds ridiculously impractical to me, but fashion plates aren't about practicality, and it may well be that women wore their skirts shorter in real life. I found an article that talked about women's golf wear that said that they didn't cut their skirts shorter until more like the early 1910's. I presume that was compared to the length of an ordinary walking skirt, but I don't know that. Anyway, the point is that I probably should have cut the skirt shorter, but it was so pretty as it was that I couldn't bear to. As I said, I'll probably make a jacket to go with it anyway, which would make it useful outside the sports arena.

Incidentally, the only way I've found to keep the belt of the sweater down to a point like the pattern picture shows is to pin it in place. Otherwise, it just rides up to be an ordinary round waist.

In the pictures I'm wearing a chemise, ribbon corset, princess petticoat, waist petticoat trimmed with hand-knit lace, and a tucked waist petticoat. The sweater was knit from a pattern published in 1907 (Ravelry page).

Comments

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

That is so lovely! The length looks perfect, though I'm sorry you couldn't use your boots. This style looks particularly graceful with the slight train. A small jacket would be the perfect (and versatile) finishing touch.

[atherleisure.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

I think the pleats at the back hang a lot better with the train. The petticoat I made cut from a similar pattern looked much better when it was floor-length than it did after I shortened it. I guess dragging around pulls out the fullness some and displays it better. I love the way that back looks.

[mala-14.livejournal.com]

I love it! The colour is beautiful, especially with the ivory sweater. And it really does look Edwardian with the slight train and the right undergarments.

[atherleisure.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It's all your fault I made it right now. I loved the way yours looked. The petticoats seem to give the skirt a good line.

I need to try it on with my 1890's corset to see how it looks. The waist measurements are the same so I think it will be okay. (It looked fine with it when I tried it on that way without a waistband.)

[jenthompson.livejournal.com]

What a gorgeous outfit! And they really did wear the trains - it wasn't just high fashion. They walked around with the back of their skirts caught up a bit with one hand. That way of walking was seriously "a thing" during this decade. I've seen very early film footage where every last woman in a large crowd was walking with the back of her skirt hitched up with one hand. Street photography shows this quirk as well.

[atherleisure.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

I knew they wore the trains for every day wear, but I just wasn't sure about tennis. It sounds like a really bad plan to be wearing a bit of a train and running after a ball. Perhaps they didn't run much while playing tennis back then.

Now I need an Edwardian sporting event to go to. Preferably a fall or spring event so I don't melt!

[bauhausfrau.livejournal.com]

That's so cool! I love when a nice piece of fabric can be used in so many different ways.

[atherleisure.livejournal.com]

It's fun, isn't it? It also feels good to make something that has been on my sewing list for a couple of years.

[sadievale.livejournal.com]

Lovely things! Beautiful work, thanks for sharing!

[atherleisure.livejournal.com]

Thanks!