At Her Leisure

Last month I finished a dress for a ball based on a Harper's Bazar illustration from 1887. It's a polonaise with separate underskirt. I followed the lines in one of the patterns from Bustle Era Fashions for the skirt part of the polonaise and modified the bodice pattern from my 1886 navy faille dress. The skirt was more or less draped on the stand and corrected a bit to follow the lines of a period pattern, though it didn't need a lot of correction.

It's a checked silk jacquard lined with cotton broadcloth. The ribbon is a vintage ribbon I got at Costume College and still have a yard or two left of. The lace came from Hobby Lobby last year and was pretty nice for a nylon lace. I got the gloves at Costume College too, though I have to replace the buttons on them because they're coming off and are pretty yellow.









Unfortunately, HEARTH doesn't seem to have the 29 January 1887 issue of Harper's Bazar online, but if you have the Dover Harper's Bazar fashion plate book, it's the satin and lace dress (d) on page 189.

I'm really pleased with how it came out.

While on vacation I decided to get a jump on my Christmas sewing so I went ahead and made the kids' Christmas ornaments for the year. I figure that gives me an extra week in November to work on the 1880's ball gown I'm making and maybe - just maybe - I'll get my 1918 dress finished in time for the centennial of Armistice Day.