It’s been a while since I posted something on my blog but after the new year started my school was also starting to give us so much to do, that I just didn’t have much time to sew AND write new blog posts. 🙂
I already mentionned very shortly in my Welcome to 2020 post that I will be at the carnival in venice this year because of my school.
In fact I’m going to venice even two days earlier than my class and I plan to bring a dress with me and get a few pictures of me in this beautiful and enchanting city.
Since I knew that I will be in venice since late last year I already started planning, thinking and also sewing..
I didn’t have a fabric until a few weeks ago but very luckily I found a beautiful blue poly-taffeta (no silk because the polyester taffeta is much easier to clean) with rhinestones on it so please keep in mind, that this is a costume and not an authentic historical dress. I will use authentic patterns and try to have as much authenticity as possible but I will not focus on that for 100%.
Of course I did a small pinterest search to get inspiration and I found a few pictures that really inspired me and wrote down a sewing plan.
Picture 1 – Picture 2 – Picture 3 – Picture 4
As you can see all those dresses are pretty simple in plain colours but have an asymmetrical bodice and beautiful but simple decoration.
I really fell in love with the asymmetry and I want to feature it in my dress.
After I decided how I want to make my dress I sat down and wrote a check list for my outfit.
What do I need:
– Chemise
– stays
– pocket hoops
– Dress + 1 brooche
– Cloak/Cape
– mask (want to buy one in venice if I don’t have time to make one)
– fan (maybe)
Since I was in need of new stays I started with them. I based the pattern on the stays pattern I drafted in school and used one layer of coutil and one layer of a cotton-polyester blend herringbone I had at home.
As bones I used heavy duty zip ties. And for durability and lack of time I used metal grommets instead of handbound eyelets.
Next I started sewing a very simple cheat-chemise. It’s not as economical as the authentic version but again: Time 😀
I used a very thing cotton muslin from india, cut two layers of the chemise after an existing one, sewed the sleeve/side seam and finished them and also hemmed it by hand.
Now I was left with a chemise for a headless ghost so I cut a big cross which was deeper at the front, put it on laced myself into my stays.
Then I marked the line where I wanted my chemise to end and adjusted the lines when lying flat. And now I only had to finish the neckline by hand and finished the chemise.
I already wore it under my new chemise a la reine which I made for the Zeitentanz-ball. I really loved it because it was super thing and didn’t show unter the sheer dress!
This is it for today! Until next time I hope to show you some progress on the dress and also the brooch!
