During a recent conversation, a friend commented on the beautiful simplicity of Edwardian fashion.
She’s very lucky we were on the telephone or I might have had to hit her.
I said, “mm hmmm,” and let her continue. But once we hung up I hissed like a rabid cat. Because I LOATHE Edwardian fashions at the moment.
Okay, that’s a lie.
I adore everything Edwardian. I have enormous Barbier artwork on my sewing room walls that still makes me hyperventilate, even after six years of staring at it. The clothes they depict are heavenly.
However.
Admiring an Edwardian gown is one thing. Recreating one is quite another. Because while they look simple, upon closer inspection you’ll discover their beauty was not on the surface – it was in the depths. A single dress might have had a dozen layers, composed of several kinds of lace, trims, beading, etc. And getting everything to lie correctly required a labyrinth of closures, one layer at a time.
Yikes, right? It’s enough to send even the most stable pattern maker over the edge.
Spoiler alert: I am not stable. And there’s a limit to how much the wine drinking helps with that.
But.
Do not worry, fellow seamstresses! Your intrepid pattern maker will not fail you! I will simplify these scary closing up places as much as possible, and we’ll make lots and lots of beautiful Edwardian dresses together.
It’s going to be absolutely wonderful!
To follow along as Lydia’s Edwardian wardrobe grows, click HERE.
To see all the posts about Lydia’s lace dress project, click HERE.
And for information on where you can see the insides of more historic dresses, click HERE.