Light-blue 1630s gown

Inspired by the costumes from the series "By the Sword Divided" (and by the fact that actually I should finish the ballgown, but another new dress for the meeting before the ball would be just too nice...) I was highly motivated to make some more 1630s-style dresses. I ended up with six new fabrics and decided to use one that had been sitting at the back of my wardrobe for the past dunnohowmany years. The lovely light-blue jacquard (cotton-rayon-mix, for a change) told me it wanted to become my next gown. Now. Before the ballgown. I did lots of research to get an authentic pattern and to discover how on earth the skirt was attached to the high-waisted bodice without adding too much bulk, for clearly those dresses weren't two-pieced. The internet knows everything, but it doesn't know this. And the books may know it but I found none that would tell me. In the end I decided to use my fitted semi-authentic pattern and toy with the skirt until it worked. And it worked. Rather quickly. So now I hope also the six new fabrics will soon be made into more gowns for my vain countess! ;)

The chemise this time is made the original way, with separate starched collar and cuffs to pin or sew on before wearing and take off again before washing. The lace was bought approximately at the same time as the fabric and takes up the palmette-pattern. And this time the shape of the collar is not cut but made by sewing tucks into a long rectangle that give it a round shape to follow the neckline.

The bodice follows exactly the pattern I used for my dark-blue baroque dress, except I shortened the tabs. As I was planning to sew the skirt to the bodice I wouldn't need the long tabs to hide the white chemise underneath. The skirt is sewn right into the seam above the tabs, and the closure corresponds nicely with the little slit in the skirt's side seam. A satin ribbon decorates the high waist, the bowtie hides hook and eye. Great thing to have a box full of ribbons in all colours of the rainbow (and some more) to choose the matching colour from! ^^

The sleeves were the part I wanted to improve this time. The sleeves of my previous two early-baroque gowns were still not full enough, to my linking, so I added more volume and, as I have already two dresses with closed sleeves, slit these at the front. Also a very popular variation in those days. The edges are embroidered with little pearls, satin bow-ties decorate the upper end of the slit. Avoid flimsy art-silk lining. But the colour matched so nicely, and I liked the shimmer...

The skirt of this dress is not just a long rectangle sewn into a tube and then gathered, but has its seams cut a little on the bias so the waist is narrower than the seam - and hence less fabric has to be pleated into the waistline, which otherwise might make it look plump. Also there's no slit at the back, but a slit in the side-seam so skirt and bodice both close at the front.

And the very best thing: this gown can be put on in no time! Perfect for someone who wants to change three times a day at a roleplay :D

In this two pictures there's no matching chemise yet, I was in a hurry finishing the dress itself.