Following the first part of that exciting commission, when 7 Victorian outfits from 1865-1885 were made, a follow up order for children’s clothing was placed. Once again i was delighted to be working on the project – especially, since just like with the first one, apart from generic guidelines, I had more or less free rein as far as the embellishment etc was concerned. Basic parameters established – size ( age), cut, inspiration pictures, fabrics etc – it was time to get sewing!
btw – I also did some research,and learnt a lot – one of the best sites was this one – http://www.victorianlondon.org/cassells/cassells-15.htm – with lots of original text outlining the children’s clothes, notes ad pictures and other useful info – recommended!
1. a dress for a 3-4 year old girl, in cream moire, with a petticoat in cotton and a pair of bloomers – all with the same lace. the undergarments would also go with the next dress
the detail of the fabric and the pintucks – pintucks were perfect fr adapting the skirts as the girl grew – you simply undid them. Flounces and other decorative items were often used to cover the seams where a skirt had a panel added to lengthen it – very clever:-)
I was lucky enough to secure a model for this dress as well – a bit too young, so the skirt is a tad too long and the bodice too big, but little Cobi’s debut as a model was a success!
2. a dress for a 5-6 year old, in blue/grey cotton with blue silk taffeta decoration – loosely based on the picture:
and the rendition:
3. a dress for a 7-8 year old girl, in pink and navy silks to match the 1885 adult costume
the inspiration picture for the girl’s dress:
and the result:
and the undergarments for this dress and the next – another pair of bloomers and a petticoat
the next 3 dresses were based on the frocks in this picture:
4 – a dress for a 9-10 y.o. – a summer affair in lawn with velvet ribbon decoration – and interpretation of the outfit on the left.
5. a dress for a 11-12 y.o – in green cotton, with navy velvek and checj ribbons, inspired by the dress of the other standing girl, on the right.
this dress will form a match to the adult dress in similar colour:
6. and the last one, for a 13-14 year old – inspired by the sitting girl. A polonaise in black velvet with contrasting skirt, decorated with ribbons and antique lace. Again, note the pin tucks and the velvet guard ( and the dagged trim in the original) – all clever devices to allow for lengthening the skirts:-). forgive the quality of the pics – had a bran new phone and was still trying to get to grips with the camera! 😦
underneath there was another petticoat, much more suited to the Natural Form era, and closely mimicking the styles of a grown up lingerie:_)
this particular frock was a match from this, a bit later, adult dress:
Altogether, an immensely enjoyable and at the same time educational commission – cannot wait for the pictures from the studio – will be great to see them being worn by mothers and daughters! 🙂
Thanks for sharing these photos. I’m curious – how did you finish the hem on the blue/grey cotton dress? It looks like a raw edge on the photo but I’m sure that’s not the case.
you are right – it is not a raw edge – it is the selvage. It finished with a tiny fringe of blue threads that looked decorative – and since selvages were incorporated into a project where possible ( saves time!), i simply decided to use it for the hem on this dress. mind you, i wouldnt be doing that for a floor length skirt – then hem would have to be reinforced (bound, or cotton tape added) to prevent from damage:-)
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