Wombat's Stitchery - Civil War

Day Dress of Doom

The moment I saw this pattern, I knew I had to have one. That I was unemployed at the time, with three patterns that called for a total of nearly 45 yards of fabric, seemed no obstacle. Thank goodness for Jo-Ann's. This dress is made possible in part by their kind and generous habit of sending 50% off any one item coupons to people on their mailing list.

One day, I happened to find some thoroughly lovely cotton brocade in just about exactly the right pattern. It was only $6/yard, and with a 50% off coupon, I could by all 19 yards of it for only $56 or so. I'd already managed to buy a whole bolt of 36" bleached muslin for cheap, so I was, really, all set to go.

Like so many sewing projects, this one followed the 50-90 rule ... The first fifty percent takes ninety percent of the time (and the rest is banged out in the last week). In my case, it was the undergarments. I made everything from the chemise out (except a petticoat).

I'll put some more info here about making this dress (ie, how it made me vow never to sew satin again) soon, but for now, I've got up some pictures.