1920s Housemaid

Or, Volunteering at Jazz Age on the Delaware at Glen Foerd. :)

Glen Foerd is a late 19thc riverfront estate north of Philadelphia proper, and this first JAotD was a fundraiser for the mansion. It's a lovely site - the riverfront hasn't been developed along this particular stretch, so it's easy to pretend you're back in Oldey-Timeys - and the grounds are a public park when they aren't full of people in 20s dress.

I wouldn't have been up unreasonably late finishing my dress if I hadn't hemmed it without checking to see how long my apron was. Unsurprisingly: longer than I hemmed the dress. Unpick, unpick, resew.
Sorry for the blinding white apron. I even toned it down from the original blinding brightness...

This is easily the dumpiest dress I've ever made, hands down. And the apron perpetually crept upwards, as you can see here, and looked sort of dweeby. But I did not melt in my wool dress, as long as I wasn't in direct sun. (And in 90-degree heat, I melt in direct sun anyway.) Actually it was very comfortable in the shade; the awful humidity we've had this past week has finally dissipated. Just in time for a costume party!
To be quite honest, I didn't really find out how easy it is to work in this dress; I was planted in a chair at an admissions table for 2.5 hours, which wasn't the most physically taxing job in the world! And then I was released to go play with my friends, who all agreed that this was a lot more enjoyable than the time we went to the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island in NYC. There's more space, and you aren't penned into one small area! (Of course, the NY one is nice if you don't want to pay admission and just want to picnic; at this you needed a ticket to get on the grounds.)
I got an unprecedented amount of people thinking I was a nurse, though. I mean...okay? Sure, the dress could work for both, but do you see a red cross? Also, it's not WWI up in here. Stop it.

Made sure to get apron-less pictures of The Dumpiest Dress when I got home...
My buttons are giant and ridiculous, yes. I flatly refused to spend more money on this dress, even for buttons, so they are out of a great bag of Mystery Buttons...I think these were coat buttons at one point, and are all dinged up.
And I am going to combat the Dumpiest Dress by very happily going back to the 18thc and making a slightly frivolous and fluffy cotton print dress! Whew, I'll have a waist again...

Comments

  1. I think your "dumpiest dress" is quite fabulous!! You look extremely era correct!! Job very well done!! Love the whole outfit!
    Blessings!
    Gina

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    Replies
    1. One of my friends told me it looks like a Wednesday Addams dress...which actually made me like it more, LOL! Thank you so much!

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