Gettysburg 2019: Tartan re-trim

Our group decided to attend the Friday night ball at the Gettysburg Hotel this year - and the theme for the evening was "tartan." Of course not everybody dresses in regards to the theme on any given evening, but it's encouraged, and I think it's fun to do if I can!

I did (and still do) have plans to make a new taffeta ballgown - the satin monster is lovely to look at but it's very heavy to dance in, and this year is the first time it hasn't ripped somewhere. About a month out from this Gettysburg though, I realized the new ballgown probably wasn't going to happen...so I bought a yard of tartan silk from Silk Baron so I could give a nod to the theme (dupioni, but with all the plaids you can't see the slubs unless you're looking!), and called it Good Enough.

I made streamers for the shoulders, a bow for the front, a simple sash, and bows for the headdress from the tartan silk - lots of hemming! Most of the tartan strips are hand-hemmed; some (the sash, I think) are, ahem, not.

The front bow includes dark blue velvet ribbon as well as the tartan, to give it some depth, and because I decided it looked too wimpy with just the tartan.

The sash is just a bottom-basic hemmed-strip-of-fabric sash, and is pinned to keep it in place.

I'm really the most pleased with the headdress; I thought it came out very nicely. Plus I really appreciated having a net to contain my hair while dancing!

For the base, it's just a cheap nylon hairnet (but very fine and catches on everything! so I imagine it's actually a good substitute for silk lol), sewn to a 2" brown velvet ribbon that's folded in half, and a piece of millinery wire stitched in. There were two nets in the package so I may make another base and leave it plain for everyday. Maybe...

On top of the base I knife pleated more of the dark blue velvet ribbon, stitched two lines of narrow berry-red on top of that, put the tartan bows at the ears, and then stuck flowers in there til it looked right!

Mr Dedicated-Follower-of-Fashion also made an appearance at the ball - it was his first, and happily I think he didn't hate it.  He, sadly, did not get anything new. He got to rewear his "Prince Albert" outfit from the Young Victoria dinner this spring, since I put a lot of work into that embroidered satin vest and you're going to wear it til it doesn't fit any more, sir. Plus unless you actually Know Your Stuff, 1840 and 1860s menswear isn't that dissimilar.

 I have enough of the tartan left to make him a new dog collar (aka stock collar) and had plans for that, but ran out of time. Alas. He was sad not to get anything new...deep down I think he's a dandy at heart. ;)