Belvidere Victorian Days

Bad blogger! This was ages ago (well a few weeks, anyway) and I didn't do a post. Well, it's not a new dress, so it wasn't top of my list. Of course, I forgot it's new here...

Belvidere Victorian Days - Saturday September 8 2012. We were only there a few hours before a serious rainstorm moved in, but it was great fun to shop and chat with everybody!

Quick overview, since apparently I didn't bother posting this when I finished it a year ago! The polonaise is Truly Victorian's 1873 Polonaise pattern (TV410), pretty much just cut out and put together in my measurements, and it fit. Magic! TV patterns are fabulous.

(Okay, that's the only TV pattern I've ever used. But this one was fabulous!)

The skirt was made by my own very vague measurements and checking Patterns of Fashion to see how many gores an early 1870s skirt had.

The polonaise poufs are held up by tapes that tie together inside the skirt...which is why it looks so wonky in the below picture. Apparently I tied it like that and then went around with it like that all day. Whoops.

The whole thing is made out of $2/yd Wal-Mart cotton fabric, and trimmed simply with gathered strips of plain red cotton scraps from the Stash.

Oh, and the hat. I'm fond of it, just because it's made of straw braid I took off a Williamsburg hat that I decided was just a little too big. Sewed it into a new hat - waste not, right? Just stuck some lace, ribbons, and flowers on and called it Good Enough.

And a million flounced petticoats! (Two, actually. But that's a lot of yardage in those flounces.) And a plain petticoat, and drawers. Scandalous.

It's my first bustle dress, and it shows, but I'm pleased enough with it. I like stripes. :) If you hadn't noticed.