I've been working on a new costume this week, based off the costumes from a new musical called Sylvia which is based on the life of Sylvia Pankhurst and her role in the suffragette movement. I saw the first half of the show on Monday (unfortunately it was cancelled after the interval due to a cast member being taken ill) and was immediately taken with the costumes. I loved the shape and simplicity of them and how they moved, but also seeing the women being so strong while wearing such feminine outfits.
The pattern I used for my skirt (
here) is probably slightly too early, the description calls it Edwardian but also says 1890s and the back does seem quite full for an Edwardian skirt, but I loved the shape of it. I'm really proud of how it has turned out as there were a lot of things I found difficult while making it. I'm not used to working with such vast quantities of fabric or such large pattern pieces! I didn't follow the instructions for the waistband as the satin I chose for contrast was far too thick and didn't hold a crease at all, so I had to topstitch it to give it some degree of sharpness. The back is closed with 7 hook and eyes (the eyes are sewn into the placket seam - a new technique for me) and then a further two hooks and eyes and a pair of poppers at the waistband. It still pulls from the weight of the fabric so I might need to reinforce it somehow. I still have the hem left to do, and maybe adding some decoration with velvet ribbon.
The petticoat is made from an old duvet cover. I should have used multiple gores instead of one gathered panel at the top as there is far too much fabric at the waist and the shape isn't quite right as a result. However, I was working without a pattern or instructions and it still does the job. I've tried pushing the excess gathered fabric to the back as this is where most of the fullness of the skirt is, and this helps the waistband and skirt lie flatter over my stomach.
I've cheated slightly for the blouse and picked up a shirt with a high collar from ebay. I'm going to add lace to the front and maybe some volume at the shoulders as it doesn't have full sleeves. Assuming it arrives that will be tomorrow's job, along with finishing the skirt. I'm going to wait to take a full photo of the whole outift when it is all finished, but I've attached some photos of the details.
I'm not sure if this will interest anyone but I just needed to write it down as thinking about it was taking up so much brain space!
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