Cranberry Check Cotton Day Dress

Cranberry Check Cotton Day Dress

This is another mid-to-late 1820’s style dress. It has a dart fitted bodice with a scoop neckline and my usual dog leg closure. The sleeves are a variation from the ubiquitous gigot sleeve of the period, and are cut slightly wider and gathered at the wrist into a fitted cuff, following a period diagram. The skirt makes thrifty use of fabric and is cut as three gores in the front at the sides with a rectangular panel in the back. The gores were constructed of a straight panel folded in half. The front gore was marked out and cut, with the leftover pieces, after the gore was cut away, being turned and used as side gores. You can use this technique with any fabric that is not a one-way print. The skirt is lightly gathered in the front and is more tightly gathered in the back. To dress up this gown a bit more than the others I have made, I added a gathered ruffle or flounce to the bottom of the skirt. The join is covered with a bias band. I also made a cranberry taffeta sash to wear around my waist and two cranberry taffeta bows to pin at the shoulders for a bit of a dressier look. The sash and bows are not worn for everyday wear.