Mid-to-Late 1820's Cream Cotton Print Day Dress

Mid-to-Late 1820's Cream Cotton Print Day Dress

This dress was my first attempt at an 1820's style dress. I made it in the fall of 2008 when I was pregnant with Malachi, so therefore this dress has some non-characteristic features to better accomodate my growing tummy and for nursing after the baby was born. I made my own pattern for the dress based on diagrams in Janet Arnolds Patterns of Fashion 1 and seeing pictures of original dresses online, especially ones from Demode Extant Women's Clothing and Vintage Textile.

The gown is made from a cream colored cotton printed with a floral motif in green, brown and pink. The bodice has a slightly high waist and is darted with a dart on each side of the bosom. It is piped in each seam and closes in the front - the first variation from the common back-fastening dresses of the period. The sleeves are puffed with the first puff divided from the lower sleeve by a line of piping. At this time, sleeves were getting fuller but were not huge and awkward yet. The sleeves on this dress are fully lined and have a short piped wrist placket so I can push them up on my arm if need be when I am doing physical work that requires bare forearms - like doing dishes or something like that.

The skirt is made of three gores in the front and sides and a rectangular panel in the back. The front of the skirt is very lightly gathered so the skirt would drape well over my tummy. The back is more heavily gathered. The skirt has a wide hem and two tucks and has a dogleg opening - another deviation from the more common straight back opening, or less common apron front opening that were options of the period. I took the dogleg concept from the 1860's since it works well for a skirt that does not open in the front, but an attached bodice that does. This is so I could unfasten the bodice to nurse the baby. I don't know if original 1820's dresses ever used this method of fastening. So far, I have not seen one that does. I made a detchable ruffled collar to wear with this dress but usually do not wear it. It can be basted into the neckline if I wish. I took this idea from the detchable baste-in collars of the 1860's. A more period option would have been to attach the collar to a full chemisette that is worn under the dress and tied round the waist.

In the "pregnant pictures" I am wearing this dress with a set of gussetted short stays which no longer fit me. In the last, very recent photo, I am wearing it with short stays made with gathered cups (instead of gussets) which I like much better. Also am wearing a shift with a drawstring neckline and a single plain white cotton petticoat. All inside seams are done by machine, but anything that can be seen from the outside I sewed by hand.