One of the things that became obvious with my
purple 1860s gown was that my underpinnings were no longer doing the job.
Due to shortage of fabric, I cut my 1860s skirt in gores, perfectly period for the second half of the 1860s, but what I didn't do was make the correct hoop skirt for the job - an elliptical hoop, rather than a basic round cage crinoline.
This lack of correct hoopage caused the skirt to drape funny, and also resulted in horrible lampshade skirt, since my round hoop didn't have a flounce at the hem, nor did my petticoat. All of these added up to one verdict: it was time to make a proper hoop.
So I fissed and fussed around on the internet for awhile, too stubborn to just order the right pattern, and came up with a plan for making my own. (ladies, just order the Laughing Moon
Lady's Hoops and Bustles Pattern - 1856 - 1900
pattern and save yourself the pain). Luckily it appears to have been a success:
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| Elliptical hoop, needing a bit of adjustment still for a smooth silhouette |
Kindof.
I can see where I need to adjust the hoops a bit to create that nice smooth line. And as always, the Ugly Puffer makes an appearance to help create the right shape:
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| It's SO UGLY! |
Tonight's project (before tomorrow's event) will be to make a proper floor-length flounced petticoat to further fill and puff and smooth. The one here is not long or flouncy enough, though it does the job in a pinch:
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| A stand-in all-purpose petticoat, soon to be replaced with a full-length flounced petticoat |
The final output is nice, though, and the issues appear to have been solved. I'm still not 100% sold on this particular silhouette, but at least it's looking more like it should now...
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| ...but it all works together! |
