1770 style Azure Blue Dress
My azure blue 1770s fantasy dress. I did Not use a pattern for this , so there’s a slight chance it looks like a mismatch fantasy dress. Especially the bottom edge of the center front bodice, which I now realize should’ve had a much more pronounced point. Ignoring that, I think it fits nicely.
It’s a very Revolutionary War 1775-1783 era style of dress. I'm sure you've seen many many movies set in this time period.
We are still in the pandemic shut-down of 2020, and I’ve just binged watched The Great [a fictional story about the early years of Catherine the Great of Russia, crowned in 1762]. Elle Fanning wears a few dresses that have matching trim around the neckline and down the center front. And I wanted to give it a try since Most of the 1700s style dresses I’ve made have a triangular panel at center front, and are a bit more modern looking. [see my: blue polonaise, floral colonial, cupcake colonial, Lady Van Tassel]
It’s a very Revolutionary War 1775-1783 era style of dress. I'm sure you've seen many many movies set in this time period.
We are still in the pandemic shut-down of 2020, and I’ve just binged watched The Great [a fictional story about the early years of Catherine the Great of Russia, crowned in 1762]. Elle Fanning wears a few dresses that have matching trim around the neckline and down the center front. And I wanted to give it a try since Most of the 1700s style dresses I’ve made have a triangular panel at center front, and are a bit more modern looking. [see my: blue polonaise, floral colonial, cupcake colonial, Lady Van Tassel]
So this time, it all started with a Stay.
I made a stay, which is a type of cone shaped corset.
I had first taken an interest in the cone shaped straight vertical silhouette, a few months ago when I watched a costume analysis of the Musical: Hamilton costumes. So rummaged around my stash and found some canvas fabric, and I made myself a 1750-1770s stay. Lifting and compressing the bust, while being comfortable around the waist.
While it does squish my bust flat, it’s still rather loose at the waist. I could smuggle a water bottle into the waist line of it. It’s 2 layers of canvas, and has vertical and angled channels sewn around the body, and plastic boning slipped in to about half of them.
The most important thing about it, is that the Stay smooths out the lumps and wrinkles of the bust, so the dress fabric lays flat.
It has Grommets at the center back for lacing.
After that, I laid it onto some blue fabric and traced around it adding a half inch, to make the dress bodice. Because it’s cone shaped, there’s only a few seams on the bodice. Then I did the sleeves and the skirt, And sewed the trim onto the bodice and cuffs.
There are only 4 pieces of boning inside the dress bodice itself. The dress has a separating zipper down the back.
The whole thing was done over the weekend.
I’m happy with it. For a weekend project, that I made with scrap fabric, and eyeball-patterned myself, it does look pretty good.
I’ve made a second dress in the same style. Also see my: purple Eliza Dress.
See the Workshop page.
Pictures were taken at a park. Photos by Winter Wish studio, and others.
I made a stay, which is a type of cone shaped corset.
I had first taken an interest in the cone shaped straight vertical silhouette, a few months ago when I watched a costume analysis of the Musical: Hamilton costumes. So rummaged around my stash and found some canvas fabric, and I made myself a 1750-1770s stay. Lifting and compressing the bust, while being comfortable around the waist.
While it does squish my bust flat, it’s still rather loose at the waist. I could smuggle a water bottle into the waist line of it. It’s 2 layers of canvas, and has vertical and angled channels sewn around the body, and plastic boning slipped in to about half of them.
The most important thing about it, is that the Stay smooths out the lumps and wrinkles of the bust, so the dress fabric lays flat.
It has Grommets at the center back for lacing.
After that, I laid it onto some blue fabric and traced around it adding a half inch, to make the dress bodice. Because it’s cone shaped, there’s only a few seams on the bodice. Then I did the sleeves and the skirt, And sewed the trim onto the bodice and cuffs.
There are only 4 pieces of boning inside the dress bodice itself. The dress has a separating zipper down the back.
The whole thing was done over the weekend.
I’m happy with it. For a weekend project, that I made with scrap fabric, and eyeball-patterned myself, it does look pretty good.
I’ve made a second dress in the same style. Also see my: purple Eliza Dress.
See the Workshop page.
Pictures were taken at a park. Photos by Winter Wish studio, and others.
All photos are copyrighted.
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