Hacking A Pattern

Feb 2019, I took Pattern Academy and thoroughly enjoyed the fast paced class. When our basement flooded, I put the course away and found it again a few days ago. It is in a mess as I vividly remember picking it up off the desk and stuffing it into a binder in no given order. Though distraught at the time, I'm going back through it once again with a plan of having fun hacking purchased patterns and designing my own from the slopers.
I am going to start off with a bodice. I spent a few minutes choosing two ideas from pictures I stored. It sort of goes with what I had planned last year. 

Idea 1

Pintrest with no credit found as I didn't save it

I love the surplice bodice and the idea of attaching a skirt to it makes a cute top. I have all the skills to make this top. 

Idea #2

Sold out at Jaypore

This one is a bit more difficult and will take some thinking to accomplish. I would start with attaching the skirt to the bodice and then slash the bodice to make the box pleats. This will be a work in progress until I get it correct. 

Thoughts

I will show how you can use a simple bodice from a dress pattern to get the same results. I hope to document it here so you can try it at home also. The surplice bodice will be the first one I will hack.
Happy Doll Sewing..............................

Mary Laura Dress Complete

I finished the dress and here is the final result. 

The back has buttonholes and buttons. All but the top one turned out good. The top one decided to not cooperate twice. Yes, I ripped out the first try. 

I did a rolled hem on the serger for the hanky. I folded it and put it in the pocket. A cute addition. 

Though I'm sad it is finished, I'm thrilled with the end result. 
Happy Doll Sewing....................................

Mary Laura Dress Part 2

I love it when I can sew slowly and think while I sew. The lack of pressure is wonderful and allows me to really get involved in the project I'm working on. 

The Skirt

The skirt is not historically correct as Ma did not add a ruffle to the bottom of the skirt. I pressed the ruffle down so it was flatter. 

The fit is great on Nellie. 

The Over Dress

As I sewed the over dress, I did more looking at the pattern. Did Laura have lace at the neckline and sleeves? She did at the neckline but I couldn't see it on the sleeves. I ended up using a scrap of cotton lace and hand sewed it to the neckline. Very carefully so it would fit near perfect. 

When I did the sleeves, I did sew the lace on by machine though it took me quite a while to do. I wanted as much of the lace to show. The lightening zig zag held the lace in place before I added the cuff. I bet Ma hand sewed the lace on after she made the dress. 
The sleeves went in perfectly as did the ruffle. I pressed the ruffle down so it wouldn't stand out. The dress is ready for buttonholes and buttons. 

As I put the dress on Nellie, I had a great appreciation for how much work Ma did to make not one but two dresses. The time she spent on them from start to finish is amazing. 
I'm happy that I took the time to make this outfit, to do some research, and to ask myself unanswerable questions while sewing. As I put the not quite done dress on Nellie, I said "Job well done, Ma."
I will take pictures of the dress when done. I still have the hankie to make and hope to have this project done today. 
Happy Doll Sewing.....................................

Mary Laura Dress - Part 1 Thoughts and Sewing

Though we have had a few restrictions lifted, we are still in self isolation and social distancing. It is hard but we will survive this just like people did in years gone by. 

The Fabric and Pattern

I have chosen to sew the Mary Laura dress this month as testing patterns has slowed down to next to nothing. I also chose to think about things as I sew and enjoy the moment as I don't have a fast deadline. It is also a pattern I've wanted to sew for a while now. 

Mary Laura Dress by Thimbles and Acorns

I chose a gingham look fabric to make the dress and in orange. The reason I bought it was it was deeply discounted in the fabric store I worked in. But, it made me think about gingham and I learned how it was a staple in Laura's time. It was also woven in the United States though its origins are European. But, the colors were limited; mainly red and blue. I wonder if it was in brown also as Laura talks a lot about Ma buying her brown fabric. Certainly not orange like I chose. 
I also wondered about patterns in the Victorian era. Did Ma have a basic pattern for making the girl's dresses and adapt it for other dresses? Or were patterns readily available to her? One wonders as patterns were available. They weren't like today's patterns but they were patterns non the less. Or did she drape to fit the girls using books that arrived for all to read?

The Process

I started with the skirt as I had made it before as an outfit when I tested this blouse pattern. 

I knew what I wanted to do differently. Not a lot of changes. As I sewed and serged the seams, I thought about Laura and Ma sewing these and other dresses. Did Ma have a treadle machine or did they sew by hand in 1879-1880? Did they finish the seams on these dresses or leave them raw? 
I serged all the seams but the back one. I did an overcast stitch on it. Doing other seam finishes is hard on 1/4" seams but one wonders what seam finishes were used? Whip stitch, french seams, Hong Kong, or turn under and stitch? All lovely thoughts to ponder over while sewing. 

The Ruffle

As I started to gather the ruffle, I thought about it. I love how it makes the skirt and dress. How full was Laura and Mary's ruffles? I had to go and look. 

Not much gathering which tells me Ma was careful with her fabric. 
I tried the skirt on Nellie with half of the ruffle gathered and I quite like the look of it in gingham. 

I am excited to finish up the skirt and start on the dress. I'm happy to be sewing for the Victorian era again. Thinking about the fabric chosen and the way it was sewn kept this fun and interesting. There will be more to follow. 
Happy Doll Sewing...........................................