Stash Delving

Projects always change when you limit yourself to working only from the fabric stash.

At first I vacillated wildly between different styles of Victorian gown to make for the stash-busting challenge. I wanted my inspiration piece to be Australian.

Initially I was going to go with a practical Natural Form Era gown, but when I realised I probably didn't have enough fabric I kept looking.

I wanted something that would be fairly achievable by the end of the month that I could make from stash fabrics.

Mrs Bauer's gown caught my eye because the satin skirt I have in stash would probably work really well for this gown. But then I delved into the depths of the sewing room stash boxes, pulled the satin skirt out and changed my mind, I don't want to transform the skirt after all.

1870 Formal portrait of Mrs Bauer who is wearing a full length dress and a long wrap. 

Her hair is long and fashioned in ringlets.

image source: Bonzle

This day dress from the Mode Museum would be perfect for our hot weather, no use drooling though. I don't have the fabric and it's not Australian.

Day dress, 1870-80 From the Mode Museum
see it on Pinterest here

I was sure I had made up my mind when I found this lovely portrait with the striped gown. I just needed to find a pattern and fabric.

Mother and two children posing for a portrait, Ipswich, 1870-1880

image source: Bonzle

I figured I could use the pattern from the gown in Patterns of Fashion 1860-1940, for this gown.

1871-1873 Dress: white silk with satin trim, English
see it on Pinterest here

I dug deep into the stash for fabric and found stuff I'd forgotten I had. Bucket-loads of horrid polyesters and not nearly enough natural fiber (because natural fibers get used-up very quickly around here). 

That is when I realised this is it! This is the costume to use up some of those bucket-loads of nasty polys that have been hanging out in the stash for years.

I'm going to make a gown out of the cheesiest shiniest fabrics, and my goal will be to use as much of the cheesy trims and fabrics in my stash as possible.

It will be a good way to:

• use up the costumey and oh too shiney trims
• use up the nasty fabrics that have hung around waaaay to long
• make my first Victorian gown
• make my first gown since I put on weight and get to know how this new shape of mine works

and if I stuff it up I won't be crying over wasted fabric!

It won't be a lovely Australian inspired gown after all. It will be a gaudy costumey frothy thing instead, albeit originally inspired by that lovely portrait.