In preparation to sew my lace gown for our Gilded Age Becoming History presentation, I sewed a petticoat to properly kick out the skirts.
In my mind I imagined Anne of Green Gables in the Anne of Avonlea movie, where her skirts so beautifully kick out as she walks.
1899 PETTICOAT WITH ORGANDY RUFFLE
For the petticoat I used a lovely, soft cotton, while for the ruffle, I used an organdy fabric from Burnley and Trowbridge, that is so stiff it seems as though it’s been starched. All those details here.
1899 LACE GOWN OVER SPRING GREEN TAFFETA
Although I forget which pattern I used for the base, it was from one of the Big 4 pattern companies.
Instead of strictly following the pattern, I used it primarily to obtain the basic shape.
From there I looked at numerous photos from extensive on-line research and from The DAR Museum: Martha Pullen’s Favorite Places Series.
From the photos of extant gowns I focused on three goals I really wanted to achieve in draping this lace gown: the pigeon front blouse, the tucks in the back of the skirt, and the swirl of the skirt on the floor.
I also combined various laces to achieve the look found in an extant gown.
I wore this with the 1899 lace gown for our Gilded Age Becoming History presentation.
The petticoat perfectly kicked out the skirts every time I took a step.
It was such fun to wear and walk around and feel like Anne of Green Gables.
