FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Wine and Vine
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
PICTURE I'm strolling through the garden on a late spring afternoon, a glass of wine, the scent of roses on the air, the feeling of grass under bare feet, vines turned green, abuzz with bees. Life lush and green.
The Regency period, and the fantasy that is Bridgerton, inspired me to see if I like the way I look in an Empire waisted round gown. I hesitated because it felt like a fashion which best suits the very young, something I no longer am. But there were always people my age, and they wore the styles of the time, so, I decided to go ahead.
Outline the construction…
The chemise was completely sewn by hand after a back injury while laying in bed, made of linen, , pattern self drafted. My initial was embroidered with cotton floss, which I inherited from my Mom. There's a pair of long removable sleeves that I didn't show, to be whipped on as needed. The bodiced petticoat is mostly hand sewn, of polycotton lined with heavy linen, pattern for everything but the chemise is LA Mode Bagatelle Regency Wardrobe. The overdress is the same polycotton with a recycled embroidered mesh curtain. Possibly not the best choice for this, though it is very pretty. The Spencer, beret, and the reticule are all of brocade. I machine sewed most of the Spencer, with a good deal of hand finishing. The buttons are vintage mother of pearl. One more item is not shown in full, a chemisette. The buttonholes are stunning, and I am pleased with the quality of the entire piece but, in the intervening time I gained a good deal of weight and I didn't make that piece adjustable, so it sadly doesn't quite fit now, and no time to adjust it at the moment. All interior seams are finished. Most of these are hand felled, the mesh is French seams in the skirts, and the Spencer is overcast.
Lovey use of the embroidery and the hand sewing on the chemise.