FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
1st Place
“Death kindly stopped for me”
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Mega props to my mom for helping me out with the photos last minute!
Outline the story …
The creation of this dress was inspired by the poem, "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson.
In the poem, a voice (perhaps the soul of Dickinson) is enchanted with death while slowly grasping that it is passing on from life. Accompanied by death personified, the soul travels though all the stages of earthly life and finally arrives at her own grave, realizing she is in the afterlife. To evoke part of the spirit of the poem, a ghostly love affair, the dress resembles both a wedding gown and a shroud.
I took literal inspiration from this line in the poem and made the dress all in sheer cotton lawn.
"The Dews drew quivering and Chill-
For only Gossamer, my Gown-"
This is a short poem, only 24 lines, but it takes place over centuries.
"Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day"
The poem has a pervading feeling of slowness, of a loss of time. Since 90% of this dress was handsewn, the unhurried, tarried feeling of the poem felt captured in my fingers and I feel, rests in the gown.
Outline the construction…
I'm really proud to say that this dress pushed my skills TO THE LIMIT and I now feel a better sewist! I challenged myself to embrace the slow process of getting a good fit and putting it together purposefully, beautifully Everything in this ensemble was done by hand, except for the long straight seams, so about 90%
I made the corded petticoat (with the yards of cord sewn in by hand), and two more petticoats, one with cartridge pleating and a shaped waistband and the other, just a simple gathered skirt.
The corset was a challenge! I was having trouble finding a pattern that I liked, so I thought draping a corset pattern would save time. In hindsight, that was no time saver! I've only made a couple of corsets and I was really out of my depth and lost in this whole process. I ended up making 7 mockups for the corset to arrive at something workable. The corset is single layer coutil and lightly boned.
For the dress, I modified a pattern from "Patterns of Fashion". The fit of the original bodice pattern was way off though, and it took much head scratching and MANY mockups to get a good fit. The dress is made from the sheerest cotton lawn I could find, with a lightly boned underbodice. The bottom edge of the bodice is finished off with double piping. The skirt has 1/8" cartridge pleating. The skirt flounces are hand eased over a tiny cord.
Absolutely stunning! Well done!
This looks so delicate and ethereal, also the way your hand pose fits so well with the whole image.
This is so beautiful! It’s HARD to make a corset look breezy, and you’ve accomplished it brilliantly here. Absolutely stunning, and so impressive!
This is GLORIOUS! You should be very proud!
Ohhhh your dress looks so light…as if it was made out of spiderweb and fresh air!
So beautiful!
Wow! I love the 1840s! Your outfit is beautiful! I’m also impressed that you did most of it by hand. I know it takes quite a bit of time and lots of patience. You did a fantastic job!
I am drawn completely to this dress. It is ethereal ❤️ great job.
This is STUNNINGLY beautiful!!
I am missing the words to tell you just how amazing this is! Obviously, the dress itself is stunning, but I also love the inspiration you chose! Great great great work!
Love it Love it Love it. Absolutely beautiful. 🙂
I Love it!!! I want it! I will have it!!! Just elegant!
So many fantastic pieces…every one amazing. But if I had to pick only one…just one….that stays and stays in my head and took my breath away with the simplicity and beauty on first sight it’s this lovely, heart-swoopingly lovely, gown. Applause for the result and the hours of handsewing and persistent application. It’s stunning and a character in its own right….
Beautiful! This looks like it came straight from a museum
Ethereal elegance oozes through ever seam and stitch in this garment. The gathering and gauging if impeccable. I think you will not be in the intermediate category for long. Your skills are amazing.
Beautiful gathering! I am absolutely in love with the shape/frame of the dress. The tiered skirt to waistline is so wonderfully complemented by your v shaped front bodice and the sleeves. Looking at this beautiful dress makes me want to make one for myself. Love it!
Love the workmanship on this
This is stunning, like fog just floating on timeless.
these pleats ! it must have taken hours and hours ! so flowy and beautiful.
Perfection- love the choice of literature and how it is embodied in the gown.
I hope you can do some history bounding or reenacting and get a chance to wear it.
The double piping on the bodice bottom border is amazing! I love it beyond everything else! 😍 well done!
This made my jaw drop! Everything about it is absolutely stunning, and an amazing interpretation of the story as well. Your dedication and hard work are inspiring! Congratulations.
I just find this so inspiring. I wish I could wear it and look half so lovely. I’m just such a fan of it. <3
Thank you all for your many kind and supportive words, I cant tell you how much it means!
I feel so encouraged and motivated to keep sewing.
Again, many thanks!
This outfit is so beautiful! So delicate and elegant.
The perfect embodiment of your poem. And your work is so lovely and so very well done!
A gossamer gown of ethereal loveliness!
how beautiful! the details are simple and sumptuous, and it fits you so well!
This is beautiful! It´s so elegant and ethereal and the pictures fit wonderfully into your description of the poem.
Beautiful job! Your gathering and pleating and eye for detail make me want one of this for myself! 😀
Really, really beautiful! You created an amazing shape with the corset, and really captured the ephemeral, gossamer feel described in the poem! Amazing work!
This is BEAUTIFUL! I feel I want to run through a wheat field in a summer sunset wearing this dress haha ^^ So light and ethereal.
What a fantastic creation. The shape you achieved is deceptively simple, just like the white cotton fabric, and the result is stunning. I love it.
Very Beautiful! Great Job!
This is so Ethereal… and those undergarments!!! 😍