I was so nervous about this challenge! I scoured Pinterest and looked everywhere for an acceptable gown that I could replicate. I finally decided on this portrait of young Martha Washington. It's a modern painting by Michael Deas that imagines what she would look like when she was young. Originally, the plan was to make the gown for myself but when I went to lay out the pattern, I found that I was about a yard short of the purple satin fabric! *cue sad violin* I related my woes to my Mama and she suggested I make it instead for my little sisters! I cheered right up and got to work!
This is Mandee; #7 of our 8 children and she's 4 years old. I don't think I need to say anything in praise of her beauty because the pictures speak for me. She looks exactly like my mom did when she was 4! She also quite a character. You can see in the pictures below that she has a four year-old attitude. While she's sweet most of the time, she was having a moment when it came time to take pictures of her "princess dress", as she calls it.
This was such a fun project and I hadn't made anything for Mandee since February. I'm also halfway done with Mirial's (8) matching gown :)
I did finish the gown by Sunday but haven't got the pictures up until now. I wasn't going for complete historical accuracy here-I was going for maximum play-ability with ease of movement. I used a basic Simplicity pattern and dressed it up. Easy Peasy. And she loves it!
The Facts...
The Challenge: #10-Art
Fabric: 1 1/2 Yds. Purple Satin, 1 Yd. Gold Taffeta
Pattern: Andrea Schewe's Simplicity 3725
Year: 1750s-ish
Notions: Thread, Zipper, Elastic, Ribbon, Lace
How historically accurate is it?: Maybe 75%
Hours to complete: 4-5
First worn: For Photoshoot
Total cost: It comes out to somewhere around $10-15
2 comments:
Just gorgeous. :)
Glad to see things are getting back to normal, LOL! Tell Mandee she is a pretty, pretty princess! Can't wait to see Mirial in her dress, she will look just like young Martha Washington. Miss you xoxo
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