Fall Fashion Challenge Entry - TatusWelle1  

Back to List

Fall swing vest and pants

Victorian Bell Skirt

Rosies_stuffnsew, member

2 users recommend

Late Victorian Bell Skirt

Photo: Sharon Doig [C] 2009

Add Comment
Print

My inspiration for this skirt came from a Victorian fashion plate in a 1890's era book of sewing patterns.  The pattern isn't mine, it's the Truly Victorian pattern no. 292 from Truly Victorian dot com.

This lovely bell skirt began it's journey as a length of tone on tone grey striped fabric. It's construction involved creating a underskirt of silver bemsilk and a olive cotton drill dust ruffle.  The top layer is of grey striped quilting fabric. 

To shorten construction time the use of rolled hem, blind hem and a ruffle feet helped considerably.  While you only see the front view; the back view of the skirt is pleated into the band and has a small train.  Now this skirt is for dancing in.

Dancing you may say but it's got a train!  A simple problem to fix by making button tape.  I took three lengths of cotton tape, sewed button holes equal distance apart and sewed buttons in between the button holes. The tapes were attached to the underside of the grey bemsilk lining.  By hitching up the buttons in the button holes, the back of the skirt is shortened creating a ruched effect.

Trimming is light pink double faced satin pleated then cut into five lenghts. Then sewn in a acemetrical pattern.  Each pink ribbon length then had thin grey jacquard ribbon sewn on top.  To add extra visual interest, gathered lenths of pink ribbon were made into bows and hand sewn on.

As you can see, it's such a lovely skirt to wear to a Victorian themed festival of dancing and costume. Whose for some tea and cucumber sandwiches?

Add Comment Print

Comments (1)

mypinkrainbow writes: this is gorgeous i love it and want to make one
Posted: 11:26 am on September 23rd

You must be logged in to post comments. Click here to login.