The Blue Dress
I've had a great desire to make a hoop skirted dress for a number of years now, and finally brought myself to do the research and buy the materials. It was actually a lot of fun to make, and took about two months of my evenings and weekends. It's incredibly fun to dance in, and even just walk around.

The whole ensemble is composed of 6 layers. First, a chemise with hand-pleated neckline and sleeves (the sleeves have two sets of buttons so I can wear them at my wrist or elbow), over which goes the corset. This is the only piece I used a pattern for (purchased from Laughing Moon Mercantile). Over this I put on the hoop skirt itself, followed by a petticoat to help the hoops not show through to the skirt layers. I have an underskirt for added bulk and accent color in the front/hem. The top layer is the full dress, whose skirt and bodice are stitched together at the waist. The chemise shows through in the sleeves and neckline. Both skirts (not the petticoat or hoop) are cartridge pleated. I have discovered the wonders of how to bring four yards of fabric to fit a 28" waist.

This dress was not intended to be period accurate (it zippers up the side!) . I took from styles I liked here and there, and added some touches out of my head. And I hope to make a new one within the next year (luckily I don't have to make another hoopskirt or corset) .

Hop over to the "Other" section to see the mask I later made to accompany this dress.

The Teal Ballgown
I tried my hand at a second hoop skirt for Arisia 2008. It took longer than the last, due to there being much more detail. I also think I will need a dressform if I want to keep doing this (which I do!) to make bodice-making easier. I had to scrap the design for this one at least once before the final product succeeded. I used my corset, hoops and petticoat from my previous dress, and added a new undershirt and a bumroll.

I tried box pleating the overskirt this time for a different look than the cartridge pleats. It ended up looking different from what I expected (the pleats unfurled in a particular way), which was due both to me not ironing them down, and also from the type of fabric I was using. I'de like to try the look again with cotton, ironed. This skirt has pocket slits on both sides. Under the dress I'm wearing pockets that tie on at the waist. It will be easier to include pocket slits in all my skirts (rather than full pockets), and not have to shuffle things around in the pockets from dress to dress. I think I need another petticoat underneath to help the skirt bell out more, rather than hang, though.

The neckline gave me hell. I had no real plan on how to achieve what I drew in my original sketch, and was still completing it the day of the con. It worked out alright, although it twists slightly. I bought doilies for my sleeves, and cut holes in them slightly off-center so they hung further in the back than the front. The green oversleeve did not turn out how I was planning, due to being cut from a straight piece rather than a curved one (something I may replace someday, or try again on a new dress).

Eric in the Elevator, the Fan Performer Guest of Honor, liked my dress so much that he snuck a Hall Costume Award ribbon on me while we were having our photo taken. The Northern Light's Costumers' Guild gave me a ribbon this year as well. Hurrah!

I had my hair done up at Spicy Braids in order to show off the pleating that goes down the back of the dress. I somehow didn't get any photos of the pleats, though. So I'll get one later. I tried to do a robe a l'anglais back, with the pleats running from the neckline all down the back (one piece of fabric, rather than the bodice being separate from the skirt).

The Summer Dress I needed a new dress to wear to my fiancee's uncle's wedding. I shopped and shopped, but tend not to appreciate modern fashion, and so I couldn't find anything remotely like what I was looking for in any store. So I bought a pattern and some lightweight fabric, and did something just for me. I altered the pattern slightly, and hand added trim to both the hem and neckline.

My Wedding Dress
Of course I would make my own wedding dress! I may post more on this page about it later, but for now you can see what I wrote about it on my Sketchblog.

All images and content herein are © Sarah Morrison, 2011.
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