Hedgehog Gown

Making of the Gown

To go with our pocket hoops and hedgehog hair, we decided to make Open Robes Anglais. Finding a "historical" version of this pattern was a bit of a challenge, but I was able to find one that I liked by Wingeo.

I jumped right into things and cut out and sewed the bodice lining, but it just didn't look right. At $20 a yard, I was too scared to cut out my fashion fabric...so....decided to play it safe and do a mockup...

Here are a couple of pictures of the center back pleat.

Here are pictures of the mockup gown - front and back.

So, what's up with the bodice? On the pattern cover (above), the bodice front seams looked like they were straight, but the mockup looks more like a closed gown than an open gown. Here, I have folded back the front to the shape that I'm looking for.

Here's a picture of the bodice front after I made some adjustments to the front bodice.

Here's a picture that shows the back of the mockup. It's a good pic of the three back pleats. I also noticed the cut of the neck is too low - the back of my stays are showing.

Here's the modified back/shoulder pattern piece.

So, I'm now ready to cut my fashion fabric...*gulp*...

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