The Industrious Lady

Period Impression 419 Paletot: Part 2 Part of the fun of any project is the research and the eye candy. Here are some of the originals that I am drawing inspiration from for the paletot trim. I'm headed down the research rabbit hole and I'm taking you all with me mwahahaha.  Enjoy! \\ Cotton wrapper from the Met museum. It is labeled as a morning dress, but the princess seams and button front speak more to it being a wrapper than anything.  Another Dress from the Met collection. This one is a later, maybe 1864 as it is starting to migrate the majority of the fullness of the skirt to the back. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/80004406?rpp=60&pg=15&ft=1862+dress&when=A.D.+1800-1900&what=Costume&img=1 Another Met dress, this trim is a bit more simplistic and more doable. I actually love this, especially how the trim is used on the bottom to give an almost wavy effect.  https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/se

Period Impression 419 Paletot Part 1 So my old paletot is getting old and kinda takes the whole big, black, and ugly to a whole 'nother level. A new paletot was in order and this beautiful fabric was just asking to be made. Winter wear for the era could range from tight fitting to cloaks with no sleeves. A paletot specifically is semi fitted and French in origin. It could range from hip length to nearly to the floor. There are hundreds of originals and styles, but I found the two below that served as inspiration for the type that I wanted to make. Michigan winters are freezing and I needed something long and warm. I chose the PI 419 pattern due to its similarity to the one on the left.  So I left this unlined as many from the period were, and it is made out of wool coating, for closure I went with a frog clasp. I found a few originals that had these closures, and since my other paletot has buttons, I wanted this one to be different.  It turned out pretty nice

Online Primary Research Ever heard the saying that a picture says a thousand words? A picture of an original dress gives a thousand words and then some! A budding seamstress  can look at as many tutorials and websites they want talking about historical clothing, but there is no better teacher in the world than the original seamstresses themselves and the garments they made. When looking at research there are two types, primary and secondary. Words written by researchers, bloggers, and anything that was written about the era afterwards is considered secondary. While that can be nice its not as good as primary research,: items, books, and visual/written sources from the period itself. While secondary research is a dime a dozen, primary is harder to find. Here are some great links to help you out and have fun doing it! Extant Dresses http://www.extantgowns.com/ This is a wonderful blog that offers and array of original dresses! Ran by the lovely and mysterious Isabell