The Industrious Lady

  Antique 1860s Satin or Silk Moire Ball Gown Bodice Well you can't say our ancestors were not resourceful. This dress is homemade but very intelligently though not exactly kosher sewing methods used. There is fake lacing on what I think is the back, we can see from the inside that the boning and just little extra space is on the side with the hook and eyes. She didn't even fake it all the way up, just far enough so from the outside it looks like it is to the top but really it only goes to right under the edge of the bertha. Being on the model backwards might also explain why the bertha appears to be hanging so strange in the photos. We also see that the hook and eye side is longer. Another reason I think this is homemade is that we can also so the stitches on the outside. Not pretty tiny professional stitches, but huge basting stitches... on the outside of the bodice... on silk.... in a non matching thread. The maker did try, and with such rich fabric its hard to believe that

  Ca. 1850's Antique Civil War Era Day Dress From the Seller Ca 1850's Civil War era day dress Brown mohair with sloping shoulders Wide pagoda sleeves with attached white batiste under sleeves Trimmed with black silk velvet buttons and piping Note damage and fraying to hemline and bodice Silk collar included Crinoline not included From the Industrious Lady A lovely display mid 19th century dresses, the buttons are a lovely addition to the ensemble. And how nice to see a dress that has not yet been parted with its undersleeves. Under sleeves that have survived are rare due to their fabric being reused for other projects, under sleeves still left inside their original dresses are even rarer. Without looking its hard to say for certain, but fancier undersleeves were sometimes basted to their dresses, especially undersleeves made of more decorative material and whose purpose was more fashion than protecting the fabric in the sleeve above from body oils. How terribly sad that the he