A Dress Historian Examines an Antique Victorian Dress with a 33-inch Waist (it's mostly hand sewn!)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ธ.ค. 2020
- Let's look at this gorgeous lady, 1858-1860, simple, refined, well-made, elegant, and mostly handsewn. This dress is a great example of the late 1850s and early 1860s styles.
The other great thing about this dress is her size. She was expanded by a couple inches after she was first made, but even then she was originally around a 30" waist. I love finding great examples of non-24" waist garments because it just helps further emphasize that people were just as diverse 160 years ago as they are today.
So, whether you enjoy looking at antique Victorian dress examinations, or you're looking for some sewing tips and tricks for making your next mid-Victorian dress for Dickens Faire 2021 (and beyond). I think you'll enjoy the details found in this pretty green and black dress. Her sewing construction is very easy to reproduce and follow, which is fantastic. The quality of the sewing is good but doesn't leave you feeling less than. Just surprisingly, there is a lot of hand-sewing in this dress, except for very visible parts. So that's something to keep in mind. Hand sewing mid-Victorian dresses were still very common, and if you used a sewing machine, you'd want to show it off (because oooh technology!) and would use the machine for visible stitches - like the back of this dress.
(Also: No, this is not arsenic green. I cut this part out of the video, but you can see the discoloration under her armpits from sweating - the blue dye ran and left the yellow dye behind.)
...I will always be lowkey salty about this whole arsenic green thing...
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So much detail! Thank you for letting us in on this beautiful find. My favourite part is that hundreds of thousands of people get to study this gown up close, and the object only gets the strain of being handled once.
It's wonderful isn't it. How are you Cathy? I think of you often. I'm having neurosurgery this week. Privately funded due to being postponed several times by NHS because of that which shall not be named. Fairly anxious yet optomistic. Your videos (including Abby, Bernadette and many more) have been truly inspirational. Thank you x
Its also nice for those of us who can't afford to buy vintage/antique clothing. Or have storage for them.
I'm in both camps. I greatly appreciate these videos.
Does any one know when the practice of building a fitted shell lining and then layering the (fashion) fabric on top began? I know it was prevalent in the late 1800s. I didn't know they were doing it in the 1860s. Are Gigot dresses like this? You just kind of assume "oh, yeah, dress and lining," not muslin or cotton base fitted to owner and THEN layer dress pieces on top. It kind of alters one's perspective.
Abby pointing out the errors and ways they "went with it" while sewing, makes me feel better when working on my historical costumes :)
Just gotta remember if its on the inside noone knows but you
Absolutely!
I am much more critical of my own work than I am of the off-the-rack clothing I buy.
I love that sleeve shape. I would probably accidentally drag it through my breakfast the first time I wore it, but I would still love it.
You should track down 'Patterns of Fashion 2' and look at the 1861-3 day dress! It's my favourite dress in all the books! Martha McCain made a very similar pattern for Simplicity 4510.
@Kagey I have a few dresses with bell sleeves and god forbid I have soup when wearing them because I'll _always_ accidentally sock them xD
@@fatimaalaa2659 I had a shirt with long sleeves. You wind them around your wrists. At least, I did.
I really love when Abby points out sweat stains, because it reminds me that I, too, can be an elegant fancy lady while still sweating like a pig.
Samesies!
As I'm learning to sew my own clothes, I always imagine someone like Abby looking at it and being excited about the messy stuff. It's so uplifting.
+++
"Now, this skirt is clearly a product of the pandemic crafting boom of the early 2020s, as evidenced by the pastel rainbow color scheme, use of quilting cotton, and inexpertly hand-felled seams." -2100s Abby, probably.
It's so rare that a regular sized dress survives this intact this long and hasn't been destroyed with wear or altered in later years. What a great piece to study!
I love how Abby switches between "this is such a mess", and "you can really see how much care and precision was put into this dress". (but seriously this dress is beautiful and it was so interesting)
The more Abby videos I watch the more I realize that we hold ourselves to a crazy high standard, as we unpick and redo everything till the inside is as pretty as the outside. I am no longer ashamed of my stuff where the inside looks like crazed squirrels made the armholes because I kept piecing till it lay right.
Is it just me, or could anyone else watch a 2 hour documentary on the history of sewing machines? Which would naturally follow a documentary on the evolution of hand-stitching. I kept wondering every time you mention hand vs machine stitching when sewing machines became an affordable household item (because that has to be a different date to when they were invented).
Handsewing hasn't really evolved. Materials and construction have evolved, but backstitching (for example) is found in extant garments from centuries ago.
@@dianesawyerdooley4424 Don't kill the dream. It's Christmas.
Not sure when machines were first available as a household item, but they were certainly being mass produced for home use by the 1890's.
Laura Ingles Wilder did basting for a woman who machine stitched men's shirts. The sewing machine was a wonder to Laura. Does that help?
The machine stitching in this dress is a chain stitch. I believe that type was one of the earliest iterations of the sewing machine...so while it was very even and quick, there were obvious drawbacks with this stitch and early use was always in combination with hand work or as an adjunct to create beautiful top stitched effects as in those curved back panels in this dress. - which looked to be the only example of use in this garment.
She is purdy! Looking at the pattern matching and letting out I feel like this was someone's fav dress and they weren't willing to let it go. I bet that green was stunning in the sunshine. I don't think I have ever seen fabric like that before. It is so cool. I feel like her name should be Molly.... don't know why.
Yes nothing is better than sunlight when Reproducing colors, and normal leds CRI 80-85 totally suck.
Abby: “So today’s dress is unique in that it has a 33-inch waist”
Me (half-listening while I make scrambled eggs): “Uh huh. Uh huh. Sure. Yeah.”
... (and then it sinks in)
“Waaaaaaaait! I could actually *WEAR* that?!?!!!!!!”
Same!!!
Same!!
I had the same thought.
But then I realised that its unlike to fit my bust 😐
@@saritshull3909 No need to worry, the bodice was cut to hang off shoulders, which means there's extra room, and 1/ if have a large bust, then the armholes will pull back at your natural armhole, not the most fashionable look, but it still fit.
2/ if you're small-busted, then hire a dressmaker the pad the hell outta it lol
Exactly! I whipped out my measuring tape, my shoulders are a bit wider than the dress.
I LOVE how messy the inside is, makes me feel so much better about my waistbands 🥲
When referring to letting out I always hear people say it’s due to weight gain or pregnancy... would it be just as likely that the dress got a new owner? Didn’t olden day people hand-me-down, trade clothes, or sell their dresses as we do today? Could you discuss the lifecycle of a dress from this era? Who would make, own, wear a dress and how were dresses then disposed of/recycled/traded?
Agreed, but the expense of this dress and what appears to be alterations for scoliosis, It would be a huge question. Sadly provenance for women's items wasn't as important to that cultural time.
Looking through your comment section I certainly seem to be a bit of an anomaly in your viewership.
I'm essentially the definition of the "man's man". Carpentry, steel work, firearms, the outdoors, cooking beasts on the open fire. I'm basically a giant beard with a 260lbs idiot hanging off of it. And I sew. Been making and altering my own clothes since I was a wee lad. Both machine and hand sewing but I tend to prefer using my hands as I feel like I have more control and a better understanding of the fabric that way.
Thing is I'm entirely self taught and watching your thimble (and also the improving your hand sewing) video and realized how absolutely terrible my technique is.
Have you thought about doing a video more in depth about your technique? Different types of stitches, how you choose which stitch to use. Starting and ending a stitch and the transition when you need to rethread your needle. Maybe a glossary too because a former chef I think I have a different understanding of the word "basting" 😅
I know there are others out there who have done similar BUT THEY'RE SOOOO BORING!
Anyway, love your channel. Still got a couple I haven't watched yet but I'll catch up soon.
As a side note. I've recently started making a few items for my partner and by the gods, the female form is so much more complex than mens!
You're not alone! I watch these videos with my dad who's also a man's man and martial artist with the same interests (minus the firearms because british) He's who taught me to sew and is constantly repairing and fiddling with clothes to add pockets, reinforce seams and put darts in to make things fit better!
Well, cowboys and soldiers (one can argue they were decidedly a man’s man) knew how to sew and dance (often with each other when they weren’t enough woman to go around). So, you are in good company. I’m glad you’re here.
I'll definitely consider that kind of video! I also totally spit out my coffee when you said "a giant beard with 260lbs idiot hanging off of it" 😂 - while you're not my normal demographic (I am 93% female identifying between the ages 18-45) I'm super happy to have you here!
Craig Bryant I don’t know why people are surprised when men sew (i think they’re called “tailors” if I’m not mistaken). I’m glad you and your beard are joining us today! You may enjoy Tock Custom’s videos. He sews some pretty awesome “manly”, useful stuff.
I love the "hey look, I got a Sewing Machine!" thing; vs us trying to hide visible stitching.
Also, having just cut out a somewhat wasteful of fabric full skirt (with 8 gores, 200" final circumference), that "we're going to make sure that the silk in the skirt is used whole" is cool.
She's beautiful! Slytherin Queen! 💚🖤💚🖤
Those sleeves and fabric are stunning.
I love when you show 1850's - 1860's it's one of my absolute favorite time periods for dresses.
Exactly what I thought! 💚
xD when Abby commented on the amount of black and green dresses from the era, I thought to myself "cause they were all Slytherins back then" XD ahaha
Sooooo prettyyyyy
Also the inside of this dress makes me feel a lot better about the inside of the skirt I just made. 🤣🤣
I love how historical pieces are so inperfect, that show that beside the Beauty of the luxury fashion plates , photos and paitings, they we're cloth Made by people who is Also imperect and we're use Many times and fix and Many more like we still do today and ir de Made one like that is still very okay
The outer lines are relatively simple, but that silk makes it such a gorgeous dress!
A fuller figured person's gown actually survived, nice!
Its amazing that good well cared for fabrics can last do long. Just shows that quality counts
Thank you for these videos.
I can't afford these gorgeous clothing nor have storage for them, so I appreciate someone who can/does and shares the information for us peasants who want to be princesses.
Can I comment how Abby is so consistent with her content? I always get to watch her videos during Sunday's lunch 😹❤️
(1:30 pm in Chile)
5:30 pm here in belgium, not the worst possible time to choose lol
Around lunch and just after church for me. By the time church is finished, Abby is already up. 😁
i'm from chile too!
I’m watching this while I’m doing some hand finishing work on my granddaughter’s “ princess dress” for her Christmas gift. I had just been talking myself into accepting the sleeves not being historically accurate ( it’s a play dress for Pete’s sake!) and this video came up. This video worked wonders, no more stress!
This fabric looks very modern! It’s beautiful! Also, those buttonholes are amazing. Goals!
I'm learning to see my own period costumes for guys from an modern internet purchased paper pattern and following the instructions to the letter for machine sewing, but watching what Abby discovered what they did makes me wonder if I can try some of these techniques to solve some fitting problems I have.
The early 1860's is the era that made me fall in love with historical clothing & costuming. 💖
Re Undersleaves- Thanx for pointing these out. in Minimalist times when looking at dress it's important to understand that a "Dress" was just one of many layers that contributed to the overall final aesthetic
I think the tailor/seamstress who put this gown together knowing to add darts to ‘size’ it up or down was a genius in their own right. Lots of valuable material, lining, thread and fasteners. I studied the finished buttonholes. Magnificent. No wonder my mother drilled the art of embroidery into my fingers. Lovely piece.
Not going to lie, I was watching the video to see if the dress contained arsenic but then I read the description and with much relief found it did not.
When she remarked about the number of green and black dresses, I was expecting a comment about arsenic. I watched the video on my TV so did not see the description. I logged into my computer after to see if it was discussed in the comments.
@@janetplanet09 I'm glad I'm not the only one who was wondering
As somebody in the middle of correcting a too-small armscye balls-up, yes, that is very relatable.
What a beautiful piece. I love how the colors are still so vibrant and that the black is still so black, rather than having turned brown with age. Lovely ❤️
i'm rushing to finish my christmas gifts but i always have time to stop for 20 minutes and watch abby talk about antique clothing, it's so enriching
You always bring such pretty things to show & tell... the green is still so vibrant! I love it!
I guess there wasn't always a rule about bigger gals not wearing stripes. 😉
I'm a preservationist at a very small museum of which the collection has a definitive date: 1856. No women's clothes survive, but I imagine the dresses (we know were present in the cargo though in cotton) were similar. Thank you for the detailed look inside :).
Do I have to make dinner? Yes!
Do I need to watch this? Yes!!!!!
Can I do both at the same time without burning anything? Let's try...
You’re braver than I.
Your energy clearly says this ain't your time period but I'm drooling.
I'm so glad that I'm not alone when it comes to not being a big fan of the 1860's look, but the information hidden away [or sometimes not so much] about how people in the past made and maintained their clothes is always wonderful to see. Thanks for letting us get a sneak peak!
I really like how you show dresses of many different sizes. I'm not a super-skilled seamstress; I'm more of a mending & altering person. But now, every time I mend or alter something I imagine your 100-years-from-now counterpart studying it & saying, "ah-ha, yep, I see whatcha did there..."
I've always loved 1860's sleeves. The draped bell shape is so elegant.
Thanks for another video on evidence of historical sewing. I‘m not at all surprised by left in basting and pieces looking pristine on the outside and practical on the inside. My grandmother had found a demon seamstress after the WWII and my mother kept some of the dresses she wore and two of my grandmothers. I gave some to a private fashion museum and some I took apart. I‘m not a collector of dresses, but of fabric. But I took note of how they were made. That seamstress could piece with the best of them. You would have to look at it from the inside to find it. Many of the seams secured by hasty overcast Stiches. I find it fascinating that so much of the sewing know-how that went to make Abbys new acquisition, survived well into 20th century.
Now I want to see a how-to instruction of remaking this! In purple!!! 😁💃
Your videos and the videos of the rest of historical costube have been so beneficial to my mental health. I have in the past believed the lies. I had so much body shame. Having a short torso and wide rib cage does not make abnormal or in any way unhealthy to a greater degree than a woman with a long torso and narrow rib cage. The is no way to diet and exercise my way to an "ideal" hip to waist ratio. Therefor I believed that I was doomed to diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease. It never occurred to me that my very bone structure was being shamed. You, Nicole, Noel and others have been helpful in my healing. I cannot begin to tell you how truly grateful I am for that. Thank you for all that you do.
As per cutting and fitting lining before cutting expensive cloth; yes! that makes sense. Using the mockup as the lining. To this day, I sweat when I begin cutting into the expensive cloth. My whole body heats up for the first few cuts.
"mockup as lining" you just blew my mind and helped me with my problem with discarding mock-ups (as in I don't want to). Thank you very much!
When dealing with really expensive fabric, I have made cheap versions first. Especially with modern patterns. If you have a pattern from before the 80s, it will fit really close to the measurements. Modern patterns fit way bigger than the measurements. Pain in the neck.
I remember buying a pant pattern in 1980. I was picking up a size 12, which was the size I wore for years. The girl at the desk said go size 10 instead. I did. She was right. It fit perfect. Now you have to go several sizes under your real measurements to get anywhere close to your size.
But find an old pattern with your measurements and it is almost dead on.
"Ugh, what a mess" always makes me so happy to hear when an extant garment is examined 😂🥰
20" is pretty standard for historical silks (speaking medievally that is) and it looks like they were working on short yardage and used literally even inch available. Good on them, it's gorgeous silk.
A long time ago I was visiting with a friend who was into making medieval dress. She found a picture of a pattern with many pieces. No one was able to figure out what the garment was. So she enlarged each piece and began to sew it together. Guess what it was? It was a cape. The fabric was so narrow when it was woven that this cape had to be pieced together. Everyone was amazed what the garment was. So it can be amazing how a garment is put together.
Those sleeves are to die for. I understand that they arent really practical but I want them to come back into fashion so bad
This fabric is beautiful! And I love how you can find out so many secrets inside the garment!! It’s like being a detective!
I love when antique garments have been altered, and you can see where it happened! I've examined a handful of those kinds of garments myself, and it never gets old. I also love to see marks from the dressmaker in the garment, like pencil lines for fitting on the lining, basting stitches, etc.
I love these videos with dresses for a variety of shapes. The V&A museum has lovely historical clothing but it's all tiny!
*squeal* Thank you for more 1860’s. 1858-1862 is my happy place! The striping/colouring on this dress is *chef kiss* Is the silk printed or woven? It looks like a jacquard on screen which mean $. Is it possible that this could have originally been a wedding dress? While white was a popular choice, it wasn’t the “required “ colour of the period as it seems to be today. It would make sense with the amount of care taken. It would them be used throughout her life- including weight gain and even pregnancy as a visiting dress. Thank you so so so much for sharing her!
~Ms. Rebecca
I checked some US women’s clothing charts and it looks like a 33 in waist is like a size 12-14! This is so cool!
It’s interesting that the machine stitching is a chain stitch...no bobbin, an early machine! All that hand stitching really reinforced and insured any of those risky chain stitches wouldn’t suddenly unravel and oops!
I'm amazed how well preserved she is. Stunning! 😍
I absolutely LOVE seeing the insides of historical clothing.
I ADORE the videos of these old dresses because they teach me soooo much more about making clothes than modern sewing books. These dresses were made to last, and fitting the lining first is something I had never even considered!
I might just make a 1860 daydress now, because.... Sleeves. They pretty!
I love how in these videos you don't just point out the construction of the dress but give insight as to possible reasons why various decisions were made in the making and altering of it. It adds so many levels of appreciation to the work involved. Plus it reminds us that this was something worked on and worn by living people and not just some sterile item hanging from a mannequin in a room somewhere.
Now I have a perfect, and possibly achievable dream dress to strive for. The green and black silk. And the simple shapes. And the sleeves. Uhhh. 1860 is my peak year of style. And I love seeing how even the people who wore these garments weren't worried about the inside being pretty.
Just flipping over the black n green and the comparison dresses also included. Emerald green is my fave color and this is apparently the window when i would have been happiest. Full wardrobe of Green dresses. Though I am actually a Ravenpuff or Huffleclaw....
Not my era but wow. I love the fabric print, the colours and the condition!! So very impressive to see a garment that old in such good condition!!
re: handstitching the silk skirts. I recently learned from Billy Matsunaga's youtube that kimono are always handstitched relatively loosely because it makes them easier to unpick to clean them. Quite a revelation. Maybe it is something similar, stitch as loose as you can get away with, so that if you have to pick it all apart for cleaning/altering, you do less damage, as you say, and can sew it back up quicker.
I love seeing old dresses about my size❤
Love these vintage clothing critiques!
When I’m not feeling well mentally or physically…or spiritually lol I watch you. Thank you Abby ❤️😓❤️❤️❤️❤️
Completely had a moment over this dress! She's a beauty!
That is one of the most beautiful fabrics that I have ever seen! She's gorgeous!
I always feel like I learn a lot watching these - thank you for sharing, Abby, and for taking the time to explore a dress from a period you aren't so keen on (breadth of knowledge is a joy)
These videos are fascinating. I love how you explain everything so well.
How interesting to see that color combination style be so popular in that time period!!
That silk is to die for!
I WANT a reproduction of that fabric!
Lovely, what a find! Thanks for sharing!
I love the way the stripes are slightly offset between the bodice parts. Super pretty and very funky
That dress is so beautiful!
I love how you are putting proof to pudding about the variations in waist size that historic women could be found in, and wondering if you might start looking at estimated height as well? While I doubt you’d find many dresses for the 6’’er (like me), it would be encouraging to know that not everyone was 5’2”. And how additional height changed how proportioning and silhouette may have been treated.
I love this style of dresses
Thank you, I thoroughly enjoy you sharing your collection
I love this series - there's nothing like it on TH-cam. I've been collecting nineteenth century clothing since coming across an 1890s silk dress in a small town New Zealand op shop as a teenager in 1996. It was beautiful and worth the $20 and more, but am only just now learning how it was constructed, altered, used and abused! You've given me added appreciation for the items I've owned for years, and inspiration to learn more.
I love this. She’s lovely.
Thanks Abby, that fabric was glorious!
I love seeing how things were done and it makes me feel more confident in my own sewing when you see all the whoopsies in historical clothes. I have always done the lining of bodices first and knowing that it is a thing that was done is really neat, and very practical. This dress has also taught me that I really should be leaving a bit more in my darts so I can let them out later.
This piece is my favorite. I'm totally in love.
What a gorgeous piece! A simple day dress just isn't appreciated enough - except by you and the rest of us here in the comments section of course. "If your eyes aren't bleeding it's not historically accurate" is right on. My mom calls the whole color family "ick greens" and they're her favorite. This dress is #goals for her historical wardrobe, and since I have more patience for handsewing than her...
It's always nice to see the actual 'fancy' garments for the past have some very relatable issues on the inside. Makes me feel less like a sewing gremlin.
While not my favorite silhouette, that glorious fabric might make me change my mind!! She’s just so PRETTY 🤩! I love these exploration videos. Aside from the invaluable information gleaned, I always feel so connected to the people of the past; both the makers and the wearers of these beautiful garments. It makes them real. Thank you for sharing, Ms. Abby!! Much love, and see you next week.
Thank you, beautiful fabric and dress.
This is an incredible detailed explanation!! I also adore the textile being used here. So pretty.
Also, I'm impressed at how little the color has faded. Really cool
A dress that’s in my size. With maybe a bit of alteration. I NEED IT
I know no one likes that person who just throws ideas out there with no plan for executing them, but it would be super cool if you could do a collab with someone who would illustrate these antique garments as they might have been worn at the time, with properly fitted accessories and underthings, just to help us understand what they would look like in context. I so appreciate your breakdowns of the fine details, but as a non-expert who watches these for fun it's sometimes hard for me to imagine these gorgeous pieces in their full glory. Just a random not-very-helpful thought, love your videos!
I am drooling over that fabric!! And it’s my size!
Yep, thats a great dress! I love the silk!
I just LOVE your videos! You are so entertaining and fun to watch! Congratulations on reaching 100,000 subscribers! 👍😆❤
I'm curious...do you ever weigh the garments in your collection? It would be interesting on this one, since it's two layers of substantial fabric. I have a 1930's men's wool suit and it's a workout getting it off the hanger and onto my shoulders (trousers use suspenders).
That silk is just gorgeous, would love a dress made from it today!.
Thank you for sharing this! I'm just beginning a dress for this period and it was so helpful to see the details.
Another lovely lady for your collection. This is one of my favourite time periods.
And I love how historically adequate this is!
Woah! *fans self* the dress at 17:05 with the deep neck line and brocade! Found my dream project!
I just sewed a piece of lining upside down. I said oh well no one is going to see it. An hour later I’m freaking out that is likely that Abby’s great great grand child is going to look at my dress going “hmmm oh honey!!” 😂
That fabric!!! 😍😍😍
This is wonderful!