The Idea and Inspiration:
A 1910, directorie line evening dress inspired by a luna moth. A similar idea is mentioned in Gene Stratton Porter’s A Girl of the Limberlost, where Edith wears a Yellow Imperialis (it’s another kind of moth) inspired gown, so there is historical precedent for my idea.
My gown will be based on a luna moth:
With inspiration taken from a red ca 1911 evening dress from the wardrobe of Queen Maude of Norway:
My design sketch, front and back:
Fabric and Materials:
Hand-dyed celadon green silk tissue, plum-rose coloured silk and rayon velvet, shot green and gold silk taffeta, with linings and bodice support of white cotton broadcloth, and white linen-cotton. Hand beading.
The Dress Diary:
Draping the pattern and the toile
Under support and construction
The underdress and over-layers construction
Research and Resources:
Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion 1860-1940 (1910 evening dress)
Gene Stratton-Porter, A Girl of the Limberlost (read this online)
The Wardrobe of Queen Maude of Norway.
Love that book(A Girl of the Limberlost)!!!
Excellent idea and I love the colors. I came across your post while looking for a quote from the book while making an Etsy treasury.
That is lovely, and I can see the idea of the moth in it. Well done.
Thank you Janet! I’m really pleased it translated!
This is such a beautiful dress. It looks so lovely and delicate on you. Congratulations on finishing it, you have done a superb job as always!
All of the links forward to your most recent blog post. Do they still exist on the blog somewhere?
Unfortunately there was a technical difficulty that crashed all these blog posts. I’m trying to restore them, but it takes a significant amount of time.