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@brazilianbaroness in the Scroop Patterns Kilbirnie Skirt

The fabulous Kilbirnie Skirt Tester Makes!

I swear that every time I launch a pattern I’m even more excited to show you the tester makes than the time before. Each time the testers seem to outdo themselves with beautiful fabrics, fun photos, and visualising the pattern in new and inventive ways!

Testers are super important to me from a technical perspective. They ask about all the things they find confusing, point out any bits in the instructions that don’t make sense, and by help refine the fit so it works as well as possible on as many bodies as possible.

But they are equally helpful in showing all the different fabrics you can make a pattern in, and how it looks on a whole range of bodies.

And finally, from a purely selfish perspective, I’m incredibly grateful to them because their excitement helps me get through the last part of polishing a pattern, where it feels like you spend three days moving illustrations 2mm to the left!

So here’s to the testers of the Kilbirnie Skirt, and their gorgeous makes!

RadRose of @radgeekyrose

RadRose made the most perfectly thought-out outfit around her Kilbirnie Skirt!

She was inspired by the additional design inspiration included in the pattern, and used a contrast facing for her pockets, and added a band around the hem. Her Elsie Blouse (a great pattern if you’re up for the challenge of tackling period sewing instructions) is perfectly coordinated, without being too matchy-matchy. American Duchess Bernadette shoes are the finishing touch.

RadRose made View B in Size 38, taken in slightly as she’s between sizes. She’s wearing it over a Rilla Corset.

Check out her IG for more fabulous photos.

Farah of @farah.paupiette

Farah took a modern approach to the Kilbirnie Skirt, making it for everyday or historybounding wear.

The crisp floral fabric works so well with the gathered View A pockets.

I just love how happy and summer this whole look is!

Farah made View A in Size 50.

Loran of @loranwatkins and Loran’s World

I’ve been following Loran’s blog for years, and I love her approach to sewing and styling so I knew she’d make something fabulous as a pattern tester, and she did not disappoint!

Is so very crisp and chic, and Rose-arriving-at-the-Titanic!

Loran made View B in Size 40. She shortened the skirt because she prefers a shorter skirt.

@BrazilianBaroness

I thought @brazilianbaroness would want to make a historical Kilbirnie, because she does such beautiful historical costuming, but she saw the pattern and immediately thought of resort wear!

It’s a totally different take on the pattern, and I absolutely love it.

Now I need one of these in linen to wear over swimsuits and with halters and strappy sandals next summer.

She made View B in Size 42, and in her own words “it was PERFECT”.

@litenkrubba

You may have figured out by now that I’m doing ‘historical version, modern version’ for tester makes, so this one was going to be a historically accurate take on the pattern, and it is, and is utter perfection.

Using inspiration from the additional historical examples given, she added a tuck to shorten the skirt to fit her height, and put buttons grouped in pairs all the way down the skirt.

Her fabric is a thin wool in that really wonderful shade of grey-purple I love so much, and her blouse collection has me green with envy!

She made View B in Size 34.

Amy of @overmama

Striped skirts were incredibly popular in the 1910s, so I was incredibly happy when Amy made her version in a striped fabric.

Amy styled it both totally modern for the beach, and then with a more historybounding twist with a sweet blouse.

Amy made View A in Size 34

Maria of @Sew_through_time

Maria makes incredible historical costumes from a whole range of eras, and she has the most fabulous flair for colour (my entire local costuming group is desperately in love with her cherry blossom Edwardian ensemble), which is very much in evidence with her Kilbirnie make!

That colour is just stunning – as is the whole outfit! And with the lilacs! I’m so happy she took lilac photos, so I can enjoy them vicariously – you don’t see them much here in NZ.

Maria’s fabric is a lightweight cotton sateen, and she made View B in Size 32.

Mary of @subterfuge.jpg

Along with stripes, checks of all sizes were common in the 1910s. Mary chose this fabulous large-scale gingham for her historybounding take on the Kilbirnie Skirt. The fabric would have been totally appropriate in 1915, but is also fabulously modern – and means she could play with the grain of the pockets! I love what she did – it’s a neat nod to dazzle!

Mary made View B in Size 46.

Jessica @jessnicolehandmade

Jessica had a vision for her Kilbirnie Skirt. She wanted a particular shade of green. And when she couldn’t find fabric in that specific shade she dyed it herself!

The effect is gorgeous, and a beautiful showcase for the pocket details of View A.

She made View A in Size 40.

Jessie @j.lady_bonbon

Blue was particularly popular as a colour choice for the Kilbirnie, but even with all the other blues her fabric stands out!

Her wild silk plaid is just delicious. Textured silks were very popular in the 1910s, so this fits perfectly. Check out her instagram to see the beautiful buttons up close, and the other fabulous detail she added.

Isn’t it striking!

She made View B in Size 38.

Jocelyn of @skirted_galleons

Lucky last is Jocelyn’s charming Kilbirnie in cherry blossom pink cotton voile.

The fabric really lets the details of the skirt shine.

She’s also wearing American Duchess Bernadette’s, and now I think I need a pair!

Jocelyn made View A in Size 54.

So many beautiful makes, so much awesome inspiration!

Thank you to all the awesome testers! I am incredibly grateful for your input!

Get your own Kilbirnie Skirt pattern here!

Scroop Patterns Kilbirnie Skirt scrooppatterns.com

Introducing the Kilbirnie Skirt!

Published by The Dreamstress

When I first started Scroop Patterns I just turned whatever garment I was researching and making to fill a gap in my own daily wardrobe or costuming wardrobe into a pattern.

The Rilla Corset happened because there were no mid-1910s corset patterns available in PDF form at the time – and I needed one for my Fortnight in 1916 living history research project. The Fantail Skirt also happened because I needed simple Edwardian daywear. There was nothing available in New Zealand pattern-wise, and I got carried away researching.

Patterns like the Te Aro Dress & Top and Otari Hoodie came about because I just really wanted to wear them. The Robin Dress happened because I wanted it for my mother.

My current objective as a patternmaker is to build families for all my patterns, so that you can make a complete outfit from Scroop Patterns. (well, complete-ish. I’m not going to make a pattern if another maker has a good similar pattern in the same size range. I like my sewing collaborative rather than competitive!)

The modern wardrobe Scroop Patterns already work well with each other. I frequently wear all Scroop everyday outfits: Ngaio Blouses with Eastbourne Trousers and Mahina Cardigans, for example.

But the historical Scroop patterns were orphans – and fixing that was my 2021 goal.

So I made the Selina Blouse to go over the Rilla Corset.

And now there’s a skirt to go with both!

The Kilbirnie Skirt

The Kilbirnie Skirt is a playful gathered skirt based on an extant 1910s skirt in my collection. With two quirky pocket options, the Edwardian version of a ‘paper-bag’ waist, and thoughtful instructions based on the extant example and period sewing manuals, the Kilbirnie is a fabulous addition to your historical costuming wardrobe – or your everyday wardrobe!

Plus, it’s on sale!

That’s right, to celebrate the launch, it’s on sale for the next week! Get 10% off the pattern from now until midnight NZ time on Tuesday the 22nd of June.

The discount is applied automatically at checkout – no need to do anything!

(and if you’ve paid attention to the Scroop sale schedule, you can probably guess it’s unlikely there will be another sale on this pattern until the end of November).

The Details

The Kilbirnie comes in sizes 30-56 (waist 24”/61cm to 50”/127cm

View A is taken directly from the extant inspiration skirt, and features rounded patch pockets with cord gathered ruffles that mirror the waist ruffle.

View B is inspired by other skirts of the period. It features decorative front buttons and triangular pockets with buttoned flaps.

And both views go perfectly with the Selina Blouse!

How perfectly the Selina and Kilbirnie pair together is kismet. Both patterns are based on extant garments: a blouse I purchased over the internet from the US, and a skirt I found in an antique store in New Zealand.

Both garments are homemade. Both were probably made from commercial sewing patterns.

Despite being inspired by garments made halfway across the world from each other, they pair as if they were made as a set.

The way the buttons of the blouse and the View B skirt buttons balance makes me extremely happy!

But the Kilbirnie really isn’t just limited to historical costuming.

The test group had so much fun creating fabulous outfits, modern and historical, from the pattern. They take it to the office, and on holiday as resort wear over swimsuits. I can’t wait to show you their makes. And I really can’t wait to see what you did with the pattern!

Get the Kilbirnie Skirt Pattern here!

Tea Gown, 1910—15, French, silk, Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2009.300.3093

Rate the Dress: a tea gown for the teens

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week’s spun sugar confection of a frock was as popular as a pavlova (aka, almost everyone was delighted by it, but a small percentage thought it was revoltingly sweet).

I did think of choosing an 18th century purple garment for this week’s Rate the Dress, but none of the available options seemed like a good pick. Instead I went for something that’s been on my RTD options list for a while: a 1910s tea gown.

Last Week: an 1810s dress with spotted lace and scalloped trim

Similarly to the week before, ratings on last week fell solidly into a large cluster of extremely positive 8-10 ratings, with a small smattering of people who really weren’t keen on the dress.

The Total: 8.7 out of 10

A similar rating pattern to last week, but a better result!

This week: a 1910s take on the tea gown

I feature tea gowns on Rate the Dress so often I feel like I have to ration them! I can’t help it: they are such interesting garments that they make perfect options for rating. Tea gowns, by their nature, get to play with the styles of their era.

As personal garments for an intimate setting, they didn’t have to fit any rules of convention, or please anyone but the wearer. As luxury garments they aren’t bound by practicality or budget. The combination of these two means they are often uniquely inventive.

This particular tea gown is an excellent example of that. It’s enough of its time to be recognisable and datable to within a few years (although the museum is conservative in its 1910-15 estimate, I’m quite confident in dating it to 1913-15), but also has a distinctive voice all its own.

Tea Gown, 1910—15, French, silk, Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2009.300.3093

One of the things I like about this tea gown is that it looks like it would actually be very comfortable to wear. It’s also not made for a particularly small woman: note the waist size in comparison to the overall length.

This tea gown has probably suffered slightly with age: the tulle underlayers appear to have yellowed significantly over time, giving a strange cast to the sheer violet chiffon of the front bodice and upper skirt.

Tea Gown, 1910—15, French, silk, Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2009.300.3093

As always, try to overlook the changes of time, and imagine the garment as it was.

What do you think of this one?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

A reminder about rating — feel free to be critical if you don’t like a thing, but make sure that your comments aren’t actually insulting to those who do like a garment. Phrase criticism as your opinion, rather than a flat fact. Our different tastes are what make Rate the Dress so interesting. It’s no fun when a comment implies that anyone who doesn’t agree with it, or who would wear a garment, is totally lacking in taste.

As usual, nothing more complicated than a .5. I also hugely appreciate it if you only do one rating, and set it on a line at the very end of your comment.