Posh Clothes

[hannah]

I need a posh dress or bodice for the Reading Uni meet on 9th June. Has anyone got one that I can buy or borrow? I am size 8-10 and roughly 5' 6" Thanks for looking!!

[archangel]

Ann Laverick, Cobwebs, and Sally Green all do bodices and skirts as well as dresses. Jackie also has a good knowledge of how to navigate e-bay. There are lots of options, but if you are thinking of forking out cash for an expensive model, it may be helpful to ask Caroline Vincent about it with regard to an appropriate style and material.

A lot of women buy a bodice from Ann, because they are relatively inexpensive, and otherwise tricky to make. They can then be easily transformed with decoration. You can then chose a suitable matching material for the lower skirt to go with the top.

Generally speaking, woolen cloths were used where women did a lot of working around fires. A lesson the Royal Navy learned in the Falklands. More elaborate materials and silks were used for formal occasions. There was also a social code for people who had no need to carry out domestic tasks, but I am sure someone else can tell you a lot more.


Posh by the way is a term we got from our empire days in India and means Port Out Starboard Home. When rich people were travelling out to India, they paid a premium to have berths on the port(left) side as they embarked in England. When they returned, they chose the starboard (right) side. This was to avoid the glare of the sun when they neared the equator.

[hannah]

Thanks for the ideas. Does anyone know the easiest way to get a pattern for a skirt?

[kdaniels]

3 meters of material, fold over the top twice, cartledge pleat it to a waistband, hem it.

try Caroline and Jeff's website www.12eyes.co.uk/
it will give you loads of ideas to get you started

[archangel]

You do not have to have a pattern for a skirt. All you require is 3 meters of fabric. cut a 6 inch wide strip of cloth along the selvedge to make a waistband (Measurement of your waist plus 2 inches for the button) . The majority of the material is pleated to form the skirt with a hem and the whole lot is joined up with a flat or french seam leaving a 6 inch slit near the waist for opening.

If you want any further help please get in touch.

Caliver Books (Dave Ryan) and others do patterns at about £20
the e-mail is /// www.caliverbooks.com tel [phone]
His partner Anne Farnsworth also makes costume.

Hope that helps - guess two of us were writing at the same time

Patricia

[Administrator]

I've put a request out on knotters corner