Russian Steppe Dress
I don't know why I call this the Russian Steppe Dress, I just do. I don't think it has anything to do with Russians or anything. I made it a while ago.
I got the linen off trademe, and it had a nice weight to it, somewhat heavy, and has a nice natural colour, with the embroidery and black band along one edge, and it seemed peasanty, and the heavy nature of the linen made me think of wearing it in somewhat colder places.
I had to do a dirndl type skirt (rectangle made into cylinder and gathered at the top, although I pleated it) in order to have the hem of the skirt straight so as to use the border as it was. I used the length of the fabric for the skirt, cutting it lengthwise to use some for the sleeves and bodice.
I made my own block for a dartless bodice. I obviously wanted to get the whole dress out of the same fabric, but was designing the dress after getting the fabric and although I thought I could fit it all on, it didn't quite fit and so the back is a different linen. The bodice back and one front is lined in this different linen, and the other front is lined in the outer fabric.
The embroidery I did around the neck obviously echoes the embroidery along the bottom edge, and the red star shapes are like the eyelets.
The black band around the bottom is copied in the sleeves. I have decided to call these "dragon-mouth" sleeves. This is essentially the necessary shape for a sleeve cuff if you want to have the top of the sleeve shorter then the bottom but join them with a smooth curve.
The black band was made the same shape as the end of the sleeve, then the sleeve and the band were sewn together at the cuff, seam to the outside, and the band folded to the outside. Then the upper edge of the band was ironed under and I sewed it down to the sleeve by hand, just cos I can. It is cotton, so it ironed under nicely making it much easier.
This dress actually fit, which is a rare occurrence, although it was actually longer than I had meant to make it, so I could have made it a few cm shorter and then got the whole outer bodice out of the fabric, which would have been nice, as that was the idea.
I got the linen off trademe, and it had a nice weight to it, somewhat heavy, and has a nice natural colour, with the embroidery and black band along one edge, and it seemed peasanty, and the heavy nature of the linen made me think of wearing it in somewhat colder places.
I had to do a dirndl type skirt (rectangle made into cylinder and gathered at the top, although I pleated it) in order to have the hem of the skirt straight so as to use the border as it was. I used the length of the fabric for the skirt, cutting it lengthwise to use some for the sleeves and bodice.
I made my own block for a dartless bodice. I obviously wanted to get the whole dress out of the same fabric, but was designing the dress after getting the fabric and although I thought I could fit it all on, it didn't quite fit and so the back is a different linen. The bodice back and one front is lined in this different linen, and the other front is lined in the outer fabric.
The embroidery I did around the neck obviously echoes the embroidery along the bottom edge, and the red star shapes are like the eyelets.
The black band around the bottom is copied in the sleeves. I have decided to call these "dragon-mouth" sleeves. This is essentially the necessary shape for a sleeve cuff if you want to have the top of the sleeve shorter then the bottom but join them with a smooth curve.
The black band was made the same shape as the end of the sleeve, then the sleeve and the band were sewn together at the cuff, seam to the outside, and the band folded to the outside. Then the upper edge of the band was ironed under and I sewed it down to the sleeve by hand, just cos I can. It is cotton, so it ironed under nicely making it much easier.
This dress actually fit, which is a rare occurrence, although it was actually longer than I had meant to make it, so I could have made it a few cm shorter and then got the whole outer bodice out of the fabric, which would have been nice, as that was the idea.
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