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Hello again, everyone!

As always, I am thinking of my next project before I have finished my current one.

In the past few months, I have gotten into a wonderful Japanese graphic novel and television series called Victorian Romance Emma. It's about a maid in 1895 London who falls in love with a wealthy merchant's son (with no relation to Jane Austin's Emma)

This is Emma, and her uniform which I want to recreate (and I apologize for how small the pictures are):




I know it seems easy enough, but which patterns should I use for this? The 1898 Walking Skirt would probably work well, with several heavily starched and ruffled petticoats, but what work best for the bodice? And how would I recreate the apron and cap? Here are pictures of the cap; I couldn't find any of the apron's back:



I suppose the cap wouldn't be too hard, with a large circle of fabric gathered into a "pouf" with a circular ruffle as trim, and a small bow with long tails sewn on the back. The apron is something else, since i don't know exactly how I would create it. Did period aprons have any seams on the lower sides, or were they made from one wide piece of fabric, gathered to fit the waistband? The pictures above show the apron as narrower than it is typically illustrated; usually the apron sides end more at the back of the skirt, rather than at the sides.

I have a sketch of what the back of the apron looks like; I'll post that soon.

Thanks,
Alex

This is actually more "edwardian" than victorian. The apron would not have been gathered at the top, just a rectangle of fabric sewn to a waistband, with the bib and neck straps also pretty rectangular. That's what creates those creases near the waistband in the top picture. You could also probably do small pleats at the sides if you don't like that look. The aprons were relatively simply made, since they were "working" garments and would have to be discarded periodically.

The hat you probably want to either interface or starch. Starch would be period, but perhaps more trouble than you want.

Here's an apron: http://www.tudorlinks.com/treasury/free ... apron.html

Just square off the top of the bib and omit the pocket...

The mob cap is just a circle that's gathered up. The outside edge makes the ruffle, so you don't have to add one.

[Heather]

Yep, the cap is a circle, with a casing run around it about 3" inside the edge, and a drawstring to pull it in to size.

The apron is a standard square apron. You can most likely purchase one made up already. The skirt is a large square with a few pleats or some gathers at the sides to fit the waist. The waistband would tie in the back and the shoulder straps cross in the back and attach to the side of the waistband. The bib is a also a square, shaped with a couple of pleats or gathers at the waist.

The bodice can be any fitted bodice. If you are going for an 1890's look, then TV420 would be good for a start. Cut the hip higher to a pointed front and back, and about 2" long at the sides. Add a fuller sleeve, like maybe the one from TV460, or for lots of fullness one from TV495 (view 1) or TV496

[Heather]

Here is an apron on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-White-Batte ... dZViewItem

I've made a similar apron (without the over shoulder straps) and it wasn't too bad. Basically it's just two rectangles with a waistband. (Obviously the straps would be sewn on to the top rectangle and then attatched to the waist band.) My version had tiny safety pins inside to hold the top part on my chest.

Here's a picture from when it was half finished:
http://www.digitalchangeling.com/blog/2 ... ng-at.html

For the shirt you might want to go with something a bit lighter that you can tuck in. It's a heck of a lot easier to fit something in the shoulder and tuck the waist in rather than fitting the whole torso. (I would probably be tempted to use the set of 1890's bodice patterns from Laughing Moon, but I'm sure you could use just about any of Heather's later period patterns as well.)

If you're wearing this to a non-period event (such as an anime convention) you probably don't need to stiffen your cap. A simple white cotton mop-cap that you've ironed smooth should look more than good enough.

Thanks for all the input!

It's good to know that the apron is basically a bunch of rectangles. The shoulder straps, while the above illustrations don't show it, cross once at the back and the ends are sewn diagonally into the waistband ties. It's really simple but hard to explain.

I don't know which I'll do for the cap, whether starching or interfacing - but I probably won't start this whole project for a few months, yet, so there's no rush. I'm leaning toward starching (even for something not 100% historically correct, I like to consider period techniques. I can be really OCD sometimes).

I forgot to mention that the bodice and skirt are illustrated in the book as being an actual dress - sewn together with no outer waistband. That would be a bit advanced for me, so I think I'll just make the bodice and skirt separately (the apron would hide the construction). Also, I'd get a bit more freedom in fabric type choices - instead of completely using black twill, I could use a more lightweight fabric for the bodice.

Since the bodice ends where the skirt begins, I think I could get away with using TV491, with View 1 sleeves from TV495. Oh - I know that Victorian sleeves were more movement-restricting than today's sleeves. Would that would have stayed true on a servant's dress, especially a maid of all work, who would have been cleaning for much of the day?

valleyviolet, I actually am making this to wear to an anime convention in October next year! So I will take shortcuts when I need to, and the aformentioned TV491 would be fine. Seeing that apron of yours was a good help; I can see how the skirt affects the way those folds drape. Isn't safety pinning the apron "bib" to the bodice a period technique?

I better get to bed; I've been ill for the past week and need my rest (ignoring the fact that it's already 2:30 in the morning).

-Alex

Here is an apron on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-White-Batte ... dZViewItem

I doubt that is really vintage since the Battenburg manufacturer sells those aprons pretty similar.. but that´s besides the point

I know that Past Patterns has an apron pattern! http://www.pastpatterns.com/993.html

I know this is anathema but Past Patterns #903 done in black with a white collar would work really well for the dress.

(BTW--Did you see How'ls Moving Castle, another Japanese period anime? It's really good. A little bizarre but that's what makes it good.)


~Dana

Nothing to add except *squeeeeeeeeeeee* another Emma fan!

I'm doing Frau Moelders/Meredith for Animazement & Dragon*Con.

Isn't safety pinning the apron "bib" to the bodice a period technique?

I think so, but I'm under the impression it was more prevalent in Edwardian times.

Well, there were "pinner" aprons, which didn't have shoulder straps at all and were just pinned to the bodice with straight pins. And those were used (I think) from the Romantic or perhaps the '40s. I don't know when or whether safety pins were used. The only Edwardian aprons I've seen have either been the little lacy parlour maids', the maid of all work's (like the one in question here), and the cook's, which was much less nice looking, since no one would ever see her.[/i]

Pinner aprons go back past Edwardian days. Safety pins didn't appear till the 20th century *I think*. There's some debate about it but the ones we know today did not show up till after 1900.


~Dana

[Heather]

The very first garter straps (1870's) had safety pins in the ends to pin to the stockings or corset.

I think I remember reading somewhere that modern safety pins were invented in the 1850s.

Dana, that dress pattern might work well, but I would probably want a bit more fullness in the skirt. Oh, and I LOVE Howl's Moving Castle! It's a great mix of flying machines, Victorian fashion, and sorcery.

Diane - Emma fans unite! Which dress are you recreating - one from the manga or the anime? I love the one in book 3 shown when Dorothea is getting dressed. I really want to recreate the mint green reception gown that Emma wore in episode 5 of season 2. So many pretty dresses in that series....

-Alex

Sweet Violet wore that very outfit at the SASS Convention this year. She has a photo up on the Belle sitehttp://carolinabelles.net/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=29675&stc=1&d=1197514306

Okay, here's the early safety pin. I knew there was something 19th century that didn't look like our modern ones.

Sorry to fixate on the whole safety pin thing. I get that way; hung up on details....

~Dana

Oooo, look! Here's one from 1904! This is found on www.fabrics.net/joan101.asp

This one:
http://trulyvictorian.netfirms.com/picturepro/nfpicturepro/displayimage.php?album=261&pos=0

I'm doing it in a red damask (I got a king size set of sheets for $30 on overstock.com) based on the artwork on the back cover.

Bump!

I drafted the skirt today...but I'm a bit confused with the enormous rear panel. The way the radius sweeps over, the back length ends up being around 4 inches longer. I know that for 1895, skirts were supposed to "sweep the streets" in the back, but I'm having a hard time adjusting the curve to make the hem level all around. I think I will end up cartridge pleating the back if it's too much for regular pleating methods (yay, another technique I haven't learnt yet ). I may use petersham ribbon for the waistband, as well.

This skirt will be about 18 feet around at the hem, like Heather's Ripple Skirt. I know it's not practical or accurate in the slightest for a maid's outfit, but I want to make it anyway. I can always make a narrower skirt later if I want/need to.