Remaking an Old Dress into a Victorian Mourning Dress || A Historical Sewing Vlog

What do you do when you suddenly need a Victorian mourning gown (thankfully for an event rather than needing to actually mourn someone) and don't have the time or money to purchase new fabric? Well, you dig through your old dresses to find an appropriately dull, listless black wool dress and remake it. This was an excellent study for myself on remaking gowns into a more fashionable style-an early 1860s dressed got remade for 1867 mourning. The plain full rectangular skirt got gored and made up with a slight train to go over an elliptical hoop, the blue silk trim got removed, the sleeves got pared down to narrow coat sleeves, the bodice was shortened, and silk crape cuffs and collar were added to turn this black wool into a mourning gown. The gown is ready to wear for mourning a deceased parent (or in this case, both mother and father within a few days). On Wednesday we will work on all the accessories-fan, handkerchief, bonnet, and veil.
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[@ellebea6665]

Thank you Katelyn!

[@KatelynKearns]

Thank you for watching!!

[@Persphonefallen]

Love it! And I like upcycling old stuff. So its a great idea.

[@KatelynKearns]

Me, too! And the Victorians did it all the time with their clothes. Thanks for watching!