4 yards for skirt, I think about 6 or 7 yrd should do it.
Lace, calico, some braid for binding seams. fastening for back
FRONT BODICE These pieces were the most difficult as I had to cut it out 3 times and still don't think its quite right. This is caused by a)the cut-out darts that curve on one side it is best to leave the cutting out until you had got the sizing right. When enlarging the pattern it is hard to tell how to do so without altering the shape of the centre front v, These darts are much wider than modern ones, hense the need to trim the material to half an inch (too bulky to leave.) When finished trim all seams with braid to strengthen. Add a piece of boning encased in canvas and sew to centre-front seam. I think the darts carry on to taper off at the centre of the shoulder as it doen't fit right otherwise.
BACK BODICE consists of 2 curved side pieces and 2 centre-backs. These are easy to fit and sew and also require binding on seams.
SLEEVES Consist of 2 pieces. The top has 3 gathers, just above the elbow, held in place at the back with a rectangle of canvas sewn on with 3 rows of stitching, top,bottom and centre. This should be done before the sleeve is joined at the side or stitched in the arm-hole, or it's very tricky to handle there are two over-lapping layers of cotton lace stitched to two of the gathers on the sleeve. The sleeves alone took two hours each one! The bottom section is gathered to the top and flares out at the cuff.
COLLAR The collar is mounted on a piece of light-weight fabric with two darts at the under-bust in the bottom part. There is a left and right piece. Onto this piece of canvas is sewn strips of the dress fabric one and three-quarters wide folded in half lengthways max length 16ins. These are overlapped down this piece and then sewn into the centre-seam to join the two sides together and then into or on the shoulder seam. I also think the top is sewn to the back of the neckline and turned to the front.
LINING This is cut out at the same time as the top fabric an is sewn together so the raw edges are facing outside . This means that the bodice/top fabric will not move. The bodice/top fabric is attatched to the skirt by a strip of material or band cut to size and turened in top and bottom by half an inch after the bodice is attached to the skirt.
SKIRT Cut out this in cotton to match tne skirt. The top of the skirt is curves downwards because of the pointed front on the bodice.The hem-line is resting on the ankle. Sew the lining and the top section together. Attach the skirt by dividing into 4 and gathering each section separately. Unlendss you decide to pleat. Tack and sew onto the bodice through the 3 layers of fabric n.b trying to do this separately ends up with a too bulky waistline. On the right side sew braid to the seam to further strenghthen it. Try on the garment to measure the hem-line and sew it up.
BACK CLOSING Attach hooks and eyes to centre-back. It is difficult to get these strong enough or evenly spaced so it is best to make some hook and eye tape marking the distance equally between. Make the top ones half and inch down and the bottom the same distance. The hooks need to be a reasonably size or its fiddly to close.
The finished garment is quite heavy if the top fabric is not quite light-weight. The skirt/bodice pieces have to be attached very firmly or it will not stand up to much punishment. I still havn't got the bodice right because of the darts
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