A Little Women Dress: Crafting a Romantic 1860s Cottagecore Outfit

Hello everyone and welcome to a new video!

When I saw this fabric in a random store in Edinburgh, it immediately formed into a romantic, sloped shoulders, full circle dress in my mind. Upon further reflection, I decided to make it into separates for further versatility in my wardrobe, and though much of the 19th century is into the sloped shoulders romantic look, once it was a shirtwaist and a skirt the 1860s came to mind. My only real contact with this silhouette has been through portraits and Little Women, so in my head it was that sort of aesthetic feeling I was trying to pursue in this, although the green plaid and the fact that I bought it in the Scotland has made this a nostalgic Scottish dress for me, and I'd love to photograph there sometime.

I drafted a basic blouse from a sloper and a panelled 1860s inspired pattern for a pleated skirt, following some examples across a few different books. I shortened the skirt to my preferred length, which is a couple of inches above the ankle, as this outfit is only 1860s, and I am always ready to compromise on the pesky 'historical accuracy' for my own needs: at the the end of the day, these clothes are for me and not for Victorians. I used 3 meters of lightweight cotton, which was £12 p/m. I had just enough! So I would recommend a little more for comfort, as I had to dramatically shorten the sleeves in the end. I wanted to make this into an informal day dress, nothing fancy, that an average woman could have worn everyday, and this was mainly seen on the choice of fabric and lack of decoration.

Over all, I think it came out really cute and I am looking forward to wearing these two pieces and seeing how many outfits I can put together with the other me-made pieces of my wardrobe :)

-- MORE --
Instagram (perhaps overactive stories): @catscostumery

Music is from Epidemic Sound.

[debraanneclark]

What started as a mistake became a cute feature and the whole ensemble looks amazing with the dress and apron it has a country farm girl vibe

[BethAge]

The pieces look lovely! I think the sleeves look so much cuter with the lace, so yay for problem solving skills! Cool to see how limitations can make us more creative :)

[vernieplummer]

Those sleeves look really cute like that. Good save!

[marathorne]

The lace insertions were an inspired decision, they really elevate the blouse! The outfit looks great 👍

[jesssheridan]

This is so beautiful! I've been a historic interpreter doing 1850s-60s for a year now and have totally fallen in love with the wrapper/work dress style... Been meaning to make one for myself for 'civilian' wear, so I'll definitely be taking inspiration from your lovely project! Thanks for sharing :)

[donnacoleman]

Brilliant outcome! The sleeve lace looks like it was meant to be. I think the length and fulness of the skirt is perfect. Totally wearable anytime anywhere.
I love it❤

[evelyneca]

I think your problemsolving on the sleeves was wonderful! The final result looks lovely!

[KlingonPrincess]

It came out very nice. I think the sleeve inserts wound up in just the right place, they hit at your waist which draws the eye and balances the fullness of the sleeves with the skirt gathers. Makes your waist look tiny 🌻🍄

[terriashby]

Those sleeves are much prettier than the plain original design, love them. I like the position of the inserts too.

[makeda]

A two-piece inspired by the 1860s? Oh yes!

[nataliestanchevski]

Nice save with the sleeves, they're really cute with the lace insertion.

[retsa]

the sleeve details ended up looking so lovely and intentional!! love it when that happens

[pippaseaspirit]

I think this came out very well considering the restrictions imposed by shortage of fabric 👍🏻 I love the soft tones of it.

[asiabryant]

I am soooo impressed you were able to get that dress out of 3 meters. Even when i do historically inspired stuff i feel like ill need a whole textile mill to complete it.

[milliealger]

I love your podcast! I wish you were local!

[kateatschool]

I love the off the shoulder look - I feel like that's having an echo moment of being really in style again

[AnnieKat_]

Love the sleeve addition idea! And your hair looks so pretty 😌

[Raquelita.creates]

Your ability to problem solve is amazing because the sleeves look so cute! Adding the lace was such a nice touch!

[sewingroses]

Lovely ensemble! I appreciate how you showed the different ways to do pin tucks and the different outcomes you got.

[jac_and_the_making_of]

I love the addition of the lace details in the sleeve! Such a great way to combat the lack of fabric