"Black Widow" 1812 Mourning Gown: Part 2
When I last left off on this project, I had shared the history of the mourning gown in the United States and western Europe as well as the concept idea of why I was making this gown. Here is the finished result, and for the record I am really loving the Autumn sunlight cause it really makes the dress bolder in the photos (especially with an old SD450 digital camera.) Construction To make the gown, I used the 1809 dress pattern from Period Impressions. This is a really neat and easy to follow pattern (even better with the detachable sleeves offered). But because I misplaced the long sleeves I omitted using the puffy sleeves and went for a different style (my 18th century JPR sleeve pattern). It gave the outfit a different look altogether, which I favored. In addition to making some alterations, I also decided to simplify the decorations with just some braided trim. This would allow me to pair the dress up with other jackets or dusters with e...