Knit Regency dress

[msmcknittington]

OH. MY. GOD.

This dress is knit, ca. 1800. It's still gorgeous.

I've been thinking lately about tackling a multi-year long project. The on that was kicking around my head was an Irish lace crochet Edwardian lingerie dress. (Say that six times fast!) But this? Amazinggorgeousastounding -- in Danish. The Danish bit is a puzzler, but I'm way better at knitting than I am at crochet, and it's not like a picture tells you a hell of a lot more than a paragraph long description.

The stitch actually looks a lot like the Butterfly slip dress from Rowan mumblemumble by Jennie Atkinson. It wouldn't be any worse than knitting a shawl . . . right? RIGHT?

Perhaps I'll try losing some weight first, so I don't have to knit quite so much to cover my body.

*wanders mumbling into the night of ludicrous knitting/costuming projects*

EDIT: And, what do you know? An 1820-ish gown I actually like. A lot of the time, the 1820s/30s seem like the fluffiest, silliest period, and so I find a lot of it unattractive. But this? This I would wear.

Comments

[msmcknittington.livejournal.com]

What I find hides a belly very well (besides extreme corseting) is ruching across the stomach. I didn't really believe that until I started trying on bridesmaid dresses for a friend's wedding, and the ones with ruching across stomach actually did make me look slimmer. Unfortunately, that only applies to modern clothing, but it's useful to know.

Hee hee. I can't imagine any boyfriend, past or future, wearing one of my dresses so I could hem it. Though that might have more to do with my being very short than any unwillingness on their part.

[bklynwebgrrl.livejournal.com]

I think we're only about four inches apart height wise and he's very slender so it works out ok.

I bet you can put ruching on a stomacher which covers 18th century. Also maybe a victorian bodice with psudeo ruching sort of gathering in the middle... I think I remember seeing one some time... maybe that was a collar.

[beraht.livejournal.com]

How tall're you? I'm pretty short for a guy.

Just sayin', is all.

[msmcknittington.livejournal.com]

I'm 5'2", though I fudge on all my official papers and say 5'3". I think I've even talked my doctor into this -- "Are you sure it says 5'2"? I don't think I'm shrinking!"

Most of the guys I know are 6 or more inches taller than I am, and quite a few of them are 10 inches or more. Maybe it's all those crazy tall Swedes and Norwegians in the state.