June 22, 2016

Edwardian Adventuress: The Shirtwaist Plan


So I am planning on putting together an Edwardian adventuress ensemble, the sort of outfit a lady might wear while sketching Egyptian ruins while on a Nile cruise in 1907. I already have an Edwardian corset so I am planning on making a white cotton shirtwaist, a kakhi or brown walking length skirt, and a brown belt/sash. I'll also need a new walking length petticoat but that is more boring. I will be drafting the patterns for these items myself, and I can't wait to get started this upcoming weekend!

The first piece I want to make is the shirtwaist. I found the illustration below on Pinterest which should help me with drafting the pattern, but they seem pretty straightforward over all. Hopefully they will have a nice lightweight cotton at my usual fabric haunt this weekend. I may end up also needing to make a simple corset cover or camisole to wear underneath too depending on how sheer everything turns out.



I really like this example with the lace or net fabric as a yoke and the standing collar. I'm pretty sure I will try and draft my own shirtwaist with a similar style line, hopefully I can find a suitable cotton lace/eyelet fabric or I'll perhaps have to make the yoke fancy with pin-tucks! 


Have any of you made an Edwardian shirtwaist before? If so, do you have any tips for me before I dive in?

8 comments:

  1. Oh! I can't wait to see your final creation! You have some great inspiration here.

    xoxo
    -Janey

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    1. Thanks Janey! I bought the semi-sheer white cotton and cotton lace today so I can get started soon :)

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  2. This is going to be an amazing outfit! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

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  3. A million yeses to this fabulous idea! I love the classic lady adventurer style so much and am super excited to see how your elegant ensemble will unfold.

    xoxo ♥ Jessica

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    1. Thank you Jessica! I am hoping to get it made quite soon :)

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  4. I can't wait to see the finished outfit! I have made an Edwardian shirt waist, and I used the Folkwear pattern for the shirt waist this is in the last photo of your post. I highly recommend it. It went together quickly, the instructions were great, and the finished blouse was lovely.

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    1. Thank you Tonia! I ended up drafting my own pattern very close in style to the Folkwear pattern so my shirtwaist will be very similar :)

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