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 :)
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[@debraanneclark2188]

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

[@asiabryant207]

Yes the lace came out so cute

[@BethAge95]

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 :)

[@makeda6530]

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

[@jesssheridan5900]

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 :)

[@donnacoleman4624]

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❤

[@vernieplummer5148]

Those sleeves look really cute like that. Good save!

[@marathorne6821]

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

[@evelyneca7454]

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 🌻🍄

[@CatsCostumery]

This is such a great thing to hear, I hadn't thought of that! 🙈❤️

[@terriashby5752]

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

[@jasminedoyle1724]

Can’t watch right now but I’m coming back to it later😄

[@pippaseaspirit4415]

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

[@asiabryant207]

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.

[@nataliestanchevski4628]

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

[@marie-louiseriis8262]

Absolutely adore those sleeve details 😍

[@dlsgl407]

Watching!🎉

[@kateatschool]

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

[@CathyHay]

You did a lovely job with this Cat! It suits you so well. I love the problem solving journey, and the lace looks so pretty!

[@milliealger3539]

I love your podcast! I wish you were local!

[@sewingroses]

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

[@boseph158]

Those sleeves look so cute. It's giving my cottagecore nurse vibes.

[@retsa]

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

[@evestone5361]

I believe this was a learning journey with a cute result, love it.

[@laylalana220]

So cute and beautiful!❤

[@MelzoA.]

This is SOOO good! 😍😍😍

[@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

[@paperyakuk]

I haven’t even started this video yet and I know it’s going to be a good one 🙌

[@Sew_authentically_me]

This make has inspired me to want to put pintucks into my work.

[@artistical88]

Adorable!!!!!

[@cheryllown5906]

Glad you made the sleeves too short. The fix with the lace gives it a such a cute boost.

[@bhavens9149]

piecing is period, see if you can't order a half meter to piece the length of the sleeve, you can put a bit of trim on the seam if it bothers you, but then the sleeves will fall where they should and that material really deserves some wear. Lovely material, I can see why you felt the need to buy it. really just lovely.

[@werkltant3724]

What a beautiful dress! ❤ I also adore your tea cup… 🍂🍂🍂😅

[@AnnieKat_]

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

[@sublimnalphish7232]

The sleeves look really cute. I like them. Good job.

[@agimagi2158]

I love this style! Cute and with historical vibes and also not to extra for everyday wear!

[@Raquelita.creates]

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

[@JekahAQuilter]

Lovely as always ❤

[@kerriemckinstry-jett8625]

The sleeves look really cute with the lace. This makes me want to figure out my pin tuck foot. Someday!

[@caragarcia2307]

The dress turned out really nice. Your cutting and sewing are really precise. I have a little genetic thing where each eye decides to focus on a different horizon so I'm always a little off. Ironing ning creases really helps. I always imagined sewing would have been more of a social activity in the past. So there would have been someone to make adjustments while the orher tried it on.

[@EFergDindrane]

So. Cute. I love the white details on the sleeve--very pretty and striking!

[@mostlymodern1000]

The gathers and lace insert of the blouse are so perfect! It makes the silhouette so delicate and lovely! I'm usually not a fan of the drop shoulder/garibaldi blouse, but I am absolutely obsessed with your version! Honestly, considering adding this to my fall project list!

[@aroger2486]

What a beautiful job. I love how the sleeves are. I thunk they turned out so beautiful. You did a wonderful job. I love watching your videos.

[@ColorwaveCraftsCo]

The sleeves turned out really cute! Good problem solving!

[@EmilySnee]

It turned out really well! I love the pin tucks on the front! 😍

[@thistleweed]

It looks amazing!! I love the lace insertions on the sleeves 💕💕💕

[@leahholland6272]

Love your final sleeves! Great "save"

[@juniperjr2017]

Great dress! I also tend to end up with 2 pieces rather than a dress because it's somehow less complicated for my brain to figure out. I've also run into that issue before with puff sleeves being too short 😅

[@samanthagirly3350]

I really like the sleeve with the lace. I feel it needed that visual interest to break up the solid look. So, happy accident for sure!

[@stitchinghistory5109]

You are not the only one to stuff up a sleeve. I made an Edwardian blouse and figured that the 3/4 sleeve would be fine on me as a long sleeve - I measured and all. Except that I measured along the top of the sleeve, not the undersleeve seam. And of course that wasn't long enough. I had no more fabric left to cut another sleeve so I had to make do with a 3/4 sleeve. I love what you did with the lace insert to lengthen yours. Re the waistband - maybe a corselet waist would work? They were fashionable in the 1860s.

[@gkseeton]

I like the shorter sleeves. LOVE how this turned out.

[@deifio]

I love those sleeves, they look sooo cute! ❤

[@elisabethmontegna5412]

This is such a beautiful outfit and the sleeves look like they were always intended to have that lace insertion. The placement looks just right to me. As for the waistband in the skirt, I literally just discovered the same problem on a skirt I finished right before I watched this so I can’t wait to see pix of how your skirt looks with changes to the waistband.

[@kayta84]

So cute! Hope the algorithm is kind❤

[@IamKyuTee]

My Grandmother had a dress that was her mother's mother which had something like Ankle-length pantalettes but it was the same fabric as the skirt and was worn over the Ankle-length pantalettes during winter. It did not have a hoop skirt or and item to puff out the skirt. It was a dress wirn by a poor housewife in the 1880s. I wonder how common it was and when did it start. The dress was one that was not worn often and most likely only used during special occasions. Also, seems dress was a term even used for 2 piece items since my grandmother said it was called a dress even though the top and skirt were separate. My grand mother said her mother told her it was so that a damaged skirt could be replaced easily. The dress was a common fabric that was on the cheaper end but not the cheapest so it was always available as many of the common folk bought it. It was made of wool. The colors were a dark green and had matching coat and a matching winter bonnet. Understand the poor usually were behind in fashion than the middle class population. This type of dress although made with fabrics from clothes often thrown away by the lower-middle to upper-middle classes and could be a slight miss match in fabric color from cloth from several types of clothing or a woven patterned fabric with a complimentary color was also worn by poor women who were working poor. Often wool was for fall/winter and cotton or linen for spring/summer.

[@ushere5791]

cat, it's lovely! i love the little blouse--the lace really makes it. wear it in the best of health! :)

[@Grace_x68]

Thank you for the video Cat. I really love the insertion in the sleeves.

[@lesleyharris525]

So cute, I was going to suggest adding a white puffy cuffed thing with lace on like a maid wore but pretty.

[@Imjetta7]

Very lovely!

[@cryingeyeslove]

My cottage was built in 1864 so I'm actually thinking of doing a copy cat now 😂😮

[@sarahheri7027]

oh there we go, i already had seen the new version and liked it ehehe but yes - i love the outfit, it's super cute!

[@thorunns.craftstudio]

it turned out super cute! i love the lace details you ended up adding in to lengthen the sleeves and then around the cuffs!

[@GigiofGigi]

Oo another video! Could you make the thumbnail the final product or a step in the instruction? Just so we can know what kind of sewing video it will be :)

[@sarahmwalsh]

Beautiful!!

[@medievalfamily]

This is so gorgeous ❤

[@jennglow4647]

Very pretty 😀

[@danskviking33]

Beautiful project ❤

[@sannabengtsson3044]

You’re looking like a doll and remind Jonas I don’t want much wherever you’re cute❤

[@otistravismax]

❤🍃 I Love the fabric ~ The dress is lovely 🌷 You always inspire me to sew 🧵 ☺️ Hugs 🌿

[@RagnaN92]

This came out so beautiful! On another note, and I don't know if you'll see this, but where i Edinburgh did you buy this gorgeous fabric? I'm going there in three weeks time, so I'd love to know a bit more about the fabric stores there.

[@CatsCostumery]

I think it was called Edinburgh Fabrics! 😊

[@devh6168]

It turned out so lovely!!! I love how you make a mistake and just roll with it. It gives me the confidence to do the same with my work!! Have you ever looked into getting a vintage pintuck foot? I have two but one of the doesn't work with my machine :( Haven't reallu USED the good one yet, just mucked around with it a bit...I do have a blouse in mid though.....

[@CatsCostumery]

I really want to get one!!

[@garbtheater]

I can’t believe you did all that with just 3m of fabric

[@josefinebrannlund7297]

👗

[@moonca8155]

i love the sleeves with the laces!!! and i would love to see a video about your pattern books 2:25 i have been thinking about to get one of them. how do you use them? are they clear enough to make patterns out of it?

[@m.maclellan7147]

I prefer a 3/4 sleeve myself, but, your solution turned out brilliantly! I know you said you used up the lace, but I would be tempted to add some to the collar, as well..... Question on the dropped sleeve, what years were they in fashion ? I love the dress, but think the dropped sleeves would look odd on me ! (I have a physical job, so have strong shoulders & arms !). Lovely video.

[@brandyloutherback9288]

Closer to the period than Jaqueline Durran ever got! Hated her designs for Little Women!

[@vilma.design]

😻🩷

[@jomeyer13]

show the fabric you saw first