1907 Afternoon Tea Gown from The Edwardian Modiste

March 28, 2011
A couple days ago I went to a small workshop to learn how to grade up patterns from the Frances Grimble book, The Edwardian Modiste (1905-09). http://www.lavoltapress.com/

I have two more of her books, The Voice of Fashion (styles from 1900-1906), and one of her newest, Directoire Revival Fashions (1888-89). Once I get the hang of this, I may invest in one or two of her other ones.


These books use an ingenious method of rulers cut to your size (the American System of Cutting rulers), which they recreated with vintage patterns. By following numbers marked on the pattern in the book, you use the rulers and mark the numbers on paper. Once those are done, it’s like a “connect the dots” game and you draw the cutting lines of your pattern. Even though this is supposedly cut to your size, it’s still highly recommended you make a muslin/toile to check the fitting. Also recommended is to pin the darts on while you’re wearing the muslin. Each book uses its own set of rulers, which are printed in the back of the book.
The gowns, suits, and underpinnings are like none available in the normal pattern companies, and I’m excited to make my first one. I chose a fairly simple pattern for my first attempt at this, a 1907 Afternoon Gown. It’s a kimono-type sleeve bodice and doesn’t require a lot of fitting. And the fabric I chose to use is a black with white polka dot polyester, which the instructor said was perfect for this. It will look cute with a white voile underblouse.

However, as we learned, all of these have a fitted underbodice which the outer bodice, the jumper, attaches to it which gives it its shape. So the first thing we did in class was to make our pattern for this. Once done, we cut out fabric for our muslin, and the instructor fitted those to us. It gave us a chance to learn and practice how to grade up the pattern.
While I was being fitted in my muslin, my instructor told me the upper portion of my bodice wasn’t fitting properly. I am very narrow in front from shoulder to shoulder, and short from my shoulder line to my bust line. It wasn’t a bad measurement or a mistake. I just had an unusual shape. So she drew lines on the muslin and told me to recut my pattern by tracing that onto it. I’m supposed to always use that upper portion of the pattern on any of patterns I grade up in the future. This was an “ah hah!” moment for me because this explained why I always have problems with the top portion of my bodices being too big, and sleeve caps hanging down too far, even further than those period correct ones. Instinctively I’ve been chopping off a couple inches of my shoulders whenever I put in sleeves. So I can use this information now for any patterns that I use.
Today I started grading the jumper for this gown but am already eyeballing this pretty bodice on a 1905 Dressy Reception Gown once I’m confident with the process.