Robe à la Française: A Review

It's officially done!

I have actually finished my Robe à la Française.

Honestly, it feels a bit surreal thinking that this whole project is finished.

I started on this journey in February. It was just after my birthday in mid-February when I started ordering supplies from this project. By the start of March, I had finished the under petticoat and pocket hoops. I felt like I was on quite the roll at this point. Unfortunately, sewing can be rather expensive. 

I personally choose to sew with natural fibers. I know that this makes supplies more expensive, but I'm willing to spend a bit more if it means I'm not putting more plastic fibers into the world. However, at this point, I was unemployed. 

A recent university graduate without a job, wanting to do something different than what they are trained in. Doesn't sound like a great combo. I had decided to just get a part-time job for the year so I could focus on my Toi Whakaari application and bettering my sewing skills. I also needed some income to fund the projects for my application.

I started my part-time job at the start of April which really slowed down the production of my costume. I was working 35 hours, five days a week. I was getting rather stressed that I wouldn't finish my costumes in time so my boss was very nice and let me cut down to 30 hours a week. This extra time really took a lot of stress off me and by the middle of May, I had finished the Robe à la Française. 

All I had left to do was the lace sleeve flounces, lace neckline tuckers, and the hat. My lord, these took me so long to do, I'm so sorry for the wait on these. As these were just hand sewen and I didn't need to cut out big pieces of fabric, I put them next to my bed for me to sew while I watched tv at night before I went to bed. This was a big mistake on my behalf as I probably could have finished these three projects in two-three days if I'd done these on my days off rather than in the evenings. I was feeling a bit burnt out at this point from working on this project and started working on a pair of 1830's stays on my days off instead. 

However, after a week-long family holiday, where I couldn't bring any sewing stuff, I came back with a renewed excitement and I was ready to finish this whole project. I busted out the lace projects and stabbed my way through the hat (So many pins haha). A couple of quick fixes and it was all finished!

The Under Petticoat:

I reread my post for this one as a refresher as to how I felt about the project at the time. It was insightful to remember where I was in my learning journey. I really have learned so much over this costume project. I am so much faster at hand sewing. I am much more confident at doing a wide range of hand sewing techniques. I trust myself much more in making decisions about deviating from instructions if things don't feel right or if they don't work for what I am wanting. 

Looking back, I still love this petticoat. I think it might be my favourite petticoat I've ever made. I love the fabric and how comfortable it is. I did learn later on that the reason the pleats were such an issue for me is that I was tying it up incorrectly. I was tying it up at the sides rather than tying the front to the back and back to the front. This will save me more time if I make another one of these in the future.

Pocket Hoops/Panniers:

I actually don't have much to say about these. I think that these are really good. I'm very happy with these. I would love to make another pair of these but where they are closed so you can use them as pockets to put things in. Sometime in the future maybe.

Top Petticoat:

I'm also quite happy with this petticoat. I had the same issue with the pleats as I did with the under petticoat which I now know was just me not knowing how these garments were actually meant to be tied. I do think if I did this one again, I would choose a fabric for the back panel that was of a similar colour as the front panel's fabric. I just worry sometimes that if the dress was to pick up in the wind or anything else that would allow the back panel to be seen, it would be very obvious that it was a different fabric. If it was the same colour as the front panel, then it would look like it was still one fabric. Also, I probably would make the trim a bit longer for the same reason as above. If the front of the gown gets pushed back, you can see where the trim ends. I'd probably take the trim from side seam to side seam. Other than that, I think it's pretty good and I love the way it looks.

Stomacher:

For one of the smaller and shorter makes in this project, it was probably my least favourite. I think this is because I made the base but then waited until after I had finished the gown to decorate it. This just made it feel like it was taking forever to make. For the decoration, I used some leftover trim from when I did the trim on the gown. I did four strips across. I then made eight small bows and four big bows. I centered the big bows on the trim with the small bows on either side. I quite like how the stomacher turned out. I do think that the top edge might not be completely straight but I just adjust it when I pin it.

The Gown:

What a rollercoaster this one was. I'm very proud of this gown. It took a lot of brainpower to make this though. As I had discussed in my posts, there were some instructions that just weren't very clear to me which created some stepbacks. Hands down, this is most likely because I was not at the skill level probably required to make this when I started it. When it was written, some things were probably not written as it would be assumed that the maker would know what to do or what some things meant. However, due to this, I really had to push myself to figure this pattern out and what I ended up with is probably my favourite thing I've ever made. There are absolutely some issues with it and things I could improve on if I were to make another one. It pushed me to become a better seamstress. Pushing yourself to try things that you think are out of your skill range can only teach you things. If it ends up not working, then you get to learn why it didn't work and how to improve. If it does work, then you end up with something you didn't think you could do and have advanced your skills. It might be a lot of work and quite a challenge but in the end, it is a win-win situation. 

Shift Remake:

I was very glad I made this on the sewing machine. As much I actually quite like hand sewing, I was feeling a bit burnt out so using my machine was like a breath of fresh air. It also made me really appreciate how much faster a sewing machine can make things. I know in my post on this that I said I'd probably have sized down again to a size 10, but after sitting with this garment for a while and wearing it a couple of times, I actually think I'd stick with the size 12. When I put the gown on over top, it actually pushes the shift back up a bit so it does sit on my shoulders. If I were to change anything, I'd probably make the neckline a bit lower. It sometimes pokes out when I'm in the full costume and I don't want to have to worry about pushing it back down. Otherwise, I'm quite happy with it. It's very comfortable. I'd recommend a shift for any summer pajamas if you struggle with the heat.

Lace Sleeves and Neck Tucker:

I'm just combining these as they are quite small makes. The lace sleeve flounces are so gorgeous and I love them. While they were a bit tedious to make, I would do it again in a heartbeat because I just love how they look. 

I love how the neck tucker makes the neckline look so delicate. Before I started making it, I wasn't sure if I wanted it on my gown because not all historical gowns have lace around the neckline. I'm so glad I did. I think it really helps to complete the look and gives an elegant finish to the neckline.

Hat

I'm really happy with how this hat came out. It was very fiddly to make but so worth it. If you're going to make a hat, make sure you have beeswax for your thread. It makes such a difference to how easy or hard this is to sew. This project has made me have a real appreciation for milliners. Making hats can be time-consuming and awkward to do, but they are absolutely necessary for historical costumes. I think it really completes the look and ties it together. 

In the end, I am so happy with how this costume has turned out. I feel very proud of my work. I'm sure in a couple of years I'll probably think that I could have done it better, but for the time being, I couldn't be happier with it. 

Thank you for coming on this journey with me. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Now, onto the next costume!

Here are some extra photos that I have from the photoshoot my mum and I did.

I'll talk to you soon. Have a swell day!

-Maysie