Wanting a natural form summer gown, I bought 30 yards of hand block printed cotton voile on Etsy. It was the best price, being $25 for five yards, $50 for ten yards, or $70 for 30 yards. I put almost half of it into this outfit already anyway, so it's just as well I bought that much!
I used one of Butterick's costume patterns for the underskirt, adding a drawstring and a tie to get the natural form shape, Truly Victorian's 362 Wash overskirt, and 462 Tail bodice. Yes, those are both technically late bustle patterns, but the overskirt pattern notes mention it being in an 1882 advertisement as well, without a bustle underneath.
It's trimmed with a solid green cotton voile, and the skirt and bodice are flatlined with muslin. The sleeves and the overskirt are unlined, to keep it cooler.
This was first made to wear at Belvidere in September last year, and the temperatures that day reached the mid-90s, with what I'm sure was 150% humidity, because that's what New Jersey does.
I rewore it this past Saturday, at the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion in the Germantown area of Philadelphia, for their "Old Fashioned Picnic".
