Queen of our hearts...part one

As promised, after nearly three months of teasing you with bits and pieces about a dress I was making for my oldest granddaughter, I can now tell you the why for's and wheres." A" lives in a small mountain town where a 54 pound gold nugget was found in 1859. Up to that time during the Gold Rush era, it was the largest piece ever found. The celebration of it began in 1959, and has continued ever since. Many events take place over the course of four days, one of them being the Miss Gold Nugget pageant. This is a big deal up on the 'Ridge' in Butte County, California. The young woman has to be a junior in high school, has to obtain a sponsor and an escort, submit a portfolio, and create a dress of the 1850-1899 period. Each girl was allotted $125. for their dress, which was definitely challenging at today's prices of fabric. They are judged on the historical accuracy of their costume, the quality of their portfolios, their poise and demeanor, and their appearance. With 45% of their score being placed on their dress, it's the most important. 

"A" decided in January, when the time came for the paperwork to be submitted, that she wanted to do this. We attended a dressmaking seminar at the local mercantile, poured over boxes of patterns that were available there, studied and took notes of the sample dresses on display, and the ideas began taking shape in her mind. My daughter (her mom) and I made suggestions, but ultimately, it was up to her to decide what accessories she wanted, and how she wanted to look. Her and I sat for many hours at the computer, researching the history of costumes for the time period, and finally, she made her sketch of the dress she would wear. Many more hours were spent researching pattern companies and what was offered, that would match the closest of her design. Next, the hunt was on for the most accurate reproduction fabric for the time period, and where we would be able to purchase it. The pattern she chose was that of an afternoon tea dress, and the only accessories she wanted were some antique gloves, and a hand crocheted reticule, or drawstring handbag. While I won't say the name of the pattern company we purchased the pattern(s) from, I will tell you it was the worst pattern I have ever seen, therefore, definitely NOT for the inexperienced. A few modifications were made to get the look she wanted, and "A" was very pleased with it!

We were told at the seminar mentioned above, that past queens had always been in a brown dress. The seamstress advised us that for some reason, the judges liked the color brown. It made sense to us, given the time period, that women who lived up on the ridge had to deal with a lot of dust. "A" chose two reproduction prints, a faint stripe for the bodice, and a calico print for the skirt. The 1853 style bodice was a fan front (pleats), that I added boning to at the front darts, side seams, and on each side of the back between the side seam and the opening, as well as piping trim to at the neckline, the dropped shoulder seams, the hems of the sleeves, and the basque style waistline where I connected the bodice to the skirt. The sleeves were pagoda style with undersleeves that could be removed if needed, and I added a wide lace to at the wrist. The back was fastened with 8 tiny old fashioned tiger's eye look buttons, and two hook and eyes at the back opening of the skirt. The skirt consisted of five flounces on top of an underskirt, and because of "A's" height, I added three inches of length to the underskirt, which the pattern company advised couldn't be done. Yes, it meant having to adjust the flounces, measure and remeasure numerous times, but I managed to accomplish what needed to be done. I added buckram to the bottom 12 inches of the skirt for stability. This was also done to prevent the boning of the hoop skirt underneath showing through her skirt. The only undergarment required for authenticity was a hoop skirt. Her accessories were kept to a minimum like she wanted, wearing only a pair of antique gloves, a pair of cameo earrings I had as a young girl and passed down to my daughter, and a locket that hung from a goldtone bow that her mother received as a child for a birthday present, which she pinned at the neckline. The entire outfit came together so beautifully, and so authentic looking; "A" looked stunning!

On the evening of the pageant, I arrived (Scooter was so upset he couldn't get off work) early at my daughter's house where things were a little tense. "A" had to be at the auditorium two hours early, and my daughter was working on her hair. She had twenty minutes, so I told her to go get ready and I would do hair. "A" had even done research on the hair styles and wanted two braids crossing over each other and tucked under on each side at the nape of her neck. After I did that, I added baby's breath and she looked perfect! Out the door to go get dressed at the auditorium, with the other contestants.

I have a couple of appointments to tend to today, so part two will come in the next post.