Renovating My Sheer 1795 Morning Dress: Huzzah, Hooray! Sleeves! Good Fit! It's a Great Day!

The fit from the side. I think I've achieved the 1795 look.
Now to draw in the sleeves with ribbons.

So excited, I can't stand it. The sleeves are done, the bodice tried, and it works and it fits, and all the wide-shouldered, boxy look is gone, and I am thrilled.

As always, click the images to see larger versions.

To give the sleeves the carefully gathered look, I set them with stroked gathers. That meant taking two rows of gathers about 1/4" apart, matching the stitch spacing on each row, and each stitch approximately 1/8" long. I left only a small portion under the arm ungathered. The gathering was taken in quarters, so as to control the gathering around the sleeve better.

Then the armscye itself was marked in quarters, and the sleeves were set in the armscye and sewn with backstitches, just inside the second row of gathering. Each gather was stroked into place and individually backstitched into position. It's a lot of stitches but it ensures that the gathers are nicely spaced, and, along with the gathering thread left in just outside the seam, helps to hold the gathering in place when the bodice is worn.

The work is best done in strong, clear light. I sat outside on the deck steps, listening to the birds.

Here is one of the sleeves being set. I stitch from the voile side so as to set each gather as I stitch.

Stroked gathers are slow to do. The gathering itself is about a half hour each sleeve, and setting them in is an hour and a half each sleeve, so that was four hours of work. Oh, but so worth it! If you want to do stroked gathers and haven't a tutorial source, you might try the one I wrote when I made a mid-century petticoat.

Besides, the work is therapy. Some people find calm painting, others reading. I find it by doing close, repetitive detail work. My mind focuses on the task, other thoughts, usually gentle ones, float in and out, breathing slows, and I am at peace. No one in the family understands it, but perhaps you do.

Very best to all, and I leave you with these happy Turkish tulips, closing in the lengthening shadows.