Copyright AriaAustin, 1999 - 2009, all rights reserved.
Copyright Aria Austin, 1999 - 2011
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved.
Every now and then, a project comes along that I just can't say "no" to, and this gown was one of them! The lovely woman hired by the historical Dolley Madison House to play Dolley Madison, Dr. Lynn Uzzell, asked me to make her gown. Made of pure silk velvet, this gown is entirely hand-sewn!
Dolley Madison
A very fashionable lady for her time as First Lady, Dolley was left so impovershed after the death of her husband, James, that a former slave, Pul Jennings, frequently gave her money from his own pocket to help her get by. Her original gown, of which this is a copy, was one of the very few personal items she kept from her time living in opulence. The rest she had to sell, but this...this she kept.
This is the only photo so far of the back of the gown on "Dolley".
"Dolley" and husband "James". (Lynn made her own turban, and pelisse was provided by Jodi Shearer.
When an unexpected event came up for Dolley, I had already booked a trip to Missouri to visit relatives with my daughter. So I did as any lover of hand-sewing would do. I put this gown, in many pieces, into my
carry-on and sewed across the time zones.
On the final gown, among the details are four pleats on the front sides of the bodice, the five pleats on each side of the back, the drawstring casing being sewn in burgundy thead, the sleeves and skirt lined in a fabric the same color as the outside (in original images, this made the gown appear unlined, except for the bodice, which was lined in cream), the waist drawstring with buttons, the skirt on the buttonhole side ending about 1/2" before the bodice edge, and the unusual straps, which were cut separate from the bodice and then sewn on. These details are identical to the original gown.
Even though this gown is pure silk velvet, all fabrics were pre-washed making this gown machine-washable in a gentle cycle!
carry-on and sewed across the time zones.
On the final gown, among the details are four pleats on the front sides of the bodice, the five pleats on each side of the back, the drawstring casing being sewn in burgundy thead, the sleeves and skirt lined in a fabric the same color as the outside (in original images, this made the gown appear unlined, except for the bodice, which was lined in cream), the waist drawstring with buttons, the skirt on the buttonhole side ending about 1/2" before the bodice edge, and the unusual straps, which were cut separate from the bodice and then sewn on. These details are identical to the original gown.
Even though this gown is pure silk velvet, all fabrics were pre-washed making this gown machine-washable in a gentle cycle!
