Eugenie bertha mockup
Berthas are ugly and hard to make! But I’m getting there — evidence is in my folder on the Y!Group. Photo of my bodice with the bertha pinned on and lace pinned on (but not gathered).
OMG I hate berthas! So completely ugly. And it kept angling weird, and the pleats went wonky on me and are uneven and weird and I hope the lace covers up/distracts from the hideousness.
I think I’ll rip the thing off after Costume-Con and just add a big lace ruffle.
UG-LEE.
Bertha with lace pinned on
I hate bias strips! Yet another thing I hope never to make after this costume.
Oh and I’m beginning to totally not see the need for having used silk here either, except for the fact that it’s “historically accurate.” Yep, those dreaded words again. In this specific case, most of the silk is covered up! Such a waste really. I could have used a decent blend or poly for half the price and all the same effect.
The lace on top of it is probably a synthetic (never did a burn test) — I chose it for the pattern since that’s the most crucial part for the reproduction, incredibly hard to find. All the other trim is silk, which is nice, I suppose, but it’s not like you can tell by looking at it. And who’s going to touch it, other than workmanship judges? In any kind of real-life situation, the fiber content is irrelevant for this one.
Sure, cheezy lightweight shiny synthetics = bleh!!! I can’t stand that. Cheapens an outfit and screams “Halloween costume” not “historical clothing.” But there is a middle ground between horribly expensive 100% silk and craptastic acetate.
Ok, bitching over. Back to the grind. I *will* be finished with the main part of this gown THIS WEEKEND, goddamnit. I only have 1 major thing left to do on it. Then it’s all accessories…