Wool Black & White Check Dress with Mantle

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This is made of a tropical weight wool. The dress is trimmed with a combination of a self fabric ruffle with black velvet ribbon going down the sleeve and across the bodice. The trim I copied from an original gown. It has black glass buttons going down the front and hand sewn buttonholes for the fastening. It's completed with a white collar and cuffs.

Since I had lots of fabric leftover, I decided to make a matching mantle. I had seen a similar dress made of black and cream checked wool fabric and matching mantle at the Ladies and Gentlemen of the 1860's Conference, 2004. I enlarged a mantle pattern from, I believe, Peterson's magazine, although I altered it so it looked more like the original I saw at the conference. The mantle is trimmed with pleated strips of the same fabric as the mantle and dress. It fastens with hooks and eyes halfway down.

Original gown that inspired the trim on the bodice. For more images, look at the original sheer gowns on the first page, a little further than halfway down the page.