As part of my on going adventure to make a dress from every silhouette, I purchased this old tatty dress at the last Opera Costume Sale. It was about 4" to big in the bodice but that was a good thing because it had been altered so much that the fabric was badly scarred from all of the stitch lines. Taking it in allowed me to eliminate most of the problems. The skirt was already a good length, I just needed to adjust the cartridge pleats for my smaller waist. Im not sure exactly what era the dress was supposed to represent but after adding tabs to the bottom of the bodice, puffy sleeves trimmed with velvet and ribbon the bodice looks very early 17th century. I also made a sheer collar edge with a delicate cotton lace and backed with nylon net and matching cuffs.

Also shown here is a tricorn hat that I also made.