Last Saturday I went to the Dickens Christmas Fair and wore my 1850s silk plaid dress. Here I am on the streets of “London” (photo by Laurie Tavan):
I made the dress last season (and you can read construction details here), but I had a few new accessories this time. 
I made a new pair of silk taffeta undersleeves. They are so easy to make! Normally I machine sew as much as I can, but these are completely hand-sewn because I needed a small project for a sewing party. The overall steps were:
- Make a rectangle of fabric a little longer than your forearm and sew into a tube with French seams. (My tube was a little curved at each corner for a slight barrel shape).
- Make a cuff by sewing a tube of fabric, then folding it in half.
- Gather one end of fabric into the cuff and stitch. (Slip stitch on the inside to finish).
- Make a channel in the other end of the sleeves and place elastic into it to gather.
- Sew lace onto the cuffs.
I have small hands so I cheat on sleeves by making closed cuffs instead of buttoned cuffs. The elastic end goes around your upper arm above the elbow and should be tight enough for the sleeve to not fall down, but not so tight it is uncomfortable.
I made a simple belt using some moire ribbon, backed with satin ribbon, and a pearly slider buckle.
I dressed up a pair of vintage gloves with some new ribbon roses.These gloves are not new, but I decided to wear cotton gloves instead of the kid leather gloves I wore last year, because Dickens Fair is rather dusty, and these gloves are much easier to clean!
Fresh Frippery 
Your outfit is fabulous, and you certainly look like you’ve stepped out of a Dickens’ novel! All those accessories are beautiful too.
Have you ever seen Blackadder’s Christmas Carol? It’s a parody of a Christmas Carol (which I studied and absolutely love) and is really hilarious. I don’t know if you are into comedies, but the costumes are great in it too, ranging from Tudor to mid-Victorian as there are flashbacks to the past. 🙂
Thank you Ellie! I haven’t seen Blackadder yet. It sounds like I should definitely take a look! I appreciate the recommendation!
I love crazy-loud plaids, and this one is awesome! All the accessories really bring the look together.
Thank you Molly! Dickens Fair is definitely the right venue for crazy plaid dresses (and pants!)
Oh oh oh!!! Your dress is so fabulous! I LOVE the plaid and your accessories are marvelous! What a fun evening you must have had looking so delightful!
Blessings!
g
Thank you Gina! I had a great time at Dickens Fair and I plan to go back another time this season. I hope you have something like it in your area; it is so much fun.
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