SPP 2009 Triming Ideas

I wasn't thrilled with the trim on the original dress

National Museum of Denmark mus. nr. 6070/1977 to 6072/1977

Source: natmus.dk via Corsetra on Pinterest

My early ideas were to make the dress a bit more steampunk.

February 26th, 2009 post on ideas
"The dress will be in the red/brown, assuming I have enough of it. The bolero as well. I think I will skip the waistcoat  and put the corset over the skirt and under the bolero. more steampunked that way. I still need to figure out how to make a mini hoop, I would like to do an uncovered one if possible.
And will need a riding hat or some other bonnet and boots.
I would like to change the trimming on the skirt to be a bit more steam punk, but I haven't figured that out yet."

So the first obvious place to start was the hem trim
March 18th, 2009
"While at the hardware store the other day I found #6 external locking (or tooth) washers that I will use for the "gear" decoration on Elphaba's dress for the Single Pattern Project over at Your Wardrobe Unlock'd.
Here we have a few drafted mock ups of trimming options for the skirt. the circles will be the gears and the lines will be couched cord. (I think the thinnest chain I could find would be too heavy.)
I think the purple and blue would end up being too heavy. the green is kind of meh. I was trying to imitate some of those fabulous soutach patterns that are so often found on mid 19th cent dresses, with gears at the corners and not crossing over any lines."

 I also played with the bolero triming
March 28th, 2009
"his is how the #6 locking washers look as bodice triming. pattern is properly scaled for Elphaba."

"A mock up of the skirt triming, before I went and played in CAD."

I wasn't thrilled with it, so I decided to toss the steampunk idea and go for something more historically accurate which means back to the research. I spent some time looking for a different triming option, and finally settled on a combination of This bodice from August 1862 Peterson and a mutilation of May 1863 dress

I think it turned out well in the end