Dress #069: Edwardian dress in silver mauve. 2016

This hand-stitched Edwardian paper gown is based on an English or French evening gown from ca. 1913. The dress is made from mauve Japanese Ajisai paper, which features feathered, multi-coloured fibres forming a decorative pattern on the surface of this paper; ajisai is the Japanese word for hydrangea. Japanese koubai paper, with its white fibres over a solid base, forms the satin sash. The shimmering combination of subtle colours evokes the silk chine and silk voile of the original dress. Glass beads stand in for the pearl and rhinestone embellishments; the dress also includes a tassel hanging from a trio of beads. Hand-embroidered lines imitate the seams and folds of the dress. It is stitched onto cold-pressed 100% cotton paper. The original dress is held by the Victoria & Albert Museum (accession T.33-1947).

The dress is six inches tall, stitched by hand on 8x10 inch 100% cotton watercolour paper, which means that it will pop right into any commercial frame in that size, and be ready to hang on your wall.

Materials: Japanese paper, glass beads, and cotton floss on cotton paper