1850's Day Dress 18" Doll Clothes Pattern

Extremely large puffed sleeves were highly fashionable during the early Victorian Era, but as these sleeves reached their greatest proportions, they began to deflate and droop eventually giving way to gently sloping shoulders. By the 1850s the fullness of the sleeves had dropped from the shoulders to below the elbow. This evolution of fashion took place just as the Industrial Revolution was gaining momentum so fabric was still very expensive and clothing still time consuming to make. Practical women kept up with the latest fashions by having their old dresses altered. To tame the excessively large puffed sleeves, dressmakers often pleated the excess fabric around the upper pushing the fullness more toward the elbow.  Extra instructions are included in this PDF pattern by Thimbles and Acorns for special details such as the smocked sleeves, pleated skirt, and piped seams.    Supplies Needed: Dress: -2/3 yard lightweight woven fabric such as cotton or cotton blends.  Not suitable for kni