I stumped when told about our Picnic Inspiration for October - Gothic Cemetery - and our picnic was to be located in a cemetery. The Mountain View Cemetery in Piedmont, to be specific. My daughter Emma had lots of suggestions, but when she told me I should dress like I was going to a funeral, it just clicked.

Our picnicking group is so fabulous. Can you believe we schlepped all this stuff and got this dressed up to go to a picnic in a cemetery? I feel so luck to have such creative and inspired friends. Daisy, who started our picnic group, is the talented photographer who made all these photos and the creative mind behind all the themes for our individual picnics. This was the 3rd picnic I was able to attend and Emma attended along with me. I’m so grateful that my friends have welcomed her so kindly and that we can do this silliness together.

My ensemble came together quite easily as I already had fabric, pattern, lace, hat, velvet coat, shoes and stockings. Earlier this year I had purchased the bow applique at Lacis (Museum of Lace and Textiles) and had the pattern from last year when I started my 1930’s capsule wardrobe. The fabric was actually a silk 4ply crepe that was either donated or came to me via an estate liquidation.

Daisy and our friend Kristen brought loads of props. And no worries, the skull is plastic!

The food was amazing as well. My friend Lisa made the radish eyeballs that were displayed in an antique wine decanter. So creative and spooky as well! We also had both sweet and savory pies, seasonal salad and a chocolate cake with pomegranate seeds. Topped off with wine and sparkles and we were good to go.

photo: Daisy Coby - the creative genius behind our picnics & the talented photographer behind - https://www.mementomoda.com/

Apparently, before public parks were widespread, folks would picnic in cemeteries. This cemetery is quite beautiful and I can’t wait to go back for a hike and exploration. We situated our picnic in front of an abandoned mausoleum that looked like it had not been visited for over 50 years or more. It was perfectly decrepit. We made sure we would not be disturbing those visiting or those residing in the cemetery and we cleaned up all of our picnic before we left. Read on for more about how my dress came together and one last Epic photo at the end.

Once I decided on a “Funeral” inspired dress, I sprang into action. I had already put aside the silk crepe and the vintage lace bow and had just to find a pattern it would work with. I landed on the My Vintage Wish 1930’s Tea Frocks Dress pattern I used for my polka dot silk dress in my 1930’s capsule wardrobe. I would do the long sleeve version with no collar.

After seeing my friend Kiley’s Instagram post about a 1930’s net dress with ribbon appliqued on the sleeves, I wanted to add some stripes to my sleeves as well. Working with only materials I had on hand I found a vintage ecru lace that was the right length and a similar enough style. The color was off, however, so I decided to Tea Dye the lace to make it coordinate a bit better.

Using PG Tips tea, I made a large bowl’s worth of hot tea. After removing the bags I placed my lace in the bowl and within about 30 seconds it had taken quite a lot of color. I rinsed, ironed and checked the lace, but it was not quite dark enough, so back it went. I continued this rinse and repeat several times over 30 minutes or so and came up with a tone that is pretty close. It’s not perfect, but it is close enough ( & I’m a little lazy).

Let’s just talk for a minute about how much versatility you can get with a pattern like this one that has collar and sleeve variations. The pictures above are my polka dot dress. I just switched the sleeves and omitted the collar. By changing the fabrication from a light print to a dark solid and adding lace details, I was able to change the whole look of the dress.

I made no pattern alterations whatsoever to this pattern. I believe it’s a size 36” bust but comes without seam allowance. One just adds the seam allowance when cutting out. I’ll be honest, I do this using my eyeballs and I estimate the seam allowance. This is fine, because I have some practice and skill in this area. For the less experienced, I would recommend adding your seam allowance using a pencil or fabric marker and a clear ruler. It will definitely be more accurate this way.

Here are all the details from my outfit:

Pattern - 1930’s Everyday Tea Frocks by My Vintage Wish on Etsy
Fabric - Black 4Ply Silk Crepe - Donated
Lace Bow & Vintage Rayon Slip (not shown)- Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles
Hat - My Lily Marlene (bought in person, but you can find her on Etsy)
Velvet Coat - Gift from my neighbor
Shoes - Decobelles and Angels - Shoes from Argentina
Photography - Daisy Rose Coby - Memento Moda

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