Bella Miss Ella

On to the 20th century!

2012-03-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

So I need to start focusing on my 1912 plans next. I started the corset but had to recut and redo a panel (stupid mistake - that is why people tell you to label your pattern pieces). Now I'm working on boning channels. Still a lot to do before it's done, but once it is I think I'll move on to the aqua day dress. I have been thinking that maybe I won't keep 100% to my original inspiration gown. I want a more interesting skirt and although I've finally found brocade to use on the top, figuring out what to do for the lace has been harder. So that may get tweaked some.

I found a period guide to making battenburg lace, and my sweet aunt has even offered to do it for me if I make a pattern for her. She learned how to do it in Italy recently! :) But, like I said, I may tweak things a bit. Maybe not use lace, or maybe a different kind.

Here are pictures of the inspiration dress!

Simple and elegant. And something one of my ancestors could have worn since it was made in Salt Lake City.

But with a pretty bodice.

From the side. The skirt wraps around. I couldn't get a good picture of the back though.

Though it did have these weird swirly things on the back. I'm going to leave those off...

First, finding any brocade like this has been impossible. If you know of something that could work, please let me know! Also, aren't those sleeves cute? You can see a couple more pictures if you click on any of them. Should take you to my flikr.

I also recently bought some black and white checked wool with thoughts to make a simple skirt and shirt waist. This is something I've been wanting for a while as I have an adorable vintage hat that I want to wear.

Then it will be on to the evening dress. Which has also changed in design a little bit! I may still stick to the original plan, but I found some gorgeous sequined net that would make it a much more interesting (and sparkly!) dress. But I'm not sure if it's too modern looking or even if it would look right with my other fabrics.

I'm not going to bother making a chemise, I think modern garments can come close enough to the real thing, that would mean just finding a slip to go under the corset. I hope I can find a pretty one! And anyway this plan may change as I may need a bust improver... :P And I think I might need a princess slip, this would go over the corset/undergarments combo to smooth the line of the dress.

I'm also itching to make some 20's garments, though I have absolutely nowhere to wear them! I may make a 20's bathing suit though. I just think they're the cutest! So new plans, in a new century! :)

Medieval Times

2012-03-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

This post is long overdue. And was written/edited multiple times in the past so forgive the random jumble of info, especially at the end.

This year for our annual trip to the Renaissance Faire I decided I wanted to try out something from the Medieval world. I did quite a bit of research which you can read more about in the dress diary below, but first I'll just share pictures and basic descriptions.

I made a 14th Century linen kirtle out of beautiful drape-y navy linen. I don't have a picture of just the kirtle unfortunately. My friend helped me fit it to perfection. Thanks Jenni! :)

At the last minute I decided to make something warmer to wear over it. It was October and pretty chilly, but actually on the day we went it wasn't super cold, just windy. The layers and the fur did their job! This was a very last minute, slap and dash project unfortunately, so I'm not entirely happy with it. It's an orange wool surcote with a vintage fur collar I had tacked on to it. I didn't have very much fabric for the surcote so it's not the perfect shape or perhaps totally accurate. But it did the job of keeping me warm! The fur is also not the right size at all but it used to be on my old roommate's mother's coat or something, and I figured it may come in handy for something else someday, so didn't want to cut it up. Plus, last minute sewing! You know how it goes.

I also made some accessories. A veil (pictured below because of the wind), headband, a hip belt out of metal medallions and a purse based on historic ones but not at all accurate in any other way than shape. :P But I needed something to carry my stuff in!

The dress was a little long but I think it lent more to the historical accuracy. :) I had to lift it up and carry it around most of the time. Makes carrying food to the joust a little tricky!

My shoes are modern ones I bought a couple years ago because I hoped they would work with a costume like this someday. You can also see more of the handmade buttons on my sleeves. Unfortunately I don't have a better picture but they are historically accurate! Basically they are circles of linen that I gathered into a ball and attached.

Here it is with the veil which I couldn't wear most of the time because of the wind! It's just a circle of silk organdy (or organza? I never know the difference, it's not super stiff, but not super soft). My hair didn't come out. I wanted side ear braids but my hair is just too thin. I opted for a long braid over my shoulder instead.

Our group at the Faire. I am the odd man out, the rest are in Tudor/Elizabethan, including, you might recognize, my outfit from last year on my friend Quinn! :) I loved how Jenni's kirtle came out! And it was so fun getting to know our newest member Carrie.

I loved wearing this outfit. Though the surcote wasn't exactly what I wanted and the collar too big, I felt very pretty prancing around the faire! And the linen kirtle might be the most comfortable thing ever!

So I had started a post as I was working on things, so I'll include that here, just as a kind of "dress diary". This gets long so follow the jump if you want to read more!

I started a medieval costume for the Ren Faire a few weeks ago when the fabulous Jennil helped drape a kirtle on me! I've been researching and reading for months now about medieval costume. I seriously have like 6 books out from Harvard's library (or Inter-Library Loan when necessary) about this era. Can I just say how grateful I am that I can get access to all these costume books without having to buy them? I can't always get everything I'm looking for, but it's more than I'd be able to afford if I had to buy them! And then I can cross reference! :)

So the books I've found most helpful have been "The Medieval Tailor's Assistant" and Herbert Norris older but still interesting (and somewhat accurate) "Medieval Costume and Fashion". It goes into a lot of detail, even if the pictures are mostly idealized. After doing all the research, including many sources online in regards to actually making/draping a kirtle, I decided I wanted to do early/mid-14th century.

(Tangent: This happened to perfectly coincide with a great book series I just discovered two weeks ago. The River of Time series is great YA Lit set in early 14th century Tuscany, before the outbreak of the black plague. Though, I have to say, I think her descriptions of most of the clothing in the book, especially when it comes to the women's, were totally wrong. Did she even look at pictures? Maybe I just couldn't picture what she was describing correctly but there was a lot of talk about back buttoning gowns, and no mention of head veils or scarfs, just hair nets every once in a while. But I really did enjoy the series so much it further cemented my date for my own costume to the 1330's-40's. Now, I'm not limiting my geographic region at all, in fact it was hard to find out what exactly the differences would have been between English, French or Italian gowns of this era. But anyway! On to what I'm actually doing!)

I've had 5 yards of this gorgeous, soft, flowy navy blue linen for a while. Originally I was going to do an Anglaise with it, but it's absolutely perfect for this dress. I've lined it with another nice natural medium weight linen. This is actually my first all linen project! Kind of crazy. Anyway, I ended up using a mash up of techniques. I took the draped pattern pieces, which only went to my hip level, and cut them following the instructions here. The four panels were cut straight down, splitting the width of the fabric evenly and then triangular gores were set into the CF, CB, and side seams. I'm not sure how happy I am with this set up, as when I'm just standing the gores disappear between the 4 panels. The Medieval Tailor showed a different cutting method, with the fullness taking up the whole width of the fabric for each piece, eliminating the need for gores. Don't know if this would have made a difference in the hang of the dress, I'm guessing yes, but it seemed like the first way was a much better use of fabric, so I went with that and I'm glad I did. I had just enough for the whole dress including long knuckle length sleeves. I was able to get a lot into the skirt as well. Each gore was a full width of the fabric along the bottom, which was 58", so the circumference of my hem is around 290! Whew, maybe that's too big, now that I think about it, but it sure looks pretty! I am not looking forward to hemming that... it may get a small machine rolled hem... Oh, I also cut the hem length super long. I love the look of the puddles of fabric at their feet, but I'm not sure this is going to be that great of an idea. It's not super practical, and seeing as I'm going to be wearing this to a dirty outdoor event it may be a bad idea...

I'm machine sewing most of this dress. As my first one (and with an event just two weeks away) I didn't want to spend a ton of time hand sewing. I am doing the lacing eyelets down the front by hand. It would just look wrong otherwise. As of Sunday night they are now all done! :) I tried it on and am mostly happy with it. I forgot to do offset eyelets so the two front openings don't want to stay lined up with each other. Boo. Also, I seem to have lost a little more weight since draping the pattern (that or this is really stretchy linen) and it's not as tight as I'd wanted. I even knew this and compensated in making bigger seam allowances in front. Luckily (or not, in my eyes) I don't have anything to "hold up" really, so it doesn't make that much of a difference. ;P

I also drafted out a sleeve block and pattern using the instructions from the Medieval Tailor. This was so great! I don't think I'd ever seen instructions for sleeve drafting this way, but it seemed to work really well. I need to make a mock-up and see for sure, but I think it's going to be good! And now I have a basic sleeve block! So great.

So, all that's left is sleeves, and hem, and figuring out buttons for the sleeves. THEN, it's on to the accessories for hips and hair. I was going to make a sideless surcote but after reevaluating my real life schedule I just don't think it's going to be possible, but that's fine because I couldn't decide what I'd wanted to do anyway. Instead I'm just going to focus on making a hip belt and a circlet & perhaps either side cauls or a veil. I was looking for just a super simple gold circlet, but I've only been able to find silver. So I thought about making it myself with buckrham covered in gold lame fabric. I think it would actually look surprisingly good. I also just had a brilliant idea, I might use more of the lame to make round fabric buttons for the sleeves (which are period anyway- well fabric buttons, not so sure about using a different color). From far away they might look like the circular woven/braided buttons and they'd certainly be much cheaper than actual metal buttons! Hummm, we'll see, must ponder more.

Belts have also proven hard to find. But after much searching on ebay I think I've figured out a solution for a belt I can make myself that might look ok using flat metal filigree medallions attached to one another. I also need to figure out if I want to do a veil or not over my hair. I'm thinking no, just because I don't like the look of them. It seems though that most costumers wear them, but the ladies in medieval manuscripts aren't always wearing them! So I think I'm good. :)

Peach Beaded Ball Gown

2012-03-01T21:36:00.002-05:00

A couple of weekends ago I attended an 1812 ball in Salem's Old Town Hall that was put on by the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers. It was a fabulous ball! The venue was great. There were so many people, and pretty much everyone was dressed for the period. I got there a little late (so hard to find parking in Salem!) so only danced 4 sets, but they were very fun. There was an intermission with refreshments that was also lovely. I met up with a friend there and made a few new ones as well! So on to the stuff you're really here for, the pictures!

I was so pleased with my dress and how it came out! There's just a couple little things that bother me, but I'm going to try to ignore them. It's based on quite a few different fashion plates from around 1812. It's a peachy pink silk shantung underdress with a beaded (and sequined) net overlay. The net is not historically accurate, it has clear opalescent sequins on some of the flowers, but that made it sparkle so nicely! It's covered with embroidery and there are round and marquis shaped pearls all over, one on each flower and around the scalloped hem border. I think it's probably bridal fabric but it was just too pretty to pass up. I had a very limited amount (I think 2 or 2.5 yards) and about the same of the silk, so I had to be very careful with it. And I used up pretty much every bit of it! I flatlined the net to the silk on the bodice and sleeves. The skirt is left separate. The underdress skirt is just a triangular shaped, no gathers skirt. For the overlay I used a wide panel that I curved slightly in the middle. I then pleated the rest of it in the back. There are a few little tucks on the front and sides to help it lay better. The one thing I'm disappointed about is that the net seemed to stretch with wear. I had originally hemmed the pink silk skirt to hang about 1.5 inches below the "top" of the scalloped hem. But I noticed by the end of the night they were basically the same length. Which is a bummer as it's not like I can take the hem up. I can let the silk hem down but I wanted it to be ankle length, especially as this makes it much easier to dance in.

I have a posture problem... Photo courtesy of Quinn.

Don't mind the crooked back, my roommate had to mark it so it's a little off. I couldn't tell in the mirror at the time. Will be fixing that for sure.

With my friends at the ball. Photo courtesy of Quinn.

I was pretty pleased with my accessories too! I got to wear my new tiara to help camouflage the hair piece I was wearing. I felt like a pretty princess! I also wore my vintage kid leather elbow length gloves. I found the perfect shoes at a dance store in Burlington. And got them for a steal! I'd been looking at these ones online for forever and debating whether to buy them or not. I put it off so long that it was only a few days from the ball and I didn't know what I'd wear for shoes. I had some not so great options but I really wanted satin dancing slippers. The dance store had these back in storage and I guess they'd been there forever because they told me "eh, ten dollars" when I asked their price. They didn't have my exact size so I'd been debating between half size up or half size down but when I heard that I said, I'll take them both! I wore the smaller ones to the ball but they definitely hurt by the end of the night. I'm glad I bought two pairs as well because I have "elf toes" which totally put holes in shoes right over my big toe. This is already happening on the smaller pair! I'm glad that I'll still have some when that eventually goes all the way through.

Last but not least, my favorite accessory, and a totally last minute thing, my fan. I will do a post about these soon. I am so so excited that they've been working out. It's actually almost totally period correct! I will have to share the secret on that soon. I mounted it literally 2 hours before the ball. Luckily it dried quickly and I could use it by the time I got there. It got a lot of compliments and I'm thinking maybe I need to teach a class or do a tutorial or something. I've thought of selling them but they do take some time to make. Anyway, like I said, more on that to come!

Thanks to Quinn for the picture!

1797 Open Robe

2012-02-29T17:30:00.000-05:00

This was a very last minute project, but so quick and easy! I attended at Twelfth Night Ball in Sudburry at the Wayside Inn in January. This was an event put on by Rev War reenactors. So yes, I was very out of date (futuristic I guess) but I didn't care. I didn't want to wear my zone front again and couldn't wear my Francaise because I had lent my hoops to a friend. So instead I whipped this up to wear over my drawstring dress which I made for our Holiday Tea in December.

I didn't get many good pictures unfortunately. The lighting was really low (it's a historic inn!) and I was tired when I got home. Maybe I'll have to get more on my dress form.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I couldn't get any sleeves to work that I liked so decided to leave it sleeveless in the end. I used leftover silk from my Civil War ball gown and had just enough to eek this out. I based it off the open robe from Janet Arnold but made the bodice separate, so there's a waist join. There are three box pleats that line up with the three back seams so it has the same feel as the JA one. I also had this gorgeous gold trim that I had been waiting to use on something pretty and it was perfect with this! I covered the three back seams and all along the bodice neckline, tabs and sleeves.

I wore my hairpiece in the large curly style of the 1790's and wrapped a turban around it made from an unhemmed strip of chiffon I had lying around. I also added my great-grandmothers jet bead necklace to add some bling to it.

Topping off the accessories were leather gloves and a silk fan I made. Which I will post about soon as this is definitely a project I want to share!

The robe has a train which wasn't great for dancing (or walking in a crowded room) but I really had fun wearing this dress. I don't know when I'll be able to wear it again but I'm very happy with it!

What I made in 2011

2012-01-06T18:20:00.000-05:00

It's time I finally do a post about what I was able to accomplish in 2011. At first I wasn't sure I had done that much, but then putting this list together, I'd say it's not a bad effort! The end of the year certainly slowed down, but I got a lot done at the beginning! (And maybe that's why I slowed down, I did get a little burned out, especially after the wedding dress!)

Picture-less post unfortunately for now. I know I have a lot I need to post, but those pics are not uploaded to the internet yet. So a list will have to do! Check out the tags on the side for more information on specific projects.

Started in 2010, finished in Jan of 2011:
Grey wool cloak (actually this still needs a hook and eye...)
Silk petticoat for my zone front gown

Started and Finished in 2011:
MA Floral Francaise and flat cap with ruffled panniers. Dress was entirely hand sewn.
Blue Dot Regency Drop Front Dress. Also hand sewn but technicially never finished cause I hate the sleeves and didn't hem them.
Steampunk spats
2 1868 corsets from Madame Foy patent (and two articles for FR - which I'll be posting here and on my blog soon! :) )
Laced Lime Rickey Civil War Ballgown
Turquoise Silk Elizabeth Bennett Spencer
Marianne Dashwood hat and matching reticule
Flat cap for Elizabethan dress
Elizabeth Bennett bonnet for Regency Jumper
Pioneer dress with a corded petticoat, apron and bonnet (and hat), and a bunch of extra skirts and aprons.
Wedding Dress! (which I'm never doing again!!)
New 1780's stays
New and improved bum pad
French Revolution jacket and petti with embroidered fichu and 18thc shoe redo
Handsewn 18th c organdy cap
Medieval kirtle & surcote with bag, veil and circlet
Queen of Hearts Halloween Costume
Lining for Wedding Dress Shrug for a friend
White Regency Drawstring Dress

Started but not finished:
18thc Green Stripe Round Gown (hand sewn)
Quilted silk petticoat
Drafted 1912 corset
Pink Beaded Regency Ballgown
Swansdown Pelisse

I need to post pictures! I'm so bad, I haven't reported on anything since, who knows when. I might not have time to do that before next weekend though. But I will do it!

And now let's make a list of what's next!

What I'm planning for 2012!
Red Stripe Open Robe to wear over white drawstring dress (for next weekend) haven't started this yet, but I think I can do it!
Regency Ballgown (either finish the one I started or make a new one with the sari I ordered over Christmas)
1912 Corset & brassier
1912 Aqua Day Dress
1912 Evening Gown
1912 simple skirt and shirt waist (with hat)
1870 Purple Striped Day Dress
1920's things: a bathing suit, a dress and underwear.
Northanger Abbey outfit finally!!
Something 18th century... but I'm not sure what. I have silk for the dusty blue jacket from the Kyoto book (the one with all the embroidery!) so I may get to that, if I can figure out how to do the embroidery, whether by hand or machine if I can find or make something that works.
Archery dress?
Finish the other things I started last year.

So once again, busy at the start of the year, and who knows what the summer and fall will hold! Stay tuned! :)

CADD strikes again!

2011-11-28T19:17:00.000-05:00

So you know how I had that big long list of things I was going to make? Yeah, I'm already straying from it. I went to Montreal with my Mom for Thanksgiving and we of course had to check out the fabric stores! :) And I found some pretty mauve cotton velvet that I thought would be perfect for a pelisse trimmed in white swans down (aka marabou feather trim). So that's what I'm making now for the holiday tea instead of the NA riding outfit. That gets pushed down the list once again. Oh well! I want to hand sew that spencer anyway, and at this point, I don't think I'm going to have time to hand sew something completely. And at least part of it will get done! I'm still doing the white dress...

Where might you ask did this idea come from? Well, other than the fabric. I recently saw Kleidung um 1800's beautiful winter ensemble, trimmed in silk velvet that I thought was just lovely! Perfect for cold weather! And, my friend Antonia has been posting pictures and information about swans down. I don't know about you, but to me, white swansdown says winter to me. And then, I'll have a somewhat nicer coat to wear over my ball gown in February! They will clash pretty terribly, but that's ok. You'll see one, and then you'll see the other.

I already have my basic regency patterns ready to go, so I'm just going to go for it! All I really need to figure out is how exactly I want to close it and how I'm actually going to attach these feathers... I'm using white marabou feather boas (hopefully 5 will be enough?) and I guess I can just do a wide whip stitch, right? Kind of a combo between basting stitches and whip stitches?

I've been looking at fashion plates from 1811 - 1813 for inspiration and here's a few that have struck me that I'm going to meld together. I'm trying to stick with an 1812 theme... that way I'll have an actual wardrobe, plus, next year is the bicentenial!

This is the main look I think I'm going for.

I love the braid closures and the swooping back hem.

This was the inspiration for this reproduction. SO pretty!

And look, here's my colors! Perfect!

Not the same thing I'm going for, but I do love her little hat.

I also love the ones that have little hoods! Still deciding whether to do that or just a standing collar.

From 1813 I think. So pretty though!

I love the fur around the sleeve head!

I'll need a little hat too. I'm thinking a soft hat from a purple silk I have in the stash that will go nicely with the mauve. Though this yellow hat is pretty fun!

The yellow hat in this one is cute too!

More progress reports to come soon!

Thanks again to nuranar and her fashion plate photo sets where I found all this great inspiration and more to feed my Costume Attention Deficit Disorder! :)

The Schedule

2011-11-11T12:41:00.000-05:00

So, mostly for my own benefit, I'm going to list here my upcoming events and what I plan to wear to them, and thus, what I need to work on and in what order! :P

December: Our annual Regency Holiday Tea
     I don't need to wear something new to this, I could wear the Aqua Regency ensemble which I've only worn once, but it's not super warm as the spencer is only one layer. Plus, I've been wanting to get on the Northanger Abbey Riding outfit for a while now. That means:
      White drawstring dress with small train
      Blue velvet spencer
      Necktie/Jabot (is that the right term?)
      My black top hat with black tulle around it.

January - Twelfth Night Ball
      Once again, don't necessarily need anything new, but I have this really pretty red striped silk... Don't know what I want to do with it though. So I may just wear my Floral Francaise or my Zone front and focus on making two new accessories. A small muff and an accurate fan!

February - 1812 Ball!
   Already started on the beaded ball dress I'll wear!

March - Returning Heroes Ball
   I may not go this year, but if I do I'm not making anything new, I'll just finish adding the loops of lace to the green ball gown skirt.

April - Titanic Weekend
   So excited for this. Am planning three outfits, two day, one evening, but first I need to start with underwear. Here's the list:
   1912 corset
   bust enhancer (brassier with ruffles)
   corset cover
   Simple wool skirt and cotton waist combination
   Aqua day dress (see inspiration below)
   Blue and Silver Evening Dress (see insipiration below)

This is an original I saw in Utah earlier this year. It was on display for the centennial of the Hotel Utah in Salt Lake which was built in 1910, I think. The dress didn't have a date (or any information about it really), but I think it definitely looks around the right time! Plus, it may have been worn by a Mormon, so I'll be especially historically accurate! :) Finding the Battenburg lace is proving difficult...

This is what I'm recreating for my evening dress. I will be using grey silk charmuese and chiffon with a blue silk velvet. It's going to be pretty! If I can actually pull it off! :P

May - nothing, whew, take a break! And get ready for...

June - Dress U!
Wear everything I've made over the last few months! :)

So it's a pretty fun list! I'm excited about everything really! So I guess next up is the white drawstring dress and the velvet spencer. Luckily I've already make a version of this jacket, so I kind of know what I'm doing. I still need to find the other fabric for the lapels and buttons though...

Ball gown progress pics

2011-11-10T18:18:00.000-05:00

Here's some pictures of the dress so far, the silk underskirt is just pinned to Miss Ella so I can see how it will look.

The back will either button or hook closed. Haven't decided yet.

A close up of the sequins and beads on the net

After looking through more fashion plates (thanks nuranar!) I've realized that my dress could still be kind of 1812, which is what the ball is supposed to be. It's probably going to be somewhere between 12-14 so maybe I'm just super fashionable! :) In 1812 the skirts were very narrow and columnular. By 1815 they were starting to get more of the triangle shape, but still not as full as they'd get by the 20's. Check out this progression:

Ball gown from 1812. Skirt is ankle length and not very full except in the back. I like the sleeves in this one too!

This is from 1813. Hard to see the shape of the skirt since she's dancing, but it still seems pretty straight. Also love these sleeves!


From 1814, this one has a net overlay! And pink underdress! But it's more triangular than the 1812. Also the skirt is shorter than the last two.

This is from 1815. I really like these sleeves. And again shorter more a-line skirt with an overlay!

From 1816. Are these all starting to look the same to you too? Shorter a-line skirt as well. Maybe the waist line is really what's changing most?

So who knows, maybe I can give my dress an 1812 date after all. The bodice on that one is a bit longer than the others, as is mine (really, I can't achieve that high of a bust line, even in period underwear). My skirt is going to be just a tad shorter probably, more like the later ones, I had to conserve fabric...

As for the sleeves, I've gotten some good ideas and it seems like they don't have to be super full, so I think they're doable, which is good! I may do a super short sleeve that's gathered up in the center, which would nicely echo the bodice, plus I could still use the scallop border without having it look lame. The idea in my head will look pretty, it's just a matter of whether or not I can execute it! I may leave the undersleeve off entirely and just keep them net, we'll have to see. That would be nice because then I could add some extra volume to the bottom of the skirt!

Regency Accessories - Shoes

2011-11-09T08:48:00.000-05:00

So I've had Regency on the brain a lot lately. And one thing I've needed for a long time is some appropriate shoes, for both every day wear and for dances. And I've found both!

First, I have been looking into jazz boots for a while now as a "half boot" substitute. Half boots were the outdoor and walking shoe of choice in the Regency period. At least for young ladies of leisure! Most were kid leather but other materials were used (more info in the article link below). The jazz boots I've been sourcing come in canvas (in multiple colors) or in leather (in black or white). I've been waffling back and forth between leather or canvas and then colors for forever! It's too hard a choice! I kind of want them all. But since I'm not sure they'll actually work, I decided I'd start with the less expensive canvas and then if I really liked them, I'd get a leather pair eventually down the road.

But once again I was faced with what color to get. I'd found black, white, red and tan (or nude as they call it). So I started to do some research in fashion plates and through extant boots to see what might have been most popular. I found that in a lot of fashion plates they have either white or colored shoes, but most of them don't look like half boots. But finally I found a reference to "Nankeen" boots being a very popular choice. Here's a pair from an article about Regency shoes (I can't find the proper source for the actual boots, anyone?).

How sweet is that rosette? Dresses up a more utilitarian shoe. :)

And it just happens I found some that look surprisingly similar to this pair! All I need is to change the laces and add a little rosette to the front! (Plus, the free 2-day shipping, free returns and super reasonable price from the website above made it seem like a no brainer.)

Nankeen was a yellowish cotton that was produced in China. It's described as being pale yellow or buff. I figure the tan is pretty close. I also debated for a while about the white canvas and the possibility of dying them myself to some fun color, but I didn't want to risk the heel and sole leather. And I think the tan is a pretty versatile color, it could go with a lot of things, and will match the pelisse I already have!

There's one drawback to these shoes. They have a split leather sole. It would be easy for a cobbler to add a sole to it, but I think I will wear them as is for now and see how they feel. I bought them 2 sizes bigger than my regular size since as dance shoes, they are meant to be very snug. I want to be able to wear a nice cotton sock with them and maybe even insert an insole that would add more support. I'll report back on how they do once I get the shoes!

The other pair I am going to order for the ball I'm attending in February are also dance shoes. These are ballet shoes, that are much more substantial than regular ballet slippers though. They are sometimes called recital shoes or award shoes. They have more substantial soles (still a nice suede leather!) as well as sides. They too can be dyed, but I think I'll keep mine a nice white/ivory to guarantee they go with any dress I might make in the future. I found them through the same source as the other shoes, here! They actually have quite a few different kinds of these shoes that could work, all at different price range and sturdiness. Some look more like regular ballet slippers. I like the idea of just a bit more support though. And these are pretty close to the extant ones below!

Just add ribbons!

From the Bata Shoe Museum - 1812

Anyway, I'm excited for my Regency shoes! The other option that I'll mention since I want her to continue making historical footwear, is that American Duchess is coming out with a new Regency shoe, the Pemberly! They are all leather and have a small heel. They look very nice, but are a little out of my budget for now, so I'm going to go with these and see how they do!

Beginings of a ball gown

2011-11-08T19:18:00.000-05:00

I actually did some sewing this weekend! On Friday I made TONS of plans about the events and projects I have coming up through next summer and it's lit a fire under me, so I'm taking advantage of the motivation and getting stuff done!

I'll add another post here in a bit about all those plans... lots of fun!

So lately I've been wanting to work on a Regency ball gown even though I don't really need it until February (there's an 1812 ball in Salem that's going to be great!), but like I said... taking advantage of the motivation while I can! And it actually worked because the bodice is almost done!

I'm using a pretty peachy-pink silk that I bought a couple of yards of randomly at Sewfisticated with a really pretty embroidered pearl beaded white net overlay. I think it was some kind of bridal fabric, and while it's not 100% accurate (it has some clear sequins under many of the pearls, but they aren't very obvious and just adds a bit more sparkle) it's certainly is very pretty! The silk has a very slight slub, but as it's an underlay it doesn't matter since it doesn't even show! :)

I draped the pattern for the bodice a few weeks ago. It has a square-ish neck that dips center front because of gathering down the bodice. It will button (or maybe hook) in back. I flat lined the net to the silk. Originally I was going to use a flimsier fabric for the underdress and make them separately, but I realized what a pain the net was going to be to sew with and this is actually working really well. Because it's a "stiffer" dress and because I don't have a *ton* of fabric (only two yards of each fabric, really cutting it close, but it's actually going to work, just barely!) I'm going for a more 1815's date, with an a-line skirt with no gathering in the front. I think I might even slightly pad them of the underdress to help hold it out a bit.

The two things I haven't figured out are sleeves and whether to use a waist band or not. Sewing a waistband with this fabric would just be a little crazy, unless it was huge, so I may forgo that. For the sleeves I'm worried about how much fabric I have. Most 1815 sleeves are pretty puffy, as far as I can remember, but I'd like to use the scallop border of the net along the bottom of the sleeve and that means, straight (plus less fabric). Guess I'm going to have to do a little more research first!

For now, it's cutting the skirt pannels and seaming them together. The two skirts are going to be seperate, or that was my plan until just now when I realized what a pain that will be. But it will hang so much prettier! The net is pretty heavy from all the beading so it would move around the dress nicely if it was free to move!

To complete the outfit I need to get satin ballet slippers/flats, there are some on eBay that I've been eyeing forever and I'll probably wear my elbow length leather gloves, though they are very tight. Too bad I don't have anything to make a pretty evening cloak with. Guess I'll just have to wear my tan pelisse and use my huge fur muff! :)

So that's what I'm working on for now. When that's done, I'll have to figure out what I'm motivated most to work on next! Pictures soon!

Once again...

2011-11-07T18:36:00.000-05:00

It's been too long! Sorry for being a bad blogger! Especially as I've attended a few events in the last couple months. So, I'm going to play catch up again. I'll probably split each event or outfit into separate posts just for future ease which means that they won't be very long. Sorry! Once I get all that updated I'll be sure to share my current plans and project list!

For now, my favorite holiday of the year has passed and I hope you've all had as great a Halloween as I have! Lucky me, I had the opportunity for not just one, but three different costumes this year! Lots of parties to attend.

First was a Pride & Prejudice Zombie
I've been wanting to do this forever and I'm glad I did, but most people didn't know what was going on. They'd never heard of the book, horrors of horrors! They were still quite freaked out by it though! :)

With my roommate who are (from l to r) An 80's prom date, a goddess, and pregnant Beyonce with Jay-Z. :)

For our own party we had an Alice in Wonderland theme and since I recently dyed my hair red I was the Queen of Hearts (rather than Alice which would have been my original choice). Not my favorite costume of all time, but the party was really fun! I found a red prom or bridesmaid dress at a thrift store and altered it, and I made a little crown that's attached to a headband.

And then Monday night I wore my Steampunk costume to another party just for fun! Didn't get a picture of that though, but you can see it under my "for fun" costumes. Everyone loved that one as well, though most people don't know what Steampunk is... I was duly impressed by those who did.

As I was getting ready for the P&P Zombie look, I realized that a hairpiece I bought last year that didn't match my hair before (but that I couldn't send back) was now a perfect match! So I used that with all three costumes and it actually worked so great! People thought it was my real hair, plus it only took like 5 minutes to do each night. My hair has been fading though, so who knows how long it will continue to match... I might have to re-dye it again soon. It really made a great Regency hair-do, lots and lots of curls.

Anyway, I hope you all had a Happy Halloween too! More costume updates to come soon!

Moar shoes!!

2011-08-03T18:36:00.000-04:00

It's finally here, the leather version of American Duchess' Gerogiana shoes, the Devonshires!

So pretty! I want mine in pink please!

The Devonshires are a leather 18th century shoe based on museum examples from the 1760s through 1780s. They're made of top-grade dyable leather, with a beautiful, smooth Italian leather sole for dancing, and are hard-wearing, water- and mud-proof, for even the toughest of outdoor re-enactments.

Pre-Order the Devonshires through August 10, and get the special $100 price. We're only making 200 of these shoes, so don't miss the chance to own one of only a couple hundred pair on the planet! Visit www.american-duchess.com to order.

So what are you waiting for? Go get your pair!

We have sleeves!

2011-07-20T18:32:00.010-04:00

Though I spent most of last night hanging out with friends, I was able to finish putting the sleeves on my jacket which I'd started on Monday night. I actually didn't have too much trouble with these, which was nice! I decided to do more bias ruffles in the stripe for the sleeve ruffle instead of just white. Since the ruffle on the back of the tail is striped too, I figured it would go more. I also decided to not do a zone front. Instead I altered the bottom to be flat. So now all that's left to do is finishing the center fronts, since I'll be pinning it closed. I do need to do some fixing there. I cut the stripe with a much bigger seam allowance for the CF and the lining is too short now for where the closure should go. This is because I draped the pattern over my yellow stays and my new linen stays are not quite as confining. Which also means more comfortable! But I'm getting wrinkles because it also means they are more curvy. Anyway, it's close to done, so that's good!

I need to finish up the fichu but I draped it over everything last night and I like the look of it. I need to figure out how I'm going to close it. I need a little corsage of flowers or a bow or something. Those longer ends will be trimmed off, I'm just worried about making a mistake...

Other than finishing up minor details the only thing left to really worry about is the hat! Still don't know what I want to do about that. But here's what I have so far, pinned into place, set on top of Miss Ella to see the effect of the whole ensemble (although admittedly the hat is hard to see in this pic). I may change the ribbons on the hat and use the same red stripe as the sash. Not sure. Or I may scrap the whole hat idea and just do a turban or finish my cap or something! Though my cap is not at all close to the "fashionable" size of the time, it's way too small! :) Sorry for the crappy iphone pictures, apparently the light in the room is very yellow...

So much to share!

2011-07-18T18:15:00.000-04:00

Wow, I have a lot to write about. Trying to decide whether to break it down into smaller posts or just spill it all out here. Well, one at least will need it's own post, so for now I'll stick to the updates about my French Revolution outfit.

The petticoat is assembled, it just needs a hem and closure (I attached it to a waistband instead of ties, I find it's less bulky). I'm still trying to decide what length I want it to be. I could keep it longer if I wanted, so that may be what happens, all the fashion plates I've been looking at are longer.

I also colored my shoes black this weekend! I ended up using acrylic paint instead of buying dye. We had colored bridesmaid shoes for my sisters wedding this way and so I knew it would work, plus, I use this technique at work all the time to match cloth for repairs all the time. It also has the added benefit of being waterproof! If they get wet, they won't bleed, compared to dying them, and as I'm planning on wearing these outside, I figured that was a good idea. I wouldn't try this with lighter colors though, you need a few coats to cover the brush marks and so with the black it was perfect. I just kept adding layers until it was uniform and dark!

I also made cute little ribbon bows with my new buckles for the front. Since I ripped off the old decoration on the front, I'll always need something there because I couldn't get all the glue off. This hides it nicely and looks cute to boot! :) I didn't have any black ribbon, so I used green, which actually was a symbolic color as well during the revolution.

I finished my fichu as well. Well, I finished embroidering it on my machine, and then spent a couple of nights picking off all the tear away stabilizer from the back, ugh. And of course I find out now that there's a soluble stabilizer that's thicker and stiffer. I could only find a saran-wrap weight at Jo-Ann's so I used that on the front and the tear away on the back. It's not perfect, but I'm pleased with how it's turned out so far. This one will not be able to wrap around, but that's ok. Now I just need to cut it into shape and hem the front edge. The back will be left raw as I'll follow the satin stitch scallops on the bottom.

The other thing I worked on was trying to figure out a hat. I have yet another straw hat from Michael's that I think I'll decorate. And I thought I might use the vintage millinery supplies I got in the LA Garment District last year. They are a pinkish red ribbon and a lot of yellow ribbons, flowers and trimmings. I didn't know if it would look good with my outfit though over all. To change it up, instead of having another straw hat, I covered the crown. I pleated a length of starched white cotton and wrapped it around the brim, as it seems I've seen things like this a lot in fashion plates. But what I'm realizing is that most of the outrageous hats I like are from 1787, not 89. So I may change my mind. Right now everything is just pinned on, litterally, I just threw it on there. What do you think? The red ribbon matches the red stripe ribbon I'll use on my jacket pretty well. And the yellow ribbon around the brim will be completely sewn down, not puffed like that. I just wasn't sure of the yellow and black. Oh yeah, I'm thinking of putting some black feathers on it too. In one of the books I was reading about the French Revolution, yellow and black actually had some meaning for the opposition. The way the information was worded in the book I couldn't tell if they meant the revolutionists or the opposition to the revolution. But most of the royalists used white as their color, or black. The revolutionists used red, white, blue, green and apparently also yellow and black. Anyway, do you think it will go? Is the hat too much?

You really can't even see the straw anymore.

I also haven't decided what's the front and what's the back.

I found this great fashion plate that is actually very close to what my jacket looks like (in the back at least). So now I'm thinking I might turn the front into a zone with the red stripe ribbons going across a gathered white stomacher. What do you think? I was already planning to do elbow length sleeves with white ruffled cuffs at the bottom. And now I'm thinking I need a simpler hat. Maybe just some bows and the feathers?

So this week it's finishing the jacket, hemming the skirt and putting together a hat! I think it's doable!

Done! For now...

2011-07-13T18:53:00.002-04:00

So the pink linen stays are done for now! I finished binding the top of them last night, added grommets for the straps and tea dyed the lacing cord so it wasn't so blindingly white compared to the pink and natural stays. I also tried them on again, the first time with all the boning, and I'm happier with them than I was before. If I don't tighten the top so much I do get more of the bow front, plus, they are pretty comfortable! So that's good! Of course, now the jacket doesn't fit as well in the front as it did. I draped it over my older stays, so I'll either have to figure out a way to fix it or live with a bit of wrinkling. The front is cut on the bias so I don't know why it's wrinkling so much. Maybe I need to pin it tighter. Anyway, I'll figure that out.

The light was pretty yellow, so it's not quite true to color... oh well. And this was before putting in the shoulder grommets.

Last night I also made up a little crochet headband that I had seen online (anyone else use Pinterest? it's great... let me know if you want an invite). It's "queen anne's lace" pattern, and while I might not wear it all that often, it is pretty cute and was super fast. I did it in about 40 minutes of watching "So You Think You Can Dance" on hulu. I'm trying to catch up and didn't feel like whipped gathers (my cap is close to done but I'm losing steam...).

Made with a pretty turquoise bamboo yarn.

Tonight I'm going to start working on my fichu. I may start with a smaller size just because I have a piece of voile that is already cut, from my skirt, and it's not quite big enough to wrap around and tie in back, but I'd hate to have to cut a new one and it would be kind of a waste of fabric. So I'll start with this one and if I want a bigger size, I can do that later.

Still need to figure out a hat. I can't find my pink pouffy hat right now. I have no idea what I did with it in my move upstairs. It's not with my other hats and it's not in my costume boxes, so that's a problem. Guess I'll have to keep my fingers crossed I find something useful at the flea market this weekend!

And I should probably finish my petticoat and sleeves soon, otherwise, I won't have anything to wear these accessories with! :P

Sometimes I forget...

2011-07-12T18:22:00.012-04:00

Sometimes I forget that I've only been doing this historic costume thing for under two years still. I've been interested in it for so long, and I feel like I have good hand skills, so when I can't get something to work how I want or if I don't know everything about an era or if it's not perfect I get really hard on myself. This is a reminder to myself to chill the heck out. I feel like I've come a long way in just those two short years. Sometimes looking at things I made just starting out I can really see my progress and it makes me happy to know that I can only get better from here, right?

I finished boning and started binding my new stays last night. They are looking pretty cute if I do say so myself! :) I'll have to snap a picture of them soon. I forgot to do that last night.

Just so it's not a picture-less post I'll share a pic of the lovely pile of ribbons I bought on my trip to Utah just a few weeks ago. There is a great pharmacy actually that sells lots of nick-knacks and clothes, and also, randomly, super pretty, super cheap ribbon. Even silk ribbon! So I went a little crazy. But I need more hats! :) So now the question is, what to use first...

As for my French Revolution hat I think I'm going to look for something at the thrift store and the antique show I'm going to this weekend that I can use as a base. I don't feel like starting from scratch. I always have my big pink pouffy hat from the picnic last year that I can wear. It was common to mix pink and red together, so I'm not worried about it "going".

Oh, also good news, my Georgiana shoes are on their way to me! Yay! That means I'll have them in time! The question is now, should I try to dye them before? I was thinking of dying them pink since I feel like that will just go with everything. The dresses I already have will all match pink, plus I already have a pair of ivory shoes, so keeping them that color isn't necessary. My other question is whether to do this myself (following the Dreamstresses instructions) or to take them somewhere. I'm worried about time in the case of the latter, but I could always wear them and then get them dyed. I am mortally afraid of ruining them. It is an outdoor event, so I guess we'll see. This of course is going to make me want the Devonshires too, the leather version. And all this is dependant on whether they actually fit when I get them... :P Anyway, something to look forward to!

I also spent part of last night looking through the books I checked out. I feel ok about doing a crossed and tied in back fichu, which makes me happy. I got an embroidery card that will be perfect for whitework on a fichu, so I'm going to get started on that soon as well. I'm also close to being done with my cap, so that will give me an option if I don't want to wear my wig or really do my hair. I think caps under hats look super cute.

Anyway, that's the update so far! I won't have much time for working on things tonight or later this week (hooray for Harry Potter!!) but I think I'll still be able to get everything done in time. Especially if I'm not such a freaking perfectionist!

New pink linen stays

2011-07-11T18:40:00.002-04:00

So this weekend I started and have almost finished a new pair of stays. I realized that my only pair of 18c stays are more 1770's shape and I needed late 1780's early 90's for my French Revolution jacket ensemble. So I drafted a pair based on the 1790 brown jean pair in Jill Salen's book. I made them front and back lacing, just to make fiting a bit easier, cause I'm lazy like that. They are also meant to be very light weight and cool, as I don't love wearing tons of layers in the middle of summer. Plus, I've realized I don't need a ton of shaping. :P

They are made from three layers of linen, two are a natural medium weight and the outter layer is very light weight light pink. I sewed them with the seam allowances on the outside and then clipped and covered them with bias tape. All of the boning is light weight cable ties and I was even lazy enough to use metal grommets for the lacing. There was no way I was going to handsew all those eyelets by next weekend and finish an entire outfit. I just didn't care enough this time. But I'm glad I didn't because I don't love the fit. I was going more for the "prow front" shape and I didn't really get that. Maybe it's because my chest is almost non-existent? That could have a lot to do with it, but I also may not have made the curve on the front piece big/dramatic enough. I feel like it gives me about the same results as my old pair. Though they are much lighter! And perhaps more comfortable. They are shorter waisted and also a bit lower in the bust. So there are some differences. I may re-do the neckline of my jacket, as they were wide and low at this time period. I don't want to make it *really* low, though I will be filling it in with a fichu. Anyway, all that's left to do on the stays is to get some more cable ties (only one side is fully boned), bind everything (I have yet to ever finish binding a pair of stays, so we'll see when this ever happens, the top gets done but not the tabs) and figure out what I want to do for straps. I thought at first I wouldn't do straps, but they sit wrong without them, they slip down in back. So for now I'm using ribbons pinned from the back. I like how easy that option is so I may just add some grommets and use ribbons! I could always make straps that tie on with ribbons later if I didn't like just the ribbons...

Lots of things left that I'm still trying to figure out. I really want big fichu that will wrap around and tie in back, but from what I've been able to find, that wasn't necessarily the style then? It certainly comes in after in the 1790's. And might also be before? I guess I should say, my outfit is aimed at 1789. I might just do what I want though and not care. At this point I just want to be able to get it all done and have something to wear! I've been on hold with the skirt because I'm not sure walking length was popular then either, but I don't want it longer, though if my new shoes don't get here in time I won't have good shoes to go with it. I don't know what I want to do for accessories and I don't really like the hair options either. I'm much more partial to the 1790's, transition to the empire fashions. The late 1780's all seem to have this straight piece hanging down in the back, I am not a fan of it really. I will probably just wear my blonde wig. It will look good enough, but that's going to be so hot! Also, what should I do for a hat? So many questions!

I checked out some books from the library at lunch today about fashion in the revolution and so we'll see what I can find there if it helps me figure out what I'm doing. Anyone have any opinions?

Patriotic sewing

2011-07-06T18:52:00.002-04:00

So, while I didn't have any super exciting plans for the 4th this year, I still made it a patriotic weekend! We've planned out events for the rest of the year for our little costuming group and it's got me all excited to get going on them.

First up, I've decided to have a Bastille Day Celebration Picnic! I was jealous of the fun Philly events that were going on for that so decided to throw my own! So of course I need something to wear that is appropriately patriotic. And isn't it convenient that the French and American colors are the same? :) So I started a little blue and white striped jacket and a new froofy white petticoat. I have some red and white striped ribbon that I will wear around my waist and of course I need to figure out some other accessories, like a crazy hat and a big fichu.

I matched the striped in center back! :)

Here's what I have so far. The bodice is assembled except for the sleeves (and strap) and center front closure (I need to try it on first). The peplum was a curved rectangle shape that I attached bias cut ruffles to and then just box pleated to fit the back. I'm pleased with how it's turned out so far!

You can also see the pink batiste curtains I hung this weekend. It adds some much needed color to the sewing area.

I also realized I needed a bigger and better bum pad. While my other one is fine, I wanted a much more exaggerated "shelf" look in the back. So I created a giant petal shaped one. It went together very quickly and I'm pretty pleased with the effect!

Does this make my butt look big? Yes? Good!

I started the petticoat as well (not the one shown in the picture). It's 5 58" panels of very sheer batiste, two for the front and three for the back. I thought about putting a big ruffle on the bottom, but then when I looked through more fashion plates I didn't find many examples of that, so I'm just leaving it plain. I'm hoping someday to do some machine embroidery on it.

So, I'm close to done with that, but guess what? I've decided I want proper 1780's stays. Mine are much more 1770's. I thought I would never be that person, to feel the need to make new underwear for every little change in an era, but there's something else motivating this need. I don't want to be too hot! And I can make the new pair out of just two layers of linen and only lightly bone them! The jacket is already very lightweight, which I'm happy about, but my yellow silk stays are so hot, so I think this would really help. I have some really nice linen in the stash and I think it could be a fairly quick project. Especially as I never manage to actually finish my stays, I hate binding them! The other plus is they might not show as much through the fabric (you can see my yellow ones a bit under the bodice, which I didn't notice until I took the picture), the linen I have is cream, so on me, basically flesh colored! :) So I'm going to try to get those done before I finish up the jacket, especially the center front.

I also worked on handsewing an 18th century cap while watching the History Channel's documentary series about the Revolution on Netflix which made me feel very patriotic. I'm about half way done. I won't be wearing this with the Revolution outfit though. This is for later this summer!

Anyway, that's it so far. I'll leave you with one of the images inspiring me:

From Dames a la Mode. Very patriotic, non?

The weekend update

2011-07-05T18:48:00.001-04:00

I promised photos of my pioneer outfit. Unfortunately I forgot that I didn't have my SD card in my camera, so I had to take pics with my phone. So they aren't the best quality! Sorry!

The BBQ and celebration was a lot of fun, especially as I was able to catch up with my fellow costumer, Alexandra. We've made lots of fun plans for our costume group for the rest of this year! I'm excited which I'll talk more about later!

With sleeves rolled up.

With Dara and Alexandra.

My skirt doesn't look that full, but trust me, without the (semi-)corded petti it would look awful.

So here's the dress. It's a printed brown and pink cotton. The lining is fitted and boned with the cotton print gathered over it. I'm mad about what I did with the back. I thought to macth the gathering from the front and so I added more to the center back, but I don't like how puffy it turned out. But I didn't have the fabric, time or inclination to do anything about it, so there it is. This was seriously a quick project. From start (draping it) to finish it took me about 4 nights. I piped all the seams on the bodice as well as the waistband. Because I was too lazy to really figure out how to make a dog-leg closure work, I make it a sort of "round gown". The sleeves are literally half widths of my fabric with no shaping. I gathered them to fit the armscye and a wrist band that buttons. I'm wearing it over bloomers, my corded petticoat, another basic petticoat and my 18th century pocket actually. I needed something to carry all my stuff in! :) For the neckerchief I just cut a piece of white cotton in an enlarged diamond shape and tied it around my neck. I didn't even hem it. Most of it is cut on the bias so it doesn't matter. The apron was super simple but I'm glad I used as much fabric as I did, I like how full it is! I also wore my cream boots (these work for so much!) and a straw hat that I cut slits in for some ribbon to hold it on my head.

Anyway, I'm glad to be done with that! It was a fun event, the kids seemed to have had a really good time and while they weren't authentic looking, it was still fun to see everyone in their "pioneer" garb! :)

A question and a preview

2011-06-30T23:52:00.001-04:00

Hat or bonnet?

And by helping me decide you get a little peek at my pioneer outfit:

Technically bonnets are more "pioneer" but I prefer the hat. Plus it will be cooler and keep more sun off! Plus I've seen pictures with women in straw hats.

Can you tell where I'm leaning? But tell me what you think! Which looks/fits everything better?

And yes, everything will be ironed by Sat... :P

A slightly wonky corded petticoat

2011-06-30T15:09:00.001-04:00

First everyone, thanks for the nice comments about my Aqua Spencer ensemble!

Second, I'm back from my trip and I'll try to post pics of the wedding dress soon, but of course I forgot my camera, so I borrowed my brothers. So I need to get those from him, but what I really want are the bridals she had taken, they looked lovely!

Also! It's almost the end of the month, which means I am close to finally being free to work on what I want! :) Yay! Saturday is the last day of the Pioneer Trek. They actually left this morning, but I'm only going for Sat.

In that vein, I've been finishing up my own dress. Last night I made a really wonky corded petticoat in just over an hour. So, quick and dirty! But it will do the trick!

I still have a bit of hemp left so may add another row or two...

Tonight it's finishing closures on the dress and perhaps making a ruffled petti to go over the corded. We'll see!

I'll try to post pics from the event on Sunday!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Aqua Regency Ensemble

2011-06-22T18:36:00.012-04:00

So I promised pictures of at least the new things I made for Costume Con! The first was probably my favorite outfit of the weekend, especially to wear as it was very comfortable.

I don't have a good picture of the dress alone. It's a drop front based on the pattern in Janet Arnold. I am not happy with the sleeves and plan on re-doing them at some point, but with the Spencer, that doesn't show and so doesn't matter too much! The dress is made from a very lightweight cotton with blue Swiss dots. I left a train, and I love the way it looks. I sewed most of this by hand.

The Spencer was made from silk from Sewfisticated. It has a very fine slub but it doesn't show too much. I based this on a Spencer that Elizabeth Bennett wears in the 1995 Pride & Prejudice. Most of this was done by machine as I was in a hurry to get it finished. The bodice is lined with aqua cotton, the sleeves are unlined. They are in three parts, the long undersleeve, short puffed sleeve and vandyked over sleeve. The puffed and vandyked sleeve are the same pattern with the bottom cut off the oversleeve. The raw edges were then turned up and hemed with a small running stitch. The back and shoulder seams were also top stitched by hand to add to the look.

My accessories were a straw hat or capote based on one that Marianne Dashwood wears in Sense & Sensibility. The stripe fabric was cut on the bias and gathered to the crown piece and the brim. I then wrapped a piece of ivory silk ribbon and a piece of blue velvet ribbon over the brim and finished it with a small rosette made from the striped fabric with a covered button in the middle. The brim was created from a straw hat from Michael's that was partially dissembled and then slightly shaped with water.

The reticule is from the same stripe fabric as the hat. I made up my own pattern of four diamond shaped pieces sewn together with a drawstring through the top and a small tassel of velvet ribbon on the bottom. I also wore elbow length leather gloves with it and cream boots.

My hair was super simple to do as I created some little curly hairpieces to go on either side of my face and over a bun of my own hair in the back. I was inspired by Harriet Smith's hair from the new Emma movie.

Edwardian Inspiration

2011-06-22T18:04:00.001-04:00

So, as I'm apparently never able to avoid CADD (costuming ADD), I've started dreaming and planning some of my next projects.

One that's been on my mind a lot lately is an Edwardian Afternoon Ensemble. (Yes, there's more than one on my mind... but that's for another post.)

I have this pretty drapey aqua satin fabric ( can't get away from that color!) that I got for super cheap at Saftlers, I think it was 2 or 3 dollars/yd. Anyway, I have about 2.5 yds, so while not enough for a whole dress perhaps, I can do a skirt with a white blouse perhaps.

Some of my inspiration:

I am in LOVE with this skirt... hope I have enough fabric for it...

I really like this one too. I have some white striped cotton voile that would look nice for the blouse.

This totally reminds me of Lady Mary's dress from the garden party in Downton Abbey! I loved that dress!

A simple skirt and shirt pattern.

I also have a vintage hat that might work, or I'll make a big picture hat. I have gloves as well and I may carry my parasol! I may wear this to the Newport mansions, if we do that again this year.

But first things first, I need an Edwardian corset! I'm planning on using the one from Corsets and Crinolines.

Next on the list...

2011-06-21T18:15:00.003-04:00

So, it seems I can't just take a break from sewing for a bit... I have too many things I want to do (and too much fabric to do it all with) that I can't just sit around and do nothing. I knew this would happen. I've been so busy and stressed for the last three months really that I thought I need to impose at least two weeks of not working on anything. But of course the moment I'm done with something, my brain is full speed ahead on all the new projects I want to do.

Here's a list of the things I'm dreaming about doing. How many will actually happen and in what order is yet to be determined.

Regency ballgown - embroidered and beaded net fabric for this
Green striped round gown
Aqua Edwardian afternoon ensemble
Navy blue linen Gothic Fitted Dress with reversible wool sideless surcotte, oneside pink, one side light blue (for King Richard's Faire) - this was a new decision yesterday...
Northager Abbey riding ensemble - white trained gown with blue velvet spencer, neckcloth and top hat
Purple striped early bustle dress
And, I have tons of pretty silk in blues and greens that I'm thinking of making 18th century jackets with or something, plus a quilted silk petticoat to finish.

But of course I'm crazy and started a new project last night. I'd finished the pioneer stuff I needed to do and was doing some cleaning and organizing of the sewing area. As I was going through my fabric (and all these plans were tempting me) I decided to start with something easy and fun (that of course I have absolutely no need for) that I can hand sew on my trip or at work. Forget the fact that I am already working on an 18th century embroidered pocket. I am crazy.

Anyways, using the pattern from my Aqua spencer, I am making a simple drawstring Regency gown out of some embroidered cotton with a metalic stripe. I wasn't super happy with how my drop-front Regency dress came out for CosCon (especially the sleeves) and so I figured before jumping into some other regency dresses, I should first figure out a pattern that works. I cut it out and started sewing it last night. I am not lining it as I will wear it over my bodiced petticoat, and so I am flat felling all the seams. I love Regency dresses for hand sewing because they are so fast and easy! I have the bodice almost entirely assembled just from an hour and a half of sewing last night while finishing a movie! The other reason I started with this dress is because if I don't get to the Regency ballgown I will still have something I can wear to a dance, since the metalic thread makes it a little dressier than everyday occasions. Anyway. I hope it turns out! I think I'd have enough fabric to re-do the bodice if I'm not happy with it. I altered the pattern without doing a mock-up. Since I'm doing a drawstring closure, I figured it wouldn't be too much of a problem!

Anyway, I promise to post pictures of a lot of these things soon! I realize I still haven't posted pictures from Costume Con! I need to fix that! I had a couple new things that I was really happy with!

Hooray!!

2011-06-17T18:25:00.000-04:00

I finished the wedding dress last night!! It's done! And she's very happy with it and so am I! It's such a relief to be done and to not have to stress about it anymore. I did way more stressing and worrying than she did. She was the perfect customer and if I could be guaranteed that they would all be like this I'd be tempted to do more commissions... I will post pictures after the wedding. Lots and lots!

Anyway, the end is now almost in sight. It's on to finishing up the Pioneer Trek stuff this weekend. I'm going tonight to help sew, and will be making ~5 skirts next week to have on hand just in case. Then next Thursday I'm going out of town for the wedding and to visit my family, which I'm really excited for. Then when I get back, it's the actual Trek! So I have to make sure it's all done pretty much by next Wed. I think it's doable.

And then I'll be free! I told myself I'd take like a two week break from sewing or just do little projects (like the embroidered pocket I started - will post soon), but I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. I have a million projects I want to work on and need to get going. No deadlines really, which is good, but I want them now! But no, now it's time to organize and clean my life up a little bit! The sewing area is a disaster!