Pink Striped Silk Lisere 1760’s Gown

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Unfortunately as I was rushing to get this completed in time for the First Annual Ft Ligonier 12th Night Ball, I did not get construction pictures.  But here is the gown finished:

1760’s Pink Silk Lisere Gown, with dyed American Duchess shoes and a pink Dames a la Mode necklace.

I used the Larkin and Smith English Gown Pattern, which I have used to make several other gowns so I know it fits!  I cut the bodice lining out of cotton canvas (less expensive than linen canvas) and assembled it to test the fit.   Knowing all was well, I cut out the bodice fronts and shoulder straps.  Then I measured for the back and cut out one long panel, long enough for a small train.

I made the center back pleat a little bit deeper than what is shown on the pattern, for two reasons: I wanted the stripes to slant out in an attractive way (so the pleat needed to be deep enough to take up a whole stripe) and I wanted as much fullness in the train as I could reasonably get.  Then I pleated in the en fourreau back pleats and stitched them down.  Actually at first I had them backwards and had to refold them!  Doh!

The pleated back.

Once the back was pleated, I could mount the gown on the lining.  I then cut out the side panels and joined them, measuring over the skirt supports on my dressmaking dummy to ensure the sides were long enough.  I used one full length of fabric for each side panel, which made the dress skirt three 60 inch panels wide (minus seam allowances and turn under at the side fronts).  This is very wide but again, I wanted the skirt to be very full.  I had to double box pleat the skirt to fit it into the waist.

The back with train. The train is the center back panel only – the side panels are regular length.

At that point, I started the petticoat.  I wanted a very wide ruffle at the bottom – it is 12″ wide.  I used a very narrow hem on the top and bottom and the hems are covered with trim.  A wide ruffle like this takes A LOT of fabric!  I box pleated it instead of knife pleating so that saved a little bit of fabric.  Knife pleats will take 6 times the circumference of your petticoat.  So if you are using 2 panels of fabric, you will need 6 full fabric widths of ruffle to go around it.  When you have a wide ruffle, this quickly uses up fabric!  At 12 inches per ruffle I could get 3 panels per yard, so the petticoat took up slightly more than 4 1/3 yards which is almost double what an unruffled petticoat would require (2 1/3 yards).  I left an inch of space between each box pleat so that ended up saving one length of fabric, taking 5 lengths to cut out the ruffle.

Close up of petticoat ruffle. It is sewn down at the top and about 5 inches down, both seams covered with faux fly fringe.

Next I did the sleeves.  The wrong side of this kind of fabric is pretty ugly, and I noticed originals tended to line the sleeve ruffles with a light silk.  So this is how I did mine.  I also lined the sleeves with the silk to avoid the bulk of a heavier fabric, and then applied the faux fringe trim over the edges.  I found this trim on Etsy.

Sleeve with lined ruffle and trim. The upper ruffle is not lined as the underside is not visible when worn.

Last was to tidy up and add the trim.  I box pleated the trim from pieces of fabric that were left over – they are pieced all over the place!  And that is period correct!  Even with a little over 11 yards of fabric, I still had only scraps left at the end.  I also did not make the box pleats on the trim very deep.  You only see them from the top, so who knows if they are 1/4 inch deep or 2 inches deep?  Using less depth saves a lot of fabric. 

Looking at originals on Pinterest, it seemed that during this earlier period it was common to have the trim – usually fly trim on originals – sewn over the raw edges of the trim rather than having the edges of the ruffles / rueshes free.  So that is how I did it.  I did zig zag over the edges of the trim before applying as this fabric is very prone to shedding strings everywhere.

Box pleated trim on the gown and skirt.

Last but not least – the stomacher.  I had a stash of maybe 6 yards of 2″ and a dozen yards of 1″ green silk ribbon in my stash which matched the fabric and trim very well.  It came from Farmhouse Fabrics, the color is leaf green.  I found it nearly impossible to match the shade of pink in this fabric.  I used the silk ribbon to make graduated size bows for the stomacher.  It looked a bit lean with just the 2 inch wide ribbon bows so I added smaller bows from the narrower ribbon in between, and also added bows to the sleeves.  The lace tucker attached to the stomacher I copied from an extant portrait.  It is made from about a yard of antique valenciennes lace, starched lightly so it would stand at attention and not flop forward.

Gown stomacher with silk ribbon bows and lace tucker.

The gown is accessorized with a pink paste necklace from Dames a la Mode and dyed shoes from American Duchess.  They are “Georgiana” shoes which are no longer in stock but she is always adding new styles!  I did a tutorial on shoe dying that can be found here.

The Engageantes (sleeve ruffles) were from the costume stash – I made them about 25 years ago to go with a different gown.  To fancy and fluffy for any sort of day dress, they were a great pairing for this extravagant gown.

Many thanks to Leslie Mack for taking these great photos and the video!

1760’s Pink Silk Lisere Gown

 

More to come on this gown – to get the maximum flexibility from this expensive fabric, I plan to wear it with different petticoats and stomachers.  Stay tuned!

Outfit Planning – Time to Cut the Expensive Silk!

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FWAP – Fabric With A Plan

Figuring what to make out of what fabric is another one of those things that is hard to explain.  Sometimes I just know what I want to make as soon as I see a piece of fabric.  Other times I buy the fabric with one or more ideas in mind, and it changes over time.  It might end up making something totally different out of it than what I planned, especially if a new event comes over the horizon and I need to make something I was not originally planning to make. 

So I have – as part of my sewing Kanban process – a FWAP list.  I have had these two large pieces of silk for some years now and have waffled back and forth over the exact type of 18th century gowns to make out of them.  The main question being, robe a la francaise (sack gown) or robe a la anglaise (fitted back).  I know in both cases I wants stomacher gowns as I do not have a silk stomacher gown right now.  The two fabrics are:

Pink Baranzelli 100% Silk Lisere Fabric

And

Burgundy 100% Silk Schumacher Brocade Fabric

So how does one decide?  Well first I thought: maximum flexibility.  I bought both of these fabrics on Ebay at a steep discount, but the pink stripe lisere was FAR more expensive.  So I want as much flexibility with that as possible.  So first lets think about how many different things it will match.

A single 18th century gown can be paired with a different petticoat and different accessories to create many different looks.  A stomacher gown can also have multiple stomachers, and will still fit you if you gain or lose weight as the fix it more flexible.  Planning ahead for this can save you a lot of money.  Instead of making an entire new outfit, just make a new petticoat or stomacher!

The pink in this silk is VERY hard to match.  I bought numerous swatches over the four or five years it has been in my stash and of all of them, nothing matched except for this one 5 yard piece of silk satin ribbon.  It matches a few different greens due to the variation in colors in the floral stripe.  I found a nice piece of trim that looks similar to period fly trim on Etsy:

Green Silk Satin Ribbon, Pink Silk Satin Ribbon, Green Faux Fly Trim

Here it is with a couple different colors of green ribbon from the stash:

Antique Olive Green Rusching Ribbon, Dark Olive Silk Satin Ribbon, Green Quilted Silk.

But honestly I like the lighter green in the first picture better.  It also goes well with this piece of quilted green silk, which would give it a silk petticoat for a different look:

Green quilted silk,  olive green rusching ribbon, olive green silk satin ribbon, green silk satin ribbon, pink silk satin ribbon, green faux fly fringe trim.

It will also work with my existing green silk petticoat:

And someday, something new and blue.

So really this fabric has a lot of options for different petticoats and stomachers to give it great flexibility.  It could have a stomacher with decreasing size bows out of either ribbon (or both) in addition to a self fabric one, and a compere stomacher (buttoning up the front).  So I have decided to make it as a robe a la anglaise as this style is also more flexible, and depending on what skirt supports I wear with it and what accessories I can make this gown work for any time from about 1750 – 1780’s.  But the primary target will be 1760’s.  I have a little less than 12 yards of it so that should be plenty for the gown trimmed out with box pleated trim and a petticoat with a wide box pleated ruffle around the bottom.  Something like this:

18th Century Gown from Met Museum

And this:

Gown from Philadelphia Museum of Art

So now looking at the burgundy silk – I have 15 yards of it and it was far less expensive.  So there is enough to make a very fancy sack gown that fits over wider panners.  It also looks great with gold trim, and could also be worn with the same green quilted silk petticoat, ironically enough.  But it looks its best with gold trim:

Burgundy silk with green quilted silk, green silk ribbons, and various types of gold trim.  It looks better with the dark olive ribbons.

So something like this:

Robe à la française, 1760’s France, Museo de la Moda

And this:

Gown MFA Boston

I should also clarify it took me a while to make these decisions.  It is better not to rush, to take time and lay the fabric out with various trims and other fabrics, and order swatches from the internet for additional fabrics and trims that might work.  As a general rule, don’t cut into expensive fabric until you have sat with the decision for some time and feel at peace with your choice.

I will make up the pink lisere first as I have had it a long time and want to finally wear it!

Accessorizing – Late 18th Century Tucker

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A large part of the process of improving at creating a real looking 18th century persona is in the accessorizing.  In this case, I had a late 18th century event that was dressy and in the evening, so I decided to wear “Pink Thing”.  Having a spectacular new Dames a la Mode Necklace I wanted to wear, I decided to stay away from fichu’s.

A tucker is a ruffle of either lace or fine material (cotton mull or silk gauze) that is ruffled onto a tape and then sew to the inside of a gown’s neckline so that it shows on the outside.  Through most of the 18th century tuckers were relatively narrow and stuck straight up, partially filling in the low neckline:

But beginning in the 1780’s you start to see tuckers that are wider and lay downwards, almost like a collar.  In this example both types of tuckers are present:

Charlotte Stuart, Charles’s daughter by Clementina Walkinshaw. Portrait by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, Scottish National Portrait Gallery circa 1785-1786

And here, just the wider one:

Marie Antoinette in 1791, painted by Alexandre Kucharski

So I decided to create a similar tucker for Pink Thing.  As it is sewn on a tape, it can easily be worn with other gowns.  During the period they would be hand based to the inside of the gown, but I just attach them with tiny safety pins.

First thing, some lace.  I purchased this 19th century bobbin lace some time ago.  It was old and yellowed so I gave it a nice soak in “Restoration” soap.

Here it is stretched out for a good pressing:

First, I measured around the neckline of the gown and added two inches extra, then cut a piece of linen tape to that length and hemmed each end 1/4″.  I attached the end of the lace to the end of the tape and then began whipped gathering the lace:

For whipped gathers, sew in a spiral with stitches about 1/8 apart.

Then once I had about 4 inches sewn, I pulled up the gathers:

And then using a second needle, whipped the gathered lace to the edge of the tape:

Once I got to the end, I trimmed the lace to size and sewed a narrow hem to finish the edge.  I was hoping I would have enough to make 2 sleeve ruffles but alas, no.  So I used the ones that were already attached to the gown.  I also made a breast knot of white silk ribbon with 2 matching bows for the sleeves (I later ended up using them on the shoes though).  But here you can see the difference in how the gown looks by itself, compared to with the tucker and breast knot:

Plain:

With Tucker and Breast Knot:

Fabric Shoe Dying Tutorial

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A Rainbow of Dyed American Duchess Shoes

Nothing Says “Spoiled” Quite Like Having Custom Dyed Shoes To Match Your Outfits!

Back in the day we used to send fabric shoes out to be dyed to match our prom dresses.  It was a mysterious process so I never realized it is so easy to DIY fabric shoes!  You can still send shoes out to be professionally dyed, but it is time consuming and involves mailing shoes and swatches, unless you are lucky and have a shoe repair shop near you.  So why not make it into a fun costuming project?

I will admit is it a little intimidating the first time you drop $100 for a pair of shoes and then proceed to do something that might ruin them before you even wear them once.  But what is life without risk?  And I will level with you, I did ruin a pair of leather shoes trying to dye them.  So stay tuned for the tutorial on how to use leather paint to save shoes you ruined with leather dye!

That said, it is easier to dye fabric shoes than leather shoes so it is a good place to start.  Less risk is good!

Special thanks here to Lauren at American Duchess, who not only sells great fabric shoes to dye but all the supplies you need.  There are instructional blog posts on her website but I decided to make my own to help me learn to use this new fangled flip camera.

There are several styles of period fabric shoes from American Duchess.  I am particularly fond of the Dunmores and I order a pair or two whenever they are on sale, usually around Christmas and in July for Bastile Day.  You can also buy imperfects as whatever is imperfect about them will be covered up by your dye.  I have also dyed Georgiana’s, Highbury’s, Pompadours, and Tissot Victorian pumps.  Most of these are no longer on the website but some might appear at the next sale, and new fabric styles will hopefully come out.

In the box with the shoes will be one or two swatches – save these as they are critical for testing your color.

The leather styles can also be dyed and I will do another tutorial on that, once I figure out how to do it!

Dyes and Colors and Stuff

OK so I will spare you the lecture on the color wheel, tints, hues, analogous and complimentary colors.  If you don’t remember all that from art school, google it and you will get more than you ever wanted to know.

Here is what colors are available on American Duchess’ website.  

I checked around and it is pretty much what is available from the company, International Fabric Shoe Dye if you are interested in the details.  If you are lucky there is a color there that will work for you.  I have used several of the colors right out of the jar and they look great.  Also order a jar of the mixing black unless you are using something really light, like the yellow I use below, so that you can darken the color.

Supplies!

Supplies!

What you Will Need:

  • A pair of shoes – clean and dry.
  • Gloves – wear on the hand that holds the shoes or you WILL get dyed hands.
  • Dye
  • Dauber (also available on American Duchess’ website)
  • Q-tips
  • Dye proof surface to work on

How much dye to order?

One 1 oz pot will do 2 coats on a slipper type shoe (Highbury or Tissot pumps) or one coat on an 18th century shoe (Dunmore or Georgiana).  Sometimes one coat will give you enough coverage, sometimes you need 2 coats.  I have never needed more than 2 coats.  The color does not get darker with multiple coats, it is more a matter of getting even coverage.  For boots I would recommend 4 1 oz pots.  Save any leftover dye for touch ups.

Here is my basic process: I order the closest color that is also lighter than I want.  You can tint them darker with the mixing black.  They sell a lightener for this dye but I have not personally tried it.  That said there is no reason it would not work using the same test swatch process.  You can also go over a light pair of shoes with a darker color but they will blend, so I don’t recommend doing this unless it is an emergency to save a pair of badly dyed shoes.  

I take the swatch and dye a strip on it with a Q-tip, then let it dry.  You don’t want to waste any more dye than you have to and the Q-tip helps use less.  Once it is dry (several hours or overnight) I check if it is dark enough and also label it so that I remember what “formula” I used.  Long term, I keep a list of successful dye formulas in my sewing notebook.

If it is not dark enough, I add 1/8 tsp of mixing black, stir it up, and repeat the same process until I get the shade I like.

I did one pair of shoes in purple – there is no purple for sale so I ordered a jar of pure red (#2020 and a jar of pure blue (#2011).  I mixed them together in a larger container (stick with glass or ceramic).  Then I tested it as described above.  It was actually a very nice color straight mix 50/50.

For the yellow shoes I bought #2005, #2006, and #2007.  Yellow is a hard color to match and you can’t trust monitors.  I am glad I did the swatches because $2007 is orange, I’m talking Halloween pumpkin orange!  (Humm … dying fabric pumpkins for Halloween?)  I tried adding 1/8 tsp of pumpkin to #2005 and got cat vomit.  #2006 is YELLOW!  #2005 by itself is very close to what I want, but I needed it slightly brigher, so I added 1/8 tsp of YELLOW! to it and it was perfect.  If you are keeping track here, I ruined one jar of #2005 when I made the cat vomit, but that beats ruining a pair of shoes!

Another word of warning – check your swatches with your fabric, jewelry, buckles, etc in natural light as well as artificial light, to make sure it looks OK.

My Swatches for the Yellow Shoes – the top middle swatch was left over from the purple experiments.

Dying The Shoes

Once the color is ready, time to go for it!  I start at the center back seam of the shoes, as this will disguise the line where the color comes together.  I dye the upper first, then the heel.  If the heel is leather, leave it plain OR use leather dye to dye it.  If you are unsure of how steady your hands are, you can use painters masking tape to seal off the heel and sole to avoid getting dye on them.  You want to dip the dauber maybe 1/3 of the way into the dye at first.  You don’t want it dripping with the stuff.

Video is not too bad for a first try!  I moved the shoes out of the frame a couple times but overall I think it is not bad for a beginner:

Once the shoes dried, they were not completely even so I ordered another pot of dye and gave them a second coat exactly the same way.

Dyed Fabric Shoes Are Not Exactly Colorfast

Or should I say, not colorfast period?  You can treat them with Scotchguard or Angelus Water and Stain Repellent, which does help.  It comes in a spray can – just take them outside and soak them good with the stuff, then let dry (VERY stinky – do not try inside the house).  But even then I would not wear them out on a rainy day.

Save your leftover dye and label it, as I have successfully spot dyed water damage that way.  I had a pair that I wore outside after it rained the previous evening and the ground was a little damp.  My heels kept sinking into the ground and at the end of the day, some color had run from the very bottom of the heels.  I touched up with leftover dye and a Q-tip – you can’t even tell it ever happened.  This even after treatment with Scotchguard!

One situation where the Scotchguard really does have an impact is if you want to glue trim on the shoes – petersham ribbon binding, gimp, or appliques.  The Scotchguard will protect the dye enough to prevent it from running around the glue.

With all of the experimenting, multiple coats, and Scotchguarding this is obviously not a project to start at midnight the evening before your event.  Leave a month or a few weeks for this process just in case you need to order more dye – it is worth the slow process of making test swatches and letting them dry for several hours (or over night) until you are very happy with the color.  Think of it as a mockup!

Dyed Early 19th Century American Duchess Shoes

Getting Started In Historical Costuming Series #1 – Choose One Historical Period to Begin

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I am getting asked this question a lot, which means it is time for a series of posts on this subject.

I am limiting the scope of the information to historical costuming – it is not the only type of costuming out there!  There is Steam Punk, Cosplay … many variations and some crossover.  But to keep things simple, I’ll stick to historical costuming, which means (to me at least):

The design and creation of clothing that is a historically accurate reproduction of clothing worn during a known period of history.

There is a lot of wiggle room here – we all differ on our definitions of historically accurate, sometimes even from one project to the next.  It is also an ongoing process of discovery.  Especially with the availability of quality images of museum collections online, we are always learning something new.  This quality and quantity of information did not exist when I began over 25 years ago.

So, you want to start?  First Question: What historical period do you want to start with?

You may be like me and answer “all of the above”.  But realistically you have to start with one.  This choice will be part personal preference and part opportunity; some historical periods have more resources available than others.  It is not much fun to sew outfits and have nowhere to wear them.  You will want to consider groups that already exist for the periods are interested in.  

Reenacting vs Costuming

The easiest people to find in most places are the reenactors.  I am including volunteer interpreters at historical sites in this group because both of them have interests beyond just costuming.  Reenacting is focused on re-creating a specific war, while historical sites interpret a period of history that is relevant to their site.  In both cases the costuming is part of the larger goal, so if you join one of these types of groups you must remember that. For this to be a good experience you need to be interested in more than just the clothing.  It may be military history, home making practices, schools, or other institutions and situations.  Read the websites and other materials put out by the group and only join it if you feel their interests and missions are compatible with your own.

These groups have their own mixes of personalities.  Some are very welcoming to newcomers and others can be downright catty and mean.  Spend some time with them before you commit and make sure their goals and group culture are a good fit for you.  Nobody should make you feel bad because you are a beginner, or want something different from what they do – we were all beginners once.  If you encounter people like that, run and don’t let them steal your joy!

I started with a Civil War Reenactment unit.  It is the most popular reenactment period so it is not difficult to find a group to join.  Since then my interests have changed and now I belong to a French and Indian / War of 1812 group.  If you go this route, keep in mind that your group will have its own standards and you will need to work within those guidelines.  Reenactment groups involve a lot of other activities – like camping – and usually travel.  You will need to buy additional gear to participate fully – eating utensils, plates, mugs, tents, camp equipment, weapons, etc.  I personally do not like camping and always stay in a nearby hotel.  In camp, I represent a seamstress and that is how I get a lot of my hand sewing done!  If it is a large event and I am going shopping, I can dress as a fine lady without looking out of place. 

If war is not your thing, volunteering with one of your local historical sites is a good way to go.  You will not need to buy a ton of gear other than a few personal items for your impression.  You will need to fit in to and enhance their program in some way – it is not fair to expect them to just give you an opportunity to dress up.  However, many of them welcome costumed guests on their main event days, just be sure to check ahead of time.  If you do come as a costumed guest, please wear an outfit of the right period.  Don’t stick out like a sore thumb in a Civil War dress at Rev War living history day.  They will not welcome you if you detract from their event.

Decide Who You Are

Before you can start to narrow down your choices further, you will need to have an idea of the type of person you want to portray.  If you are fascinated by period laundry techniques and want to develop a laundry display, you will not need a wardrobe of ball gowns!  Some of us (myself included) go at this backwards and decide to portray a certain type of person BECAUSE we want to make a certain outfit.  But in order for that to work, you have to have a good idea of what venues are available and what their requirements are, so that you do not find out $2500 in that your group does not want a Victorian ballet dancer.

Beyond that, having an idea of who you are portraying will give you some targets to go after as far as fabric and trim choices, accessories, etc.  It will narrow you choices and help you focus, and help you avoid buying a lot of things that you like individually, but don’t go together well.

Costuming for Its Own Sake

If you are lucky, there may be groups in your area specifically for historical costuming, a gathering place for those who want to make and wear historical clothing for its own sake.  They can have their own events, join with other sites’ events, or even have timeline events where people can wear clothing from more than one period to one event.   There is a national group, The Costume Society of America (if you are not in the US check for a similar umbrella organization for your country).  Check to see if they have a regional group near you.  There are also large single events dedicated to costuming like Costume College – a great opportunity to learn and show off that outfit from a period you cannot find anywhere else to wear!

1690’s Gown – Not Many Places to Wear!

If there isn’t a costume group in your area, you can always start one!  I did this and now we have the Pittsburgh Historical Costume Society.  Here is a great blog post on how to start a group from American Duchess – Where to Wear – How To Throw Your Own Costume Events

STOP!  Do Some Research and/or Find a Mentor

You will need to decide how historically accurate you want to be, based on the guidelines of your reenacting unit/historical site and your own personal preference.  There is a huge market out there for “costume” historical wear and I use the term in the worst sense – “costume” as in Halloween!  Some of it is even sold at larger reenactments and other places you would expect there to be some standards.  This is why it is a good idea to spend time researching before spending any money.  Buy or borrow some good books on your chosen time period.  See if your reenacting unit / historical society has information for new members.  Look at images of original garments online (Met Museum and V&A are two of my favorites).  There are also great Pinterest boards out there – just make sure they are pinning originals and not copies sold on Ebay or Etsy.  Not that there are not good vendors out there, but to learn you want to look at originals. 

My Pinterest Boards – Original garments only

Movie costumes are great eye candy but are often wildly inaccurate and are not recommended for learning the ropes UNLESS you are going to an event that is into fantasy or movie costuming, like Costume CON.

If you show up at a Civil War Reenactment in this, you might be shot on sight.

If you show up at a Civil War Reenactment in this, you might be shot on sight.

Ideally have a mentor, or at least an active online group focused on your chosen time period, to go for advice.  You will have lots of questions!   When you go shopping at a large event, take your mentor with you for advice before you buy anything.  Garb is expensive and it is no fun to find out later that the item you bought is historically inaccurate and now you are too embarrassed to wear it!   It is better to attend a few events in street clothes and go slowly rather than have this experience.

Next Post in the Series – Make It or Buy It?

18th Century Sewing Kit

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A great thing to do at events is sit and sew!  Period correct activity + getting your hand sewing tasks done – what more could you ask for?  Add to this the endless problem of how to carry around all of your stuff – some of it modern that must be kept out of view – I decided it was time to put some more thought and effort into this.  I have a reproduction sewing box, but it is large and bulky to carry around.  I need something that fits in my carry all basket.

Work Bag, Pin Cushion, and Housewife   Looking around on the internet and Etsy for inspiration, I decided to make a work bag, a pin cushion, and a housewife sewing kit all with the same fabric remnant I bought years ago.  I found it on Ebay – SO SAD I was never able to find any more of it – like an entire bolt for a gown … Lucky for me it matched some silk I already had in the stash.

Nevertheless, I thought it would make a beautiful housewife, which is a sewing kit that folds up.  And is incidentally also good at holding cash, credit cards, and your driver’s license (he he).

The Housewife: has a space for scissors, two pockets, and a needle book.

There are a lot of ways to make these and different options.  Some have a pin cushion built into the housewife but I decided to make mine separately to make it less bulky.  I had a pattern which I adapted, since I wanted at least two pockets and a needle book.  The needle book is just 3 pieces of wool broadcloth trimmed to size with pinking shears and sewn down.  All of the pockets and accessory holders were sewn to the silk lining, then the lining was sewn to the outside cover and turned right sides out, and slip stitched closed.

The only thing I bought are some of the accessories!

Beeswax, Scissors, Bodkin, Stiletto, Tape Measure, and Thimble.

I had the beeswax  – which honestly will probably just be loose in the work bag – and the thimble.  The scissors, bodkin, and stiletto I ordered from Burnley and Trowbridge, the adorable hand labeled tape measure came from Fashionable Frolic on Etsy.

The Tools: Thimble, Tape Measure, Beeswax, Stiletto, Scissors, Bodkin.

What are they you ask?

  • Thimble – put over your finger to prevent the needle from poking holes in your finger.  Happens a lot if you don’t use one.
  • Tape Measure – measuring things, obviously.
  • Beeswax – running the thread through this before sewing helps avoid tangles.
  • Stiletto – for making holes in things.  Specifically, hand made eyelets.
  • Scissors – cutting stuff.
  • Bodkin – for lacing ties through casings, ribbon in insertion lace, etc.

This, plus some needles, a few pins, and a project – are the basics of a hand sewing kit.

Pins – speaking of, here is my matching pin cushion that has an attached ribbon so you can pin it to your apron or skirt.  In the 18th century pins are for more than just sewing.  Women’s clothing was held on primarily through ties and pins.  So you never leave home without extra pins!

And to hold it all, plus cell phone, head phones, car keys, etc is the work bag:

Work bag – just a draw string bag with a lining!

So now I am ready for some hand sewing this weekend!

Work Bag, Pin Cushion, and Housewife

Civil War Wardrobe Malfunction! Period Underwear Can Be Hazardous … Period

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This story is entirely to disgusting and bizarre not to share so … you’ve been warned!

This past weekend I attended the first annual Civilian Civil War Weekend in Capon Spring, VA.   It is an exceptional event that will be happening again next year!  And they bear no responsibility in the events that follow …

I must first explain that due to some unbelievably bad timing, as soon as I pulled in the parking lot on Tursday evening, I discovered I had gotten my monthly bill, fallen off the roof, or had a visit from Aunt Martha – however you want to put it.  I have never had this experience while dressed in period clothes thankfully, and I hope never to again!  

Really, I am too old for this shit.

Friday night was OK since we were only dressed for a few hours.  Saturday?  Not so much.

I arrived back in my room Saturday afternoon to take care of business.  I found doing that – while wearing a corset and cage crinoline, plus 2 starched petticoats, drawers, and a dress – to be pretty near impossible.  I also discovered that my cage, being a good many years old, had gotten rough around the edges a few places.  While engaged in aforementioned battle, I scraped the back of my hand on a sharp piece of metal in my cage and ended up with a nice gash right below my thumb.  I will spare you pictures of this.

So there I am, thankfully in my room, trapped on the can and bleeding out of both ends like a stuck pig!  I couldn’t get up or try to get undressed without bleeding seeming endless yards of fabric, so I had no choice but to sit there and apply pressure to the cut with toilet paper.  It took 30 minutes, more or less, for the cut to finally stop bleeding.  At which point I started carefully removing garments, still having to stop every few minutes and re-apply pressure as the cut would start bleeding again if I got too vigorous with the undressing.

This took yet another half hour.  By then I was back in normal underwear and had washed off blood from the hem of my dress which got dripped on while I was getting my maimed hand out from under my skirt.  Really I was surprised it wasn’t worse!  I called my husband .  I was ready at that point to chuck everything in the car and just go the hell home.

Fortunately he talked me out of it and suggested I take a nap instead.  Which I did, and by then the cut was more stable and I was able to get dressed for the ball that evening, albeit slowly ,and make my way to the front desk where I got a band aid to ensure that I didn’t bleed on Grandma Anderson’s last pair of clean white kid gloves.  

Ready for the ball at Civilian Civil War Celebration, Capon Springs WV.

I missed dinner but that turned out to be no problem since there was plenty of food and drink at the ball.  Turns out it was one of the nicest balls I have been too in a long time!  It had everything you could want:

Food
Alcohol
Water
Alcohol
Lemonade
Alcohol
Caller who could be heard clearly
Alcohol
Logical order to dances so that you are learning new steps gradually
Alcohol
Enough people mixed in who know what they are doing so that as soon as someone gets that WTF look, intervention occurs.

I am very glad I didn’t give in to PTSD and leave early.

Fixing Mistakes – Piecing!

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This is the first post in a series about something we all know about but nobody talks about:

FIXING MISTAKES

Now what????

Yes there’s nothing quite like cutting into $120 a yard fabric and realizing you just goofed up!  But rather than living in fear of mistakes and procrastinating projects to avoid mistakes, I’ve learned to embrace them as sort of a form of creativity.  Some of my best ideas have come from figuring out a way to fix some mistake!

My mother always said to quit while you’re ahead, meaning when you start to get tired or make small mistakes, put it away for the day.  Take a break.  Sewing when you’ve had enough leads to more mistakes.  But even if you are at the top of your game, they still happen sometimes!

That said, I’d like to start off with a project where I did actually cut into $120 per yard fabric and realized I just messed up.  Big time!  I ordered the embroidered silk taffeta from Ebay to make a 1760’s waistcoat, which is a LONG waistcoat.  So it’s going to take a little more than a yard of length to do this.  I am pretty sure I originally ordered 2 yards.  Lining up pre-embroidered fabric is a royal pain in the ass – it is rarely setup to make mirror images since it is made for the decorator market.  So I usually cut out the first side and then turn it right side down and try to line it up on the remaining fabric.  Works great as long as you remember to turn it right side down!  I laid the piece on the fabric right side up and ended up with two left sides. 

Blah!

There was no way to cut another piece since the mistaken left side came right out of the middle.  I didn’t want to spend another $240 so I ordered one more yard, knowing that I would not be able to cut one entire left front out of it.  Why is this OK?  Piecing!

Piecing is a period correct way to deal with fabric shortages.  Basically you join two pieces of fabric together in an invisible way or in a place where it will not be noticed.

Left Front – whole and cut out correctly.

My fabric is very busy which makes piecing easier.  The important thing is to match the pattern carefully.  I was able to cut a right front that matched up OK with the left front with only a small bit on the shoulder missing.

Laying left front right side down onto new piece of fabric – now I can see where to piece.

First I cut out the large piece of the waistcoat right front (shown above) and then I located a smaller piece of scrap fabric that matched the pattern.  I folded under the raw edge of this smaller piece and pinned it on top of the waistcoat right front, matching the pattern as closely as possible:

Fold under bottom of the piece and line up the pattern – pin in place.  I then put the right side down on top of the left side again and cut out around the pieced shoulder.

New right side with pieced shoulder pinned in place.

Getting ready to slip stitch piece with matching silk thread.

Closeup of pinned join.

Starting to slip stitch join by hand.

Tiny slip stitches to the right of the green leaf are nearly invisible. I used matching green thread to tack the leaf.

Finished join – front.

Finished join – back.  The last thing I did was trim the extra fabric so that the seam allowances on the pieces were about the same.

Unless you look really, really close, it is impossible to tell the front of the waistcoat was pieced:

Bill is on the right wearing the pieced waistcoat.

What to do with the extra expensive fabric?  I will probably make him a 1770’s waistcoat out of it as well.  Being much shorter, I can use the incorrectly cut left front and still have enough to cut the right front, even if it is also pieced.

Battle Of The Stays: RESULTS!

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Phew that took a long time!  The worst part of making stays?  Binding.  Ugh took forever!  But they are finally done and photographed.  Photographing them was almost as much work as making them.  The photos were taken in two different sessions with helpers and with a selfie stick, so the hair and chemise change sometimes.  I learned a lot about how to do (mediocre) photo shoots though!  But here it is – a comparison between four different 18th century stays patterns.

I am a modern size 14/16 so this gives a good idea how these patterns will look on  the average lady of today.  Compared to the standard measurements of these patterns, I am slightly longer waisted between waist and bust, and slightly shorter waisted from bust to hip (details like that matter when making corsets).  My waist is wider than the assumed waist on the patterns because I am apple shaped, so I sized the pattern using bust size.  I am reduced three inches which is about the maximum for most 18th century stays.  They are not really designed for tight lacing.

High Level Comparisons

Stays: Larkin & Smith, Reconstruction History Front & Back Lacing, Reconstructing History 1790’s, JP Ryan Diderot Stays

Contestant # 1  Larkin & Smith Front and Back Lacing Stays

Larkin and Smith Front and Back Lacing Stays

I have worn these to several events and they are VERY comfortable!  Great for most of the 18th century, these will get you through both the French & Indian and Rev war (unless you are going super high style, then use the Contestant #4 JP Ryan stays).  These are easy to get on and off and give me a nice (as can be expected) figure.  The inner layers are cotton canvas and the outer covering is red silk; construction notes can be found here.  This pair is boned with synthetic whalebone, which is very light weight and thin.  It was also very easy to work with.  I highly recommend this pattern if this is your first pair of stays or if you only plan to make one pair.  The pattern is worth its weight in gold just for the amazing instructions!  Once you go through them, you can use the method on any pair of stays, including diagrams from costume books.  They are easy to fit, and stays without shoulder straps are easier to move around in.  Front lacing makes it so much easier to put them on and take them off by yourself.  Most of us don’t have ladies maids so this is an important consideration.  Here is how they turned out:

Front of red silk Larkin & Smith Stays – I thought about binding them in black but ended up using self fabric.  I like the black lacing which I used because I could not find ribbon in the right color.  Red is red, right?  Not!

Back of red silk Larkin & Smith Stays

Side of red silk Larkin & Smith Stays – pretty straight in front despite fat gut assuming you stand correctly and don’t try to be a fucking fashion model.  These stays have excellent tummy control!

Full side view red silk Larkin & Smith stays – standing straighter.  Boobs look better because I am using a cheat – stick a rolled up pair of socks under each boob.  Not kidding!  Makes a huge difference!  Apples on a tray, people!

Contestant # 2  Reconstructing History Front and Back Lacing Stays

Reconstructing History Stays

This pair of stays is longer than the others, and is boned with reed.  The reed is thicker than the synthetic whalebone, but interestingly my waist measurement ends up exactly the same in this one as the Larkin & Smith stays above.  Go figure!  The bust is two inches smaller as it is a much more long, narrow stay.  Perfect for the first quarter of the 18th century, and surprisingly comfortable!  I was not sure about the reed but it worked out quite well.  My only recommendation is to use steel bones on either sides of the eyelets both front and back.  I did use them in the back, but not in the front.  I could hear them complaining as I laced it up and I had to be careful to tighten it gradually or the reed would have snapped.  The inside layers are cotton canvas and the outer fabric is blue silk brocade.  Construction notes are here.  This pattern has great bang for your buck as you get four different stay designs, including the rare 1790’s stay (Contestant #3 below).  Drum roll please ….

Reconstructing History Blue Silk Brocade Stays Front – no room for “boob socks” in this long lean stay.  They pop out pretty good on their own.

Reconstructing History Blue Silk Brocade Stays Back – sorry this one came loose in back but I was too exhausted by this point to care.  It does lace evenly when one is not being lazy.

Reconstructing History Blue Silk Brocade Stays Side

Reconstructing History Blue Silk Brocade Stays Side – curving out at the bottom due to fat gut, but has a pretty straight line from waist to bust, where it shows.

Contestant # 3  Reconstructing History Wide Front 1790s Stays

Reconstructing History 1790’s Wide Front Stays

These are one of the two pairs of half boned stays, and for half boned stays I use spring steel boning.  The unique thing about these stays is the very wide front.  This is to help create the wide pooched out front bodices of the 1790’s.  They are also much shorter than the other three pair, so they are not as flattering by themselves.  However I do believe they will create the perfect silhouette for the 1790’s, which is not about looking thin!  They are lined with cotton canvas and the other covering is white silk taffeta.  As I plan to wear them under a chemise a la reine I wanted to stick with white that will not show through the thin fabric of the dress.  I cheated and used metal eyelets with cross lacing on these, because I was afraid they would be hard to lace up on me otherwise.  I also discovered that it does much better if I leave off the bottom three eyelets.  I cannot remember if I copied the eyelet placement from the pattern, but most likely not.  You really only need the eyelets to go down a couple of inches below the waist, and the ends – which are really tabs – know what to do.  Construction notes are here.  Without further ado ….

Reconstructing History Wide Front 1790s Stays Front Close Up

Reconstructing History Wide Front 1790s Stays Full Length

Reconstructing History Wide Front 1790s Stays Side – front pooching nicely.  Stuff a fluffy kerchief down the front and yur done.

Reconstructing History Wide Front 1790s Stays Back

Contestant # 4  JP Ryan Half Boned Diderot Stays

JP Ryan Half Boned Stays

This pair of stays is also half boned, and therefore boned with spring steel.  It has cotton canvas as the lining and green silk taffeta for the cover.  Interestingly this pattern has slightly different pieces for the outer layer, but they do fit together correctly.  I love the shape of these stays!  One of the differences between stays in the earlier part of the 18th century vs. stays from the latter quarter is the shape of the front.  Earlier stays have a conical front, that is a straight line from the waist to the top of the bust (tends to curve out a bit at the bottom on me, due to fat gut).  Starting around 1780, the stays began to curve outward from the waist to the bust.  This is most extreme in the example above but this pair is also cut that way, and is perfect for the 1780’s and into the 1790’s (before waistlines started to rise).  They are very comfortable, but somewhat challenging to get on and off by yourself, but it can be done.  I love how long and slimming they are!  They are good at what they do – I feel like I am wearing a lard tutu as it squashes all that fat downwards with great efficiency.  Don’t need as big a bum roll!  I had some fun with this one and the new selfie stick.  Pardon the side shot glasses – I just could not get a decent side view without being able to see.  Construction notes are here.  Last one!

JP Ryan Diderot Green Silk Stays Front

JP Ryan Diderot Green Silk Stays Front with Selfie Stick – you can’t see the lard tutu surprisingly.

JP Ryan Diderot Green Silk Stays Side

JP Ryan Diderot Green Silk Stays Back – lacing nice and even steven.

So there you have it!  Which one is your favorite?

 

Allegheny West Christmas House Tour 2016 – Garnet Bustle Dress Debut

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December 10, 216

One of the nicest Victorian Era historic districts around Pittsburgh is Allegheny West.  Originally a different city (Allegheny City) it was built up right after the Civil War and has some really spectacular examples of Italianate and Second Empire stow row houses, and a few giant mansions.  Back in the 1970’s the city was selling them for a dollar.  Not kidding!  A DOLLAR.  My mother wanted to buy one but my dad was like, no way.  Long story short of why I don’t live there.

Anyway!  Lots of people did buy one and now most of the surviving houses are restored.  Many are done with period wall papers and furnishings and they are a delight to see!  Every year, since at least the 1980’s, they have had an annual Christmas House tour where you can see some of the houses.  I thought this sounded like a grand place to go in a bustle dress – they match the houses well!  Being kind of last minute, this year only four of us went, but I hope to make this into an annual event and draw in more people.  We met up with some friends from years ago who have been trying, unsuccessfully, for years to get the home owners to dress up in period costume.  And … they aren’t having it.  So … if you can’t bring Mohammed to the mountain, perhaps we can bring the mountain to Mohammed.

My husband Bill and I with our good friend Christina and Kevin, in front of a decorated mantle.

The rest of our photos were taken in Holmes Hall, a huge Renaissance Revival mansion.  Odd coincidence that back when I was researching how to paint my walls and ceiling for my Renaissance Revival parlor, I ended up using photos of this one as inspiration.

Painted ceiling at Holmes Hall, now owned by John DeSantis.

My painted ceiling and walls. The cat is the reason I painted them instead of using (expensive) wallpaper. She chews wallpaper!

Yes mine is not as elaborate, but even with the simpler design I barely managed to keep ahead of the guy putting up the woodwork, and I had a terrible case of tennis elbow for months afterwards.  But, it is cat proof.

So back to the photos!  I started this bustle dress several years ago as part of Jennifer Rosbrugh’s Bustle Day Dress class.   I got the skirt and overskirt most of the way done, and life intervened, and it sat for another year.  I took the class again this spring and finished most of the dress.  I planned 3 bodices and the first to be completed is the day dress bodice.  More details about the dress can be found in the portfolio page, here.

To say that this place has high ceilings is an understatement!

It was quite cold that and snowed during the tour, so I wore my ermine fur.  It is all antique and was purchased on Ebay.  The cape with lappets came from Scotland and is of 1930’s vintage, I think.  Someone was cleaning out a “Downton Abby” type house and selling all the stuff on Ebay!  There is a smaller wrap over it that is probably Victorian.  I am not sure how old the muff is.  It was all very warm!

Dress with matching hat and ermine fur set.

Closet of ermine set

Side …

And back ….

Closeup of back.

Day dress without fur.

Closeup

Side Back

Back – interesting shot looking in the mirror.

Two shots of Bill and I

 

Part of the fun of putting together an outfit for an event is accessorizing!  In addition to the fur and matching hat, I wore Manhattan button boots from American Duchess, a pair of white kid leather gloves, a set of antique bohemian garnets that belonged to my great grandmother (brooch and earrings), and carried an antique Victorian purse.

Accessories!

I can’t wait for this even again next year!