I Know What you Did This Weekend!

I most definitely have caught the sewing bug. In addition to helping one of my friends sew her civil war costume (and now a Regency costume as she gets sucked into my world), I've been busy to. Remember Mini? Well, she's finally finished and ready to get to work:
Mom helped me fit the cover last summer (that was NOT as easy as their 12 step plan made it sound). I got it out this weekend and finally put it on the foam dummy to make the final adjustments (even after it fits you, you generally have to take out a few more inches because of how strong the foam is). It finally is a double of me! Mini is now sporting my Regency stays, because I'm going to fit my bodiced petticoat on her as I work on it this week. Let me tell you what a joy it was squishing the resistant foam even more with the stays! The Jane Austin ball is in early August, so I'm making my Regency ball gown from the Sense and Sensibility pattern out of the white Sari I brought home from India. I only wish I could have gotten a head start on it this weekend, but after getting Mini all set up today (Sunday) I suddenly didn't feel so great and wound up sleeping most of the afternoon away.
In other news, G Street fabrics had an Ubber sale this weekend (up to 70% off), plus I had a 25% off coupon for one already reduced item. Missy came with me, and we tore through the fabric store for a good four hours, hunting for deals. Above (the green cotton velvet) was an AMAZING find in the $2 bin. I can't believe it was there - over six yards! I got a coordinating satin to line it with, and am planning on auction this one on ebay. At that price, I can actually turn a profit! I went ahead and bought some more baby flannel as well - I have enough left over materials that I'm making another Gainsborough hat to auction off (this time in left-over pink taffeta from my Robe Francaise). I'll let you know when they go on sale. All proceeds go towards my Costume Con 2009 fund.
My 18th century pocket hoops on one their last legs. Some of the reed boning snapped in the last move, and during the Frederickburg event, some of the boning started poking through the channels. Apparently a much better fabric selection is cotton ticking, and striped ticking was the favored look of the 18th century. Again, a great price, so I can remake my JP Ryan pocket hoops.The pictures above are for a new 18th century outfit. The cotton print (on the left) I picked up in Amish country for $4 a yard, and is going to be an 18th century pet-en-l'air. The pink is going to be for the skirt, and is a poly bengaline/faille that I spotted this weekend at G Street Fabric. I almost never use poly fabrics anymore, but it was a great price, it's a fairly convincing silk imitation, and the color matched beautifully. All of the silk options started in the $15 a yard (even on sale), so I decided this would work out. I already have the patterns I need - I'm going to reuse my JP Ryan Robe a la Francaise pattern, but make the Pet en l'Air view instead (it's more like a jacket than a dress).This was another Amish country find. It's a plum-colored plaid in homespun cotton from India (again...an amazing price at about $4 a yard). I saw it and fell in love with it. It's going to be the fabric I use for a civil war day gown instead of a visiting dress like I mentioned in my last planning post. I still have my silk for the visiting dress...not sure which one I'll make up first. Depends on my mood I suppose.
Perhaps one of the luckiest finds ever, this was another Amish country purchase. I needed a fabric for the forepart of the Tudor gown (mentioned in my last planning post), but I kept only finding silk damasks that were $50 a yard and completely out of the question for my budget. I found five yards of the pictured fabric in a $2 remnant bin. This fabric would be at least $25 a yard in a fabric store. I don't know what it's made out of - I'm fairly certain it isn't silk. Most likely some sort of a cotton/poly blend. At $2 a yard, who cares?

For anyone who's eyes are bugging at all the fabric: this is how I keep the costs of my hobby down. I always have about 10 project in mind, and I hunt for suitable fabric during sales. If the fabric I want isn't there, the project goes on hold (for example - the wool was all overpriced, and the colors were all wrong, so the 18th century riding gown is on hold). So...yes, it's a lot of fabric, but I'm probably set for the next year, with the exception of Costume Con purchases.

2008 Costume Planning

I've been doing some long term thinking about how I would like to add to my costume wardrobe this year and further in the future. Regency is obviously first on the list because that's what I'm currently working on. I thought an overdress would be nice to add some color to the plain white day dress I'm going to make:When the dresses are done, I would like to make a Spencer jacket. I already have a regency straw bonnet waiting to be covered with fabric and have ribbon added on.Next, I would like to move on to my late Tudor gown. I have already purchased the fabric, and researched the French kirtle and gown in the newly released Tudor Tailor. You might remember that I had already purchased a pattern for my Tudor gown, but the fit was all wrong (five inches too big on each side up top, and a 2 inch gap at the waist...makes no sense given how large chested I am). I had lofty ideas of trying to draft a pattern from the Tudor Tailor graphs, but having no pattern drafting experience whatsoever I thought this might not be a good idea. So, I'm hoping a birthday present from London will rescue my efforts. It would be great to have this done in time for the Maryland Renaissance festival in the fall.I have plenty of silk for a Civil Way visiting dress, so I think that should be my next project. I haven't decided for sure on which pattern I will use, but I'm leaning towards this one:Vague notions for beyond 2008:I was thinking I should make a new set of 18 century stays. I was never pleased with the way my strapless set turned out, and I like the Reconstructing history pattern.Next up is a Robe Anglaise. I'm having a love affair with the 18th century, probably fueled by the costumes in Marie Antoinette, but also because they tend to flatter my figure. I also have a place to wear them since I live near Williamsburg.I would like to make a chemise gown from the 18th century, also known as a Gaulle or a Chemise a la Reine.I might make a riding/hunting gown in red or hunter green wool or velvet. I've always loved this style since I saw Dangerous Liaisons and The Brotherhood of the Wolf. It would be better for outdoor events. I always worry about trudging around outside in my silk gown.

In the much more distant future, I hope to move into Venetian and Italian Renaissance dresses (I've got to learn how to draft patterns before launching into that), medieval dresses, and bustle dresses. The bustle era is actually my favorite. My reasoning for putting it off is I want to hone my sewing skills before making my dream gowns.

Future Projects!!

The wedding dress project has reminded me that I am a historical costumer, NOT a seamstress. And I'm just dying to get to a few of these projects:1. Finish the Tudor dress - I plan to surmount the neck opening that was made five sizes too big! I will start by taking out the square neck facing, gathering the cut square until the opening is smaller and fits, then cut a new smaller neck facing. It might not make a whole lot of sense, but I think it will work. I still have a horrible impulse to make up a renaissance corset...I have some silk taffeta left over from my Robe Francaise...
2. A Regency Gown, overgown, undergarments and corset. Why, you may ask? Especially, as even I am willing to point out, the empire style is not particularly flattering or forgivng for us curvy ladies. I can't explain it, but Jane Austin has won, and I MUST have one.
3. A medieval gown for the Malbork Siege in June. Dave and I are planning on attending, and I want to go in costume. I have a horrible confession to make - I want to BUY this dress. I don't know very much about the medieval period, and am not very impressed by the patterns I've seen. Plus, I fell in love with a gorgeous gown and petticoat on ebay. Maybe with birthday money...it wouldn't be much cheaper for me to make it myself.
4. A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away. For those of you that don't know, I adore the costume designs from the new Star Wars movies. I have my brand, spaking-new, version of Dressing a Galaxy which has great close up shots of the costumes and fabric. And then JoAnns went and had a 99 cent pattern sale AND a sale on bridal satin. So I actually have the fabric and pattern for Padme's nightie. With all those zippers and beads, I can guarantee I'll never sleep in it.

After the Long Break…

I give you the plans for my Tudor undergarments! I now have all the velvet I need to make my Tudor gown, and before I order the brocade I need, it’s officially time to start my undergarments.

I’ve won another gift certificate to www.denverfabrics.com. They stopped doing the drawings for certificates recently…maybe because people like me kept winning over and over again. I ordered some beautiful white handkerchief linen.

I was actually almost ready to start cutting out the chemise pattern my mom brought me from the States. However, once I cracked into the instructions, I realized this wasn’t the kind of chemise I wanted, changed my mind, and ordered the Margo Anderson shift pattern.

An added bonus of this pattern is it comes with several other undergarments, including a great corset pattern. I may or may not make up a version of it. Everyone that uses this pattern seems to rave about it. I could make do with my 18th century corset, but it doesn’t quite look right either.

Before I make it, I need to read a bit more about the corset. I’m not sure it will give me the nice conical Tudor shape. Kendra of démodé made this great version of the pattern.

Plotting!!

Hi All!!! Well, I haven't been sewing very much lately. I must admit that I have been distracted by visitors and traveling about. I haven't felt very inspired to finish trimming my 18th century gown, and the thought of working on my civil war gown with the horrible pattern I have is depressing.

So....

I'm planning my next project!! I want to make a Tudor gown (this was the time of Henry VIII and his six wives). I already have the pattern and have selected the fabric I want to use. I'm using a great red brocade, with gold brocade undersleeves and underskit:

For the oversleeves, I'll use a matching deep red velvet. Now I just have to save up the money for the fabulous fabric.

I'll need to make a linen shift to go underneath the gown: the puffy sleeves of the shift are pulled through the slashings of the sleeves to show through. If I have the patience, I could also do blackwork (or spanish embroidery) to complete the look of the shift. I have no clue where to get the pattern for the chemise, and would like to avoid purchasing another pattern, but the well known elizabeth 'smock' generator doesn't have the required puffy sleeves. I'm planning on trying to use my 18th century stays instead of making yet another corset, and I've already got a set of farthingales (aka hoops from the time period).

For accessories: I'm going to make a french hood to go with the dress, and I've also found a great place to purchase necklaces/girdles/and billaments for the dress called Sapphire and Sage.

Robe Anglaise

AAaaaah! Someone save me from myself. If I had a million dollars...

JP Ryan, the master of 18th century clothing, has just come out with a new pattern! It's for a Robe Anglaise...a gown very popular toward the end of the 18th century. It has teeny tiny little cartridge pleats along the back, and instead of wearing side hoops, you wear a small bum roll. You can check out the pattern at this link:

http://www.jpryan.com/details/anglaise.html

I like view B. I haven't bought the pattern, and have no plans to in the near future (too many other things I would like to sew first), but ooooohh!! Maybe someday...

This is definitely on my wish list.

Future Project: Tudor gown

This is definitely far off in the future (too many patterns waiting in my closet to be made into dresses)...but I would love to make a Tudor gown someday. Supposedly this portrait is of Jane Gray, and her gown is typical of the later Tudor years. I think I would like a different collar, and would want to use these period patterns:

http://www.mediaevalmisc.com/pp51-53.htm
http://www.mediaevalmisc.com/pp52.htm

I would probably want either a brocade, velvet, or combination. Maybe I could even go to a flea market and buy an old fur coat so that I could have real fur sleeves - it would probably be cheaper then buying faux fur at the fabric store. I can't decide if I would want a Gabled Hood (boxy shape) or a French hood (rounded)...I guess it depends on if I want early or late Tudor (these hoods came in and out of style as often as King Henry's six wives)

Upcoming Project: Elizabethean Gown

Shakespeare in Love Dress

Yet another pattern by Simplicity - this one inspired by Viola's dress in the movie "Shakespeare in Love." The cartridge pleates alone were enough to get me hooked. However, I'm not planning on making this dress exactly as shown on the cover of the pattern. I think I would rather use velvet or a brocade instead of dupioni. I've also never seen any illustrations of period gowns where the bodice was made of a completely different fabric. However, since I'm starting with a pattern that I know is more for show then historical accuracy, I'm not going to sweat the authenticity too much, and just find something pretty. I already have finished the bum roll and farthingale that accompanied this pattern (I figured while I was ordering steel hooping, why not get enough for the farthingale).

There are great advanced instructions on this gown at farthingales: http://www.farthingales.on.ca/elizabethan.php

civil war day dress fashion plate

Upcoming: Day dress

Upcoming Project:Civil War Day dress

I should take a moment to define what I mean when I say "upcoming" versus "future" project. Upcoming means that I have the pattern in my house, and could start any day now. "Future" means I'm playing around with the idea of making an outfit someday, but no actual steps towards making one have been made.

I actually do have this dress, and since the undergarments are all completed, it's a project I've been looking at starting. The only thing that's stopping me on this one is that it takes a ridiculous amount of fabric - 24 yards to be precise!! (17 yards for the dress, 7 yards for trim). Even if I made this dress out of cotton, that would really set me back a bit. And of course, I would rather have a silk day dress.

I'm considering ways to fix this problem - I've thought about not sewing the three tiers of flounces. They're all sewn to a base skirt. The only catch is I'm not sure how full the skirt is. Another option is that I could order a different skirt pattern, and then just make the bodice.

The other problem is that anytime you wear this outfit to a historical event, you're almost guaranteed to find several cookie cutter dresses there (this pattern has been a huge success...and it's also very recognizable). But, oh well. I fell in love with this pattern, and have been dying to make it. In fact, this is the very first historical pattern I ever bought.

Above, I've attached a fashion plate from the 1860's of two dresses I think are very nice. I might use the color combination for a bit of inspiration.

Upcoming Project: Robe Francaise

Pattern by JP Ryan. Inspiration: Robe Francaise worn by Madame de Pompadour.

I've been just dying to start sewing this project. I have already completed JP Ryan's 18th century stays and pocket hoops, so I wouldn't need to make any new undergarments. If I could choose any fabric, I would want to make this gown out of silk taffeta, but since I'm working of a tighter budget, I've been looking at purchasing dupioni silk with as few slubs as possible. The best price I've seen for dupioni is $5 a yard on ebay...but if anyone knows of a cheaper way to get it, please let me know since I'm looking at buying 13 yards of fabric.

I've always liked the pale colors from this time period, so I think I would want to make either a blue and cream or a pink and cream gown. The petticoat and stomacher would be out of cream, and the gown itself out of the second color. I would use the gown's color as trim.

A Second Corset in my future?

future thoughts....

The first Simplicty corset went together so nicely that when I heard there was a new corset pattern I went straight out to get a copy. However, after having read reviews and reading through the instructions, I decided to temporarily shelve this project. It sounds like the sewing skills required might still be a bit above my level, and since I'm tempted to make this one out of a more expensive fabric, I decided to wait. When the time comes, though, DC enterprises (www.corsetmaking.com) has a beautiful peach satin corset coutil that I might want to use. If you want to get an idea of what this corset would entail, visit farthingales advanced instruction page for this corset at www.farthingales.on.ca/simplicity_7215.

Future Project: 1870's Bustle Gown

A possible future bustle project

There's something just gorgeous about all the draping and heavy fabric that goes into a pretty bustle outfit. I've looked over a few different patterns (but haven't bought one yet!) that I might try someday, but so far, this is just something on the back burner.!

I already know exactly where I'm going to go for my patterns: the folks at Truly Victorian and the undisputed masters of the buslte! Check out the following page:

http://trulyvictorian.netfirms.com/bustlecat.html

I definitely like the earlier busltle period - I find the later bustle dresses of the 1880's to be more severe. I especially like TV405 (the Vest Basque), the smaller buste pattern TV101, and either TV305 + TV201 underskirt and apron, or a trained skirt TV208. The fabulous folks over at farthingales have a great page devoted to comparing various bustle patterns. A great way to decide which bustle you want to make.

http://www.farthingales.on.ca/bustle_1800s.htm