An Enviable Pair of Stays

I went to an 18th century workshop this weekend in Colonial Williamsburg to learn to make a custom fitted pair of stays (i.e. corset). It was the perfect indoor activity for a weekend of hard rain and wind courtesy of Hurricane Hanna. The workshop was run by Burnley and Trowbridge, and taught by Mark Hutter, the Tailor of Williamsburg. Mark brought all sorts of interesting goodies for us to look at - period tools, reproduction stays, and actual baleen (also referred to as whalebone). I had never seen whalebone before, and was fascinated to see it for the first time (and no, we were not using baleen as boning for our stays). The baleen is the black stuff below:

The Stays course was certainly a unique experience, which involved most of us standing around in only our near-transparent shifts for a good part of the day. I give Mark credit though - he was able to make jokes and put us all relatively at ease. We were each paired up with someone that had a similar body type, and we worked with our "Bosom Buddies," as Mark called them, for the rest of the day. We started by taking measurements in the 18th century method - using only a strip of paper and clipping little markings into the paper. No tape measures were used at all.
Next up was the most frustrating portion of the workshop for me. My partner and I chose a corset pattern that was recommended for our era and body types. We received about 10 minutes of oral instructions on how to size up an original 18th century stays pattern. Without any written instructions and no pattern drafting experience, this was a crash course in pattern drafting that had me going pink in the face with frustration. In the end with more than a little bit of help, all was well, though class ended a good hour and forty minutes later than it should have. I left the class on Saturday with pattern pieces chalked onto my corset fabric. Our homework was to baste the chalk outline of the pattern (and to secure all three layers of fabric together). I was a little surprised to learn that we were expected to hand sew (I had not gathered that from the class description). I went ahead and bought linen thread and beeswax to strengthen the thread, and got to work. The next day, we assembled the pattern pieces and wound up with the following product:
I know it doesn't look like much, but this is a PERFECTLY fitting corset, made especially for me. Mark actually sewed us all into our corset so we could be sure we had the right fit, and helped us make a few minor last minute tweaks. It's up to me now to chalk the final pattern, take apart the corset (it's only basted together), rebaste the chalk lines, hand sew the boning channels, insert the boning (I think I'll use ash reed), and bind the corset in white leather that I purchased this weekend. I think this is going to take a couple of months to complete, but I really want to take my time and get a perfect set of stays. If all turns out well, I may use some leftover silk taffeta to cover the corset and make it fancy.

Now, you can't expect a group of costumers to get together in Williamsburg without going out on the town in costume. We went to one of the Williamsburg taverns for dinner and had a great time. I know the photo above is dark, but I like the candle light effect.

Here we are in a bit more well-lit photo. The ladies on each end of the photo are members of my Tuesday Night Costumer's group.

BIG thanks to my husband for driving me down to Williamsburg. I know he enjoyed taking a tour of the local ale factory and playing WoW online in the hotel room, but I know it wasn't his preferred way to spend the weekend. Thanks Dave! Hope you're ready to go back up in November for the gown draping class. :)

Still Working!

Hey all,

I don't want you to think I've stopped sewing again all of the sudden. I had to take my sewing machine in to be serviced...it was really overdue. It's supposed to take 'several weeks,' but that's not holding me back! That just means more time to cut out patterns.

First up is a Halloween costume for Calypso. I know, I know, it's waaaay too cutsie and something I thought I would never be doing, but I just couldn't resist the urge. Plus, all the neighborhood puppies are getting costumes (seriously), so I just had to get in on that action.

Here's the costume I'm going to make:
It's already cut out, so I'm just waiting for the return of the sewing machine to sew it up (It's one of those super easy, will probably take me an hour or two projects).

Next, I'm going to cut out the cape that I would like to sell on eBay, and then I need to cut out my new side hoops. I have an event in September (movie release of The Duchess) and in November (a historical ball) that I need the side hoops for. Then, I need to cut out the back rump pad pattern that I purchased from Wingeo patterns. I'm taking a Robe Anglaise course in Williamsburg in November, and I'll need a rump pad instead of side hoops for the later 18th century sillouette.

This weekend is VERY exciting: I'm going down to Williamsburg for an 18th Century Stays workshop. By the end I should a complete, or almost complete, set of new stays that have been properly fitted for me (one of my new friends from the Tuesday night costumer club has very generously agreed to bring her second sewing machine for me to borrow). Wohoo!! I should have pictures for you next week.

Cute as a Button!

I have not lost momentum on my regency gown...I just needed to order the buttons. I didn't want to use the plastic buttons they sell at the fabric store, so I ordered bone china buttons online from a store in Gettysburg. The other options were bone, glass, metal or wood (I discounted mother of pearl because it wouldn't work with my dress), and I was fascinated at the idea of china buttons.Then, of course, I needed to practice buttonholes before going anywhere near my pretty dress. With all the outfits I've done, very few have actually ever required buttonholes. Eyelets, hook and eyes, lacing, drawstrings...these I'm a bit more familiar with. I used some scrap fabric and failed about eight times before I got one decent buttonhole. But I think I finally got the knack:
Note to self on buttonholes: don't forget to put the thread through the special button hole loop on the bobbin. Don't forget to use buttonhole foot or the buttonhole won't work. DO look up sewing machine manual on line to figure out how the five step buttonhole process is supposed to work (that was a BIG help!). Finally, don't slice open thumb while cutting open the holes. It's bad for the thumb, and bad for the silk.

All Dressed Up, No Place To Go

Well, I'm not technically 'all dressed up' since the dress still needs a few last minute touches, but the Jane Austin ball that I was rushing the dress for sadly sold out weeks in advance. I'll have to come up with something else to do with my Regency gown. I've learned my lesson, though. I immediately purchased tickets for Gatsby's Tavern's next event, the Governor's Ball, as well as my membership for Costume Con 2009. The Governor's Ball is 18th century, so I'll be all set with my 18th century Robe Francaise. I would like to get a wig and restyle it in the tall hair of the 1770's before the ball. I'm also starting to think ahead to possibly signing up for Costume College 2009 as well (which will involve going the Costume Guild West), the Dulles Sewing Expo, and Salon Con. I can't do them all...so we'll see which ones catch my fancy.
So, here's the bodice after it was fitted. Oddly enough, it overlapped too much on top in the back, and too little around the ribcage. I say 'oddly' because my ribcage and waist measurements are significantly smaller in proportion to my bust measurement. I normally have issues with the fit on top. It was easy enough to fix - I re-cut the pattern piece so the bottom was larger, and voila!
The bodice is always the hardest part, so once that was fitted it was just a matter of sewing in the sleeves, waistband, and skirt which I had already previously assembled.
I was very happy with the way the back of the dress turned out. All of those pretty gathers and pleats are perfect for the late 1790's/early 1800's, and I even managed to smush the gathers enough that they all sewed onto the back pattern piece only (apparently the gathers aren't supposed to be on the side back panel at all).
So here's how the dress is looking. This week I've been doing small hand stitched finishing details (like hemming the armbands and sewing in the waistband lining). I then need to do a LOT of practice button holes before attempting them on the dress. I've never been to great at button holes, and needless to say I will not go near my dress until I have mastered this elusive skill. Oh, and I should probably also buy some buttons. :)

One question for my readers - does the dress look sufficiently trimmed? The early Regency is marked by the simplicity of the gowns, so I didn't want to overdo it. I still have enough Sari trim to put a band of gold around the hemline (maybe even two stripes, one large, one smaller on top), or I could put a band of gold down the center front of the gown. Check out the Marquise website or Prints George to see pictures from the era if you're not familiar with gown styles. What do you think?

Bodiced Petticoat Complete

Here is my finished Regency Bodiced Petticoat:
It's not hemmed yet: I'll do that at the same time I hem my gown. Check out the great Regency silhouette from the side! I was a bit concerned about how the stays were pushing up my cleavage, but with the petticoat over it, I can really start to see how this is going to look with the dress. Very period!
Compare my silhouette to this print by James Gillray entitled "Stays" (it's one from his series titled "The Progress of the Toilette). Not bad, eh?I went ahead and made up a muslin toile of my ball gown. The back fits beautifully:
I'm not so sure about the front. It looks a bit big. Too poofy and too long on bottom. Any opinions? I may cut out one cup size smaller and see if that improves the fit...but one cup smaller will also shorten the back which I think is perfect. It's sort of hard to tell at this point how the fit is...according to the pattern for my size, I'll add a drawstring waistband to the dress so that I can make sure the bottom edge of the Empire waist fits like a glove. Hmm...
I want to make sure I get my toile right before I touch my fashion fabric. There's no more where it came from (handwoven in India), and I've been safeguarding this one-of-a-kind beauty. Here it is draped over Mini so you can get an idea of what the gown will look like. The gold border is only going to be used around the hem, and possibly for the waistband and sleeve bands.

Regency Bodiced Petticoat

Charging ahead towards the Jane Austin Ball, I'm now assembling my bodiced petticoat. This involved slight altering the Sense and Sensibility regency day dress pattern following these instructions (I can't rave enough about these patterns so far...her online instructions and support are excellent). The key here was that I really needed a dress form before I'd be able to fit the petticoat on myself. And can I say how much I LOVE my dress form.Here's Mini from the front, sporting the finished muslin mock-up. The fit might look a bit funny, but I tried it on myself as well. The dress form doesn't have cleavage where mine will be (Mini can only squish in, not up), and there will be a drawstring that will make the top edge fit.
The back shot shows off the great fit I managed to get very nicely. I'm going to have the petticoat lace in the back instead of buttoning (I'm really not good at button holes...plus, there's no way I could button up my back, while I might be able to lace myself up).

I am not adding any boning to the petticoat because I am not using it as a substitute for the period stays (some reenactors choose to only wear the bodiced petticoat under their Regency dresses). I've cut out the very fine batiste I ordered way back while we were still living in Poland, and assembled the bodice and the lining. Next up: I'll add the drawstring casing and sew the two layers together before adding the petticoat skirt.

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.

Williamsburg Tailorshop

I've been holding off on this post for a few days because I wanted to have my completed Chemise a la Reine featured for a few days. As always, my favorite stop in Williamsburg is the Tailor's shop. There's always so much to look at, and the displays change. Check out the full side hoops hanging on display in the store!There was also a pair of Stays (I recognize the JP Ryan pattern) and a small set of pocket hoops (the red plaid hanging on the rope). They were so small, I wondered if they were maybe for a child, but I didn't get the chance to ask. In the background, you can see a white Robe a la Francaise muslin example on display.
I got really excited when I spotted the Calash hat (it's green and red in the upper corner). These hats were very large and were wired so it would stand tall and accommodate the hairstyles of the day.
There was a beautiful silk waistcoat in progress that was on display. I didn't get the best photo, but I just love this picture of the projects the tailor is working on, and the bolts of fabric in the background.Here, the tailor is sitting cross-legged on top of a table in his store window. This was apparently the preferred way for tailors to work. It was comfortable, gave them room to spread out their project, gave them the best natural lighting, and displayed their work to the passing public. I loved the men's silk dressing robe he was working on (I think these are called banyon's). They were introduced as trade with the orient became more common, and were acceptable casual clothing.

I could be mistaken, but I believe the gentleman is the tailor who will be teaching the 18th century stays workshop that I will be attending in September through Burnley and Trowbridge.

Completed Chemise a la Reine

Well, it might have been 4 am the day of the event, but I did manage to finish this project! My living room still looks like a sewing disaster area, but here is the final product (okay, okay, no project is ever final...I'd like to go back and lengthen the hem and permanently sew on the arm ribbons):I think I might be wearing my rump a little bit too low, and I was disturbed to see that this style wasn't particularly flattering on my body-type. I don't know why I'm surprised - it's essentially a 4 yard tube gathered around me with draw-strings. It was bound to add some unwanted bulk. I was, however, very pleased with the sash, the hat (isn't it at a nice jaunty upturned angle?), and my wig.The pattern left a few things to be desired (though it did get the job done). First of all, the pattern called for 60 inch wide fabric. I looked everywhere, but could only find 45 inch wide fabric, so I had to piece together my gown. While I was cutting it out, I happened to measure the width of the pattern piece that required the afore mentioned 60 inch wide fabric - it was 72 inches wide!!! I can't imagine how frustrated I would have been had I purchased 60 inch fabric, only to find out that it wouldn't work or that I hadn't purchased enough fabric.

The next problem came when I realized that there were no instructions on how to finish the upper back edge of the gown. The lady from reconstructing history was very kind and wrote me back with instructions on how to finish them, but I was in such a time crunch that I had forged ahead making it up on my own. My top closure drawstring runs all the way around the top edge of the gown - the front, the shoulder straps, and the back. Apparently I should have created separate casings for the front and the back, and finished the shoulder straps by simply roll hemming them. I may still go back and fix this.

The pattern also called for me to sew the gathering casings as one of the first steps (just after cutting out and assembling the dress pieces). The result was my underbust and waist casings were not at the right spot. In my opinion, the better construction technique would have been to start by gathering the top edge casings, sew on the shoulder straps, and then try on the dress with the undergarments in order to mark the correct placement for the waist and underbust casings. Again, I am definitely considering unpicking my stitches and fixing this.

My final gripe on the pattern - no illustrations whatsoever. For a $30 pattern, that's a lot of problems...and I think my points are pretty valid. Unfortunately, it's currently the only pattern available for the Chemise a la Reine, and in the end I was able to make-do. Here's a final shot of me in period surroundings:

Hat Construction Footnotes

Well, as expected this project turned into a last minute dash, and about half way through I stopped having time to record what I was doing. However, I thought the hat construction process was pretty neat, so I'm posting what documentation I do have.

I started out by cutting out buckram pattern pieces and sewing the hat brim and hat tops into the correct shape:Next up, I hand-sewed millinery wire along all the edges of the hat to maintain its shape:I purchased baby blanket felt to interline the hat. I used a combination of stitching and spray-on craft glue to attach the wool to the buckram:Sadly, that's all the photos I have. The next step was to repeat the process for the interlining with my outer-layer fashion fabric. Once that was done, all the hat pieces were finally assembled (this is when it really started to look like a hat). The final steps were binding the edge of the brim, lining the hat, and decorating the lat. I chose ostrich feathers, pheasant feathers, and a blue taffeta bow. I'll have to get a photo taken at a better angle to really show off the hat, but here's the final product:

Afternoon Petticoat and Rump

Funny how some things really start to go together quickly after you've made similar projects. Today, I managed to cut out and complete the false rump and petticoat for my Chemise a la Reine. The first try at the rump was HUGE and practically stuck straight out from the back like a bustle. That's probably because the tutorial I found was intended for Elizabethan use instead of 18th century. I managed to cut it down a few times, and I think I have found the gentle sloping 'poof' at the back that I was looking for. It might still be a bit big...I don't know. There's still time to change my mind and make it smaller.The side shot below shows a different angle of the rump, as well as a good shot of the petticoat I made. I used my bolt-o-muslin (best purchase ever!) to make the easiest petticoat ever. I cut 4 lengths 45 inches long, sewed them into a tube, gathered them, and put a waistband on top. There are instructions on how I made them here. I'm not going to hem the petticoat until I finish the dress. I want to make sure that I'm happy with the size of the rump under the dress before hemming anything. Full steam ahead - I'm cutting out my dress next!!

Chemise a La Reine Gameplan

Here is my inspiration for my next project. This is going to have to be one of the quickest ensembles I've ever put together. I'm going to the "Under The Redcoats" event in historic Williamsburg in a week and a half. In that time, I need to make a false rump, a petticoat, the dress, sash, and my Gainsborough hat. The good news is I have most of the supplies I need, and sewing is already underway.

Here's the pattern I will be using, and below is the beautiful sheer voile I found at Dharma trading co. I'm amazed at how finely woven it is!

This pretty blue taffeta will be the sash and bows for the decor on both the Chemise and the hat. The black silk taffeta will be the hat covering and lining.

Here is my hat inspiration. This is Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, painted by Gainsborough (yes, that's why the hats are called 'Gainsborough' hats). There's a movie coming out about her in August starting Kiera Knightly...most know for her infamous menage-a-trois living arrangement. Fascinating historical person who directly imported the Chemise a la Reine from France (she was friends with Marie Antoinette), and also happens to be a direct ancestor of the late Princess Diana.
And here is the hat pattern. I've never made a hat, so this should be an interesting project (hold your breath that all goes well). It might not be done before next weekend. The millinery wire I need is stuck in the mail (tornadoes and such in the middle of the country are causing a lot of flight delays). I've already cut out the buckram frame, but can't assemble it any further until the wire arrives. Here's a gist of the shape:

I made this false rump pattern from instructions I found on the internet. Now we'll see how it looks. I always find that bum rolls/false rumps are pretty tricky. They can make you look like a plateau at the waist if you're not careful, and of course, they are supposed to be proportional to your body (the smaller you are, the larger the rump...the larger you are, the smaller the rump). It's almost a science trying to find the right rump to body ratio. We'll see how that goes.