New Corset and Planning Next Summer

Costume College 2017 just wrapped up this past weekends I had intended to go out there, but due to some personal reasons I ended up cancelling my trip. It's been tough being at home watching all the beautiful pictures my friend have been posting, however, it's also renewed my creative side and I'm more excited than ever to remake my collection of clothing!

Over the past couple years (has it really been that long since I posted??) I've managed to lose the majority of the leftover baby weight from my second daughter and this has had the unfortunate side effect of making my current collection of historical clothing much too big for me in strange places. Naturally, this means I need to make more stuff, right? :)

First things come first though- I've always started with the undergarments as you can't have the proper silhouette for any period without starting from nothing. I did some research, held my breath, swiped my credit card, cried a little and waited patiently for my custom made corset! Michelle at Clockwork Faerie did an absolutely incredible job on it and I'm so beyond thrilled with the shape it gives me. If you're in the market for one definitely send her a message! Anyways I digress. This is the extant example that I decided I wanted a reproduction of:

Simple, clean lines, absolutely gorgeous shape and colors. We did go back and forth on colors a little bit and finally settled some some very close to the original. 

 

I kinda love it. A lot- and I can't wait to wear it all the time under the new dresses I'm planning!

Which brings me to the Great Plan. I do plan to attend Costume College 2018, and the theme is Dressing the Royals. If that isn't inspiration I don't know what is.... I've spent all weekend alternately looking at photos of this years college and on Pinterest planning for next years college. I have a small (okay, huge) stash of fabrics and have been bitten by a couple different bugs for varied eras. First up is the 1860s- one that has been an interest of mine since I was a wee one drooling at pictures in a library book. I'm nearly done with my set of hoops, made from a Truly Victorian pattern, and will be whipping up a few day dresses for the events at the forts around Casper later this month and into the fall and winter. I'd also like to start work on an 18th century wardrobe- some of those gowns in Outlander and absolutely stunning and I definitely want to try wearing them. And of course, Edwardian again... I keep falling for early 1900s dresses and I have no idea why. ;)

The big highlight at Costume College is the Saturday night Gala. There's a red carpet, dinner, dancing, lots of petting costumes... it's really the time to show off your skills! I had a dress all picked out to start work on and now I'm having second (and third and fourth) thought. I'll still be making it, but maybe something a little more over the top for the Gala? Time will tell!!

This one is my original idea... I have a light aqua taffeta that would be lovely!!

And then if course I tripped into Pinterest and found this one.... I might have to do both! 

That's all for now, I do hope to be doing more write ups over the coming months on what I'm up to with my time traveling... 

The 1883 Ice Cream Stripe Dress

I first saw this stripe fabric and completely fell for it, and given my obsession with bustle era dresses it was destined to become something fabulous. And so was born my 1883 dress! 

I used Truly Victorian patterns for this outfit. The bodice is the 1883 Tail Bodice, with the shorter tail option. It took two tries to get it to fit properly, second time was because I re-read the directions and actually used the right measurements and pattern pieces. 

Progress picture

Finished!

I still love the fit on this one, the way it hugs every curve on my corset makes me super happy. :) 

 The skirt is the Four Gore Underskirt, with the Asymmetrical Drape Add-On. As usual, I had to add a decent number of inches on the bottom to get it to be long enough (9 inches, not kidding).

It still needed the hem here, and I wore some additional petticoats for additional fluff.

For my first time with stripes I'm very pleased!

I still love the way the stripes worked out in the back. 

 Here is the final outfit as worn at Costume College! I am still totally in love with this dress... there are a few things I might change about it but I'm quite happy with it. I definitely need to learn to do my hair properly at some point in the near future- I think that's where my outfit is lacking.

Costume College Professional Photos

Just posting to show pictures for now... I'll be posting more information about each of my projects soon, but for now I want to share these lovely pictures :)

1890 Blue Silk Corset

As I shared in a previous post, I am participating in the Historical Sew Monthly. It's a project challenge every month, and I fully intend to participate in every challenge that I can this year! 

The first challenge is Foundations. It's the best place to start out a year, since no costume is complete without a solid foundation. In light of this, I chose to do my first corset! I have Corsets: Historical Patterns and Techniques and instantly loved the black and yellow corset:

After carefully drafting the pattern, I made a mockup and tried that on. It was perfectly the right size, so I set to work carefully cutting out all my fabrics: a stiff cotton inside, denim for strength, and blue 100% silk for the exterior. First I inserted the busk (the funky thing in the front that has the metal tabs on it). 

Next all the panels needed sewn together and the boning channels sewn on. This corset is a bit unusual as the bones are actually sewn onto the outside, rather than inserted inside the layers or even on the inside. Once that was done I put in the grommets on the back and laced myself into it. 

Almost a perfect fit!

See how the top is much closer together than the bottom? Yeah... that's not right.

Once it was made up here, as you can see in the pictures, the top of the lacing in the back was much closer that the bottom part. While it wasn't a massive issue, it bothered me enough to fix it. What I ended up doing was adding in a few darts on the side panels. While I doubt this is actually period, it worked to tighten up the top half so it fits a lot better now. 

Pre-darts, laid out flat! Really coming together!

Next was the flossing. Flossing in the original is the yellow embroidery. For mine, I wanted something that would really "pop" so it was highly visible. I chose an antique gold color, which looks amazing next to the navy blue silk. :) 

Such pretty flossing. :) 

On to tonight. I just finished it and tried it on!! I absolutely love it. It fits like a dream and makes me super happy!

SO pretty!!! :D

Here's the back, much better after fixing it. :) 

The Challenge: Foundations
Fabric: Cotton, Denim, and Silk
Pattern: Black and Yellow 1890s corset, from Corsets: Historical Patterns and Techniques
Year: 1890s
Notions: Grommets, flat steel boning, and 5 yards of corset lacing. 
How historically accurate is it? About 60% ish, the technique is correct I believe, but the materials aren't.
Hours to complete: (this is embarrassing) approximately 115 hours.
First worn: Just to try on, I'll be wearing it more as I can. :)
Total cost: About $40. Some of the fabric was stash, so I added in approximate cost for that too. 

Edwardian Possibilities?

Oops, I may have fallen in love with another era. No biggie- I'll just put it on my ever-growing list!

The Edwardian Era was the period from about 1901-1910, during the reign of King Edward VII. I have seen it extended a couple years sometimes to include the years leading up to World War I (sometimes as far as 1919), however I like the nice round 1910 number. Although... for this year I could extend it to 1915, because that was exactly 100 years ago- also a fantastic round number!

I was initially struck by this gown, made in 1903 by the House of Worth (founded by the father of couture, Charles Frederick Worth. This dress was created a few years after his death, but the House was still the leader in couture fashion.).

The Oak Leaf Dress, 1903

The leaf decoration is what grabbed me first. Oh my goodness!! The embroidery! The ruffles! The leaves! The waistline! The shoulders! I am absolutely smitten with the dress... so I did some more research on it. 

The woman it was made for is relatively fascinating in her own way. Mary Victoria Leiter was born in 1870. Her father was one of the founders of Marshall Field and Co, an upscale department store, later acquired by what is now Macy's. So that's pretty cool right there! She was eventually introduced to London society and at the age of 25 (my age!!) she married George Curzon. Eventually, Curzon was appointed Viceroy of India, which made Mary the highest political position ever attained by an American woman to that point (1899). They were well-respected in India, and Mary was renowned for her fabulous taste in fashion as well as being a patron of the arts and a pretty decent agent for the Indian textile trade. Sadly, after a long illness Mary passed away at the age of 36 in 1906. 

Lady Curzon
Mmm....pearls... ;) 

As for reproducing this dress... it's going to happen at some point. It's absolutely stunning and looks like a fabulous project! Mine will have to be a different color though- yellow and I do not get along. I'm thinking a blue or a sage green...

Plans for 2015

2015 will be the year of sewing. I have so many big plans, but it's time to be nice and organized! :) So, here's my tentative plan for the coming year. 

I plan to participate in the Historical Sew Monthly from the Dreamstress blog. I linked to her blog, but basically its a new sewing challenge every month, so the goal is to have 12 finished projects by the end of 2015. 

• January – Foundations: make something that is the foundation of a period outfit.

I actually have three items planned for this challenge. I'd like to eventually work up to a couple (okay, 3) bustle dresses from the 1880s, so to get started with that I will be doing a 1880s chemise, drawers, and corset. I've ordered some of my materials with Christmas money and I am SO excited to get started!

• February – Colour Challenge Blue: Make an item that features blue, in any shade from azure to zaffre.

Blue!! I love blue! I have some gorgeous blue fabric in my stash that is just itching to become something lovely. I'm thinking it would be perfect for a regency dress of some kind, which means February will also consist of the foundation garments for a Regency gown. (Regency was approximately 1811-1820.)

• March – Stashbusting: Make something using only fabric, patterns, trims & notions that you already have in stash.

This month I am planning to use a lot of my stash items to create a hat, either for my bustle gowns, Regency gown, or both! :) Yes, March sounds pretty laid back in comparison to the previous two challenges, but I think I will need the relaxing break after that busyness. 

• April – War & Peace: the extremes of conflict and long periods of peacetime both influence what people wear.  Make something that shows the effects of war, or of extended peace.

Hmm, this sounds like a good month for either a WWI era dress, or perhaps a 1940s dress. I'll have to give that further thought. 

• May – Practicality:  Fancy party frocks are all very well, but everyone, evenprincesses, sometimes needs a practical garment that you can DO things in.  Create the jeans-and-T-Shirt-get-the-house-clean-and-garden-sorted outfit of your chosen period.

This month is the month I intend to do a bustle (1880s) day dress. Something in cotton and simple for everyday use. 

• June – Out of Your Comfort Zone: Create a garment from a time period you haven’t done before, or that uses a new skill or technique that you’ve never tried before. 

This challenge will be attempting to recreate something (a jacket maybe?) from a fashion plate with no pattern. All previous challenge I will be using patterns of some kind, so this will be new and different and a huge challenge for me. 

• July – Accessorize: The final touch of the right accessory creates the perfect period look.  Bring an outfit together by creating an accessory to go with your historical wardrobe.

Accessories!! Hopefully this will be the month that I am prepping for Costume College (I haven't found out if I'll be going yet) so July is set aside for working on any accessories and finishing touches for that. Otherwise, some more accessories will be awesome. :) 

• August – Heirlooms & Heritage: Re-create a garment one of your ancestors wore or would have worn, or use an heirloom sewing supply to create a new heirloom to pass down to the next generations.

Hmm. I'll have to browse some family albums for this one. I would love to recreate something! :) 

• September – Colour Challenge Brown: it’s not the most exciting colour by modern standards, but brown has been one of the most common, and popular, colours throughout history. Make something brown.

Brown might not be an "exciting" color... but it would be a fun challenge. I'll probably jump centuries for this challenge and head over to the 1400s and recreate the Moy Bog gown. This one was found in a bog in Ireland, and has some really fascinating construction techniques. I'll go into a lot more detail about this gown when it gets closer to September. 

• October – Sewing Secrets: Hide something in your sewing, whether it is an almost invisible mend, a secret pocket, a false fastening or front, or a concealed message (such as a political or moral allegiance).

Oh this will be fun. This one merits much longer thought, I can't decide what would be the most fun!! Maybe some garters with something embroidered on them....

• November – Silver Screen: Be inspired by period fashions as shown onscreen (film or TV), and recreate your favourite historical costume as a historically accurate period piece.

Stars in my eyes... oh my goodness. This one will hopefully be a Gone With the Wind challenge for me! Big round hoops here I come! :) 

• December – Re-Do:  It’s the last challenge of the year, so let’s keep things simple by re-doing any of the previous 11 challenges.

This one will most likely become a second accessory challenge, but time will tell which one is the most fun and most worth of doing again!

1875 Day Dress
Philadelphia Museum of Art

I'm looking forward so much to the coming year. Plenty of ideas, projects, and things to be learned!

The 1530s Gown

I apologize for the long wait for this post, but I have completed my Tudor-era gown! I really like the way it turned out, but there is a lot that I would like to change for future projects if I decide to do another one.

Here are some pictures from the construction:

My Chemise- mostly hand sewn,

My chemise was worked up from an old bedsheet- I wanted to be absolutely sure of the fit before I used good linen for it, and I'm so glad I did! The neckline ended up being too wide as I got overconfident in my ability to work from directions rather than a pattern... but once inside the dress it didn't make a massive difference as the lacing held it up just fine.

Kirtle bodice (fully boned!)

Closeup of the kirtle eyelets- all hand stitched. 

My kirtle by far took the most time to work up. The front is fully boned with reed for the period correct support (and was marvelously comfortable) as well as some of the main seams in the back. To be honest it looked awfully uncomfortable, but after a full day of wear I can safely say it's almost more comfortable than modern clothing. Pants are weird... but I digress. Here's a picture of it on my (new!!) dress form, after fitting it for a week to get the boning *just* right:

Yes, that's my chemise. And yes, it did get fixed! :)
And yes- RED petticoat. Are you shocked? 

The top edge of the neckline needed to be beaded and jeweled in some way, so this is what I came up with for that (you can see the chemise has been fixed by this point). I also worked up a quick necklace to match, and it really was a fantastic finishing touch!

Wow, it almost looks like I know what I'm doing!

Darn, eyes are closed but it's still shows the skirts best. 

Once the bodice was fitting right, I cut and added the skirt to it. As you can (mostly) see, the front is the full gold brocade, while the back is plain white cotton with the brocade around the bottom 18 inches or so. This is actually period- brocade was pricey so they would cut corners as often as possible to save a little more money. I did have to hem the skirt a little more than anticipated, but I would much rather have the deeper hem than a skirt that is too short!

Fitting the outer gown bodice.

Once the kirtle was done, it was time to fit the bodice for the French gown. this took a lot more than planned, and at best it is still a completely fudged job. My seams aren't period correct in the back, the boning is off (yep, more reeds), and the construction- while solid- is honestly mostly a hodgepodge of various ideas and by no means accurate. But... it looks nice, right? ;)

It took a week but I was finally happy.

It took a full week of fudging seams to be okay with it. It still makes me crabby, but it really did look just fine. Those ripples in the above picture were corrected later on and you can't see them now.

Finished!

Here is my finished gown!! I wish I had taken a few more pictures of working with that outer skirt- it was well over 8 YARDS of fabric and double lined with cotton. Hilarious to try to squeeze it all onto the bodice, but with the help of some cartridge pleating they fit just fine! The sleeves were a fun sewing job- faux fur (if you have never tried it before) POOFS tiny little fuzzes into the air when you cut it that simply do not go away. I am still finding fuzz in weird places around my house. 

All in all, it was a super fun project and ridiculously fun to wear for a full day. It wasn't nearly as warm in all that fabric as I thought it might be, and I was happily comfortable all day long. Boning with the reed was definitely a good plan and I can see why they used it back then. It's breathable and gives the support required without being ridiculously uncomfortable. Walking with a train took some learning, but eventually I got the hang of it and really had a grand time!

Edit 10/20/14: Pictures found!!

Watching a woodcarving demonstration.

You can see me in this one on the far right, watching knights. Well, looking at the ground, but I was really watching knights! If you look closely too, my husband is in the blue hat in the upper right. I also made his outfit. 

I really wish I knew why I was looking at the ground here too. Goodness... lol. The black pouch and belt I purchased at the event and I love how well they complete the outfit! You can't see it in here, but on the other side of my waist I am also wearing a small dagger I bought. Teehee... ;)