Forward into the 1770s!

So here we go. Severe lack of sewing desire for the faire stuff has led to a venturing out back into the 1770s. As mentioned previously; Lover, Friendy, and I are going American Revolution reenacting. I being me and recently in the possession of Patterns of Fashion has led to much plotting.

The new printer led to a stay pattern that might actually work. Yay!

And I found fabric to use:

It's a lovely silver blue I found on Fabrics-Store. They also have a lovely linen canvas. It's also not softened! Yay! I have round reed to use for boning. I bought a pound and have since made two Elizabethan Stays from it with plenty left over. It's about 1/8" which means two pieces for each 1/4" channel. I intend to bind the stays with the binding from Burnley and Trowbridge. Which Lover has offered to help me with. My hands have never been particularly strong. 

Okay. I bragged about my plots and now I'm supposed to go work on the Celts so they can be photographed for the Plaid and Paisley challenge. Which is probably what I should have been doing from the beginning. 

Cheers!

Merlina

Challenge #4: Underneath it All

I had awesome plans. I was going to keep up with the blog and have all the challenges up on time. Ha. I'm hilarious. Then the universe intervened. And I had to haul my dear laptop off to repairs and find a real job.

So without further delay I give you my pre quilted quilted petticoat for Historical Sew Fortnightly 2014 Challenge #4: Underneath it All (And as soon as I find buttons I like do I have an awesome post for Innovation.)

 

I am not wearing anything under it. It stands out just like that on its own. I intend to add a bit of stiffener to the hem to make it even sturdier.

I like the quilted petticoat because I have no patience for hoops or corded petticoats of any kind. This one is to be worn under a Florentine Gown with one petticoat over it. So it should stand up nice. Plus it holds my skirts out with the same umph but fewer petticoats. I'm also planning to use it for several eras. 

Here it is under a skirt. The skirt is 4 yards quilters cotton with two grosgrain ribbon guards. The petticoat holds up rather well. 

Now for the Facts:

The Challenge #4: Underneath it All

Item: Quilted Petticoat

Fabric: 3 yards prequilted red fabric (cotton fabric with polyester batting)
Pattern:  Cut 4 rectangles at the proper waist to ankle height. And two longer ones for waistband.
Year:  I consider it rather multi era, given it gives awesome skirt support. Its true purpose is for 1570s Florentine.
Notions:  Thread
How Historically Accurate:  Cotton and Polyester are not accurate, neither is machine quilting. However, red was a popular color for petticoats. And quilted petticoats do exist, especially in the 1700s. I say 3-4/10
First Worn:  Only for the pictures and then around the house when finished. Intended for the 2014 Faire Season and then to help hold skirts out (hoops and I hate each other. Even corded ones.)
Time Spent: Took abou 15 minutes to cut out and then about 3 hours to assemble. That includes French seams because I use those on everything. So 3 hours 15 minutes

Total Cost: Fabric was on sale so $15? I bought it awhile ago.

Hopefully the dress will be soon!

Oh and my help:

Gods forbid the fabric floats away!

Cheers!
Merlina

Challenge #19: Wood, Metal, and Bone

Haha! Another post! I'm on a roll here. It also helps I have pictures and all that good stuff. Well and a bit of time and power, the power being the most important.

My entry for the 19th Challenge is a pair of bodies roughly set in the 1500s. I know there's no evidence for them, but I find one pair of stays easier to use for multiple gowns rather than building the support into each gown. Plus for an impoverished princess, it's much more cost efficient. The smock I made last summer. It's of cotton muslin and completely handsewn - save the "blackwork" on the cuffs, that was done with the fancy stitches last year on the new machine.

These stays started out as a Simplicity pattern. I tweaked it and made it my own. They are completely boned with 1/8 inch round reed, two per each 1/4 inch channel. There is one piece of 1/2 inch flat reed at center front, and at each side center back. The stays spiral lace up the back which I realize in looking at these pics was not properly done. Oops. These stays are also a valuable lesson in the importance of tabs. Tabs are your best friends for fully boned stays. Trust me. 

Now we have the universal petticoats and bumroll to amp up the skirts. I live in fear of farthangles and have only ever made one which was a disaster. Panniers ironically are much easier. I also made the necklace and earrings for this. The necklace is in need of a different ribbon, but it works. 

 I call these my universal petticoats because I wear them with everything. They're cotton muslin and have pocket slits. Two are simple pleated rectangles. The third worn in the middle has two deep ruffles. And yes they need a good starching. Bumroll is worn on my hips not my waist. I gather that's the better place for it.

And now the facts:

The Challenge #19: Wood, Metal, and Bone

Fabric: 1 yard patterned cotton, 1 yard interlining also cotton, 1 yard cotton muslin for lining
Pattern: Started as Simplicity 2621. I played and integrated the tabs, lowered the back, separated the strap. And kinda completely disregarded the instructions
Year: 1500s. More or less. 
Notions: Bias tape, pale yellow/off white. Eyelets, thread, 1/8’’ round reed, Three pieces 1/2 ‘’ flat reed for center front “busk” and back on either side of eyelets. 
How Historically Accurate: Um…reed is accurate for stays, but they are difficult to find evidence of prior to the 1580s, as far as I know. Plus cotton wasn’t used. But alas, I am a poor grad student and it is underwear. It gives the right shape. 
First Worn: Just briefly for pics. And then for the photoshoot. 
Total Cost: The reed was $10 for an American pound. The muslin is about $2 a yard. And the cotton was $12 total. So $24 total. Most was in the stash

Now for the dress!

Cheers! 
Merlina

It's a Dress! Or Finally Finished

Semester ends! Yay! And I catch the sewing bug. But with money tied up in Christmas Gifts, I must dive into the UPB or Unfinished Project Box. We all have one, they're usually that box tucked away in the sewing room of things no one wants to see, where a couple tweaks and maybe an hour and there'd be a finished project.

Anyways....

This is my first colonial dress. I made the stays, shift and pockets a few years back. As with the small bumroll and the three petticoats underneath. (Said petticoats and bumroll are used for everything requiring petticoats.) There are pictures of the underthings, somewhere. And I know I need new stays. The ones I'm wearing are from when I first started sewing and not really comfortable. (had yet to learn of tabs. OMG! I love tabs.) Pretty much they're boring white with blue thread. I'm debating new ones with an actual pattern and possible that goregous curtain fabric......

So here is the dress (excuse the cell phone):

It is a very pretty quilter's cotton I found in Joann's. The pattern looks very colonial to me, but I cannot swear to accuracy. I'm a costumer not a historian, Jim! (Sorry, couldn't resist). The back is quartered and the front fastens down the front with pins, which are currently pulling because I'm not laced right. (My assistant was over the river, literally) The pattern is a combination of the Simplicty pirate gown and historical stuff I found/looked at online. I drafted it from the information myself! I doubt it's together historically acurate but alas. Partially machine partially by hand.

You can see the pattern of the fabric well here and how full I got my skirts. Plus the shape provided by the stays.

The yellow skirt is not the right one for this gown. I made a very full, teal petticoat that looks gorgeous under the gown and adds even more fullness. But it and I are not on speaking terms (long story.) So I am using possibly the first skirt I made. It too is of quilter's cotton and has a matching blouse and corset to go with it. (technically it belongs to the Padme outfit...)

The neck-kerchief is not the right one. I have one somewhere but I don't know where. So its a muslin square. And a little bit of self fabric trim is not on yet. I ran out of fabric. But there are sleeve flounces that had to be removed to adjust the sleeves. Hey! There's a hem and a closure, to me that means finished!

Happy New Year!
Merlina