HSF: Inspiration #15 White

Yay for another Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge complete! This challenge was the color white. Today, I'm just going to talk about the inspiration/process for this dress and then we'll get to the actual dress later this week!

Now I started muslining this dress way back in January and was planning on doing it for the Embellish challenge due at the end of February so not all of these inspirations are going to read "white" but I thought this would be a great time to finish off this UFO since it happened to be mostly white!

I kind of started this process backwards and picked my pattern first. I bought several 19-teens patterns over last Christmas break when I knew I would be going to Costume College. My draping/drafting skills are not super awesome so I really wanted to buy a pattern rather than start from scratch. I choose Pattern #8480: Ladies' Dress: Circa 1914-1915 from Past Patterns. The pattern also had options for less ruffles and simpler sleeves.

I loved this cute blue dress from 1912! It also has cute little bows! :D

Lingerie dresses were super popular during the Edwardian period. Lace is super fun.

This dress looks so much like the simpler versions of my pattern. I love the striped accents.

 This dress ended up being my biggest inspiration! I love the pretty embroidery and I found this great embroidered fabric.

Scallops and embroidery! :D

HSF#12: Pretty Pretty Princess

It's Historical Sew Fortnightly time again! This challenge was pretty pretty princess! "Channel your inner princess and her royal wardrobe. Pick a princess, queen, empress, arch-duchess, or a de-facto queen as inspiration for a fabulously royal frock (or other garment). The occasional prince is also most welcome."

Tada!  I took a bit of a different approach to this challenge. I love historical masquerade and fancy dress costumes so this is my 19-teens does Elizabethan fancy dress.

I was inspired by dresses such as these:

 See this pinterest board for sources.

 I ultimately decided to focus my design on the bottom left dress from 1916.

Fabric: 5 yds red home dec ($45), 2.25 yds sheer embroidered leaves ($16), 2 1/3 yd white crepe ($10)
Pattern: VPLL Ladies Dinner Dress c. 1918, Simplicity 3782 (and some drafting)
Year: 1916-1918
Notions: 150 glass pearls (mostly stash $3), snaps ($3), hook and eye ($1)



How historically accurate is it? Ok, so it's made completely from polyester so no good on the fabric. I tried to pick colors and styles that I thought would be a bit of Edwardian and a bit of Elizabethan (and a dash of whatever I felt like). The construction is a bit of each period too. The skirt and sleeves are from a period pattern but the top is a modern Elizabethan costume pattern. Mostly I was just going for the look.



Hours to complete: 30 (hand sewing pearls......)
First worn: June 2013
Total cost: ~$80

I'm pretty happy with this dress. The fit of the sleeves is a bit off, but not so much that I can't wear it. The neckline was a bit wonky in this shoot but I've fixed it. I really like the way the bustles/poofs look on the skirt.

I also whipped up this hat and used the feathers from my Blonde Swan Elizabethan hat. Why? Because feathers are awesome.



Yay, yay gala dress!!!

Inspiration post

Skirt FO post

More photos on Flickr

Those Crazy Edwardian Waistbands

Ok, so I know yesterday I said that I might not do any construction posts, but I did finished the skirt of my gala dress and got off my lazy butt and took some construction pictures. Construction during the 19-teens is very odd and complicated compared to any other period I've done. They had a thing for have each layer closing at a different place and never have one set of closures the same for the top and bottom of the garment. There's not a ton of people who do costuming between 1913 and 1920 so I thought that it would be good to contribute some photos for future sewists trying to figure out this crazy period.

In case you missed yesterday's post, this is the pattern I'm using for the skirt. It's an dinner dress from 1918. (Think dinner dress from Downton Abbey.) I'm doing the pink and yellow/orange style skirt with the side poofs/bustles/thingies.

Skirt! It does drape better when hanging up rather than laying on the floor but I've got a whole bunch of other stuff hanging up in my currently being worked on UFO spot so it was easier to just move this one piece. Instead of interlining the sheer layer with the white layer, I just made them separate layers and joined them at the waist band.

And now for the crazy closures:

The red "tunic" layer has seams in the center front and center back with the closure in the center back. It closes with snaps and a hook and eye. I used red bias binding for the snap placket since I was not going to try and make one out of this crazy poofy fabric (though it would have matched much better if I had!)

Now, the skirt portion has seams at the sides but not at the center front or back. So 1/4 of the tunic layer is on it's own separate waist band piece that connects to the main waist band with snaps. I just made the waist band from two layers of ribbon and it's pieced quite a bit as I was trying to figure out how to make all of the flaps and layers work. But that's ok since it's not going to be seen at all anyways.

The skirt portion then closes with snaps and a hook and eye just like the tunic layer. I did not add any closures to the sheer layer since it'll be covered by the tunic anyways. It just has a narrow hem.

And to add another layer of complexity to the garment, the bustle poofs are attached at the side seams which interferes with the side closure of the skirt part. So instead of being sewn down to the skirt, the gathers are tied off at each end and then snaps are used to hold the gathered sections in place. I just used one at each end and that was enough to hold it to my liking. In the picture on the pattern cover, it looks like there is some kind of decoration over the gathered part but I think I'm going to skip that because my dress is looking quite busy already.

Now, normally this wouldn't be on a separate waist band but would rather be connected directly to the blouse portion of the dress. I decided just to skip on that for several reasons such as I'm using a completely different blouse pattern and I really just didn't feel like bothering with it. The design of the blouse part *should* cover the waist band with no problem, but we'll see.

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount and quality of the directions that came with this pattern. I don't know if the Vintage Pattern Lending Library added directions or by this point in time pattern makers had started adding more directions to their patterns but there was a lot less banging of head against the wall trying to figure out how to get this to work. Some puzzling out was still necessary (especially since I wasn't doing the blouse part) but it went together quite smoothly.

Inspiration: Costume College Gala Dress

Thanks to all who voted on my Costume College Gala Dress poll! A lot of you really wanted an inspiration post so that's what you're getting today! Some of you wanted to be surprised and some wanted to see construction posts so I've not decided what to do about that. The surprise people may win out just because I haven't taken any construction pics yet!

Patterns from the 19-teens are hard to find! I decided on this pattern from the Vintage Pattern Lending Library from 1918. Originally, I was going to do exactly this pattern but I changed my mind and I'm just using the skirt part and I'm drafting the bodice that I really want.

with flash

Fabric was a big issue with this whole gala dress project. A lot of early ideas had to be cut because either I couldn't find appropriate fabric or I couldn't afford appropriate fabric. I ended up with these two home dec fabrics (plus the white crepe underneath the sheer).

no flash

They are all polyester but home dec fabric is soooo expensive even at 100% poly! I found these at Hobby Lobby. They seem to have the best prices I can find locally on home dec fabric. These two were in the $10-12 /yd range verses the $30-40 /yd stuff I found at Jo-Ann's.

The theme of this dress is go big or go home and I've decided to add pearls to all of the little fabric poofs. So far I've sewn on about 150 of these glass pearls that were originally destined for my Renaissance dress but never made it and I need to run out and get some more for the sleeves!

HSF#6: Stripes

 It's another Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge! I missed #4 embellish because my project did not get done (I'm saving it for a later challenge now) and #5 peasants and pioneers because I didn't really have anything I wanted to do for it.

The Challenge: Stripes
Fabric: It's a poly cotton blend so not terribly historically accurate, but I had such a hard time finding 1" stripes in an appropriate weight and lack of stretch.
Pattern: I used a 1915 pattern to determine the width of my skirt and then just pleated it to a waist band.
Year: 1915 or so
Notions: 6 snaps, 2 hook and eye
How historically accurate is it? Aside from the polyester content, I think pretty accurate.
Hours to complete: A few, but only because I hand sewed the hem.
First worn: Not yet, but this project is for Costume College. Plus I have to make a blouse first!
Total cost: $15 or so

For this challenge, I was inspired by 1915-1917 beach wear. Plus with the by the sea challenge right around the corner, the matching blouse will be perfect for that challenge. Here's some of my inspiration.

I love the full skirts and light colors! It makes me long for walks along the beach!

I love the yellow striped skirt! Although I did consider the blue dress on the right for a while!

I love this yellow and blue number with the rope belt. Ladies in the 19-teens tended not to wear more than one color plus white but not always!

The top row in the center dress is great! Blue with stripes!

Ultimately, I fell in love with this pink ensemble! Next up, a stripey belt and middy blouse with pockets!

HSF #3: Under it all

It's the end of another Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge. The theme of this challenge was under it all and I made up a 19teens corset from a pattern by Festive Attyre.

Corset! And birds! I'm wearing it over gym shorts and a tank top (plus my teens bra) because I haven't made up a chemise yet....

The Challenge: Under it all
Fabric: coutil
Pattern: 19teens corset drafted from an extant corset by Festive Attyre
Year: 1916 (ish)
Notions: steel bones, grommets (00), lacing, busk, hook and eye, lace, garters
How historically accurate is it? I used a pattern based on an extant corset, but I did use modern boning and elastic garters. I am quite happy with the historical accuracy and the shape it gives me.
Hours to complete: The mock ups took a while but the actual corset went together pretty quickly.
First worn: not yet
Total cost: ~$70

After doing research, talking with other costumers and playing around with my undergarments, I've decided to do chemise then bra and corset then combinations then petticoat (if needed).

My combinations came out really long compared to the garters on my corset plus it didn't make sense to me to have these huge voluminous legs and then squish them up under garters.

So it's combinations on the outside.

And now that I have my corset done, it's on to the real clothes! :D

Dressing Downton Take 2

You may have guessed from all of the late Edwardian inspiration that's been popping up lately (and from this post), but there is going to be some Edwardian sewing going on here! My previous Dressing Downton efforts were mostly modern or modernized a bit with the costume documentation part dying a sad death after my laptop died and I lost all of the photos I had collected. :(

In 2013, there will be (more) historically accurate costuming going on and still some costume inspiration from the show as I decide what lovelies I want to make. And, as with any good historical costume, I'll be starting from the inside and working my way out!

Phase 1: Undergarments

The thing about the Edwardians is that they wore gobs of layers and many of these layers were covered in ruffles and lace. These would include:

• chemise and drawers (open or closed)
• or combinations which were a chemise and drawers sewn together at the waist
• corset
• corset cover with bust improving ruffles if needed
• early brassier 
• stockings

I was going to draft up a set from The Edwardian Modiste even though it was from the 1900s rather than the 1910s since all of the patterns I found (like the above one from Truly Victorian) were from pre-1910 anyways but I finally found a combination pattern from 1913 so all I'll have to draft up is the corset cover. I've also found a great pattern from an early bra that I've been muslining.

Phase 2: Corset

Source

I seriously considered joining in on the 1911 corset sew-along hosted by Bridges on the Body last January, but I decided to buy my Astoria's instead. I'll be using a free pattern by Festive Attyre based on an extant mid-1910s corset from her collection (her finished corset from this pattern above). And I'll be using bits from each site to help me make my corset because you can never have too much help when making something you've never made before! I'm planning on going the whole nine yards and using coutil and steel boning for this corset.

Phase 3: Clothes

I'm currently planning 3 outfits to make before costume college: day separates, day dress and an evening dress for the gala. I have loads of ideas for this part but I'm sure that they'll change before I get this far! At the moment I'm in love with Mary's gold evening gown above!

Dressing Downton: Daisy's Purple Dress

Despite having pretty much one dress in season one, Daisy has a pretty cute purple dress in season two.

It has a really cute collar.

I'm sure it's made of a sturdy fabric to stand up to kitchen work.

When unrolled, we can see that her sleeves have cuffs that match her collar.

It has a nice wide skirt to allow for easy movement. This dress would be a fabulous every day house dress! The Crawley sisters may have dibs on glamor but the servants sure have more practical garments.

Summer Sewing and Knitting plans

I haven't posted any sewing plans lately so I thought I'd do some to help me get motivated. It's gotten hot lately and I need summer clothes.

First up: Circle skirt

I adore circle skirts and have decided that I need another one. My husband surprised me one day a few weeks ago by bringing me home some lovely fabric. It's a quilting cotton, but that's fine for circle skirts and because it's cotton, it will breathe and that's perfect for summer. Despite the length and gobs of fabric, I find them actually quite cool especially with a crinoline (or pooffer as they are called in my house) since they are light and keep the skirt fabric off your legs. Plus, there's all that space for air circulation.

Next: Dressing Downton Half Circle Skirt

This was supposed to be my May Dressing Downton project, but that didn't happen. I'm planning on doing a half circle skirt again but shorter since the appropriately deep red fabric in my stash is not long enough for a full length skirt. I'm almost 100% sure that Mary's skirt is not a half circle skirt. It has some kind of seam that goes part way down the front. I'm thinking it might be some kind of yoke??? All I know is that it is there. I got the blue ray of season 2 and you can see everything! (Well, almost everything.) Anyways, my fabric is just the right shade to go with my new 40s hat and I just bought a great 40s sheer blouse so this project is going to be a 40s inspired Downton Abbey look.

Thirdly: blouses

I've been toying with the idea of playing with my back buttoning blouse pattern and switching it up to be front buttoning. I have some stash fabrics that would work well with this. I also have some fabric for another Wearing History Smooth Sailing Blouse.

Next: Costume College things

I have one skirt I need to make for Costume College to go with my Dressing Downton blouses. I think I've decided against making a corset because I will need a new one for my Renaissance dress and I don't think I'll have time/finances for two new corsets.

More: Renaissance dress

This needs a new corset plus everything needs taken in plus my original plans for this dress which include more trim, interchangeable sleeves and maybe a new underskirt. And there is another accessory/sleeve bit that came with this pattern that I do want to make eventually. We'll see how much of this actually happens but I do want it to be wearable! I also wanted to make a simple skirt and top to wear under my corset for a more peasant-y look but I doubt that'll happen this year.

Lastly: Mending/UFOs

I got through a lot of my mending/resizing during Me-Made May but I still have a few things that need work. Also I have a 50s blouse and 40s dress UFOs that need finishing.

And I've also been pondering my next knitting project. I've been pouring over my giant book of vintage knitting fabulousness (aka A Stitch in Time Vol 2) for my next knitting project. I'm torn between wanting to try a more summery project or get started early on something more fall appropriate since it probably won't be done till near September anyways. My goal is 4 big knitting projects this year so this next one will be my July/August/September project. Here are some that have been catching my eye lately:

Dinah's Lacy Jumper for a fun summer project. I've decided that I really like lace work (and really hate tiny ribbing).

The Lavenda Droplet Jumper is lovely for fall. Plus it has the benefit of being mostly stockinette stitch.

The Jan sweater has been a popular one with many knitters and looks just delightful.

Simple- But So Attractive is a favorite of mine, but with the long sleeves this would be a major project and I'm not sure I'm up for that yet.

The Tailored Cape Stole would be a practical and (hopefully) easy project.

I've still got some work to do on my Ribbon Threaded Jumper but I've got all the separate pieces done so I just need to finish knitting the yoke and do all of the finishing and sewing up.