Historical Sew Fortnightly #2: UFO

Un-Finished Object: Ruffled 1780s Handkerchief



I can't help feeling a little bit like I punted for this challenge. My UFO was already so close to being finished, so it took just a little bit of time. But that's part of my "master plan" for getting bunches of stuff done before June.

It started last summer, when I decided to make a 1780s gown out of pink wool. One of the things that stood out to me about 1780s styles was the big, fluffy, often frilled handkerchiefs worn over the gowns, covering the very low necklines.  I didn't actually finish the gown until the Wednesday before Costume College, however, so my plans for a foofy handkerchief weren't complete. Instead, I wore the cut, but completely un-ruffled and un-hemmed, handkerchief.



The fabric is marvelous stuff, a "barred" cotton organdy I got from the Pure Silks ebay store some years ago. Even after washing it, it remains crisp, as if starched.  I used it for my first (and current only) 18th century cap.



The shape is a regular right triangle approximately 18" a side, with a 3" slit cut in the hypotenuse for it to fold around the neck more gracefully, as in this example.




The next chapter in the Handkerchief Saga opens with my push to finish lots of things for the Georgian Picnic in November.  It had bottom priority because it was wearable (unlike the bum pad or petticoats), and I really wanted to trim the dress. I ended up with barely enough time to attach the ruffle.  My specific inspiration for the ruffle was this handkerchief ("fichu") from the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

Source: metmuseum.org via Scene in the Past on Pinterest

I started by working the ruffle itself, because I knew that would take the longest. I think I cut it twice as long as the two sides of the handkerchief, and 1.25" wide finished. I love the organdy so much! Although loosely woven, it's crisp enough to make rolled hemming very easy. I made extra-small hems on the ruffles, mostly just to see if I could. The big squares in the organdy are about 1/4", so the hem is a little more than 1/16".



The edges of the handkerchief also had to be hemmed first. Then the ruffle was drawn up with whipped gathers and sewn to the finished edge.



I still barely finished before the picnic.  The evening before, I sang in a concert at my church. And I was backstage stitching for dear life the whole time I wasn't performing!  I even had expert help from friend and fellow singer Kathy, who finished hemming the outside edges of the handkerchief while I was sewing the gathers.

Working separately: Handkerchief on left, ruffle on right.

Working together: Attaching the ruffle, and nearly done hemming the handkerchief.

The raw inside edges of the handkerchief were completely hidden when I wore it. I was surprised by how differently it lay with the ruffle on it, but I liked the look.






But still, those raw edges bothered me. Instead of putting it away, the handkerchief has been haunting my cutting table for the months since the picnic. So the UFO challenge was perfect for getting it done.



Just the Facts, Ma'am:

The Challenge:  HSF #2, UFO

Fabric:  White cotton woven 1/4" windowpane organdy

Pattern:  Roughly from the pin above, from 18th Century Embroidery Techniques

Year:  1780s into 1790s

Notions:  None

How historically accurate is it?  It would be more commonly made of linen instead of cotton. Other than that, and the content of the thread (lightweight Coats & Clark), it's as accurate as I know how.

Hours to complete:  To complete the UFO, 2 hours at most.  Before then, maybe 8.

First worn:  Unfinished 1: August 2012, Costume College. Unfinished 2: November 2012, DFWCG Georgian Picnic. Completed: Not yet!

Total cost:  Pennies for the little bit of thread. Maybe $2 for the fabric, originally.

18th Century Underpinnings

I want to show you some of the undies I made last year, in preparation for the DFWCG Georgian Picnic. I'd made a pink wool gown for Costume College in the summer.  I loved it, but it was barely finished in time.  I wanted to wear it to the picnic, but with lots more trim and accessories - and underthings.

Bum Pad

Funny name! But it's period. The 1770s and 1780s saw the last big hurrah of the wide side hoops, and the appearance of the big rear.  My pink wool gown is more 1780s than 1770s, so I desperately needed some kind of skirt support.  I tried to make one in the summer before Costume College, but it was rather terrible.  It didn't have enough waist shaping, so it was like trying to wrap a flat, rectangular pillow around very curved hips.  Not flattering, even by 1780s standards. I ended up borrowing one from Lauren for the weekend, but I needed my own.

I studied the posts by Adventures of a Costumer and Rococo Atelier extensively, and took apart my first attempt. Second try: success!







The waist shape is very curved, and fits nearly around my waist.  The waist binding is blue twill tape I got from the trim lady at Costume College in 2011.  It's really too wide at 1.5", but it's pretty. :) The ties are ordinary 1/2" white tape.




I pieced the original shapes I'd cut. The piecing seams are visible at the side front, where I added more to wrap around my waist.




The fabric is a cotton cambric I bought from Pure Silks' ebay store.  It's semi-sheer and incredibly stiff, even after being washed and dried. Like Rococo Atelier, I added a ruffle to soften the outline. The ruffle is a selvedge edge of the cambric and stands up on its own.




When I first finished the pad, I squirted it with water to get the blue marker out and set it on the windowsill to dry in the wind.



After 30 seconds I reconsidered, and fastened one tie to my sewing machine chair. A wise precaution, because when I thought to look 30 minutes later...



Sometimes I'm smart! (But who knows what the neighbors thought.)


Matelasse Petticoat

Another common 18th century skirt support is the quilted petticoat.  I haven't been much interested in quilted petticoats. Texas is super warm most of the time, and quilting a petticoat is very time-intensive.  But an alternative is matelasse, a fabric developed in the period to mimic the look of expensive quilted fabric. At the time it was called Marseilles or marcella cloth; see more information here at The Lady's Repository Museum.

Many historical textiles are no longer made. Matelasse is an exception, though not as garment fabric. It is used primarily for bedding. It is usually cotton or cotton blend, and in limited colors.  I do not know how closely modern matelasse corresponds to marcella cloth, but for many costumers it is a reasonable substitute for hand-quilted material.

On a whim, coinciding with a big sale at Joann's, I bought enough off-white matelasse to make a short-ish petticoat.

I used the same blue twill tape for the bands and ties. The extra width did made the waist binding easier; matelasse is heavy.



I used the Threaded Bliss/Fashionable Frolick petticoat tutorial to guide my construction. Because the matelasse is so heavy, I made the sides barely overlap. I also made the center front box pleat very wide, to keep the front as flat as possible. To get the right 1780s look, the front should be flat with most fullness in the back.




The design on the off-white matelasse is particularly elegant. I really like it.



The one tweak I need to do is shorten the center back. I deliberately made it longer than the front, to allow for the bum pad, but I added too much. A significant dip is clearly visible when I wear it.


Sheer Petticoat

I wore a sheer petticoat over my green one under the pink wool at Costume College.  It was a work in process: totally unhemmed and lacking a flounce.The material is similar to period "muslin," probably called voile today.  It is cotton, sheer (you can read text through it easily), and very, very limp.  I suspect that period muslins weren't quite this limp.  I was in a hurry, so instead of hemming it I just pinked the edge.

I learned that weekend that (1) it was too long, and (2) a pinked hem wasn't sufficient for the muslin.  There was a lot of raveling. A stiffer fabric like organdy or cambric wouldn't have raveled.

When I got back to the petticoat, first I re-cut the hem, then did a narrow rolled hem.  It took a while, and was fairly tedious, but it looks nice now. And I won't be getting threads caught in my shoe buckles. ;)  Then I finished the flounce.  The flounce is about 12" deep, with a pinked top edge and a dagged (pointed) hem also cut with pinking shears. The picture is out of focus - the pinking is frayed, but not that badly. The line is the rolled hem of the petticoat underneath.



The flounce is not very full, so I pleated it before setting it on the skirt. My friend Jordi sent me a sewing bird last fall. This was the first project I used it on. It worked wonderfully!



The completed petticoat. I did not use blue ties on this one. ;)




I also did some work on the pink dress itself. That's for another post!

Throwing My Bonnet into the Ring: The Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge

I’ve never participated in a challenge or sew-along before.  Some are too time-intensive (Sew Weekly), some are very timing-specific (most sew-alongs), and just about all of them mean spending time creating something I don’t really need, in place of other things I really do need.  In other words, it’s adding an obligation.

When I saw mention of the Dreamstress’s 2013 challenge over the Christmas holidays, I was intrigued; and then the description lit my fire.  This challenge will not only be fun, it will be helpful, encouraging, and motivating.

I have a very large sewing list I want/need to get through before the middle of June: everything I need for both the 150^th Gettysburg and for Costume College.  Even with nearly six months to work, I was nearly flailing, trying to decide where to start sewing, buying, and researching. (Not in that order.) The HSF is genius!  The challenges are specific, but open to wide interpretation.  I think I can wangle nearly something from my list to fit every challenge!  So I have:

·         Schedule.  I’ve got to have a plan for getting all my projects done. The HSF gives me a rough outline I can work with, and through, without being entirely self-determined.

·         Motivation. I’m one of those people who work well from lists (I do write things down solely so I can cross them out!) for the motivation I get from accomplishment.

·         Deadlines.  I don’t like stress, but reasonable deadlines help me keep focused and working.

·         Encouragement and interest from sewing along with others, and seeing how everyone else interprets the challenges

The challenge projects are also not the only things I will be sewing. They just add a more fun wrinkle to it!  My plans for the later challenges are also rather fluid.  They’ll change up as I accomplish more and get a clearer vision for the next items.

My one resolve is not to make something solely to fit a challenge. I simply have too many necessary things to make to afford extra projects.

Right now, here are my plans:

• #0 (the bonus challenge): Starting Simple - due 31 December NZT.  Finish a project, make a very simple garment, or something you have made before.

Refashion 1860s corset. I will do my project post for this shortly. All I did was insert bust gores and raise the front upper edge. It was tedious, and definitely a franken-corset, but it fits much better now. I’ve already made new base patterns for all my immediate 1860s needs, too.

• #1: Bi/Tri/Quadri/Quin/Sex/Septi/Octo/Nona/Centennial – due 14 Jan.  Sew something from __13, whether it be 1913, 1613, or 13BC

Late 1790s-1810s short stays.  My costuming plans for this year included both mid/late 1790s transitional stays and new 1800s short stays. I woke up Friday morning realizing there was no reason one set of stays couldn’t be perfectly accurate for both!  Based on the Dreamstress’s extended description (“…what you really want to do is make something that would be worn in 1813 (or 913, or 1613) without looking too outdated”), I think these stays fit the bill.

Source: collections.vam.ac.uk via Scene in the Past on Pinterest

Mine will be covered with mauve tropical weight wool, stitched with white. Pretty!

• #2: UFO - due Jan 28.  Let’s get something off our UFO pile! Use this opportunity to finish off something that’s never quite gotten done, or stalled halfway through.

I’m going to finally finish hemming the cross-barred organdy 1780s handkerchief I first wore at Costume College last year. I hemmed the outer edges and added a ruffle for the Georgian picnic in November, but the neck edge is still raw. I’ve decided this doesn’t violate my one resolution

• #3: Under it all – due Feb 11.  Every great historical outfit starts with the right undergarments, and, just in time for Valentines day, here’s you’re excuse to make them. Chemises, corsets, corded petticoats, drawers, garters, stockings…if it goes under your garments, it qualifies.

Pockets!  It’s a long sad story, but sum up: I have only had one 18^th century pocket, it’s rather small, and the bottom seam has ripped almost completely out. I’m going to make two big pockets that I can use for everything pre-1800.

• #4: Embellish –  due Feb 25.  Decorations make the historical garment glorious. Whether you use embroidery, trim, pleating, lace, buttons, bows, applique, quilting, jewels, fringe, or any other form of embellishment, this challenge is all about decorative detail.

Trim 1810s dress.  This dress isn’t strictly part of the challenge, but it’s something that needs finished before the end of March. My design isn’t final yet, but There Will Be Trim.

• #5: Peasants & Pioneers – due March 11. As wonderful as making pretty, pretty princess dresses is, the vast majority of people have always been poor commoners, whether they were peasants working the land, servants in big houses, or (later), pioneers carving their own space in new lands. This fortnight let’s make something that celebrates the common man.

???  This is the tricky one, since nothing of what I’m planning is for a truly poor or frontier impression.  I’m leaning toward some workaday underpinnings, which, if done without expensive lace, could be worn by almost anyone: 1700s or 1800s shift (I hate my current one, the neckline is HUGE), Regency petticoat with straps, 1860s drawers, 1860s chemises…

• #6: Stripes - due March 25. The stripe is one of the oldest patterns, appearing in the earliest textile fragments and visual records of garments, and its never gone out of style since. Celebrate stripes with a striped garment. Will you go for grand baroque stripes, pastel rococo stripes, severe neoclassical stripes, elaborately pleated and bustled Victorian stripes, or something else entirely?

1800s/1810s detachable white sleeves. ???  I’m not sure about this yet, but that’s what I’m leaning toward. I’ve got some semisheer white cotton with narrow woven stripes that will work for various white accessories.

• #7: Accessorize – due April 9.  Accessories add polish to your outfits, helping to create the perfect historical look. This week is all about bringing an outfit together. Trim a bonnet, paint a fan, crochet an evening bag, sew a shawl, or dye and decorate a pair of shoes to create the perfect period accessory for yourself.

1810s hat. ???  I haven’t settled on this yet, but the hat will be needed for sure. I also need a reticule, but my old one isn’t as terrible a clash with this gown as it has been with others. We’ll see.

Plenty of my needs are left off this. A sheer dress for Gettysburg, the Curtain-Along dress, anything to do with the Majestic Mantua…  But note that with the exception of #2 and #4, all of my entries are fairly small items.  I will be able to work on other projects, including research, finalizing design, and drafting and muslin testing (YICK), concurrently with finishing the challenges.

I’m super excited! And it feels good to be moving forward.

Costume College - Friday

Friday was the first full day of Costume College, with lots of classes.  It took me a little longer to get dressed than I had allowed for - 18th century doesn't have many pieces, but it sure takes me a while - so I ended up going with Lauren M. to a class on the movie designs of Howard Greer. I confess I'd never heard of Howard Greer, but I discovered I was already familiar with some of his designs!

After that, Lauren and I headed outside to the one good picture-place at the hotel to get some pics of her Tissot dress, a fluffy white bustle trimmed with lots of pleated flounces and yellow taffeta bows, and my new 1780s pink wool gown.  More about it later, but I have to say I LOVE it. As gorgeous as taffeta is, my favorite thing to work with and wear is lightweight wool. <3

Photo by Lauren M.

Photo by Lauren M.

Photo by Lauren M.

Photo by Lauren M.

 

I love how it flows!

Then we had a brief lunch break in our rooms, and Stephanie and I headed to Kendra's (Demode) class on 18th century dress variations. What an awesome class!  Kendra covered 20 different types of garment, tracing several primary styles as they morphed through the decades and relating them to their "jacket versions" (So much better than considering them individual garments!), plus touching on some of the weird "new" things that appeared late in the century. I took pretty much constant notes. It was great!

There was a little more picture-taking in the hall, with this young lady in an amazing powder blue flannel suit. Does anyone know who the costumer is? She does beautiful work!

By that time it was dinner. Beth and I - still in my wool gown - made an In 'n' Out run for our little group. I sure made a sensation! And Beth ran into a couple of women who were still flying high after Camp Hollywood the previous weekend. To reverse how Beth explained Costume College for them, Camp Hollywood is like Costume College for swing dancers. ;)

For the ice cream social that evening, Lauren stayed bustled up, but in her amazing giant plaid.  The itty bitty hat is actually a 1930s forward-tilt hat - but it looks perfect.

 

Beth and Stephanie were both Edwardian pretties, Beth in nautical whites and Stephanie in Lady Mary's garden party dress. Darling!

Picture by Lauren M.

I wore my old-faithful handsewn white trained Regency again, but this time with black and gold accents as gussied up for the DFWCG's Mourning Party the previous weekend.  And unlike on that occasion, I didn't leave the dress and petticoat at home! So I had the full glory of turban, feathers, overbodice, and black and metallic vintage trim all around the skirt. And gold-colored jewelry from India - I love that stuff!

Picture by Lauren M.

Picture by Lauren M.

It was amazing to see what everyone else had done for the social. I really loved the Disney princesses.

And I got to see Megan's "chess piece" dress for the first time in person!

Not to mention photographing the photographers.

Picture from A Factured Fairytale

Well, I'm back.

I didn't really have time to recover from Costumers' Lost Weekend before leaving for Costume College in Los Angeles. I had such an amazing time!  Now I'm finally home now and trying to process my pictures. I've got loads to post, and a lot of costumes to show. For now...