Historical Sew Fortnightly #5: Peasants & Pioneers: 1860 Chemise Trimmed with Wavy Braid

This chemise began as a UFO from December. My whole family has been Civil War reenactors since the mid-1990s, so I made one of my new sisters-in-law some underthings to jump-start her wardrobe. Her birthday and Christmas are two days apart, so it worked out well to give a set. I passed on a corset that no longer fit me (newly washed, dyed, and flossed), and made a chemise and petticoat. Both garments were simple, and unadorned except for the "wavy braid."

Wavy braid was the mid-19th-century term for what we call rickrack.  It was used on some children's clothing, as well as on adult underthings and "linens" (collars, cuffs, and undersleeves).  Unlike dresses and outerwear, underthings were subjected to relatively frequent and tough laundering, involving bleach and boiling. Hence underthings tended to be fairly plain, or trimmed with sturdy things like self-fabric tucks and broderie anglaise.  Wavy braid is also an option.  It could be worked into lace-like designs, used as an insertion, or used as a pointed edging. (Read more about wavy braid here and other places on The Sewing Academy.)

One tiny shoulder seam, with felled seams and trim.

Some time ago, I commissioned an 1860s petticoat from Sarah Engelke, aka MsMcknittington.  She did an AMAZING job! Something like 20 tucks (I hate tucks, mostly because I'm lousy at them) in two sizes, hand gathered, and edged with wavy braid. I wore it at the DFWCG Costumers' Lost Weekend last summer, where I ended up showing it off when trying to explain my cage crinoline. ;) It's a lovely petticoat, and I definitely want more undies that match.

I still had a lot of wavy braid left.  I couldn't spend too much time on the undies for my sister-in-law, but the wavy braid with a fast, accurate, and cute way to trim them.  I fell for my own design, and went ahead and cut out a duplicate chemise for myself.  I had visions of working them in assembly line, but got in a crunch and didn't far past the cutting on mine.

After Christmas, the Historical Sew Fortnightly occurred, and I was swept into more urgent projects. I was at semi loose ends for Challenge #5, but the forlorn pile of pieces was calling and I can really use it at Gettysburg.

I am a perennial one-shoulder-chemise-wearer. I have no idea why.

This chemise is a simple design with no separate sleeve. It's more typical of post-1865 years, but the pattern was taken from an original with an 1850s date.  It is a simple flared shape with no gores or gussets. The yoke is a straight band with no shaping. The placket is a strap with a curved end, set in a slash in the front of the chemise.

I have no idea why my stitching ended up so crazy. At least it's secure!

 
 The seams are flat-felled to the outside to minimize any rubbing against the skin, and the wavy braid is applied as a point edging, sandwiched in the yoke, the plackets, and sleeve facings.

The fullness is controlled with stroked gathers. Stroked gathers are run by hand as in regular hand gathering, but when the threads are pulled up, each tiny gather/pleat is sewn individually to the band.

Why put a placket in a chemise? When wearing a low-necked gown, I can undo a few buttons and have a bigger neckline. Huzzah, no chemise peek!

The Challenge:  HSF #5, Peasants and Pioneers

Fabric:  Pimatex brand pima cotton; I get mine from Dharma Trading. Recommended here, among other places. It closely resembles the material used for many mid-century chemises, drawers, and petticoats. It is tightly-woven with a crisp hand, even after being washed, and takes liquid starch extremely well.

Pattern:  1850s chemise pattern diagram, from Hunnisett's Period Costume for Stage and Screen, taken from an original.

Year:  I will be wearing it in 1861-1865 settings, but it's appropriate for any time after the initial date for a decade or two. Chemise designs do not change quickly.

Notions:  100% cotton wavy braid (rickrack). White china buttons with a shiny finish.

How historically accurate is it?  Nearly 100%. All period and appropriate materials and techniques. Sewing machines were widely used in the period, particularly for visible sewing, and I adjusted the stitch length to be much shorter than modern usage.

Hours to complete:  12-15 hours. Construction was easy, and even the stroked gathers did not take long. (Of course, I also made them pretty big.) And I had already puzzled over doing the placket on my sister-in-law's chemise, so that problem was already solved.

First worn:  Just for the pictures. (It's a bit on the long side!)

Total cost:  I bought 20 yards of Pimatex years ago, intending it for undies; this used maybe $10's worth. The wavy braid is about 4 years old; I used about 50¢'s worth. 4 buttons maybe 5¢ apiece. (I bought a pound of assorted white china buttons on ebay 10 years ago and have barely made a dent. Let me know if you need some!) Call it $10.70 altogether.



 But what makes this chemise appropriate for the challenge?The text specifies:

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 chemise isn't a peasant or pioneer garment per se. That is, it would be appropriate for, oh, 75% of the adult female population of the United States.  The fabric is pretty much perfect, the sewing is a mixture of hand and machine, and the buttons and trim are widely available.   That said, it does shade more toward the economic-conscious end of the spectrum instead of the fashion-conscious end. Why?

(1) Style.  This is a very simple style of chemise, with no separate sleeve, a simple band for a yoke, and a simple placket.  It's serviceable and pretty, but nothing fancy.

(2)  Work-saving.  The simplicity of cut and lack of time-intensive styling means it's practical as a home-made garment for a women with a lot of other work to do, or as a style produced for retail.  Many chemises (and chemise patterns in the fashion magazines) have a lot of tucks and hand-done embroidery. Those things take time. I did stroked gathers, but my gathers were large instead of miniscule.

(3) Cheap. The only supplies this chemise takes are fabric, a few buttons, and less than two yards of wavy braid.  A more elaborate chemise could have expensive broderie anglaise applied on it, in a more elaborate style requiring more inches of trim.

(4) Piecing. Did you see one of the places this chemise was pieced? It's actually pieced in two places. One is on the inside of the yoke, but the other is right down the center back.  Piecing is definitely a technique used by thrifty seamstresses throughout history.

The first place I pieced is adding a center back seam instead of cutting it on the fold.  Pimatex is wide enough for one and a half chemise bodies, so I cut out three fronts/backs and two halves. Two of the solid pieces went for my sister-in-law's chemise, so mine is one piece in front and two in back.

The other place I pieced is at the very end of one of the yoke bands.  One of my strips was 5" short,  Instead of cutting a whole new piece, I added on just enough to work, and used that strip as the inside facing.  It doesn't show and doesn't even feel.




So that's it another challenge for the books! And yay for getting my post up earlier!

Historical Sew Fortnightly #3: Under It All

I've been seeing a flurry of HSF #4 posts, which reminds me that this is the last day I can post about my HSF #3 entry. You do all realize that while the challenge needs to be done by the deadline, the post doesn't need to be written for up to another fortnight?  It's a good thing for people like me who are working up to the literal last minute and don't have time to make a post as well!

Under It All: Eighteenth Century Pockets

In establishing my ambitious sewing plan for 2013, I realized that for several years I have been neglecting some important non-essentials.  Essentials are, obviously, gowns and the "hard" underpinnings necessary to give me and the gowns their proper shape. Stays and hoops; and for me, usually shoes.  Accessories are non-essentials that add to the look of the outfit, and may or may not serve a functional purpose.  Important non-essentials, though, is a tricky in-between category that includes loads of things not strictly necessary, but it's awkward to get along without them. They can be either unseen or outside, too.

One of my important non-essential needs is a way to Carry All The Things.  At Costume College last year I found myself using the same little tapestry reticule with half of my outfits, including Roman and Maid Marian. I simply didn't think it through, and that was my only option.  For my pink wool 1780s I at least had a pocket, but that was very small.  It even developed a hole!

So like HSF #2 for me, HSF #3 was another easy, but important, challenge. Not only did I replace my little holey pocket, but I made two big ones!

I didn't want any more trouble with too-small pockets, so these are on the larger side of extant examples. I cut them at 18" long, if I recall correctly.

Everything came from my stash, too. The front fabric is printed cotton left over from my first 18th century dress.  It's not strictly accurate, if for nothing more than subtle opalescent accents.  It's very pretty, though, and I have a yard of it left. The rest of the fabric - front facings and backs - is more pale green linen. I have a petticoat and stays made from it, with still more left.


The binding is navy cotton twill tape, and the ties are gray ditto. Like the pale blue tape I used on my other 18th cent. underpinnings, these also are from Costume College.

Since my materials aren't completely accurate, I didn't take time away from HSF #4 to hand sew these pockets.  I did all I could on the machine, including sewing on one side of the binding. Everything visible is by hand, however.


The Challenge:  HSF #3, Under It All

Fabric:  Indienne cotton print in blue and green with opalescence, on white. Green medium-weight linen. Navy cotton twill tape, 1" wide. Gray cotton twill tape, 1/2" wide.

Pattern:  An amalgam of the diagrams from Costume Close-Up and Fitting and Proper

Year:  Most of the 18th century.

Notions:  None

How historically accurate is it?  The cotton print isn't perfect, I didn't bother with cotton thread, I machine-sewed where I could, and the tape ought to be linen. But the shape and construction is accurate.

Hours to complete:   Maybe 4, including waffling over design and size.

First worn:  Just for pictures.

Total cost:  None; everything came from the stash.

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!

Historical Sew Fortnightly #1: Bi/Tri/Quadri/Quin/Sex/Septi/Octo/Nona/Centennial

Otherwise known as: What would reasonably still be in use by year XX13?

My costuming plans for this year include projects from the 1790s into the 1810s.  The first step of any gown is the foundation.  I have 1780s stays, but the 1790s gown is a transitional style and needed a different silhouette.  My 1800s stays give too low a waistline, so I also wanted to replace them.

I'm fascinated by the transitional styles between the upright, long-waisted, big-skirted 18th century and the graceful, high-waisted, flowing skirts of the early 19th.  Transitional stays are just as interesting.  I decided to reproduce these ca. 1790 stays from the Victoria & Albert Musuem.

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

There is no pattern for these stays. I started with the diagram given for late 1790s stays on page 44 of Corsets and Crinolines.  These stays did not have the bust cups of the V&A stays, and they were longer, but the pattern pieces and boning lines were similar.

I enlarged the pattern using my printer/scanner and Adobe Acrobat:

1. Scan the pattern at medium resolution.
2. In Acrobat, open the Print window. Select Poster print and enlarge it. Easy!

In this case, I printed at both 350% and 400%. 350% was perfect for the scale, but I was afraid it would be too small so I started my mockup with the 400% pieces.  It turns out that 350% would have fit me better, but who cares? :)

The only other major change to the pattern, besides adding the bust cups, was to shorten the whole thing 1" below the bust.  The 1790s transitional style I'm focusing on all had slightly raised waists, so I had no interest in making these fit my waist.


I made 2.5 mockups. The first was in muslin with no boning, to get a general idea of the fit and where to fit the bust cups.  The second muslin was in cheap cotton duck, with steel boning duck-taped to the inside.  The duck tape worked perfectly! It tears down the middle into perfect casing-sized pieces.  My mockup and the tape are both white, but hopefully it's clear in this picture.





Eventually I shortened the straps and tightened the seams enough to get a really good look.  For a final check, I put on one of my Regency gowns. The red dot marks where the new waistline is, a good 1.5" higher than before. Success!

The stays are three layers: cotton drill, cotton sateen, and lightweight mauve wool.  I debated using linen canvas, but the V&A stays are cotton and I saved the linen for another project.

I used a mix of 18th and 19th century techniques in construction. The V&A stays do not have a binding, so I ended up sewing all layers of each piece together at the side seams, with the top and bottom edges in to be hemmed later. The boning channels were machined.

Then I sewed the pieces to each other: wrong sides together, with a running stitch through all folded edges.  It's a very strong, and rather ornamental.

The bust cups are only wool and sateen, gathered up on cording.  I liked the multiple rows of cording because they give more support, similar to gussets in later stays.

The rest of the work was done by hand: setting in the bust cups, hemming all around, and 32 eyelets.  I also sewed down a narrow 1/8" tape over the seams.  I almost felt bad to cover them up, but I love the emphasis given by the white lines.

I waited as late as I could in the construction before inserting the reed.  It's so much easier to work with stays when they're not all stiff and awkward!

There are some tweaks I still want to make, such as cutting the tabs further up, adding cording above them, and topstitching all around the edges, but I'm very pleased with my new stays!

Just the Facts, Ma'am  (Does anyone else get that reference?)


The Challenge:  HSF #1, Bi/Tri/Quadri/Quin/Sex/Septi/Octo/Nona/Centennial

Fabric:  white cotton drill, white cotton sateen, mauve wool suiting

Pattern:  Adapted from Corsets and Crinolines, page 44.

Year:  The V&A stays are c. 1790, but I think they're mid 1790s.

Notions:  reed for boning; Sugar 'n' Cream cotton yarn for cording

How historically accurate is it?  The shape is as accurate as I can make it. Construction is accurate, except for the use of the machine for basting, side seams, and boning channels.  The wool suiting is a twill weave that may not be accurate.  I think I used polyester thread, because I'm annoyed with my cotton thread curling so much, and linen would be more accurate anyway.

Hours to complete:  Including patterning and mockup time, roughly 40 hours.

First worn:  Only once with all the lacing, just to make sure they work.

Total cost:  I didn't buy anything for this!  Maybe $10 of fabric, and the reed was given to me.


My brother Trevor gets credit for an assist.  I supplied him with reed, scissors, ruler, nail file, trash can, and a list of lengths.  During the football games last Saturday, he measured, cut, and sanded 34 pieces of reed boning for me. (That includes two that I broke in my final try-on.)  Thank you so much, Trevor!

The list of cut lengths I gave him is barely visible on the far right.

The Historical Sew Fortnightly has already proved its worth for me.  If it weren't for the challenge, I would not have decided on a design as quickly as I did.  I'd still be dragging my way through the construction.  But 10 days, I have one of my biggest 2013 projects out of the way.  Now I can make pretty dresses to go over the stays!

Historical Sew Fortnightly #0: Starting Simple

Before I even considered taking up the challenge, I had accomplished a minor, but fiddly, annoying, and tedious alteration.  It is also very important, because without it a significant part of my sewing plans for the year would be shelved.  I had to alter my 1860s corset!



It's very nicely made, but over the year or two I've worn it, I realized that it was not only too short on top, it was too tight. Uncomfortable and unflattering. Instead of making a new corset entirely, I decided to alter it: adding gussets at the bust for more room, and adding a strip on the top to raise it appropriately.



Somehow I got the idea to cord the new gussets and the top strip. It added to the work, but I think it was a good move.  I didn't want to extend the boning casings and add longer steel, so the cording provides stiffening and a little more support. It also adds a little to the curve of the corset, which is nice! I sewed a large hook and eye to the top to keep the edges together.



Cording is a lot less common in corsets from the 1850s onward, but it still exists. For what it's worth, I based the angle of the cording off an 1830s one from the book Corsets.



This is the only picture you get of me in it. I had it on when I was drafting a new base bodice pattern, and snapped a picture when I realized how it looked even with a cardigan and sweatpants. It's a very bad photo, but hopefully it gets the effect across.




The Challenge:  HSF #0, Starting Simple

Fabric:  white cotton sateen

Pattern:  None. I free-handed the gusset shape and the top strip.

Year:  Appropriate for c. 1860 onward (originally the Laughing Moon Dore corset)

Notions:  Sugar 'n' Cream cotton yarn for cording

How historically accurate is it?  Well, I can definitely believe a woman in the 1860s would have remodeled an existing corset instead of having a new one made. And while most garments with existing alterations from the period are very skillfully done, there are others very sloppy indeed! So I used period techniques and made it work.

Hours to complete:  I wasn't really keeping track, since this was before I thought of the challenge. Maybe 12.

First worn:  Officially, not yet.

Total cost:  $3.00 for the Sugar 'n' Cream, which I somehow didn't have on hand. The sateen was from the stash.

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: Shopping!

One of the best of many good parts of going to Costume College (say I, with my lofty two years' experience) is the shopping. Both in the Marketplace at Costume College itself, and in the Los Angeles garment district either before or after. This year I spent most of my money in the garment district, but I did pretty well in other places, too.

I made it to the garment district on Thursday, right before Costume College. This was my third visit, and for the first time I really felt like I knew what I was doing.  I think for most people, their first time they just kind of freeze - sensory overload! Uncountable colors! Millions of yards of fabric! So much stuff everywhere, and no labels or prices to be seen!! But now I knew what to expect. Plus I'd had the benefit of using the fabric district in Dallas.  It's much smaller than L.A. (the district, not the city), but the stores are very similar with their overall lack of careful organization and labeling. This is not Joann's!

Anyway, on my first trip this year, I came away with:

A length of a mystery cotton blend print, for a dress, modern or vintage-inspired.

Light-mediumweight linen for 18th c. and Regency underthings.

A red/white changeable silk/silk blend (haven't tested it) taffeta. It's more an orange-red than a pink-red.

Pale peach/pink silk (silk/cotton?) for vintage undies. I wish I'd gotten more! Lauren M. was right...

Rhinestone brooch to use for 18th c. and Regency, inspired by some of the paste originals on my Pinterest board.

Then, at the Costume College Marketplace itself, I got a few more things.

A really big plastic comb I'll probably use for Edwardian when I get around to making that period. ;)

A vintage brooch that I think imitates paste jewelry pretty well. The big stone is a beautiful clear red.

A length of brocade coutil for a corset, probably Edwardian.

A new book by the author of The Dress of the People, about the fabric swatches from the Foundling Hospital. I bought this from Angela Burnley of Burnley & Trowbridge during her class on 18th c. textiles. So awesome!

Pink glass buttons, for what I have no idea. "Something Edwardian." ;)

Red plastic buttons with compass markings. I love them! Bought with no specific purpose, but now I have a very specific one. ;)

Heavy cotton edging, bobbin lace look.

Lighter weight cotton insertion, also like bobbin lace. One of these will be for finishing my Regency pantalettes.

Whew!  I was intending to leave the hotel on Sunday, but ended up staying another night. And then, naturally, we tagged along with the tour (and other people) right back to the garment district on Monday! I was fired up with a lot more ideas, not to mention motivated by things I'd seen on Thursday.

Mediumweight hymo from B. Black & Sons

Good quality shoulder pads, also from B. Black & Sons

100% white rayon, plainweave, for a 1940s blouse

100% blue (darker than the picture) rayon crepe, for another 1940s blouse

White linen blend (I think linen/cotton) for a 1940s shirtwaist dress, with the red compass buttons.

Purple and white changeable silk taffeta, just for the stash. ;)

Plus some fabric for a Secret Project for next year!

Lauren M. also gave me a couple of lengths of cream-colored cotton lace, some for my Edwardian stash and some for trimming my new vintage undies.

Not as fine, for vintage use.

A lighter/finer weight for Edwardian.

And then we stopped at a random antique mall. I did very good, coming away with only two things I'm still excited about:

Small purse-sized vintage flashlight, just like the big ones you see in movies, but only 5" long. It works!

Vintage necklace - black plastic leaves, clear plastic dangles, and brass dangles on a black cord. I love this style of necklace.

So there, that's what I came away with! I'm VERY glad that I was able to pack a flat, empty duffle in my luggage on the way out. ;)