Cottage Bonnet Adventures

Hello fall! In typical New England fashion, the leaves are just beginning to change and fall and temperatures have begun to drop. Days are feeling shorter as night falls faster, yet I still have lots of catching up to do blog-wise on my various projects for and post Costume College. As promised, I present information on my endeavor in buckram hat forms.

As I've mentioned a multitude of times prior, I can't seem to kick the bug I have for early victorian clothing and the only way to do that is to make something from that era. Since I already spent time making the proper undergarments for an 1840s gown last fall, it made a lot of sense to make a bonnet to wear with the gown I was making for Costume College (although this bonnet was finished ages before the dress).

"Most true it is that ‘beauty is in the eye of the gazer.’"

Goodness, it's been quite a busy few weeks since arriving home from my first Costume College; with a whirlwind of craziness at work and another costumed event last weekend, I've barely had time to take a breather. As per usual, I've unpacked all over our living room, leaving a bit of a hurricane of petticoats and bonnets (and gloves and hairthings...).

Returning Heroes

Last October, I finished my first go at a victorian ballgown with excellent results and about 4 or 5 yards remaining of bubblegum pink silk taffeta. I wore this gown to The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers' holiday ball in December and subsequently attended their Regency Ball in February where I was convinced to attend their Civil War era, only costume required event in March. Initially I had held off on attending as my first gown is much more 1840s, with the slim sleeves and long pointed bodice, but I was roped in to attending by several of the lovely ladies who run the group.

About 100 years prior...

Another event that I'll be attending at Costume College is the Friday night Social, themed to the 1940's. Initially I did have plans to make a 1940's skirt, blouse, and bolero-esque jacket, but my itch to make an 1840's fan front gown was too strong, especially after seeing American Duchess's recent delve into the 1830's and after making a corded petticoat (and all the other appropriate undergarments) last fall.

Over a month ago, I purchased Laughing Moon's 1840s-1952 Round Dress pattern and took it to work where I cut it out (we have massive tables at work that are excellent for cutting out large sewing related things), put it in a ziplock bag, and took it home. Or so I thought. Fast forward to a week or two ago when I'm organizing my pattern stash and discover I have the pieces for the larger sizes of the pattern but not the smaller ones. I spent a good few days scouring my house, work, and car until I gave up and ordered a different pattern for the same style of dress in the case the smaller sizes do eventually show up. Enter Truly Victorian's 1845 German day dress pattern.

I currently own a few of the Truly Victorian patterns and have not been disappointed with my previous results.

With my pattern situation finally settled, I am still stuck on my fabric options. Back in 2012ish, after I got back from Old Sturbridge Village, I went on an 1830's kick and purchased 8 yards of a navy blue floral reproduction cotton (dating to the 1800's, I haven't been able to nail down an approximate date for this pattern) with the idea that I'd have enough yardage to make a day dress that would cover both the massive sleeves and voluminous skirt. However, present day me recently went to the fabric store and purchased the remainder of a bolt (6.5 yards) of a pink striped reproduction cotton, partly because it was $1 off a yard (it wasn't), and partly because the pattern is distinctly 1830's. So now I'm torn as to which fabric is the right choice for each gown. I have been leaning towards holding off on the pink print mostly because I already own one pink gown and I'd like to bring more variation to Costume College.

Which fabric do you think would work best for an 1840's gown?

Bubblegum Goodness

Like I forecasted, I am several months past my anticipated post date, but I am back (temporarily)! Back in October, I finished my bubblegum pink 1840s ballgown and I proudly wore it to the Victoria and Albert dance weekend, but in typical fashion, I only managed to get one decent photo of it, which i post thus:

The gown features about six or seven yards of bubblegum pink silk taffeta which I scoured the NY Garment district for, initially searching for lilac and ending up on pink because the lilac would take 10+ weeks to order. Who knew that lilac would be impossible to find? In summary, I am quite proud of my little gown and its ability to function for 2 eras (yes, 2 - with hoops it can also pass for 1850s). It is missing sleeve piping which I hope to remedy in the future, and lacks a Bertha (due to my lack of time finishing it for its first wearing) but it is what it is. Its next debut will be at Costume College in California in July!

Adding on

Writing this the night that I got back from my Victorian dance weekend and I am absolutely exhausted, but in a very very good way. The last couple days have been a series of furiously fitting, cutting, sewing, and sewing some more, culminating in the ball last night. My gown was done mostly (I'll get into more in the next post), but I had something to wear that I was proud of (and got several compliments on). But I ramble.

Just the Basics

It's been a very long time since I've actually blogged, which has to do with a number of personal issues and lack of motivation to actually do any sewing. This past summer I got the bug to make things again and decided the best way to get anything done was to make a deadline for myself in the form of a hard ticket event. Enter the Victoria and Albert dance weekend (hosted by the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers) ¹. The event spans a weekend in October where attendees learn dances from the time of Victoria and Albert's reign, culminating in a fancy ball on Saturday and a casual dance on Sunday.

Well hello there old friend. Remember me? The person who left without saying goodbye 3 years ago? Well a lot has changed since that time and with all the fun things coming up, I might as well share some of the fun projects I'll be working on shortly.

First off, I'm attending ball! Yes, a real, victorian era ball with dancing and fancy dresses! And since I have no fancy dresses, it's time to make one... and all the undergarments related to it (which at the time of posting, are mostly done - corded and ruffled petticoats are done, except for the waist hooks, and corset is fitted, just needs to be cut and stitched)!

So, to be blunt, keep an eye on this space. More content should be up soon!

Cording a Corset

Since my last entry, I've definitely neglected my plan to blog more often. I think grandiose plans are often easier said than done. Regardless, this lack of blogging has meant more productivity in terms of sewing (as well as lots of time going to work). In my recent sewing endeavor, I managed to crank out the remainder of one of my many UFOs (unfinished objects) or as I like to call them, UFPs (unfinished projects).

This particular project started back in the fall of 2012, when I made the decision to sew a complete regency outfit for my graduation ceremony in the spring of 2014. I figured that I would complete it a year ahead of time and be super organized. Long story short, I purchased the fabric, got it all cut out and marked, and then got lost in other projects that were less daunting. I think it was also forgotten at home when I moved to Michigan for 6 months after college graduation. When I moved back to Massachusetts, I eventually came to the conclusion that I wanted to volunteer in August at Old Sturbridge Village's Textile Weekend, thus making this a perfect project to complete and wear.

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will..."

I've known about this for a little while, but just started to look into it more today. Mia Wasikowska will be staring in a feature film of Jane Eyre. I'm interested to see how the story strays from the novel (I didn't see a character listing on IMDB a character listing for Grace Poole, but I may have missed it), but I can't wait to see the dresses. There is a teaser on IMDB of a gorgeous striped white and purply-grey silk that Blanche Ingram wears while visiting Mr. Rochester. I'd love to make it someday (and that may be feasible, considering I've learned more about fitting and pattern making). There are a number of beautiful 1840's dresses showcased throughout the internet, including the one of Mia below. The movie comes out on March 11th, so I'll have to see it over spring break at some point.