Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

After attending several events in the Boston area that have required the use of a hoop skirt, I had determined it was time to upgrade my Amazon hoop to something more substantial (especially since I seem to continuously step on the front of my skirts while dancing). While at Costume College, I purchased the Truly Victorian walking hoop pattern and some hoop steel, only to get home and realize I had not purchased enough steel to make the hoop as patterned. My initial thought was that I needed to order a second set of steel, but I was reminded by my mother of the old hoop skirt I had sitting up in our attic.

So a little bit of backstory here; I have always been interested in costumes. Starting in elementary school, I began planning my halloween costumes months in advance, often roping my mom into making something for me to wear instead of the cheaply made options found at party stores. And for a while, my mom enjoyed making my costumes. This resulted in handmade fleece Powerpuff Girl costumes, a white fleece cape to wear over my Cinderella dress (which I have since repurposed into a new, more adult cape to wear with my current Cinderella costume), and eventually a civil war era hoop skirt and dress made from a purple tie-dye patterned quilting cotton and a series of simplicity civil war patterns. I loved that dress and wore it several times for halloween, but that was the straw that broke the camel's back for my mom; I had to learn how to sew. Jump forward to 2019 with the need for a new hoop skirt that would support my pink ballgown. So with the date for Victoria and Albert Ball looming closer, I decided to cannibalize my old hoops for steel and create a brand new set.

Construction-wise, I followed Truly Victorian's Walking Hoop pattern with some minor adjustments. Instead of just pinning the threaded hoops to the support tapes and stitching them by hand, I stitched the casing in place before threading the steel into the casing. The only issue with this is that the front of my hoops are not perfectly finished, but I'll manage. In terms of wearability, the hoops do the job, except I'm still tripping over my front hem. It looks like I'll have to go back to the alteration board with this gown!

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...).

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?

In a Galaxy Far, Far Away

As previously mentioned, I'll be attending Costume College at the end of July and with that comes lots of new projects to work on. For the Thursday night Welcome/Pool Party, the theme is Garments of the Galaxy and I've decided a very fitting choice would be to make a 1950's inspired Princess Leia based loosely on this picture:

This is partly because my original plan was to wear this to my 5 year college reunion this past weekend, but that didn't happen. Moving forward I'm planning to use the bodice and skirt from one retro pattern I own but the elbow length bishop sleeves from Charm Patterns Night and Day dress.

And of course, I'll be decked out with Leia's iconic cinnamon roll hair and some form of a metallic belt. Another bonus wear for this dress is I'll be visiting Disney World in January where the new Star Wars : Galaxy' Edge opens in late August. With all the media from Disneyland's version which just opened, it's going to take a lot of will power to resist the urge to get an annual pass and fly down to Orlando for their opening days. I'm just so excited!

Do you have a favorite Star Wars character?

West Coast Bound!

Big news - I'm attending Costume College for the first time this July! I'm super excited to learn as well as play dress-up with hundreds of other ladies. There are at least 5 different events to dress-up for on top of tons and tons of classes (both limited and unlimited), vendors, and other costuming related events. As of this posting, I have received my picks for limited classes (basic beading and corset flossing) and am in the throes of figuring out my schedule of unlimited classes and planning costumes to wear for the various events. These are the Thursday evening Welcome Party, the Friday Social, Saturday night Gala (complete with red carpet), Sunday "mourning" breakfast (which I may or may not attend depending on how exhausted I am from Saturday night), and the Sunday afternoon Tea (which I was not able to secure a ticket for). So that brings the grand total to a minimum of three garments I'll need to make/pack. More to come on these, as a single post won't do them justice.

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.

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.

Make it Blue!

After quite a bit of finagling, I finally completed the first of my many projects for the Battle Road reenactment I plan on attending in April (I still have too many to go!). This project was chosen completely out of a need for certain things for a reenacting kit, but I later realized it would fit in well with the Historical Sew Monthly's challenges for the year.

Now on to the specifics:

Summer of 1774

Within the last couple of months (okay, maybe the last year), I've made headway on a number of new projects, and like most sewers, the majority of them are half finished. The majority of these projects stemmed from my work this past summer as a historical interpreter at 1770's fort in northern Michigan. Over those six months, I "lived" as a 1770s british woman, dressing in the appropriate clothing and answering visitors questions, all while cooking over a hearth or working in the gardens. With the need for appropriate clothing 5 days a week (with most of the supplied options not well fitting to my petite frame), I made the decision to make a jacket of my own that I could wear at work, as well as bring home with me to Massachusetts for future reenactments.

To make the jacket, I borrowed the forts copy of JP Ryan's 18th century jacket pattern

and ordered 2 yards of historically correct fabric from Williamsburg (which ended up taking nearly a month to reach me since Williamsburg doesn't ship to PO boxes...). What I later realized was that this particular fabric was printed from a jacket that they have in their collection.

For those of you that know me, you'll realize that decisions are not my strong suit, but I really love this fabric. Two yards ended up being just enough fabric to make a jacket with a shorter peplum, not following the cutting layout in the pattern. With the leftover, I made a simple pinked trim for the neckline. 

Not my favorite photo, but one of the few I have 

an action shot a photographer took one of the days I was tying lavender sachets

With this jacket (and the petticoat, cap, and kerchiefs I made this summer), I'm hoping to get involved with some local reenacting groups and attend Battle Road (or the reenactment of the Battle of Lexington and Concord) this spring. I have a couple more projects in the works for April, so keep your eyes peeled! 

New Year, New Goals

I realize I've been neglecting this blog, which is entirely because of large amounts of schoolwork, as well as stress and health issues. Lots of fun.

Anyway, with the incoming arrival of my American Duchess "Pemberley" shoes, my brain has been cranking around the clock ways that I can wear them. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that my very first sewing project was a regency dress made from light blue linen out of the Sense and Sensibility "Elegant Ladies Closet" pattern, sewn entirely by machine. Of course, since then, my sewing has improved by leaps and bounds and naturally I'm aching for another gown...or maybe another 5 or 6 gowns (of all different eras).

Like most costumers at one time or another, I'm currently suffering from costume ADD, with piles of goals I want to achieve. As of this second, I really want to make a new regency gown, but that would require a fresh new shift, a set of short stays, as well as a new pattern (I like the S&S patterns, but I feel like I'm ready to graduate to a better pattern, like the La Mode Bagatelle set). I'm also really yearning to make a pair of 18th century stays and a beautiful petticoat and short gown to wear on top. I'd also love to vamp up my wardrobe with 30's and 50's style clothing (which is extremely difficult in the middle of New England weather without tights and such). I can't make up my mind.

So yes, I have a bunch of goals for this year - here are the most reasonable ones (in no particular order):
- sew up the 30's circle skirt with the green cotton sateen I bought this summer
- finish the corded petticoat I started months ago
- sew a new regency shift
- make a nightgown from the Nick and Nora fabric I got in NYC a couple years ago
- fit the cover for my dress form (it's about time - I've had it nearly two years!)
- hem up the dotted 30's skirt so it's more wearable
- finish the christmas gifts I started
- sew up a wrap style vintage dress (using a pattern purchased on Etsy)

Of course all of these would be a dozen times easier with my own machine, but that can wait until I get a real job.

Oh and on top of all these, I need to apply to all of the internships in costuming/museums (especially those with a living history component) before early March.

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you all a very wonderful holiday season - whether or not you celebrate Christmas. I'm very much enjoying my holiday. Earlier this morning I received several sewing and costuming books (including Lauren Rennells' Retro Makeup book) from my family, along with a note for a pre-ordered pair of Pemberley regency shoes from American Duchess. I also received a few sweaters and tights which will keep me warm at school this coming year. The best gift I have received is the snow outside my window - it's a White Christmas!

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Stylin' at the Five 'n Dime - part 2

After much anticipation, I present final photos of my first set of 1930's blouses and skirts. Both are about 95% finished, but completely wearable. I need to readjust the back placket on the skirt, once I purchase a zipper and wash the white blouse to get out any remaining marks, but beyond that, they are beautiful.

TaDa! A nicely hemmed (and horsehaired) skirt and finished blouse. You can really see how the horsehair braid holds out the skirt hem.

The blouse alone. The top of the button holes and buttons are tacked down to create a mock collar. It looks nicer than just a flat front (which is my intent for a second blouse, but that will have a real collar).

The skirt alone. As you can see, it falls to about low calf, which is lower than I'm used to ever wearing, but I think it will prove nice. I plan to wear it out to dinner tonight.

My next set of plans (which I have been hinting at) is to create a short sleeved blouse out of the remaining dotted fabric, as well as a lime green skirt for extra options when costuming this fall. Now, to leave you all with an artsy photo - just me playing around in Iphoto with one of the better shots in my mock photo shoot.

Stylin' at the Five 'n Dime - part 1

I finally hunkered down and got a lot done on my blouse and skirt set - and have something to show for it! The last two nights I sewed together the seams on the spotted skirt and ripped a few seams to make the lining (or my skirt muslin) fit inside the spotted skirt. I sewed them together at the back placket (where the skirt closes in the back, for those of you non-sewers) and then basted them together at the top (so they would stay together until I could get the waistband on. It looks really nice. All I have left to do is sew some closures in the back (snaps, hooks and eyes, skirt hooks, whathaveyou), sew on the waistband, and hem both skirts. One of the hems will have a length of crinoline or (plastic) horsehair braid to help keep its shape. I'm thinking it will be the lining so the spotted skirt will stand out nicely.

I also decided to use my muslin as an actual blouse (I put so much time into it anyway that I might as well use it) and mostly finished it last night. The sleeves and blouse edge are both hemmed, with the buttons sewn on, the only (REALLY MAJOR) thing I am missing is the button holes which will hold the blouse together. Kinda important. I've been trying to get the sewing machine to make the correct sized buttonholes for my 5/8" buttons, but it doesn't want to cooperate. I'm waiting for my mom to help me figure out the machine so I can have a beautifully finished blouse (that is, after I wash it to get rid of any wax paper marks or such). I'm really excited to have made a nice dent in both pieces, but I still have an entire skirt and blouse to go (yay for mix-and-match separates), which I hope to start before Reagle eats my summer away.

So drumroll please….

Women and Undergarments

One of the blogs I follow just posted an interesting article about women's fashion through history and it was very interesting. Just figured I'd share it since I haven't posted in a while.

Also on the docket is a corded petticoat that will probably come to college with me (considering I haven't finished yet). Luckily it has 9 cords so I'm not that far behind.

Leftovers...

This post talks about the costumes I obtained long before I started the blog. Some are still works in progress, some need updating.

Above are a cap and untrimmed straw hat I purchased in Williamsburg the summer of 2008.

I'm hoping to eventually post some other pieces of, but only once I find or take the appropriate photos!

Continuing projects...

I've been working on a couple projects for a while and am far from finishing them. My corded petticoat for example. It has five cords on it with the sixth in progress. Ideally it should have 12 or so. So then I'd be half done? Maybe not. I just need to put in a lot of cords so it will have a round shape and keep my skirts in the correct silhouette (that is once I've made a dress to wear over it).

By Jov! I think we've done it!

That is On the Razzle has opened (or will tonight). It's been a crazy whirlwind of a week, trying to finish everything for dress rehearsals, but the costumes are all ready to go! I watched from the sudirence last night and everything looked good (except the little boy playing the Ragamuffin needed to be dirtier) for the most part. I'm so glad that it all feel into place.

Now I'm waiting for my college roommate and housing assignment. We were told we would receive them today, but due to technical issues, it won't be for the next few days. Bummer.

Now that Razzle is done, I can get back to my summer projects. I still haven't made a new regency chemise, but I may forgo that for a bodiced petticoat because A) I am too lazy to make stays and a chemise and petticoat and B) a bodiced petticoat would provide the same amount of coverage as the previously mentioned garments. One problem is that I'd also be motivated to make a new regency dress from this fabric. To make a bodiced petticoat, I'd also need to buy this pattern becasue I have a different pattern and it doesn't accomodate the bodiced petticoat.

My corded petticoat is also behind. Oops.

At some point, I'd also like to make an Alice in Wonderland dress for Halloween (complete with poofy skirt and apron) but it's on the same list as a new Regency Spencer, a Cinderella costume, a pair of 1770's stays, Early Nineteenth century stays, and a Titanic era white dress. If only my wallet could afford all of this!