Teens Era Corset and Wedding Purse

Good Saturday to you all!  I hope your weekend is going well!  My weekend is sort of a lazy one.  I did have to take a break from my mine and edit photos for this post as my creative mind had taken my rational mind over and was holding it hostage.  As you may or may not know, I ADORE Victorian-1920s underwear.  I am utterly and completely twitterpated with them!  To that end, one of my goals is to have a suite of underwear for every silhouette change from the 1830s to the 1920s.  For some reason, this morning my mind focused all too sharply on that goal and it was screaming to make all the fluffy, white, lacy, simple things NOW!!!  I furiously researched patterns, extant garments, corsets, chemises, corset covers, combinations, hoops...etc, etc.  Finally, I had to put the phone (my main research tool) down and flee to my room.  That did NO GOOD whatsoever!  My eyes landed on a fabulous length of sheer, white with a narrow blue stripe fabric that I picked up Thursday at Hobby Lobby for an 1860s sea side ensemble.  My mind shifted its OCCD bent to all things Sailor/Seaside and the madness once again ensued.  For the LOVE!!!  I am in the process of beginning an 1850s gym outfit out of a most delicious cobalt blue fabric and there too began the mad research for all things sports.

To be very honest with you, I do not like it when my mind goes on benders like this.  I feel dis-jointed and un-grounded.  Like my thoughts are flying around like cotton wood fluff, in no particular order.  It truly stresses me out.  So, I finally took my shower, made myself be calm and started editing the pictures of my "finally finished" 19teens corset and the newly acquired wedding purse that Mom and I just received from England in the original box!

The Corset

Earlier this year, I started on the Truly Victorian 1913 Late Edwardian Corset.  I decided that since I had never had any trouble with the sizes of TV's faaaabulous patterns, I shouldn't have any trouble with this one and chose not to do a mock up.  BIG, BIG mistake!  Always do a mock up first!  I tried it on and found I had an 8-9" gap in the back!  Holy Monkey.  Happily, I was able to take the seams apart and sew them with a much smaller seam allowance and now there is a waaaaay smaller gap in the back!  Lesson learned...again.  Always, always, always make a mock up!

Anyhoo, I fixed the fit and am now super happy with my new corset!  I believe I will wear thing with my Ruth DeWitt Bukater Yellow Tea Dress....because it's yellow and I have a serious matchy-matchy issue.  This means that I am going to have to take out the pink ribbons in the rest of the underwear and put in yellow so it will match everything.  I have issues.

Here is the new pretty!  All the lace is antique and from my stash.  I had enough of the pale butter yellow silk left over from my 1884 Bee Fancy Dress and Rogelio Egusquiza Barrena painting dress to make this corset.  I have a wee bit more that I am trying to decide what to do with....

In doing research into the corsets of this era, I discovered something I had never paid attention to before.  Buttons on the lower pert of the corset.  I am assuming they are there to keep the front from splitting apart when it is worn.  Samples of extant corsets with buttons can be found here and here.  I totally forgot that I was going to add a large hook and eye to the front, so will do that when I remember again!

Aaaaah....smaller gap in the back!  Much more better!  Love this pattern by the way...after fixing my errors...it fits really well and is super comfy!

The Wedding Purse

Yesterday in the mail, came this darling little wedding purse from England in its original box!  Wedding purses were sweet things that money was put into for the bride and groom.  Other places state that it was used by the Bridemaids and filled with things to shower the bride and groom with.  These things would be rice, rose petals, confetti or grain.  (see here, here, and here)  I am still looking for actual antique printed word that shares what the wedding purse was used for.

Our sweet purse.  It is made of silk netting and a very sheer silk for the decoration and lining.  It is beginning to shatter so I will be putting it under a glass dome to keep it safe!

The purse came with a lovely handkerchief.  The lace around the edge looks to be hand made and it is a very fine hand.  I wish I had a time machine so I could go back and see the bride that used this on her wedding day! 

Inside of the original box it came in.  It has paper doily edging all the way around.  There is a sweet little tassel at the bottom of the purse.  I am so happy that this sweet thing has come to live at my house!!

Well, today I finish cutting out the rest of the pattern for my 1850s gymnastics outfit and laying it on my screamin' blue fabric that I found at Goodwill to see if it will all fit!  Hopefully it will...

Be blessed everyone!!

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