Elizabeth Bennet's Wedding Trousseau: Bonnet Compete

She's done!  Laaaaaaaa!!!  I am truly excited about this bonnet!  I was waiting for the perfect piece of lace to the under brim and I found it at the first antique store Mom and I went to yesterday, The Antique World Mall in Boise...faaaaabulous mall!!  I spent a while yesterday/last evening getting it all nicely placed then sewed it down and....FINITO!!!!  So...here she is!

The making of the orange blossom circlet was tricky, as I didn't have a full image of the entire thing.  I had three different views of the bonnet, then imagined what the missing parts would look like.

I love this picture of Lizzy!  She looks so happy and radiant!!

Source: The Garden of Delights Tumblr....incredible images can be found here!

Aaaawe!!!  This makes my heart so happy!!

Source:  Longbourn: Jane Austen Screencaps

I covered a circle of buckram with two layers of mull (flannel) and off white silk.  There is also a smaller one on the inside to nicely cover everything up!

Sigh...I adore waxed orange blossoms...

I love how you can see the pretty lace through the tulle...

I apologize for the non Regency Era correct hair on Emma...I do not have a wig for her from this time period...so please use your imagination!

Fun shot of the underneath/inside of the bonnet....

Beautiful antique net lace...

The Historical Sew Fortnightly

The Challenge:  #7 Tops and Toes

Fabric:  Silk Tulle, antique lace

Pattern:  My own

Year:  1814

Notions:  Millinery wire, antique waxed orange blossoms, antique leaves, thread, florists tape and wire

How Historically Accurate Is It:  I am not 100% sure!  It is patterend after the wedding bonnet Elizabeth Bennet wears in the 1995 edition of Pride and Prejudice.  It is in the shape of bonnets from 1814.  I can't recall at this exact point in time ever seeing an extant wire framed bonnet from the Regency Era.  I will have to do more research.  I did use silk tulle.  As for the waxed orange blossoms, while Queen Victoria made is the fashion to wear orange blossoms on her wedding day, the wearing of orange blossoms had been the fashion long before then, read here: A Wedding Tradition.

Hours To Complete:  Over 20

First Worn:  Not yet...plan on wearing it to Costume Collete

Next up is the wedding dress and coat which will have to be put on hold for a bit...but at least the bonnet is completed!!

Be Blessed my friends!!

g

HSF Challenge 14: Under It All

Usually when I do a Historical Fortnightly challenge, it is something that is really fun and exciting and colorful and not a necessity.  This time around though, I used the challenge to propel me into making something that I need to make another challenge!  How fun!  Anyhoo, I made a Regency Era chemise/shift last year followed by another Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge Regency Stays.  There were big plans of a Lewis and Clark picnic when my friend Josie came to Idaho and then we both took off to California for Costume College...then my back intervened and things got nixed.  Stooooopeeeeed back!!!  Well, here we are at 2014 and I am going to get a Regency Era outfit done if it...we won't say anything else.

The next step in my Regency wardrobe was to make a bodiced petticoat.  It was rather simple as I already had it cut out!  Yeah!!  I know, it is a boring, white, piece of clothing, but it is done and on time even!!

The Dreamstress and The Historical Sew Fortnightly

Bodiced Petticoat front.  I love the look of this garment!

I did not enjoy the placket part of construction...I had to slit the top of the skirt down the center and go from there.  I know how to do it, but I do not enjoy it.

For the hem, Lara of Lara Corsets suggested cording the very bottom of the hem.  I did that and then added pretty tucks to take up the length and add stability to the hem.

Pattern I used.  Wonderful, fabulous set Mama and I bought together!  Can't wait to make more of these wonderful garments.  

La Mode Bagatelle Regency Wardrobe

The packaging is even lovely!

The Challenge:  #4 Under It All

Fabric:  A very fine, thin cotton

Pattern:  La Mode Bagatelle Regency Wardrobe

Year:  1811-1820 (Regency Era)

Notions:  antique shell buttons, metal hooks and eyes, synthetic thread

How Historically Accurate Is It?:  You know, I'm not quite sure.  I have not done nearly enough research into this era...but the pattern appears to be very historically accurate and the fabric is cotton.  I did use a sewing machine as I do not have any time to hand sew something from start to finish...

Hours to Complete:  Maybe 12 (the turning right side out of the bodice took quite a while...)

First Worn:  Not yet..don't know when it will be worn...for sure in August!

Total Cost:  Fabric was $8.00

Now I just need to wait for Challenge #9 to come around!  At that point in time, Historical Sew Fortnightly will have been a part of 4 layers of my Regency Era outfit!  How cool is that?

Blessings!

g

HSF #3: A Pink 1912 Day Dress

As I stated before, I am in "need" of a new Titanic wardrobe.  I had some really neat pink fabric in my stash that I was wanting to use.  Then I found the most fabulous website that had a most fabulous pink suit/dress on it.  I knew in an instant what my pink fabric would be made into!  The hat was made over a year ago and it will finally have a dress to be worn with!  Yeah!!!  This also marks the first entry in The Historical Sew Fortnightly!

I made a few changes in my dress from the inspiration image.  The "V" neck is more of a pointed "U" and I added a little extra flap at the bottom...I thought it needed a little something more...

Inspiration Dress:  "Elegant V neck taffeta dress from Ladies Home Journal April, 1912"

The inspiration for this dress came from a pretty fantastic site called A Hundred Years Ago Today.  Some very fabulous dresses can be found there!

Close up of beautiful antique chemisette...I adore old lace.  I will also be using my antique painted porcelain brooch!

The gorgeous Emilie De Briand.  I found this image in 2012 and just had to recreate the hat...thankfully, I had won the bid on a white fur hat that I was able to re-trim to look similar to Miss Emilie's hat!

Antique white fur hat with ostrich plumes and egret spikes.  The magnolia blossoms are antique as well!

I found this fabulous cloisonne hat pin in Washington!  It is a perfect match for the flowers on the hat and the fabric of the dress!

The Challenge:  Pink

Fabric:  Faux dupioni silk (polyester) and off white dupioni silk

Pattern:  Bodice is Truly Victorian TVE41 Plain Blousewaist, skirt is a modified Butterick 4092

Year:  1912

Notions:  self covered buttons, metal hooks and eyes, pink poly thread

How historically accurate is it?  The shape and look are pretty much accurate as I copied it from a fashion image from 1912...the poly, not so much!

Hours to complete:  24+

First worn:  Hopefully will be worn at a Titanic Event at the end of April

Total cost:  pink faux dupioni - $8.00 for 6 yards...off white dupioni silk -  $4.00 a yard... lining from stash...self covering buttons 3.oo...  TOTAL...$15.00!!!

Corded Stays...Yes, We Have Completion!!!

Glory Be!!  They are finished!  I had decided on Friday to put these unfinished things away for the weekend...but today the call of them was too strong.  It started on the drive to church, this call.  It was silent at first, but by the time worship was over, it was screeching in my ears.  So....fine.  When we got home, and I got everyone settled, I set about finishing them.  And YEAH!!  They are done done done!!  And a bonus...can be entered into the Historical Sew Fortnightly hosted by the Dreamstress.

Here is my silly self wearing them.  And the older I get the more pronounced the divot in the middle of my forehead gets....grrrrrr....and the suntan/burn that I have going on at present isn't helping much either!  ACK!!!  

Oh well...this is how I look in stays.  Not too shabby!!

When I tried them on yesterday (after I had bound the top and bottom) I discovered that the arm pit area was way too high.  So today I had the pleasure of removing the upper binding and cutting the dip a bit deeper.  It fits and feels oh so much better!  

I look like I'm a soldier in undies standing at attention.  I promise you that I was very relaxed in this picture!  hahahahahaha!!!  Oh my goodness.  You can see my Regency bosom shelf....Yeah!!  Not a lot, but it is there!

Oh fun!  In this picture there seems to be a bit of nipping in at the waist! What a happiness!

I was trying to get a closeup of the stays so ALL of my work on the cording channels could be seen.  White has the same problem as black when being photographed.  It doesn't like to be the center of attention and behaves badly!  Oh well!

Challenge #13:  Lace and Lacings

Fabrics:  Cotton and Linen

Pattern:  Past Patterns 001 1820-1840 stays

Year:  1820-1840

Notions:  Steel boning, jute, white embroidery floss

How Historically Accurate Is It?:  Not too awfully sure...I did copy the pattern pretty closely which was taken from an extant garment.  The steel stays are not HA, but I need the support!  :-)

Hours To Complete:  55 or more....ACK!!!

First Worn:  Not yet

Total Cost:  Not sure....under $30.00 

1815 Half Mourning Hat Complete!

My 1815 Half Mourning Hat is finished!!  Yeah!!  This is the first time I ever that I have not had to re-do any part of a hat!  This was a very fun project and I so cannot wait to wear it!

The Challenge:  #13 Lace and Lacing

The Fabric:  Black Dupioni Silk

Pattern:  My own

Year:  1815

Notions:  cotton thread, millinery wire, buckram, antique lace

How Historically Accurate is it?:  Um...the shape and look are as accurate as I could make it for just looking at a fashion plate.  I'm not sure about the dupioni silk.  I know there are 1860s dresses that were made from it, but I don't know if it was used in the early 1800s.

Hours to Complete:  14

First Worn:  Will be worn on the last Sunday in July

Total Cost:  Hat was made from stash left overs or things that have been in there so long I don't remember the cost....yeah for stash materials!  The only think that I bought specifically for this was the white netting for the underside of the brim....that came to $5.00