1863 Underwear: A Quilted Petticoat!

UGH!!  I hate being sick.  It is such a colossal waste of time!  I mean really.  What is accomplished?  NOTHING!  Unless you count laying around all day on the couch, stomach in knots, thinking that you are so happy you paid attention in Lamaze class (because breathing through the pain is a very good thing right now), drinking gallons of water and eating saltines, and watching so much Netflix that you never want to lay eyes on the TV again!  In truth, I got nothing done from last Monday morning....like 1:15 in the morning, until this afternoon.

I had finally had it.  I am still a bit peaky, but I was tired of just lazing around....so, I crawled upstairs and decided to take the drawstring waist band of my quilted petticoat out and replace it with a button waist band.  It turned out waaaay better than the drawstring as the bulk was considerably less and it lays much more smoothly!  I believe it will do very well in keeping my legs warm when I wear any of my Victorian dresses in the cold weather!  Huzzah!!   

The fabulous cotton quilted drapery curtain I found at a thrift store for $7.00!!!  Whoot Whoot!!! 

Here it is all nice and button waist banded.  Using the curtain was so lovely.  It already had a wonderful hem so I didn't have to waste the time making one!! Score!!

Now on to the chemise and drawers....Now if I could only find drapes in the shape of those two!  I would have it made!!

More Curtains!!

Oh how I love thrift stores!  And what do I love about them?  Well, for this post we shall focus on their wonderful selection of curtains.  Especially if I can find silk curtains!  Silk Dupioni is not cheap.  It can be found at JoAnn's for $24.00 a yard...if you have a 50% off coupon that makes it $12.00 a yard...aaaaaand it is only 45" wide.  Sometimes I can find it for $8.00 a yard, but that is rare.  So, when I find a silk curtain panel for $4.00...I get excited!!!  Last week I found another set of silk curtain panels at Deseret Industries and thought I would put all of my silk panel dress ideas here in this post.

1884 Stripe dress by Charles Worth, Chicago History Museum

Stripe Dress from Chicago History digital collection

Dupioni silk Drapery panels from JCPenney found at The Idaho Youth Ranch for $4.00 a panel

Gold silk matched with black and dark ivory fabric also found at a thrift store!

1912 dress found on etsy.

Linens and Things silk drapery panels found at Deseret Industries for $4.00 a panel

Silk matched with a brown velvet dress also found at DI and my mink stole.

Wojciech Kossak - Portrait of Sophia Hoesickowej 1909

Silk Drapes by Pottery Barn found at The Idaho Youth Ranch

Lace and netting to go with the silk

Teens Era Sailor Suit

Linens and Things White silk drapes found at Savers.  I will be pairing blue silk with it for the collar, tie and cuffs!  

So, now you can see why I love thrift stores and every one I go to I check out the linens department!  You never know what you will find!

Miss Gracie's Sailor Suit So Far

I had forgotten how fun it was to sew miniature dresses for little ladies!  My niece Gracie is getting a 1903 sailor suit that will resemble mine.  

Here is the inspiration plate.  The little girl on the right on the blue on blue stripe.  Notice the stripe around the collar?  I believe that I am just going to top stitch 3 blue lines instead of a strip of fabric.  

Gracie's dress so far.  I really am liking the blue on blue fabric...which if you will remember came from a new sheet found at Goodwill!!  Huzzah!!!

Side view!  Tomorrow, I get to watch Gracie and Lizzie.  I am going to be fitting the dress to Gracie and re-sizing Lizzie's pattern....This is so much fun!

More Curtains? Why Yes.....

                                                                   NZ Museums


                                                                          etsy dress

Ha!! I found more silk curtains that are crying to be turned into a dress! Hahahahaha!!! This time they were found at a garage sale and came in the color of dark chocolate brown for $1.00 for the set!!! Huzzah!!! I think I might start being called Scarlet O'Hara!!! I can't wait to create something with these!! I have the hat, gloves, dead critter, and shoes already!

Aaaaahhhh.....Regency Era, How I Love Thee!

Ok, so remember how I said that I adore going thrifting because I never know what loveliness I will encounter? Well, it happened again. My sweet Mama and I were at St. Paul's de Vincent (or St. Vincent de Paul's....I can never keep it straight) and I was getting to the end of my perusing, when we happened to meander back to the linens department. There, amidst the uber heavy velvet and horrid 1970s puke yellow draperies, hung a most wonderful sight! The heavens opened up once more, the angels broke forth in rapturous song, and light illuminated a most delicate panel of white and...um....I can only describe it as pale raspberry sherbet, drapery. As in window treatment drape. Complete with drapery pleat. But who cares? It is exactly, and I mean EXACTLY the very shade, design, texture, see through-iness that I have been looking for for a looooooong time. I am so in love with the delicateness and femininity of the fashion of the Regency Era. Watching all the Jane Austin books/made movies is one of my favorite pastimes! And the eye candy that the fashions present is enough to make me drool in a most un-ladylike fashion!

Not two days after rescuing my beautiful drapery panel, I was thrifting again, this time at Deseret Industries, when I spied a neat-o pair of velvety, pale raspberry flats...tried them on, and low and behold, they fit! Sweet! I then proceeded to stand in the shoe aisle and, using my handy dandy phone, research Regency Era shoes. I was losing hope when all of a sudden, I found a pair that resembled my soon to be purchased pair of slippers! I just love it when I can find historical proof that supports something that I really, really like!!! I took my newly acquired possessions home and laid them on the drapery panel and, again, the squealing with delight ensued. This time, no one came to gaze upon me with curious expressions....no one was home. Feeling the urge to create a "want to make Regency Folder" on my computer, I started to research dresses and was pleasantly surprised to re-discover images of dresses that I have had in my "want to make someday" folder already! Huzzah and away!!! Now comes the search for a solid pale raspberry sherbet fabric for a Spencer jacket. I believe that I would like to have it be a light velvet...we shall see!

A Silk Purse from a Sow's Ear

No? Ok, how about a 1912 dress from silk curtains?

My Grandmother, Iva Patterson, was a very talented and creative lady. She could take a cutting from a rose growing in a friend's garden and get it to grow. She could look at a dress in a clothing catalog, draft a pattern in that style and make the same dress. She was very thrifty and frugal. I kind of like to think I have a bit of her in me. I adore finding an item at a thrift store that someone has cast aside and use it to create something lovely for my home or myself.

Take for instance the find I found the other day! I had happily fled the madness that my two boys were gleefully creating at home and found solace at JoAnn Fabric. Finding nothing of great importance there, I carefully drove across the street, dodging the crazies out finishing their last minute shopping, to peruse the goods that Savers had to offer. I had just finished checking out their shoe and fabric section when a light from heaven beamed down upon white silk and the angels let forth with glorious song...there before my eyes, hung a glorious sight...two 45" by 3 yard winter white silk dupioni drapery panels, complete with wonderful cotton linings!!! Sweet Mother of Pearl! Now I just have to decide what dress needs to be made! So far, I have 3 candidates....