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

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 

Regency Era Corded Stays Sewing Binge!!!!

Right then!  I have been on a sewing binge....I haven't been on one such as this in a very long time!  However, I am feeling the press of Costume College weighing down upon me.  Oh and the Lewis and Clark picnic in July, can't forget about that!  

The past two weeks have really been....busy...let's just call it that.  So, at the beginning of this week, I told my family, "I am doing nothing but staying home and doing 'home' things!!!"  I did actually get "home" things done.  Laundry....just got the clean and folded items put away tonight.  Vacuuming...yes...that was done tonight.  I did make dinner three nights this week...a couple of nights didn't count as we were out....See!!  I did to "home" things!

However, I must be truthful and say that mainly I sewed...on an insanely time consuming corded stay.  OHMYGOSH!  

Ok...I need to take a time out here and say something if I may.  I so admire all of my costuming peers out there in the world...you amaze me with your ability to create beauty from scratch.  But, I do need to say something.  (and please know that I say this with LOVE, humor, and great AWE!!!!!)  You ladies who sew all of those cording channels by hand....

ARE CRAZY!!!!!!!

Ahem....ok...so not crazy perhaps.  But as I spent hours and hours sewing cording channels with my sewing machine, all I could think of was those ladies who do this by hand....are....talented (there is no denying that at all) and full of patience!!!  I could never do anything like that!  Well, maybe I could, but so do not want to.  The hand sewn eyelets and buttonholed slit for the busk that I made were enough to send my fingertips into rebellion!!

I decided to use the Past Patterns stays for my first Regency Era stays...I was seriously intimidated by the pattern and ALL those cording channels.  I had to talk my self into making these stays.  Truly.  I laid in bed Monday morning and debated with myself on the merits of making these....finally I got out of bed and started with the mock up.

Because I was on a sewing binge, I only paused to take photos and not post a blog post....so we shall make this post a very fast paced one!!!

I used some of the black quilted cotton I bought a while ago (I got it with the idea that I would make my mourning dress out of it.  The quilting changed my mind....it was too.....quilty...)

The pattern went together really well and actually fit!

Side view.  Look!!  I have a shelf!!  Whoot!  Didn't know if I would as I take after my Daddy in the bosom department...flat.  But with these, I have a very lovely Regency shape!

 I am so not going to worry about the gap in the back.  I have no idea how to adjust these babies to get that gap equal distance apart the whole length of my back....

Ok, here we are a few days later.  I have sewn the cording channels but have not filled them with twine cord.  I followed this most fabulous tutorial on how to fill the channels.  This helped me so much!

Jenny La Fleur

Great tutorial with tons of pictures and written instruction!!  

I think the stays were too far down...don't know....

The back looks better here.  I did add 10 steel bones to the stays as I was not fond of the way the stays buckled when I tied them.  I am sooooo used to the structure of Victorian and Edwardian corsets.  These kind of freaked me out.  That and the fact that I look like a sausage wearing this.  I have no give in my waist anyway, and these stays only nipped in a wee bit.

The back.  Look at all those lovely grommets!!!  Laaaaaa!!  I found this fabulous tutorial for making them and they work GREAT!!!  I tied the stays rather tightly and had no problem!

The Curious Frau

Aren't they pretty?

Laying flat on the bad....The upper channels are all sewn.  The next day I sewed the lower channels!

Miss Rosie cracks me up!  She always has to inspect and then lay upon whatever I put on my bed. That includes anything new I have sewn.  This time I scolded her and said that under no circumstances was she allowed to lay on my pristine white stays!

Here is a better picture of her "not" laying on my stays.  But see how she snuck in her tail?  Sneaky little kitty!

Alrighty then!  Here are the almost complete stays on Emma Mark IV.  I have everything done except the shoulder straps!  I will wait until next week to begin those.  I have done enough sewing for this week.

All those cording channels.  My family thinks I'm crazy!  I have about 42 hours invested into these.  That included picking out the channels that weren't straight....

I raised the under arm dip....it was waaaaay too deep for my tastes before...

On Emma Mark IV the back gap is so much nicer to gaze upon!  Oh well.....She doesn't eat cooking and pastries!  Poor ole girl!!

All in all I am really happy with the Past Patterns pattern.  These involved a lot of time, but the pieces themselves went together grandly!!  

Can't wait to wear them!!

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

1815 Half Mourning Hat...Pattern Drafting Time!

Again, I find myself short a hat pattern.  If this were the case with a dress, bodice, or skirt, I would totally go into a high speed panic, search the internet's plethora of pattern companies in hopes to find exactly what I was looking for, check out ebay and etsy to see if some soul has decided to offer up a OOP pattern....

Happily for me, I find that I can satisfactorily draft my own hat and bonnet patterns...Yeah for sanity!  I spent all morning this past Tuesday in my bed room, sitting on the floor with several pieces of very large white card stock, drafting the pattern for this hat.  The crown and crown top were a cinch.  The brim.  Well, let's just say that my la maze breathing practices from 11 years ago came very well into practice!  

Finally after about 4 hours, I accomplished what my crazed brain had mandated that I accomplish.  A pattern for my 1815 Half Mourning Hat!  Huzzah!!!

The next day, I decided that I should try my pattern out.  This step didn't take as long as the drafting part (thank you Lord!!!) and a little while later, I tried on the hat.  Success!!  Oh how lovely it is when I can try on something for the first time and not have that horrid sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, knowing that I will have hours of seam ripping ahead of me...

Front view of hat frame...and me without any make-up.  This is how anxious I was to see if the pattern would work with the actual hat making materials....

I really like how the front looks... 

Side view....Yeah!!!

Back view!!!  Huzzah!!!

Bring on the coverings and trim!!!

An 1815 Half Mourning Hat....

For the Lewis and Clark Picnic at the end of July, I plan on making a half mourning dress.  Why half mourning you ask?  I mean, it's not like the place where we plan on having the picnic is conducive to any manner of cool temperature (temps at the Idaho Botanical Gardens at the end of July usually run in the 105-113 range....ugh) so black would not be the ideal color to wear to this venue.  Why would I choose half mourning?  Because I have a totally rockin', fabulous, awesome, somewhat era correct stash fabric to use!!!  Squee!!! 

 I also have the opportunity to enter another of the Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge that the Dreamstress hosts.  This one is titled "Lace and Lacing".  I will be making a bonnet to go with my half mourning dress and there will be lace adorning it!!  Not an overabundance of lace will be found on this hat, but there will BE lace and I think that qualifies for Challenge #13!!  Yeah! 

While researching Regency era bonnets and hats, I came across this bonnet and literally screamed!  It is so gorgeous!  I love all of the most wonderfully delicate details that this bonnet has to offer!  Look at all that fabulous fabric manipulation!  Le Swoon!!!  

I also came across this fabulous fashion plate from Costumes Parisiens from 1815.  The black bonnet on the right in the middle literally screamed my name....I so found the hat I was going to make!

This wonderful print from Ackerman's Repository (Walking Dress, December 1817) had the perfect inner whiteness of the brim of the bonnet that I was desiring, and again had a lovely height that I have grown to really like!

Not wanting a bonnet to go with this dress, but rather a hat, I then began looking for images that would support my want.  Enter La Belle Assemblee, Carriage Costume, November 1816.

A Morning Dress from La Belle Assemblee, July 1815 proved to me that I could make a hat without a tie as well!  Huzzah, as I so do not enjoy the feel of bonnet ties under my chin or around my ears.....I do believe that I have a great plan for a Regency era hat with historical backing!  I love it when that happens!!!