Snow Day update

I'm a snow junkie, and I am loving every flake, drift and forecast when it's like this.  To me, it's simply not winter until we have had some snow.  And more than anything else, I'm so very grateful for a snow day.

This weekend was a doozie.  I was up late every night, working on getting this project complete.  Friday night, I stayed up until 3:30 am, finishing the sequin pattern on the last panel of my reticule.  Saturday, I cut out my spencer and finished the dress.  Sunday, I did all the hand finishing on the garments, finished my slip, cut out and sewed my reticule, and tackled my hat.  I was up late till 3, doing handwork and then worrying while trying to go to sleep, trying to remind myself what I needed to gather, how I was going to get dressed at work, etc., all the while wondering whether we would even have school today.

That doesn't sound like much, but it was a lot.  I did not sew my spencer.  The skirt of the dress was far more complicated than I expected, and when I finished it, I knew I was done.  There was no time for a spencer.  So... another time.

Checklist update:

• chemise
• stockings
• shoes
• stays
• slip
• dress
• kerchief
• cap
• hat
• mitts
• reticule

I did not complete the spencer, as I said before, nor did I do the shawl.  The shawl is actually quite simple, but I'm really tired, and I just don't feel up to it.  I'm mentally and physically done with this project.  

Don't get me wrong--I've enjoyed it!  But spending every weekend for the last six weeks doing nothing but this project (and thus, letting housework, etc. get really neglected) has taken its toll.  My back and neck are killing me, my fingers are sore, and mentally, I'm ready to do something else.  I've been hankering to do some paper crafts.  I also really want to clean up and reorganize my bead storage and my paper crafting storage.  It's a cluttered mess... sigh.  

I do not have pictures to share at this point, but I'll take some.  I thought the hat would be more fun, and instead it was a total pain in the patella.  The truly fun piece was the reticule... mostly because everything went right on it.  Except that the heat of the iron did affect the older, smaller sequins I used on the first two panels.  The newer ones were heat resistant.  So I have two sides that are shiny and sparkly, and two sides that look a bit vintage.  Still shiny, but not so sparkly.  I did enjoy making the dress and other pieces, but man, that was a LOT of fabric!  For someone used to working with smaller sizes (dolls, kids, etc.), I was actually annoyed with how much the heaviness of the skirt was getting in the way!

However, it really did work out nicely, and I'm quite pleased with the end result.  Of course, the skirt itself was 6 inches too long!  I made a 1 1/2" hem (hemstitched!), and then had to make a 4" tuck all the way around... I knew I would possibly have to do that, but still... I was kind of surprised at how long it was--and how cumbersome!  But the tuck looks nice and sort of decorative--Yes, yes I did mean to do that!  :)  I wanted some sort of decoration on the hem, but most of the decorations for the time period were complicated, so... a simple tuck will do.  

And now that I have the time today, I'll see about making myself that coral necklace.  And maybe finish the bracelet, too...  At the moment, though, all I want to do is sleep.  

As for the end of the project--we were going to begin presentations today, and I was supposed to be the first to go.  I did not have time this weekend to create a short PowerPoint for it, so I will do that next.  One of the things the presentations need to address is what you learned through the process.  So... I'll post that part next!  Until then, nap on!  

Correcting Mistakes and Progress Update

After the depressing discovery of my oversized stays, I fixed them, mostly by taking some tucks/darts to reduce the overall length around me, and shortened the straps by two inches, so that they will actually hold the stays in their proper position, although they still fall off my shoulders.  I have narrow, sloping shoulders (Oh, how I miss shoulder pads!!), and most things I put on them fall down... my purse, tote bags, left bra strap (always!!  Very frustrating).

So... after taking in the stays, I tried them on, and Voila!!  It works!  I have the correct fitting, and silhouette.  I even have space between the bones in back where the lacing is!  Woohoo!!

(no, I'm not showing you pictures of the stays on me... my chemise is rather see-through, so I'm keeping this G-rated!)

Undergarments, check.  Time to make a mock-up of the dress bodice and check for fit.  This actually took very little time (a couple of hours), compared to all the other things I've made thus far.  I tried the mock-up on, and it fits almost perfectly.  However, I had to make an adjustment in my chemise--it was too high up for the bodice to completely cover up.  I was kind of surprised by that.  But, upon reflection, I remembered that the front part of the bodice that I made goes underneath the bib front, which comes up higher on the neckline than the bodice front.  Sooo... no wardrobe errors, here!  To compensate for the slight gapping there, I shortened the shoulder pieces by 1/4", and shortened the front panels by 1/3".  When I tied the front together, the front panels were overlapping, and thus, not short enough to close up that gap.

Hm.  Thought I had a picture of it.  Oh, well...

Part of the problem is that I bought those patterns just after Thanksgiving, and I've lost enough weight since then that my rings are looser, and I've gone down a size in my clothing, even my bra!  I did a little shopping after school last Thursday, and was surprised that my usual size was too big.  Feels kinda cool, actually.  :)  In my head, I'm much smaller, even though it doesn't show much in the mirror.  So... mini happy dance!

Making a mock-up wasn't a waste of time, and those were very easy fixes.  I was also worried about the sleeves--the back of the bodice is hexagonal (loosely), so the tops of the sleeves extend into the back, and having never made something like this, I had no idea how it would fit.  So... I did sleeves in the mock-up as well.  It's a good thing I did!  To make the sleeves set in properly, you need to gather in about 80% of the sleeve, and then adjust it to fit the curves of the armscye (sewing term for armhole).  I was a little confused as to how to spread the gathers out, so I ended up with gathers everywhere, instead of just in the shoulder area.  So my first sleeve is wonky and puffy in the wrong places, and kinda hangs funny.  The second sleeve, then, was better, as I knew where the shoulder was, and concentrated the gathers just in the shoulder area, using the rest of the gathers to slightly pull in (called "ease") the sleeve to fit the armscye where it is supposed to be flat.  This sleeve hangs properly, and doesn't puff out in back, and is more comfortable.

Poorly fitted sleeve

Properly fitted sleeve

The second thing I found on the sleeve is that it was about 4 inches too long for my arms.  I was doing a half-sleeve, ending around my elbows, but this length was more like 2/3 length.  Technically, I'm a petite size on top (in terms of length--I have a short torso, and little T-Rex arms), so the sizing of most "normal" lengths is usually too long on me.  I don't mind it in shirts, as I prefer them long (because I hate my belly), but it is usually a problem for more fitted garments, where the bust darts are in the wrong place, and sleeves are almost always too long for me.  Thus, I shortened the sleeve length.

Surprisingly, cutting out the dress took a while.  The skirt pattern is ginormous, and wouldn't fit on my kitchen table, so I was having to move it around and pin it to keep it from shifting the wrong way, and then discovered that my fabric width was two inches too short!!!  At first, I was upset, but then my little problem-solving brain kicked in gear, and I realized I'll simply have to use slightly shallower pleats to compensate for the shorter width.  No biggie.  :)

Ready to sew!!!

I was concerned with what I'd line the bodice with, as my muslin is white, and the fabric for the dress is cream-colored.  But I cut my pieces out so well that I had plenty of leftover material, and was able to do a self-fabric lining.  To make sure I didn't confuse the pieces (lining vs. print), I cut them upside-down and used the wrong side (unprinted) as the "right" side for the lining.  It's a little confusing, in terms of how I'm describing it, but it worked out fine.  Not that anybody will be seeing it, of course!

So yesterday, before taking Ella to the doctor, I had some time to sew, and I managed to complete the entire bodice as well as the bib front and ties...it helps that I'd made the mock-up the day before, so I knew all the steps and didn't need to refer to the instructions constantly.  Now all I need to do is complete the skirt, figure out how much I will need to shorten the length (again, 5' 4" doesn't really meet "average" height), hem it, and do hand-stitching on a few parts.

Underlining the neckline.  You stitch the lining of the bodice to the raw edges of the neckline a scant 1/8" from the actual seam.  This makes the lining roll under the edge of the seam, so that none of it peeks out.  It makes a nice, clean edge.

Finished underlining. You can see how I made the lining of the bodice the wrong side of the dress fabric. 

These are the ties for the dress.  They wrap around the front to tie in the back, which makes this dress easy to put on by yourself.  The bottom tie has been pressed, but the top one has just been turned right side out, thus showing why you have to press/iron the things down.  Not pretty!!

The real question for me is...will I have time to do the spencer (jacket) and the hat?  Hat, no big deal.  Jacket?  Possible big deal.  We'll see how the weekend turns out!  Oh--I remembered this morning that I still haven't made up a slip.  But that's super-easy.

Finished bodice front (the upside-down part won't be seen) on my sewing table.

Finished bodice on my dress form, which I suspect of being too big.  Sleeves are shorter than the mock-up, and there is a bigger gap between the front panels.  When the dress is all sewed, I will attach ties to the top, middle, and bottom of these front edges.  That brings the bodice together, and fits it to the torso.  You can see a vertical line/seam on the right side of bodice (as you're facing it), which is what will show.  The bib front will cover the ties and front panels.  

Here are two illustrations that show you how the bib front dress works--these use buttons to close up the front panels, and my pattern calls for ties.  Some front panels actually overlap, and at the time, were closed using straight pins!  I will not be using straight pins... I'm afraid of having them poke me!  I plan on using vintage mother-of-pearl buttons to hold up the bib instead of pins.

  

My dress is not designed for wraparound ties...mine are supposed to tie in a bow in the back.  I'd prefer wraparound, actually... my short arms don't reach comfortably behind my fat back, and the way I tie bows makes them go sideways or upside-down, and thus, look funky.  I may be able to make them wrap around...we'll see how it works out.

Hair and Headwear

I'm a hat junkie.  I have an obsession with what people wore in the past, yes, but gorgeous hats are a major part of that obsession.  And I've been thinking about what I'm going to do for a topper, so to speak, for this project.  So... let me share my thoughts and ideas.

I think I may have mentioned in my last post that I ordered some more fabric today.  It's payday, and I had some things in my cart at Farmhouse Fabrics that I wanted to complete so that I can get them soon.  Many things to work on!!  I ordered some lovely, almost sheer cottons with which to make a kerchief and a cap, as well as silk for my bonnet.  I wanted to do an entire bonnet on a buckram frame, wired properly, then fulled and covered with silk.  However, time tells me that would be a bit more work than I have time for.  So... I'm going to do a straw and fabric bonnet.  These were common, and are easy to make.  Some examples:

A gorgeous vintage bonnet.

Silk-covered vintage bonnet.  I wanted to do something like this (stovepipe hat).

Gorgeous brown silk and velvet bonnet from the time period.

This is a French bonnet from a museum exhibit.

Another beauty, this one in straw with fancy ribbon as the decoration.

I also have saved pictures from the time period--fashion plates that were published in magazines for women to show them the latest styles.

 

 

 

Some of these illustrations include day caps, which I discussed in my last post.  I am more partial to a stovepipe shaped hat (kind of straight-sided, flat topped hat with a bonnet brim), but I may have to do a hat with a straw brim and a poufed fabric crown.  Some reproduction hats here:

 


I am more partial to the one on the right, but I don't like how short the brim is.  However, in the 1810s, smaller brims were often used.  

I do have another option:  The turban.  Turbans were not the kind that Sikhs or people in the middle east might wear... they were sort of like a poofy or carefully draped beret.  Some even had solid bases with draped fabric tacked down in strategic places.  Either way, most turbans were stitched into shape, and were not wound around the head.  Some examples:

This one looks a bit like a scary mushroom... not my style. And so... yellow!  Yellow was a popular color for evening wear (this is definitely a silk organza weave, fancy, for evening), as it was considered quite pretty in candlelight.

I love this one, but it's for evening wear, and made for 

the Empress Josephine.  I hope that's not real hair... 

makes me feel itchy just thinking about it!

Absolutely gorgeous, but my hair won't do that.

 


Sooo… no shroom caps for me!  Another factor is my hair.  As I said in my previous post, curls were the thing, with some exceptions.  I have a board on Pinterest that is all about Regency stuff (interested?  Click here), which I've broken into sub-sections for different things, like shoes, original garments, and one for hair.  Here are some examples of common hairstyles for the time:

Evening hairstyle

Short hairstyle, sporting the popular windswept style.

(is it just me, or does her head seem way too big for her body?)

modern example of Regency hairstyle

 
Two examples of short hairstyles.

This lady is rocking a turban.  She has also dressed rather exotically.  There was a fad for Indian-like "artistic" styles.

Not everybody wore curls.  This portrait shows a beautiful young woman with her hair in a simple, smooth style, and wearing a chemisette over her dress, which was another way of wearing them.  I think she'd fit right in these days, apart from the clothing.

So... I plan to put my hair up in back (somehow), wear curls around my face, wear a cap, and a silk and straw bonnet.  I have a finely woven straw hat I bought in Williamsburg many years ago that I think I can sacrifice for the cause (instead of buying one to cut up--the nicer ones are about $20).  I've ordered two lovely silks for a bonnet--both were remnants and on sale, so, a steal at less than 10 bucks each!  One is a soft rosy taupe, and the other is a gold and rose iridescent weave.  Leftover materials go to my doll clothing stash.  :)  

Now to get working.  Sort of.  

My work table is completely covered in beads, bottles of beads, bags of beads, beading tools, supplies, a couple of bead mats, a new pair of scissors, a special box for holding small beads (Christmas gift from my Mother-In-Law), and two rolls of duct tape.  Oh, and plain Christmas ornaments that I meant to bead as gifts, but ran out of time.  Gotta put those back in my closet for next year.  When I get that all cleaned up, then I can get started on actually sewing!  

I can't believe it's getting dark already (4:23 pm).  My husband is making a pecan pie (we didn't have time to do it at Christmas, so now it's a New Year's pie).  We are going to have our traditional New Year's Eve dinner:  fondue!  I forget when we started it... it was in the early years of our marriage, and has now become tradition.  I went to Freddy's this morning and got some Emmenthaler swiss, crusty breads (Mediterranean olive and a French baguette), a granny smith apple, and a few other things for meals for the next few days.  I think we'll while away the evening hours by playing Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit (family gift from Santa) with Ella, or playing some other game.  We also have a Sherlock Holmes puzzle we could do, too.  It's just the three of us tonight (my dad and niece went to Montana for my cousin's wedding, which is tomorrow), so we'll do something fun together.  I'm not sure if Ella will make it to midnight, but she's planning to try!

Well, see you next year!!

New Year's Eve Update

Hello, everyone!  I've been doing more research, and have things running through my head, so I feel it's time to get them out of my head and onto my blog.  So... here you go!

While researching headwear, I realized that as a married woman, I should be wearing a cap.  Unmarried women did not, unless they reached a certain age when they were considered old maids (out of the marriage market).  Jane Austen, who never married, started wearing caps in her late 20s.  I'm 49.95 plus tax, so I'm at a ripe old age, and would be wearing caps every day, so... something else to add to my outfit.

What are caps?  Not quite the same thing as a nightcap, day caps were made from fine linen or cotton, sometimes embroidered, sometimes lacy, sometimes puffier than you can imagine!  It depended on the woman and her style.  I'm not a particularly "fussy" dresser--I keep things pretty simple.  I'm thinking of a simple cap, maybe with a little embroidery, and a ruffle of lace around the front edging.  Some examples from the time period:

Very elaborate and foofy.

Simple, but ruffly.

More simple, but I don't care for the ties.

Women wore these all day.  I've read in a book that women wore different caps for different times of the day.  In the morning, for hanging around the house, ladies wore a fairly simple house cap.  For visiting or receiving visitors, women wore their nicer, fancier caps, possibly to show off some needlework or status.  There were widow's caps, too.  Caps were worn all day long.  They were kind of convenient, in some ways... bad hair day?  Hide it with your cap!  Going out?  No worries, just put your hat on over your cap.  

On the one hand, I don't like adding so much to my outfit, but on the other hand... my hairstyle is not exactly Regency-appropriate.  Women either had long hair or very short hair.  I don't have either.  So I've been trying to figure out how this is going to work.  I'm letting my hair grow a little longer so that I can more easily style it in the back--probably with hairpins and a short ponytail pinned down into a tiny bun.  Curls around the face were extremely popular, so I'll have those, of course.  But the cap will be perfect to hide what will probably be a rather messy and awkward back-of-the-head hair.  

As for style, well... I kind of like this one:

It's simple, but not elaborate.  And I can make something like that.  I just ordered fabric from my favorite online fabric store... different kinds of fine, almost sheer cottons for a cap and possibly a kerchief.  A kerchief was a large triangular scarf worn to add warmth and cover up one's bare neck, or to fill in an opening in one's spencer or pelisse.  The woman in the picture above is wearing a kerchief.  It is tucked into her neckline, and provides some modesty.  Hers is from a pretty solid cotton, while contemporary kerchiefs were of finer, sheerer fabric.  Women also wore chemisettes, which were sort of half-collar, half-shirt.  After all, you didn't want to freeze, nor did you want everyone to be able to check out one's décolletage (cleavage).  Some examples:

 

Sorry about the spacing...I tried to get them to go two by two, but... I lack blog knowledge.  Anyway... here is a different chemisette, and several kerchiefs.

Well, I think I've done enough for one day...  :)