1910's Foundation Garments

Well, I didn't get my chemise or drawers made, but I did at least finish my corset and brassiere for Challenge #1 of the Historical Sew Fortnightly. And since I originally intended to just make a corset, I figure I met my goal. (even though I really wanted to make an actual dress or blouse/skirt outfit! But that will be made. In time.) 

Since you all have seen pictures of the corset I will not burden you with additional ones. Here is the finished brassiere. 

It is made of two layers of white linen and is topstitched on the seams. The bones are inserted between the layers of fabric and the brassiere is boned at sides, front princess seams (up to the fullest point of the bust) and down the center front. 

I found a bit of lace in my stash that seemed suitable to trim the neckline with. I did not have enough to go around the whole neckline but I had enough to at least do the front neckline. 

I sewed this mostly by machine. It's so nice to be able to use the machine and not feel guilty about doing so. The only bit of handwork I did was some binding finishing and I hand sewed the hook and eyes to the front opening. 

For these pictures I am wearing my regency chemise, since I did not have time to make a period 1910's style one, and an antique petticoat that was given to me by the lovely Natalie of A Frolic Through Time. 

The petticoat is exactly the right size for me and I have taken a pattern off it (it is a 5 gore style with a subtle flounce) to make a repro petticoat to wear for the final outfit. I still have to make drawers. 

Here you can see how the foundation layer looks with a dress on over top. I made this white dress over five years ago from the Sense and Sensibility 1914 Afternoon Dress pattern. I do not often wear this dress as I have felt it is not very flattering but it does look better when worn with the proper underpinnings. 

So that is that! The next challenge is due in two weeks time and is for a UFO (an unfinished sewing project) so I think I will finally finishing David's plaid wool fall front trousers. . .they have been *so* close to being done for *so long* (needing only hemming and buttons at the moment) but I have procrastinated. I will get those done!

Love,

Sarah

The Challenge: Something from a year ending in "13". (So, this could have been worn in 1913)

Fabric: White linen for both corset and brassiere. Corset is lined with white cotton duck. 

Pattern: Corset is from the 1911 corset in Corsets and Crinolines by Nora Waugh. The brassiere pattern was draped using originals for inspiration. 

Year: 1913-ish

Notions: I used zip ties for boning, brass grommets for the corset and hook and eyes for the brassiere. I used a steel busk for the corset. 

How historically accurate is it? I hope it is fairly accurate. The corset is taken from an original so I think it is accurate in cut. In materials, it is possibly accurate (although coutil was usually used). In construction, I am fairly sure I used an atypical method (I used an 1860s method of construction) but it was a compromise I didn't mind as this is just a "for fun" outfit. 

Hours to complete: I don't really know. . .I worked on these fairly steadily for two weeks. Maybe 1-2 hrs per day? Probably 25-30 hours. 

First worn: Not yet, except for try-on. 

Total cost:

More 1910's Bra Mock Up

Thanks for your encouraging words and advice on my last post! After reading several comments, I did give the chemise and corset combination a go. Now granted, I have not made a period style chemise yet (which to me look to be mostly sleeveless with either a neckline drawstring or a yoke giving fullness over the chest) but my regency chemise has a similar drawstring neckline, although it does have sleeves.

I am glad I did try it, but I don't really want to share pics of what it looked like. I have been (probably over) thinking this issue and I think this is why I really need a 1910's style bra to go with my corset: (image below from Corsetrasewing)

This is from 1912 - I love how it shows a good level of support for a rather "motherly" type figure!

1. I made my corset a little high in the waist, I think. The top edge of the corset hits right below my bust. Right where the bottom edge of my gussets are on my regency stays.

2. I have a very short waist for my figure.

3. My currently-being-nursed girls are excelling in the sag and droop department. This wouldn't be so much of a problem if I was a smaller cup size, but they are, well, to risk sounding indelicate, heavy. 

4. With my corset on the the chemise tightly pulled down over the bosom, it works for a time to keep the bosom rather "bound" to the torso. But when I have to nurse, I have to loosen the drawstring and then its fairly complicated to "rebind" the bosom when I am done nursing. In this case, a bra that can be unhooked and then rehooked is easier to deal with. Otherwise, I'd have to pull my chemise down once more firmly under the corset.

This was an interesting article about brassieres being recommended for women with larger bustlines: 1908-1910 Brassiere. The image below is from another interesting post about the styles of Edwardian corsets.

I made one more mock up of my brassiere. I shortened it a bit and I had to shorten the straps as well. I decided to raise the neckline of it a tad to give it more a V shape than the sweetheart shape it was before. I tried it on and here you can see how it looks when worn in combination with the corset. I am pretty happy with the overall shape, as the overall shape is what will give the finished outfit its distinctive silhouette.

Most of the brassieres I have been able to see look to be boned or are described as being boned. I plan to make my own brassiere out of stuff I already have on hand (since this is not a period we really "do", and this outfit will be just for fun and for modern wear, I am trying to just use up scraps from my stash instead of having to buy new fabric). I am trying to decide if I want to make it a double layer brassiere with the bones inserted between the layers or single layer with the boning slid into fabric casings. I think a single layer would be more period correct but a double layer would be easier to do. (I made my corset double layer even though the original the pattern was taken from is single layer). So, I'm still undecided.

I hope to get the real thing made today. It should be a fairly quick, simple sewing job. Tomorrow I'm going to hit up some local thrift stores and see if I can find a cotton sheet to make a chemise and some drawers from.

Love,
Sarah

A 1910's Bra or Bust Bodice

It's been almost a week since my last post, and alas, I have been silent. I have actually been silently working on my 1910's corset and I failed to blog about the process of making it. I just. . .made it. I wish I had blogged about it because I don't really remember what I did, except that the pattern I planned to use (Jen Thompsons gorgeous pattern taken from an original) did not work out well for me or my figure so I ended up draping a pattern instead and I used the 1911 corset from Corsets and Crinolines as a guide for the shape of the pattern pieces. 

And it's done. It fits. I like it. 

But the problem with this style of corset is, obviously, bust support. Namely, there is no bust support. I definitely need support. So I have been trying to figure out just what women of this era did when they had bosoms. Because, obviously, not everyone had the slim, slender, slight figure that was in fashion then. And I am not just going to let myself flip and flop in careless abandon over the top edge of my corset. 

I was just wearing a modern dress under this, so had to crop the un-flattering, un-supported bosom part out. But you can see how the corset fits and smooths the figure. 

I discovered that bras were worn with corsets like these. I have come across quite a few photographs of original brassieres from this era and they look strikingly similar to some modern bras. It makes no sense to me to wear BOTH a bra AND a corset (why not just combine the two and have just 1 supportive undergarment instead?) but fashion does not always follow common sense. 

This is from earlier than the 'teens but wow - it really looks no different than a modern  bra!

It seems some bras were combined with corset covers and some were worn plain, with a corset cover on top. I am still trying to learn if bras were ever worn under the corset and chemise like a modern bra but it seems that sources would indicate they are worn on top of the chemise and the corset and may fasten to the corset to keep itself in place, as shown here in this advertisement from Lady Carolyn's interesting blog post: 

In passing, underwear of this era is really very frustrating and complicated. At least to someone coming from the early Victorian era, where a chemise, corset, drawers and petticoats were all that was needed to create a fashionable silhouette. 

After looking at a number of styles of brassieres, I decided I liked the look of this one: 

It is similar to the free pattern for a 1910's brassiere Jenni has graciously shared with us at Historically Dressed. 

I draped a bodice today that is meant to give a similar look. It is cut with princess seams since for me it is easier to get a smoother fit when using princess seams instead of darts. It is cut with the straps cut as part of the bodice instead of separately. It is fitted to my natural waist but I think for my final brassiere I will shorten the waistline a tad. The waistline of my corset hits me at about rib level so it is a little high waisted so as to give the fashionable smooth-hip look. 

I just don't know how much support is needed. Do I go for a medieval-style, bust-popping level of support or just a gentle, natural, slightly lifted support? The support of the current mock up is somewhere in the middle. It lifts the bosom up so it is above the rib-cage waistline of the corset but it is not so high as to be screaming "hey! look at meeeeeee!!"

This advertisement from Vintage Ad Browser seems to support the idea of having a moderate level of bust support although it is from the late 'teens. I like that it shows a real woman wearing a bra and corset instead of a drawn illustration. 

So, we'll see what comes of experimentation. There are so many freaking undergarments in this period. My gosh. I don't know if or when I will ever get to the shirtwaist and skirt I really want from this period!

Love,

Sarah

Quilted Smoking Cap

Are any of you all doing the Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge? I have been hearing about it on and off the past few weeks but did not really read what it was all about until a week or so ago. I was intrigued. I am already going the monthly Regency Costume Challenge and I have realized just how much that keeps me motivated to keep sewing historical garments. Having a deadline and a category to make something from keeps me inspired. So I decided to try to play along with the Sew Fortnightly challenge as much as I can.

Challenge #0 was under the category Starting Simple.

This was a Christmas gift for David that I feverishly sewed up on Christmas Eve. I didn't have any surprises for him as inevitably we fail when we try to "surprise" each other. He has very specific ideas as to what he wants for gifts and so do I. So we each pick out our own presents. However, I wanted to give him something that he was not expecting and I knew he wanted a smoking cap as he had mentioned it several times recently so that is what I decided to make.

It is not copied from any particular smoking cap; it is just something that fits the general lines of the 1860s era and is sewn with period techniques. I made it very similarly to the brimless cap I made Judah earlier this year. It is mostly sewn on the machine with some hand finishing on the inside. The outer layer is silk and the inner is cotton sateen; the batting is cotton.

I think he likes it. He has used it many times already since receiving it Christmas morning.

The next challenge is due January 14th and must be an item from a year ending in "13". I am already working on a teens-era underbust corset. I've wanted to make one for quite a while and this is the perfect excuse to do so! I have my mock up fitted and am ready to start sewing once I get a few corseting supplies.

I think it will be a fun year for historic sewing!
Love,
Sarah

About My Project:

Just the facts, Ma’am: Quilted silk gentleman's smoking cap, mid-19th century style. 

The Challenge: Starting Simple. This is about as simple as it gets! The only interesting part was the quilting. 

Fabric: Silk taffeta for the outer layer, black cotton sateen for the lining and cotton needlepunched batting for the inside. 

Pattern: My own.

Year: Made to be used for 1850-1860's living history events.

Notions: Thread, pins, needles

How historically accurate is it? As accurate as I could possibly make it. I know the materials and construction is correct but I am unsure of the cut; the cut approximates period looks quite well but it is not copied from any one particular cap. The only thing I am sure is not accurate is the fiber content of the tassel. But I will replace it with a more period correct one as soon as I can find one!

Hours to complete: 3 hours  

First worn: Christmas morning!

Total cost: Scraps from stash - free!

Finished Just in Time! 1790's Jacket

Well, I have been reconfirmed in my opinion that people are like fabric.  You can see it and it looks good at first but once you start working with it, it goes the wrong way, does everything except what you want it to and tries to thwart your best-laid plans and you end up despising it.

Thus was the case with my fabric. I have had it for a few months. I fell in love with it when I saw it. It was so pretty and silky and soft and such a lovely silvery-blue color. I was so excited to use it for my 1790's jacket. But I found out quickly that this fabric is evil. The label said 100% cotton but I swear there is something else in there. The fabric does not hold a crease well yet wrinkles easily. It moves and grows and shortens and expands and does not stay in place with the normal amount of pins. Instead of acting as 1 with my lining fabric it acts as its own separate thing. It was horrible to work with.

I had to ditch the style I originally wanted since the pleats looked very odd in this fabric. They stuck out from the back very weirdly indeed. To salvage it I had to cut the jacket off at waist length. I gathered and attached a peplum to the back of the jacket instead of having a peplum cut as part of the bodice pieces. I was inspired by this 1780-1795 era jacket, from Williamsburg:

I had to sew everything on the jacket at least twice except for the eyelet holes. For some reason nothing came out right the first time. The double ruffle I wanted to add around the neckline came out looking very clownish so I had to redo that and ended up just using ruching at the neckline.

In the end though, I am pretty happy with how it looks. Since the fabric has almost zero "give", it is very tight to wear even though the sleeves are cut on the bias. But since the cut is close to the body it is still comfortable to move in.

The center front edges are boned because I meant the jacket to close edge to edge. For some reason the waist came out a bit large so the front edges overlap a bit at the waist but it is not that noticeable from a distance.

For the pictures I am wearing it with my 1840's corded petticoat, my bum pad and my brown cotton hobbit petticoat.

I discovered that the petticoat bands sit around my natural waist which is a bit longer than the waist on this jacket.

I'd like to eventually make a sheer airy white petticoat to wear with this jacket and I will attach suspender straps to it to keep it up at the right level so you don't get glimpses of the waistband!

Anne is wearing one of Malachi's baby caps and the little gown I made Malachi for the Jane Austen festival last year. It is really *not* that big on her! She is growing quickly.

This was my last sewing project of 2012! It is hard to believe. I wish all you darlings a very wonderful and happy New Year!! May this coming one be the best yet!

Love,
Sarah

December Regency Project - 1790's Jacket

For Christmas, a friend gave me a copy of Fashion, A History from the 18th to the 20th Century from the Kyoto Costume Institute. I was totally overwhelmed with inspiration while thumbing through the pages (who wouldn't be?) and totally fell in love with some of the 1790's jackets I saw. Several were way too elaborate for me to want to attempt (at least in this season of my life) but I really liked this one:

Which you can see here, at the KCI Digital Archives.

Mine will be made in a silvery blue cotton print and I think I will wear it with my brown wool hobbit petticoat until I get some proper 18th c. style petticoats made.

Today I began the mock up. To start with I used the 1780's bodice pattern I draped last fall. I lengthened the back piece to include a peplum skirt and added a side seam to the bodice, so I could have a short peplum at the side as well. I added length to the front of the bodice to meet the length of the center front point. The original jacket has lacing that starts at waist length. Below the waist, the jacket flares open.

sorry for the poor quality of the photos. I was in a hurry and the lighting was very bad!

My first mock up attempt was pretty close. To be more like the original, I would have to raise the neckline some and reposition the tabs at the front/sides to be more at side center. . .but I think I will go with what I currently have. If I raise the neckline anymore I won't be able to breastfeed and I am not too concerned with identically recreating this exact style.

I need to tweak the fit of the sleeve above the elbow, but other than that, I think I am ready to cut into my fabric!

I hope to make progress on it over the weekend and maybe even finish it before the 1st!

I'll keep you updated.

Love,
Sarah

Baby Hobbit Dress

We have a baby hobbit!

I've wanted one for so long. And now I have my very own. Hobbits are adorable and baby hobbits are even more adorable.

I used the Sense and Sensibility Girls Regency Gown pattern for this. The pattern arrived yesterday so I whipped this up in feverish excitement. I ran into a few snags along the way - mainly, the tan double-knit fabric I tried to use to line the thing just did NOT work out at all. . .so I had to rip the lining out and re-line it. But besides that, the pattern went together well. I like Sense and Sensibility patterns a lot. (and there was a purpose to the insanity of attempting to use a non-woven fabric for the lining. I thought it would be warmer for the baby to wear.)

I dug into the stash for fabrics to use so this costume ended up not costing me anything at all. The main dress fabric is a sheer woven plaid in sage green cotton. The trim is made of strips of wool-blend fabric that I dyed to a light violet color. The lining is natural colored muslin. I made the skirt lining a smidge longer than the sage-green skirt to give the appearance of a double skirt.

Now, I cannot claim authenticity on this dress. Simply because there are so few pictures of hobbit babies from the LOTR movies. The most famous example is Rosie holding little Frodo and the details are almost impossible to see. It looks like the baby is wearing a simple shirt and a sleeveless gown over it and a little gathered brimless cap.

I thought about making an outfit like that, but then decided I really wanted the baby to look as hobbity as possible. A simple jumper and shirt could look like ANYTHING. . .it doesn't really scream "hobbit".

In the end, I decided to combine elements from my own hobbit costume with modern practicalities for dressing an infant. Anne's dress is all one piece instead of being different elements (like the chemise, skirts and bodice that make up my own outfit).

I still wanted to give the appearance of having different elements so the sleeves are different from the main fabric of the dress, the waist seam has a welt of wool to give the appearance of a separate bodice and the two skirt layers are treated independently. Instead of lacing up the back I used flat buttons (bulky buttons would maybe look more "hobbity" but would be uncomfortable for the baby to lay on).

The sleeves are gathered with elastic to make a "cuff" that loosely fits Anne's arm.

I made the size 1, which fits her a bit roomily at present but still looks well. I think she will be able to wear this dress all winter.

I made a little mob cap to finish it off. Gathered-circle mob caps are not historically accurate so I thought that it would look hobbity to have one since a mob cap does not point to any particular era of history. Besides, several hobbit ladies in the LOTR movies wear mob caps so why not??

Just a few more days til the movie comes out!!! I can't wait!!!

Love,
Sarah

A Vintage Tablecloth Baby Dress and Bonnet

This dress is either very absurd or very cute. I cannot decide which, but at any rate it is sewn and finished for little Anne. I made it from a vintage Christmas tablecloth my mother gave me last week.

I actually used a real, true, honest-to-God pattern for this dress. Peter's mother gave me several patterns right before Thanksgiving and this was one of them. It is a cute little style with a circular skirt sewn to a short yoke. The pattern is for a short sleeved dress but I merely lengthened them a few inches to make long sleeves. I used the 6 month size and although it is a bit roomy I think the size is actually quite good compared to other patterns I have used. It seems infant patterns in general just run HUGE! This one didn't.

It's just the print that gets me. It's just a bit too big and too gaudy, I think at times. At other times I think it looks pretty cute and kind of 1960's. So, I don't know. It is what it is and after this Christmas season Anne will never be able to wear it again since she will have well outgrown it by next Christmas!

The little bonnet was my own creation. Or experimentation. I'm working on a simple fitted bonnet pattern/tutorial and this was my first attempt. It came out almost how I wanted it to. At any rate, it fits Anne well and looks cute with the dress! And she will actually keep it on her head!

It is super fun to make little dresses though. They take so little fabric and can be whipped up in an afternoon or two! This coming week I'll be making Anne's Baby Hobbit dress for the Hobbit movie which comes out next week! I'm so excited about that - both making the dress and seeing the movie!

And tonight, Anne can wear this dress to a Christmas party we are going to. We are supposed to dress up as a Christmas song and Anne could possibly go as Amy Grant's "Baby, It's Christmas" (although her song is not exactly referring to a child, but still).

So, that is what has been up on the sewing front. I did make a tiny stuffed mouse this week and petticoats and a dress for Anne's doll but I have been lacking in motivation to get on the computer much this week. There is just so much to do this time of year, computer-time is not high on the priority list!

Love to you all!

Sarah

2012 Christmas Cards

Every year we sent out a few dozen Christmas cards to our family and friends. When we just had one child, even just two children, we had professional (if you can consider the cheap coupon specials Wal Mart used to have "professional") photos taken. It was fun to dress the babies up in coordinating outfits and pick out something nice for David and I to wear.

But now, since our last attempt at professional pictures, we merely take our own and consider ourselves lucky if the children look only semi-miserable and only one or two are doing something like picking their nose or sticking their tongue out.

This year was no different. I took quite a few pictures of the children one afternoon last week. By the time we were finished the boys seemed hyped up on some invisible substance and the baby was cranky and exhausted.

Most of them are like the pictures you see above. We did get one or two possible "good" ones. I think we'll go with this one for our Christmas cards this year. It's not perfect but it gets the main points across: yes, the boys are bigger this year than they were last year. And yes, we have a new baby. Some of the people we send Christmas cards to do not even know about the baby so that should be a surprise for them. Ha.

For better or for worse they will go in the mail this weekend. And the boys and baby will not have to needlessly suffer through another attempted photo session. At least til next year.

Love,
Sarah