Cotehardie Progress - Trim Ideas

I have been scouring the internet for images that show how a fitted gown may be trimmed - all to little avail. It is HARD to find any clear details on how these garments may have been trimmed. After deciding I wanted to put trim on my dress I started thinking about proper trimming materials, how trim would be applied and where it would be applied. I am so afraid to be putting my own modern tastes of what "looks right" into the place of what IS right!

I did find this image of dancers and looking at it, there is a lot of interesting detail that gives some good ideas of trim placement and scale.

This dress looks a lot like I want mine to look, with the sleeve tippets, lined with a contrasting color. There is a band of trim around the bottom of the hem - it looks like it may be fur?

These ladies are wearing light-colored gowns with dark trim around the neckline. They both appear to have some sort of (non matching) trim at the hem. It also looks like the lady on the left has put trim down the center front of her gown. 

There are a lot of interesting details in this group of 4! The hairstyles (are these young unmarried ladies since they aren't wearing a  headcovering?), the colors. Oddly enough the figure on the far left appears to have a non-matching top and bottom portion to her gown. The second-from-left figure looks to have a parti-colored garment, the second-from-right looks to have a plain, untrimmed gown and the one on the far left appears to be wearing a short sleeved overgown with tippits and a split skirt, showing the underdress at the sides, with the hem finished in a light colored trim (looks like it MAY be a pleated flounce?) 

And this one depicts a short sleeved overgown with interesting trim placement on the bodice. It also appears to have an overgown with trim at the hem, but the hem of the overgown is shorter than that of the underdress. 

So, I think I may be one step closer to deciding what kind of trim to put on my gown. Now I need to figure out WHAT to use for trim - strips of fabric? If so, what kind? Linen, wool, silk? Velvet? (too fancy??) Fur? (seems an odd combo with a linen gown though and I don't feel exactly comfortable wearing real fur - and fake fur looks kinda. . .fake. . .) 

And Peter is coming over this weekend to be fitted for a plain, basic doublet. It will be interesting to make a more fitted male garment for the 14th century period. David currently prefers the loose skirts of his tunic. (odd, since he likes the fitted nature of his 1860's attire). 

Love,

Sarah

New Year Sewing Plans ~ A Rather Boring Post with No Pictures of Sewing Projects ~

I was absolutely overwhelmed with the many congratulations and kinds words following our happy announcement last week. Thank you - I am happily dreaming of tiny clothes and little blankets, and a new warm bundle with downy hair, tiny clinging fingers and bright eyes to cuddle. I am purposely avoiding thought of inconsolable infant screams, explosive diaper excretions and less than two hours of sleep per night. I like to think happy thoughts. Although, of course, I do wish that I did not have to go through seven more months of pregnancy to get to the reality of a new baby in my arms. I don't really like being pregnant. Plus it throws quite a spin on what my costuming plans for this year would have been. However. It is a small sacrifice to pay for the very great joy of a new baby. August cannot come too soon! And I do know it will be here before I know it - probably before I'm really truly ready!

Look! Mary the Mother of Jesus portrayed as a pregnant medieval lady.  The drape of medieval clothes makes even a baby bump look elegant and graceful. I love her pointy toe shoes peeking out from under her hem. :) 

Since the arrival of the New Year I have not been sewing on any large projects. I have a wee linen medieval baby gown I am working on (and I hope to finish very soon) for a sweet new baby boy, born recently to the lovely Edyth Miller. It is the same style as Malachi's yellow wool gown and ought to fit the baby for quite a while. I love how sheerly practical and roomy medieval children's clothing is! I will have pics of it as soon as it is completed and safely sent on its way.

I have also been contemplating my ill-fated medieval shoes. It has been nearly a year since I made the pattern for my shoes and I have yet to actually make a finished set. I bought medium weight leather for the soles last fall but couldn't find any suitable lightweight leather for the uppers. After attempting (without success) to make David a new tobacco pouch lined with thin leather for Christmas, I decided that working with leather is very troublesome since thin leather has a tendency to grow and shrink and slip and slide every which way. I am now pondering the possibility of making a complete shoe out of stout woolen cloth, lined with linen or lightweight wool, and gluing a seperate leather sole to the bottom of the cloth shoe so it is functional for outdoor use. I know such a method is not period correct but I think it would give a better look than wearing modern shoes and would keep my feet warm and happy. Plus, strict authenticity in the SCA is not completely necessary. Our barony is very relaxed and laid back and as long as you make an attempt at period attire, you are good to go. :)

This weekend is our SCA 12th Night Party and at the end of the month is the Festival of Maidens. I am so excited about being able to attend this year! If I am diligent in sewing I would love to make a short sleeved overgown, the sleeves finished with streamers, to wear over my kirtle, like the blue one (second from right) below, only adapted for full length, of course. :)

I really have no need for a new medieval dress but it DOES get old wearing the same thing all the time. I just have no idea what a good color would be for a dress like this! EVERYONE wears dark, jewel tone colors, or red, or black. What would look good with a dusky green-blue underdress? A tan or mustard yellow? A lighter blue or gray? I like the color combination of the blue-green underdress in this picture, worn with what appears to be a pale pink or oatmeal colored overdress.

To yank my mind out of the medieval sea it is currently swimming in, I am about to embark on a rather intense sewing project that ought to keep me busy for the next month or so. A complete 1860's hospital stewards uniform, from shirts to frock coat to sack coat, all to be completed before the end of March for a dear friend of ours who just joined the 108th IL field hospital. I'm fairly sure such sewing will not be of that much interest to the majority of my readers, so I will try to sneak in a few pretty, frilly projects to keep up my feminine morale and to share here. :)

So, my Feminine Sewing Goal for the month of January is a cream-and-brown striped 1770's jacket, made like this one from Colonial Williamsburg:

I figure I better make it now before my belly gets too big to fit normal things over! I would like the petticoat to be green or blue. Then I will be all set for the trade faire in September. And it will be a good incentive for me to loose weight after Baby arrives.

Love,
Sarah

1840's Dress Progress - Kinda

So far this week I have spent a little time each day working on the bodice of the 1840's dress. And I am still not done with the bodice. For me, who used to be able to whip up a complete 1860's dress in a day, piping, hand finishing and all, this is discouraging.

It seems at every turn I have to re-evaluate something, recheck something, do some more research. Maybe it's because I'm so unsure of myself. This is a new fashion era for me and I lack confidence to go boldly ahead and cut and sew. The 1840's has created a Meek and Mincing Sarah Jane.

 

For one thing, the fitting method completely took over my mind these past few days. The way the material between the neckline and waist was treated caused me a great deal of frustration. How to get that tidy, neat fit? (and I am deliberately excluding fan-fronts from my mind since those are a whole different style - the look I want is the molded, tidy, wrinkle-free rigid torso look).

 

It seemed there were two ways of doing this. One way fitted the bodice with darts and another way fitted the bodice with princess seams. I found evidence of both methods used in the 40's. So, okay.

 

But then, there was variation among those options. You could fit a bodice with 1 dart on each side, like the 1837-1841 morning dress on page 65 in Patterns of Fashion 1, or  you could fit a bodice with two darts to each side, like this one:

 

You could fit a bodice with princess seams. The first image I found that showed clear princess seams was the right-center dress in this plate, which shows princess seams going from the neckline to the waist. I posted this one last week. 

 

Then a few highly respected costumers suggested to me the Jean Hunnisett patterns for 1840's bodices as excellent starting points. The pattern for a princess seam bodice from the patterns in this book calls for princess seams going from the front armscye to the waist. I decided to go with that. Here you can see my first mock up, with the pins indicating where the new seam line will be.

 

Then I came across this picture which clearly shows a bodice fitted with princess seams that go from the shoulder seam to the waist (this is the same style as my gray ballgown bodice; the pattern for which I am using as a base for the 40's dress).

 

Another interesting thing about the above picture is that there is no center seam in the bodice, and it doesn't appear as though the front seams are piped!

 

And I thought piping was ALWAYS used on 40's dresses!

 

Then I looked more at my inspiration dress image and realized with a jolt that yes, it looks like this bodice is also fitted with princess seams that go from the shoulder to the waist! Look at how the stripey pattern gets chopped off as it nears the shoulder. . .it definitely looks like there is a seam there.

 

And this late 30's dress from Costume in Detail has the same kind of princess seams (and just the beginning of a pointed front bodice!)

 

But at this point I had already cut out my bodice with the princess seams going from armscye to waist.

 

Grrr. Frustrating. I have spent the last few days wondering if what I have chosen to do with my dress will even be remotely 40's-ish. . .because every time I think I know something, something new pops up and throws my theories into the water. This is why we "never say never" in historic costuming, right?

 

So that is why my bodice has been coming along slowly. At least with the sleeves and skirt I know pretty much exactly what I am going to do. A tight, bias cut sleeve and a plain old rectangular construction gauged and faced skirt. Easy, right? We'll see.

 

Here is my mock up of the 1860's ball gown pattern. This is 60's in style, so I knew I'd have to modify it a little for a 40's look. Going off the Jean Hunnisett pattern as a guide, I cut a new seamline that went from the armscye to the waist. I also trimmed down the neckline a bit. I only did one mock up of the bodice, since it seemed to work pretty well just as it was. There are wrinkles in the mock up along the seams but I think that was mostly due to the cheapy poly/cotton thin fabric I was using for a mock up. The semi-finished bodice doesn't wrinkle up much at all on me.

 

Here is the first try on of the bodice in the fabric I'm using. Not too bad, but I did change a few things. The black lines (sorry they are hard to see!) on the viewers left indicate where I made some changes. First, I cut down the neckline to get more of a horizontal line from shoulder to shoulder. I also trimmed the front armscye since it was cutting into my arm and making a wrinkle under the armpit. I also refined the curve of the front point so it would match, more or less, the bias stripes on the center front. I wish now I had only cut down the sides of the neckline, not the center. : / 

 

I also had to redo the back almost completely. . .for some reason the upper back was WAY too wide and the neckline way too gappy. I don't know why since I used the same pattern for my ballgown and it came out fine. Weird. I cut down the straps on the back bodice and that snugged the armscye up too much, so I had to recut the back armscye. I cut my side back pieces on the bias at first but it looked funky so I ended up ripping them out and recutting and sewing side back pieces on the straight.

 

Then as I sewed and tried on, and sewed and tried on, the bodice seemed to significantly shrink in size. This alarmed me and the only reason I can think of for this is the fact that all the piped seams are very thick and heavy. Grading the seams and even pressing them open didn't seem to help much. They just take up more surface space so I have less room to fit my body into. Tightening up the stays a tad helped, but I am going to have VERY little overlap at the back opening by the time all is said and done!

 

I think the main bodice is finally done, though. I piped the waistline this morning. I still need to pipe the armscye and make and set in the sleeves but after that, it appears to be smooth sailing.

 

And here is a picture of the extra material draped up on the petticoats, so I can get an idea of how the bodice will look once the skirt is made and attached.

 

Love,

Sarah

1920's Trim Possibilities

Happy 1st of November! (can it BE November already??) This morning David woke up and the first thing he sleepily mumbled to me was "Happy All Saints Day". After he got that all-important greeting off his chest, he seemed much relieved. So I pass on his greeting to you all: Happy All Saints Day!

Did any of you do anything fun last night? I never celebrated Halloween growing up but last year we did take the boys out trick or treating. David grew up with that tradition and I thought we could try it. The boys had fun last year and had even more fun this year despite the chill. They covered about twice as much ground as they did last year - even Malachi - and came home with their pumpkin buckets stuffed with fun-size Snicker bars, packets of Skittles and M & M's, toosie pops and that dreadful nightmarish creation of "Fun Dip" sticks, in packets,with chemically-looking colored sugar to dip them into.

Last night I finished sewing down the other belt tab and sewed up the hem. So structurally the dress is done and I just need to decide on how to finish it. I was browsing through my collected images of 1920's dresses and found a few possibilities.

Note: I have NO idea where I saved all these pictures from so if there is a picture posted that violates a copyright, please let me know and I will remove it asap!

First up is this one. The neckline is wide and scooped yet is finished with a big floppy collar. I like how it makes the dress more "dressy" than a plain unfinished neckline.

Then there is this one. I like how it looks but am afraid that with my renovated dress, it would just scream "1980's!". I remember collars like this being popular when I was a little girl in the late 80's, early 90's. I want my dress to definitely be more reminiscent of the 1920's than the 1980's (which can be tricky, because some of the style details WERE very similar in those two decades!)

This one has a V-shaped detail at the neckline AND a collar.

These three dresses from 1923 are just gorgeous. Love them! I especially like the one in the middle. I like the sleeve style a lot (a different, lighter fabric for the lower sleeve, which would work well with my cotton gauze fabric) and I love the hat. Oh yes. I LOVE the hat. I think I could easily make the bodice/sleeves on my dress look similar to this one.

This one has a center front panel on the bodice that contrasts with the rest of the dress. And a sash at the waistline. I like it. Maybe I could do rows of trim simulating a center front panel on the bodice?

THIS dress is just perfectly gorgeous. I can't describe it. It's perfect. I do plan on making a repro of this one but for now, I am liking the little tucks at the neckline.

This one also appears to have tucks at the neckline that go down into tucks at the waist. So I think my idea of taking in the neckline with a few little tucks will be okay.

This dress is from later in the 20's but also have a V shape contrast area on the front bodice. I am assuming this is because of the little coat that matches the skirt, and the skirt is attached to a plain bodice. However, the look is pretty, and slimming too which is a nice thing in dresses like these which make you look all the same width from shoulder to hem! Unless you are naturally straight and slender I think trim is VERY important to get the right visual effect.

Now I must be off and vigilant in my guarding of the candy-buckets. Or else my children will be running on a sugar high for an indefinite period of time. And that would not be good.

Love,
Sarah

Regency Shawls - Finding a Simple Solution

Planning an outfit for an event that is to be held in high summer can be problematic. Especially when, as it is today, quite chilly out and very rainy and windy. Today, a warm wool or velveteen spencer sounds like a good idea. But will I appreciate that in mid July? I doubt it.

I have been thinking about appropriate outerwear for the Jane Austen festival and decided a while ago that a shawl would be the most versatile and pratical piece to use over my gown. I can take it on or off as needed, it definitely adds to "the look", it can be worn in various ways for maximum visual flexibility and, looking at various period images, it seems shawls were very popular pieces.

I have a wool paisley shawl I got on ebay years and  years ago for Civil War reenating. I briefly considered using it, but decided against it because 1) I personally do not prefer the look of a big trinagular shawl paired with a slim, empire-waisted dress and 2) my shawl design is just not appropriate for the early 19th century. From what I've read, early paisley desings were more cone shaped and less elongated and swirly than later paisley designs. My shawl is also fairly loud and busy and I prefer something plainer and simpler.

Looking at the fashion plates at the University of Washington Fashion Plate Collection I found a variety of images depicting long, narrow rectangular shawls from the 1806-ish-18-teens period. I'm not sure if I can share images from their site on my blog, but if you click the link you can browse through their collections to your hearts content. :)

Vintage Textile also had some helpful photos of original regency era shawls. This silk gauze shawl from 1810-1820 is magnificent, and would definitely be ideal for summertime. I love the simplicity of the design and the simple bands of ribbon and colored blocks with a floral design at the edges.

This wool shawl, c. 1810, is also a lovely example. I was suprised at the dimensions of this shawl in particular. It is only 9.25" wide, and quite long. It has a plain red wool body with borders and edgings in beautiful, ornately woven panels.

You can also see several examples of period images of shawls at the Regency Fashion Page - Shawls

And a few other examples at Jane Austens World; Shawls:

I love the color and the strong greek key border on the shawl above. This design was also popular in the 1860's, so it is very fascinating to see it so popular 50 years prior as well!

Since I don't have much money to spend on our outfits (and David's is ending up costing the most; ironically!) I want to, if possible, create a shawl from materials I already have on hand. Something that would work well for my simple day dress and the white dress I hope to make before the festival. Nothing fancy or loud. I have some lightweight tropical wool in a pale blue/gray plaid, with thin stripes of red and white and black. I have had it for probably a year or so with the intention of making it into an 1860's dress one of these days. I thought the color looked well with my green cotton dress, so I cut a long strip of it, about 90" x 16" and, if all goes well, that will become the main body of my shawl.

I cut two smaller bits of wool to fringe out. Here is one part of the fringe with the horizontal threads pulled:

And here are the two pieces of fringe, finished and knotted:

My current plan is to sew the fringed bits to the end of the long wool strip. I have just enough gray silk left from my 1860's ballgown to sew a few bands of silk across the ends of the shawl and to bind the long edges of the shawl for a plain border. If I feel ambitious, I may attempt a greek key design on the border/bands with either black chain stitch embroidery or black soutache. Looking at the fashion plates whilst on the search for shawls I realized that most gloves I'm seeing are elbow length. The only longish gloves I have are pale gray leather, so they will match my shawl! I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. . .was matching, contrasting, or complimenting colors "in"?

Love,
Sarah

Brainstorming My Wardrobe for the Jane Austen Festival

With Civil War reenacting starting up full swing for us in the next few weeks I have had to put my sewing for the Jane Austen festival on the back burner. So far, no progress has been made since my last post on David's breeches. I did finish ordering the linen I will need to make his shirt, cravat and waistcoat (maybe two if I have time) but no sewing has been done.

Having some close deadline projects these past few weeks, which has meant sewing every day for at least a few hours, I have realized that I really cannot sew as much as I used to. With my three boys right now it is hard to find time to devote to uninterrupted sewing. If I do sew, they know I am not watching them constantly and they do things. Like flushing blocks down the toilet. Or spreading oatmeal all over the downstairs floors. You get the idea. So at this point in my life, my children need my attention a lot more than I need to be sewing.

Having realized that, I came to the conclusion that I really don't need multiple new dresses to go to the Jane Austen festival. Yes, I can get a little carried away. :P I'd pull out yardage from my shelf and each one would mentally become a regency style dress. I have been so worried that what I have already wouldn't be up good enough to wear to the festival and that I would be scorned, laughed at, mocked, ignored. All very silly illogical ideas, of course, but its how I felt. David asked me a few times why I was making new dresses since I already have several drawstring dresses from the popular Sense and Sensibility drawstring dress pattern. And, he's right. I do have those dresses. I could wear them. They don't fit very well since I made them when I was pregnant with Malachi, but I already have them. They are made. Clean. Ironed. Hanging in the closet. Ready to go.

I also have the dark green cotton regency dress I recently made, that fits well over my new stays and is definitely wearable. So, I have decided to bring that dress to the festival and, if I have time, make the era-hallmark "white dress" so popular at the time. The white dress will be useful for the dance at the festival and if I make it versatile enough it can be worn during the day as well.

The date David and I are shooting for is roughly 1806-ish, give or take a few years. I have been spending a few spare moments here and there researching gown styles of this period. Here are some of the dresses that have inspired me:

The first one is this dress from Sense and Sensibility's Vintage Image Section:

I love the simple style and the gathered bodice. I like the neckline shape of a wide shallow square and the straight front of the skirt, as well as the sleeves, which are short sleeves with detachable undersleeves. I also like the tucks. A lot of white gowns of this period, especially evening gowns, seem to be ornately embroidered. Needless to say I do not have time for that. I do like making tucks as they add a lot of visual interest, body, and are quick and easy to do.

The next two pictures are from the Nineteenth Century Fashions - A Compendium page. As you can see, they are similar to the dress from the Sensibility site.

This one has the wide, square neckline that I really like. It also has slight gathers across the front of the skirt, with a full gathered bodice above that. I like the sleeves, as well as the waistline sash. The embroidery is so beautiful but, as I mentioned, I will probably do tucks if I do any embellishment at all. I would not make the train as I cannot see it being practical for dancing or for using as daywear. If I am not mistaken trains on dresses were starting to go out by the early 1800's anyway.

This one has a similar wide, square neckline (hey, are we noticing a pattern here?) :P and it looks to have a similar bodice design to the dress from the Sensibility site. I really like the embroidery/trim around the neck. I think I like the flat bands around the neckline better than a softer, gathered-on-a-cord edge look that a drawstring bodice gives. It is neat, tidy and simple. I like the plain long sleeves. This dress has a fuller skirt, probably more so than what I would want as overly full skirts on regency dresses just make me look pregnant.

Soooo. . .here is the fabric I have to use for this dress. And yes, that is the price tag with the price I paid for the yardage. :) I have only about 5 yards left since I used a small portion to make undersleeves for an 1860's outfit. 5 yards should be enough though.

What I am thinking of doing is taking these two patterns from Janet Arnolds Patterns of Fashion 1 and combining them to get the look I want. There are features in both dresses I like. I will be making the gathered bodice, flat neck bands and back opening of the dress on the right. I will be using the skirt and the sleeves from the dress on the left. I think the dates on both these dresses are close enough to make the style work.

So, with the dark green dress I already have, plus this one, I should definitely be set for a weekend of visiting, shopping, taking tea, strolling and dancing. :) I'd like a few accessories - like a bonnet, a shawl, some passable shoes and a cross necklace. But I need to research more before deciding on anything for sure. . .right now I'm contemplating the Lucia bonnet pattern from Timely Tresses but I have almost no clue when it comes to appropriate shawls and such. Agh! Less than three months left to get all this together!

Sarah

1820's Marigold Ball Gown

Has anyone seen this dress from Vintage Textile? I am in love! If I had not firmly decided on the 1820's as my very favorite fashion era before this time, this dress would definitely have decided for me! Can you imagine wearing such an exquisite piece?!

I'm trying very hard to remember that "thou shalt not covet".

Love,
Sarah