Quickie Weekend Quilt-Top

A few weeks ago my mother in law came by and handed me a plastic grocery bag. It was one of her thrift store "finds". She is the Queen of Thrift and finds amazing deals. This one was a 3 yard length of high quality green and white polka dot cotton. It was lovely. Into my head sprang a dozen potential uses for this pretty cloth and I decided soon after to make a tunic for Malachi from it.

 

A few days later I was happily cutting and pinning a little tunic, experimenting with a new design. I had pleats pinned at the shoulders and the waist and had lightly sprayed the fronts with starch. I lifted my iron, tested its warmth and pressed the fabric, finding satisfaction in the smooth, crisp folds of fabric that emerged from beneath the iron as it slid over the pleats.

 

Then I stopped. I sniffed. Something was dreadfully wrong. That strange aroma - what was it? I kept pressing and the smell got stronger and stronger. I set the iron down and went around the house looking for something on fire. It was some kind of a smoke that I was smelling and I feared the boys had put something into the oven and turned it on. But all was well, so I came back to the ironing board. I started to press again but the smell was overpowering by now. Finally, I clutched up the fabric and pressed it to my nose. THAT was it, then. And then my mind flooded with recognition. Cigarette smoke.

 

I have nothing in particular against cigarettes nor the people who smoke them. In fact, some of my fondest childhood memories embrace the scent of cigarette smoke. I was fathoms deep in love with my Grampie as a little girl and was never happier than when I was sitting with him at his house as he read the paper, putting on The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show for me to watch while he took in the news, or going out with him to "the shed" where he kept the mower; a place heavy with the smell of gasoline and oil with a hard packed, dirt floor. And Grampie smoked cigarettes. In fact, he always lingeringly smelt of tobacco, aftershave and money. To this day I cannot smell a dollar bill without thinking of Grampie. But while cigarette smoke on Grampie may be nostalgic and sentimental, it is absolutely unappealing on fabric. (And to anyone interested, Grampie gave up cigarettes altogether a very long time ago and has never gone back. I'm proud of him.)

 

I found myself in a bind. I washed the fabric and dried it, but the smell was still there, subtle and sinister unless exposed to warmth and then POUF - the smell came out in full force. I would have to throw it away. But 3 yards of beautiful fabric? The fabric hoarder in me screamed at the thought.

 

I stuffed it in a bag with old clothing waiting to be cut down into quilt squares and thought about it. Or, to be honest, I didn't think about it. But I knew it was there if I wanted it, and I could no longer smell it since it was in a bag.

 

This weekend I was chomping at the bit to sew something. I didn't sew at all last week (well, except for some throw pillows for the boys beds but that doesn’t really count). I am prone to, at random times, tear scrap fabric that is not big enough to make any thing with into 4" squares. I have several plastic gallon size bags stuffed with these 4" cotton squares and whenever I want to make a quilt top, I can dip into the pile. Judah and Malachi both got quilts made from this 4" square collection and I made my mom a table runner last Christmas with these - since they were already ready and waiting to be sewn, it took me only two hours to make it.

 

So on Saturday I wanted to make something. I got out my bags of 4" squares and looked through them. I had some pretty pink squares (but not many) and quite a few tan and white striped squares. Green would be nice to set off those colors. . .and my mind leaped to the polka dot fabric, stewing in the bag. I got it out. I sniffed it. I couldn't detect any cigarette odors right off. I tore the fabric into a lot of 4" wide strips, then pressed the strips, and tore them into 4" squares. When I pressed the fabric, I could indeed smell the odor once more but it didn’t seem as potent as before. I laid out a block with the green, striped and pink squares and I thought it looked all right.

 

In the end, I had just enough of the pink and striped squares to make fifteen 9-patch blocks. I am a lazy quilter and do not feel any guilt about boosting the size of a quilt top by alternating plain squares with pieced squares. The printed fabric for the plain squares came from a yard of very nice home dec cotton fabric I got at Mission Mart for 50 cents. I ended up with thirty blocks altogether and set them 6 x 5. If I had had enough blocks to set them 7 x 5 the quilt top would have ended up large enough for a twin size bed, but as it is, it will make a very adequate nap or "throw" quilt. I'm hoping that with the green fabric being surrounded by different fabrics, the cigarette odor will be dispersed and un-concentrated. I can't really smell it anymore. I'm very glad I saved this fabric, now.

 

The best part about this method of quilt making is that it costs so little. One reason I never got into quilting before is because fabric is so expensive and I just can't afford $50 worth of cotton for a twin size quilt top. But by using the scraps that are available, the quilt tops I've made have cost nothing. I use a blanket for the middle and, usually, a sheet for the backing so the cost for a completed quilt is never more than $5 or so. I can get nice, soft, worn blankets at the thrift shop for next to nothing and there are usually very nice sheets to be had which, with a good hot washing, work great as the back.

 

Another nice thing about sewing quilt tops with 4" squares is that it is FAST. This one took me a few hours to sew up. A nice Saturday afternoon project. And as quilts usually have names, this one will be "Memories of Grampie - Springtime and Cigarettes".

 

Love,

Sarah

Medieval Shoes - Venturing into Footwear

I have been sewing historic clothing for over ten years now. That doesn't seem like very long, but it is interesting to look back and see how I have progressed - in either good, or bad ways - since then. For one thing, I no longer get the "big picture". That's sad. It really is. I spend so much time worrying about details that if I see a picture of someone wearing something I have made, I usually have a moment of shock and think "Oh? Did I really make that? I don't remember it looking like that!" If I make a new dress, instead of enjoying the overall look and feel of it, I worry about a certain buttonhole which may not be perfectly in line with the others. Or slightly more gathers on one side of the bodice than the other.

I blame David for this. It is all his fault. When we got married and I began to sew for him, he was very particular about the details. The first frock coat I made him I had to remake several times. He was young and selfish and demanding. I was young and selfish and full of sinful pride about how I could make anything for him, anything at all. I was eager to show off my skills and make my husband proud of me. Admittedly, the First Frock was really not very good. He was picky about it, and although I knew it was lacking, I wanted him to like it anyway, just because I made it. We both learned some lessons, with tears and yelling and, I admit, throwing uniform pieces upon the floor and stomping upon them in defiance. My, my. The immaturity of 19 and 20.

Now, it seems, we have both softened a great deal. I realize now just how far I have come from my beginning attempts at historic clothing and just as soberly realize how far I have yet to go. David has learned to enjoy the "big picture". But now I am worrying about the details.

So, of course, I love to think of the details in a particular outfit from a particular era. Shoes are something that can really make or break a good impression (at least, for me) and they are often one of the most expensive items to purchase if you are buying ready-made.

A month or so ago I began to seriously think about medieval shoes. At our last event, I wore my leather Victorian repro boots. They weren't glaringly bad, but they weren't right, either. The boys wore whatever dark colored, unobtrusive shoes I could come up with. So they didn't look right, either.

I did some research and read some articles about shoe making and decided that it sounded rather simple, after all. I decided on a very simple shoe shape from Marc Carlsons site,  Footwear of the Middle Ages. A simple, one-piece upper and a sole, with an opening at the side for lacing. You can see this design here: Side-Laced Shoe. I had the hardest time figuring out if the lacing was on the inner foot or outer foot. I experimented, and discovered that I preferred the inner lacing as I was able to shape the opening to acheive a better fit on the inner foot. I still don't know which is the right way or if it even matters at all. Suggestions?

I referred heavily to James Barkers great article on shoe and pouch making from Historic Life. I traced a basic sole for my foot, being careful to trace just exactly where the skin of my foot came in contact with the ground, or else the sole would be too big. I measured and eyeballed to come up with an upper shape, and then sewed the pieces together out of some heavy fabric as a mock up. I went through three mock ups before I got a nice, tight-fitting shoe that hugged the foot all around but left enough room in the toes for comfort. I also extended the sole to make a pointed (must of modest length) toe. I have to have a pointed toe, you know! It's one era of history where the pointy toe like this was in.

After my mock up was made and fitted to my satisfaction, I realized I didn't have enough leather on hand to make shoes for myself. I had odd scraps in various sizes of thin black and red leather, and heavier leather for soles, but not enough for an adult sized pair of shoes. I found out that there was a Tandy leather store close by so David promised to take me some weekend so I could find leather for my shoes. Well, one thing or another has come up so we haven't been able to get to the leather store yet. But let me continue.

I decided to make a child size shoe since I had enough leather for that. I started with Judah since he has the largest foot of all the children. Once he outgrows these, they will fit someone else - or so I thought. Now I am really thinking that there is no such thing as standard sizes for shoes like this. They are made to fit one individual and it's a matter of chance and luck if they will fit another person too.

So I made Judah's pattern in the same way that I made mine. Mock ups were gone through and perfected. I cut out the leather and began sewing it together. I finished sewing one leather upper to one leather sole and turned it and, my shining hopes and dreams fell and shattered when I tried the shoe on him. For some reason, the sole came out way too wide at the heel and although he can wear the shoe and keep it on, the heel slips up and down. That can't be comfortable.

I put the shoes and patterns away for a while and pulled them out again just this morning. I think I am ready to tackle this again. Amy from A Day in 1862 recently completed a darling pair of 1860's leather shoes for her little girl, so she has inspired me to give it another go. Amy, you are majorly inspirational!

I wish I could stick to one era of costuming but that is just impossible! My mind is once again filled with kirtles and tunics and veils and happy thoughts of events this summer. :)

Love,

Sarah

Wrapping My Brain Around Breeches

I am not doing any sewing this week. I am prepping my kitchen for a much needed painting and trying to, generally, de-clutter and tidy things up in preparation for spring. The kitchen is my main concern right now, though.

I love this house, but whoever made the kitchen was lacking in common sense. Or perhaps it was a non-domestically-inclined man, who was not acquainted with the peculiar needs and desires of one who spends a great deal of time in food preparation. A room which would, if left open, be fairly large enough, but with the addition of an oddly shaped "peninsula" has made it so that whomever is in the kitchen is required to walk awkwardly round the jutting out counter top to reach anything at all - cupboards, refrigerator, sink. The whole thing was paneled at some point in the dim past and the cupboards are plain, and made of, probably, a type of plywood, perhaps laminated on the outside. To update this, some one, at some point, probably quite a while ago, splashed a lot of lime colored paint onto the paneling (getting a lot on the trim and the ceiling in the process) and slapped some white paint on the cupboards. White paint which, when scrubbed, comes off. It is in dire need of a good paint job with good quality paint. Then, at least it will look better and feel fresher and I won't mind the awkward arrangment so much.

So while I scrub and throw away things I think about David's regency outfit. The Cut of Mens Clothes finally came in at the library so I've been spending a few smuggled moments reading through the book and gulping hasty cups of coffee. I love it. (the book that is, not the coffee, although I am very fond of coffee) I need it. This book is Gold.

Before I make the tail coat (which I am most excited about, I must say) I first need to make the garments that will be worn beneath it. I have fabric for two sets of breeches on hand and am trying to figure out completely exactly how breeches are put together before I start cutting. The shape seems simple. It's just all the finishing details I am not sure of.

Note: The above image is from http://www.augusta-auction.com/. Please see this fab site for other gorgeous original examples!



I absolutely love how this book gives tantalizing excerpts from period tailors manuals. I loved this in particular:

"When the cloth is laid before you, do not omit to have recourse to the plate of the analysis of coats, and pay particular respect to the separated parts, the different modes and turnings that they effect. . .After you have sufficiently digested the plates, and your cloth being before you, mark down the back seam, as the plate directs, adn strike the shape of the back upon the cloth, bearing teh same similarities as the plate, and take care it answers to your measure in every part."  - The Taylor's Complete Guide 1796

I read it and had to read it again a few times before I dimly understood it. But now I'm very relieved to discover that my method of pattern making may not be too far off the mark. I'm very prone to taking diagrams and pattern shapes and making patterns based on those, substituting my own measurements (or those of the person I'm sewing for) to make the shape of the pattern. I never grade up patterns since I'd have to modify it anyway, so why not just start out with a good idea of the shape you are going after and use your own measurements for that? I was also glad to know I may not be absolutely insane and crazy and obsessed for going over, in  my mind, each particular pattern piece required and mentally putting them together to see what the finished garment will look like. Modifying a shape or angle here, adding to a piece there, to get the desired effect. It's so much easier and more practical to do all this mentally than to go through many many mock ups and time to get the right shape. It's probably because I can be abominably lazy, but, well, it is what I do.

So I have been researching breeches and trying to wrap my head around them. I came across this link to a pair of extant breeches c. 1790-1820. I am really appreciative of these photos being put online. They help SO much with knowing how to go about putting David's breeches together. Once I figure out the placket for the fall front (which, to me, seems difficult since the placket only extends the length of the slit front, and not to the underlap portion which is finished off by the underlap pieces being sewn on) I will go ahead and get started.

Anyone have good tips or links for an amatuer breeches maker?

Happy March to you all,

Love,

Sarah

Finished! Long Regency Stays!

They are done.

I'm happy with them. Quite so, indeed. Every time I make a corset, I think it is the most comfortable one I have made yet. I do think so about this one. I like it a lot. True, it is hard to get into without help and David finds some sort of twisted, hysterical amusement in me crying out to him "Help! I'm stuck!" when, several times after the last few days, I have become so firmly wedged into the stays as I struggle to put them on, that I need his help in tugging them down into place. Two options here; get a ladies maid, or use longer laces so I can unlace them more widely in order to put them on over my head with ease.

I think I'll go with the longer laces.

I'm wearing the stays over my medieval shift, since I don't currently have an accurate regency shift. The last one I made was way too full and the drawstrings kept breaking, so a new one is being planned. For now, this one will work (at least with long sleeved gowns). The construction is almost the same anyway. Funny how little things can change within 500 of years of fashion.

Love,
Sarah

Long Regency Stays - Progress Update #2

I think I am going to be very happy with these stays. They fit just as I had hoped they would, give a good shape and I have a nice wide 4" gap evenly spaced down the back lacing. Yeah! I was somewhat hesitant about making these since I started working out and counting calories after Christmas and hoped to loose weight. I am thinking I am about half way there, and was worried that if I made stays *now*, they might not fit if I keep loosing. However, with the wide lacing gap I hope I can fit into them for a while. I really don't see myself getting too thin to wear these, at least for a long time. I wish weight came off as easily as it goes on. . .sigh. . .

All that I have left to do is to bind the bottom edge. Since my last post, I added some cording to just under the bust area, some cording at the back and put in a total of 10 bones. I was going to go with just 6, but then upped it to 8 and then, finally, to 10. This seems a little too boned but I am most comfortable in it. I have become accustomed to some degree of firmness in my corsets since I mainly do 1860's, so a very minimally boned corset just felt a little loose to me. Four bones are at the back - one on each side of the eyelets - and then there are three on each side panel. The lacing is cross lacing. I know spiral may be more appropriate for this period, but Katherine pointed out in her documentation of her regency corset that cross lacing did exist in corsets of the time.

My busk is the beloved paint-stick which David carefully sanded and shaped for me and inscribed with his own sweet message. :) It really works awesomely. It is exactly the right length and I can sit without my bust being shoved up under my chin. Perfect. Plus, the paint stick was free. You can't beat that.

Well dearies, I am off to bake up a pan of browned butter brownies. The recipe comes from last months issue of Bon Appetit and is, I think, a new staple recipe in my collection. They are simply divine. Chocolate once in a while doesn't hurt anyone, does it now?

Have a fantastic weekend!

Love,

Sarah

Long Regency Stays - Progress

So, long regency stays are one type of corset I have never done before. I've made several variations of short stays and I used the Mantua Maker regency corset pattern to make 1820's/1830's stays (see two posts below) but this is my first, real, long regency corset.

I don't know why I have been so afraid of making long stays. The cording always looked so time consuming and the style looked very critically fitted in order to perfectly get that "lift and seperate" look. Well, I washed my fabric two days ago and cut out the stays yesterday and guess what. It's not that hard.

I used the Mantua Maker pattern, the version I fitted to myself last fall. I had to take the pattern in one inch all the way around and then four inches more at the hips. I also shortened the bust gussets by one inch.

The pieces were easy to sew together. I've done corsets before, and that is no problem. The cording was different, for me. I have never really corded a corset before. I opted for cording only on the front panel and running down the side of the front hip gusset. I thought about putting more cording in the back panel, but decided it wasn't really necessary at this point. I used a blue marking pencil to pencil my cording lines - all straight, for ease of sewing - and sewed the channels and then threaded the cotton cord through with a bobby pin. I will have bones at the back opening, on either side of the lacing eyelets, and also one bone at each side panel. That's it - the wooden busk will do the rest. I personally think the cording is more for decorative reasons that true support, to be honest.

I've put about five hours of work into the stays so far. All that is left is working the eyelets and binding the thing - really - that's it! I was thinking this would take me at least a few weeks to complete and am shocked to realize that I will most likely have it finished this weekend. I suppose it would take me longer if I were hand sewing the whole thing, but I am sticking to my usual historic-clothing-construction philosophy: If it will be Seen, do it by hand. If it's on the inside, don't worry about using a straight machine stitch, for Pete's sake! ;)

I'm really hoping The Cut of Men's Clothes comes in to the library soon. I think I will be ready to start on David's regency things before too long!

Love,
Sarah

Regency Stays Experts - Opinions and Advice Please!

With my thoughts turned towards the Jane Austen Festival this summer, I have been trying to decide what gowns to make and, therefore, what undergarments I will need to make first, since I'm not really pleased with my 1790's short stays anymore (the ones with the gathered cups) because, #1, they are starting to become too large for me, which is uncomfortable as it makes the shift rub against my skin and #2, they do not provide as nice a line as I might wish. I was once a C cup. I hope to be one again. In the meantime, I don't need to be wearing something that makes me look twenty pounds heavier on top. The stays I have been using push the bosom together making a "mono bosom" look. It's really not that flattering to me, I am afraid.

I got some fabric for new stays. I have the Mantua Maker regency stays pattern and last year I made it, with a few modifications, for late 1820's/1830's wear. I made my own gussets and did not use the ones included in the pattern. I also made a more nipped in waistline instead of going with the more tubular shape often seen in true regency corsets.

I want to start work on my stays soon. Today I pulled out the stays I made last year from the Mantua Maker pattern and tried them on to see what adjustments I will have to make for a more regency silhouette. I know I'll have to make them much smaller around my hips (so far, all the weight loss seems to be coming from my hips and bust! It would be nice to loose some from the waist too! But I'll take what I can get!) but I would like experts opinions on the bust area of the stays. Is it high enough? I tried on my new regency dress with the stays and I really like how it looks with these stays a lot better than with the 1790's stays. These stays incorporate the use of a busk, which really helps with support and gives the bosom the characteristic "lift and seperate" look.

I know the regency bustline was really high and kind of "shelf" like. These stays don't really give a "shelf" appearance, but they do lift the bustline pretty high; in fact, I don't physically think I could lift it any higher. So, should I stick with these size gussets? Or is there a way I can modify the gussets to give more of a shelf appearance?

Another problem that you can see is that, due to the cut of the bodice, you can clearly see the top of the stays in the middle of the bodice. :( Any suggestions on how I could fix that problem? A brooch? Lace along the bodice edge?

So if these stays will work. . .all I will need to do is use the same pattern I used for these and make the hips a tad smaller. It would be a lot less work than going through the inconvenience of making mock ups of gussets and such! :P

This is all very new to me so please jump in with your advice and opinions!

Sarah

The Nancy Drew 1940's Dress!

The past few weeks I've been re reading the Nancy Drew books I adored as a child. I haven't read them for years but my mom was getting rid of a big pile of books and asked me if I'd like to go through them before she did. I snagged some Nancy Drew books, Hardy Boy books and some Boxcar Children books, for good measure. (Yes, I loved mysteries as a child. Still do.)

So, when I realized I had a wedding coming up and had nothing to wear, I was inspired by the adventurous, courageous, intelligent young ladies in the Nancy Drew books who, no matter what kind of situation they found themselves in, were always feminine and charming and properly attired. No man suits or t shirts and jeans for these women, people! They piloted airplanes, rode horseback, explored underground caves and tunnels and haunted houses and deciphered codes, all while being decidedly feminine.

In my previous post I shared the vintage 1940's pattern I was inspired by. I finally finished the dress today and am really happy with how it came out. I was really afraid of the fabric being too plain and ugly to wear to a wedding, but now I'm having second thoughts. I did buy a modern outfit to wear in case this one didn't work out so I'm not sure yet which one I will end up using. Ladies, your opinions and advice is needed! Would you wear something like this to a wedding? For comparison purposes, the modern outfit is an ankle-length black pig suede A line skirt, very flared and twirly, and a silky black and pink floral blouse with a V neck and flutter sleeves and a handkerchief hem, with black leather dress boots.

Since becoming interested in the 40's I've been looking around for red lipstick. I don't usually wear make up (well, besides clear powder and chap stick) but red lipstick is kinda a 40's thing, you know. Like the hoop skirt in the 1860's. It's the sign of the times. So, I've found it really hard to find a basic, red lipstick. There are so many options available it seems. I have a few different shades now and the one I like best is called British Red, but it still is a bit orangey, it seems. So I'm still on the hunt for The Perfect Red Lipstick.

David usually is not that interested in my attempts at historic recreations but he did like this one. He seems to like the vintage styles I've toyed with better than, say, the regency or Romantic period. He told me that it looks "like something Susan would have worn before she came to Narnia." From him, that is definitely a compliment worth having.

I still need to figure out a better hair style. My hair was NOT cooperative today! It must be the changing weather. All our snow from a few weeks ago is nearly gone and today it is supposed to get above *60* degrees!!! Spring is on the way!

Love,
Sarah

Inspired by the 1940's. . .

I've been thinking a lot about summer dresses lately. Maybe it's because I am really getting tired of seeing the old, tired snow outside and maybe it's because I'm excited about the prospect of visiting my grandfather in the East this summer and want to be appropriately attired for such pleasures as beach-walking and historic-site-touring. Whatever the case may be, I've been encouraging my interest in vintage styles because 1) I have come to realize that, much as I may adore Victorian and other similarly "outdated" styles, I hardly ever wear them once I have made them because I don't like being stared at and 2) vintage styles from the 30's and 40's usually take much less fabric than Victorian styles and are cooler to wear, easier to care for and sew up quickly.

I came across this lovely pattern and decided I loved the style. I draped a pattern last week and started work on a dress right away. I used a mystery fabric I got from the thrift shop; I believe it to be a linen/cotton blend based on how it feels but it may be pure cotton. I am almost done with it and since this first dress is rather plain and severe, will be making another one in a prettier print with a more swirly skirt. For my version, I shortened the skirt to just below the knee as that seems a standard 40's length for daywear and changed the neckline to a V (more flattering to me) and put sleeves on it. I love the little gathered straps on the original pattern though. . .I may have to try that for my vacationing dress!



Finished ~ Green Regency Daydress

Well, 'tis Sunday already and to start off the new week, I had David take some pictures of the green regency gown. Yes, it is finally finished! I am very glad since I was beginning to grow rather tired of seeing it hanging, limp and unfinished, in the sewing room. I have already spoke of its construction so much that there is really not much more to say about it! So here are my attempts at looking like a regency lady. :)

Although I don't wear this style terribly often (okay, hardly ever! I have gone back to wearing modern clothes all the time) I do plan on making another regency gown for Easter. My dear friend Lauren from The Lady of Portland House has given me some fabulous ideas for a sheer white striped cotton fabric I have and yesterday David bought me several yards of a pretty blue cotton print that will become a half-robe to wear over the white round gown. To add more excitement to the mix, we are also tentatively planning on attending the Jane Austen festival in Louisville, KY this summer. David has to submit his list for requested weekends off at work this week, so hopefully he will be able to get the time off that we will need! So if we DO go to that, I will have an excuse to make a regency ball gown with the leftover fabric from my 1860's ballgown. So, ah yes, there does seem to be a theme for my future sewing plans.

Have a wonderful week my dears!

Love,
Sarah