A Sidetrip to the 60's - Black Lawn Gown

#1: The spacebar on the keyboard gets stuck every other punch. The baby spit up on it. So if there are multiple wordsspelledalltogetherlikethis that is why.

#2: Since we are attending an 1862 event this weekend I decided to postpone making the Hobbit bodice until next week. This week I made up the black lawn I was supposed to have turned into a dress while I was still pregnant. Yeah. I procrastinate.

#3: The baby turned 1 month old this past week. Where does time go? She looks so much like Malachi did at this age. Her eyes are getting bluer every day, much to the disappointment of David, who hoped she'd have brown eyes, like him. It seems blue eyes are dominant in our family. Her hair is still dark though. And I think she is just beautiful with her big blueberry eyes!

The black lawn is from Fashion Fabrics Club and the style I chose is pretty basic for the era. The bodice has gathers at the shoulder and waist, over a fitted lining. The sleeves are full at the wrist and fitted at the shoulder. There is a teeny sleeve cap with a ruffled edge at the top of the full sleeves. The skirt is about         180" at the hem is cartridge pleated to the waistband. I chose a V neckline (definitely more flattering to me than a high round neckline) and edged it with a lace frill instead of a collar.

I like it. I'm not that excited about it but I haven't been super excited about 60's fashions for a while. The fashion of the decade gets old after 14 years of study. It will work well for this weekend and that is what matters.

But I DO really like how the sheer shawl I made earlier this summer looks with it. I love the fluffy ruffles and the cheerful colors and how they look with the more somber black gown. 

And I like the shape my bum pad gives the back of the skirt. Yay for fluffy Victorian bums!

I will be back next week with the Hobbit bodice once again foremost in my mind, sewing-wise. 

Love,

Sarah

Hobbit Skirts. And an Apron.

Well folks, I did get both petticoats finished this week. And the apron. I feel superwomanish. Nevermind the  5 loads of laundry still waiting to be washed. . .what mattereth that when the Hobbit Frock is nearing completion, pray?

It's very. . .brown. But we'll get some color going on in the bodice!

So, the skirts are done. The first one is made from a light brown Egyptian cotton bedsheet that has seen better days. I cut out the worn parts and what was left was sufficient for a nice petticoat. It is about 130" around at the hem and is just two rectangles with a hemmed placket in the back. Super simple as far as skirts go. I machine gathered the top to a plain waistband that buttons in the back.

The second skirt is of a lightweight (although somewhat scratchy) brown wool. Also about 130" at the hem. To reduce waistline bulk I cartridge pleated it as I would a mid-19th century style skirt. It also closes with a single button at the back waistband. I'm so glad I decided to use the Egyptian cotton for the longest petticoat. It feels so good against my skin while this wool would have been rather itchy!

Then the apron. Ah. The apron. It was difficult for me to decide to actually use this "mystery" fabric. I wavered back and forth between in and a darker blue-green woven checked sheer cotton. My personal tastes strongly desired the blue-green cotton for both the color and the fiber content but in the end, David aided me in my decision making process by informing me that the lighter, brighter green was more "Hobbity".
It's just one long rectangle gathered to a plain waistband that ties in the back. You just cannot get more simple than that!

 Now that all the easy stuff is out of the way I can focus on the more difficult cut, construction and fit of the bodice. I think I'll use my 18th century stays pattern as a starting point and will heavily quilt the lining to help it hold its shape. Possibly bone the seams? I guess we'll see what works and what doesn't!

And for those of you who remember my darling Susan and the sad situation of her loosing her babies earlier this year, here is a picture that brings a very fine sort of closure to that heartbreak. Susan is a mother once more with Gilbert the Esteemed Papa and their 5 infant kitties are as fat and healthy and fuzzy as could be desired. Susan is very happy, with that blissed out look that I feel when my own babe is cuddling and nursing. I didn't want her to get pregnant again until later this fall but, as they say, life finds a way. Mama and babies doing perfectly! Gilbert has licked two of them on the head. He doesn't seem quite so apathetic as I had thought he would be.

Love,
Sarah

Hobbit Shift

"Nonetheless, ease and peace had left this people still curiously tough. They were, if it came to it, difficult to daunt or to kill; and they were, perhaps, so unwearingly fond of good things not least because they could, when put to it, do without them, and could survive rough handling by grief, foe or weather in a way that astonished those who did not know them well. . ." 

~ Fellowship of The Ring

Besides several wrap style diaper covers this is my first real sewing project to finish since the baby arrived. Life is getting back to normal. We are getting into a routine. Yay! It is definitely possible to eke out an hour of sewing time in the afternoon or evening while the babe naps and the older children are occupied with other things. It is nice to have that "me time". It keeps me happy and creative and sane. Everyone benefits by it.

So, we have the hobbit shift done. I wasn't sure whether to call it a smock or a shift or a chemise but I thought that shift might be most appropriate since the hobbit costumes in LOtR are influenced by 18th century fashion.

It was incredibly weird working on something that is not really historical. Usually, with all my non-modern sewing projects, I have a visual example of a real original to look at and use as my guideline for cut, construction, appropriate fabric, fit, etc. With a movie costume like this all I have are a very few blurry screencaps and what details I can catch on t.v. as the scenes flash by. It's hard. It's depressing to have so little to go on.

So I decided to just go with 18th century style cut as much as possible, deviating from history where necessary to create a "hobbit look". To that end, I decided to not use a raglan sleeve cut for the shift but to use the more period appropriate square cut style with underarm gussets instead. The fabric is the lightweight gauzy cotton seen in my last post which is intended to look more rustic and hobbity. The period choice would have been a lightweight linen. The neckline of my shift is fuller than period shifts but this is to create the look seen in the movie. The sleeves are not terribly full and could potentially pass as 18th century but I used elastic in the cuffs instead of a drawstring so that they would stay up on my arm better.

The main seams are sewn on the machine with cotton thread but all stitching that can be seen from the outside was done by hand. I wish now I had cut the shift to be a bit longer, to hit below the knee instead of above it, but all in all I am happy with how this came out and no one will be able to tell how long or short the shift is once the entire outfit is finished and on the body.

This week I hope to get the petticoats done. Possibly the apron as well but I'm not going to plan too much or I will be disappointed if I don't get everything accomplished. The day promises to be cool and rainy - a perfect day for brewing hot tea and sitting down to sew!

Love,
Sarah

Concerning Hobbits:

*EDIT 8-16-12* I just came across this site, Costuming Lavenda, which has an incredible breakdown of Hobbit dress styles from both the LOtR hobbits and the new Hobbit movie hobbits. Awesome illustrated examples with "documentation" from the movies!!! How cool is that?! Check it out!

Okay, so is anyone else totally geeked out excited about the new Hobbit movie coming out later this year? David and I have been eagerly awaiting it ever since we heard it was in production. For a long time we have planned David's 28th birthday party around the debut of the movie and for a long time I have planned to make Hobbit costumes we can wear to the theater when it comes out. For obvious reasons I've had to put the construction of my own costume on hold but now that my figure is (somewhat) normal once more it is time to get serious about this.

Layers of Skirts - cotton underskirt, wool overskirt and "mystery fabric" apron -

Plus, watching LOtR over and over to catch what details can be caught of hobbit costumes (and hearing the wails of small boys who erupt into passionate anger when the pause button is hit yet another time so you can look more closely at relevant scenes with pretty costumes) is an activity very convenient to a new mother, who is supposed to spend the majority of her time taking it easy and nursing a frequently hungry baby.

Lightweight gauzy cotton for shift

Over the weekend I went to the thrift store and found some deals. With stuff from the stash to round things out I think I have what I need to start working on my hobbit frock.

Wool and cotton for bodice, possible trim? Other laces may be used instead.

I have no idea how long it will take me to get this done. Hopefully not too long. The only part that should hold any sort of difficulty is the fitted bodice and I think I have the construction of that all mentally sorted out. So we'll see what the children allow me to get done over the next week or so.

Basic Hobbit Frock with double skirts, apron, and elbow length shift. 

Below are the notes I jotted while watching the first part of Fellowship of the Ring. They mostly pertain to the daily life scenes, not the party scene. And the list is by no means exhaustive but its a starting point.


Elements of Female Hobbit Outfit:

Chemise/Shift: 

• Style - Full bodice with gathers (drawstring?) at neckline. Line of gathers/drawstring appears to be most often set an inch or so below the edge of the neckline so as to form a small ruffle at the edge of the neckline. Neckline appears to be squared in visual examples. Sleeves appear to be raglan style but may be set in style. Sleeves appear to be either short sleeves gathered to fit (drawstring?) at the hem, with or without a substantial flounce below the hem or elbow length sleeves, with or without a substantial flounce below the hem. 
• Fabrics - observed visual examples appeared to include solid colored fabrics, small prints, small checks/plaid and woven designs (tone on tone). 
• Colors - observed colors included medium brown, white, light tan, light yellow, light gray, light blue, cream.

Petticoat/Skirt:

• Style - Plain rectangular construction skirt. Skirts most often appear to be quite plain. Two skirts may be worn. Observed examples of double skirts appeared to have the lower skirt worn just above the ankle and the upper skirt worn just below the knee. Some skirts appeared to be shorter, perhaps mid-calf length to just below knee length. Skirt appear to be pleated wtih very small pleats or cartridge gathered to a pain rectangular waistband. Skirts appear to fasten at center back. 
• Fabrics - fabrics appeared to be fairly substantial. Possible fabrics for a similar visual effect may include wool, linen or heavier cottons (quilting weight or heavier). Skirts appeared to be solid colored, plaid, striped or printed. 
• Colors - Apparent colors included light tan, dark brown, a print appearing to be brown and cream, moss green, teal, dark orange/peach, mustard  yellow, medium brown, blue, rust red. 

Bodice: 

• Style - Fitted sleeveless bodice, fitting quite snug to the figure. Back lacing closure. Cut without darts. Shaped pieces, including center front panel, side front, and back pieces. Shoulder straps may or may not be cut seperately from bodice and later sewn on. Some shoulder straps appear to be cut wide at the shoulder to form a type of "cap" at the shoulder. Necklines on bodice cut to be lower than the neckline of shift/chemise. Neckline shapes include squared, scooped, sweetheart and arched (the arch swooping upwards towards the throat). Often the center front panel is of a contrasting fabric than the rest of the bodice. Wide array of possibilities for trimmings, including embroidery, false lacing at front panel (one example had what apepared to be a lattice effect with strips of ribbon crisscrossing the center front panel), applique, bands of trim at top of panel, etc. 
• Fabrics - Fabrics appear to be fairly substantial, to support the figure. Wool, linen and heavier cottons would all work well to give a similar visual effect. Fabrics appear to be solid, striped or check/plaid, with the stripes and checks sometimes being cut on the bias for an interesting visual effect. Sometimes various fabrics are used in one single bodice for a very colorful and whimsical appearance. 
• Colors - Green, dark red, dark brown, red-brown, dark teal, mustard yellow, blue

Apron:

• Style - Simple waist apron with back tie fastening. Aprons appear to be gathered to waistband. Examples appear to go from back hip, across front, to back hip. Hem length is shorter than skirts.
• Fabrics - Fabrics appear to be similar to skirt fabrics, perhaps a bit lighter in weight. A medium to lightweight cotton or linen would work well, as would a lightweight wool. Aprons appear to be solid colored although at least one example appeared to be checked and another striped. 
• Colors - white, cream, red/white check, light green, light blue, gray

Kerchief:

• Style - triangular garment worn tucked in at the bodice neckline. The garment falls over the shoulders and the point lies over the bodice in the back. The length of the point appears to be varied, some reaching the waist and others reaching "bra band length". 
• Fabrics - Lighter to medium weight fabrics. Similar to apron fabrics. Appear to be solid colored or textured/woven patterned fabrics. 
• Colors - blue-green, light brown, light blue

Headgear:

• Straw hat - in at least two scenes a straw hat on a female hobbit was obserbable. In one scene, the hat is seen from the back, appearing to be a medium sized straw hat with a brim large enough for shading the neck and face but not overly large. A dark colored band was around the crown of the hat for decoration. In another scene, a closer view of a straw hat shows a medium sized hat with a rather open weave, lacey looking brim. Hats appear to be quite "rustic" in appearance. 
• Mob Cap - in one scene a light colored (light blue?) mob cap was observable. It appeared to be worn by an older female hobbit. The crown fit the head rather snugly (the top was not "poufy") and the flounce draped down around the ears. 

Hairstyles: 

• Hair arranged 'up' - Curly hair (all hobbits) arranged in a high bun towards the top of the head, low pigtails, hair arranged low (perhaps braided?) and then flipped up onto the head and pinned into place. 
• Hair arranged 'down' - hair loose and flowing in the back but the front sides pulled up and tied wtih a ribbon.

Love,
Sarah

Our 1860's Family

David was able to take his vacation from work this past week, which worked out so nicely since he could be home with me and the boys and the baby as we settled in. It has been a week of not doing so very much; letting the housework slide a bit, taking the children to the country 4-H fair and for a hike in the woods after the heat wave passed by. Baby Anne turned one week old yesterday and it's hard to believe it has already been a whole week since she arrived. On the other hand, it is almost impossible to think that she has been here only a week - it seems like she has always been part of our family. She is such a good baby; we are so blessed. The boys are great with her, although at times I do think they view her as more of an oversized kitten to carry off and play with.

One thing we did this week was attempt to get an 1860's style picture of our family together. So far, it has not been very successful. But we did get a few of the baby and the boys and us so here they are (and we are still trying for that family picture! Maybe today the boys will be more cooperative and the baby won't decide she is starving as soon as we are ready to take the picture!)

Anne is a bit tiny for the little gown and cap I made for Malachi when he was four weeks old. But she still looked very sweet, although her main priority was attempting to taste the cap strings. 

She was more dress than baby.

David is so proud of his little daughter. It is interesting to see how his behavior is different towards her than it was towards the boys. He is more gentle, more tender, more worried about her well being. More willing to fuss over the warmth of a blanket, or the amount of air coming in through the window over her face. He was never anything but lovely with the boys but he has a much more protective demeanor towards our little girl.

I now can see my husband with new eyes. In him I see the gentle hands of my daddy, as he used to hold me. I can feel my daddy's embrace when I see David adjust his huge frame to fit the tiny bundle he lays against his chest. His eyes are deep and full of some sweet tender feeling. He realizes the enormous responsibility he has; to bring up this little woman into gracious womanhood, to be the man she first falls in love with, to be the arms she can fly to when trouble comes, to reassure her constantly of her value and her beauty. To be there for her as she discovers the man he will one day give her to, when the time comes that she will cross that mystic threshold of sweet girlhood into the realm of wifehood, of motherhood. 

As for me, I look at my baby girl and seem to see myself. Since her birth I have felt much closer to my mother. I wonder if she felt with me the same feelings I feel now as I look into the face of my infant daughter. When I think of the coming years and how fast they will go, I wonder how my mother seemed to know exactly what to teach me as each day came and went. How she enabled me to follow my own paths instead of ones she may have chosen for me instead. From embroidering little t-shirts to presenting me with my highschool diploma at the successful end of a 13 year homeschooling journey, she has been my role model, my inspiration and my teacher. I hope I can do as well with this new little one. 

This past week has been lovely but it is back to the grindstone tomorrow! I am grateful for an entire week to do nothing but get to know our newest member of the family but I do admit I am also looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. Reengergized, refocused, refreshed. We will see what life is like for a family of six. I think it will be very good.

Love,
Sarah

The Lady Anne

Anne Victoria Charlotte arrived Saturday, July 21st, at 2:06 AM.

Six pounds, four-and-half ounces and 19 inches of perfect baby!

She arrived at exactly 37 weeks and although she is small, she is full of spunk and fire. Already she has quite the little personality and is an amazing nurser. Like her brother Malachi before her she is extremely strong for a newborn and she wants to eat constantly.

We are so happy to have our beautiful little girl in our arms. She is so pure. She is so wise. Her eyes are the eyes of the Ancients and in them I can see the face of God. We are so happy. We are so blessed.

Love,
Sarah

More photos here: Lady Anne

Victorian Sunbonnet Tutorial

NOTE: The dates for the sew-along/tutorial will now be July 23rd-July 27th, since my sister has to borrow the camera this week. Thanks! ;) 

We are gearing up for Vacation Bible School this coming week and the boys are very excited about attending. This year's theme is Goldrush and is set in 1860 - can you believe it?! That is just pure awesomeness, right there. I was asked to help out with some of the costumes for the drama and it will be fun seeing various articles from the reenacting closet worn by the cast members. I am super excited!

Since there is not much going on in the sewing department right now (besides an overnight bag for the hospital for myself - never again will I have to stuff my things into a brown paper grocery sack for an emergency trip to L&D!) I thought that this week I could take my time and work on a little project that I have been thinking about for a while; doing a tutorial for a basic mid-19th century sunbonnet. I know there are other tutorials out there but I haven't seen one yet made in this style, so, it's what I've got. ;) Besides, I need a new sunbonnet. I actually don't even have one right now. That is pathetic.

I will be spreading it out over several days so hopefully it will be easy to follow. Just a few steps per day. The sunbonnet in these pictures I made for a little reenacting friend earlier in the spring and it went together in just one evening. Very basic and simple but I was very happy with the finished result!

Love,
Sarah

Eyelet Baby Gown

Many months ago I found a very pretty eyelet valance at the thrift store. It was wide and very, very long and only two dollars. I bought it, intending to make the baby a gown with it at some point. We had just found out we were having a girl and I had very few girl clothes for a baby. I envisioned sewing her up a dainty wardrobe of pretty frocks.

However, I did not count on the generosity of friends and family. Little Anne is now very amply supplied with clothes for at least the duration of her first year; little dresses and jumpers and frilly skirts and sleepers and nightgowns and hats, socks, headbands, shoes, sweaters and snowsuits, and onesies beyond necessity. (I counted twenty-six newborn size onesies when I last took stock of the drawers I am keeping her newborn clothes in). Making a lot of baby dresses then seemed to be a waste of time since she really does not need anything extra at all.

I still did want to make a White Dress. There just seems to be something so old fashioned and holy about a baby all in white. . .something pure and sacred and beautiful and fleeting. I decided to hold off on making the gown until closer to my due date. So, this past Saturday, as we did *not* go to the Civil War event (the heat index was 102), I made the little white gown and baby cap. It went together very quickly.

For the pattern I just traced the bodice from one of the dresses she already has. I added little loose gathered sleeves and a little ruffle at the neckline. It was fun playing around with the eyelet design. The skirt is just a tube gathered to the bodice and another strip of eyelet, topstitched to the waist, makes the waistband. I'm hoping it will be big enough for her to wear for a while. When she is little the gown will be quite long, of course, but as she grows the skirt will come to above her feet and the waistline will become more empire than natural. I made sure to make the armholes and the neck opening plenty big for this reason. The baby cap pattern is an 1860's one I used for the boys.

I have so much of this curtain left over. I wonder if I should save it to make something else for her when she gets bigger or if I should make something for myself. ;) It's an awesome feeling knowing you are repurposing fabric and that you got it for such a good price! Even cheap eyelet from Jo Anns is $10/yard and is a poly/cotton blend. (In passing, I totally have been disappointed and disgusted with the offerings Jo Anns has had lately. Their prices are just SO HIGH and the fabric feels SO LOUSY to the touch.)

Now that the dress is done I think I am really all ready for the baby to get here. Except for diaper pins. I still need to get some of those. I passed the 34 week mark (always a nervous time for me since little David was born at 34 weeks) so am feeling pretty good about that. Now she can come whenever she is ready. I feel like I'm lugging around a ripe watermelon!

Love,
Sarah

1860's Sheer Summer Shawl

This week has been unreasonably hot. Now, I know that June is quite often very hot but this week it seems to be hotter than average. Weeks like these are the only time I think that there may be some grains of respectability in the theory of global warming. But I should rectify my complaint. The first few days of the week were perfect. Low humidity, mid-70's, a cool low-50's at night. Perfect for enjoying everything about summer and for cuddling with your Loved One under blankets at night as the cool breezes blow in from the open windows. Then suddenly, the temperature jumped to around 100 degrees and the humidity is unbearable.

We have an 1860's event this weekend, although now, as it has fallen out with several other 1860's events this year, it looks like we may be staying home. This time, simply because of the projected 99 degree weather (with a chance of thunderstorms) we will experience this weekend. Still, earlier this week when we were still tentatively planning on attending I was working to get our clothes ready and since I knew it would be hot and that for several days I would be holing up in the house with the air conditioning running full blast, I thought it would be nice to make a summer weight shawl to use at the event since the only ones I currently have are heavier and more appropriate for cooler weather.

I stopped at Wal Mart on Wednesday and found some really lovely sheer cottons in their clearance/value fabric section. $2.50 a yard! I bought three yards of a sheer white-with-blue-stripe cotton and yesterday made my shawl.

It is sewn completely by hand. Not on purpose but because that is just how it worked out. The three yards of fabric were just enough for a 45" square for the base of the shawl and the remaining yardage was cut into 6" wide bias strips to edge the square.

I decided to hem the enormous bias ruffle by hand. #1: It looks better. #2: I woke up around 4 a.m. yesterday morning and couldn't go back to sleep so I employed the time between then and the men-folk waking up in hemming the ruffle. I was exhausted by the time they got up but at least the ruffle was hemmed!

Always alert for shortcuts, I turned up a narrow hem on the 45" square, to the outside. Then while the boys and I watched Sarah, Plain and Tall yesterday afternoon I gathered and attached the ruffle to the shawl, effectively gathering, tacking the gathers and hemming the square all at the same time! I took about 4 running stitches on my needle 1/4" down from the top hem on the bias ruffle. I drew them up, and then took a backstitch to attach the gathered section of ruffle to the hem of the square.

I love having a frilly, lightweight wrap to use now, although I may have to wait til our next planned event in late August to actually wear this. But I am still praying the weather will cool down so we can go for at least part of the day tomorrow to our event. There will be dinner and a dance and dear friends to visit with. We'll see! I have always thought, though, that no events should take place in June or July unless it cannot be helped. They can be torturous months in the midwest!

Love,
Sarah

June Regency Project: Apron ~ Skirt and Finishing

The apron is done. It is June 26th. I made it. I did it, with four days to spare. Woo-ha. Now that certainly will inspire me to get next month's project done *early* in the month! Because, who knows, maybe sometime in the late part of next month I'll be kinda occupied with a new little person. (Although, knowing my luck, she won't appear til the latest possible date sometime in late August! Which would totally stink because we have two events late next month to attend and I'd prefer to be somewhat comfortable by that time. . .)

So anyway, to pick up where I left off, we start with the skirt. I don't know the actual dimensions of the skirt. I just eyeballed it. It is a plain rectangle and I hemmed it narrowly on the sides and with a 1.5" hem at the bottom. As per usual, I did all the stitches that will show from the outside by hand:

I decided to leave the front of the apron flat as it seemed to be more flattering than having gathers or pleats all the way across. The extra fullness in the width of the apron was taken up in three pleats on either side, and the waistband was sewn to the top edge:

Then the bib was sewn on:

To finish the waistband on the inside, I cut a strip of white cotton and sewed it to the outer waistband, creating a facing. This also helps strengthen the waistband and prevents it from stretching.

And lastly, to fasten the back, I sewed on two hook and eyes:

I TOTALLY love this apron! It works just as well over modern clothes as it does over period garments and it covers everything that normally would get stained. I am pretty sure I am going to be making another one to use for modern life. The two aprons that get rotated in my kitchen are sadly past their prime.

If David will condescend to aid me, I will get pictures up of the finished apron in the next day or so. The timer on the camera stopped working earlier today so I need an extra set of hands! Maybe I can even convince David to dress up in his regency clothes for a few pics as well. ;) What wife does not love seeing her hubby dressed in handsome period attire? It's so much easier to imagine oneself a Jane Austen heroine if one has a dressed up man as an accessory.

Love,
Sarah