Rose's Hobbit Pinafore

One of the great things about fantasy costuming is that you can utilize historic techniques to get the look you are going for but you aren't bound by adherence to historical accuracy. This is what I love about hobbit clothing. It's been many years now since I have fallen in love with the whimsical, rustic styles worn in Lord of the Rings but its a style I never get burnt out on, like I do sometimes with clothing from actual historical eras. It's fun to add quirky accents and to try to think like a hobbit would have: something fun, pretty, practical and simple is the only goal.

For Rose's pinafore I ended up with a quasi-victorian style that is not far removed from the mid 19th century. It's inspired by the high waisted sleeveless dresses worn by the young hobbit girls in the film but the fullness starts at the chest instead of the waist. To me, at least, it seems to be a style more suited to young babies and toddlers and, most important, it is extremely practical!

The boys had similar styled pinafores for Civil War reenacting and they fit them for a very long time. Since the pinafore is unfitted except for the neckline the shape accommodates a range of sizes. And since Rose's chemise is unfitted, too, this whole outfit is absolutely perfect for a kid who tends to grow at completely unpredictable times.

I love using up small pieces from the stash for these outfits. I used the last of a semi sheer blue cotton this time. For the yoke lining and the hem facing I used part of a green and white woven gingham curtain I got at a second hand store last year. I wasn't going to trim it at all since Rose is a drooly baby and her garments need to be frequently washed. I found some pretty, rather roughly embroidered trim at a local antique mall, though that had a design of tulips. Rustically floral! Perfect for a hobbit!

I put a little flounce at each shoulder and that seemed to be just enough. The center front got a tiny length of braided trim that I salvaged from the edge of an old broken lamp shade.

And here are the two finished hobbit dresses!

I was seized with a desire to make Benjamin a hobbit outfit, too. I've never made boy hobbit clothing. So far I have made his shirt and he will get some short trousers and suspenders to go with it. Hopefully I'll have a post about that within the next week or so.

Love,
Sarah

A Blue Hobbit Chemise

I finished up Anne's hobbit outfit earlier this week. Over the weekend we went out and bought lots of fake flowers, wire, floral tape and ribbon to make some new flower crowns, since, of course, a girl can never have too many of those. They are useful little accessories. I picked out some pretty daisies as a good match for her dress but she likes the pink hydrangeas. So we got both, as well as a few others.

Rose's outfit is now underway and today I sat down to sew a little on her chemise and to my surprise I got it all done. It only took about two hours, start to finish. So yes, raglan sleeved chemises sew up a lot more quickly than square cut ones. Less seams to finish. Less pieces.

This chemise isn't made from any particular pattern but there are many tutorials and free patterns online for very similar little dresses. This one at The Stitching Scientist is a great one.

I used up the very last of many yards of a sheer floral fabric I bought many years ago. Probably almost ten years ago, now that I think about it! It's lightness was perfectly suited to a chemise and blue is one of those colors that really suits Rose.

I used 1/4" elastic in the neck and sleeves. It is a little roomy now but will fit her for a while, even for modern wear. It will look cute with a pair of leggings when she is taller.

Here she posed outside with a stick she found. This kid adores sticks and one of her first words was "stick", pronounced rather ungenteely as "shit" with a hard "k" sound at the end. "Mum mum! Shit-k!"

It was certainly a beautiful stick. She brought it in to show her brother Malachi, who applauded her stick finding skills.

Next up is the overdress, which I think I'm going to make more like a pinafore. Then mine. I WILL get it done before the end of the month. I will.

Love,
Sarah

Hobbit Sewing

Whee, it's September! This has long been one of my favorite months and I am so excited for fall and all the wonderful things it brings - cool misty mornings, crisp days, the colorful riot of foliage in the hills and Halloween (although the local shops have been hawking Halloween wares on their storefront sidewalks since July so, it lessens the enthusiasm somewhat).

Renn Faire season is soooon and as I really wanted to make new hobbit costumes for at least some of us, we are going as hobbits to the faire. At least the girls and I!

I started Anne's costume first since I haven't made anything for her for a while. I wanted to try a different style than the dresses I made for her when she was a baby. Watching the LoTR again it appears most hobbit girls wear very simple outfits, mainly a sleeveless dress/jumper with a blouse underneath. The waistlines are rather high, reminiscent of regency-era styles. So for Anne we decided to make a long chemise to serve as a sort of combined blouse/petticoat and a jumper.

The first thing to make was Anne's under-dress, or chemise. I made it just like my own hobbit chemise from several years ago. It is all square construction with a squared neck. The neck and sleeves are gathered with elastic so its easy for her to get on and off by herself. We pinned a little bow at the neckline to simulate the look of a drawstring, but its just attached with a safety pin so we can take it off as needed or replace it for a different look.

Her over dress, or jumper, will be made of a green and pink striped fabric. We plan to make a little apron to finish it off. We've been trying to decide on a jumper style. Anne keeps changing her mind as to what she wants.

Rose will have a very similar outfit (blue themed, I think. ..) but I think I will try a raglan sleeved chemise for her instead of a square cut one. From what I have read about the costumes made for the LoTR movies some of the shirts/chemises worn by the hobbit women were indeed cut with raglan sleeves. Her jumper will be similar to Anne's but since she is still quite little I will make it a yoked style with the fullness starting just above the chest.

Hopefully I'll have enough time to make mine after the girls outfits are done. These are the fabrics I want to use:

Love,
Sarah

A Few More Pictures

From the event we attended this past weekend. Today I finally got the last of our clothes ironed and put away for next time. So, it takes about 4 days to: treat stains, wash clothing, let it air dry, bring upstairs, iron and put away! I gotta not procrastinate so bad.

1860's Gathered Dresses for Benjamin and Rose

I finished up the babies new dresses just in time for them to wear this past weekend. It's been a while since I've had to stay up late the night before an event and wake up early the next day to do hems! They got to try out their new outfits and we all had a wonderful time enjoying the first really nice weekend we have had since June. The heat lifted, the humidity disappeared and the cool breeze was reminiscent of autumn. Which is, after all, not that far away.

These were made from the same basic, quick, easy dress diagram I've used for all the kids over the years. A while ago I scanned the hand drawn pattern I used for the first 3; honestly, it's better to use your own kids measurements instead of going off of a pattern. So for the last 3 I've used the same basic idea but substituted their own measurements for length, width, etc. Here's a quick, not to scale drawing of what I do. This is seriously such an easy dress!

  

I made Benjamin's gown out of an amazing blue plaid cotton I found at a local antique/quilt shop. I love this fabric and it highlights his blue eyes perfectly!

I edged his sleeves with some narrow cotton trim and self fabric piping; I may draw the sleeves up towards the shoulder but didn't have time to try that idea out before he had to wear it. 

For Rose's dress I used some beautiful pink and white cotton I purchased from a facebook group earlier this year. There wasn't quite enough for an adult sized dress but there is more than enough for matching gowns for Anne and Rose. 

The print is a little big for such a peanut but she still looks cute in it and she was very proud of herself in her new dress! When I showed her her reflection in the mirror she laughed and giggled with glee. I want to finish her sleeves with a little self fabric ruching around the hem and draw them up on the shoulder, too.

Both of their dresses are on the roomy side. I made each about 2" bigger all round than needed so that they have room to grow. I *really* want them to last til next year. Hopefully! 

Since these are *not* white I am counting them for the August Historical Sew Monthly challenge, Patterns. Below are the details:

What the Item Is: 1860's Childs Dresses

The Challenge: Patterns

Fabric/Materials: Cotton

Pattern: My own

Year: 1860's (and a little before and after, too)

Notions: Thread, buttons

How historically accurate is it? As best as I could do. Partially machine sewn with hand finishing at the hems, fasteners, etc. Close to 100%. 

Hours to Complete: I made these in a day! Well, plus an hour the next morning to finish hemming. About 6 hours altogether, probably.

Total Cost: Benjamin's fabric was a remnant for about $8. I used about half of it. Rose's fabric was $5/yard and I used about a yard and a half for her dress. The buttons for Benjamin's dress (pearl) were 25 cents each from an antique store and Rose's buttons (china) were 25 cents each from eBay.