Won't go anywhere without my pocket!

Y'know, 'cause there's that old idea that women can't cope without their handbags... No... Okay. It was a bad pun, I accept that.
So I finished my pocket last night and I'm super pleased with it. I really enjoy doing embroidery, as you'll come to see once I get some more of my past projects up on here. It's become a bit of an addiction and since I finished my last project I've been yearning for something small and simple to do. I settled on a pocket since it's something that I'd need anyway and thus the fun of designing it began.

I drew about four different designs out before settling on a final one which changed a bit again when I drew it on the actual fabric in chalk, I was really struggling to get it to a stage where it looked stylised enough to be 18th century but still involved flowers and plants I liked. In the end I got this...

The design includes apple blossom (the top corners), wheat (because I love embroidering wheat, it's so fun!) and some semi-made up unknown stylised flowers. 

 The pocket is made up of four layers of fabric, pure cotton on the outside and thick calico on the inside. Just before I started sewing I stumbled across Fashion Through History's post where she discussed her recent 18th century maid outfit, she'd made a lovely pocket for that and in her outfit rundown casually mentioned a strength layer. I sat there going 'oh of course. Tilda you idiot.' and then rushed to cut out some calico.

I used bias binding for the edges, I'm not sure how period accurate that is but it was the only way of doing them that I could think of that wouldn't look ugly. I know the stitch I used has a name, but I can't tell you that name because I've no idea what it is.

over all I think it took me about eight hours to make but I was watching stuff all that time which slows me down a lot. For me though, eight hours feels like no time at all, especially after my last project.

18th century pockets

I went fabric and trimming shopping with some friends from university today and we visited the most amazing store where I bought some gorgeous feathers, but more on that in another post.
What I want to talk about is pockets. 18th century ones!

Along with hats I've had pockets on the brain for a while now so I thought I'd share some images of the ones that inspired the pocket I finished this evening.

Can't make up my mind

Or rather, I can but it's haaaaaard.

I'm suffering from some serious costumers ADD at the moment. I'll think that I've settled on something to work on and then I'll get another idea. It's tiresome but I am enjoying it because it's a brand of creativity that I don't really get to experience with cosplay. I thought maybe if I wrote down some of my ideas it might go a ways towards helping me focus on just one of them.

Currently working on: 
I'm currently working on Elizabeth Swann's nightgown and dressing gown ensemble from the beginning of Curse of the Black Pearl. I'm about three quarters of the way done with the night dress and I've got a pattern drafted for most of her dressing gown.

 

 

I'm also working on a small blue silk velvet pillbox hat. It just needs a hatband and some decoration. It's to go with a blue and white polka dot 1950's style dress so I'm thinking of adding tiny white pearl beads to echo the polka dots.



Soon to be working on:
We're doing a millinery project at university, it's something we're supposed to continue working on over the Easter holidays too. Our assignment is bonnets but I've officially caught the millinery bug so I have grand plans for some other hats too.

The bonnet shape I'll be copying is of the top three, specifically the top one on the far right. Mine won't be made of straw though since we're using flat patterns and buckram. I'm going to be covering it in rust coloured (probably) faux silk taffeta and lining it with navy blue silk taffeta. It will be trimmed with navy blue velvet ribbon, a sparkly button, pheasant feathers, wheat and berries.

If I can get my hands on enough buckram I'd also like to give making something like these a go.

 

I'm also going to continue with my 18th century outfit plans. I've mainly been inspired by these two ensembles. 

Once I acquire stockings, fichu, cap, chemise, shorter petticoat and a pocket I'll begin making myself some stays.

 In the future: 
I first got the idea to make this gown when I was making a mock up of a gigot sleeve for our pattern manipulation project. We were working from Nancy Bradfield's 'Costume In Detail' and had drafted a pattern for the bodice and sleeves of this dress.

We then had to make a full size mock up of the sleeve and whilst I was playing around with trying it on my arm I realised how much I loved the design. It was then that I remembered that my Nan had given me six metres of really dark tartan suiting wool a couple of years back. I couldn't get over how perfect it was. I think I'll skip out on the little cape thing but the rest of the dress is perfect. It is this dress that I'd like to make the black hat to go with. I also think it would be fun to try and use as much stash fabric as I can on this dress. The same goes for notions since I have lots of boning, satin ribbon and cotton.

The next thing I'd like to make I came up with as a result of dreaming up a design for my bonnet. The bonnet style I've chosen is from around 1810-15 and since I'm becoming quite fond of Regency fashions I thought it might be a good opportunity to try making an entire outfit.
I haven't got as far as a specific dress design but I know it will be white and made of muslin. What I'm much more interested in currently is a navy blue wool spencer.

Something much like these is on the cards and I'm really looking forward to it.


May the mad sewing begin!

Finished bergére hat

I finished my bergére hat a few days ago, I'm really happy with how it turned out and it would appear that I've well and truly caught the millinery bug, especially since it's our current project at uni. So expect lots more hat posts in the near future.

Before I show you the finished hat I thought I'd go through how I made it.

Both the hats I bought, I used the one on the left.

The first thing I did was rip out the hat band and elastic from the inside and remove the white Petersham from around the sideband.

 

 

The crown had already been cut off and sewn back on again at some point so I just unpicked the other persons stitches and then trimmed it down a little bit. Evening up the edge in the process, it had previously been lopsided.

Please excuse the blur, I didn't realise that my camera was focused on the sketchbook instead.

I then had my two separate pieces.

These I took downstairs to flatten out and reblock them slightly.

I used the hot water and heavy books method whereby I wet the straw (more than damp but not dripping), covered it with plastic bags to protect the books and then weighted everything down.
The brim had some weird waves in it and I wanted to see if I could make the hole in the middle smaller. The crown I rounded more on the base sauce pan, wetting it then tugging it gently into the shape I desired.

Once both pieces were dry I brought them upstairs again and trimmed off a little bit more from the crown. I had originally wanted it to be higher and more angular but by this point I had changed my mind.
I carefully pinned the two pieces and then sewed them together.

Not quite sewn yet but you get the idea.

Once that was done it was time to decorate it. I had decided that I didn't want it to be too fancy but simple puffs weren't the order of the day either, it needed a little something more. I settle on gathered puffs and then alternating white-gold paper roses.

At this point not all of them were attached properly.

 I attached the roses by driving the wire through gaps in the straw and then twisting it into little spirals on the inside. It looks a bit messy but once the hat band was in you couldn't see any of it.

Then I unfortunately forgot to take anymore photos. Basically all that happened was that I finished applying the roses, sewed in the ties, which I made from the same silk as the puffs. And then I decided that I wanted yet more decoration so I made a little matching silk bow to go at the front and put two more roses on that to cover the stitches where I'd sewn it to the puffs. Once all that was done, in went the hat band and it was finished!
It took me so long to finish the hat because I added wire to the brim, deliberated about whether it had enough of an effect for me to add an edging (which I didn't think would look very nice) and then took it off again.

here, have an extra large picture of the finished hat!

I'm really proud of how it turned out, I need to add some worked loops for hairpins on the inside but I'll do that at a later date.
The bow sits just off to the left and gives the hat a fun little jaunt look that I really like. I'm so pleased with the silk that I used, I found it in the scrap bin at university and the colour matches perfectly with a colour in the print of my fabric from Colonial Williamsburg. Said fabric will hopefully become part of an outfit that I will wear this hat with.
Overall this hat cost me £2.50 since I found the silk, already had the flowers, pale gold petersham and threads. Which I call a win!

Thinking about bergére hats

If you remember in my last post I made a list of things that I wanted to make that didn't require me to make stays and since I finished my shirt for Loras last Friday I got started on actually making some of them.

I'd been on the hunt for a nice straw sun hat to turn into a bergére hat for aaages and all of a sudden two fell into my lap, well, into nearby charity shops but y'know. Once I found the first hat I started looking for inspiration on pinterest and these are a few of the images that I found.

 And a few from 'The Duchess' and one from 'Marie Antoinette'.

One thing that I tried to bear in mind was that my hat needs to match a multitude of different dresses, skirts and jackets. I doubt my hat finding luck will hold up for long and I don't think I have the space to store enough hats to match all the dresses I want to make so I had to make it versatile.
Next time, pictures of my first finished bergére hat!

18th Century Accessories

I've been trying to come up with things to make that will help me progress towards having a complete 18th century outfit without my having to make stays (yet, I just don't have the time right now) and in the last couple of days I feel like I've come up with enough to make a proper list out of them, so here goes.

Hat - I've been looking for the right kind of straw hat so that I can make a bergére hat for ages and the other day I walked into a charity shop on my high street and there was the perfect hat, for £2.50!!! I still need to decide how I want to decorate it but more on that when I get around to it.

Fichu - all the clothes I've had ideas for so far have been day-wear of a perhaps, well off but not crazy crazy rich young lady so a fichu is pretty necessary. I also want one because pretty!

Stockings - again, necessary. I considered ordering some from American Duchess but didn't end up doing it. I think I'm going to go down the creative 'make your own seamed and clocked stockings rout', just to make things harder for myself.

Mits - a few years ago I tried to make a pair out of some lovely swirly green brocade that I had in my stash but being a bit incompetent I made them too small. After unearthing them the other day I realised that I still really want a pair and am game to try again, perhaps I'll start with a quick toile this time, instead of winging it.

Pocket/s - I've become rather an embroidery fiend since last summer and once I finish the shirt I'm working on I'm going to need a project. Conveniently I also have lots of pocket sized scraps of white fabric in my stash and embroidery thread that's burning a whole in my craft box.


Cap - until I get motivated enough to sort out one of those awesome 1780's hedgehog wigs and figure out a way to wear it with the clothes I've got ideas for I'll be using my own hair and since it's short (shoulder brushing short) I'll need a cap to disguise the pitiful bun-thing I'll be able to manage.


Apron - I think I've got just enough dotty muslin left over from my Elizabeth Swann nightgown to eke out an apron. And I've been meaning to try some whitework embroidery for ages, something the V&A's wedding dress exhibition rekindled quite successfully.

Shoes - shoes I have covered. I've been in love with American Duchess' 'Kensingtons' since 2012 and just after Christmas I finally bought myself a pair. They are currently the love of my life, not to exaggerate or anything.

So it seems I've a number of things to keep me occupied after London Super Comic-con in mid-March. I have a month off (thanks uni!) so I'll be stuffing it full of sewing projects because I'm a sucker for productive "punishment". Back to sewing I go!

V&A Wedding Dress Exhbition

I've been meaning to go to the V&A's wedding dress exhibition since before it started and last weekend I finally got to go.
Me and a friend from university, Emilia, seized our Sunday and wandered around the exhibition for a good long while before going off to explore the rest of the V&A in search of the ever elusive members room (which we did finally find!). The exhibition is only on for another two weeks so if you haven't been to see it yet, get in there.

It's an impressive collection of dresses, my favourites where the 18th century, Regency and late Victorian ones. It was intriguing to see all the symbolism in the embroidery and the flowers and adorable to see the thought that some men put into their wedding attire. I was tickled pink by a waistcoat that had been widened over the course of its life as its wearer grew rounder and continued to wear it.

Upstairs we encountered Dita Von Teese's wedding dress, designed by Vivienne Westwood and some less pleasing creations by other modern designers. Give me the old, old stuff any day!
There was one dress from - I think - the 1970s that almost had a robe a la Francaise style back. There were no side seams and all these gathers were pulled up to the back neckline and hidden under a large bow. One great thing about going to the exhibition with Emilia was that I was with someone who got just as excited as me when I discovered this about the dress. There were also some shoes from the 60s/70s that were very like 17th century latchet shoes.

After the wedding dresses we looked through the Jewelery room whilst in search of the members room, I've never been in there before and was sufficiently flabbergasted by all the sparkly things. It really is stunning.
When we didn't find it in there we just wandered, I was amazed by the cast galleries (those collums!!) and THEN we found the members room. Tucked away at the end of the glass gallery behind mirrored doors. We sat in there for a while talking over brownies and millionaires shortbread whilst enveloped by the smell of lilies.
It was a really great day out and I bought a couple of books as well. One that was for/from the Wedding Dress exhibition, a sweet poem that incorporates wedding flower names and flower symbolism into its verses, complete with illustrations. And a book on satirical illustrations from the 18th century through to 1927.
I'm constantly surprised by the V&A and so happy that's its practically on my door step.