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New Dress/Sewing Plan

Miscommunication becomes a new dress plan. It turns out I thought we were planning one event for an upcoming weekend, while Dan had plans for another weekend. Upon this realization last night, my brain became quite muddled with thoughts of availability reshuffling. This meant I am now available to volunteer for a particular fun day, if I am needed. Yeah. Then came the thought – Eeek, dress?

I’ve been so focused on the Netherfield Ball clothes, and honestly having little freak-out session over not knowing the detailed ins and outs, that I haven’t put a single thought to a mid-century dress that actually fits. Not one moment of thought.

Oh, did I mention it is May already?

So, this week there will be a new dress.

I will be using the semi-sheer green plaid on the left. (Yes, this is one of the fabrics I was thinking about dyeing. Too late for that.)

I have two different dress thoughts – Simple, basic, versatile is one idea. The other is a 50s to 60s comparison. Since I have the same fabric in another colorway, a peachy/pinkish color, I like the idea of doing one as 50s and one as 60s, this being the 60s.

But, time is a factor here. Did I mention it is already May and I still haven’t mocked up Dan’s Netherfield Ball clothes?

The plan and the options….

Skirt – Sticking to a plain skirt. I can always add trims later.

Neckline – Basic pearl neckline. While I prefer a V neckline on my sheers, I can/should do a nice V neck on the 50s dress.

Sleeves – Open or closed??? I would like to do an open sleeve with tiers in the skirt for the 50s dress, assuming I have enough fabric. Does that encourage or discourage me from doing an open sleeve for this dress? Hmm? I do rather like the idea of an open sleeve. (I used to find them such a bother to wear.) This one looks like it would be very comfortable in the heat. It may also be nice to mimic the sleeve I have on the original brown dress. If I did a coat sleeve or a bishop sleeve, I would be tempted to do something with the top of the sleeve. Do I really want additional fabric at the top? I don’t think I do. (Though, I can always change that.)

Bodice – Basic, gathered bodice with half high lining.

Sounds like a plan. My hope is to cut out and fit both my Regency dress mock-up and the mock-up for this Monday night. I know I can work through this dress fairly quickly. It will be good to do a dress I am confident about doing before confusing myself more (again) on the Regency clothing.

Of course, after all this thinking, I had to remember this dress. How lovely it would be to have a cross-over sheer. Oh, the comfort.

PS – I loved the fabric on the right when I bought it. Since then… I’m not sure. Thoughts?

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Working on - Projects

on May 5, 2013 at 8:00 pm Comments (4)

NB Sewing Journal – Underpinnings Finished

I finished my shift/chemise, stays and bodiced petticoat last night. The last button-hole was finished as bedtime settled in. As soon as I was home from work today, I was able to try everything on. 🙂 This evening is test night to make sure everything fits and is comfortable. I really wanted to share photos. But, as soon as I got my chemise and stays on, my phone’s battery died. So, a summary instead. Everything is quite comfortable. There isn’t much I can say about the chemise, other than it draws up quite nicely. The stays are a comfort level that may just threaten my mid-century clothes to banishment. Really. This one is that comfortable even with the “shelf.” I figure I’m giving them quite the wearing test as I’m curled up on the couch. It is so nice to have this support without having a large underwire digging into my side. I don’t have as much “separate” as I know is ideal. I’ll be more able to achieve that with a transitional pair for my next set. Yes, I’ve already decided there will be more of this clothing. (see below) Now, the bodiced petti…. can we say “C.O.M.F.Y.”? I did a gored skirt with a 84″ hem. LOVE it. This skirt is so very comfortable.

Adjustments:

– I still need to solve the lacing problem. I couldn’t get the 1/4″ round cord through. Right now I have crochet cotton laced in with a bodkin. Either, I need to find a strong, narrow lace I can use with the bodkin or I need to make the holes bigger.

– The waist of the bodiced petti needs to come in about an inch, maybe two, to fit more snuggly. I don’t think it should be loose. I need to decide between a drawstring, darts in the bodice front or taking it out of the sides. So, the question would be – Did they use darts?

Next steps:

– Decide between drafting and draping my bodice. With the duct tape dummy oops, this is a looming decision.

– Drape or draft a toile of my bodice.

– Get Dan’s measurements and do some rough sketches of his clothing.

You know how I mentioned more clothes above? Well, I keep dreaming up dress ideas for the uber-awesome white and green sheer a truely lovely someone sent me. I also started thinking up clothes for Lily.

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on March 19, 2013 at 4:36 pm Comments (3)
Tags: Netherfield Ball

NB Sewing Journal – Bodice thoughts

As this weekend is packed full already, there won’t be any sewing likely. I am hoping to get in some sketching for my bodice. I know how I want the front to look. That is just going to be a matter of draping. The back is another story. Looking at originals and sketches, this era seems to have a greater variety in back construction than the 40s, 50s and 60s do.

Here are some of the bodice back constructions I am seeing (pulled from Costume in Detail):

With these in mind, I’m leaning in one of two directions. This is the safer direction. The construction seems simple with lines that make sense to me. With this type of back, the sleeve placement should be easy enough to find.

The other option I find quite tempting is this cross-over back. With the cross-over front I have in mind, this would complement nicely. I would still want the closure to be in the front. Although, this back closure looks easy. The part where this dress has the nice front and back cross-over is quite appealing.

Now, I do have a bodice related snag. After reading this article, I need to put my stays back on to compare. I’m concerned I should have put in gussets. My mid-century corsets are all about gussets. Gail shaped this very nicely to my body. So, maybe she got the right fit without the gussets. Fingers crossed since the bones are already set in.

Thinking a bit about the sleeves. Here is one thought (there will be many more). This is a simple sleeve. If I can get one of the gold motifs to sit centered, that could be nice. It might need applique.

A side note – I do wish I had a list of hem circumferences. I was only able to pull a couple from CD. I think I’m leaning towards a 96″ petti hem and a 112″-120″ dress hem. The metal weave is rather stiff. Around the hem, I think it will hold out some body rather than hang.

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on March 8, 2013 at 12:20 pm Comments (4)

NB Sewing Journal -The Information Gathering Stage

You know the saying “the more you know, the more you know you don’t know?” Well, that certainly applies to my Regency learning curve. This morning I awoke with a long list of questions. But first, I should back up to say I am calling this an information gathering stage rather than a reseach stage because with so much information and so little time, I don’t feel this is proper research.

On to the clothing questions I need to find the answers to. I’ll seperate these in “his clothes” and “her clothes”.

His Clothes

What year did this waist seam on the coat come in?
What is the evolution of the shape of the front, sorta waist line down into the tails? (I’m seeing 4 different versions.)
Collars… 4″, is this on both the coat and waistcoat?
Is there a significance in the the width between the button rows for occasion or material?
Is that side seam on the waist coat straight like it appears in some?
How much of a difference should be seen between the coat front length and waistcoat front length? I was guessing 2-3 inches. Then I saw some maniquin displays with much more space.
Where should the coat waist land, natural waist or just above natural waist.
Pants…. I still have the plaid question. Is it appropriate for this occasion? What would be my best replacement on a budget? the slightly heavy cream wool I have? a narrow wale corduroy? a twill cotton?
White stockings…. is it awful to ask him to wear one of my pairs?
Am I correct that stripes tend to go vertically or horizontally on waistcoats? I think I just saw one diagonal.
Is there a formality difference in pocket construction on waistcoats? Does it matter?
What are the overall fabric formality guidelines?

Her Clothes

With such a small bodice, where do I stuff all the fabric from the chemise if I do a straight cut chemise? Should I just do a lower cut yoked chemise?
Should my shoulder straps on my stays be attached or not? I think I’m seeing both. If I attach them, there should be less bulk. But, does this make wearing difficult?
I’ve seen bodiced pettis and pettis with straps. This just seems to add to the fabric under the bodice. What other methods keep the petti up at the ribcage? Did they button it to the corset? Maybe the straps are the best direction.
Does my petticoat go over or under the little tail on my short stays? I’m picturing bumroll, tail, petticoat or petti, bumroll, tail.
What are acceptable closures? I’m seeing ties and small buttons on the drop/bibfront bodices. Are hooks & eyes acceptable as well? For a cross-over bodice, I can figure out buttons if need be.

I’m sure there will be more to add to my list….. Is it odd that I find this part fun?

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on March 7, 2013 at 2:10 am Comments (5)
Tags: Dress journalling, Netherfield Ball, Regency

“Two Heads…..”

How much fluff can there be in one person’s head?
I now know the answer….. A full bag.

With my recent revival in millinery fascination, it is time for new model heads. (Okay, the part where I can’t get to my bonnet stands from Dad, nudged this along.)

Tonight, I made a pair of red and blue striped heads to hold my bonnets. The pattern I used by Lynn McMasters (here) was easy to follow. I used a heavier canvas weight fabric I picked up at Bits & Pieces. Good choice. Inside each is a full back of poly-fill. Really. The base is a thick piece of wood my tech friends cut for me.

These will be nice for working on my bonnets. I can pin right through the bonnet. (I do have a third cut & pieced, awaiting fill and a base.)
A few numbers to add – Just under 1 yard of 44″ fabric made 3 heads. I only paid $.60 at Bits & Pieces. Regularly, figure $5-8 with a Joann’s coupon. The wood was cut for me at no cost. The fiber-fill I also had on hand. I think it was $4.99 a bag. If bought from scratch with one of Joann’s sales and coupons, 3 heads would cost about $12.50 to $23. Not bad.

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on March 6, 2013 at 5:43 pm Comments (4)
Tags: Millinery

Netherfield Ball!

The event I’ve been planning and sewing for is none other than GCVM’s Netherfield Ball! The museum is recognizing the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice by throwing this ball to be held in their beautiful Grand Gallery. Part of newly renovated Wehle Gallery, the grand gallery is a stunning location with its glowing hardwood floors and gorgeous red walls. What an ideal location for a ball!

I’m just a bit excited. Okay, I’m more than a bit excited.

I’ve added a Pinterest board to collect my thoughts on.

Here is a sketch of where I am going with my dress. I’ll be draping that once I have the corset and unders finished.

As soon as books arrive, I can start drafting Dan’s clothes. I ordered a blue on white stripe for his waistcoat. Fingers crossed everything looks good together. If not…. um, different pants may be in order.

A Huge “Thank You!” to those of you who have been helping and pointing pieces out to me.

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on March 6, 2013 at 11:05 am Comments (4)
Tags: Dress journalling, Netherfield Ball, Regency

A Whole New Sewing Plan

In light of a uber-awesome event, which I will not name until I have our tickets purchased due to the limited number, all sewing has been rearranged. There is now a new sewing list with fabric being rededicated. All of this must be sewn, change that, must be researched, draped and sewn in the next 3 months.

For Dan –

Regency pants (plaid with some blue wool)
Regency waistcoat (Ummmm????)
Regency frock coat or formal coat – must find out which is which, and what is what on this (Dark blue wool )
Regency shirt? (white cotton)
Figure out what to do about headwear and footwear.

For Me –

Regency corset (which was draped and patterned for me a year ago. Talk about a kick in the bottom to get working on it.)
Regency under-everything: chemise, petticoat….
Regency dress – to be made out of the vintage sari I was going to use for the court dress.
Dance slippers…
Hair… um… something….
do I need new gloves???

Here are the fabrics I’m planning on. The sari has a large empty area as well as a wide panel of the gold design. The gold is very stiff. The plaid wool has a bit of texture to it. I think it will be comfy for him.

Here is a better look at the wool.

This all said, I am very, very new to the Regency era of clothing. I’ve worn poor examples of the dresses and have one sad mock-up from a decade ago. So, I’m starting from scratch here. I am open, very open, to a reading list whether it be articles, books, tutorials, what have you. Send them my way!!!

My biggest learning hurdles are the different shape in sleeve for my dress along with the whole construction and shaping of Dan’s coat plus his pants. Honestly, with his coat and waistcoat if someone were to specifically say ” make this”, it would help narrow my focus down while aiding my learning curve.

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on March 4, 2013 at 2:36 pm Comments (20)
Tags: Dress journalling, Netherfield Ball, Regency

Mid-Winter Millinery

I should say this is millinery worked on in the midst of winter looking forward to spring.
Here are the two other of the four bonnets I started last week during recess. Both of these are made from bits and pieces in my sewing case pile. It was such a fun challenge to try to piece the fabric together to make a bonnet. While working on these, I thought about when an original cast milliner may have tried to piece together what she had in her supply drawers to make inventory to sell, whether she was low on funds or had a delay in the delivery of materials. I also thought about the techniques a woman might have used to remake her existing bonnet(s) for the next season when she couldn’t get a new bonnet. Sadly, such remakes are likely not the ones to survive over a hundred and fifty years for us curious sorts to examine extensively.
This is the seafoam green that will be my little sister’s. I love this color. The gathering on the cane brings out the color in my opinion.

The seafoam green calls for pink, a pretty pale pink. Here are some of the flowers it will get. There needs to some additional green and maybe some white accents. I also need to get the wider ribbon either in a satin weave or a moire.

This is the fourth bonnet. I was going to do a shot brown & blue, but there wasn’t enough. So, this pearl color it was. I’m convinced the color changed as I worked, adding this silvery tone.

I’ve not yet decided what this one will get decorated with. I still need to find the rest of my ribbons.

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on March 3, 2013 at 5:27 pm Comments (3)
Tags: Millinery

A Millinery Mood

If you recall my Planning for Recess post, I started the week off thinking I would tackle a few pieces on my travel impression list. Well, as the week rolled on… it seems I as much more in a millinery mood.
Monday and Tuesday were all about getting the sewing room together. (Check out my Updates blog for before and after photos.) While there is still a long way to go, the space finally has space to move in. Yeah! Rather excited finally to have some personal decorative items out including Grandma’s “Tip-Toeing Through the Tulips” and the quilt from my NM friends. Soon, new shelves will be purchased & in place, and my trunks, okay some of my trunks, will be moved in.
Now on to the sewing ….
After the lifting & moving, a nice simple, calming project was a must. A nice piece of silk gauze had been waiting almost a year to become a veil. This was just the relaxing, quick project I needed. (I do still have to find either the narrow silk ribbon or cord to attach it to a bonnet with.)

underneath the veil is what held my attention next. I had been thinking about bonnets the week prior. So, I was happy to find some straw to work with. This is the first straw bonnet I’ve made in years. Too many years.

I had also been thinking about a drawn bonnet. But, I had no buckram. It was time to appease a curiosity. I sized a fabric I bought while in NM. I was quite happy with how it stiffened up. It was an incredibly light weight frame. Since the silk I was going to use is too soft to give the volume I wanted, I peeked at my sewing case pieces. I happened to have enough of this slate grey silk.

I rather like how it came out. This week, it will get trimmed with this ribbon & flowers.

I have two other frames to finish up tonight. On will be a sea foam green drawn silk for Lily. The other will either be a chocolate silk or a shot brown silk or a bright sunset orange shot…. Not sure which.

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on February 24, 2013 at 3:08 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Millinery

How to Pick February Recess Projects

With a week off from work coming up, I want to put a dent in my sewing projects. The challenge? There are just so many sewing projects to do (with a good many house projects also calling for my attention.)

With this in mind, how do I go about deciding? One train of thought is choosing something new to me along with something that I know well. Another option is to choose something that must be done along with something frivolous and fun. A third option is to pick something big and something small.

Regardless of which direction I go, there are still quite a few options to choose from. If you flipped through my dress project list from earlier this week, you’ll see just how how many dresses I have on the drawing board. Toss into the mix that I have an itch for millinery lately and a list of tiny items to do. I’ve narrowed down the “I could”s to….

My Regency corset. After all, I need to get this done before doing any of the Regency dresses on the list. (This would count as something new to me.)
If I was to pick a dress from the project list to work on, I would go for the peach sheer, I think. Though, this green would really like to be made up. Or, my travel ensemble would be good to work on as well.
A drawn bonnet. I have some lovely silk lengths to play with. Lily needs a bonnet and I could always use more. I would really like to work with some straw, but I don’t have a clue where mine is and didn’t order any in time. (This would count as something medium-ish, and something fun.) (I happen love, love this bonnet. If I happen to discover a piece of velvet at home… )
A piece of winter millinery. I have a silly amount of goods for winter hoods waiting around to be made up. (A, B, C) This is something that could end up on Etsy. On the other hand, I do have a traveling hood on my list of items for the travel impression…. hmmm, this may be moving up the list.
A fancy headpiece – Another use for bits of silk. This could be a fun, yet calming fiddly little project.
A veil. I’ve had the piece of black silk gauze sitting around for quite a while waiting to be made for the travel impression.
Also from the travel impression, is this bonnet bag that I’ve wanted to make for years. I think the cane I picked up will work nicely.

Of course, I do have a modern sewing project to get done before the second weekend. That will hopefully go smoothly.

Now, what is your vote?

EDIT: It looks like our anniversary get-away to Gettysburg at the end of recess isn’t going to happen. *great sadness* This means I will have a couple extra sewing days and may or may not be doing that modern sewing project. As of this morning, I am leaning towards a combination of travel impresssion items – travel bonnet/hood with veil, bonnet bag and a start on the linen travel combination.

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on February 13, 2013 at 3:13 pm Leave a Comment