An Obnoxious 18th Century Gown

Ah ha! I realized I forgot to post about my 18th Century gown I just finished!
I started this at least two years ago, then it lived in a plastic tub with all the fabric and trim and pattern until a few months ago when I started working on it sporadically off and on.  I was making this for the Marie Antoinette tea that our local costume guild had last Sunday, but unfortunately my cold had a relapse and kept me from attending.  I did get to take some pictures, though, before being confined to the house.  My hubby was a sweetheart and actually powdered my face for me before I left.  We made it half way to the freeway before I had my friend turn around and take me home.  Oh well.  It was fun just driving down the street in a bright yellow mini cooper with huge dresses on.  My friend, Addi, who's great work you can see here on her blog, wore a dress I made several years ago for Costume College, which was from a Wingeo pattern.
The one I just finished was from also Wingeo, and the MAD (and not really period) concoction of trims and fabrics just kind of happened on their own.

 

 

 

Austen-tatious ideas

Ok, maybe not so ostentatious, but certainly very big plans!
The Regency has to be one of my favorite eras of dress.  The simplicity, the lovely textiles, the wonderful age of literature and science and discovery.  I have made a few Regency dresses for myself over the years, but my poor husband has been left in the lurch! He's relatively new to historic costuming, so getting him slowly adjusted to the idea (read: making him watch Jane Austen movies with me) has him just as excited about this project as I am!  He had done mid 19th century re-enacting in New York at the New Bethpage Village and loved it, so it wasn't THAT much of a stretch to get him interested in other eras as well.
I am, however, overwhelmed. My tailoring skills are so-so- I can get by, probably know more than most, but am by no means "a tailor".  And these coats- they're absolutely fabulously wonderful, but quite scary! Menswear scares me.  But in my head I say "Hey, there's few men who actually wear Regency costumes, so having a go is as good as not!"
We're going in January to the Jane Austen Evening event, so this gives me a good stretch to get things together.  We have already purchased his trousers last year (he said "no" to breeches), and I just finished making up his shirt of a lightweight white linen, so we have the vest and coat to make.  He looks so darn cute already!
Now, a forewarning that his outfit will probably span about 30 years, but I'm totally cool with it.  I'm using patterns in The Cut of Mens Clothes.  I already drafted them up and made and fitted the first mock ups, and after a lot of tweaking I'm ready to make up the second mock up and see how this fits!  The Great Pattern Review has a few pictures of clothes a gentleman made for himself from this book and they look pretty good!
 Now, I've heard different methods of enlarging patterns but what I did was used the guide on the side of the illustration for measurements.  I scanned the image into illustrator and drew a grid based on the lines.  I'm sure there's easier ways, but it worked for me.  It needed LOTS of fiddling with after the first mock up, like I mentioned, so I'm glad I've got a bit of time!
His fabric is on it's way from B Black and Sons. Yay! We got blue melton wool.  Has anyone else used Melton wool, and if so, how did you like working with it?  What was the weight like?  It looks pretty darn good from the pictures and I thought the price was actually quite reasonable! I also got a heavy hymo from them since I want the collar to be nice and stiff, and waxed thread for padstitching.  I bought our lining for the jacket and the vest backing from fabric.com, since they have that great deal of free shipping if you spend $35 or more, and I found a coupon online for 20% off on top of that! Yay!
Here's just about my favorite look for Regency, and something similar to what we're going for, I think, to get an idea of what this project is about.

Blouses!

Well, unfortunately this weekend I've caught a cold- like apparently most of the rest of the nation.  It has, however, given me sporatic spurts of sewing simple things or finishing up things.
I have made several blouses to round out my 30s wardrobe.  I love seperates and the sporty look.  Even though I might technically be too old for "collegiate style" I still love it and I don't care!
This one I made when I was feeling the most poorly- and you can tell.  My husband said "honey, you shouldn't sew when you're sick".  Apparently that's what I tend to -do- when I feel crappy., thinking of other colds I've had last year.  Sewing is nurturing to me, somehow- even if it's sitting and hand stitching, and unless I'm down and out dying- I'll probably be taking spurts of sitting on the couch with my kitty and watching movies and going back to the machine.  Then when I feel crappy again I'll repeat. Ha.  Does anyone else do this or am I just crazy? I  HATE sitting still with nothing to do.  I'm either sketching or knitting or counting old pattern pieces or hand stitching or quilting, or zoning out and sketching costumes in old movies that are playing, but I rarely just SIT.

 

This one was a recent pattern find on Ebay, and I made it up in an off white silk for a dressier look under suits and the linen for a more sporty look.  It was supposed to be Simple-to Make- and it kind of was- but probably not for modern sewers.  This pattern is probably from around 1935.

I think Paisley's one of those prints you either love or hate.  Kind of like Polka Dots.  I love paisley- as long as the print's not 70s looking.  This one is a vintage rayon print, and it kind of reminds me of the print of one of Ilsa's blouses in Casablanca.  Unfortunately I didn't have enough to make that one up- just enough to squeak this one out.  This is from a vintage pattern from 1940.

I had this in my brain as the perfect "adventure blouse" for years.  Unfortunately the reality of it doesn't make me really think as much of it as I had hoped.  The pockets are just too big.  Oh well, at least it's a good wardrobe basic that I can wear in summer.  It's a cotton/linen blend and semi-sheer so will be nice and cool for summer months or under suits.  This pattern's probably from 1934-35

I guess that's all to report here.  Hope everyone has a lovely Halloween!

New Pattern! Early 40s Hostess Pajamas

Well, I've been feeling a little under the weather this week, but it's given me the chance to sit and finish up the next pattern release.  From the early 1940s, this repro pattern is for wide leg hostess pajamas with a wide ruffled collar.  This pattern zips up the front and has options for full long sleeves or a sleeveless version.  This is such a Classic Hollywood style- can't you just imagine the heroine of a screwball comedy lounging around a big white set with a martini?
I've been also listing some great original 50s pattern on my store- unfortunately they're mostly listing their envelopes, but they're all from the same estate.  Of course, in my brain I've made up all sorts of crazy stories about this woman and her mad stash of patterns and why some are missing envelopes but were unused... the nearest I have probably come to reality is that she worked at a fabric store and picked up the disgarded patterns.  But who knows? One of my more creative daydreams may be closer to reality...

Newest Repro Pattern and a few pictures

Sorry I've been missing! I've been fighting with the internet connection and now it's all settled.  I was visiting with two girlfriends- one from out-of-state, this weekend and been puttering away here on repro patterns and such since then! I have felt not very motivated to sew lately, but I feel it urging up inside of me tonight- so I may have to break into the pattern stash of doom and come up with something pretty.

Here's the newest pattern! This one is in a nice larger size, too- a 42 bust.  This pattern dates to around 1937.  I was leafing through pattern reviews from that year and this one fits right in!  What I like about this pattern is the versatility- the short or long sleeves, short or long peplum, short or long skirt.  It's the perfect pattern to start a 30s wardrobe since it goes well for "Night and Day", just like the song.

Here's a few snaps from this weekend- Just of me and my husband since I didn't ask permission from the other gals to post their photos!  I'm really bummed I didn't get better pictures of this dress- I made it a few years ago and this was my first time wearing it.  I drafted it myself, too.  Someday I'll add the ruffly sleeves I had in mind, but since it's a bit on the small side now I may just re-draft a new one.

 

I recently got a few photos from our good friends in England- these were taken by the wildly talented Gordon Ayres, all with 35mm film.  He has such an amazing eye- I feel right out of period publications!

 

Three girls having "fun in the sun".  These two gals are my thirties "kindred spirits".

A lovely shot of the blue dress I made.  I just love this dress, and it's nice to have such a lovely photo in it!  You can see my rare authentic 30s beach sandals in this shot, too.

 

My husband says we are the "hole in the wall gang".  Or the sunglasses brigade.

 

I feel like we had our photo snapped by the paparazzi in this shot- maybe we'll be appearing in Vogue's society pages for a dinner benefit or perhaps the 1938 Academy Awards?

 

This photo is everything I could ever wish for.  I don't think I've ever had this captured, but this is just how wearing 30s makes me feel.  It could be right out of a fashion magazine- and it shows off the dress I made beautifully!  I also love how my hat and hair look in this shot.

Junior Theatricals

It was a late starry night in South Bend, Indiana, when the junior class of Miss Barbary's Finishing School displayed their ladylike graces on stage to music from the accompanying Young Ladies Orchestra.  The set and decorations were made from a local boys school, and it was quite common for the young debutantes to be seen trying to catch the eye of the painters as they finished their last strokes on the backdrop while the girls, in street clothes, practiced their graces on platforms made of discarded tables decorated with painted cardboard. The girls had been instructed to wear pale pink gowns, and all complied, but poor Mabel had sprained her ankle the morning of the show and was feeling quite destitute trying to still look elegant while seated, as the other girls stood.

I don't remember where I found this little photo but it's been on my bookcase for a long while.  Isn't it worthy of creating a story?  There are so many that could be made up from this, yet the back is blank, leaving us to fill in the blanks ourselves.  What story do you think it tells?

The Lady Adventurer Jacket- Repro 30s Pattern

Next up in the line, a great wardrobe staple jacket in either a plain or belted back style.  Wouldn't it look smashing with breeches for an adventurer look?  I just added it to my etsy store!

Coming up in the not too distant future, I have a slew of original vintage patterns I'm letting go of.  I'm going to shift my focus for a while from the clothing and back to the repro and original sewing patterns.
In personal sewing, not much to report! I'm still working away at my handquilting, and I have some really gaudy fabric to make a draped evening gown of a blue and gold lame and tulle- and also some lovely silk taffeta making it's way to me that I'm hoping will make a gown suitable for Cinderella.  A girl can never have enough dresses, right?
I hope everyone's weekend was fabulous! Where do the days go?!  I'll be away from the computer a bit more than normal this week, as I'm going to devote energies to drafting and draping, and I have a lovely girlfriend coming for a weekend visit.  I'm so excited about all three!