18th Century Wooden Fashion Doll

My dad was kind enough to carve this doll for me out of bass wood using the Mill Farm pattern.

It's a little rustic looking, but that's perfect.  She could be a home-carved toy version of the expensive French dolls that were not really meant as toys.

As soon as I finish painting the exposed "skin" with white acrylic, I was thinking of using silk spinning fiber to make hair.  It might be kind of fun to try to fashion a tiny pouf wig.

Blue Silk Taffeta 18th Century Jacket

I based this 18th century jacket on the JP Ryan pattern.  It's made of gorgeous, thick, iridescent french blue silk taffeta with self trim and fabric covered buttons.  I have made several jackets from this pattern before, so it went together very quickly.  The only trouble came with having to wait until the last minute to fit the front.

There are two petticoats:  The under layer is a cream silk taffeta, and the outer layer is semi-sheer striped silk from Renaissance Fabrics.  It's so stiff, and stands out so much, I feel a little like a cupcake.  It makes 19 weeks look like quite a bit more.

The photos don't really do it justice.  There are some beautiful portraits that use a similar type of fabric, but they're all from 1785 or later.  Apparently it was all the rage in Russia in the late 1780s, early 1790s.
     
Portrait of a Lady with a Book, Next to a River Source, Antoine Vestier, circa 1785.

Emperor Pavel I’s Daughters by Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun,1796.

Elena Pavlovna of Russia by V.Borovikovskiy (1796, Gatchina

Since the ruching is so wide, I needed a double set of hooks and eyes to close up the top.  It worked out rather well.  The only thing I didn't quite get to was adding ruched trim to the cuffs.  I may need to add more fluffles and details for the next time this jacket makes an appearance.

Maternity Stays Done

 All done!  I suppose I could find something better to lace them with, but I needed to make sure they fit.  It's hard to believe I'm nearly half way through already.

The side slits are adjustable enough that I think I will be able to wear these stays through the spring, and beyond.

The linen is quite stretchy, and the fit is good.  They are weirdly comfortable.

Maternity Stays

Inspired in party by an article I read on Hyaline Prosaic I've been away from blogging for a bit, largely because I wasn't quite ready to announce the baby to the world.  I used the same pattern that I used on my pink silk stays, but with a few modifications.

I knew the heavy, 7.1 oz linen canvas from Fabrics-store.com would stretch, so I made sure the opening in the back would be a little wider than on the pink stays.  Also, after wearing the pink stays a few times, I realized I needed to cut down the armholes considerably.  This project benefited directly from mistakes made on the pink stays.

They are also much more flexible, as  I used the 1/4 inch wide cable ties for boning as opposed to the thicker ones on the pink stays.  Really, I just need something to shape the bust for this set.

My one serious regret here is the binding.  I used a cotton  twill that in retrospect, I just too thick.  I was worried about the bones poking through the binding if I used linen, but next time, I'm just using something thinner.

The first test-run for these stays will be the Midwinter Ball on January 31.  Hopefully it works.

Cutting Down the Armholes on 18th Century Stays

I kind of guessed and free-handed a pattern for my new set of 18th century stays from an older pair that didn't fit so well.  What I came out of it with was a general design that worked pretty well, but when I laced it up, I couldn't lower my arms all the way.  Oops.  Time to pick out the stitches on the top binding, re-cut a few bones, and fix the problem.

The bones are cable ties from Home Depot, and I like to melt the ends of them to keep them from wearing through the fabric on the stays.

There are a couple of decent articles out there on alternatives for boning.  Whale bone is obviously out of the question, and I find that cable ties are a cost effective, durable, and good-looking option.

Mode Hisorique has a good one: http://www.modehistorique.com/research/boningdescriptions.pdf

Jenny LaFleur goes into some detail on the wear here: http://www.jennylafleur.com/study/boning.htm

And a really cool article I found written by an author who has tried actual baleen, and was able to compare it to other options out there.  Her conclusion:  reproduction baleen is not the answer: http://stay-ingalive.blogspot.com/2011/05/battle-of-boning.html

After reading these, I feel a bit better about "cheating" and using cable ties.

Here we have a set of before and after shots.I cut out about an inch from the armhole.  Now to find some more of that pink silk to extend the binding.

Regency Sari Dress, Version 2.0

Been away for some while.  Life has been eventful (in the best possible way).  For a fancy dress Regency event in CT this October, I decided to re-work an oldie.

It began its life as a silk sari that I wore to an event in New Orleans in 2010.  After that event, I re-cut it for a regency dance event.  Knowing almost nothing about the period, I used the awful Simplicity "Jane Austen" pattern.  It makes me smile now.

The new pattern for the 2014 re-cut is adapted from Janet Arnold, and was re-cut from the first one I attempted to make using that wretched Simplicity "Jane Austen" pattern.  The back of the Simplicity pattern is a bit too wide at the center for a proper early 19th century look, and in this older version, the weight of the  metal buttons wreaks havoc on the lightweight new version is a bit more period correct, basted to cotton musin to give it some strength.

I have yet to gather up the sleeves, so they look a bit odd, but the back already looks better.  It's nice to be able to raise your arms above your head for the style of dance that was popular in this period.  

The front trapezoidal piece is cut from the Sari's pallu.  I haven't made the bib front piece yet.  It's a counterintuitive construction method for me, but figuring out the quirks of a new era has been interesting.  I look forward to this dress's debut as some kind of "east meets west" costume for the fancy dress ball in October.

1812 Cotton Gown

In preparation for the Sailing Masters Ball this May, I've been working on a striped cotton voile 1812-1814 gown.  

Illustration from Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion

The pattern was scaled up by SG from Janet Arnold, and miraculously, did not have to be altered much.  I was amazed at how tiny the back piece looked.

I am not as familiar with the construction of this era as I am with others, so I have been taking it very slow.  The next step is the one that terrifies me the most:  Attaching the gathered "bib" front.  The part I have already constructed will serve as a support, and a stay.

I was having real trouble visualizing how exactly it all goes together, so SG directed me to a great diagram she found from from the Etsy site of HerOdyssey.  I found them to be extremely helpful.

From Her Odyssey on Etsy

 The fabric, acquired as Osgood Textile in West Springfield, MA, was VERY sheer.  I backed it with plain white cotton muslin, and basted the layers together.  It's a lovely cream and pale tan stripe that works better for my complexion than stark white.  It gathered up rather easily across the narrow back piece.  I am still amazed at how tiny the pattern pieces looked.

The skirt:  Constructed of three trapezoids, and one rectangle gathered across the narrow center back.

The sleeve was drafted by SG as an alternative to just a straight puff sleeve.  She called it "tulip".  They are unlined, and hemmed.  The bulk of the gathering is much lower toward the back, south of the top of the shoulder than I had thought it would be.  My plan was to serge the sleeve and the lining together, rather than bind the armholes.

I decided that I needed a spring green silk taffeta bonnet to go with this ensemble, and to dress it up a bit.  I used a pattern that is more suited to the 1770s-1790s, but it's not too far off, and is much more likely to see use for Revolutionary War era events.

I had fun making the bows and the puffings.  I think it needs some more saturated spring green embellishments, though.

My deadline is the Regency picnic, and the ball May 10, 2014.  I have a show the same weekend.  Let's do this.