She's Back! What I've Been Up to Since 2015

Highlights from The Last Four Years

July 2015: I had a baby!  He's a sweet little handful, and doesn't give me much time to sew, much less blog about it.  Now that he's two and a half, I found myself once again with the time inclination. Here are a few hi lights of various costume projects from the last (nearly) three years.

I've been pretty solidly focused on my day job teaching costume design at an arts magnet high school, and our several productions a year, but I also have been expanding the 18th century millinery operation with my good friend, Ian Graves at Royal Blue Traders.

The sales of these caps and bonnets has been paying for my return to school in an effort to advance my professional credentials.  Thank you to all of our customers, and to Lauren Stowell at American Duchess for the shout-out back when the Hermoine was visiting Virginia in June, 2015.  She featured my shop in her article, The Versatile 18th Century Market Hat.  So thank you, Lauren.  I think I nearly exploded from a fan-girl squee attack when someone pointed it out to me.

Bottle Green Shot Silk Taffeta 1770s Robe A L'Anglaise

2015? My mom's bottle green shot silk taffeta  late 1770s robe a l'anglaise.  She is a tiny stick woman.  It didn't take much fabric.  Now, if only we could get her to wear an 18th century hair dressing...  At least I could convince her to wear stays.

My mom is not a reenactor, or even a historical costume enthusiast, but we do manage to get her to come to a winter ball here and there.  The last few years, my unit, the Ninth Regiment of Foot has hosted a ball at the Hartford Armory's Officer's Club.  Most of my work for myself since 2015 has been for this event, since I don't get the opportunity to dress as a lady too often.

Jan 2015:  Blue Silk Taffeta Shortgown and white striped silk organza petticoat.

 I was five months pregnant, and I wanted to go to the ball, but my options were somewhat limited.  I made a pair of maternity stays, and improvised with a button-front short gown.  The lighting at the Officer's Club isn't the greatest, so getting good photos with an iPhone is always a challenge.

February 2017: Brown Linen English Gown

Attempt #1 with Larkin and Smith's English Gown.  The 20+ page instruction booklet with the detailed photos and diagrams was extremely helpful, but I ended up with way too much volume in the sleeves.  Steph from Larkin and Smith helped me to set them properly when I ran into her at the New England Reenactor Fair in Sturbridge.  Overall, not bad for a first try, but I learned a lot with this gown that I was able to apply to two later versions.  More on this in greater detail later.  Also, American Duchess has a decent article on 18th century sleeve setting.  Setting 18th Century Sleeves the 18th Century Way

July 2017: Attempt #2:  Printed Cotton English Gown

July 2017: The Little One explores his first 18th Century Event with the Ninth Regiment of Foot.  We'll have you marching to the colors in no time, my boy.

Attempt #3: Jan 2018:  The Strawberry Cupcake

The fluffiest of pink cupcakes.  Larkin and Smith's English Gown in strawberry pink silk taffeta.  This  was my second attempt with the pattern, and sleeve issues were more under control, and the fit around the waist was much better.  I also had a lesson in how to pin a stomacher from Hallie and Steph which helped immensely.  Placing the pins horizontally makes all the difference, as does pinning the robing independently of the stomacher.

Caps, Bonnets, and my travels with Royal Blue Traders - The Northeast Reenactor Fair has been good to me these last few years.  Look for us in Portsmouth, NH at the Colonial Trade and Craft Fair at the end of March 2018.

Help! My bonnet got squished!

I have received a few requests on this subject, so here is a little tutorial to help you fix a squished buckram bonnet brim.

You will need:  A steam iron, ironing board, cotton scrap to serve as a barrier, and a wig head.

First, take the squished brim, and iron using the cotton scrap as a barrier with high steam to dampen and heat up the buckram.  Once the buckram is soft and pliable, roll the brim while you move the iron over it to re-shape the brim.

Once's it's been re-shaped, let it dry and re-harden on the wig head.

The crown of the bonnet can be steamed with a little hand-held steamer to un-wrinkle it.

 I hope this helps, and I hope to be able to make a video at some point.  Happy bonnet-wearing!

Quick Change Fix

I've done some work for Ginny at Her Story Theater and with the most recent 17th century jacket, she needed it to be easily removed during a performance with a minimum of noise.

Velcro was loud.  It made a really conspicuous ripping sound, and left icky goo all over the fabric with adhesive.  Snaps were a bit unwieldy, and buttons took forever, so I tried magnets.

I started  with the lining and a pack of magnets I bought at Joann's in the craft section.  I cut little rectangles of the lining fabric to fashion pockets to hold the magnets.  2.5 by 3.5 in.

After stitching the magnet pockets into place, I trimmed up the excess and put on the facings.   I ironed down the seam allowance to start.  The outer edge had to be hand-stitched because there was not enough room for the machine's foot.

 The result was a magnet-closed jacket that can pass for a theatrical rendition of the 1630s and can be removed quickly and silently.

Colors in 18th Century Bonnets

I've been busy busy making 18th century headwear for my adventures with Royal Blue Traders.  I've also been on the hunt for decent evidence of colored silk 18th century market bonnets, and met with some success.  So far, from what I have been able to turn up, the brighter colors, which tended toward blues and greens, were popular in the 1780s, and especially popular for younger wearers.

Blue Bonnets

A Lady and Her Children Relieving a Cottager (1781) by William Redmore Bigg, English, 1755 - 1828

Some very interesting hats in general in this painting.

A Market Girl Holding a Mallard Duck (1787) by John Russell, English, 1745-1806

I made my own version with less fullness, and more of bill-shaped brim in some lovely teal silk taffeta I picked up at Affordable Fabrics in Rocky Hill, CT.  That place is a treasure, but it's real hit-or-miss as to what gems you can find hidden away on the flat-fold remnants tables.  You also really need to know what you're looking for, and have a good handle on how to identify fibers, as nothing is labeled.

My version

Green Bonnets

A Girl Gathering Filberts (1782) by William Redmore Bigg

This spring-ey little piece is a very similar shape to the ones I have been making.  I think I need to re-create one from this portrait with that pink ribbon.

Mrs Ogee, satirical print published by Matthew Darly, 1775

This one features an older lady in a more olive green with blue puffed trim and a wider brim shape.

There is an extremely helpful, extensive list of sources a the Buzz at the Hive.  Especially helpful for the American Revolution period.  Now, on to cranking out more hats in time for the season before the baby arrives!

My version

Silver Silk Taffeta 18th Century Robe à l'Anglaise For Sale

https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/arachneattire/tools/listings/227254346

Thinking about Renaissance Faire Vending

I have been giving some thought to getting set up to vend at local renaissance faires and other such things for non-historical pretties like flower crowns, feather cockades and maybe some other millinery.  Due to the cost of materials and other overhead, I would have to charge somewhere in the realm of $30 per crown.  Is this a fair price?  (no pun intended)

Melissandre-Inspired Renaissance Faire Ensemble

Going into the spring renaissance faire season, I started thinking about something that would be both comfortable and  flattering.  My mind went immediately to Game of Thrones and the delightfully creepy "Red Woman", the Lady Melissandre.  In order to create a look that is in line with hers, I thought about ordering a cotton Cotte dress from Moresca, but they're not cut to flatter a pregnant belly.  They're also $115, which was more than I wanted to spend.

I started with the bodice pattern from Butterick B5181 (which the cat promptly destroyed) and the sleeve pattern from New Look S0597.  I had to cut the sleeve down a little, but it worked pretty perfectly.  I will likely end up shortening the sleeves to just above the elbow or shorter.

I ordered some stretchy cotton/spandex from Ebay for about $30.  The seller's username is koshtex.

The fabric was heavier than I wanted.  I was hoping for something thinner and drapier, but this will serve for the moment.

Working with stretch knits has been quite a learning curve, and there are definitely things I would do differently - like wait until the entire bodice was assembled to hem the neckline - but overall, this went together relatively quickly and easily.

For the skirt portion, I took a measurement around the ribcage:  36 in.  My intention was to create four trapezoid shapes with a gusset in the back for extra drama.  36/4 = 9, plus 1.25 seam allowance.

The back of the bodice ended up being a bit too big, but the overall shape of the skirt is fantastically full.  I think I will wait to make any tweaks to the fit until May.  Next up is a hooded scarf to go with it.