Sabrina

Just to say that I updated my website with a couple of posts on my 1890s corset: https://maplejade.wordpress.com/

I finally got around to making a website to document my costuming/sewing/crafting. If you've been following here for that content, you can now find it at https://maplejade.wordpress.com/

As stated before, I have about half the embroidery done on a collar. Here it is after ironing and after cutting out a couple of the motifs:

(Had a little bit of tension issues in the corner, but that part got cut off anyways, so doesn't matter!)


It's a pretty simple design and some of the motifs are a bit wonky, but it works. The Borgias dress is coming along. The bodice is mostly done and the sleeves are about half way. Need to finish up the sleeves and get the skirt together and attached for it to be wearable. Have all day today and tomorrow to get that done.

I have several projects on the go, but not in a bad way. I'm totally motivated after finishing my Elsie blouse and determined to finish up some UFOs and start some new things. I finally sewed the hem on my 1920s slip, so all it needs now is straps. I'm still undecided about what to use for the straps. I don't really want to make straps because it seems like to much effort. Not sure if I have any suitable ribbon, which would probably be best. I could also maybe use the same lace I used to decorate the front. It's good to be practically done though. All the real work for it is over. The other UFO that I plan to finish up this year is my 1940 rust dress. It just needs a zipper and various hems. Getting those two projects done would mean that I would have 3 (Three!!!) finished projects this year!

I'm also embroidering a collar right now. I'm putting on a Broderie Anglaise workshop for some Victorian academics, teaching them the stitches and mailing them supplies to do the embroidery, and wanted a sample to show them. Without it I'd feel like a bit of a fraud since I've never really done broderie anglaise before, although I have done all the stitches and made eyelets in various other capacities, so I'm not actually unqualified. This way I will have a broderie anglaise thing. So far the scalloped edge is just over half done and several of the scallops have their little eyelet design.

I'm about to get started on a new project (which I feel cool with doing because I got that hem done and I have a sort of deadline to motivate me) for Halloween for a zoom with friends. I wanted to do something less historical, more just-for-funsies, but still historically inspired, and so I'm doing an Italian Renaissance-esque thing inspired by The Borgias (which I have not seen, but will probably try to watch soon). I have black velveteen and a trip to the fabric store with a gift certificate got me some cotton-poly jacquard and a LOT of black rayon-cotton soutache (which will find more uses in the future). It's fun not to worry about using historically accurate fabrics, although I did not want anything too plastic-y to wear. I was hoping to find something to go with some burgundy velvet I have, but the store had slim pickings and the only suitable thing was black. Still works. Nice and goth. Inspiration pics:
 

I'm just getting started on making an Edwardian corset. I'm basing mine on this antique, which belonged to Lara Corsets at some point:

I'm using a pattern from Atelier Sylphe (Ref W) that I have heavily modified. So far, I have traced out and altered the pattern. I added about 2.5 inches to the waist and 0.5 inches to the bust, and I changed the lines at top and bottom. I'm washing the fabrics that I'm going to use, a layer of green sateen for the outside and some poplin for the second inner layer (keeping it light!), but I'm treating them as one layer. I plan to include a cotton twill waist tape and use twill tape for the boning channels. Here's the sateen and some lace that I might use to trim it:

I'm hoping to do a mock-up today to see how it fits and that I got the lines right for top and bottom. I'm not too worried about fit, because I plan to pad out the thing pretty heavily to get a good Edwardian shape.

Also, I realized that I still have enough grommets around for this corset, so I don't need to buy new ones. Still need to figure out some corset lacing/strings. Farthingales Canada, where I got my cotton lacing cord before, doesn't seem to carry it anymore. What do you use or where do you get yours?

I never really posted much about the white voile round gown that I made last year. I ended up really liking it. I decided to make it as an English gown, with the pleats on the back extending into the skirts (en fourreau is the term most costumers use). It looks good, but I accidentally made a mistake with it and had the pleats sewn down to the bottom of the lining, which meant that I couldn't turn the lining edge in at the bottom to sandwich in the top of the skirts. So I ended up adding a piece to the lining at the bottom of the CB to fix it and it's very unobtrusive. Problem solved! And I took a couple quick pictures of the back pleats yesterday night because I happened to have a little bit of time on my hands, outside and inside.

It's too bad I don't have more occasions to wear it. It's such a great dress for summer and 18th century pastoral-ness.

The real reason I was taking pictures was because I realized I didn't end up taking any of my final bodice pattern, even though I took pictures of the fitting process. I find it's always helpful to see what other people's pattern shapes look like and how they work. (A reminder that this was originally diagram XXII from 1775-1780 in Cut of Women's Clothes by Norah Waugh.) So here are some pics with my quilting ruler for scale. The first has all the bodice pieces, including a 1-piece back and a 2-piece back. (I used the 1-piece for this gown and the 2-piece for my yellow gown). I'm actually planning to make a couple more small adjustments to the angle around the back shoulder and to the strap to get a more accurate look for c.1780. The second pic is of the sleeve, but the 3 small pleats at the top of the sleevehead aren't marked. All arrows are places where things need to be extended a bit. If it needed to be smaller, I just cut into the paper pattern itself, which is why the lines are a bit wonky compared to the actual outline of the pattern pieces.

I tried on the mock-up yesterday, so you get pictures! The stays fit well, which is not a surprise because they're based on my other stays that fit well. I'm not sold on the underbust aspect of things though. I did feel well supported in this, even with just the shift. (I tried it on with the shift and added a tank top for picture taking.) But I don't think I'm getting enough lift for the fashionable shape of the era nor the right bust shape. I'm thinking this underbust thing might actually work better for someone who has more of a bust. And that being squished in the lower part of the bust would give more lift and cleavage for someone with a smaller bust.

(Also, this looks like some sort of dirndl/wench outfit. lol)

Compare with this lady who is smaller busted but with a very perky bust.


At this point, I'm not really sure what to do, whether I should keep pursuing this underbust thing, try a different style of stays from this era, or actually finish some of my unfinished projects that need to be finished. Part of the problem is that even though I am feeling inspired by costumes/clothing, I don't actually feel like doing the work and can't settle on one particular project that I will actually complete. Motivation is weird. I feel like I've gone back to the way I used to sew like 5 years ago before I started getting decently productive.

I'm participating in the short stays sew-along online and decided that I was going to get a paper pattern figured out last week. It's not a lot, but I've been really busy. I was inspired by the underbust stays in the Kyoto Collection and these other cupped ones from the Met.


To start, I took out my 1780 stays and traced them around the top, stopping above the waist, around the level of the Kyoto ones by my guess. I might still shorten them more, but haven't decided yet. I added some width to the back because I want these to be front closing and my 1780 stays are back closing. I also made an estimate about where to scoop out the front to make these underbust. I'll refine that in the mock-up stage. Theoretically, with the underbust thing, the shift should act like the cups in all the cupped stays from this era, but I'm not sure how that will work out yet. That's the interesting part!

I also made the part for the straps wider and more defined, since that seems to be how these types of stays go. Scooped out the top of the back a little too. I haven't decided on the seamline(s) yet either. As you can see, there was a lot of drawing and re-drawing when I was designing my pattern. We'll see how it goes. This is a busy week, but I'm hoping to get a mock-up done either this week or next week. I am hopeful that making the actual thing also won't take too long; there aren't many eyelets or bones in this style.

This weekend I went to a workshop for learning how to do hairwork. The workshop was led by Sandra Klowak. She taught us how to do the kind of hairwork that is used to make decorative pieces, like wreaths (not the kinds that were used for jewelry, which involve different techniques). It was super cool. You create guimpes of hair and wire that you then shape into flowers. The hair we used was synthetic.

I think mine turned out pretty good for a first try!


The hair makes little loops that are formed over a rod and are secured by the wire. I'm considering trying something like this but with cord for making trims.


It's tricky to get the ends to look nice. You can see at the back of my flower that lots of the hair ends are sticking out in tufts. I made 5 small guimpes and then twisted the wires together to make the flower.


It was a really neat learning experience. It's such an unusual skill and so very Victorian.