Sabrina

I put on my chemise, corset, hoop, gored 1890s petticoat, and tucked petticoat, and then my print dress to mark the hem. My mom helped me by pinning up the hem. So that's done. Now it needs a facing, which means I need to find something to make a facing out of. Anyways, the point of listing all the undergarments was that I had totally forgotten about my tucked petticoat, but it makes a really nice over-hoop layer. It's all rectangles, so it adds bit more fullness all around, which I think looks right. I may have spent a few hours looking at photos c.1865-1875 to figure out skirt silhouettes and how to adjust my hoop to make it work for early bustle so that I don't have to make a bustle just yet.

Upon further reflection, I've decided that I didn't distribute the skirt properly when attaching it to the waistband, so it looks a bit skimpy over the back when worn with the hoop. But not enough that I'm going to redo it. I'm just noting it so that I remember for future reference.

Ok, I'm also super sniffly/running nose/sneezy. So I wasn't actually very productive on sewing today. But slowly things are getting done.

Now that I am not frantically scrambling to move, finish essays, and prepare for a conferece, I can take time to do things at home. This mostly involves cooking and cleaning, to help out the family and to prepare for my stuff to arrive. It's not fun, but it's good to feel accomplished and productive. Plus, I get to sleep in.

I'm also planning my next sewing projects. I have a couple of living history events at the end of May: Visit With the People of the Red River and Doors Open. The first is an educational day at one of the local museums, where kids from a school come and we do demonstrations. This needs c.1815 clothing because it's Selkirk Settlers/Manitoba history stuff. I was going to make a white petticoat to wear under my 1790s chemise dress that I was going to fake as being later by wearing it with my Regency stays. But I got the brilliant(?) idea that it wouldn't be much more work to make a petticoat and a shortgown/jacket out of some cotton print that I have and then I'd just straight-up have a period appropriate outfit for all my 1815 needs (which are many because that's the primary period we do). I am planning an ensemble based on a few period examples:
From the National Trust, can be seen in Nancy Bradfield's Costume in Detail.
From the Charleston Museum.

And there's a similar shortgown/jacket in chocolatepot's Regency Women's Dress. I'm making a less frilly one because I don't have the patience for ruffles. Just a fitted back and loose front that will tie, with a collar. I have a whole Pinterest board for this project here. The petticoat will be really simple, just a shaped front, rectangular back, and straps. I think I can get this project done in a reasonable amount of time since I have a sort of basic Regency bodice pattern to start from.

The second event is at Dalnavert House Museum, where I was this past weekend for some of the conference. The house was built in 1895 so my new shirtwaist/skirt ensemble will have its first wearing! The ensemble really needs a hat (well, and a jacket, but I am being slightly ambitious, not crazy. I just hope it's fairly warm. I was chilly last year). I am thinking a plain sailor hat with a band of the same silk as the bow tie, kind of like this lady:


I also need to work on two baby quilts. I have the cotton fabric, but need the batting. I want to get the costuming done in the next couple of weeks and then maybe one quilt and then back to costuming (corset?) and then quilt again.

For non-sewing things, today I baked a cake. I'm calling it a diet cake. Now that I'm back home I am eating healthier (and less) and trying to get some exercise (so far, mostly vacuuming) and do stretching. I got a cake craving, though, so I made a "diet" version of a Victoria sponge cake. It's "diet" because it's about 2/3 of a regular cake recipe, which is 2 cakes put together to form the layers, and it doesn't have any whipped cream. Also, because it's at home, I only get to eat a quarter of the cake. ;p

It sunk a little bit in the middle, for some reason. Possibly problems when I reduced the recipe or maybe not quite baked enough, though it was definitely cooked. It's super easy to make and I love the taste. It's basically a pound cake recipe, usually done by weight, but I've converted it into volume measurements.
( Recipe behind the cut )

Overall, a very productive year for historical sewing because of Costume College, at least for the first half of the year. Sadly, no modern makes and not much done lately.
1880s Undergarments: Chemise, Corset, Bust Pad, Ruffled Bustle Pad, and Petticoat

Felt very accomplished in making all of these. Not pictured is the little ruffled panel that I made to button on my Edwardian petticoat that I wore underneath. This corset is pretty and kinda fancy (gives a very curvy shape) and fits almost just right, but I still need to finish the flossing on it and want to make a new corset this year that is more comfortable and fits exactly right.

( See the rest here! )

Altogether about 12 individual items. Not too shabby and definitely a productive year for me. My 2015 goals were to:

1. Make clothes to wear over historical undergarments


2. Focus on fit


3. Make accessories


4. Use the stash


5. Figure out hair

I definitely made clothes, 3 outfits/dresses! I am pretty happy with the fit on all of the things I made, although there are a couple of small tweaks that I can and will make in the future. Did better on accessories for some things, although still weak in the hat department. All 3 outifts used stash fabrics (print cotton, green silk, purple synthetic, black chiffon). Hair was OK, but nothing to brag about. Mostly curling and some braids. Having bangs was definitely key with all the bustle stuff I was doing.

My goals for 2016 are looking pretty similar. I want more clothes, especially since I have so many undergarments now, although some more are on the list. Fit will always be a priority with me and something that can always be worked on. I want more comfort (range of movement in arms, waist placement) and I know how to do that, so I can put it into work this year. More accessories, for sure, especially hats but also a couple of other things that are on the docket. I got a bunch of straw hats for Christmas that I can cut up and take apart to make new hats! I bought a lot of fabric this year, so next year needs to be about using them! (A problem you can all sympathise with, I know.) Hair, well mine's getting longer, so some styles should be easier. Also, I have Kendra's 18th Hairstyling book, so that may come into play some time.

Whew! So that was sewing in 2015!

The Dreamstress has the HSM 2016 challenges posted. I may be participating in this one. I have so many things that need sewing this year. Surely, I can make them fit the challenges.

January - Procastination: the petticoat, corset cover, and skirt for my 1895 ensemble
February - Tucks & Pleating: 1895 shirtwaist will have tucks to fit the front shoulder
March - Protection: maybe a hat? or I'll have my 1864 knitted shawl finished, or the jacket for the 1895 ensemble
April - Gender-Bender: if I have time to make the jacket for my 1895 ensemble, or the hat which will likely be a straw boater, or the bow tie I'm planning on having for this outfit
May - Holes: a lacy cloud/nubia? (unlikely that I'd get all 3 yards knitted by this time though), 1860s corset?
June - Travel: 1790s straw hat?
July - Monochrome: 1860s corset or crinoline or petticoat, all will be white
August - Pattern: 1867 cotton print dress
September - Historicism: 1867 bonnet (lots of these bonnets have names like Marie Antoinette and Pompadour)
October - Heroes: 1883 Laura Ingalls-style bustle dress with plaid kilted skirt and velveteen bodice (plaid bustle always makes me think of the later Little House books)
November - Red: Does maroon count as red? Cuz then it'll be my bustle coat. If not, then no idea
December - Special Occasion: faux fur cape, hat, and muff

Obviously, I'll have to figure out some of these when the time comes. I seem to have 3 major ensembles on the schedule for this year: 1895, 1867, and 1883. Other things that need sewing: 2 baby quilts. Maybe some modern clothes. Other things I'd like to work on, but probably won't get to: 18th century and late-Regency stuff.

I sewed! It was only the darts and attaching the front piece to the side pieces, but still, first time I've been on the machine since I got here. And the last thing I sewed was curtains. Not really thrilling in my opinion. Next will be cutting out some bias for a waist facing. I also need to cut out the flounce. (Maybe flounces? Haven't decided yet, but a little ruched bit on the bottom of the flounce could be fun, especially if I do a ruched bit at the head of the flounce, which I was planning on doing.)

This sewing machine mostly worked fine too. It's an old Kenmore that my mom got me as a present probably like 20 years ago. It's always had this problem though where the thread gets caught up in the bobbin and makes a mess of threads. Then I have to open up the bobbin case and pull out all the little threads that have magically appeared wound up in there and re-thread it. I have no idea how to fix this. It happened a couple of times today. Any suggestions?

I had my first day of classes today, which really just meant going to one class and having a meeting with the person that I am a teaching assistant for. I got to actually meet all the other first-year PhD students and they were really nice and friendly. The class itself is a professionalization and skills class, so small assignments are do every week, but mostly for practical things that are concerned with what we will be doing anyways like writing grant applications and such. TA-ing looks like it'll be a fair bit of work (lots of reading to keep up with), but I guess that's what they're paying me for.

No sewing progress. I should really start putting that petticoat together. Instead, I've been doing some knitting. Still working on the 1864 Winter Shawl from Godey's that lots of people have made. It's nice and simple so I don't have to worry about screwing up and there's no complex pattern to remember, just knit stitches and the very occasional increase. My kind of knitting! I'm maybe about a third of the way through. I don't have any wool to make the border stripes yet but...

There's a cool store here called Minotaur that carries some wool and one may be the kind that I'm looking for. Minotaur sells novelty stuff, like funny socks and Star Trek themed cups, as well as interesting books, board games, jewelry, and furniture. They also have the aforementioned yarns in addition to some novelty print cottons, buttons, and fabric dye. AND they also host game nights and knitting workshops. I've never been in such an eclectic store before, but it's pretty awesome.

I think I successfully colour-removed some fabric I bought. It's a cotton poplin that I want to use for my 1890s petticoat, which will hopefully also double as a petticoat for other eras, like over my eventually-to-be-made 1867 hoop. (It'll be too short in the back for over a hoop, but it won't really matter with another petticoat over it that is the right length.) I should have taken before and after pics, but didn't. It started out deep orange, like this, which is sort of OK for 1890s because they wore coloured petticoats then. But that wouldn't do if I ever decided to make something thin or light-coloured to wear over it or for it to be as multi-purpose as I want, so it needed to be lighter. It also wouldn't look very nice with my lavender corset. After some minutes in the steaming hot water and RIT color remover, it became a nice peach colour. It's in the washing machine right now, but I'm hoping that after drying it is a light peach.

I didn't use the stove-top because I didn't have a pot that I wanted to play with chemicals in. Instead I boiled up several pots of water and put them in my big dye bucket. It was all very steamy, which is what I wanted because heat seems to be a good thing with dyeing and such. What I didn't enjoy was the smell and steam, which I tried to avoid. The packaging recommended a well-ventilated area and not breathing in any of the powder. I had the exhaust fan on and the window open. I also used a paint stick to stir, but accidentally broke it when I was nearly done. :p I think I had the fabric in the water for about 10 min.

This was definitely a job I wanted to get done before moving. No way I could do this in my apartment kitchen. And I wouldn't want to do it in the apartment's laundry facilities.