Inside the 1902 Worth Gown for the CoCo Gala

A while ago I was looking online for warp printed silk for an 18th century dress, when I came across a fabric. Immediately I thought of this gown:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
2009.300.2009a, b

This particular gown is at the Met. It's a House of Worth gown from 1902. The fabric is very distinct, and though the fabric I found wasn't 100% exact, it definitely had the vibe, and the motif was the right size and pattern to work with the design and cut outs that are on the original dress. I had to make it!

Well, it started as a square...

For April's Historical Sew Monthly's challenge (circles, squares and rectangles), I decided a finishing up a fichu was a good (and easy) idea. And it went toward finishing with one of my current outfits. I like using the challenges as inspiration to get things finished that I have left lying around.

It all started easily enough as a nice square, but because of the body and crispness of the silk gauze,  when it was doubled and put around my neck, it was like huuuuuuuge. Way too much of a good thing. So, I cut it in half, and then kept trying on and trimming until it looked ok. It ended up resembling one of the shaped-neckline kerchiefs, like this one, from the Manchester Art Gallery.

1930's Undies

To go under my beach pyjamas, I needed some era appropriate undies. I chose white crepe de chine, so they would look better under the very obvious facings of the white linen pants. Crepe de chine also has the advantage of sewing easily and it washes well, too. 

These are made up from Mrs. Depew #2023. I am really liking these print at home patterns. So convenient! I like them even more now that I got one of those guillotine paper cutters. Oh my, the cutting of the paper edges goes SO fast now! Highly recommended!

These were done with a mix of machine and hand sewing, so they went together quite fast. The hand sewing was really only needed for the fiddly bits, like the button holes and gusset.

The waistband was faced with self-bias and the hem was just turned up and stitched. I can see these being a lot of fun to make up with a lace hem or embroidery. 

So, after being in the 20's and 30's so many months in a row, I just dove into the giant UFO pile and lined up a selection of things to finish up. Expect to see some 1780's and 1860's coming soon! Back to the really fun stuff!

Have a happy Sunday, all!

More Beach Pyjamas!

Oh, these are so fun! 

My second set of lounging pyjamas, in polkadot silk crepe de chine, made from Wearing History's Lounging at the Lido pattern. 

Beach Pyjamas for HSM 3: The Great Outdoors!

For ages I've been in love with beach pyjamas. They have such a great look! I especially love the styles from the 1930's. I've been on a bit of a thirties kick recently...

Well, I took a recent trip to the beach as an excuse to make some. I was only going to make one, but got a little carried away and made two! Yay! One from earlier in the decade and another pyjama outfit from the later 30's. 

Oh, and then I threw in a 1920's negligee (which just looks a heck of a lot like a modern beach coverup) for good measure. It was a very productive couple of weeks! 

Today, I will start with my favorite, the later 30's set.

A 1930's Wool Blanket Coat for HSM 2: Re-make, Re-use, Re-fashion

Oh, I just love this coat! I made it at the beginning of the month and I've already taken it on two trips to quite cold places and have used it again and again at home. 

The coat is made out of a Woolrich blanket and Wearing History's 1930's Ahwahnee Blanket Coat pattern. The blanket was a bit smaller than the blanket size the pattern calls for, so I had to accommodate by not lining the hood. By choice, I went for more of a sweater than a proper coat, with lining and buttons, etc. Very cozy and warm!

A 1920's Coat

Finally, a quick one about the last coat I made. I meant to post this weeks ago, but then got swept up making some 1930's outfits. More to come on that soon, too! 

This was a great coat. Very warm, nice style. The pattern was from the Vintage Pattern Lending Library. Pattern #1078, the 1920's Ladies' Coat. Great Pattern. It went together very well. 

I made up the coat in black Camel, lined in black silk charmeuse. The coat is partially interlined, as per the pattern's directions, with cotton muslin. 

I kept to the pattern, mostly. I added length at the hem to make a long, warm, ankle-covering, winter coat. I also added in-seam pockets at the hips and a nice big pocket in the lining. I also added a loop at the neckline to hang up the coat.

The pattern had some great details, like the interesting way the sleeves were set in, and the slight gathering on the collar. I chose to make the coat collar to match the coat, so it could be an everyday style. For the party, I added a black fox collar that pins on, to dress the coat up. 

I must say, it wasn't the neatest welt pocket I have ever constructed, but I was on such a deadline! I made the coat in about two days! The little button to the left of the pocket is reinforcing the button on the outside of the coat, so it wouldn't pull through the fabric. It's a fairly heavy coat. And sorry about the fur. I even lint rolled it before I took pictures. This thing is a lint magnet! 

A 1920's Evening Gown

I had a lot of fun planning my outfit for the Gatsby Ball. It was a completely new decade for me, and was very interesting to research. Considering last year I spent so much time in the 1910's, it was interesting to see the progression of fashion a decade later.

HSM #1: 1920's Undies

The Challenge: Firsts and Lasts

Material: Silk crepe de chine, silk satin, silk charmeuse, cotton sateen, elastic and lace.

Pattern: Mrs. Depew #2030 for the Bandeau, Truly Victorian 1913 Corset (heavily modified) for the girdle, and self drafted patterns for the envelope chemise and slip.

Year: 1925-29

Notions: Silk and cotton threads, corset busk, hooks and eyes, buttons

How historically accurate is it? Spot on, to the best of my knowledge.

Hours to complete: A couple weeks.

First worn: Dardanella's Gatsby Ball


Total cost: I'm not sure. Most of the fabric was from my stash. Things I bought specifically for the project were some suspender grips and very small buttons for the envelope chemise's tab.

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I suppose I should start from the inside out. 

The Gatsby Ball

This past weekend I had the good fortune to be able to attend Dardanella's Gatsby Inaugural Ball in Washington DC. But never fear, dear readers, there was nothing political about it! 

Just a lovely, non-partisan, 1920's themed ball held in the beautiful National Portrait Gallery. There was live music, dancing, cocktails and even the chance to tour the museum and see portraits of Presidents past. 

2016 In Review

I can't believe the year is already coming to an end! And what a great year it has been.

It's always fun to look back in the year and review the things I have sewn. It's funny, I felt like I sewed quite a bit, especially this summer, but all in all, not too many outfits were made. Though, I did make loads of undergarments and accessories that went into each ensemble. Then, of course, there are some UFO's leftover in my sewing room and finished things that didn't get worn or photographed...

So here we go.

The year started out with some early Edwardian undies: drawers, chemise, a frilly corset cover, and I reworked my S-bend corset. It was so much fun to work with lace, I went a little overboard.

Highclere Castle's Vintage Garden Party

A couple months back I received an invitation to buy tickets to Highclere Castle's Vintage Garden Party. There was no passing this up! My husband and I have loved watching Downton Abbey for years, so naturally, we had to go!

Goldfield Days

Between Reno and Las Vegas is Goldfield, Nevada. The first weekend of August is Goldfield Days. We traveled up from Costume College and opened our historic building, The John S. Cook Bank Building, for the weekend. Opening the building for Goldfield Days is our building's biggest fundraiser for restoration all year. This is the first time we have dressed for the occasion. It was a blast! I don't think we will ever not dress up for it again. The guests loved it and I think we added to spirit of the event.

Our building was built in 1907. We went for early teens again. I copied a period dress I bought on eBay. It has to be one of my very favorite dresses I've made.

A bit more from Costume College

Off to the Thursday night pool party! I wore some new Wearing History pants I made out of very lightweight wool. I love this pattern! They are just the best pants.

We had an absolute blast staying in our Airstream by the beach. It was kind of a bummer to drive back and forth to the Marriot every day, but I think the view was worth it! It was only about a 20 minute drive through the canyon. And we were able to have our pups with us!

I didn't dress up fro Friday, but Saturday morning I got up and into the 1770's early so I could make it to my limited class, which required one to come dressed in stays and petticoat. For fun, I went the extra mile and dressed completely in 18th Century undies. I wore my new stays and shift, a Marseilles cloth petticoat, striped linen bedgown (which I love love love!), dimity kerchief and Sarah Juniper shoes. I also dressed my hair. I had brought a wig, to make it easy, but I decided I hated it at the last minute. Surprisingly, my hair only took about fifteen minutes. I teased the crown, smoothed hair over it, and strategically arranged my shoulder length hair into buckles with a curling iron. I'm shocked, but I have had better luck making historical styles out of shoulder length hair than I ever did with hair down my back! I didn't bring any period hair dressing supplies with me, so I used hairspray and brushed on some face powder.

After the class, I changed into my yellow silk gown for the afternoon. I attended a very full class, so I got a bit wrinkly smooshed into the seat. I'll have to get better pictures of it one day, because I really like the dress, and it fits well.

Sunday morning I was totally exhausted, but wanted to make it to one of the 9am classes. Laying in bed, hitting snooze, I decided it was just as easy to put on early 1900's as it was to put on jeans, and it was the last day anyway, so I put on the Robe de Madras for the class. I like this dress, but hated it on me that morning. I should have taken the time to accessorize properly and do my hair, but I was just too tired. I had a cap with me, but was holding it when someone snapped my picture in the Starbucks line. 

When I packed, I wasn't sure how much I would get to actually wear. I am pleased to say, I made the effort, and wore everything I brought, except my teens evening coat. When I left for the gala, I totally forgot to bring it! But it was fine, because I would have been hot anyway and then had to carry it around. I'll try to remember to post about it soon.

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An Edwardian Robe du Soir for the Coco Gala

All of Costume College was great, and the gala was definitely the icing on the cake. So many gorgeous gowns to drool over!

You know what happens when you're having fun? You don't take enough pictures! Ah well, I was happy to at least get my dress from most angles.

And I really loved both making and wearing the gown I chose. The gown was mostly based off of this 1913 - 1914 gown. I had some serious time constraints, so the fabric had to change, as finding the perfect coral silk was difficult. Also, the silk satin I chose was much too drapey for the more structured skirt on the original, so I used the skirt pattern from Ageless Patterns #1362, which I had on hand. That worked beautifully, and gave me more time to play with the rest of the gown, but more on the construction further down.

A Golden Gown

Ah, another UFO down. Feeling satisfied!

I started this one last summer. I had just gotten the At the Sign of the Golden Scissors pattern for an English Gown. I grabbed some silk and got moving. Returning to this, almost a year later, I realized I only ever had six yards of the silk. I don't know how I eeked a fully trimmed, matching-striped gown and petticoat out of only six yards. 

Oh, wait, yes I do. I pieced the crap out of it. But I love that, so it's fine :)

As per usual, I started by following the pattern, and then swiftly detoured away. I made it a closed front. I added cuffs from another pattern, I never checked if the pattern showed a polonaise option, but I did that, too. The pattern instructions were great for reference and information, though. I also referenced some extant gowns I have in my collection. That was extremely helpful! If I have learned anything from extant pieces, it's that they're generally put together much messier than I would want for my own sewing. It seemed like the faster I tried to put together the dress, the better it looked. The imperfections added charm.

All in all, I'm rather jazzed by it. And extremely jazzed that I got it out of only six yards (part of the petticoat was sacrificed for this). I wasn't originally planning on trimming it, because I liked the back neckline, but nearing the end of the fabric, I was curious to see just how far the yardage would go. I was able to trim it, by cutting up the leftover cabbage. Some pieces were only about two inches long!

And here's all that's left. I was so tempted to use the rest, but I couldn't think how to do it in good taste. 

So, if I don't finish the gown I really want for the gala next month, I have a pretty good back up! Yay!

UFO's off the pile!

A couple weeks ago I got my limited class list from Costume College, and was lucky enough to get the class I wanted. Woot woot! And then I read, at the bottom of the page, that I needed to come wearing stays, shift and petticoat...

Let me confess, I haven't sewn anything since like February.

Reading that got me all excited, though, and lit a well needed fire under my bum roll.

And what did I have festering in the UFO pile, but some almost done stays and a shift! Perfect! I got cracking and finished them up. And a dress, too! But that's for another post :)

The shift pattern was from At the Sign of the Golden Scissors. Actually, it wasn't a pattern, it was a pre-cut kit, which was supposed to make this a fast project. 

I started it in 2013... Whoops!

It went together really well. The instructions were helpful and I tried to keep to them. I do wish the linen was a little softer, but being the weight that it is, it will be perfect for keeping boobs tidy while trying to drape patterns in public.

The stays were started, I think, about two years ago. I thought my yellow linen stays never fit quite right in the bust. Too small. So I drafted this pattern on top of my old stays. They are blue worsted wool, with reed boning, and edged with leather. I only cheated with the machine on the channels. At the time, as in two years ago, I just didn't have it in me. These pictures were from the final fitting, before I closed them up on the bottom.

I'm sure a theme can be sensed here: I needed new undies so no wardrobe malfunctions mid-class :) Maybe I need a bedgown, too...

My favorite part was cross stitching my initials into the shift. Sometimes it's the little details make the most mundane of projects exciting. 

And, nope, they're not lined. Yet. I'm sure I'll have time soon, but I sacrificed the lining to work on more fun, exciting things :)

Oops! The corset and chemise I forgot to post about...

Woopsie! I was on such a roll in February, and then I forgot to post about it!

Then I found these photos hiding in my computer last night. Time to share!

I redid my Edwardian corset and I think it's such an improvement on fit. I originally made it in a workshop and it never fit correctly. It smashed my hips, was too big in the chest, and didn't give the correct silhouette at all. Now that I let out the hips, the waist can reduce nicely, and so now the bust fits, too. Yay!

It's not terribly impressive lying on a table, so I'll have to put it on soon and take some proper pictures... But I've been so costuming lazy lately. Which might be why I never posted about it...

I had a lot of fun trimming this corset. I stitched some rows of lace and beading together for the bust and added some yummy silk ribbon. The garters were surprisingly easy. I stretched elastic as I fed it through the machine, stitching lace trim to the sides, to add a bit of fluff. The top of the elastic loops around safety pins to attach them to the body of the corset. The ends are fed around garter pieces, with slides to adjust the length. I also flossed it - love details!

Because I was redoing a corset, and not starting from the bringing, the grommets and busk were already in place. I made the lace work around them by slicing though it, turning it under, and stitching the lace around the grommets and busk. 

And then I made a new chemise! With the move, and a lot of my costumes still being in storage, I couldn't find my edwardian chemise I had made just before the move. But that's ok - I made a newer, better one! 

I really had a lot of fun with all the lace and insertion. Now I just need to motivate myself to get working on the outer layers. I'm feeling a little more inspired, though, since the costume college packet came!