Happy Birthday, Mozart!

Yesterday was Mozart's birthday. Happy Birthday, Herr Mozart!

Mozart's birthday has always been an excuse for a party. It's near and dear to my heart because my mom had a Mozart party every year, and dressing up for it started my 18th century sewing. Last night she had a little party and we dressed up and ate sacher torte and Riesling and had a great time!

Lately I've been really good about getting things out of the to-do/mending pile. I trimmed my printed cotton jacket and used the rest of the fabric to make up a petticoat. The petticoat has a bit of piecing, too, but I kinda like it! Why the piecing? I bought the fabric from a shop in Williamsburg, and it was already cut into one yard lengths. This made for an interesting time cutting up the pieces so that the design looked decent. But I just love piecing! I love it :)

For the trim, I had very little fabric. Why add trim? The jacket was originally laced over a stomacher. I'm a bit lazy and would rather pin than lace, so I covered the holes, and the rest of the hem of the jacket, with inch wide, knife pleated trim. 

I gave in and just ordered a couple more yards of the fabric so I could remake the front and ditch the stomacher. Maybe a cut away look… Maybe just a center front closing style… Something to make it more up to date, as in later in the century. The stomacher kind of clashes with the later century, informal jacket style. At least it seems to me, after trying to find period examples to copy. I went for 1780's last night.

I accessorized with my favorite wig, an equipage, a ribbon in my hair, my elbow ruffles, of course, silk shoes and a cute little breast knot. 

Yum! Sacher torte and Viennese cocoa. Those Austrians love their sweets! Want a little tour of Salzburg and Mozart's home? Click here.

My dog is obsessed with Kitty. So jealous! If I went near the cat, pup was like hey! Hey! What about me!?

Good night, Mozart! I finally got a picture in my hooded cloak and muff. The muff is rabbit fur in imitation of ermine, and the cloak is green silk satin, lined with green wool. Warm! I only had enough fur trim to go around the front. Someday I'll have to get around to trimming the bottom edge in fur, too. And maybe add some arm slits… I'll order more.

My jacket, a new cap, a new pair of stays and a ball on the horizon.

Since it was a holiday today, I didn't have anything legit to do, so I had no excuse not to take the time to get dressed and take some photos of my new little jacket. I accessorized with, among other things, a linen cap I made in Janea Whitacre's thimble class at Costume College. It was pretty cool. She sketched me out a pattern for the cap in like two seconds, holding newsprint up to my head a little this way and that.  

In other news, I just finished a new pair of stays. The fastest I have ever made them. I started out all careful, hand stitching, with big plans. I was going to do them up properly for the HSF: Wood, Metal, Something challenge. Then I heard about the Road to Regency symposium and ball (eeek! yay!) at Gadsby's Tavern at the end of September. My husband and I love Alexandria so there's no excuse not to go. So I gave in and zipped the rest of the boning channels through the sewing machine. Everything else I hand sewed. You kind of have to. There's really no way to do anything but the channels on the machine. I figure when I'm not on a deadline I can do some fully boned stays up properly (and with an extra half inch of length... but that's a whole other issue).

I wore them all day today, fitting linings and petticoats and such (for the ball yay!). They are very comfortable, but ideally I would like to do the next pair with a little more length... for ahem, spillage issues. But that's kind of what I get for speeding through and not taking care in fitting. P.s. the pattern is J.P Ryan, which went together nicely.

Another way I saved time on the stays was to bind them with half inch linen tape instead of leather. The seams are also covered with quarter inch linen tape instead of leather. Fabric wise, the stays are made of yellow linen over two layers of white linen and a white linen lining. I used 16/2 linen for the eyelets. The boning is quarter inch reed.

Next up will be a new gown for the ball. I've always wanted to go to a ball at Gadsby's, since I was like twelve probably. I'm kind of stoked :) Eek!

HSF #16: Separates (Ok, so it's two weeks late. Oopsie.)

I'm a little behind on posting. Do forgive me.

The Challenge: Number 16. Separates.

Fabric: Eighteenth century, reproduction printed cotton from the Mary Dickenson shop in Colonial Williamsburg.

Pattern:  A mix of J.P. Ryan's jacket pattern and the jacket on page 39 in Costume Close Up.

Year: About 1775 - 85

Notions: 1 1/8 yards printed cotton, 1 yd linen for lining, cotton thread for seams, 16/2 linen thread for eyelets, reed for boning the stomacher.

How historically accurate is it? I followed the construction techniques in Costume Close Up and tried to stay as close to 18th century sewing techniques as I could. The materials are appropriate to the best of my knowledge, as well.

Hours to complete: I tried something new this time. I actually kept track of what time I spent sewing. This jacket took me 14 hours. Wow, so slow compared to an actual 18th century seamstress. They would have kicked me out of the dress shop :( 

First worn: Not yet. Just for fitting.

Total cost: I think the fabric was around $8.00/yd when I bought it. I don't remember what the linen or thread cost. 

I think my favorite part of working on this jacket was trying to eek it out of a yard of fabric. I gave in and added an extra eighth of a yard to line up the print how I liked it. In order to facilitate this, I pieced a lot of the jacket. Almost every pattern piece, except one center front piece, have a pieced section. All this lining up and piecing, I think, contributed to the jacket taking so long. Also, general laziness and watching tv etc etc. 

I really like this jacket. I know I made it as a separate to add a new piece to the wardrobe, but I have a few yards of the cotton left, so maybe in the future I will add a matching petticoat to the ensemble.