1790s Chemise en Robe

Sorry it's been a long time since I last posted - I've been very busy working on one of my first 18th Century costumes, a chemise en robe! I've always admired the summery, dreamy feel of those chemise dresses (so informal and delicate), paired with coloured satin or taffeta sashes and a huge, feathery hat - and thus, I have wanted to make one for a long time!

This dress is made from what feels like miles of gauzy, net-like muslin, which is very soft and delicate to the touch. It is also unbearably hard to work with, so for future chemise en robes (of which there shall be many) I may resort to using linen, silk taffeta, lawn or voile, depending on how period I want to go. It rips so easily and probably won't last long, especially with how much unpicking I have to do. :) Still, I think it looks very romantic and flowing.

At first I found this project very easy making up the bodice and lining, but then came the difficulties with the fabric, attaching the bodice to the waistband, and measuring the length for the skirt wrong (and therefore I had to add another ruffle to the hem, but that wasn't too much of a sacrifice to make). The ruffle was something my grandmother thought up, to create a channel and feed some tape through to gather it; it was very long-winded gathering four and a half meters of muslin and then sewing it three times, but in the end I think it's worth the hassle.

I was also unsure what feel I wanted to give the dress. My pattern from Laughing Moon was for 1790-1800, and what I really desired was a mid-18th Century chemise en robe, not something more Regency in feel. I do like the Regency period, but the frippery, dresses and fun of the 18th Century is where my heart is; so, I wanted to make something that looked like it came from an earlier period. I think I may have managed that with the puffed sleeves and ribbons, but perhaps the empire waist and bust-line makes it clearly early Regency.
Either way, I love how it has all come together! My first costume! When I've had a bit more practice and built up a portfolio, it is my dream to open an online store selling bespoke historical garments from Medieval times to the 1950s - that, along with writing my books. :)

My grandmother helped me making this dress, so I'm very thankful for her help. It would have been very difficult to tackle without her!

I added a black taffeta sash that I made earlier and a muslin fichu as accessories for these photos.

If you want to see my process of making the dress in more depth, see my LiveJournal sewing diary!

Film Review: Belle

I bought this film ages ago but haven't watched it until now - for some reason I'm always nervous to watch something new to me, and have to pluck up the nerve to do it for ages (Aspie problems, I suspect), but I have no idea why I waited so long for Belle. I loved it! It was just my cup of tea; historical, about historical, upper-class, prejudiced society, and with plenty of gorgeous dresses and a touch of romance. The actors were amazing, the costumes were stunning, and the music was very pleasant too. There was also plenty of atmosphere and emotion - I almost needed to cry for poor Dido!

The story follows Dido Elizabeth Belle, the mixed-race daughter of an admiral who goes off to sea, leaving Dido in his family's care. At first they are stunned and rather perplexed that she was black, but it seems through the course of the movie that many people love her despite her colour, especially her cousin Elizabeth - whom claims she is like a sister to her - and a few men that try to win her heart. I love the relationship between Dido and Elizabeth - very sweet, and very realistic, as even Elizabeth has to snap at Dido at some point.
There is naturally a lot of racial discrimination throughout this film, very saddening in parts, especially when Dido appears to hate herself because of her race and we learn about the slaves that were killed on a cargo ship voyage. Dido finds herself intrigued by the case regardless of her family telling her not to get involved, and sets about trying to solve it and gain justice for the murdered slaves.

Belle was inspired by this 1779 painting, which I find very inspiring. Hopefully many more 18th Century-based movies can be made based around interesting portraits - I'd certainly watch them!

Midnight Georgian Petticoat

 I've been doing this project on and off for about a month now, so I'm glad it's done and I can move on to new things. The pattern was referenced from Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion volume 1, though I added an additional panel to give it more volume.

 My original design had it paired with a pale blue Georgian sack-back gown that had black trimmings, though I'm always open to suggestions for a new contrasting colour if you have any ideas.

 The back, where you can see the ribbon tied from the front.

I was initially going to gather the skirt, though the material was so hard to work with that I had to give up and try maths with pleats, which didn't really work either, so I ended up with the strangest looking double-pleats ever - perhaps a new sewing invention? (haha)

It looked a bit plain with nothing on it, so I sewed a ruffle and it went really well, even if I was very nervous sewing it! It looks so gorgeous on the end of the petticoat, if I don't say so myself. 

Things I'd like to do better next time I make a petticoat:

• Use a thicker ribbon for the waistband. Trust me, it will make it a whole lot prettier and easier.
• Also, make the ribbon longer for tying round the opposite side of my waist. Ten inches is apparently not enough to tie a bow for me!
• Instead of polyester taffeta, use silk taffeta or cotton - my fabric was really hard to work with. 
• Do single pleats or gathers instead of double pleats (for some reason I couldn't get the waist measurements right, and had to settle for double pleats, which I don't think look very professional - I'm such a novice!).
• Use a proper pattern instead of making your own (or following a Janet Arnold diagram, as obviously extant garments are only one size and would be different to my measurements). 

Next time I'll definitely look at buying a historical pattern from a company in my size, rather than rely on providence to make a Georgian pattern my measurements! Still, I had some fun making this, even if I did commit some sewing sins and the material frayed like the dickens. If I make this again, I'll probably do it in white cotton without as much decoration as an underlayer.

Elizabethan-Costume's Stay Diary: Part 2 - Finished

I recently just tried on my stays and am happy to say that they function rather well! Even though they don't look pretty, I'm rather pleased with the flattened silhouette they give me, which looks very period.

I have to say that I'm not too fond of how they look, though. The fabrics I used (faux suede and a velvety pile fabric) could be more 18th Century, such as linen and silky taffeta, and the overall look appears very rushed and untidy - i.e. there are still lines where the tension was wrong, giving the thread a bobby effect, on show, and I haven't tried too hard to get rid of my basting stitches, as they're hidden in the rather sloppy bias binding...
But still, I managed my second period garment! The fichu is my first item, as I like to start with the undergarments of an outfit first.

For the boning I gave up on spiral steel as the little caps that go with them got stuck in my stay channels, as I didn't have the correct equipment to do it properly; getting those little, um, things out broke all my nails. Very annoying, but it had to be done. So instead I used plastic cable ties, which work like miracles in corsetry - I was so pleasantly surprised with the results!
Then I very messily added bias binding from the corner shop (I'm very lucky to have a sewing shop just one field away from my home, and the ladies that run the shop can't get rid of me!), which went wrong as the cable ties got in the way and wrecked havoc with my sewing machine.
The grommets were stitched by hand with embroidery thread, I'm pleased to say. I love stitching by hand as I can put music or Jeeves and Wooster on and just sit on my bed, sewing away. However, I'm not sure which stitch I used, as buttonhole looked too advanced for me, so I just made something up as I went along, which turned out okay in the end - I think it was satin stitch.

Next time, I'd like to have a go with the spiral boning that I purchased, and adapt my pattern that I drafted from Elizabethan-Costumes, making it longer with a busk, metal grommets, and prettier fabrics. I'd also take more care to make it neat and well-presented - but for now I'll just call them peasant stays.

Historical Undergarments at IKEA

I went to IKEA today, and instead of being the boring trek it usually is, I found some interesting things in the kid's Halloween section.
There is a hoop skirt and tulle petticoat for sale for 12 pounds, which looks like it could be useful for mid-Victorian costumes - if you're the right height for it, i.e. short enough to fit into kid's dress-up things like me - and a strange padded ruff-like thing.
The ruff is extremely frilly and has a lot of volume, reminding me of an 18th Century bum roll that can give skirts and petticoats extra puff. It looks quite small but fits slightly above my hips, and with stays on it may fit fuller figures and around the waist too; obviously it needs some ribbon sewing on to the ends of it, as for now it is staying put on my mannequin with sheer willpower.

They're not period correct, but for 22 pounds I think they're pretty good.
(Oh, and by the way, look at the muslin fichu I made earlier! It was so simple and fun.)

The Duchess

Last night I watched The Duchess for the first time and I was stunned by the costumes. Usually I wouldn't watch a movie with that kind of plot line (not really into dramas, being a comedy kind of girl), but I was pleased I did. Lots of inspiration has come from this film and it's confirmed my dream that I want to be a costume designer, as well as an author! Really, who wouldn't want to be surrounded by Georgian dresses all day?!
At the same time, I've purchased Patterns of Fashion 1660-1860 by Janet Arnold on Amazon, and designed some of my first 18th Century garments, including a sack-back gown, an anglaise dress, undergarments, and accessories. Wish me luck!

The story follows the tragic life of Georgiana the Duchess of Devonshire, stuck in a loveless marriage with the adulterous Duke, who even goes as far as to make her best friend - Elizabeth Foster - his lover. Not only that, but Bess was living in her home and she couldn't do a thing about it! So when she proposes that the Duke accept her love affair with politician Charles Grey, she is violated and blackmailed into submission in the end.
From what I've heard dotted around the internet, this story is based on real events. I've even seen Foster on a Duchess of Devonshire blog, listed as one of the biggest, most infamous Tart of the Week - which I admit made me giggle quite a bit.

Anyway, here are some screen shots of particularly gorgeous outfits: