A new hat!

I've sewed something! Hooray!

I just put finishing stitches on a new Regency hat!

Ever since I saw Lucy Steele's square-top hat in the 1996 Sense and Sensibility (that movie is bursting with the loveliest hats), I've been fascinated by the style. First (long before my costuming hobby) I thought that the hat looked silly, rather like an upside down flower pot, but it's grown on me over the years.

I found out that this square top business was a military thing, like many other fashion fads in the 18th and 19th century. Apparently, the Polish lancers' uniforms included a really rather strange-looking shako-type hat with a square top, here are some examples:

Polish Lancer by Jean Babtiste Detaille, early 19th c. source: https://fi.pinterest.com/pin/394909461051643729/

Polish Lancer Trumpeter, source: https://fi.pinterest.com/pin/384494886913482791/

 

 

Charles Horace Vernet, 1813, source: https://fi.pinterest.com/pin/574490496188244573/

So, I took the idea and ran with it. Luckily I had already made a concave crown bonnet for the Vernet Project last year, so I had some idea of how to make the shape work. A quick paper mock-up, a bit of tweaking and I was good to go. I noticed that to spread the side piece in order to create the concave shape with a square top it was better to cut openings on the side piece where the corners of the top would go and one more opening on each side of that and leave the sides otherwise uncut. I used the same brim pattern as before but cut it slightly narrower.

The hat base is needlepoint canvas, double layers on the brim and square top, with wires sewn on the edges. The whole thing is covered with cerulean velvet, lined with cotton and taffeta and trimmed with assorted ribbons and feathers I had in stash. I'm fairly pleased with it :)

These are all just headshots, I didn't have time to dress up in kit.

Vernet project: the bonnet

I may have mentioned in passing that I'm also participating in the Vernet's Incroyables & Merveilleuses project this year. The idea of the project is to recreate the 30 odd fashion plates Horace Vernet drew in 1814. Since we are supposed to keep the plates we've chosen secret until the big reveal in November/December this year, the posts for this project will be in bits and I'm trying my best to be as secretive as I can.

I've finally begun working on my Vernet fashion plate and the first thing I've finished so far is the hat. I can't really say if my method of constructing the hat was really period correct but it worked well and I think I've managed to produce a shape that is very close to Vernet's drawing.

I first made base pieces for the hat using tightly woven needlepoint canvas. I wired edges of the top piece and both edges of the crown piece after sewing the centre back seam. I also sewed the centre back seam of the brim. I then handstitched straw braid in slightly overlapping rounds on the base pieces and finally assembled the hat. The concave shape of the crown took some thinking and pleas of help to fellow costumers (thanks Sabine and Jennifer) and their advice led me to adapt this technique for my bonnet.

I still need to trim it but other than that, it's finished.

 The inside of the brim is lined with cream taffeta and the crown with cotton batiste.

Adventures in hatland

I'm procrastinating with the francaise, so I decided to try my hand at hatmaking. The hat still needs to be trimmed, but I must say I like the result!

 A big thanks to Sabine and Megan who generously shared their hattery wisdom and patterns!

I'm going to trim the hat according to the hats on the right on this fashion plate:

No idea of the source, sorry! If you know, tell me!

Apparently Regency is my go-to project period with which to regroup when I'm stuck with sewing projects from other eras. I also found new (and cheap!) Regencyesque shoes in the local supermarket which I can restyle for my dresses. I already have two older pairs of the same model in black and nude, and I was thinking that I could keep the new black shoes as they are and use the older black pair for my Vernet project shoes. The new white pair I might decorate or paint since I've never done that before.

I'm also waiting for a lace order to arrive so that I can really start with the Vernet project... Maybe next week!





But no worries, the francaise has a deadline in late April, so that I can wear it at a masked ball, so I'm not forgetting it and I'm going to finish it, I swear :)

Costuming ADD

Hmm, I seem to have trouble concentrating on only one project. Nothing new there, I think it keeps things interesting :) So, the pelisse is still waiting for the trimmings and the beads, I just need the proper mindset to get on with  it. Meanwhile, I begun yet another spencer, after this lovely little thing. The orginal is a riding habit jacket from about 1820s, and it's in the Nordiska Museet in Stockholm, Sweden.

The trimmings are gorgeous! (Photos from the book Empirens Döttrar)

The whole riding habit

Now, I only want the jacket, because I love the trimmings and I don't really want to make a Regency riding habit. I found a nice inky blue, sort of chenille-y, velvet fabric, used the trusty bodice/spencer pattern and this is where I've got, so far:

I chose to embroider the flowery swirls, even though the original uses cord trimming to line them out. I still need to put on the rest of the trimmings, the sleeves and the lining.

This (and the pelisse) led me to another in-between project. I mentioned that bonnet in the previous post, and had put together the hat base. I went to look for fabric to cover the hat and actually found fabric that was the perfect colour. Only it's silk. And pretty much the priciest fabric (per metre) I've ever bought.... Isn't it always the way? Luckily, I only needed about half a metre, so I didn't end up completely broke after all :)

I made the hat base out of stiff needlepoint (?) fabric and the pattern is my own. Everything is hand-sewn, as always. I'm very happy with the results and the silk was a dream to sew!

Lastly, the other day I found perfect Regencyesque shoes in the local supermarket, under 20€ a pair, so I immediately bought 2 pairs :) I mean to trim and maybe paint the nude shoes to go with the sari gown and other finer clothes. The black ones can remain the way they are, plain and black. I have one other pair that I found last year and I was thinking of painting them red to match the bonnet.

Can you say score? :)

Progress on the pelisse front

I've been sewing a lot lately and the pelisse is coming together nicely. All the main parts are assembled and I should start with the trimmings and the beading but I'm putting it off, because it's just so much work... I'll get on with it, soon, I swear! Maybe today or tomorrow... I took some photos yesterday when I was trying it on to see how it looks over a gown.

I'm going to make a bonnet covered with fabric; it's going to be the same shape as the paper yarn version I have on here.

The hem is very nice and full, pattern after Jean Hunnisett

I really like the collar and the petal sleeve caps!

As said, I wanted to make a bonnet to go with the pelisse and I drafted a pattern for one after the paper yarn bonnet I made last year. It took a little tweaking, but frankly wasn't too difficult and I'm very pleased with the result. I still need to find fabric with which to cover the hat; I have no idea what colour woud be good. Maybe red like the long ribbon I have on the paper yarn bonnet? I'd like to have the bonnet match as many of my existing garments as possible. Black seems a bit severe and I don't think white would work. I don't want to use the pelisse fabric on the bonnet too, that would be too matchy-matchy.

Silly hats day: the crown of the bonnet on a test run

Gettin sillier, though I like the shape of this hat and the brim

I need to shorten the corners of the brim a little, they keep catching on my shoulders

Burgundy drop front dress

Today I finally finished a dress that has been lying around for quite some time. Before the Bath trip I found nice burgundy cotton with a black print pattern and I made a drop front gown out of it. Then I got distracted, had stuff to finish for Bath and... But now it's ready! I really like it, the hem has massive amount of fabric pleated, so it's maybe more of an early 19th century fashion than anything else. I used my basic bodice pattern, the same as for the white embroidered dress, but with drop front adjustments. I also found The Hungarican Chick's tutorial on bib front gowns(aka drop front gowns) very helpful. As always, everything is handsewn, and the fabric worked like a dream, it's stiff enough to hold its shape and pleats nicely, but so thin that pleating doesn't make the dress look bulky. I might add some ribbons to tie the cuffs a bit tighter, but I ran out of ribbon for now.

First, pin the front flaps closed...

Then tie the ribbons of the drop front bit. I chose to hide the knot/bow under the bib.

The ribbons cross at the back and pass through little loops that help hold the ribbons in place.

All pinned.

I love the hem!

I made me a "Marianne Dashwood" hat :)

Works with the bonnet too.

The pleats

Some posing with my harp.