Another planning post, 1830s this time...

Ok, so I've just spent couple of hours browsing blogs and Pinterest for 1830s inspiration. Is it just me, or is this era getting more popular all of a sudden? It seems to me that there are 1830s projects popping up here, there and everywhere at the moment.
I've had a favourite 1830s must-make for ages, it's in the Kyoto Costume Institute collections, it's red and very pretty:

Source

I like everything in this dress, the shape, the sleeves (not insanely poofed, but still enough to have that 1830s look), the pleated detail on the bodice and the sleeves, the white accents... I would love to see other angles of the dress but the KCI digital collection and the KCI books only provide this view of the dress. I've already thought about what I would need for a 1830s ensemble and collected a pinboard for inspiration, latest additions being for the crazy hairdos of the era... :)

I would have to begin with making a 1830s corset and currently this is my favourite extant piece. I'd also need a corded petticoat. Since I'm not planning to go heavy into 1830s costuming and it's (probably) a one-off project with just the one dress, I don't want to make multiple undergarments, so I think I can get away with using my Regency chemise and a couple of short 18th century petticoats to complete the set of undergarments. I haven't yet made any drawers for my 1880s get-up, but once I do, those will work for this too.

The dress itself is said to be "red silk and wool mixed gaze with silk satin piping" (I suppose they mean glaze...) but I think cotton voile would probably do also. I know I'm not going to find any fabric in this colour so I'd probably have to dye the fabric myself.

Looking at the picture I'm wondering if the bodice is actually a separate piece and whether it closes at the back or in front. Anyone travelling to Kyoto anytime soon? Would you go to the museum and take lots of photos of this dress?? The sleeves must have some sort of plumpers in them, they wouldn't stay so poofy otherwise. Luckily, I already have a red 1830s bonnet and shawls and fingerless mittens to accessorise a troop of fine ladies, so the only additional thing I need is a collar piece.

All the sewing projects are pretty much on hold at the moment; the great house move endeavour took place yesterday and things are more or less chaotic at the moment. Planning is the only thing I can do for now. However, I'm hoping to travel to Tampere and Helsinki next week, so I'll have a chance to look for lace and ribbon for the Courtois dress (and FINALLY finish it), and who knows what else I'll find.  ;)

Fabrics and plans

The house move is getting closer and closer so I haven't had time to sew that much but I did go through my fabric stash in a desperate attempt to get rid of stuff I don't need. While I was doing that I found this:

I bought the fabric a couple of years ago but didn't eventually make anything out of it. I thought that the blue background and the shape of the flowers didn't after all suit the 18th century but then Sanna of Rococo Atelier showed me this picture; 18th century floral print fabric with a blue backround, and the flowers (even though they look bigger than in my fabric) are surprisingly similar in shape. So, I see an anglaise taking shape :)

Then there's the other saree I bought earlier this year, which will be a late 18th century round gown. I'm planning to finally attend the 18th century Christmas Ball in Helsinki, so this would be a perfect dress for that event.

I've also bought fabrics for an 18th century riding habit. It seems like everyone's making one, so I didn't want to be left out. And for once the fabric shop had just the colour I had envisioned. The yellow fabric is thick cotton, but has a strangely woolly feel to it. I also bought a lenght of taffeta for the waistcoat and even managed to find the right kind of linen for the shirt, so score! I haven't yet decided if I want to make a mid-18th century habit or one of the later fashions; I think that wearing paniers with a riding habit is just so silly, but I'm not sure if I'd want to make a 1780s habit either. Maybe I'll make up my mind eventually.

I'm making steady progress with the dance dress. All the machine embroidery is now done and I'm adding details by hand. I still need to line the cape and the dress hem, sew in the zipper and the back seam, sew the shoulder seams and set in sleeves and finish the neckline. I like it, it's pretty :)

How can it be May already?

What happened to April? Looking back, I've had the busiest April for years, with work, dissertation studies and sewing, too. Also, earlier in the spring I got the good news of securing a full time job at the university for four years, and just this week I signed the papers for my very first, very own apartment. So May is going to be rather wild as well, with the move (why do I have this many books and this much fabric, why?), a touch of renovation and everything that goes into moving house. The last time I did that was 10 years ago, so I'm a bit nervous.

As always, sewing is my way to unwind, relax and escape the every day stuff. As I said in the previous post, the Courtois project is on hold until I find suitable ribbon to trim the skirts and the jacket. I could neaten the insides of the jacket while I'm waiting but that's just... nah. Instead, I've  begun to make a late 18th century waistcoat and jacket and I'm trying to make them entirely out of what's in my sewing and fabric stash. So far I've put together the waistcoat and I only need to sew the shoulder seams and put in hooks and eyes. The fronts are taffeta and the back and the lining are coarse cotton.

The taffeta is buttercream colour.

I had to do a bit of piecing with the lapels, because I had very little fabric.

Today I also cut the jacket pieces. It's going to be a zone-front with a silly tail. It will also have a wide collar but I haven't cut that yet.

These kind of sleeves always remind me of the Barbie dolls I had as a child...

See? The fabric is actually stripy.

Back and front pieces.

But wait! There's more! I hardly ever have just the one sewing project, so I'm also making a new Irish dancing dress for myself. I've been dancing for 10+ years, but only recently got into competing and I expect to participate at least a couple of feisanna towards the autumn this year. I wanted to try if I could make a nice dress for myself and also try my hand in machine embroidery. Now, the modern Irish dance dresses tend to be a bit overwhelming and (dare I say it) tacky, but there is a beauty in them and there are some wonderful dressmakers out there. I've compiled some of my favourites on this pinboard for inspiration. I like the more traditional styles in decoration but I like the modern dresses for their lightness so I wanted to try and combine that. This is what I have at the moment:

The front hem. I'm going to add another pair of spirals in that empty space in the middle and the spirally design will continue to the back along the hem. The back is going to be plainer because it will be largely covered by the cape. The front pieces have iron on support fabric on them and I've also flatlined all the dress pieces with cotton.

The front of the dress. I'm going to add some details on the birds and obviously finish the head spirals on the other bird as well. The symmetry is a tad off in places but since this was my first attempt at machine embroidery and I don't have a special embroidery machine, just an ordinary one with zigzag stich, I'd say it's a passable result.

Stuck

I have no ribbon, so I can't finish the Courtois dress. I have no yarn, so I can't get started with embroidering and stitching the dance dress. I have no(t enough) money, so I can't buy the (perfect) fabric for an 18th century riding habit. I have no one to help me with the fitting, so I can't make an evening bodice for the Courtois dress skirts.

Ergo, I'm stuck.

This means that I need to wait before I can continue with any of the above, which means that I need a project to tide me over until then. To the fabric stash!

Today I found myself thinking that what if I finally made 1790s jacket and gilet? You know, inspired by the famous KCI jacket and gilet. I don't want to make an exact reproduction because that has been done by others several times over (and very beautifully too, I might add). I simply like the shape of the garments and would like to try and make something that has that similar elegance. Also, when I first started costuming my first effort after I had managed to put together a set of 18th century underwear was an approximation of a pierrot jacket with a false zone front. It didn't really work out in the end but I'd like to have another try at  that 1790s style and see if I've learned anything over the years :)

I have some buttercream coloured taffeta which would be enough for the gilet/waistcoat fronts and I still have loads of green striped cotton which I originally bought for a robe à la francaise (a project doomed to fail from the start; it was too much too soon) but which eventually became a spencer and an open robe. I still have at least 2-3 metres of the stuff, so it should be more than enough for a short jacket and being striped, it fits the late 18th century style. I have a white, ruffled petticoat that I made for the red and white striped anglaise, so it would go nicely with the jacket and gilet, too.

Liebster award

I must extend my sincerest apologies to Gina and Åsa who both gave me the Liebster award. It's taken me forever and a day to do anything about it, but now I finally got around writing a post and answering the questions. I'm very flattered and happy about both of their recognition and nice comments, thank you!

There are 4 tasks to do when you're awarded, first thank your awarder ( done!), nominate other blogs to whom you want to give the award, come up with questions to which you want your recipients to answer, and lastly, answer the questions posed to you.

Apparently the idea behind this thing is to promote blogs with less than 200 followers so with that in mind I would like to give this award to the following blogs:

Mon Armoire Magique 

I love her Regency pieces! I only wish she'd post more often!

Mouse Borg Designs

The first thing I ever saw from Mouse Borg was her fantastic reproduction of the KCI 1790s drawstring jacket and a massive lampshade bonnet. Wonderful projects!

Anno 1776

Can't wait to see what her next post is about. That Worth gown reproduction is to die for and the 18th century gowns are gorgeous!

Paniirena

I don't speak or read Russian, so this is more of an eye candy  thing :) I love the gowns, the horses and the photos are so beautiful!

Joyscat

Same thing as with the previous one, can't understand the text but love the photos and the costumes! 

I think five is enough for now, though in all fairness I should probably give twenty awards... Also, Gina's Beauty From Ashes and Åsa's Fashion Through History are some of my favourite haunts; I would've awarded them if they hadn't got me first! Their teens and Edwardian sewing projects are very inspiring and make me want to sew something from those periods too!

My questions:

1. Do you have a favourite historical period?
2. How, when and why did you start costuming?
3.What is your favourite part about costuming?
4. And the least favourite part?
5. Which do you like better, sewing by hand or using the sewing machine?
6. When it comes to sewing and costuming, are you a planner or do you just dive in and make it up as you go?
7. What inspires your sewing projects?
8. Do you have costuming idols?
9. If you had an unlimited budget and all the time in the world, what would you sew?
10. Which of your projects/costumes are your favourites and why?

Since I got two awards, I'll try my best to answer both sets of questions or combine them when appropriate. Right so. Here goes.

Gina's questions: 

1.  Who/what is your source of inspiration for your costuming?

I have many sources of inspiration for my projects. I suppose that so far most of my inspiration has come from extant pieces of clothing, paintings and some aspects of historical dressmaking (such as block printing). Also, I love reading other costumers' blogs and if I'm very lucky, sometimes meeting up with other costumers and finding out about their projects. That's another big source of inspiration.

2.  Why do you or what caused you to get started costuming?

I strarted costuming in 2011. I was working only part-time the whole year and I thought that it'd be nice to have a bigger sewing project. I had thought about making an 18th century ensemble for a while then and just went for it. Funny how things turn out. :)

3.  What is your favorite part about costuming?  Research?  Sewing?  Creating?  Wearing your outfit? I love creating the most, I think. When something I've thought about and mulled over turns out just the way I want it, it's a great feeling. I'm a bit lazy researcher (said the PhD student...) but lately I've got more into it. Of course, wearing the finished outfit is also one of my favourite parts, but I'm also fascinated about what goes into creating the look for a certain period. Having a suitable event where to wear the finished piece is also kind of neat.

4.  What is your ultimate goal in costuming?  To get better at sewing?  To visit a fabulous place and have tea or get your picture taken? 

My goal in costuming? When I started this, I don't think I had any other goal than to see if I could make 18th century clothes. As it happens, practice makes you better. I like the fact that with each piece of clothing I make and with each new sewing project I take up I can learn new things, new ways of doing things and often even surprise myself when I manage to put together something I didn't think I could do (like the 1880s corset, for example).

 Åsa's questions:

1. When and how did you get into sewing? I started making historical clothes in 2011, but I've been sewing, knitting, embroidering etc. since I was a teenager and younger.
2.  What was your very first garment (historical or other)? And what did you learn from it? I honestly can't remember what was my first garment ever, so let's go with the first historical piece of clothing. 18th century petticoats, chemise and stays. All in all, it was a passable effort but suppose I learned that I need to practice this thing a bit more...
3.  Do you have a dream project? And what it is? (Picture?) Hmm, maybe the Courtois dress I'm making at the moment.
4. Which of your costumes are your favorite and why? (Picture?)  I'm very pleased with my Museum of London 1820s pelisse. When I first saw the original garment, it was love at first sight. I wanted to try and make a reproduction, but didn't dare to hope that the result would be anything the way it eventually turned out. I'm very proud of that coat and that I really had the patience to make and sew all that piping and beading on it :)
5. What will be your next big project? I think I'm currently in the middle of my next big project, namely the Courtois portrait dress. It's my first Victorian ensemble and first bustle period dress, though it's actually natural form and not bustle at all. I still have some finishing touches to put on it and trimmings to find and attach. I also want to make an evening bodice to go with the skirts. Another project under way at the moment is a new Irish dancing dress for myself; not exactly historical but not very "everyday sewing" either.
6. What part of costuming do you enjoy the most (the planing, patternmaking, sewing, details ect.)? See question 3 in the previous set.
7. And what part would you rather not do? Fitting tends to be a drag. I don't have a dressmaker's dummy or handy minions to order around to help me with fitting issues, so if there's a problem, I just have to somehow deal with it. Also, I hate making buttonholes, lacing holes and sewing on hooks and eyes. But that's about it. Other stuff I like.
8. Do you have a costuming rolmodel or muse (historical, fellow blogger or other)? Oh, several. Of the Finnish ones, Aristocat, Rococo Atelier and Couturemayah are all seamstresses whose skills never cease to amaze me. They're also lovely people all around! I also have to mention American Duchess whose blog was one of the first ones I came accross when I was starting my costuming projects for the first time. Her sewing, posts and projects have been a big inspiration, too. And let's not forget the historical seamstresses. They did make fairly amazing things, as well!
9. Whats the reason you decided to start your costuming blog? Well, it seems to be something costumers do. Also, I live in a town where there are no other costumers (or at least I don't know about them if there are; see, that's why people have blogs :) ) so it's nice to have a forum through which to connect with other likeminded people.
10. What are your best advise for anyone wanting to get into historical costuming? Do it! I've made so many new friends through this hobby and it's so much fun to make lovely things, go to events, find out more about history and learn new skills.

The Courtois dress: the latest stage

Things are chugging along with the Courtois dress. I made the sleeves and set them in and I've also sewn all the hooks, eyes and yarn loops on the fronts. I tried the whole dress on again today and took some photos which are below.

I might still take in the front of the jacket a little over the belly; there's quite a lot of looseness there. Although, when I sit the front hem of the jacket spreads out nicely and there is no weird wrinkling.

I've noticed that every time I put on the corset the result is a bit different. It doesn't always sit in the exactly same place as before, and sometimes I manage to tighten the laces more evenly than before. Also the fit issues I mentioned in the previous post were due to my lacing of the corset tighter than before. I think I need to practice lacing and placing the corset more to get more even results.

I need to add more fabric to the shirred pieces on the neckline

I'm not sure whether or not to take in the front hem a little.

Corset lacing showing through; maybe I should make a corset cover, too.

Antique lace from the 1890s; pity I don't have enough of this.

Another piece of antique lace. It's not the right kind, though. I also need to find ribbon, narrower for the hems and wide for the overskirt ruching, jacket cuffs and the rosette on the front.

Courtois dress: bodice construction, part III

Here we go again, it's Courtois project time. I've been working on the bodice, little bits and pieces every day and so far I have:
-sewn in the bone casings and put in bones on each seam and the front darts of the jacket
-determined the method for making the front of the jacket to look like the original portrait; I'm sure there are many different ways to do this, I chose to copy and apply the fastenings used in this extant gown.
-faced the front and side piece hem of the jacket and
-turned in and stiched the back piece and pleat hems
-sewn on the waistband

I still have to
-sew hooks and eyes on centre front edges
-finish the centre front panel (the back of the panel, to be more precise)
-sew that panel on the jacket and sew hooks and possibly yarn loops to attach it
-set in the shirred pieces on the neckline and make a small collar (onto which I can then baste the lace)
-make the sleeves
-trim the overskirt with a pleated fringe and ribbon loops

Here are some photos I took this evening. I think I might have laced the corset a bit tighter than before, since the jacket suddenly has odd fit issues on the side back waist.

Here you can really see the beautiful violet undertones of the fabric

Ok, so it looks like I have less waist definition when I wear a corset than when I don't. Odd. Or it might just be the jacket. There is some strange fit issue on (my) left side, towards the back that I can't really figure out, mostly because I can't reach back wearing the whole get-up and fix it myself.

It's weird, when I wear the corset, I feel very short-necked, because the corset pushes stuff upwards (and down). I feel that I have to make more of an effort to keep my posture good and my shoulders back and down than without the corset. Apparently it doesn't show on the outside.

The front panel. I chose to make it with smocking because I like sewing smocking and it gives a very similar look as in the portrait. I sewed in piping around all the edges, to control the strechiness of the smocked piece.