1840s is the order of the day

Not off to the best blogging start for the new year. Life's been crazy and I'm hoping things slow down a bit soon, but I'm certainly not holding my breath.

Late last year I was invited to attend a celebration event at Newstead House. It's been a while since I have done anything historical and a good portion of my historical clothing has shrunk in the wardrobe. So to combat that issue, I decided that it was time for a new outfit. I decided to revamp my 1850s silk ballgown, which I last wore in 2013 https://poisonedkitty.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-state-of-our-own.html. It no longer fits and I haven't been able to on-sell it, so it was something perfect to rework. But I didn't want to just make a new bodice and recreate the same outfit.

I've always had a love of the 1840s fashions and they're a perfect period for wearing at Newstead House, which was built in 1846. And I do have a whole set of 1840s undergarments which does still fit. My first step was to find some inspiration, and I came across this lovely tartan gown.

 

Inspiration chosen, I drafted up and mocked up a pattern before cutting out my fabric. I managed to cut the entire outfit out of the skirts from the previous gown, not even touching my extra fabric. The only thing I needed to purchase for the new gown was some white cotton for lining the bodice. All trimmings came from my stash.

Newstead House Q150

Today, I attended the celebration of Q150 Separation at Newstead House. There's not really much I can say about it all, other than the day ran very well and I had a great time. I am exhausted, but you get that after wearing a corset all day. But I really think that the photos speak for themselves.

Debbie's 1849 Accessories

And I am now on holidays. Only for a few days, but still, better than nothing. And I do have a couple of days off next week as well. But the ultimate goal of this extra time is to actually complete all my sewing projects in readiness for my weekends full of July costuming. I think there are only two complete weekend days in the whole of July that I have nothing on. And one of those is only because the thing I was going to go to has been postponed.

But onto the real stuff.

I ventured over to the Vintage Fashion Fair again last weekend. (I am pretty sure that these run about 4 times per year). I was not as successful this time in my shopping. I got a few pairs of coloured vintage gloves for myself, but best of all I got some gloves for my dad. And only for $5. Bargain. I was a little disappointed, there were some beautiful clothing pieces there but rather lacking in the accessory department compared to what they usually have. Most of the hats ended up being very 1950s and covered in plastic flowers which is not really my thing. But that's okay I shall try again next time. And I stopped off at the markets afterwards to get some fresh fruit and veggies for the week. Weirdest moment though, I was asked by some girls with a camera for a photo. Now normally this would not be a strange thing when I am out, mainly because I am dressed in historical or Lolita. But this time I was just in my 1960's dress. Hmmm, I just felt so strange.

On the sewing front, things are progressing. My fingers are very tender from the amount of hand sewing I have been doing, but lets face it, it has to be done. The biggest news thought is that I am now totally complete on a second costume. This one is my mum's day set to be worn at Newstead House. I posted photos of her skirt and blouse a while back, but I have finally finished it all by completing her belt, bonnet and reticule. Very happy about this, but to be fair I have been procrastinating about them for a while. So photos...


The reticule is my pretty standard one that I generally end up making. But I really like the pattern and it works very well if you have two colours in the outfit. As for the belt, it is the same silk fabric (actually they all are so that they draw the colour through the outfit) and the buckle, I picked up on Ebay for about $6. But the bonnet has to be my pride and joy. I have said it before that I really love bonnets and hats, but I am so very proud of this one. It is also lined with the skirt fabric for a nice contrast, and has a cute little skirt at the back near the neck. I alo ended up makeing matching silk bias for around the bonnet. And for the decorations, I got stuck into it with my hot glue gun. The ribbon is just bunched up with a little hand sewing and glued in place and then the flowers are added. It's simple but I think that is what I like about it. I must remember this style for a future bonnet for myself.

And then there is everything else I have been working on. None of it is complete however, and I refuse to put up pictures of semi-finished garments, but lets just say that my medieval is almost done, mum's ballgown is awaiting hand sewing and my dad's evening suit is just needs some buttons and little more hand sewing. Needless to say I have rather a large pile of hand sewing sitting in my room awaiting my attention. So I better get back to it...

Progress

I have finished cutting everything out (dad was getting a little worried). And I have been making superb progress. My maid gown is now complete with hooks, eyelets and lacing. (Phew 1 down, only 7 to go). Mum's day gown set is awaiting a belt and bonnet (I am determined to get these don this weekend). My medieval gown is coming along, but I keep having to stop and do hand sewing which slows me up. The chemise is done (no photos though 'cause it is just rather plain, shapeless and boring as all chemises are). The main dress is actually mostly done, and all I have to do is hem the dress and sleeves, attach the sleeves and sew on the decorative braids. The other accomplishment is mum's ball gown - it is almost done. I just need to press the bodice, do the eyelets and lacing, hem the skirt and attach the two together.

Overall, not a bad progress report, but I still have a lot of work to do. I think that I will feel better once I have whole sets complete and not just started bits and pieces on them all. So my aim this weekend is to complete mum's ballgown and day gown (then I will be completely done with her stuff), and try to get most of dad's outfit done. My stuff I am not so overly worried about. I need the medieval gown because I otherwise I will not have anything to wear Abbey, but for my other projects, if worst comes to worst, I can always re-wear something that I already have. I would rather have my new ones done, but then again I do not want to stress myself out completely. On the upside, I dug out our ceramic heater for the sewing room, so that I can sew into the wee hours of the morning and not freeze. It really works for me and my fingers do not get numb any more = more progress. That's about it for now, but I will post complete photos when the pieces get done.

Debbie's 1849 Skirt and Blouse

And the long weekend has finally rolled around. I am looking forward to getting lots of work done on my costuming this weekend. I do have a couple of things planned, but in the meantime I have every intention of knuckling down to work. I had the afternoon of work yesterday, so I was able to come home and make a good start on my upcoming projects. The main thing was getting some cutting out done so that I can actually start sewing up some more of my stuff.



And it really worked. I got so much done yesterday. Apart from the cutting out, I finished my mum's 1840s skirt.

It was mostly done, but I had to add the silk band above the detail. Without it, I was loosing the detail in the skirt. This helps it stand out a lot more. I have to say though, I found the pinning of all the pleats rather tedious. The colour of the silk is a tie through in the whole outfit. The bonnet and reticule as well as the belt will be made out of the silk as well as detail on the garibaldi blouse that I have also finished.


The white cotton is fully lined front and back with white quilters cotton to elliminate the need for a corset cover. But I did carry the colours through the blouse by using the skirt fabric at the neck and on the cuffs. So that this blouse is never going to be used as with another outfit, but will be a complete set. The other thing that I used the silk on is my dad' vest:


It helps make my mum and dad look more like a couple by tying the colour through, plus the purple will go really well with his suit (which will be grey). Oh, and I lined the vest with some of the leftover fabric from mum's skirt. I did change the pattern a little this time, in that it is cut straight across at the bottom. And mum covered the buttons for with the silk for me (I don't do buttons). So credit to mum for helping me out.

1840s maid gown

And the progress has begun. My maid dress is almost finished. I have been focusing most on getting it done so that I can make a start on my next outfit. My mum is busily covering buttons so that I can finish her blouse, and in the meantime I have been hand sewing. Why does it always seem as though there is a never ending supply of hand sewing that needs to be done. But I do have photos of what my dress looks like over the top of my petticoats.

I am rather pleased with the shape of it, and all that I have left to do is put the eyelets and lacing in up the back of the dress. I haven't finished the apron yet, but all I need to do is sew it to the waist ties, and then I have to make my cap. So really there is not that much left to do and I should be able to get it done this week. As you can see, I tried to go very simple with my design. It has the 1840s shape sleeves with the poofing below the elbow and the gathering above, and it is very simple other than that. As for fabric shouce, all my research suggests that the lady of the house just gave the maids a bolt of fabric (obviously cotton and cheap) and they made up their own clothing. I think picking the fabric was about the hardest decision I had to make in regards to this dress. But I am really glad that I am getting it done so early. And now I can go back to the sewing and hopefuly get more done this weekend...

Monday 25th

Stupid that I am, it really hasn't hit me until just how much sewing I am taking on in the upcoming months. All of it for July; there will be 8 outfits in total. Thankfully one of them will only require a new jacket, but still, I am really starting to dread the limited amount of time that I have to get everything done in. So, I have decided that I really need to start getting focused. No more vintage or lolita sewing until I have all my projects completed.

To be fair I have actually made a start on all of them, some more than others. And I think the best way for me to get my head around everything is to just start at the ones that I need done first and go from there. Which translates to Newstead House on the 11th. I need three outfits completed and this what I have left to do..

Mum's 1850s day gown:
Garibaldi blouse - sew sleeves to blouse, add buttons and button holes (mum will cover the buttons for me)
Skirt - need to add trim (I am loosing the detail I added in the skirt and I need to add 'ribbon' to make it stand out)
Bonnet - it is all cut out and I have done some of the machine sewing, I just need to start wiring and gluing it together
Reticule - cut out but this is really quick to make up
Bum pad - I still need to draw up a pattern, I just keep forgetting.

Dad's 1850s day suit:
Vest - hand sewing on inside and buttons and buttonholes
Pants and Jacket - I need to cut out the pattern so that I can cut the fabric (at least I have all the fabric now)
Cravat - I need to cut this out (thankfully it is just a long strip of cotton)

My 1840s maid gown:
Dress - hand sewing on bodice, sew skirt in at waistband, hem, sleeves and add eyelets down the back
Apron - lots of hand sewing hems
Cap - need to find my pattern and cut this out

So really when you look at these three, there is not that much the needs to be done. And I am slowly making progress. At least the hand sewing is semi-relaxing to do and I can watch TV while I do it. Mum's outfit is by far the furtherest along and I think she is really looking forward to me getting it done. But then again, because my maid gown is so simple and has zero trims on it, it has been rather quick to go together. And I promise that as I get the bits and pieces done, I will strive to post photos of my hard work. It helps me as a sense of accomplishment.

That being sent, I got so caught up in my current book tonight that I have done nothing more than waste time. Though I am considering taking Wednesday off on flex, my boss will be away for a few days and it kinda works out for timing. Hmmmm, bears consideration.

1840s petticoats

I managed to finish my 1840s petticoats. The best thing about finishing this is that I realised I now never have to make another ruffled petticoat again. I have 1830s through to 1860s covered now.

1840s corded petticoat

And voila, I am making progress on my next project. Originally I was going to be doing steampunk next, but as I am not going to the event, I am putting that project on hold. It will get made later in the year, but I would rather put my time into all my projects for July. But the purpose of this post is to say that I have finally finished another part.

This is my corded petticoat to be worn under 1840s dresses. It has taken a damn long time to finish but now that I am done, I am glad that I persevered. I started out with two 90cm widths of fabric that are both 1.5 metres long. I then stitched them at the side seams and left a placket at the top of one. And then the cording began. I actually folded some into the hem when I did that to begin with, so that it would match the rest of the petticoat. There are a total of 42 rows. And each one is formed by using a zipper foot and sewing a pintuck with a piece of cord inside. Originally I was going to use cording, but at 90c (or more) per metre, it gets very expensive for basically 80 metres of the stuff. So instead, I found a thick wool. It cost me about $7 for around 50 metres; so it is much cheaper and it has actually worked out really well. It think it really holding out a pretty decent shape and will create a great base for my dress. Especially once I get the flounced petticoat and plain petticoat over the top. Now, I can move onto the next step of my projects. But just so that you can actually understand where I am coming from, the list of things that I need done for July are:

11th - Newstead House Garden Party
1840s Maid Dress for Me - to make 3 flounce petticoat, plain petticoat, dress, apron, cap.
1849 Day Dress for my Mum - to make dress, bonnet, reticule
1850s suit for my Dad - to make vest, trousers, jacket
I've also got to draw up the patterns for these yet. But thankfully I have already made a head start and have most of the undergarments taken care of.

12th - Abbey Medieval Fair
I have to make my gown, chemise and hooded cape. The gown and cape are cut out, so I plan to actually start these this weekend.

25th / 26th - History Alive
1830s day gown - thankfully just me at this one, and all I have to do is sew my dress together. (If I go a second day, I will definitely be re-wearing something)

25th - Heritage Ball
1880s bustle ball gown for me - Also needs a pattern, but I have all the undergarments bar one petticoat done, and it is cut out.
1840s ball gown for Mum - Yet another pattern to be drawn up. Thankfully though, she will be wearing the same undergarments as for the day gown.
1850s evening suit for Dad - The only difference to his day suit is that there will be a different jacket and vest.

So with those four events looming up on me, I really do need to get stuck into my sewing. Thankfully I have all of May and June free to make my new costumes. And the best thing about dressing mum and dad is that once I have these ones done for them, they can be worn again and again without too much drama. Other than the fact that I will be making regency clothing for them to come to the ball in September, but at least they go together pretty quickly. Though looking at that list, perhaps I should head back to my sewing machine...

Debbie's 1849 Dual petticoat

I managed to finish my mum's ruffled petticoat for her 1849 gown. Thankfully I only need to make her bum pad and then I am done with the undergarments. This has been sitting in my sewing room half done for quite some time, just taking up room so it is rather nice to get it out of there. It is actually two petticoats built into one. The are both sewn onto the drop yoke which is mid-hip height. The underneath layer is a single petticoat with two flounces and the top petticoat is a single layer with 3 flounces. Together with the plain top petticoat that is worn over this, they help give the perfect shape for her 1849 dress that I am making for the Newstead House Garden Party and her ballgown.

Supernova 1 - God, Dogma

We have progress. I have been slowly working of getting my costumes ready for supernova. I will post more photos as I get everything done, but as of now, my God corset is fixed and ready to wear. The main change that I had to make was to cut it down around the neck and arm. Which meant pulling off all the old binding, and re-binding it. Only this time I actually did a good job. I think the only issue that I really have is that since I have lost weight since I last wore this, it is now lacing almost closed.And in more progress, I mentioned that I have been slowly working on getting my mum's 1840s undergarments made up. This is the outermost petticoat - and starched to the nth degree.

It has been mostly complete and just sitting around in my sewing room for quite some time, so I figured that I should just finish it and clear out some space for more of my current projects. Mum is happy with it, and rather pleased that she is getting more of her historical pieces together. To date, she has her corset, chemise and now this top petticoat.

Friday 6th

So, Wednesday evening, we met with the organisers of the Newstead House Q150 Garden Party. The meeting was to discuss both our ideas and their ideas as to what we would be doing and what we would be wearing. As the house was built in the 1840s, the outfit that I am making for my mum is entirely appropriate. Both my mum and dad will be attending, and they be members of Brisbane society. As for myself, I had not yet decided what I would be wearing.

Originally I was under the impression that they were after a bit of a "through the ages" sort of outfits and I was thinking that I would wear an 1870s early bustle dress. Now that it has all been cleared up, we will be wearing outfits from around 1859 and our other dresses may be placed on our mannequins within the rooms of the house. As to which outfit we will put on our mannequins; that will depend entirely on what they decide. For myself, I would not mind putting either my 1860s elliptical crinoline outfit on Polly or my 1907 gown that I am making for April. There is the idea that I could put a 1940s dress on her, which would be appropriate because she is actually a vintage 1940s mannequin (the pointy boobs and tiny waist kind of give this away).

For myself, I have decided what I am going to make. *grin*. As someone who is not really a fan of the round crinoline (don’t know why, it is just not my favourite), I have decided that I would like to dress up as a maid on her day off. As for undergarments, I will aim for 1840s style petticoats, hopefully getting that corded one done. And for my dress I am thinking that I will use a similar pattern to the one I will be using for my 1830s dress. But of course, it will be simpler; as in, a plain cotton fabric dress with ribbons as decoration, a straw bonnet and a tiny basket. I am going for the simple country maid sort of style. I have to say that I am really happy with my decision, now I just need to make a trip over to the fabric shop this weekend and pick up some fabric; (hello $4.50/metre quilters cotton) and of course while I am at it I will get some more petticoat fabric. So far this year I have gone through about 38 metres of the stuff. It’s getting ridiculous that number of petticoats that I have made or cut out, but at least they are all cotton and will starch well. And once I have them all done, I should never have to worry again about making up more petticoats for myself. Phew. Huge relief.