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.

Wolston House

So, yesterday saw me head off again to another historical house down south with Kerry, Cat, Donna and Georgia. We were asked to attend by some of the dancers that go to the heritage dances. It was at Wolston house, this beautiful old farmhouse that was built in the 1850s. So, yet again we were dressed in our crinolines. I didn't get many photos on account of not feeling so crash hot (head cold and stomach bug have both hit at once). I did get a couple of shots of the dancers, but we had an aspiring photographer with us who took a whole lot of photos, so I will have to get a copy of them. But here are the few that I did get...



And even though I was sick, I still had a really good time. It was great to catch up with everyone again and the house was beautiful. Though, now I am thinking that since I have worn my pink crinoline a few times, I would like a new one. Plus the downside of using a loose weave cotton like my pink dress is that after a little wear it starts to pull apart. I do have some very nice blue cotton/linen that I bought a while ago. I just might have found a use for it. Though, that is going to have to wait until after I get my July projects finished.

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.

Rockton House

Yesterday, I took my mum along to a craft fair / fundraiser at Rockton House (In Ipswich). Of course, we were dressed up for the event in historical costumes. Most of us were wearing crinoline, but there was bustle too. I was a little dissapointed with the size of the markets - I really thought that there would be more there, but the house itself is rather beautiful. As for costumes, I wore my pink crinoline outfit, this time with the bonnet. I think with the amount of pink in my outfit, I almost radiated the colour. Not that, that is a bad thing. I did get called a 'pink lady' which I find rather amusing. But over here are my photos of the day...