HSF '14: 19: Inspiration

The theme for the 19th challenge of the year is Inspiration: "One of the best things about the HSF is seeing what everyone else creates, and using it to spark your own creativity. Be inspired by one of the challengers item from HSF ’13 or HSF challenges 1-18 to make your own fabulous item." (Facebook)

While I didn't intend to make this item for a challenge, it happens to fit in quite nicely. I am submitting my quickie-"Candy Stripe" bustle :D

Version 2

I started going through the Facebook albums for inspiration. There are so many amazing things that people have been making and posting, it's been such a pleasure to take part in the challenge, even if I have been quite rubbish at making and posting my own items. Even just to see what everyone comes up with, it's been a wonderful 1.75 years! (Almost 2 years already?!) September was, as I'm sure you're aware from my previous posts, a giant time-suck, and I got precisely nothing done on the challenges due that month. October is a very short month, and then in November I will be writing a novel, so if I manage to get any sewing done, it will have to be small. The rest of the year is not looking particularly hopeful for challenge completions.

Then, as I was going through the albums, I remembered some lovely pieces, and sought them out specifically. In particular, there was two from Asa:

Lobster bustle (Photoshoot)
Mini-lobster bustle

and one from Michelle L:

Star Trek Lobster bustle

And not specifically from an HSF participant, or even made in these past 2 years, but an inspiration nonetheless:

Katherine's lobster bustle

The night before the train excursion, I knew I needed a second bustle since I would need to lend one to my sister. I toyed with the idea of a pillow or pad, and eventually settled on making a mini-lobster. I'd wanted to make one for awhile, and also try out some of the leftover tubing from my farthingale to see how it would hold up.

Spoiler: it holds up very well!

September Wrap-Up

Friends, please excuse the lack of professionalism on this post. I'm posting from my phone so I can show you a couple of pictures from the crazy amazing month I've had. I haven't felt like this since I stopped working in retail!

The train trip was such a delight, and my corset held up quite well to the vigours of a 4-hour train ride, roast beef and mashed potato and gravy meal, and shopping in town afterwards. Big Valley was established in the early part of the 20th century, or at least this jail dates from that time frame. 

I also managed to finish a bonnet! Nothing like a deadline to get a girl motivated :)

The day after the trip, I performed at a family festival with my belly dance studio. I was so nervous, and I definitely messed up more than once. Sometimes I have an odd disconnect with photographs of myself performing, because how I feel and think about myself doesn't match what I feel the camera shows. And yet I can look at photos of other dancers who don't have socially-accepted "perfect" bodies and I don't see those so-called "flaws" -- I see a beautiful woman who has taught her body to move and even without seeing her perform, I know she is a smart, capable, and stunning woman. So how come I can't connect that same idea to photographs of myself? 

That's a post for a different day, however, so please enjoy this photograph of me dancing. Despite my disconnect with photos, when I'm in the studio learning and practicing and watching myself move, I absolutely love how I look!

Photo by Kazoo Productions. 

The very next day after performing 4 times, I went to the registry office and tested for my drivers license. I've had my learner's for nigh on 100 years (which is code for 15 years, give or take) and once I moved to the city, I never saw the need to get it. I've always lived relatively close to work on decent bus routes. But more and more I was finding that being able to drive would open a lot more of the city to me. I was SO nervous. I think there was three of me, I was shaking so badly. But I passed the test, and last week I brought my first car home. It's parked since it's a manual transmission and I don't know how to drive a stick, plus I'm waiting for the chance to register it and get my own plate on it. But still, now I will be able to get around much more easily!

I really don't recommend three events like that in such a short span, especially if you're a worrywart like me. But there was no rest for the wicked, because then it was onto a wedding, and finishing up a gown and three frock coats for the Regency ball! 

I will do a full write-up in the near future, with as many photos as I can scrounge. My camera (meaning my phone) was stowed safely away for the night as technology was expressly forbidden in the ballroom ;) But we did take a few pictures beforehand. 

 Did I take a wedgie picture, and also talked some other ladies into taking one with me? You bet I did! I ended up wearing the paisley gown because the commissions took priority :) The ball was wonderful. Everyone looked so amazing. I can hardly wait for the one in February!

And of course, since having ONLY a ball to attend at the end of the month would be much too easy, we also had a local version of Comic Con to attend. I rewore a costume I made about a hundred years ago (this time: 18 years) that has held up very well over the years and was well-received by the people who recognized it. It will undergo a remake in the near future, however - the sleeves are much too short, and one sleeve has become faded from hanging in the closet for a number of years. Still, my choices that morning had been Victorian (even got my corset in, then decided nope!) or the whore-I-mean-handmaiden Game of a Thrones gown, but since it was just a handful of degrees above freezing and windy, I opted for more coverage. 

But first, let me take a selfie. 

A Mid-Month Post

Hello there friends! It's been awhile since my last post. I wish I could say I was a busy little bee working on projects, and while it wouldn't strictly be a lie, its not precisely the truth either.

My Yellow challenge was put aside and will remain so for another short (I hope) while. My Partner in Crime and I agreed to make some frock coats for the musicians at the Regency Ball in 2 weeks, and neither of us are tailors, nor have gentlemen that we regularly sew for. So that's been a bit of a learning curve!

I've also been working on a commission I took on for the ball. The customer requested a muslin gown, and since I knew that the muslin sold in stores is not the same kind of muslin historical uses made of it, I was searching all over for muslin made in India. I was having a heck of a time, until I found a pair of references. The first on the glossary, that muslin gauze is the specific term to search for, and the second that muslin made in India is virtually unchanged in the last 200 years (but I have lost that reference! If your blog is one that refers to that, please let me know so I can credit you!). So when I searched for that, I found what I was looking for almost immediately! Huzzah!! Then of course it was a waiting game for it to make its way halfway across the world to me, which it did in rather good time. I bought 10 yards, and I couldn't believe how light and airy it is. This dress will weigh practically nothing!

Guido and Simon Meowell model the muslin.

Then, I've been going to belly dance practices 2x a week for the last few weeks. The studio I dance at is showcasing the choreographies learned in the past year at a festival this weekend. One of the dances I knew, one I did not. I mostly had to teach it to myself, which was extra fun because it also included finger cymbals! But the support I got from my teacher and the other students has been just fantastic. I will have to write a post on why I find dance so important to my life in the near future :)

I thought I wouldn't be able to go on this year's train excursion, because I didn't know when I'd be dancing at the festival. Then it turned out that I could! So tonight I made up a mini quasi-lobster bustle for my sister, or possibly for myself. I hate to say this, but we've had snow already this month (and it was MUCH worse in the southern part of the province! They got some 12-13", we only got a light dusting that melted as soon as it hit the ground). So this event, which we usually attend in August, will possibly be the coolest weather we've ever had for it. I'm quite looking forward to not melting out of my gown and actually wearing mosre accessories than I usually go with. But Ireally  do need a hat.

Finally, I made a Facebook page for my blog. I wanted to move my in-progress photos and the like away from my personal page. So if you want to see what I'm up to and are on facebook, please feel free to follow it!

We shall chat aain soon, my friends. I hope to have good pictures from the train trip and some ballgown pictures soon!

HSF '14: #16 Terminology: "Guimpe"

Friends, I have a confession. I feel like I cheated a bit with this challenge. There, I said it. I cheated.

This was another challenge where I had lots of ideas - I could make jumps, or work on some stays, or make something out of one of the many types of cloth listed in the glossary. Then I thought, but what about specific terms that aren't listed but are definitely historical terms, like bustles, or a habit shirt? But no - the challenge is quite clear that the item must come from the glossary. Hmm. What to do?

Guimpe caught my eye. From the glossary: A short blouse to be worn under a jumper, or a fill for a low cut dress. Similar to a dickey or chemisette. And then I looked it up on Google. From Wikipedia: From the early nineteenth century onwards, the term guimpe also described a form of short under-blouse or chemisette which was worn under a pinafore or low cut dress to fill in the neckline and, if sleeved, cover the arms. (Though if you look up the source linked with the quote, it's greatly paraphrased. The magic of Wikipedia...)

Further from Google, if you search guimpe in images, there are a few chemisette-like items listed as guimpes, and it seems to be a French term as the blogs that have these items are French. And while many are very sheer, a few are not, and that is good enough for me :D

I whipped this up EXTREMELY quickly. It was about 2pm on the same day I was leaving town for my sister's wedding. I was expecting my friend to arrive at 4, and my dad shortly after. That should be enough time to quickly make a chemisette, I thought, and still have time to shower. I put my fabric and pattern out and ripped and snipped and serged and stitched. Yep, it's 95% machine sewn and finished. I wanted it to be able to wear it with my new paisley dress for the pictures! I didn't hem the ruffle because I figured I could sew it in the car. I ended up leaving it ripped until I decided on the item I wanted to make for this challenge. I quite liked the fuzzy edges and the soft look it had in the light. Then it was just a matter of rolling the hem down (after giving the edge a "trim") and stitching. Et voila!

My biggest lesson learned from this is PRESS YOUR FABRIC before you lay out or cut patterns! Even though I had this folded nicely in my fabric bin, the end I cut from was a little "crunchy", which I ignored because I was in a hurry. It ended up being quite crooked and one shoulder is a lot narrower than the other. I really love how this looks with the entire ensemble and I will definitely be making more :)

The Challenge: #16 Terminology
Fabric: 100% linen
Pattern: La Mode Bagatelle
Year: 1810s-ish
Notions: thread, a metre or so of cording
How historically accurate is it?: Rather debatable. Most of the guimpes a Google image search turned up were quite sheer. Thoroughly modern construction.
Hours to complete: 2
First worn: August 2
Total cost: $5, perhaps. The linen was about half a yard ($4), and the cording was perhaps $1.

Closes with a single pin.
Serged seam under the ruffle to leave a smooth edge at the neck.

HSF '14: #15 The Great Outdoors: A Regency Spencer

I really like having the challenges posted well in advance, allowing for planning. And procrastinating. And changing my mind because I procrastinated too long. (Have you noticed a theme yet?)

Initially, I wanted to make a riding habit. But I'm not yet confident in my 18th century sewing to have tackled a habit without a pattern. I finally did make a mock-up, but the fit was just awful. I need to spend a lot more time on it, but I don't have a ton of motivation to do so right now.

Lucky for me, sometimes inspiration strikes early and then sits. Case in point: this spencer. I was taken with the idea some months ago: I simply HAD to make a blue cotton velveteen spencer. I HAD to. I found the mockup I'd made ages ago (roughly 3 years ago) and the fit was still good, so out came the pattern and the blue velveteen. In quite short order, I had a jacket. I'm not totally sold on the pale lining (but it's growing on me! A lot!), but I'd already put the sleeves in. Maybe some decorative braiding some such will help perk it up. And of course, I had it finished to the point of closures and sleeve hemming, and tossed it aside in favour of something else. (Carefully. My cat is mostly grey but his fur is banded with white and black too. It clings to and shows up on EVERYTHING.)

I really need to stop doing that.

But then it worked out that since I couldn't finish the habit without rushing, and a spencer would be worn outside, especially with long sleeves... Ta da! It got finished :) It did take a bit longer than I was hoping it to. I came home Friday with the intent to finish it that night, but instead I washed and stored a whole bunch of veggies pulled from a friend's garden (we both came home with about 6 shopping bags of produce, and there's tons more to be harvested :D) and then the next day I woke up with a plague and spent the whole day pretty much sleeping. But today I feel much better, and finished it.

I also ended up hand-stitching the outside seams in place. It was pretty much impossible to photograph (I tried) but the layers wanted to bag out and wouldn't lay flat. Perhaps a good pressing would have done the trick, but I've never had luck with pressing velveteen, even with a towel underneath to protect the pile. I didn't always manage to keep the pale thread from showing on the outside, but hopefully the pile of the velveteen will keep it hidden :) It lays MUCH flatter now.

The Challenge: #15 The Great Outdoors
Fabric: dark blue cotton velveteen
Pattern: Sense and Sensibility Spencer Jacket
Year: 1810s?
Notions: 4 buttons, thread
How historically accurate is it?: In shape only, most likely. Cotton velveteen might be OK, but polyester lining and plastic buttons sure aren't ;)
Hours to complete: I didn't keep track. 6 or so.
First worn: Not yet (too hot!)
Total cost: The velveteen and buttons were gifted to me, and I used maybe 1/2 metre of the cream faux-silk that I got for $2/m... so about $1.

Regency Paisley Cotton Day Dress Bonus!!

My sister got married this past weekend at her now-husband's farm, and I had invited my friend with me to attend. Since I had just finished my day dress, and my friend had expressed interest in playing with her DSLR camera more to learn how to use it, I asked her to take some pictures of my dress. I quickly sewed up a chemisette (also from the La Mode Bagatelle pattern) to take with me. I didn't have a chance to hem the ruffle, though you can't really see it in these photos. I feel like my expressions are a bit odd in the photos, and you might notice my SUPER historically accurate chipped nails and flip flops (it was at least 30C and 60% humidity on all the days we were there. I sacrifice footwear when it's that hot. Please understand we spent 6 full months at or well below freezing last year! This kind of heat is just not what I'm used to!). But I hope you enjoy them anyway :)

Photo by EJ Harrison

HSF'14: #14 Paisley & Plaid: Regency Day Dress

There was a bit of excitement in my city this past week! While I am very positive I am not the only historical fashion enthusiast in town, I wasn't sure how to go about finding other people. I have a partner in crime who is quite happy to make dresses and wear them out with me, but we have a hard time getting together sometimes. I am not really interested in the focus groups, and I just don't have the energy to work up to creating a group myself (though I may still have to). Then, we found out that someone in our city is very passionate about Regency and is holding a ball in September! My partner in crime was THRILLED and has leapt into wardrobes with both feet. As it happened, I had a Regency gown planned for the Paisley & Plaid challenge, so I spent the night at her house where we had the unusual but enjoyable experience of making a pair of dresses from the same pattern. Within a 24 hour period, we both had dresses that were only in need of a few finishing touches, such as hems. I finished my dress the next day when I would normally be tempted to let it sit and then finish it right before I wanted to wear it. Sure does feel good to finish something, though!

I feel the need to tell you, lovely readers, that I have never liked paisley. I was probably in my early teens, and a lot of the linens I'd received from my grandparents (being hand-me-downs from the 70s, probably) had these horrible (I thought) paisley prints on them. E-yeuch! And even up until a few months ago, I hated paisley. What an awful motif, I thought. Well, while I'm still not a huge fan, when my mum's stash was available for picking and some paisleys in not-horrible-70s-prints came out, I knew I had a paisley challenge coming up, and I grabbed them for my own stash.

I'd wanted to try the La Mode Bagatelle pattern for some time. I liked that it was a complete wardrobe from the skin out, and was eager to see how it went together. My partner in crime was just finishing a bodiced petticoat as I arrived, and after a bit of pattern tracing, fabric choosing and washing, and supper, we cut our fabrics. I had to make a mock-up bodice, which I then used as the lining.

My partner in crime leapt into the construction with both feet, while I took the time to read the directions, sometimes several times over. I did not find them to be the clearest directions, so if you use this pattern and like to read directions, take the time to read them carefully. Despite that discrepancy in our working styles, we progressed at about the same rate.

We both felt that the band was a great idea, giving the bodice a bit more support to sit under the bust, rather than having the skirt start falling from the same place. We also felt that it was just a little too long, and cut ours shorter to better suit our tastes. I waited to gather my bodice until the false bib was in place, rather than gathering the layers individually. Before attaching the skirt, we added on our sleeves. I know she had to play with the size of the band to achieve the look she wanted, and I ended up taking mine in a bit well after the rest of the dress was completed (but before it was hemmed). After that, it was just attaching the skirt - she kept hers with a flat front and gathered in the back, I pleated mine starting at the edges of the false bib with most of the fullness concentrated at the back.

I took my dress home with only closures, hemming, and finishing the false bib to finish. It was a very productive day! We got through an entire season of Doctor Who as we sewed. And I probably could have pushed a bit harder and had it finished the same day I took it home, but in the end, I worked on it slowly and finished it the day after. Which is still good, I usually wait much longer to finish a dress! I really can't wait to wear this out somewhere :)

What the item is: Regency Cotton Day Dress
The Challenge: #14 Paisley & Plaid
Fabric: 4m of cotton paisley print (60" wide).
Pattern: La Mode Bagatelle false bib-front round gown with long sleeves
Year: 1810s?
Notions: thread, ribbon, self-covered buttons
How historically accurate is it? Probably not very. Fabric content, sure, pattern, maybe. Mostly machine sewn, with hand-finishing on the hems.
Hours to complete: A season of Doctor Who, including patterning.
First worn: Not yet, but hopefully soon!
Total cost: The fabric was from my mum's stash (so free to me), a bit of ribbon and broadcloth from my partner in crime's stash, three button bases left over from my last Regency dress that I got on sale... I'm just gonna call this one free :D (Oh, I will need to buy a bit of tape for the band facing, so it'll be around $1)

And a preview of it being worn! (Apologies for the bathroom selfie and cropping out my laundry-day hair. I broke my full length mirror a few weeks ago. Epic sad-face!)