For future stays, or modification…

By chance, today I found a roll of that sewer cord or spring steel tape I’m using for the hoops, but it looks smaller (not home yet, so I don’t know for sure). It might work great as boning for a future pair of stays. But you might remember I’ve had problems with the boning in the front tab in my current stays, I might just operate a little on them and change the boning in the front. =D

Tease

Today I decided it was time to dress up once more and test and fit everything again, since I finished all the hemming. Well I didn’t need to fit it really, but I wanted to see that it still looked alright. I also wanted to take some better pics to show off my creation (this was the best I had). ;D So here you are, my pet-en-l’air so far:

Still only one arm trimmed though, and no real stomacher, hehe . And I kinda just wrapped the fabric for the petticoat round my waist… ^^;
I also used the one pocket hoop I have managed to make so far (soooo boring to seeew!) and they might work after all, what do y’all think?

Ooops, didn’t pin it very well, bah!

Bum-bi-bum…

I confess – I am a period seamstress, in the meaning “woman who sews in periods”. XD The other day I entered a new sewing period, I might actually finish the actual jacket of the pet-en-l’air this week! I’m hemming and hemming and hemming right now, then there’s just the trimming! The stomacher might take some time…
   Anywhooo, the jacket looks a lot shorter than I anticipated, so now It looks quite a lot like my favourite pet-en-l’air:

Pet-en-l'air @ Manchester Art Gallery

When I started this project I wanted to use pocket hoops, so I started making a pair. My previous apprehension is now reality though; with the length it’s at now – it will not look very good with those big pocket hoops. So now I’m considering models for a bum/hip roll. I came across this some time ago, maybe a way to put that problem off a little… ;D

Oh, and we got a C on the thesis. ^^

How cheap I really am!

In my last post I said quote:

– Wow, this has really become a quest for the cheapest way to make an as accurate as possible 18th century outfit, hehe ;P I’ll have to try and write down exactly how little I actually have spent on this project! =D The shoes cost no more than 50 SEK btw – about $5 I should think. ;D

And now I have summarized, to that extent my memory could manage, how much I have spent on stuff and materials for my very first “as-accurate-as-possible-for-as-little-monye-as-possible-18th-century-outfit”.
   You can view the whole list at the page “What I’ve spent so far” to your right. But I’ll give you the whole so-far-total right here and now, and I am serious!:

273 SEK ≈ 27 EUR ≈ 39 USD ≈ 23,50 GBP

ONE HOOP!

Yup, at least one‘s finished! And not ONCE did I restort to my fancy sewing machine! ;P

Pocket hoops pics

Now these pics are a bit old since I have gotten much further in the progress, but since you allways seem so photo hungry…:

This is the fabric before I did anything to it. My constant little helper Sol the Cat helped me keep an eye on the fabric until I was going to use it… Yes – indeed that grey fluffy stuff is cat hair!

This is the boning, aka spring steel tape used for clearing drains and sewers. Here all cut up, ends filed round and taped with electrical tape to minimize tear on fabric.

It seems that almost everything they made in the 18th century had small curious details of decoration and finesse. So when I hemmed the small opening for the pocket I amused myself by making a little flower at the end, hehe. ^^;

A heap of unfinished pocket hoops…

Hunt!

So today me and my very good friend Malin (who is interested in millinery and might help me with hats in the future ;D) took a loooong 2 h walk to a fishing store. Her bf told us they might have silk floss. I looked them up on the net and in their web shop they had Lagartun silk floss! Jays! But of course they had none in at the store!!! Oh well, I guess I’ll order online!

This weekend I also got the spring steel for the pocket hoops cut (since the cutters we had at home weren’t strong enough), I’ve only got like two of the three tunnels left to sew on one of the hoops – well after tonight I will. =) The other hoop is still quite unfinished, but I’ve taken my last exam for this term so I’ve kinda got summer break now! =D Yes I’ve taken pictures, but it’s really not much to see right now, hehe.
   Next assignment: buying piking scissors (I can’t believe myself I haven’t got a pair already).

Started

Today I started the part project with the pocket hoops. As I’ve mentioned, I have a light brown cotton fabric I’m using for that – it’s a really horrible color, it looks like… the tummy flu or something, haha! XD But I didn’t choose, I just took what I had home and that’s what I had.
   This time I’m not making a pettern of my own actually, I’m using the pattern from Norah Waugh’s Corsets and Crinolines. The pattern is quite small and since I don’t have a ruler with inches marked, I had to convert every measurement to centimeters, that took quite some time, hehe…
   I’ve started sewing the pieces together, and yet I have not tired and resorted to my pretty new and shiny machine (who’s glaring at me with watery eyes from under my desk). Right now I’m reading for an exam on Swedish education history, so it’s a perfect pause in the reading to sew a new seam. It’s frustrating to know that I could be done much sooner if I wouldn’t have to read though!
   Well, hope to be back soon with pictures of my progress!

Nite nite!

Boning for pocket hoops, check!

Today I went on a scavanger hunt, for a fitting material for my pocket hoops. I went to the Swedish hardware store chain Clas Ohlson just to have a look around. Just when I got in I remembered that Adam, a fellow historical costume maker, tipped me about sewer cord (“rensband” in Swedish) – he had used it for stays before. It’s a spring steel tape and it’s commonly used to clear drains and sewers (haha, I know how it sounds… XD). I thought I’d look it up and when I saw it I just thought it was perfect! I had the feeling it would be a bit wide and stiffer and therefor not very suitable, but it looks great! And the very best thing was: it only cost me 39 SEK, which is like about 4.97 USD or 3.25 GBP, and that’s for 7.5 meters. Yays – pocket hoops next!

Guess what!?

Guess what!?

The stays are basicly DONE!!! I’m not kidding! They’re totally wearable! The only thing missing is the shoulder straps and a few decorative details.
   And YES! I will take pictures – as soon as my “better” half stops teasing me about the cute curl of the tabs and start helping me with the lacing!
   Next step: pocket hoops or shifts. It all depends on what I can find material for first. I have a light brown (ya, it’s really a horrible color) cotton fabric to use for the pocket hoops, but I don’t know what to use as boning… Any suggestions? Has anyone used anything but usual corset boning? Anything cheap? As for the shifts I have to find a good fabric, I thought I saw something I could use in town, but I don’t remember the price and I really have to be cheap right now… =/