New year – new energy

During the holidays I’ve been taking up on my blog feeds, getting myself very inspired indeed! =)
I’ve finished those tricky front hems on the pet-en-l’air, only the bottom hem left and then I can start the trimming and the stomacher! =D
I’ve had some thinking to do on the front hemming thing, I haven’t done a lot of detailed research, but by looking at images of dresses from the time – I’ve concluded that there is a big variation in how they went about it. So I just did what I felt would work best with my knowledge and what would look ok. I don’t know if I dare show pictures of how I’ve solved the problem, tough… ^^;
So that’s where I’m at right now. I might continue with the shift for a change of “scenery”, maybe put on some lace. ^^
One thing that’s been bothering me though, is that I might have to make a hiproll or something. The pet-en-l’air to me seem to not look very good with the size of pocket hoops I have (and still am working on ^^;), they look too big and wide… =S Oh well, that’ll have to be a later problem. ^^

To top this year’s first post off, I have some pictures of an heirloom, related to the 18th century. It’s a clock, that my sister Cecilia laid her hands on while we were cleaning out my dad’s appartment when he went to a retirement home. I’m greeeeeeeeeeeen with envy and so mad at myself for not being there before her to take it into my own posession! ;P It’s probably from the 19th century, but I loooove the details on the girl’s clothes, even in the back! I love that apron and if it turns out it’s somewhat 18th century I think I might make one with this as a model! =) She’s supposed to have a parasol or something in her hand, but it’s lost… =/

 

What’s been going on…

Since the last post I’ve been busy busy busy with school. But I’ve made some progress – sporadicly. =) Sleeves are now longer, I have meters and meters of trimming, and both sides of the pet-en-l’air is gathered! I have also been working on the chemise/shift… Well, just have a look at the pics! =)

A hip:

One shoulder of the shift:

A heap of trimming:

Fitting fitting fitting

So last friday at 1600 h I turned in that soul eating degree thesis… Since then I’ve been re-building my soul, by sewing of course!
   I’ve taken upp the pet-en-l’air again (I’m working on several parts of the outfit at the same time). I have now finished what I have dreaded for a long time – fitting the front opening. This was however necessary to be able to continue with other parts of the piece, like trimming. I feel sooo close to finishing now, I can taste it (kinda tastes like wild strawberries ;P).
   And that’s kinda it… For now… Today I think I’ll make the sleeves a weeeee bit longer, to see how I should distribute the little fabric that’s left for trimming and stuff. =)

Progress – on everything but the pet-en-l’air

Instead of using my inspiration for the pet-en-l’air the last time, I started with the chemise/shift. I’m doubting the fabric actually is linen though… =/ It totally looked and felt like the linen I used for the lining of the pet-en-l’air when I bought it, now it kinda doesn’t, I think it’s 100% cotton… Hmmm… =/
   I also started the hat making process the day before yesterday, yesterday I finished it! With a lot of ugly swearing and PMS-tears (PMS really sneaks up on ya, doesn’t it!?) it came out better than I could have imagined actually.

The finished product! It’s totally the look I wanted, it’s a bit uneven, but after a little decoration I’m sure no one will notice! ^^;

And just for fun – crown on an old lingonberry jam bucket… XD

Additions

I just added the very “expensive” wig to the total of what I’ve spent so far on the outfit. I also added the lace I’m going to use for the shifts aaaaaand a linen sheet I bought at the same time as the gloves that I’m going to use for the shifts! ;D
   The list now has two totals – with and without the wig. I just felt the wig kinda ruined my very cheap total… Hehe… ^^;

Started re-make of shoes!

Those of you who have read that last post about my spent-so-far-list might have notices that it says: “Suede gloves for shoes: 30 SEK”. I actually was one step ahead of Madame Berg who kindly suggested that I look for cheap second hand suede gloves! ;D Just a day or two after I bought the shoes I found myself a pair of suede gloves to modify the shoes with! =D
  It wasn’t until today that I started working on it though. First I removed those ghastly rubber bands on the shoes, then I started to rip the seams of the gloves. Right now I have cut out the parts I am going to attach to the shoes. I have some ideas before I do that though, and I need materials before I can start.
   I’m thinking of having a light pink colored trim in a silk like material, just cause I think black and pink looks so great together. ;D I found these shoes here to justify this, hehe:

They’re kid slippers from the 1790’s, but I think my idea will look gorgeous, so I’m sticking with it no matter how late these are or who wore them. =P But I still wanna know what y’all think! <)

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

Pics: lining, draping, buttons – and me…

I know I’m a bit late adding these, but I haven’t gotten much further in the progress anyway so I guess it’s allright, hehe ;P
   First we have the fabric choice for the lining of the pet-en-l’air; I had an old linen sheet with a middle seem that my mother or grandmother had colored minty green for some reason. When I asked my mother if I could have it, at least 5 years ago, I had in mind to use it for somethin midieval or what ever, but I never got to it. I realized it was perfect for this project. The fabric left over is enough to make an under petticoat too. ;D

This is the pieces cut out:

And this is the back part with lacing (ignore the colors! ^^;). I actually got two spring boning pieces (?) I found at Robbie’s grandmother’s that I put in there! ;D

Detail, you know me, love little details no one will ever notice! XD

I actually used the machine for the seems… ^^;

This is the draping in the back, this is all made by hand:

On the picture above one sleeve is also attached. This is where I was thinking of putting in a picture of me trying the whole thing out. But you’ll have to keep your pants on until you’ve seen my first try at embroidered buttons. ;P I used both cotton and flax threads, but the colors were too perfect and I am cheap as allways!

This first one is a bigger version than I’m going to use for the per-en-l’air, I was just trying it out. =)

Then I tried to come up with an actual design I am going to use, on a smaller button, this is the result:

It’s about 1.5 cm in diameter, it sounds big, but it’s not that big really.
Oh, and here’s a test I did just to see how it would look with that gathered trim I was talking about (don’t know if it shows very good):

Now to the part I guess both all of you and I have been waiting for: me trying the whole thing out! Before you have a look I just want to say that the “stomacher” is just some fabric I have pinned on, the lace in the neckline is still not attached to shifts but rather tucked down there to demonstrate how (I hope) it will look. The goldish fabric underneath is the fabric I’m going to use for a petticoat, wrapped around my waist. And just ignore my tries to hide bathroom stuff behind cheezy ornaments! XD And I knoooow the sleeves look short, ignore that too please – I’m going to fix it! XD

 Wow, I really have to practice my pinning skillz – it’s haaaard! =´´´( Tips?

Time over = two sleeves!

So I got a few minutes over today and managed to put on the last sleeve, yay! =D
   I also took some measurements and made some calculations for the trim – I’ll need about 4 meters of finished gathered fabric, if I make strips about 3.5 cm wide I think It’ll be enough. Trying some pleating and gathering I’ve concluded that gathering probably will be both easier and save more fabric – it really doesn’t have to be as complicated as it sounds or looks. =) It was hell trying to pleat this fabric. =/ Oh, and I’m pinking the edges of the trim straight off, it looks allright. =)

Speeding up and having to slow down…

So, lately things have been moving forward in quite the pace! =D I’m starting to see what the finished product will look like and that’s allways a great cookie to keep you motivated! =D *Gaaaaargh, coooooockiiiiiiiieeees*
   Hrm… Yeah, so I’m quite pleased with myself! I have been using my fancy sewing machine for inside seems, simply because I think it’ll hold better – and yes for comfort and speed also indeed! But all hems and stuff will be hand sewn. ;D
   I’ve also gotten comments on the button topic. I can’t believe I didn’t think of embroidiered buttons!!! I have seen them and thought “That’s something I want to do some day!”. So today I had my first try – it was easy peasy! =D (Pics to come…) The only thing that’s bothering me though, is that I can’t seem to find many embroidered buttons on women’s clothing – only men’s! =/ Thoughts on that?

And on the trim topic: Abby had some great thoughts that I, for some reason, never even thought about: “trim really changed rapidly through the 18th century”… I can’t really do what ever I feel is cute if I want it to at least look somewhat time-typical. This, and the fact that I have been feeling a cream colored trim just wouldn’t do the main fabric justice, have made me reconsider my choice of having it that way. You can’t really find many surviving examples of mid 18th c dresses with different colored trims like that. I think I can make a thin trim of the same fabric – with a little patching, hehe. Worst case scenario I can just have the trim from the neck down to the front hem. =)
   These past few days I’ve had to slow down a bit though – I’m planning Robbie’s 30th birthday! It’s this saturday And I’ll be crazy busy cleaning the appartment – sweeping up threads and puting away fabrics that I strategicly have placed all over our floors. XD I feel a bit frustrated about all this – cause I’ve put on only one sleeve and it looks so wrong, hehe. XD Next week I’m hoping to be able to finish most of the actual jacket and start with the stomacher. =D
   Oh yes – I’ve got pics of me trying the whole thing, but you’ll have to wait to next week on that too! ;P