What I've been up to...

While this blog is more of a place for finished projects and tutorials than daily ramblings (for which you should be grateful for), the complete silence of the moment isn't what I want for it either! I do have a few more Williamsburg projects to share (two jackets, a banyan thing and a shortgown of questionable authenticity (linen lined in wool!) but it was for just around the house...), but I've been so engrossed in current projects that I haven't updated.

First--and this project is actually finished--a beaded 1920s dress. Here's a preview of some of the beading on the bodice


It's tambour beading with size 15/0 beads on silk chiffon with a yellow China silk slip. I'll be wearing it at the Costume College Gala.

Next, the very close to being finished apron front plaid 1820s gown.


It just needs the skirt trimmed and attached and a belt. Not bad! I'm happy with how it's turning out, but at the same time, I'm not devoting as much to it as I wanted to with this fabric. I blame one of the worst coughs in the history of the world (see also, reasons for not updating blogs--especially the antique one). Seriously. It should be a good dress though!

And next we have the Grumpy Cat sundress. Yes, you read that right!


I'll be wearing this the day before Costume College. We decided against dressing up dressing up, but...

This will have a narrow skirt from a 1951 pattern. The bodice is from another 1950s pattern that I have. I loaned it out a few years ago, so I'm not sure of the date--I had the my size pattern from it though! I initially had a 1950s Vogue juniors pattern that matched my measurements for this dress, but it had almost seven inches of ease. Even pretending I was wearing a bullet bra, it seriously didn't work! I was going to use the skirt from that pattern, but it had a center front seam, which really wouldn't work too well!

Oh, and my No necklace should be here shortly...

Barbara Johnson's Brunswick

On finding out that Barbara Johnson--an 18th century woman who kept a record of all the fabric and dresses she had--had a Manchester cloth checked Brunswick, I knew I had to have one. How wonderfully different, and yes, tacky! The Manchester cloth was likely a cotton linen blend, and while that is available, I chose a cotton gingham instead. There were two reasons. One, $6 a yard instead of $20 a yard, and two, in the 18th century, it would've been a linen warp and cotton weft(or the other way around, I can never keep it straight) and the modern would just have the fibers blended together.

While I have a tutorial planned for the hooded waistcoat, this is just going to be a picture post. The Brunswick itself is just a pet-en-l'air with sleeve extensions basted in. These are simply trapezoids that I'm sure I took pictures of but can't find anywhere. They're very simple though--measure you arm at the elbow (where your sleeve ends), the wrist, and the distance between. Add ease, and sew, leaving the last bit open so it's easier to get your hand in.


I'm wearing it over a shift, stays, habit shirt, cravat-lette and two underpetticoats. And yes, I am wearing my red Burnley and Trowbridge shoes. How could I not wear red shoes with a blue and white checked dress? :)

Before wearing it again, I need a longer cravat. I much prefer the look of the waistcoat open, but this one is too short to do it with. It's made from scraps of my habit shirt, and I didn't want to make it out of less nice linen that that...

The waistcoat closes with deaths head buttons.


And here we have some standard posed shots. The check is quite small, 1/8 an inch, but is close in size to the original, which was a little under 1/4 inch.



The hood is lined with white China silk and is mainly decorative. I don't think it would stay on my head without a pin :)




The waistcoat laces up the back with very sloppy eyelets. I made all of them in 15 minutes. And they work perfectly! The top of the waistcoat has checked fabric so it the lining doesn't show above the pet-en-l'air neckline. Also, a comparison of my fabric with Barbara Johnson's.

I really do prefer the way the waistcoat looks unbuttoned!


Who doesn't want to match her picnic basket? :)


Nicole and Kendra have excellent Brunswick information as well.

Nicole's Brunswick
Kendra's Brunswick

And my LJ tag so you can see it being made!

A New Blog!

For ages, I've wanted to create a second blog for my antique clothing, and today, I finally did!

The Fashionable Past--Antiques!

The first post is on an 1880s evening bodice that I wrote about for Your Wardrobe Unlock'd. An easy start!

I do have a sizeable antique clothing collection, and it's full of fascinating information. Most of the clothes are wonderfully ordinary, and all of them have loads of interesting construction details. My collection ranges from the 1790s to the 1920s.

I am going to try to be good about updating (I know, I know, I still haven't posted all of the Williamsburg wardrobe here!). Photographing, measuring, writing, do take time! I think my new anglaise took less time than the average article on an antique. But it is summer vacation in four days, so we'll see what happens!

A Knitted Star Bag

The Lady's Assistant for Executing Useful and Fancy Designs in Knitting, Netting, and Crochet Work (1847) by Jane Gaugain is an incredible book. Not only does it have a pattern for the rather famous pineapple (I've knit one! Blog post eventually!), but it has many clear, easy to understand, followable patterns! Amazing for Victorian knitting. One that I found particularly intriguing was the Knit Bag of Purse Twist and Steel Beads. So, I made it, and even though the pattern was clear, made a chart and wrote the directions out more fully, complete with charts and row by row instructions.



Knitted and crocheted bags with star motifs at their bottoms were popular during the Victorian era. And why not? Not only are these stars attractive, but they’re one of those deceptively simple things to knit. Once you get past the probably most awkward knitting ever—casting on eight stitches over four double pointed needles—it’s incredibly logical and the design progresses quickly. Don’t be intimidated by the 5/0 needles. They’re remarkably quick to adjust to. They’re quite the conversation piece as well—who doesn’t occasionally like impressing others with knitting?



Adjustments to original: Mrs. Gaugain’s original pattern was remarkably clear. The only adjustment I’ve made to it is to add a row of eyelets near the top to thread a drawstring though. She makes no mention of how the bag should be finished. Contemporary bags in museums often have a row of eyelets, so I decided to include them. My bag—like many originals—is lined. I used a tube of silk taffeta, gathered at the bottom and whipstiched into place just below the eyelets.



Here's a link to my Ravelry project page.
And here's a link to the pattern page on Ravelry.

The pattern is below the cut!

I'm also going to include a PDF of the pattern. I can't do it on my almost seven year old computer though, and will post it once I can do it at work :)

And a PDF of the pattern! I downloaded an app for my phone--I'm surprised I didn't think of that first!

My Cotton Print Sacque, or Robe a la Francase

It's about time I got back to the Williamsburg wardrobe postings, isn't it? So here's my cotton print sacque, rather fully tutorialed already! (Yes, tutorialed is a word.) The tutorial is here (part nine of a series), the muff cover is here, and the cloak tutorial is here.



I'm wearing it over a shift, stays, pocket hoops, and two petticoats. My cap is one I started in a class at Costume College taught by Janea Whitacre and Angela Burnley. It's silk organza and silk ribbon. And it's so silly it makes me happy :)



The dress fabric is from William Booth Draper. I was very lucky--I got the last they had in stock (six yards, I think it was?). It was intended for a caraco, but things changed!



It was a windy wet day, and I felt like I belonged in a satirical engraving the way the wind was blowing everything around!



The wind did die down enough for one good shot! My skirt is pulled up through my pocket slits, though it still did get some Authentic Williamsburg Mud on it. You can see that the back panel is plain. Six yards isn't much, even when you're short! It was a perfect dress for the museum, where of course, the textile gallery was closed.

The Screaming Yellow Sacque--A Robe a la Francaise!

Now that the Epic Williamsburg vacation is over (sigh), I have many updates! For now, they are of the 'look at me' variety, but each and every costume has a tutorial of some sort forthcoming. For this dress, it's sleeve ruffles and the blue silk cloak. Enough of that though, on to the dress!



I wore the dress twice. First to the theatre to see The Walking Statue, or The Devil in the Wine Cellar, and then to dinner at the King's Arms.



On the agenda for next time--bigger sleeve flounces. I hit The Wall before the trip and finished a pinball and started a knitted pineapple instead :)



I was very happy that it was cool enough to wear it with accessories! The hotel costuming I usually do just doesn't lend itself to that! The cloak is silk taffeta lined with China silk and interlined with not period but inexpensive and not overly warm the way wool would have been cotton flannel. It's trimmed with marabou leftover from my pink and green court dress. The tutorial for the muff is here and the muff cover is here.



My hair is really quite simple. It thankfully teased, which it often refuses to do. I just set it in sponge rollers, teased most of the middle section, pulled up the back, stuck in a rat made of fake hair, and smoothed the front over it, then had a friend stick things in the back to cover any wonkiness.


I'm glad that after having the fabric for I think about 10 years (I bought it after my first or second Costume College!), I finally made it! I'm also glad that I didn't make it so long ago, as it is a better dress than I would've been capable of then :)

Here's my Live Journal tag about the dress. It includes a few construction pictures. I essentially made this dress in four days. Counting the lining, it was five; however, if you consider that I made the lining for my Virginia cloth anglaise the day I started this and it's essentially the same lining...

Side by Side!

I thought it would be fun to share another of my Brownie photos. As I was having my picture taken with the Brownie, I was also having a digital picture taken. I did the same thing with the tintype taken ages ago. See that here. This one is a little less different, I think :)