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There are a few things that I would like to change on this dress, such as adjusting the fit (it is slightly too big, something I can fix pretty easily), as well as adding another band about 2/3 of the way down the sleeve to make the sleeve have a double puff. Other than that, I am pretty pleased with how it turned out! The front of the dress features a box-pleated panel, and I added a red ribbon along with a brooch. ~K
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My mom and I went to the Regency at the Fairmont Palliser a few weekends ago, and it was beautiful. The hotel is old and is stunning inside, and I loved seeing all of the costumes that people were wearing. I made dresses for my mom and I, and I have to admit that I cut a bit close to the deadline when it came to making them... I ended up finishing my dress just a few hours before we had to leave. Fortunately, I did not have to finish it in the car on the way there, which I have heard of happening in the costuming world! I used the pattern on the left for my dress, and the one on the right for my moms. Everything that I used for this project was stash, so it didn't cost me anything. This first one was made out of a sheet. It is gathered at the sleeves, waist, and neckline with twine, which can be tightened or loosened so that different people could wear it. We accented it with a white ribbon at the waist. In some of the pictures you can see the twine at the sleeves. The twine is hidden when the dress is worn. I will do another post about the dress that I wore, along with some photos from the evening at the Palliser.
~Katherine I made this dress using a vintage-inspired Burda pattern. I used a patterned cotton, and I would love to make this pattern again, just as a blouse with a peplum. The pattern includes many different types of sleeves as well as collars and other additions to the dress, so you could make many variations of the dress, which I really appreciate. The collar of the dress was really difficult to figure out, but after doing it once, I think it will be easier next time. I would recommend the pattern, but be aware that the instructions aren't very clear all of the time, but with the drawings and some common sense, it is possible to figure it out. ~K
I have just started on the project that I mentioned in earlier posts- the Regency era dresses. I will be making two dresses: one will be a simple round gown in a blue cotton sateen, and the other will (hopefully) be a bib-front dress in cream muslin. Yesterday I cut out the pieces for the first dress out of a Burda pattern, one that I talked about in this post. I will be pretty busy sewing-wise in the next few weeks. Along with this project, I will also be changing my grad dress, and this weekend I am picking up fabric and supplies for my next few projects. ~K
I have been quiet around here for the past few weeks, but I do have an excuse! I have been recently working with the MakeFashion team for the fashion show at Telus Spark in Calgary that is happening tomorrow (!!). MakeFashion is wearable tech, meaning that not only are the dresses stunning and completely unique, but they also include lights, motors, and other technology. I am so excited for the show, it is going to look incredible! I have been lucky enough to sew an entire dress for one of the collections, so I will be posting lots of photos once the show is over. It has all gone so quickly, and I can't wait to show you what I've been working on! The show will be on this Saturday at 7, you can check out their website here to check out some of the amazing work from past years and find some more information about this years. I will be posting more behind the scenes looks and progress pictures on my instagram, which you can check out here ~K
One era that has fascinated me for years is the early 1800s. I have always loved Jane Austen, so when the opportunity arose to go to a Jane Austen ball, I was thrilled. It will be in May at the Palliser. You can rent costumes, but I thought that this would be a great excuse to make my first ever regency era costumes. If everything goes to plan, I will be making two dresses for the event- one for me, and one for my mom. I was recently lent about 12 historical patterns to copy, and there are two regency ones. I have already started on making myself a pair of regency stays, which are very similar to modern day bras. I was hoping to be able to use the chemise that I made for my 18th century costume, however if I make short sleeves, then I will have to make a new one. Other things that I am planning to make is a few petticoats and the two dresses. Here is some of my inspiration for them. ~K
For this skirt I used a McCalls pattern. The pattern came with a few different variations for the skirt, and a petticoat pattern. I added 5 inches to the pattern to give it more of a vintage feel, and used a cotton sateen. The pattern was very easy to cut out, since it was entirely made out of rectangles, and quick to put together. I will definitely be using this pattern again. As you can see, this pattern features a side zipper. I love side zippers, and I think they add a special touch to a piece of clothing. The next time that I make something with this pattern, I would like to play around with pleating or gathering. For my first time using it, I went with the markings that are given on the pattern pieces for the box pleats, but one thing that I really enjoy with this skirt is how easy it would be to make some slight adjustments to how the skirt is gathered onto the waistband. It would be an easy change, and it would make the next skirt look quite different. ~K
In September I posted about a linen skirt that I made with a Simplicity archive pattern from 1933. That was actually the second time that I made something with that pattern. The first time I made a winter/autumn version out of this grey wool suiting fabric. This was actually the first clothing item that I have ever sewn for myself. It is fully lined. I love the way that the fabric moves, and the colour works with everything in my closet. My only complaint is that it is a bit too big. I chose a bigger size to be cautious, but the second time that I made this pattern I went a size down, and it fits perfectly. I have always been very fond of 1930s fashion. I think the cut is very elegant, and I love that the skirts were normally quite long compared to the 1940s. I am very impressed with this pattern, as it is easy to follow, and the pieces are very simple. I also love the outcome. It looks vintage styled, but it doesn't look like a costume. Simplicity has a lovely collection of archive patterns that you can look at here, plus they are making more. The next time that I use this pattern, I would love to make the other skirt that comes with this one. It has more detail, but now that I have had more practice, I would like to try it out. ~K
After a ton of work, and many learning curves, I have finally finished the whole project, including a chemise, a pair of stays, a bumpad, two petticoats, a gown, and a stomacher. Although there are things that I could adjust, or would do differently if I did it again, I am still proud of how it came out. The patterns that I used for this, the American Duchess patterns, were very good, but there were a few things that I wasn't thrilled with. I ended up drafting my own chemise pattern, since theirs was not very historically accurate. The patterns were easy to follow and understand, which was very important for such a large project. The instructions were simple and to the point, and I was never thrown for a loop about what to do. I loved the bodice pattern, and it looks very historically accurate to me according to dresses from the 1740s. If I made this pattern again, I would probably adjust the sleeves a bit. They were slightly more loose than I would have liked, and the darts were up quite high. The dart at the bottom of the sleeve is to fit the sleeve to your elbow, however they don't go down to my elbow, as you can see in some of the pictures. I also adjusted the stays quite a bit, but I was expecting to do that, since stays can be very tricky to get the fit right, and I was using cording and not boning, so I was not surprised when there were a few slight fit issues. Other than these unimportant little complaints, I loved the patterns and I would definitely use them again, just with a few 'improvements'. This ensemble took me about four months, starting in late September, and finishing just a few days ago. I used Ikea fabric for the undergarments and gown (a muslin and a thick cotton), and a cotton sateen sheet for the over petticoat and stomacher. The lace on the stomacher is a gorgeous vintage lace that was given to me as a gift. The stomacher was finished off with a ribbon 'flower' that I made, and some hand crocheted lace at the top that I have had for a long time. I had an incredible time creating this, and I feel like my sewing skills have improved from before the project to now. ~K
After a long slog, I have finally completed the the base of the project. This was the toughest part of the project, since it included many difficult pieces. The hardest part of the whole costume so far has been the stays. I am already pretty far in the process of creating the actual gown, and it has been much easier and quicker to put together than the parts that I have finished, mainly because I don't have to do any boning or boning channels. The cording on the stays was very difficult, since I have never done that much cording on something before, but I am pretty pleased with the final result. I didn't finish the chemise until after the stays, since I wanted to use them as a way to measure where to cut the neckline of the chemise. I wanted to make sure that the chemise was low enough that it wouldn't be visible from underneath the dress, but I also didn't want it to be too low and wide that it would slip off my shoulders. The neckline is a bit wider than I would have liked, but it works perfectly with the stays. As I have mentioned before, I did not make the stays exactly as they would have been made in the 18th century. I made some adjustments to make it a bit easier for myself, since I have never made anything like this before. First of all, I used cording instead of boning. This made the garment less stiff, so it is much easier for me to get used to it. Wearing fully boned stays take a long time to get accustomed to, and I wanted to not only make it a bit easier for me to sew, but also easier for me to actually wear. The petticoat is 8 pieces, overall. The front and back are just pleated on to the waistband. The top petticoat will be made the same way, just in a blue cotton. The skirt is made so that there are two slits in the side so that if I make pockets for myself, I can reach them. The gown and top petticoat will also have these slits, to make sure that I could easily reach anything in my pockets. I will not be making pockets for this project, but I may later on, and I would like to keep that option open. Next post I will show the details of the mock-up, and the finished bodice.
~K I have finished the under garments of my project, and am well on my way to being finished the bodice of the dress. Before I show you the final products that will be worn underneath the gown, here's the petticoat in progress. And here is a sneak peak of all the undergarments on. This was taken before the skirt was hemmed. I am also wearing the mock-up of the bodice in this photo.
I am so excited to work on the 18th century dress, but unfortunately, I have to make all of the undergarments first. All of the things that go under a period dress are just as important as the actual dress. Without the stays, bumpad, and petticoat(s), the dress would look very flat, and without the chemise, it would be very uncomfortable. Since this is the first time I have ever created a project like this, it has been a bit slow going, since I don't have anything already made. So far, I have finished the bumpad and chemise, and I am slowly but surely working on the stays. This has been a bit of a nerve-racking process, but my American Duchess* pattern has made it much easier. I was apprehensive to start on the stays since they are so different from anything I have ever made before. I decided to go with a different technique when it came to putting them together than what you would see in period garments, purely to make things a bit easier on myself. The biggest change being: I used cording rather than any type of boning. This is not accurate at all, as far as I have seen. Cording did not start in corsets or stays until the regency era. After that, it was quite popular throughout the 19th century, but before the early 1800s, I have not seen any examples of stays with cording in them in my research. I went with cording for a few reasons. One, I have made corded garments before, so there was less chance of failing and having to start over. Also, I already had cording in the house, and I did not have to search or buy anything else. Lastly, I have never worn a corset or any heavily boned piece of clothing before, so I thought that this would be a better way of easing myself into that. Another thing that will be different and not at all period correct is that I will not be bias binding the stays. Once the stays are finished, I just have a petticoat to make, then I'm on to the fun stuff!
~K *I am not an ambassador for American Duchess, any opinion I have about the company and their patterns are my own:) My new American Duchess patterns just recently arrived in the mail, and I am thrilled to finally be able to start my project officially. The day that I got the patterns, I started working on the chemise. I did adjust some of the pattern to make it a bit more historically accurate. Instead of using the main body pieces that were given in the pattern, I decided to just make a rectangle for the body with 2 triangular side gores, a method that was used for over a hundred years for chemises. Not including the main body for the chemise, the majority of the pattern pieces look very well done and pretty close to historically accurate. I understand the parts that are not, since the patterns were made for beginner sewers and for making costumes, not replicating the past. Another great thing about these patterns are how easy they are to follow, and it has been incredibly simple to adjust the pattern in any way that I need to for it to fit better and to look more like the examples I have seen from the 1740s. I can tell that a ton of research has been put into these patterns, and I am impressed by how well Lauren from American Duchess managed to balance simplicity and accuracy to the period. I would absolutely recommend these patterns, especially for anyone that is just beginning to create historical costumes. One thing that I would like to note, which seemed to be an issue for many people when I looked at the comments and feedback on the patterns, was the sizing. Sizes in sewing patterns versus sizing in ready made clothing are very different, and the only way to make sure that you are cutting out the correct size is by measuring constantly. I have noticed that I am much larger sizes in sewing patterns than I am in ready made clothing. I just wanted to touch on that since a few people complained that the sizes on the American Duchess patterns were too small. I would recommend you to be cautious when cutting out any sewing pattern and to measure yourself and the pattern before cutting your fabric. Overall, it has been a pleasure working with this pattern, and I cannot wait to keep working on this project!
~K Linen is a fabric that I have always been interested in using. It has been around for hundreds of years and been used for undergarments, skirts, kirtles, cotehardies, and many other types of clothing since the middle ages, and it has stayed popular all the way until now. Linen does not take dye as easily, so you cannot get quite as bright colours as you would with cotton, and it wrinkles easily, but it has many redeeming qualities. For example, it is very easy to work with when it comes to sewing, plus it breathes very nicely, so it is perfect to wear on hot days. Linen also soaks up water very well which makes it a great choice for kitchen towels and such. I was thrilled to find this light blue linen on sale at Fabricland, so I had to get it for a 1930's styled skirt pattern that I have had for a while. I used a pattern from the McCalls Archive Collection. This pattern is very simple and easy to follow, and I was able to whip up this skirt in a few days. This is actually the second skirt that I have made from that pattern. The first I made will a light wool and lined it. The second time went much quicker, and the linen was so lovely to work with, it made the whole process go by much faster. Even though I will not be using linen for my Special Project, I am very glad that I got to try out the linen, and I can see myself making much more out of it in the future. ~K
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