Historical Sew Monthly #3: Protection

I know, a chemise is not the most original idea. But...a chemise does protect your skin from the potential burn that corsets can give. And it also protects your dress from sweat. So protection on multiple parts! I know, only one picture, but it is only a chemise after all.

I used the Laughing Moon pattern. I loved this pattern! It makes me question why I bother drafting all that stuff myself and working without instructions. I may just buy patterns as often as possible from now on. I also took the time to cut out all the little notches that you use to line stuff up. Let me tell you, it made a huge difference! It also probably saved me time, as I didn't have to pull the pattern pieces back out to mark where those notches were after the whole thing was sewn together.

This is a Regency style chemise, and the pattern is based off of an original; the straight line style with a drawstring and gussets in the armpits is appropriate pretty much between 1795 and 1830, maybe even into the 1840's. There was something really nice about not having to gather something to something else, and I would take the gussets and drawstring over gathers with a set band any day.

For Christmas I received Jennifer Rosbrugh's Regency corset and chemise class, so I also had the video tutorials to go along with it. I really appreciated her clear instructions on the gussets, that was really helpful; without them, I probably would have had to rip out the seams two or three times before figuring it out. Which brings me to my next point:

I HAND SEWED THE WHOLE THING! And it only took a couple afternoons!

So yes, if I wanted I could say this is 100% accurate since sewing machines weren't invented until the 1840's. But why bother since the chemise is the undergarment which will be least seen? I don't know, I just love hand sewing. Actually, my flat felled seams were a little on the sloppy side; I've done them before much neater. Next time I use this pattern, I'm going to use a smaller seam to make tidier flat-felled seams.

What the item is: Chemise

The Challenge: Protection

Fabric/Materials: 100% cotton muslin, the Sew Essentials brand (basically the cheapest brand, but it irons up a lot better than whatever brand I used last time).

Pattern: Laughing Moon #115

Year: 1795-1830

Notions: Thread, ribbon for drawstring. 

How historically accurate is it? 95%; completely hand sewn and the pattern is based off of an original.

Hours to complete: 10 hours of handsewing

First worn: Not yet

Total cost: $5

Pattern Review: Butterick B5831

I think this was the original pattern for my go-to current pattern, but it has gone through at least 10 different phases, no joke. Each dress has it's own mockup or two or three, so....yeah, that sounds about right.

The pattern pieces themselves aren't terrible, but they aren't great. I've heard a lot of people say that it is rather long, creating a "blouse" effect, which is NOT what you want; extra length to allow the fabric to pooch out completely defeats the small-waist look. I don't really remember exactly how long it was on me, but it isn't that big of a deal to chop the length off. On the other hand, several people said that they were long-waisted and it fit perfectly the first time! The instructions use French seams (not period accurate, but not the worst offense); if you don't use French seams, which makes a bigger seam allowance, then it may turn out a little large. Just make a mockup and you'll be okay.

The sleeves: usually, big pattern companies are used to making sleeves with really big arches, sometimes resulting in an extra puff of fabric where it is gathered to the top of the shoulder. Thankfully, they lowered the arch to accommodate the dropped shoulder, so the shape of the sleeve is good. HOWEVER, the sleeves are huge! Trust me, I don't know where the lady in the picture got her sleeves, yours' won't look anything like that unless you take out the fullness. It's pretty easy; the sleeve pieces are cut on a fold, so just move the pattern piece so it hangs off the fold maybe an inch or two. Also: the sleeves are rather long, kind of the like the bodice to create extra pooch. In a sleeve it isn't a bad thing, but you don't want them to swallow up your hands when you have your arms hanging down. So please: measure your arm length and chop accordingly.

The lines of the dress are very good to start out with; the shoulder seam angle backwards, the armscye is dropped over the shoulder cap, the neckline sits where it should. From what I can tell, the side seams don't angle backwards like they should, but that could technically be changed. It does lack the curved back detail that is seen in so many different original dresses and images, but it isn't evident in every single extant, so it can be forgiven. Actually, using Elizabeth Clark's method in The Dressmaker's Guide you can add in a curved back detail without changing your pattern piece at all. Or you can do what I did and free-hand draw the curve and add seam allowance.

Now for the lining: I used this pattern to make a wash dress, so my fabric was heavy duty and not see-through. I should have flat-lined, but I opted for no lining. I regret that now: if your fabric is not sheer, please flat-line! If it is sheer, I still don't know that I would have used this particular pattern.

I was really confused what they meant by "modesty sleeve". If you've done research, you'll know that most semi-attached linings for sheer dresses had a small cap sleeve of some kind. The modesty sleeve is just attached straight to the dress instead of to the separate lining; don't worry, it all works out once it's done if you aren't picturing it.

I would give this pattern a 3.5/5; good lines, terrible, difficult inaccurate instructions. If you have a companion book or reference, like The Dressmakers Guide, then the pieces themselves are worth whatever you pay for the pattern. 

Use of Cotton in Fashion Plates

This is an overview of a research topic that I've been working on. Part of what sparked the idea for this research topic was, a) discovering how much I love fashion plates, and b) how much I wanted to recreate them, but being discouraged at how expensive it would be. I assumed that everything was made of expensive silk, which is usually upwards of $14 a yard. Then I figured out that cotton did exist in the historic fashionable world! Cotton can be anywhere from $3-$15 a yard, which is much more affordable. Cotton was used quite a lot, but more concentrated in certain types of garments during specific times of the year. You probably wouldn't want to be wearing a thin cotton dress while tramping through the snow, but for a hot day in July you wouldn't want to wear anything else!

1857 December Godeys: Fig 4, evening dress for a lady just come out of organdy

I've been searching original Godey's Lady's Books, Les Modes Parisiennes, Le Moniteur de la Mode and Le Follet for the fashion plate description and looking for certain key words, between the years 1840 and 1865. I used Cunnington's Englishwomen's Fashion in the Nineteenth century as a reference for different fabrics; there is an index in the back that has been invaluable. My list of key words include: cotton, muslin, batiste, cambric, mousseline (French for muslin), organdy, tarlatan (the spelling varies), gauze, voile, India muslin, jacconet muslin, Swiss muslin and book muslin. A couple different fabrics came up in which Cunnington conflicted with different opinions, so both percale and foulard are question marks in terms of whether or not they are cotton, although I found the context to not match the rest of the cotton genre.

Le Moniteur de la Mode 1851: Fig 2, of Swiss muslin. The same exact plate appears in Godey's in 1853, but as a course wood-cut plate instead of steel.

A couple different things came up while searching that I wish I had known before. First of all, original Le Follet and Les Modes Parisiennes are my favorite way more than say Godey's or Peterson's. The sketches are more individual, and in terms of fashion they are straight forward and the descriptions are easier to find. Speaking French is a huge plus, although you can find some that are already translated.

Le Moniteur de la Mode 1851: Fig 1, muslin morning dress

The other thing I learned is that, year to year, not every magazine is the same. I started with Godey's in 1865 and worked backward; from about 1865-1856 everything was going well, and the layout was the same as the year before, but as I got further into the early 1850's and the 1840's the descriptions were more sporadic and harder to locate; my usual keywords of "steel plate" with the month started to not work. Part of that was because, in Godey's earlier years, fashion plates weren't always made with steel. As the steel ones became more popular they even mention in the description how expensive it is to use the detailed steel plates.

Godey's 1853 woodcut fashion plate: compare this plate to the very first plate, which was French, published in 1851, and steel printed.

I also couldn't even find a copy of Godey's between the years 1844 and 1847, so there is a small gap, but I was getting frustrated with the 1840's anyway. Sometimes they would say something like, "This months plate is so simple we will not trouble our fair readers with a description"; others were more blunt and said, in a nutshell, "even a simpleton would understand what is going on in this picture."

Godey's 1840: Fig. 2, dress of white figured cambric

What I found out was not exactly surprising, but still interesting. Between the years 1860-1865, cotton in fashion plates comes up almost wholly between June and August for day dresses, and evening dresses in cotton were found the most often in the winter. The 1850's were quite different, and because of the vast amount of ruffles lighter materials were preferred in general, so cotton was used in day dresses between March and October, again with cotton still being used in the winter for evening dresses. I have less to say about the 1840's; between the less than helpful descriptions and the several year hole in research, I would say that cotton was used during the day more year-round than the 1860's, but less than the 1850's.

Godey's August 1863: Fig 1, of French muslin. I do not know what is up with the floating lady in the background...

In terms of color, about half of the dresses were white, while the other half were printed, striped or a color of some sort.

Godey's August 1842: Fig 1, dress of India muslin

Of the evening dresses, I would say 1/15 was not white, and of the white ones the description usually makes a point of saying that they are for young or very young ladies. Most of the evening dresses I saw that used cotton had a layered skirt of some kind, whether it was ruffles, tiers, or a mixture of both depending on the current trend. Most of the late 1850's and early 1860's evening dresses are incredibly "cupcake-y", while the early 1850's ones are my favorite.

December Godey's 1859: Fig 4. Of tarlatan for a young lady; the full description here.

Compare the style of the dress in the above plate on the right to the below dress on the left, which is made of taffeta. Because of the thinness of the cotton, layered effects and profuse usage of ruffles and the like were more common in cotton. Cotton is less expensive, so if you were in need of a ball gown you would be in the market for something expensive; in other words, spend the same amount on a crazy amount of cotton yardage and use it all, or less on more expensive silk.

Le Follet, 1863 (actually it might be of moire instead of taffeta, I can't remember)

I also discovered a trend in terms. Muslin and tarlatan is the favorite fabric in the 1860's, while during the 1850's the different kinds used were much more broad.

Les Modes Parisiennes 1862, Fig 2. of blue tarlatan

It is a common reenacting mistake, especially in Civil war reenacting, to think that cotton was only used for work or summer dresses. It is true that work dresses were most commonly made in cotton, but even a ball dress could be made in cotton! It depends completely on the fineness of the fabric in question, and also the amount of trimming to determine the suitability of the style. PLEASE, don't take this to mean that quilting cotton from Joanns will work. As I mentioned before, most cotton evening gowns were very elaborate and I've seen quite a few reenactors make the mistake of making it too plain. There are a lot of very simple original ball gowns floating around on Pinterest, but all of them are silk. Or, if they are cotton, they could have even been a girl's plain day dress. The dress below is a confusing example: ball gown? Girl's party dress? We might never know. 

In other words: if you want help finding a fashion plate description, come to me. If you are interested in just looking at the way I document stuff, check out my Pinterest boards. I know a lot of people say Pinterest isn't research, but it is if you use it as a way to archive and organize stuff. By not saving it to the computer, it is easier to share and you can access it on any device anywhere.

https://www.pinterest.com/michaelacoy9/

A Quick Update

For the February challenge, I've been working on my green gigantic plaid day dress. It's been a bit slow just because my schedule has been busy, but I have made some progress and hope to finish it by the end of February.

It was coming along awesomely, and it felt like I had performed some sort of sorcery when my darts came out perfect in the first try (whaaaattt?) OK, I'm not thrilled about the direction of the plaid in the front, but I'm thinking the black velvet trim I bought will distract enough to not notice terribly. But then - wait  - what...

...is...

THAT?!?!?

So yeah, I've got a funny neck bubble. Today I'm going to rip out the neck binding and try to take it in right there. I can't for the life of me figure out why it would be on the one side and not the other. It makes a funky spot in the back that won't lay flat. Other than that, I'm pretty proud of my fit. Here is the back; you can kind of see the neck thing I'm talking about. Again, I'm pretty sure I had not idea what I was doing when I cut out the plaid. I tried to be thoughtful in the placement, but I'm not sure how much it worked. 

Anyhoooooo, I also have officially signed up for Costume College! Yay! Who else is going? And who knows how to pack a hoop in a suitcase? My friend Tiana over at Adventures in Costuming and I are going to be thick as....well, maybe not thieves, but pretty thick! 

An Organization of Ideas

Okay, so I mentioned some of my upcoming plans for 2016, and I thought I would organize the order I might make them in and what exactly each thing might be. My main goal is to make a dress from any other decade than

January - Procrastination: Check!

February - Tucks and Pleats

I am almost done with the mockup for the giant green plaid, so that will be finished in February. The skirt has inverted stacked box pleats.

March - Protection

I was thinking maybe several chemises, because they protect the dress from sweat. At this point I'll be finishing my Regency stays and I don't think that would work; a small project might be nice. I will also be making a Regency dress that I mentioned in an earlier post; hopefully that doesn't interfere with that. A corset is also another idea.

April - Gender Bender

Oh, oh oh! I just figured it out! I was staring at the Dreamstress' idea/description, and I remembered that drawers were at first shocking because they were a man's garment. Maybe a pair in the earlier form, the kind that were two seperate legs.

May - Holes

Honestly, anything with a button hole would work. I need to make a corset for a friend, and this could be a good opportunity what with the grommets in the back.

I actually also need a new fashion bonnet, and netting which is used quite a lot is about as holey as it gets.

June - Travel

Because I'm probably going to Costume College in July (the very next month), I may choose to be inspired by traveling to LA. I was planning on wearing my completed green plaid to the gala event, but it's going to be the middle of July and awfully hot I'm sure. A nice Regency dress would be waaaayyy cooler. A pretty cap or beaded hairnet for indoors would also be nice for that particular event if I don't have time to make an entire dress. Plus, duh, time travel!

July - Monochrome

I just bought the Bustle dress petticoat pattern from Truly Victorian; I don't have any intention of making it any time soon, but this might be the month to actually make it. The Natural form one isn't pictured, but this is the pattern.

August - Pattern

I'm confident I'll come up with something. Personally, I would love to eliminate plaids. When I think of pattern, I think of printed cloth, not a woven pattern. Sadly nothing comes to mind, but I love finding period prints at the local fabric store! Now that I think of it, our local reenacting group is in need of some loaner clothes. A generic size girls dress may be in order, with a yoked bodice or something of that sort.

September - Historicism

My favorite!!! And I would like to point out that that was my idea. Anyway, I think this may be a good time to get cracking on that bustle era dress. The big swag in the front and the pleated underskirt remind me of colonial style Robe a la Polonaise. The pattern that I'm buying actually has the Watteau back, which was like a throw-back Thursday of the Robe a la Francais. Sadly, when I actually start the bustle dress will most likely be dictated by when the class starts, and I have no idea when that will be. If that isn't going to work, then I have no problem making a Neo-classically inspired Regency dress if it hasn't already happened.

Below is the Robe a la Polonaise (dress with an overskirt looped up over a underskirt)

The pattern I plan on purchasing, although I was planning on using the fitted back on the right.

Robe a la Francais (Watteau back, or sack-back dress)

Neoclassically inspired Regency gown

October - Heroes

There are plenty of costumers I admire, although I would be shy to admit that I made anything inspired by someone else. In terms of historical heroes, I've really enjoyed reading about Angelina Grimke, but as far as costuming goes I think I would rather be inspired by a fictional hero! (Jane Eyre, anyone?)

November - Red

I love red! I still have a piece of red silk that might be enough for a Regency bonnet, unless I've used it by then. Actually I've tried to avoid red because I already have two dresses in dark red, but I couldn't help but think of making it into a bustle dress. I bought this pattern 2 months ago, just because I needed to get my order over $50 for free shipping. Whhheeeee! I'd much rather have two patterns than one pattern and pay for shipping. When November approaches I'll probably have a better idea of exactly what I want.

December - Special Occassion

I've been thinking of making a new Victorian ball dress; there is a ball every year in March, and I've learned that making the dress with no deadline (like I'm doing now) is just the best. I do have one in the aforementioned dark red, but it is so heavy it feels like I sewed a couple phone books into the hem. So I might make a new one and save it for a couple months.

2015 Year in Review

My sewing this year has been super productive, and also pretty successful. Lots of learning experiences, but I'd also say there has been an all time low percentage of flunks. Go figure.

Here are some of the highlights and favorite projects:

White sheer: Seriously, I am in love with that dress. It's so comfortable and light, and the fit is just perfect. I still need a different corset cover. I've also spent a good amount of time wearing it, and it has proven to be the perfect summer wear. Still not crazy about the glare that comes off that thing, but oh well. Not really my problem, as I'm not the main person looking at it.

Between projects, I worked pretty hard at complicated mock ups and troubleshooting. Those went pretty well and took up a lot of time, although because they're just sheets sewn together there isn't really anything to show for it.

Penelope Lumley Dress: This dress turned out pretty good, although probably not one of my more interesting costumes.

This girls dress turned out very well, but it's been worn a lot this year and hasn't held it's color very well. The once bright blue little strip is pretty faded from multiple washings, but Camille can't seem to not get dirty in it.

My biggest accomplishment this year has been completing my first corset. And then wearing it out and making a better one.

#1

#2

I tried my hand at millinery this year. Not a favorite research topic, but interesting and rather necessary. It is also really time consuming and difficult; I have never had appreciation for people who are good at it until now. 

I've made enough undergarments to make me shudder; mundane things that take up way too much of my time. Getting them out of the way is nice, but the idea of starting a new time period and sewing an entire new wardrobe of boring white things is dreadful; maybe that is why they are called unmentionables.

Here are a list of the things I made for the Historical Sew Monthly challenges; some were interesting, some weren't.

#1: Foundations - I pushed myself to finish my first corset. It had been almost done for quite a while, but getting it out of the way was awesome. 

#2: Blue - this blue belt was probably the only flop of all of them; it fits, alright, but only over my undergarments. Not over the dress.

#3: Stashbusting - this chemise has been really handy, although I would like to try a real yoked chemise this year.

#4: War and Peace - my favorite completed project! This white sheer is really comfortable.

#5: Practicality - Slat sun bonnet; a little boring, but very practical and I like it alright.

#6: Out of Your Comfort Zone - my first attempt at cording turned out pretty good, I think. I still can't believe how quickly I finished this project, compared to a more fitted corset.

#7: Accessorize - this bonnet is really pretty, but I'm kind of only okay on wearing it. I didn't put enough research into it, and will hopefully rip it apart this year and make a more accurate one. This was my favorite fabric to work with, nothing can describe the color!

#8: Heirlooms and Heritage - by far the most lame thing I entered for a challenge, but definitely worn a lot!

http://mysoulisfedwithneedleandthread.blogspot.com/search/label/Historical%20Sew%20Monthly

#9: Brown - I know I'll get lots of use out of this, usually portraying a laundress, but I have yet to wear it.

#10: Sewing Secrets - I was so preoccupied that month, I didn't enter anything!

#11: Silver Screen - I love this little garment, it's really pretty.

#12: Redo - the most hard-worked on project, it fits into several past challenges.

Here are some plans for 2016! I am looking forward to challenging myself more and more. The most complicated project I hope to accomplish is a Natural form day dress. I wouldn't particularly have chosen this era, but I got one of Jennifer Rosbrugh's classes over at Historical Sewing for Christmas. Whenever the class runs, I'll use that to give me a push.

I also got the Regency corset class for Christmas; I don't really know when I'll get around to making the dress, but there will probably be a Regency ball in September. I may or may not get it done in time, I do have something else to wear just in case.

Another white dotted sheer dress is on my list of things to do relatively quickly (before May), but first a hoop skirt!

I've had the materials to re-make this Regency dress for some time, but Camille wanted to put it off once the Regency ball was canceled. She's growing pretty fast, so she wanted to wait until a little closer to the next event before I started it. I don't intend it to be accurate, all the materials are polyester, but it will be very pretty!

I've finally started that gigantic plaid! Yay! That'll be done sometime this month or the next. But....I just discovered that the plaid is printed, not woven. See that little swoop at the end of the selvedge? Argghh. The quality of the fabric alone isn't great, it has a number of unavoidable flaws. I don't think I will buy from this seller again. Despite the fabric problems, I'm still excited to have another project to work on. Coming up very soon...Dogleg closure tutorial!

At some point, I need to work a little more on a complete undergarment wardrobe for someone else, that has been held off way too long.

I've been trying to calculate how many hours everything is going to take, and I'm afraid I'm not going to get everything done this year that I would like. But at the same time, it feels like most of these things are a must. How do I decide?!?