Sewing plans



The Embroidered by Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, 1736

April is more than halfway through and I feel the need to reevaluate my sewing for this year. I started out aiming to not start any new projects, but only finish off all my already started ones. That hasn’t been an absolute success. I have finished two of my old ones, the Edwardian blouse and the late 18^th century hat, but I have also started two new ones, the covered stays with sleeves and a 1930’s evening gown. As I managed to get the flu, the evening gown didn’t get done for the party I had planned it for, and is right now on hold. The stays with matching petticoat have to be finished in May. I have also started two projects that were planned, J’s wild man’s dress and the piemontaise.

The To do-app has been a very good help. It’s easy to see what I have planned and it’s easy to change priority of projects. As of now my A listed projects are these:

18^th century: The covered stays and petticoat in pink brocade. I’m currently covering the stays, which is the most finicky part. The sleeves are probably quite straightforward and I can sew petticoats in my sleep. Only they take forever to hem.

The pink A-line jacket I started years ago. It still only needs a stomacher and as I plan to wear it in May, it has a deadline as well.

The 40’s wardrobe: Raincoat with two sides, the two fabrics needs to be attached to each other.

Brown jacket. I’m making adjustments for a second fitting

Other historical costumes: A dark purple 1640’s gown

Other sewing projects: Checkered skirt. Needs buttons and hemming.

The idea now is to really, really not start anything new the rest of the year. So many of my projects are in the almost done-state and if I set my mind to them and finish them, I will feel terribly accomplished. For example, the blues stays only have a couple of hours work left on them, and the embroidered polonaise is more than halfway done as well. But as it has been a lot of 18^th century for the past months, I plan to concentrate more on my 40’s wardrobe now. I have one white and one dotted dress that are almost done, for example.



Late 18thc. sewing box with straw work and parquetry

I don’t want to get myself any more hard deadlines either; there have already been too many of them this year, and after May I will try to work without stressing out. I’m still going to try to fit in as many projects as I can into Historically Sew Forthnightly, but f I won’t make it, I’m going to let it go.

One damper on my sewing this year has been sore neck and shoulder, at times it has been so painfully that I haven’t been able to sew. This is only my own fault for not taking breaks and moving. The last month I have re-started my Pilates and try to do 30 minutes of it every third day. I have also started to time my sewing and take a small break after one hour of sewing to move a little, My shoulders and neck has got so much better in just a few weeks, so evidently I do something right.

Late 18th century hat

I have actually finished something! I had planned to finish it on Monday so it could fit in into Historically Sew Forthly, but I didn’t quite made it and then it took a few days before I had time to take pictures. It is a hat, as you can see. The base is a cheap masquerade felt top hat. I removed the plastic bands and steamed the brim to get it a bit flatter. It is covered with green dupion with a pleated brim. The sides of the crown are cut on the bias for the stretch factor. The crown is wider at the base and the band is stretched there and eased on the top. For visual effect I made the seam on the crown diagonal and put it on one side instead of mid-back. The decoration is an irregularly gathered strip of pink taffeta.

The hat is made to match a pink jacket and petticoat with green trim. It has been on the “almost” finished stage for way too many years, but I have decided to get it ready for the big party in May. It only needs a stomacher… The piemontaise will be put on hold, though. I realize that I won’t have time to make it as I want it, so it will be the pink ensemble for the day and the stays with sleeves for the evening.

 

 

 

The original hat

The inspiration for the hat comes, in general, for the kind of top hats that can be seen from the late 1780’s onward:

 

Source

Detail from The Squire's Door after an engaving by Benjamin Duterreau after George Morland, 1790.

Journal de la Mode et du Gout, September 1790.

Journal des Luxus, 1791

 

What a child should wear in 1712



The Enraged Musician by William Hogarth, 1741

A comment from Kendra on my post on leather stays made me do a search for them on Google books and actually found a few, very few mentions of them in British texts. In 1758 there is a note on poor girl being issued leather stays when they are admitted to an Asylum. I did a search for leather bodice and found a description af a country wench in her leather bodice from 1771 and then, a rather facinating list on the cost of clothes for children in a British charity school in 1712. Girls are then supposed to be provided with a leather bodice with a stomacher. But the whole list is worth a post, I think. Being charity this is what is considered the minimum of clothes a child, aged 7-12 should wear. A quite useful guide for 18^th century re-enactors with children, I think, the quality would be better for a richer child and he or she would have more underwear, but the basics are here. I kept the spelling.

 

An ACCOUNT of the RATES of Cloathing

Poor Children belonging to C H A R I T Y-s C H O O L S

The Charge of Cloathing a BOY

A Yard and half-quarter of Grey Yorkshire Broad Cloth 6 quarters wide, makes a Coat: 3 s.
Making the Coat, with Pewter Buttons and all other Materials: 1 s.
A Wasitcoat of the same Cloth lined: 3 s. 6 d.
A pair of Breeches of Cloth or Leather lined: 2 s. 6 d.
1   Knit Cap, with Tuft and String, of any Colour: 10 d.
1 Band: 2 d.
1 Shirt: 1 s. 6 d.
1 Pair of Woollen Stockings: 8 d.
1 Pair of Shoes: 1 s. and 10 d.
1 Pair of Buckles: 1 d.
1 Pair of Knit or Wash-Leather Gloves: 7 d.
Total: 15 s. and 8 d.

The Charge of Cloathing a GIRL.

3 Yards and half of blue long Ells, about yard wide, at  6d. p. Yard, makes a Gown and Petticoat: 4 s. 8 d.
Making thereof, Strings, Body-lining, and other Materials : 1 s.J
A Coif and Band of Scotch-Cloth with a Border: 9 d.
Ditto of fine Ghenting: 1 s.
A Shift: 1 s. 6 d.

A White, Blue, or Checquer'd Apron: 1 s.

A pair of Leather Bodice and Stomacher: 2 s. 6 d.

1 Pair of Woollen Stockings: 8 d.

1 Pair of Shoes: 1 s. 8 d.

A Pair of Pattens: 8 d..

1 Pair of Buckles: 1 d.

1 Pair of Knit or Wash-Leather Gloves: 7 d.

Total: 16 s. 1 d.

The Graham children by William Hogarth, 1742

I think it is interesting that girl’s costs more and that there are no warm outwear for either sex. The mention of a  leather bodice is interesting as well. I think they are more like stays, even if unboned they would probably add some stiffness and as a gown is listed, the bodice is probably meant more as underwear. I didn’t know what pattens was, but have now learned now that it protective overshoes. I am stumped on the fabrics for the girl’s clothes, though. Anyone who knows what Ells, Scotch-Cloth and Ghenting are? My guess is that Ells is a wool of some sort and the other two are different qualities of linen, but I’m not at all sure.

EDIT: Rae Arnold kindly provided me with answers: "
Scotch-cloth is another term for nettlecloth, which is linen-like, but from nettle, not flax.

Ghenting is a flax linen woven in Ghent.

The only time I’ve heard Ells used is as a measurement (27–45", depending on the country), never as a fabric description, but Googling "long ells fabric" returns results describing it as a light woolen (possibly "peculiar to Devonshire")"

Come to an 18th century party in Sweden



Svartsjö Palace. The main building was started in 1734.

On May 9 Gustafs Skål is holding their grand party to celebrate that the society is turning 20 this year. The party will take place at Svartsjö Palace in Stockholm and will start at noon and end one hour after midnight. Much amusements and good food have been promised!

The cost is 675 SKr for members of Gustafs Skål, Wästgiöta Gustavianer, Carlscrona Rediviva, Forum för historisk dans & music and Helsingfors goda borgare. For everyone else, the price is 775 SKr.

 

The amusements will include a walk in the park with music and something for the body as well as for the mind. Dowager-queen Lovisa Ulrika will invite you for something that has to do with beauty (yes that might include my participation…). Dancing, of course as well as perhaps a bit more naughty amusements as well. A dinner, a play and a number of surprises are also included.

 

If you are interested, mail: elisabeth.goldstein (at ) telia.com

 

A feast to mark that the hay is cut outside Svartsjö Palace by Pehr Hilleström, ca 1780

Personally I think it will be an absolutely fantastic party!

More info (in Swedish) can be found here.

Leather stays in Sweden

Are leather stays controversial? I sometimes encounter that view online, which have always puzzled me as I know there are extant ones around. Perhaps it is due to regional differences, what was common in Sweden wasn’t common elsewhere. There are several extant ones in Swedish museum collections and they seem to have been popular as working stays and for children. The ones in this post are all located at the museum Nordiska in Stockholm, but they are not the only one. There are, for example, a pair of children’s stays in Gotland who are cut and boned like adult stays and have also decorative stamping that mimics the look of fully boned stays.

The stays in this post range from fully boned stays, half-boned and what are more unboned bodices, though they shape is similar. In the 18^th century women in the rural areas of Sweden wore what in the next century would be called folk costumes. They varied from place to place, but an essential look was a shift, several skirts and a sleeveless bodice. In fact, quite close to what is sometimes called “wench-costumes”. These bodices were, and are, cut like stays and could be quite heavily boned, or not boned at all. Not all of them were made out of leather, of course.

 

NM.0001007

Dated to 1750-70, though my personal view is that they are earlier.  Made of chamois leather with lining in coarse linen. Much mended with linen in various qualities. Fully boned with whalebones. Enforced with sturdier whalebones around the waist and across the bust. Cut with a front that narrows down to a point and is laced in the back. The shoulder straps are sewn to the back and tied to the front. There are traces of silk at the seams on the inside, which may indicate that this was originally a bodice in silk that has been covered with chamois leather.

Nordiska also have a pair of leather stays that are, so far, not photgraphed (NM.0109352). They are, according to Britta Hammar and Pernilla Rasmussen in Underkläder, made for a young girl. The museum dates it to 1720-29, though the stays itself are marked with "Anno 1687", ie, the year 1687. They are front-laced and in dark brown leather, edged with chamois leather. Made out of four pattern pieces with a seam at the center back and side-back. 12 tabs. It's a bit unclear if there are any boning left at all.



 

NM0004796

Stays in light-coloured chamois leather, 1750-60. Front-laced, 10 pattern pieces with 20 boning channels. Boned with whalebone. Has been altered to be smaller by a new seam in the back and the front folded back with new lacing holes made. Possibly originally boned with iron boning at the lacing. Lined with unbleached lining. Has been owned by a Sara Hazelius, wife of a dean.

 

 

NM.0001252

Stays in brown calf skin, ca 1750. Front-laced, six pattern pattern pieces and 18 boning channels. Boned with iron at the lacing holes and reed. Eight tabs, overlapping each other. Lined with coarse, unbleached linen with leather reinforcment where the boning channels end.



NM.0001313

Dated 1750-1799. In brown stamped leather, but no bones, though the shape is similar to boned stays. The stamps are very decorative and depicts, for example, straight and wavy lines and bows.

 

 

 

 

NM.0001127

Bodice in brown calf skin, 1780-1820. 12 boning channels, 10 overlapping tabs. Lined with unbleached linen.



NM.0044668

These are undated and lack other information as well, but due to the high waist I think that they are from the 19th century. I have included them anyway because of the boning that harks back to the 18th century and for the bummroll attached on teh inside, under the tabs.




NM.0194150

Bodice in pale chamois leather, 1750-90. Boned at the lacing with iron, the diagonal channels are boned with reed or something similar, so are the three boning channels in the back. Overlapping tabs. Edged with white leather. Front,, neck and armhole decorated with pinked white leather. Lined with unbleached linen. Said to have been made as an engagement gift.



NM.0011194

Bodice in leather, seemingly unboned, but cut like stays, 1763-1773. Worn by Helena Olosdotter, a farmer's daughter, as a young girl.

I would like to make myself a pair of leather stays, because they seem to be quite comfortable. Front-laced with a few bones at critical points seems to be the most common ones. Well, I have time to think about it, I have plenty of sewing projects to make first.

Read more on other blogs:

 

A tutorial for making a pair of leather stays at Three-headed Snippet

 

Historically Speaking making a pair of leather stays

 

The Costume Historian on extant leather stays

A Robe Piemontaise it is

 

Basically everyone asked says that I should do the piemontaise and I must confess that I feel most inclined to that one as well. So a piemontaise it is. I need it to be finished in May and have everything I need when it comes to fabric and lining material. What I do need are additional decorations. I would like something in gold.

 Of the scant handful of extant piemontaises around, there is, the one in Denmark is available as pattern. The cut is really quite simple, a narrow back, a wide front, sleeve, the petticoat and the pleated panel for the back. I already have a fitted bodice pattern that looks like that, so I will start with cutting out the lining and fit it. I also need to think a bit about the front closure.






Bodice, sleeve, overskirt and the separate backpleats.
I have never made sleeves with that cut before.



The petticoat made out of three panels of fabric
and waistband.

I will, of course, ogle other extant piemontaises for inspirations. They are really pretty.The Danish one is quite simple, but the others are much more extravagant. All three gowns below are Spanish. I'm not sure what to make of that.

Gorgeous creme coloured gown with embroidery.

Source

The pleated back panel is really just applied on top of everything.

 

A somewhat less embroidered one.

Source

´

Unfortunately no picture of the back.

Source

A piemontaise, probably from the 1780’s and altered in the 19^th century

Scroll down for a modern interpretationof the piemontaise in green stripes, the only one I have ever seen.

Stays with tie-on sleeves

Front- and backlaced stays with tie-on sleeves, ca 1750, Italy

Gustafs Skål's big jubilation party will take place May 9 (Do come, it will be fabulous!) and will be a full day event. I will need a ball gown for the day, but also something and would like to have something a bit simpler for the day. I recently stumbled on these brocade covered stays with tie-on sleeves.

There are a few of them around, all, as far as I know, have been from the first half of the 18^th century. It seems to me that it was an informal fashion, being a bit more dressed than just wallowing around din your stays. Most extant examples I have seen have been Italian or French, so it might have been a pretty local fashion as well.


Stays, 1735-50



And the sleeves to go with it

 

Stays with tie-on sleeves, 1760, possibly France

I don't know anything about these, but they are beautiful!

There are also a few paintings.

Well, I admit that you can't see what it looks like underneath the neckerchief, but the sleeves are tied on.
A Young Lady With Two Dogs by Giacomo Ceruti

Watch the reading girl!
Women Working on Pillow Lace by Giacomo Ceruti, 1720's

Portrait of a Lady by Francesco Zuccarelli

I have a pair of stays that I made a couple of years ago that fit well, are structurally sound, but have started to look pretty shabby. They are also strapless, which I don’t like. If I cover them with a nice shell fabric I can add straps and if I make a matching petticoat I think I will look quite presentable, if undressed. Also, for evening I could just lace myself in a bit better, loose the sleeves and don my evening garb without much fuss.

For some reason I am stuck with thinking it should be pink. Why I do not know, as I’m not a pink sort of person. Though with a green ball gown accented with gold, a glimpse of a pink petticoat underneath would probably look quite nice. I have been drooling at Pure Silks and I’m now stuck with these three.

I confess, my heart beats a bit harder for this pink/gold silk brocade. But would teh fabric work for the 18th century. I want to say yes, but perhaps it is just because I want it. Any takers?

Pinkish lavendel shot with gold is pretty nifty too

On the other hand, my skin tone is better with cool shades.