That was the year that was, in sewing

Well, 2010 will go to the annuals as one of my most unproductive years ever. I have planned and dreamed a lot, but not finished anything since January! On the other hand I have packed, moved, unpacked and had a surgery, so perhaps it's not so odd that I haven't had much time and energy for sewing. That sounded a lot like whining... Still, a little have been made and here it is.

January saw my only complete work, the 1790's outfit, made for the 12th Night ball. At least the one thing I completed is something that I'm really pleased with!

The bag was my first try at ribbon embroidery and spangles.

I also finished the embroideries on my embroidered polonaise and also started to sew it together.

During late winter and spring I very nearly finished a pair of stays. I only needed to attach the shoulder straps and bind them when I moved. I packed the piece of silk for the straps in a safe place. So safe that it hasn't turned up in the unpacking and I think that I might have thrown it away, despite it all. So I will bind them and make them strapless, even if I didn't want them to be that. After all, it is possible to attach the straps if the fabric ever shows up. And it would be a pity to let all the hard work go to nothing.

I have worked on, on and off:
A mid-17th century gown. The underlayer of the bodice is finished and the next step is to cover it with the silk.
A robe battante. A first version was almost done when I scrapped it due to time restraints. The second was scrapped due to me not being able to read and comprehend and ordered taffeta with 8 inch wide stripes instead of 8 centimetres...
A bustle in grey fake taffeta- it only needs the metal bands inserted and the waist finished.
A pink 1770's jacket with green trimmings. The trimmings and a stomacher are left to do.
Two modern, well fifties, wool skirts that just need the waist and the hemming finished. I loathe hemming...
A fifties sheath dress in green wool, that I have just cut out.

Happy Holidays!

I hope you all will have an enjoyable time! Personally I'm going to spend the weekend at work, which isn't exactly the ultimate Christmas...

Spacecat Spiff resting among the decorations for the Christmas tree.

What to dress as...

I'm chatty today..

Gustafs Skål is holding a 12th Night Ball, which is a masked ball. I haven't got the slightest clue on what to go as. I don't have the energy to make something new. A large part of my 18th century wardrobe just doesn't fit anymore. So my dresschoice boils down to wearing this one:

Or this one:

So I'm thinking of sprucing one of them up with a hat and/or a mask. I need to find a theme, though. I guess the green one could be used to go as Autumn or something forestry. The red one... No idea.

New hair

I’m afraid that I don’t have any really good pictures of my hair. I’m not naturally photogenic and I have so far hated ever pic that shoes the hair well, but not my face. My father took these, and at least you get an idea on what it looks like. And you get to see Janne too! I had pincurled it the day before and before I showered I made five big pin curls and then combed it out rather briskly. This is by far the most versatile haircut I have ever had.

Short stays

I have just drooled over a post in corsetmakers on short stays.

Don’t you think that I need one? Considering that I have three outfits from the 1790’s alone. This is more than for any other decade of the 18th century. I’m still in a total funk when it comes to 18th century sewing, but stays are always fun. And as I still can’t finish my 1780’s stays due to the missing should piece… Imagine, a pair of stays without tabs!

I am sewing anyway. I’m almost done with a fifties pencil skirt in grey wool. I just need to hem it.

I need hair advice! I have cut my hair into a forties middy-cut, so now it just tough my shoulders instead of halfway down my back. I'm having a wig made for a 1780's hair, but what to do for the 1790's. Curl it madle and wear it- how? I have never researched shorter 1790's hair. Anyone with a good picture?

And just because a post if more fun when there are pictures in it.

Doesn’t she have a most gorgeous red hair? She must have been quite brave not to powder such unfashionable haircolour away. And isn’t the collar on the dress ugly?

Turning my eyes to the fifties

This year begun with preparation for the move, then the move itself and right after surgery and then the unpacking. Somewhere along the line I lost my sewing mojo. Easy enough when you are tired and you don't exactly know where your sewing stuff actually are. Well my stuff is finally more or less in order, but I still don't want to sew. Correction, I want to sew badly, I just don't seem to find a project that grips me. Part of that, I know, is because I have gained quite a lot of weight after my surgery, weight that I intend to loose. And it's so fiddly to change historical clothes. I don't want to sew something that complicated that will be too large in 6 months time.

At the same time I have problems with my wardrobe, particulary my skirts, as they don't fit anymore. I gain weight around tummy and hips, and somewhat around my waist- my breasts stays the same. (Thankfully, as I have a HH-cup under any circumstances...). Thóugh I love clothes I hate, hate, hate shopping for them and I don't really have the wallet to renew my wardrobe anyway. What I do have is an awful lot of fabric and a pile of unused Vintage Vogue patterns. During my current bout of sinusitis I have looked through them and my fabric stash and decided to leave the more ancient history for the moment and turn to the 1950's instead. I need new clothes and even if I shrink, they won't be too difficult to change.

I think I'll start with this one:

I have some black fake fur that I think would be neat, and if I interline it with a rather ugly brown wool, then it would be warm enough for spring. Or I may do it brown grey flannel and make a matching dress from this pattern:

I need to do a mock up first, though. I'm not quite sure if my hourglass figure would look good in a sheath dress- perhaps it's a matter of fitting. If it does fit, then I have a nice green wool for another one. It would be easy enough to change the neckline so they wouldn't be exactly alike. And I might do both a fur jacket and a flannel one.

I have a very nice printed cotton in green and yellow that I think would be nice fot this one:

It's a rather dark green, so I plan to make the long sleeved version so I can wear it in winter too. I do have a sheer cotton with blue flowers as well, and again, if I like the pattern, I might do another version of it.

I have a three day weekend coming up and as I have planned to take it very easy and stay at home, I think I will have a go at some new clothes. I badly need something to ´feel pretty in, I have felt so dowdy and dull all autumn!

Not updating

Because I went to London, got a cold, got back to work too early and it evolved into sinusitis. Too headachy and tired to do anything. Bleh.

A twenties coat

This is the youngest of my old clothes, and teh straight cut and single button makes me date it to the twenties. It's much larger than the other clothes, so I guess the woman who owned them became a bit fatter when she grew older. I'm not sure of the fabric, it's quite dull, but it's not wool. Silk/cotton, perhaps? It's quite lightweight, definitely not a coat for the cold Swedish winters. It's closed with one big button, and a hook and eye a bit higher up than the button. It's lined with very lightweight black silk. The collar, sleeves and hem are decorated with, well it's not lace, exactly. It's tulle decorated with coils of braid. I've never seen anything similar, actually. It's in great condition except the lining at the neck. My grandmother stored it hanging and that wasn't good for the fragile silk.



Detail of the hem.

A skirt and two petticoats

Skirt in very crisp silk taffeta. Made of straight pieces. Front and back looks the same, The skirt is slightly gathered to the waistband, and then there are three pleats on each side. Unfortunately I didn't managed to take any good pics. I think it may be from around 1910. Like the other skirt it has a very tiny waists, around 50 cm.

A petticoat made of four pieces. Two slightly gored front pieces, and two curved back pieces. Though it's in silk taffeta, it's not as well made as the other clothes. The ruffle is not finsihed, and very uneven, though that can be because it has been worn a lot. The pocket at the hem is not finsihed either. My guess is 189's.

Front is where my son holds it. Lots of fabric in the back.

Detail of pocket and hem.

Detail of inside hem.

A petticoat made of straight pieces, that has been very carefully gathered at the waist. I don't know what kind of fabric it's made off. It's quite sturdy. Early 1900's is my guess.

It has a beautful pocket,

The waist is constructed a bit oddly. I should have taken more pics, but I'll try to explain. The gathers are held in place with two gathering threads, as you can see on the pic. On the inside a tape is sewn to it, ca 5 cm wide. Then the waist band is only sewn to the petticoat with a few stitches. It seems that when it was worn, it must have looked more like a belt, than a waist band.

Actually, I'm not at all sure anymore why I think the last one is a petticoat and not a skirt. I haven't looked carefully on these clothes since I took the photos and that's six years ago. Time to check them out again, I think.

An Edwardian dress, I think

The dress consists of a bodice and a skirt in black, rather dull silk. I think it's Edwardian, but again, I'm not altogether sure. I believe that it's younger than the previous bodice as I know that they have belonged to the same woman and this bodice is considerably larger. Also, the skirt has definitely not been worn with a bustle. The bodice is in very good shape, and very well made. I think it's so beautiful!

The front of the bodice. It closes with hook and eyes off centre. I didn't manage to get a good pic of the collar, but it's high and made of lace without lining. It has stiffening sewn to it at two places so it could stand.


Detail of the front. I think the decoration is just lovely.


The back of the bodice.


On the front the folds on each side of the lace are sewn to the bodice all the way, in fact the closure is hidden behind one of them. On the back, however, they are just stitched to the bodice at the shoulder and hem.

Details of the inside, front. The silk is backed with pretty heavy cotton, and almost all seams are reinforeced with bones in light blue casings. There are no signs of anything altered, or removed. I am, however, at loss of the () shaped seam at the front inside.

The inside of the back. You can see the stiffening on the collar here.

The sleeves are tight, with a small slit at the wrists. The opening is trimmed with very transparent silk.



The inside of the armscye. As you can see the arm in lined with two layers of fabric. I would think it's the same with the rest of the bodice, but that is impossible to see.

The skirt has broad lace insertion down the front, the same as on the bodice. Slightly gored. When I said that the bodice is larger than the other one, it's still tiny. The waist is only 50 centimetres!

Detail of the front.

Detail of inside.

German gown again

After thinking to and fro about a German 16th century gown, I think I have settled for something along the lines of this one.

I like the black brustfleck. Not that I mind the gold brocade ones, I like them a lot, but finding a brocade that I like that I find a bit daunting. I also like the high collar and it’s always fun to make a gown that isn’t the popular choice. It will be a simpler gown, but I can still play around with the sleeves.



I had ordered some black velvet on sale, but it turned out there wasn’t enough left. Instead I have found some nice black wool, which I think will look good.

A Victorian bodice

Late Victorian clothes aren't my strong point, so if you have other ideas on the dating, please tell me. My guess is around 1880-1890. It's in black silk, and it has no boning. From the look of it, there never were any either.

Two pics of the front.The belt is part of the structure and can't be removed.




Detail of the belt.

The back.

The inside, front.

Detail of the pleated basque. The lining of the basque is of a much lighter fabric than the rest of the bodice lining.

The sleeves are plain apart from the small pouffe at the shoulders, and 3/4 long.

There are two small tucks at the wrist.

Plastron, late 19th century

A friend of mine identified this as a plastron. The work on this one is quite similar to the first cape I posted, which makes me think that they are from the same period. It's made of silk, that covers a heavier fabric of some kind, probably to give warmth. The entire surface is covered with rushed ribbons in very transparent silk, and the same kind of silk if used for the ruffle at the ends. There is also a lace insertion, in very beautiful black lace. There is no closure, and though I guess it could be tied, in hangs very well without being so. It shows no signs of being tied either.



The outside, back and end


Detail of the back

The inside, back and end