Sewing plans of 2013

The Tailor by Pietro Longhi

I guess a lot of you are very busing today, but as I’m Swedish I had the big day yesterday and today I’m working. The joys of irregular schedule- trains have to go every day. I hope you have had or are having a great day! My Christmas Eve was very nice and I think everyone was pleased.

I’m sitting here and thinking of next year’s sewing projects. I have continued my sewing room cleanout and have sorted all my A projects into a cupboard, all my B projects are sorted into individual zip lock bags and stored together on a shelf and all C projects have been packed into a large bag and been packed away a bit better. I still need to buy some lidded boxes for sewing notions, but just sorting my projects have made a big difference!

The Tailor's Shop

I have been thinking of trying to give myself deadlines to try to finish things properly. First I was thinking one project every week but felt that was a bit too ambitious and decided on one thing finished every fortnight instead. Funnily enough I decided this and then went blog-reading and found the Dreamstress 2013 challenge; The Historical Sew Forthly.

For every two week there will be a challenge and it’s up to each one who participate to decide if they want to make each and every one of them, or just a few. She draws the line for historical at 1938 which means my 40’s wardrobe falls outside the frame, but most of my projects do fit, so I will jump on board. If you want to start at once there is a bonus challenge to finish something before December 31, otherwise the first challenge due 14 Jan. Sew something from __13, whether it be 1913, 1613, or 13BC. I don’t think I have anything that fits into that challenge, so I will do something from my 40’s wardrobe instead and try to finish my raincoat instead.

That was the year that was 2012

Another year of having been scarily unproductive. Despite last year’s plans of finishing more projects than I start, I haven’t succeeded much. Oh well, a new year is coming and hopefully I will do better next year. I can at least hope…


I have made quite a few hats, like a pleated brown beret in fake suede and finishing a 50's velvet that that my grandmother once started. And;



A checkered cap





40's style tilt hat




30's style beret with fin






Victorian circus costume



40's house dress



And a Belle Époque star costume, which I don't have a picture of. So, just a few things, really.

Then there is my list of UFP’s (Unfinished projects). Here is the complete list, which is scary, but after giving the various projects A, B or C-status, it does feel more manageable. And, as you can see, a lot of these projects need very little to be completely done.



A- Projects that are to be finished ASAP

18th century blue stays. I had almost finished those when we moved and I managed to misplace the fabric for the shoulder straps. Needs the straps, a few more boning channels, bones and binding.

18th century banyan for J. Pattern pieces cut out.

Edwardian blouse. Pattern pieces cut out.
40’s raincoat. Top fabric and lining needs to be sewn together.

Wool skirt to match the raincoat. Waistband and lining.

40’s green swing dress



B- Not so pressing, but still in need to be done.

18th century brown stays.

Candy floss 1880’s pink jacket. Done, but for the stomacher.

1770’s embroidered polonaise. My eternal project. Sigh. Perhaps this year?

Green top hat to go with the candy floss jacket. Halfway covered with fabric.

Gustaf III’s national suit.

40’s grey wool dress

40’s white shirtwaist. Needs hemming and button.

Regency stays. Needs boning and binding

50’s maroon skirt. Waistband and hemming left.

50’s green wool dress. Pattern pieces cut out.

30’s dress. Pattern pieces cut out.



C- On hold for now

18th century ball gown and the robe de cour. I won’t be covering the cour with velvet, so I’m thinking of using the green taffeta for the ball gown for that.

1660 dress. The underwork on the bodice is made.

40’s polka dot dress. Needs shoulder straps and hemming.

40’s black draped skirt. Pattern pieces cut out.

Winner of the calendar

Is.... jousdaughter! Congratulations. Thank you to the rest of you who entered. If you are insterested in purchasing one, then please mail me.

The calendar is here and a giveaway!

We finally got Gustafs Skål's calendar and I must say that it's very neat. Can I say that when I have been involved in making it? And, having it actually in my hand, I know now the cost for sending it. The catalouge itself costs 100 SKr, unless you are a member of Gustafs Skål, then it is 75 Skr. Shipping will be as follows:

Sweden 22 SKr

Europe 48 SKr

Rest of the world 60 SKr

This is for sending the calendar in an ordinary envelope, though I will pack it as careful as possible. It is of course possible to send it in a padded envelope, but that makes the cost higher. Pay to my Paypal account or, if you are in Sweden, to Gustafs Skål's account and the calendar will be sent when the money arrives. Mail to

mipsmoppet at hotmail.com

You may notice that this is another addy, and that is because my computer seens to have issues with the other one and shuts down when I try to answer. So to those of you who have already mailed me; I have seen your mail, but haven't been able to answer. I will get to another one to be able send you the information as soon as possible, or you might mail me on the other addy. Sorry about that.

But, here is a little nugget- a calendar giveaway! I don't usually hosts giveaways, but I'm feeling the Christmas spirit. So, one of you may get Gustafs Skål's erotic calendar for free!

To enter, be either a follower of this blog or the Facebook page and leave a comment. For an additional entry, mention this giveaway at your blog or on Facebook and leave another comment with a link to that. The giveaway will be open until midnight (Swedish time) December 16.

And the lady wore fur

We had a terrific snowstorm in Stockholm Wednesday, luckily for me on my day off, as basically all public transportations came to a standstill. I also have a really bad cold and feel chilly, so to feel a bit warmer I dug out a couple of pictures of 18th century ladies wearing fur.

I admit, winter wear, 18th century style, don't look so warm to me. Fur lined capes and muffs must be wamr enough, but dainty shoes? Not very practical to me.



Winter





Madame Mole Raymond by Élizabeth Vigée Le Brun. 1787.

 


Louise Henriette de Bourbon, Duchesse de Chartres and Duchesse d'Orléans



Comtesse de Tillieres by Jean-Marc Nattier, 1750




Madame Francois Tronchin by Jean-Etienne Liotard, 1758




Maria Fredericke van Reede-Athlone at age 7 by Jean-Etienne Liotard




Henriette Caroline Christine of Hesse-Darmstadt by Johann Georg Ziesenis

 
It seems a bit uncomfortable to wear a fur choker, but it does finish off the look and would provide a good way to get rid of fleas- just take off the choker and shake over an open fire...

Mme Georges Gougenot de Croissy by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 1757

 


Mrs. Wilbraham Bootle by George Romney, 1781




Marie Dolignon Mrs Philip Dauncey by James Northcote, 1789



Empress Maria Theresa by Jean-Etienne Liotard

A couple of years ago I made a green velvet gown with a fur trim, basically identical to this one. Only I saw the painting for the first time afte rmy gown was made.


Gabrielle Emilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, marquise du Chatelet by Marianne Loir, ca. 1748



Another version, I assume.



Angelika Kauffman by Nathaniel Dance

This one look so warm! It seems to be fur-lined, not just fur decorated. 

Lady said to be Madame Katinka by Nathaniel Dance.
It has been living on my harddrive for years, so I don't know where I found it now.


Apart from the fur, I love that her hair is just powdered around her face. A much easier look to pull off for a re-enactor than a fully powdered hair do, I think.



Mélanie de Forbin by G. Louis Le Barbier Le Jeune




Marie-Josephe of Saxony, Dauphine of France by Jean Martial Fredou, 1747




Maria Antonia von Bayern by Pietro Antonio Graf Rotari




Maria Josepha von Bayern probably by Martin van Meytens. ca. 1765




Queen Maria Carolina by Francesco Liani


The fabric looks like it has spots woven into the fabric. Very pretty.

Madame Freret-Dericour by Joseph-Siffred Duplessis, 1769




Queen Sophie Dorothea of Prussia by Antoine Pesne, 1737




The Baroness Bonne-Marie-Joséphine-Gabrielle Bernard de Boulainvilliers by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 1785



Almost here

Gustafs Skål's calendar is now at the printers and we are eagerly waiting for it. I have seen all the photos, but it will be quite exiting to see it all finished! The price will be 75 SKr for members of Gustafs Skål and 100SKr for everyone else, shipping excluded. If you are interested in buying one, mail me at isis.33 @ passagen.se It's a bit hard for me to estimate shipping until I have the calendar and know the weight shipping varies from country to country, but I will get back to you with a full price as soon as I can.

The pictures are details from two of the months.

Victorian circus

Fraulein Frauke Presents took place Saturday and being in good form I stitched on my costume to the last minute. The theme, if you remember, was Victorian circus and I went as a line dancer, complete with a small parasol.




You may notice that the bodice is not green as planned, but purple. That is because I found that I had too little of the green silk- one of the dangers when you buy fabric first and make the pattern after. Luckily I have a lot of cotton sateen that I inherited from my grandmother, so I could make a last minute change. I also managed to go down with a temperature for two days so my sewing got behind schedule. So I’m sort off pleased with my costume. I like the colours and I do think that I have managed to evoke a Victorian feel to it. I’m pleased with the yellow fringe that very nicely took up the colour of the parasol.

However, the fit could have been a lot better. I fitted it on myself with no help, apart from J placing a few pins after my direction. The back was a bit too loose and the bodice was a bit too snug around the hips. It would also have benefitted from a crisper lining and a few well-placed bones. The plan is to evolve the bodice into an 1880’s ball gown, but it will need some re-work for that! As usual I had great fun. The guests had really outdone themselves; I really think that more and more people dress up after the current theme for every new event. It is also such a nice club. Everyone is so friendly and I have never been to a place where you get spontaneous compliment by strangers. And I have always loved masquerades and now I have reason to think up new costumes several times a year.



Klara the Lion, who won price for best costume and Pimpinett. The other winner was a wonderful bearded lady in a striped bustle dress.

The best costumes won a bottle of champagne, but other good ones got a free drink. And I got one! And so did Betty who looked really great as a snake charmer with a truly Victorian Cleopatra-flair.

The rather limpid latex snake. There were other snakes around, but no one as big as Betty’s!

A rather bad picture of the smallest animal on the party. My friend Ragnar had captured a ferocious rhino and caged it. Unfortunately it drunk too much beer and fell of its peg.

A few pictures of the fitting process. I drafted the pattern myself, using a bodice template in Patterns of Fashion as a guide. It evolved a bit as you can see.

A few 18th century paintings of interest

Here's a little collection of 18th century paintings that depicts clothes that are a bit unusual and interesting. First of is this wonderful portrait. Isn't it amazing? An old woman portrayed with dignity and beauty. I also find her cap interesting. I can't recall any other 18th century portrait with such a peak down the forehead.

Portrait of An Old Woman
by Balthasar Denner (or possibly Christian Seybold),
probably the first half of the 18th century

Plaid isn't all that common on 18th century portraits, but they crop up from time to time. I really like the kitchen maid's plaid apron, but her spotted caracao even more. Not to mention the colour combination. I think I need this outfit!

Plucking the Turkey by Henry Walton, 1776

This girl was a member of the Moravian church. Click on the link for more paintings of Moravian women, they have a rather distinct front-laced bodice that you can't see here because of the neckerchief. This girl is the only one in plaid, though.

Young Moravian Girl
by Johann Valentin Haidt , painted before 1780

A Scottish lady of a Jacobite inclination, so her choice of fabric for her riding habit is not so surprising.

Portrait of a Jacobite Lady
by Cosmo Alexander, 1745-50s

This fabric in her brunswick is just gorgeous! I wouldn't mind getting my mitts on something like that.

Princess Frederika Sophia Wilhelmina of Orange by Johann Georg Ziesenis, 1768-69

After plaids it feels natural to progress to stripes.

Maria Luisa de Parma, later Queen of Spain by Laurent Pecheux, 1765

A very clever use of the fabric here, I think.


Infanta Maria Josefa de Borbon by Giusseppe Bonito, 1758-59

 And last of fabric patterns; flowers. Foliage crazy, anyone?

Victoire of France by Jean-Marc Nattier, mid-18th century

I scanned this picture several years ago from a book and I'm sorry that the quality is so bad. I have never seen this kind of buttoned shirt on an 18th century woman anywhere else. The painting belong to Nationalmuseum in Sweden, but the catalouge entry is without picture.



Brita Christina Appelbom by Georg Desmarées, painted before 1757

This is clearly a regional costume, Strasbourg to be exact. The hat is truly in a category in itself and the stays are interesting in itself.

La Belle Strasbourgeoise by Nicolas de Largillière, 1703

Does anyone know anything more about this rather curious layering? To me it looks like a chemise, probably stays, a (padded?) jacket with another jacket, or gown, laced over it. I think it is pretty and it ought to add warmth. I know I have seen more paintings than the two here and I think all have been French. Seems to me to be a bit too practical to be just an artist's imaginatiopn so I am apt to think it was an actual fashion, but perhaps a rather regional one.

Portrait of Mlle Lavergne, the niece of the artist
 by Jean-Etienne Liotard, 1746

Portrait of a young lady with a courtly letter in hand
by Jean-Baptiste Mallet

This one is interesting just because ot the complete dissarray of hair and clothes. Especially the hair as it gives a glimpse on how hair was arranged.

The Broken Mirror by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 1763



There are several extant examples of stays with tie-on sleeves. Here is a somewhat rarer example on them in a painting.

Detail from Women Working on Pillow Lace by Giacomo Ceruti, 1720s