A Lovely Accessory

I recently completed a knitting apron for my dear friend Deborah as part of an exchange.  In return, she knitted me a lovely pair of knitted under sleeves that were delivered to me via the post office at BGA Gettysburg... yes.  That was quite a while ago, but I have finally gotten around to finishing her apron!  Here it is in all its glory... on my dorm room floor.

The body of the apron is 100% silk taffeta with rayon velvet trim.  The taffeta was purchased from an Ebay vendor and the trim is from Needle and Thread in Gettysburg.  It is based off of an original in a private collection, which the owner graciously shared with me in order to make it for Deborah.  All of the trim is applied by hand, as are the pockets.  The only machine stitching is in the waistband.  I will be adding a buttonhole to the waistband and Deborah will be supplying a button.  All in all, I'm very happy with how it turned out!  It will look very lovely for her to knit in.

Here are some close-ups of the apron in the construction progress:

The initial photo of the fabric and the trim in natural light.  After some consideration, Deborah and I decided that plum trim would suit this reddish-orange very nicely.

A close-up of the hand-applied trim

And a close-up of my delicate stitches, of which I am very proud.

Early 1860's and Late 1860's: What's the Difference?

{Please bear in mind that I am in no way an expert: I am simply reporting on the trends I have seen, and hoping to educate people so they don't make the same mistakes as I have (yes, I might have once bought silk to make an 1866 ball gown for CW use...)  Please, anyone, chime in if they have any additional information, I'd love to hear it!}

Often, pictures circulate around Pinterest tagged with a vague date of "1860's" and they're hailed as beautiful creations of the Civil War era.  They are all quite beautiful (I think 1865-1869 is probably my favorite half-decade in fashion history), but they should not and cannot be used as an inspiration piece to be worn to a sesquicentennial event, a ball, or any event that is focused on the years of the American Civil War.  Because places like Pinterest and even some museum sites can often be vague, here are some hallmarks of gowns of the late 1860's:

1. Flat fronts

Both gowns shown here were dated "1860's" by their respective pinners on Pinterest.  However, if you look at the skirt of the gown on the top, you can see that there is at least a ten inch panel of unpleated fabric in the front of the skirt.  This is a hallmark of the late 1860's.  This is the most noticeable of all of the trademarks of late 1860's fashions, as most dresses of that era possess this feature.  The gown on the bottom is pleated all the way around, so it is more likely earlier.

2. Shaped skirt panels

On the dress on the top, it is easy to see that the front panel of the gown is shaped (looking at the seam down the front where the stripes go two different directions), and not a straight or "tube" skirt like the dress on the bottom.  This is harder to see on original gowns, fashion plates, and portraits, but easier to notice in original sewing patterns.  This kind of skirt is called a gored skirt, and usually has the regular amount of fullness in the back, but with a flatter shaped front panel.

3. On ball gowns--straight waists

As you can see on the top, this ball gown from the Kent State museum, dated 1860-1869, features a waistline just like you would see on any old day dress or evening dress.  On the bottom, a gown from the Met Museum features a pointed waist.  The pointed waist is one of the hallmarks of the early 1860's ball fashions.  The straight waist for ball wear did not come into fashion until about 1864, and they did not gain in popularity until after the war.

4. Angular and/or unnatural placement of trim

The CDV on the top shows another trademark of the late 1860's, angular bodice trim and/or unnatural placement.  Box-like bodice trim became very popular in 1864, along with other geometrical placements of bodice trim.  This zig-zag is also interesting because it is placed in a random part of the bodice.  During the early 1860's, as I have seen, most bodice trim follows the natural lines of the body and of the bodice itself.  Therefore, a lot of trim along the bodice openings, the arms, and the darts (often continuing to the shoulders) is seen.  The CDV on the bottom shows a woman that has regulated her bodice trim to the line where her yoke begins, which is more indicative of the early 1860's.

5. Skirt Peplums/"Butt fluff"

I have no idea what to call these things, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  These trends scream late 1860's and early 1870's, so it's very important to avoid them if you are making something to wear to early 1860's events.

 

Two examples of skirt "peplums", for lack of a better word.

And, two examples of "butt fluff".  This includes, but is not limited to, bows, additional fabric, trim, etc.

Thank you everyone for listening!  If you have any questions or additions, feel free to add them in the comments!

The Amateur Seamstress is now The Deviant Dressmaker!

After returning home from Gettysburg and beginning on a few commission pieces, I realized that I can no longer call myself an amateur.  I have grown a lot through these past two years of sewing, and I think I'm now at the point where it is time for a change!  I have decided to adopt the title of Deviant Dressmaker because, while my main goal is in sewing dresses, I tend to have many little offshoots and other adventures and fun experiences.  The blog is also getting a new look to accompany this new name, so I hope you all enjoy it!  Thank you so much for being my faithful readers, I look forward to many wonderful years with you!

The Amateur Milliner

Hello everyone! A short post today, but I wanted to let everyone know that for the very very first time I am trying my hand at millinery! I am armed with heavyweight buckram and two Timely Tresses patterns (and other boring, unimpressive supplies). I completed the brim this evening. It needs a bit of shaping but, other than that, I think it turned out well! Here it is:

Have a lovely day everyone!

Economical Fabric Shopping

As most reenactors know, fabric can get very expensive very quickly (especially if one is buying fabric for a victorian gown!)  Things that seem cheap can multiply out of control.  Something that is $8 per yard can be appealing, but once one multiplies that into the, say, 7 yards necessary for an 1860's gown, that quickly becomes out of many peoples' price ranges (especially poor college students like me).  So, being fabric-savvy for 1860's projects requires a lot of digging through sales and websites and discount bins.  So, here is a little guide to economical fabric shopping!

The fabric for my Regency chemisette and fichu were given to me by a friend.

First off, for 1860's things, one can get away with 7 yards of 45" or 6 yards of 60" (though I once got away with 5 yards of 60"... not sure how I did that!)  It is very, very, very crucially important to get enough for a dress at once.  Fabric often is hit and run.  If you think that you can just go back to the store or website and buy more when you can, I'm afraid you'll have many too-small lengths of fabric lying around that you will have nothing to do with!  So always buy as much as you need for your entire garment.

I was able to purchase this black silk for $12.50 and this blue silk for $10 because of using 50% off coupons at Joann's

Secondly, Joann's, Hobby Lobby, and Hancock's can be nice and local, but it's very hard to find period-correct cotton prints when you are not shopping with a mentor (which you should always do!).  I prefer online retailers because I can email links to people who are much more knowledgeable than me and also post on online forums such as The Sewing Academy.  You can also post pictures of fabrics you see in store, but like I said before, fabric stores are a hit and run and you never know if it will still be there when you come back.

This red wool was purchased from Fabric.com during a sale, and cost around $6 a yard.

So, here is a list of my favorite online retailers:
Fabric.com - Good selection of tropical weight wools for dressmaking (my red wool is from Fabric.com), decent selection of reproduction cotton prints
Fashionfabricsclub.com - Every fabric known to man, pretty much.  Decent prices and nice fabrics.  My lavender semi-sheer plaid is from there, along with my Regency striped fabric and Sarah's blue plaid shirting for her 1860's wash dress.
Fabricmartfabrics.com - Very nice fabrics, good wools, silks, and cotton semi-sheers.
All of these retailers are great, but some of their fabrics are exorbitantly expensive--that is, if you look at the wrong time.  Which brings me to my next topic...

The fabric for my 1860's wrapper was purchased from Fabric.com for $3.50 a yard, after posting on the Sewing Academy for approval of the fabric.

Sales, clearances, closeouts, whatever you call it, these are a seamstress's best friend.  I rarely ever buy fabric when it's not on sale.  Each of the websites I just listed have email lists notifying customers of sales, clearance sections, and even "Dollar Deal" sections (one of the reasons why I love Fabric Mart so much. I bought the most beautiful green and white semi-sheer plaid from there for $1 a yard!)  Troll the sales.  Sometimes you can score $4 a yard wool or $1 and $2 a yard cottons!

I purchased this medium-weight wool at Fabric Mart for $5 a yard, and the polished cotton and wool batting for $5 and $10 a yard, respectively.  Ebay is a good place to find fabrics, but it requires a great deal of wading through improper fabrics.  Remember to narrow your search using the sidebar on the left.

And also, COUPONS!  Almost every retailer has at least one coupon active at any given time.  Websites such as Retailmenot.com and store emails are very helpful in notifying you about coupons.  When I got this:

and this:

from Fabric.com, they were priced at $4 a yard, but I was able to use a 15% off coupon that brought them down to $3.40 per yard!  Also, places like Fabric.com offer free shipping if you spend over a certain amount, which is very helpful.  Joann Fabrics is also very good at putting out 50% off coupons, which is how I got silk for $10 a yard there.  Get on email lists and keep an eye out!

I purchased this fabric from Fashion Fabrics Club for $6 a yard

And finally, and less easily, make reenacting friends.  I know many, many people who have large stashes of period correct fabric that they could never completely use in their entire lives (we call that Stash Beyond Life Expectancy).  The fabric for my yellow dress was bought from a good friend, Hannah, who had bought it with hopes of making herself a dress.  I also bought a dress length of block printed Regency cotton from a lovely woman I met at the Jane Austen festival this year.  And, my final steal will be explained in detail in my Perryville post, but I must say it was quite a deal!

I hope this helped and I wish you all safe travels in the abyss of online fabric shopping!

The list has changed... again...

I promise I'll post very very soon about the Jane Austen festival, but for now, here is my updated sewing list.  I have completely removed anything Georgian from the table because I just don't have the time or money to invest in another time period.  I'm going to try to focus on sewing for the Regency Wardrobe Challenge and using up my stash for Civil War so I can get to Georgian (maybe possibly).  So, here it is!

August

CW Bathing costume

Mom's dirndl

CW Sheer

CW Sarah's dress

Regency Spencer

September

CW Winter hood

CW Paletot and muff

Regency seaside dress

October

Regency beach slippers

Second Regency bonnet

November

CW Ball gown

Regency ball gown

December

Regency day dress #2

CW Asymmetrical bodice

January

Regency spencer

February

Regency day dress #3

CW bonnet

March

Regency cloak

Busy Week!

On Thursday, I practiced my Senior Project presentation on Civil War clothing in front of an amalgamation of AP English students (I am one of them) and Human Growth and Development students (I am not one of them).  I think it went very well except I went over time by like three minutes at least (obviously because I could talk about CW clothing forever and ever).  I think the students were pleasantly surprised with my presentation, not realizing how interesting this rarely-touched part of history is.  It was fun!  Now I just have to cut out some parts of my presentation so I can focus more on the clothing.  I mean, I did make two dresses for this project, they kind of warrant more than 3 overtime minutes of hyper speed speech.

Then, on Saturday, the Ladies Living History Society and the Western Female Seminary Living History Society all took a lovely trip down to the Cincinnati Museum Center for their Civil War Days.  It was great because 1. It is air conditioned 2. Lots of people were able to make it and 3. The museum provided lunch for all of the volunteers.  We also got to play a hilarious game of Questions and Answers with some Union gentlemen, which was very fun!  I was able to wear my red dress, but unfortunately, that may be the last time I wear that dress until fall because it is, in fact, wool.  It's so pretty, though!!!  Sigh.

So... about not buying any more fabric... I might possibly have bought two more dress lengths...  Don't yell at me!!  They were only $3.40 per yard and they're 100% wool and 60" inches wide... I couldn't help it.  Anyway, I got 6 yards each of these fabrics:

For this Caraco Espagnol from Peterson's, 1862:

One word--tassels!

For an asymmetrical bodice. My pseudo-inspiration image:

I say pseudo because it is just proof for myself that there were asymmetrical bodice dresses made out of plaid fabric.  I am probably going to do trim differently than this lovely lady.

Anyway, that is all!  Have a lovely day, everyone!

Red Dress: Complete!

Here are the pictures of the raspberry wool dress that I made!  I love it and I hope you like it, too!

Always Talked About but Never Before Seen

I talk about a lot of stuff, but apparently never show pictures!  I have been talking about my red dress for ages and none of you have seen it!  So, here are some pictures of my stash (and new additions) so y'all can put images to names.

Here is the raspberry wool I talk about so often. This is the wool I used for my dress (now in the final stages of construction) and shall use for my sacque.  Both the dress and the sacque will be trimmed with this velvet ribbon, the sacque with the thicker and the dress with the thinner.

Here is the wrapper and the mitochondria fabric, as I like to call it.  The little round things totally look like mitochondria!  The wrapper is still in want of sleeves, a drawstring and a hem.  After that, it will be complete!

My lovely friend Kelly sold me wrist warmers and garters that she personally knitted and I am in love with them!  The wrist warmers will be worn to the filming of The Light of Freedom (along with the garters, but those will not be visible).

I picked up 1 yard of white cotton twill at JoAnn's yesterday with my Regency stays in mind:

Here is the beautiful, beautiful robin's egg blue silk.  I just got another 4 yards on top of my 7.5 so I can make a second (and third?) bodice.

 I will be making this ballgown from it:

Along with this dress:

I want to make an exact reproduction of the second one, but then I have to find out a way to have detachable bows for the skirt.  Would it be worth it to baste them on every time I want to wear the second bodice?  I'll figure something out.

Here is Sarah's wash dress fabric, a very pretty blue, white and black plaid.  It looks primarily black in this picture but it's actually primarily blue.

And now, the most beautiful book ever,  "Fashion: The Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute".  It spans the 18th century to the 20th century.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

 Georgian:

 Regency:

1860's:

That's all, folks!  Till next time!

Fabric Shipment Number Two and Thrift Store Finds!

More new fabric!  These are the last of my orders for a very long time.  I solemnly swear to not buy any more fabric until most of my projects are completed!

 First are the wool batting and wool flannel I am using for my paletot.  I practically stole the wool flannel--on clearance it was just $5 per yard for 60" wide fabric!  I almost died.  Perfect!  Also, I got the wool batting for the paletot for only $10 per yard for 92" wide!  I'll be able to use the extra wool batting in my winter hood, too.  I am going to be very warm at the Perryville reenactment this summer!

Sadly, now we say goodbye to the paletot fabric for a very, very long time.  No offense to you, lovely fabrics, but I have to work on my other things!  Farewell until the fall.

 I got these teacups at Goodwill for only 50 cents each!  They may not be perfect, but they are passable until I can go to an actual antique store and find some more accurate ones.  They also are lacking saucers, but again, they are passable without them (and also much more appropriate than my tin cup!)  One of these will probably go to Sarah.

I also got my Easter present in the mail today!  "Civil War Ladies: Fashions and Needle-Arts of the Early 1860's."  It is a beautiful book full of fashion plates, needlework projects, sewing patterns and much, much more!

 See?

 Wonderful!

 Beautiful! :)

 And the back of the book :)

I also picked up some movies from Goodwill.  No matter how inaccurate the Gone with the Wind costumes are, I still adore the movie!  I also got Gods and Generals and Little Women (both of which I've never seen before).

 Finally, a nice little basket I picked up at a different Goodwill a week ago.  We have plenty of baskets at my house, however most of them are too large and/or too shallow to be of any actual use.  This one is the perfect size and just deep enough to hold what I need.  However, it didn't even cross my mind that it wouldn't hold my plate!  Oh well.

Till next time!  Au revoir!