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!

Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenge 11: Squares, Rectangles, and Triangles

A while ago, my dear friend David, a midshipman aboard the HMS Acasta, asked me to sew a shirt for him.  I didn't realize until I received the pattern that it totally fits with the 11th Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge!  I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, and so is its new owner!

The Challenge: #11: Squares, Rectangles, & Triangles

Fabric: 40/60 Linen/Cotton blend

Pattern: JP Ryan 18th Century Gentleman’s Shirt 

Year: 1790-1820

Notions: Gutermann polyester thread, three mother-of-pearl buttons

How historically accurate is it?: About 90%.  I only sewed interior seams by machine, everything else was done by hand.  The fabric and pattern are accurate.  I'm not sure about the buttons exactly, but they were already in my stash so I used them.

Hours to complete: I didn’t count, as I worked on it on and off.  It felt like an age, though!

First worn: David tried it on once he received it, but other than that he will wear it for the first time at the Louisville Jane Austen festival.

Total cost: About $48 including the cost of the pattern.

And now, pictures!

New Livejournal!

Hello everyone!  I have decided to start a companion live journal in order to be able to post in small installments in order to show my progress.  The link can be found in the sidebar to the right, but just in case you can't find it, it's here!  Don't worry, I'll still be posting here regularly with research and costume master posts, you'll just be able to better keep track of me on my live journal.  Anyway, off to sewing now!  Allons-y!

Lavender in the Mid-19th Century

Hello everyone! I'm sorry for being such a bad blogger.  I haven't had much time to work on garments so therefore I haven't posted very much :( but very soon I'll be out of school and sewing up a storm for the summer reenacting season!

Anyway, in preparation for finishing my PhD lavender sheer (project half done, thank you Dreamstress for the lovely acronym!) I've been on a pinning spree of lavender dresses in the mid-19th century.  I'll let the garments speak for themselves--they are all quite lovely (and I want every single one of them!)

Have a lovely day, everyone!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Have a very happy new year, too!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Costume

So, my friends and I are big fans of J. R. R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings, so when we heard that The Hobbit was being adapted to film and that the lovely and talented Martin Freeman was to play Bilbo, we knew that we absolutely had to go!  A few of us decided to make costumes, but because of time constraints and exams I decided not to.  Last Sunday, I hung out with two of my friends, Kelly and Hannah, who were both planning on making costumes to wear to the movie.  Kelly even brought something that I could wear and Hannah brought a bodice that she had previously made.  I had originally planned on making something like Rosie's dress from Bilbo's birthday party:

With some minor changes and color differences.  However, I just decided to wear Hannah's extra bodice and blouse and make two quick gathered skirts to wear.  We got supplies from JoAnn's and I was able to start and finish the two skirts the next day.  So, suddenly, the Hobbit costume was created!  Last night we went to see the movie and had a great time.  Two of our friends, Kelly and Heather, dressed as elves, while Hannah and I dressed as hobbits.  Here are a few pictures that we took!

If you haven't seen the movie yet, it is an absolute must!  It was extremely well made and, like all of Tolkien's works, highly enjoyable.  I've seen it twice already and I hope to see it more!  Anyway, have a lovely Christmas, everyone, and make sure you do not miss my post on the 1950's Thanksgiving party below!  Happy holidays!

A Very 1950's Thanksgiving

As I said in a previous post, I hosted a 1950's themed Thanksgiving party for a few of my friends.  I wore a real 1950's dress, which was amazingly beautiful and lent to me by my friend, Hannah (in the houndstooth).  We had a grand old time.  Here are some pictures to entertain you!

Just in case you were wondering, this lovely lady in brown is my friend Francesca.  We found out at the party that the 1950's is absolutely PERFECT for her and she looks gorgeous in it!  I just had to show her off a bit :) She also wore a vintage dress borrowed from Hannah, seen in the next picture.

Stay tuned for another update on our outing to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey!