Kalamazoo 2013!

While it's been a busy semester, it just wouldn't be March without...
THE KALAMAZOO LIVING HISTORY EXPO!

I was very well behaved/didn't too much shopping this time, but I did pick up a few things to get me started for the new season. I purchased some lovely brown leather gloves, some super sheer striped cotton for new undersleeves (I've been wanting sheer ones for a while now), period correct knitting needles (which have also been on the wishlist), and some scissors for my brother's housewife kit (he's had an IOU for them since Christmas). I strongly considered straw for a new bonnet, but seeing as I'm already up to my elbows in projects without much time to do them, I decided to put off the bonnet at least until I've finished a few more items on the list.

All in all, I'd say it was a successful trip!

It's Ballgown Time!

Note: these posts are being written up with a delay... I didn't get to posting them over break, but have a good chunk of the dress done.

I had been lusting over the pink ballgown for ages, (you know, the one I kept posting pictures of) but had had no luck in finding fabric for it. Wrong weight, wrong color, wrong sheen... I just couldn't get the correct tone, and didn't want to compromise and ruin my vision of the dress. Someday it will be mine--but for now, I am working on another ball gown!

I had been scouring ebay for fabric for ages when I found... IT. Sixteen yards of bone colored, 34"w antique silk. "Good heavens, that must have been extortionately expensive!" you must be thinking. Try $15.50 with $8 shipping. That's right, folks... all the yards I could wish for of high quality vintage stock for a little over a dollar a yard! I won the bid almost without contest. I was close to doing a victory dance, but didn't want to scare my roommate.

What do I do with this glorious good fortune? Well, that shouldn't come as a surprise... it's ballgown time! It's a very light, soft fabric, so anything very structured is out of the question.

Here is my chief inspiration at present:

So light and feminine!

I plan to add more of the contrasting color, and may do a point on the bodice. (I like the ribbon around the waist, but neglected to get the proper width of ribbon while I was at Haberman's, and don't have time for another trip. Rats!) I like the ruffles around the bottom of the skirt. I was originally planning on tiers, but liked the subtlety of the ruffles and how they show off the delicacy of the fabric. Currently, the skirt is made, and the first ruffle is almost ready to attach. Let me tell you... it is taking FOR. EVER. I don't know why, but this project is crawling along at a snail's pace. A tired snail. A tired snail with no motivation. Maybe it's just because I've been so busy otherwise, but still! The bodice is basically stitched together too, but still needs to have hooks and eyes, boning, and piping. So basically everything. 

Pictures of the progress coming soon... hopefully. You know how that goes. First full week of classes coming up... yikes!

The Epic Striped Wrapper, Part 1

Last weekend, I decided to whip up my new wrapper, which has been waiting to be made for a while now. I have one already, and it's hands-down the piece of clothing I use the most at events. It's so nice to have something to throw on in the mornings for breakfast, etc. without having to get completely dressed. (I always put my corset on before eating, which would force me to finish dressing for the day before food, hair, or anything else could really get done. Not good!) The making of another wrapper came less out of dissatisfaction with my first one, and more out of finding the BEST. WRAPPER. FABRIC. EVER!

Destiny? Destiny.

The moment I saw it, I knew it had to be a wrapper. That was last summer... since then, it's been pushed aside for other projects. In the wake of my Hastings sewing and with almost a month left until Jackson, it seemed like a good time to get it rolling.

I wanted to make a different style than I had previously, so I pored over every original wrapper I could find on the internet. (Not as daunting as it sounds... there aren't nearly as many examples as I would like!) I settled on a design that was comprised mostly of a single pattern of fabric, to highlight the stripes I am madly in love with. I also wanted pagoda sleeves, since half the beauty of a wrapper is lightness/coolness. I ended up with a cross between these:

   

I had bought a little bit of a complementary yellow fabric at Hastings, and decided to use that for jointed sleeves as in the second original. I set to work altering/drafting, and arrived at this!

It also fits over my hoop, which makes it
look more like the other examples.

The sleeves are jointed just above the elbow, and are very comfortable as a result. I shortened them a little bit, so as to keep them out of the way. (They fall about halfway down my forearm.) My next step is to add front panels in the yellow cotton, which will be fastened with ten navy blue frog closures that I bought on Etsy: 

I am looking forward to the frogs, as my current wrapper is closed with a double row of buttons. Not very quick to get on and off! My favorite part of this one so far is the back. I decided to try a V pattern, and was very taken with the result:

Looks lopsided, but isn't really.

And just because I love it, here's a closeup at the waist:

Cartridge pleats and contrasting piping... yum! :)

 I'm hoping the frogs come soon, so that I can put them on and get it finished up. After that, all I have to do is hem the neckline and the bottom. Then, it will be belted, probably with a navy blue cord to match the frogs. All in all, it went together pretty quickly!

Plaid Taffeta and Shorty

I need to cut more fabric to finish trimming the bottom of my taffeta skirt, since I undershot by about a foot of pleating. (Measuring fail! Fortunately I have enough fabric left.) However, as soon as Shorty hears the 'shink!' of the sewing scissors, he arrives to assist in holding down the fabric. Where he does not impede progress by sitting directly in the line of cutting, he distracts me with his big green eyes and soft fur.

My handsome little man!

I'm still hoping to have this outfit ready for Greenfield's Memorial Day reenactment. I'll have a couple of weeks after finals to do it... I think it can be done!

Getting Ideas...

Remember the exciting fabric I got at Kalamazoo?

(Here it is again... beautiful, cheery embroidered cotton!)

Well, I think I've found what I am going to make with it:

I was reading American Duchess' blog (a perennial favorite) and found this piece. I'd been brainstorming a Rev War era project that wouldn't take too much fabric (since I only have a little over a yard and a half of 54" wide, not enough for a polonaise or something of that sort), and instantly fell in love with this 1784 pierrot. It's even a floral stripe of the same size... destiny!!! It's post-war, but I'm not too bothered by that... now I just have to make stays, undergarments, and a petticoat to go with it. It'll be a while before I'm outfitted in 18th C since I still have a lot of Civil War and Bustle era projects in the works, but I'm excited to  start, especially now that I have an official inspiration piece!

Fabric Flower Friday

As I have a rather large fabric stash (and equally large stash of small pieces with no purpose) I am always looking for new things to make. I've recently gotten into fabric flowers, which are (sometimes) quick, (generally) easy, and always cute! Here is the quickest type:

(But don't sew the button on so badly...)

Materials:

- Needle and Thread

- Five fabric circles (a lightweight fabric will work best. Mine were cotton and about 2" across, but you can vary the size as desired)

- A button or bead for the center

1. Fold one of the circles into quarters

2. Put a gathering stitch across the raw edge

3. Gather the edge and repeat for the other four pieces, keeping the same piece of thread going

4. Voila! Tie it off, and add a button, etc. to the center

You can vary the size and number of petals, and create a whole bouquet of these in no time!

Happy Friday!