So as I mentioned before I am going to be working on a major project
this year. A friend of mine joined an historical picnic society and has
been working on a gown with pocket panniers – You know the ones where you turn
sideways to fit through a door. Anyway she has been posting pictures of
her work in progress and working very hard on getting all the trims right and
making it look fantastic and doing an amazing job given she is pretty much
learning as she goes on a lot of the techniques. Well Mel has inspired me
to go back to my roots in sewing and make an epic costume. Inspired also
by a new friend who works in costume design and some of her amazingly
professional work I have decided to revisit the Victorian era and create a
costume from what I call skin up.
So what do I mean by “skin up”. This costume is going to include,
underwear, corset, bustle, petticoat, underskirt, Polonaise and hat. The
entire ensemble from the skin to what you see. Some of this will be able
to be made using stuff I have, the patterns are all taken care of, either I own
them or in the case of the corset my costuming friend is going to lend a hand
and help me draft up to my exact measurements. So below is the epic
nature of the vision I have with a deadline of July as I want to have a
historical picnic for my birthday.
Unmentionables!!!!
Underwear – Truly Victorian Combination Underwear TV105
Owing to the hot Australian climate (even our cold is not really that
cold by comparison to many other places) I have decided to make these in a
lighter fabric. Perhaps a lawn or a voile. I will need to reinforce
the button holes though, and I am undecided on whether I use the machines one
step button holer or make bound button holes. I will trim the bottom of
the legs and the neckline with some cotton lace just to add a little bit of
pretty. Technically this is the first piece I need to create, realistically
there is a UFO that may be finished first. I bought this pattern when I
made a whole bunch of Victorian stuff years ago but never got round to making
it.
Corset – Pattern By friend.
As I mentioned a friend is going to help me with a personalised pattern
for this. For me this is important as every Victorian corset pattern I
can find goes up to a DD bust at best and I am currently an F. I am not
entirely certain what fabric will be required but I assume I should be able to
make it with a homespun backing, canvas internals with metal boning and taffeta
as the outer layer of fabric. I am hoping since I already have the canvas
and taffeta. As a side note the taffeta is literally the oldest piece in
stash mountain dating from I believe 2004/5. The canvas I bought when I
made the Elizabethan ball gown.
Bustle – Truly Victorian Petticoat with Wire Bustle TV101
Again this is a pattern I have had for a while, I even bought the wires
precut that TV sell to make this project easier. I never did add all the
ruffles at the back but for a while there I had a bustle. My original
plan was to dig it out and finish the ruffle bit but when I took it out the
thing had gone a bit mouldy. Deciding that this was actually pretty gross
I harvested my boning and threw the rest in the bin. In the remake I plan
on using homespun as it has a good weight to support the wire cage but won’t be
too heavy. From memory the cage section may need to be reinforced and if
this is the case I will use an inner layer of canvas and back that again with
homespun. I am going to do all the ruffles on it (bring on the ruffle
foot that I will need to buy but I really don’t want to hand gather all of the
stuff that will need to be gathered in this project).
Petticoat – Truly Victorian Petticoat TV170
So remember that petticoat that I had in the post about my UFO’s.
Yeah I am going to make use of it. I bought all the stuff to make it for
my friend when I made a bunch of Victorian stuff back in I think 2008/9.
I saw the dolphin lace that is on the bottom and as she loves dolphins I
thought yeah I will make her that. But in true Hef style I bit of a lot
and had to chew fast (6 female Victorian costumes and 3 male). This
Petticoat along with one of the male coats and the combination underwear
got shelved in preference of having the externals finalised. Well
Now its time to bring it all back out. Whilst as I said above the
underwear should be first this is probably going to be the first finished
because well its very much done, over half way I would say. So the
petticoat won’t fit in with the all white unmentionables but what is life
without whimsy.
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The Outerwear
Bodice and Overskirt – Truly Victorian Polonaise TV410
I have made this pattern before for a friend in the great Victorian
sewing extravaganza. It is a very pretty pattern that is surprisingly
easy to do. I will poof it better for this one than in the picture
provided as I am after a more early bustle look where as my friends was more
late bustle. I am thinking it will be a royal to navy blue though the
exact type of material is still being considered, a lot will have to do
with costs. Depending on the shade of blue I will trim with either red or
maroon and white. I want to have a double sided pleat around the base and
neckline all the way around the bottom in white and a red strip running up the
centre of that trim. Whether I can get that done or not is another
question. I am going to also include a pleated undersleeve on the cuffs
and I will use a silver button to finish it all off.
Underskirt – Truly Victorian Trained Skirt Ensemble TV208
I have made this skirt before too, but I did so in a cheap satin and
even though it worked well it didn’t last long (it fell apart). I know I
will need to make some modifications to the pattern like I don’t want the skirt
to be that long at the back or that full. It may end up that I need to
purchase the 4 gore pattern but if I can get away with this pattern I think why
not. The plan however is to have the dress a walking length, or at worst
a s mall sweep train. I am going to make the skirt in white and Homespun
is likely, that way I can use the same material to trim the polonaise and the
skirt so the white matches. I will also do a double run of full pleated
flounces at the bottom (hence to walking length) which will also have a red
trim that matches the polonaise.
Adornments
Hat
So the final crowning glory on this outfit (pun intended) is to decorate
a boater hat in floral and lace/ribbon. This is going to be something new
for me because I am not a milliner but also because I don’t normally finish
outfits to that final detail and I guess I really want to see if I can do it.
Anyway that’s the plan, it is going to take a lot of work and attention
to detail, I won’t be able to rush this the way I normally do and to be honest
I don’t want to. Wish me luck.
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