India Wilkes dress final

So I just realised I forget to post this one up .... after all that build up lol

Before I start I have been looking at my stats and seeing that there appears to be people all over the world you read this.  Weird feeling.  Out of interest please leave a comment about who you are and where you are from it would be nice to know who's connecting to this.

Anyway without further ado, and I believe there should be a post for each part so I won't go into to much detail in this one just an overview.  If I have missed any pieces I will go back and fill them in later.

The dress was a raging success though I am still on the hunt for a snood.  Below are some pics because I know when I am looking at blogs that's the main thing I am interested in anyway :)  Enjoy and remember leave a comment I would love to know what you think of my work.

Plans for October - the India Wilkes dress

The historical picnic society will be heading to the Hunter Valley Gardens in October for some more classy costumed shenanigans.

Hunter valley gardens is a series of manicured gardens in various styles including the storybook garden (my favourite) Asiatic gardens, traditional British etc. basically there are loads of beautiful backdrops for photos.  The plan is to bus down together then have high tea there before a stroll and photos.  I’ve even convinced my Husband to accompany me.

So step one is obviously costume plans. So I thought I would follow this one properly and start the blog at the beginning rather than just one post at the end.

I tossed up between an Edwardian "Gibson girl" kind of look and a Civil War hoop skirt.  One of the other lovely ladies who helps organise these outings pointed out - passers by love hoops.  I don't know if I ever mentioned this but I am a crowd pleaser so that sealed the deal.

Like all people who aren't too caught up in historical accuracy when planning a civil war recreation I turned to the master of all civil war recreations - Walter Plunkett and Gone with the Wind.  Here is a second confession, I have always loved India Wilkes.  As my friend put it the sour faced second string bitch.  And I really really love her outfit from the twelve oaks picnic. So it was decided almost instantly that this would be my dress, and so the planning could begin.

Costume pieces needed:

1. Corset - already ordered for previous Victorian and was on its way 
2. Victorian underwear - Use the combination underwear from TV105 made for previous victorian.  I know its probably not accurate but it provides draws and corset cover in one so winning
3. Hoop Petticoat - Hoping to be able to use the china cheapie that I got for the Elizabethan dress. 
4. Petticoat - Needs to be made, possibly from the free TV Pattern or hopefully fully flounced if I can work out my own pattern
5. Bodice - Pergoda Bodice TV440 - now comes with undersleeves so no need to get an extra layer in shirt
6. Overskirt - Self draft gathering tube to waistband.
7. Snood - the headpeice, I will try and find on ebay or etsy
8. Shrug - Crochet is not my thing so I may have to buy this one too
9. Shoes - Given the walking I will be looking at ballet flats.

Watch out for my next post which will be breaking down the outer layers, including sourcing fabric, and planning decorative trims.

Happy sewing

Victorian Christmas in July

A year ago (as it turns out to the day) I suggested to some friends that we go to the Carrington Hotel in Katoomba in July dressed in Victorian for high tea.  

I chose the The Carrington, which originally opened in 1883  because it retains that old world charm.  Every year they decorate a tree and put all the trimmings out in July and year round they do a well-priced and tasty high tea.  You can visit the dining room or ballroom for the high tea (depending where they are serving) the reception area, two lounges, library, billiards and office, all decorated in period charm.

I set the wheels in motion with a tentative early july date in September for the Historical Picnic Society, and whilst the numbers on the day were low (just the three of us) a good time was had by all. Personally I think we made several patrons day as they oohed and ahhed at us walking through to take photos at various hotel locations.  One group who all drove vintage triumphs even asked for our photos.

So this being about sewing you can see how the idea linked into my plans for a full Victorian outfit last year.  Let’s just say I was a bit behind on this one.  Not that I haven’t been sewing just that instead of working on this plan I have made multiple kids outfits (post to come) a costume for stage and a new dress.  On top of all this it is really really hard to sew with a two year old who loves to help.  Last night I was pinned in the leg three times as he “helped” me with some hand sewing.

Anyway in true Hef fashion despite a year lead time I created my entire outfit in under a week.  Planning and tracing took about 3 days and then I made the entire thing in one night (bustle not included).  There are further plans to complete this work to a much much higher standard as per the original plan but this is the shell in which I start.

I have continued to add and improve on this which will require another post once done

The outfit

TV101 – Wire Bustle

This took about a day from start to finish including all the ruffles being done by hand.  Yes I know I bought a ruffle foot but damned be to the gods if I can work out how to use it.  This included tracing, cutting and all finishes. I think there is a couple of changes I would like to make to it but all in all it works and is a solid piece.

The wires are a size Medium.  I am not.  I was once and who knows maybe I will be again one day but it is not this day.  However because of the wire size and the plan to wear a corset I made the medium anyway.  For this reason the case isn’t quite as wide as my hips, or at least I assume it isn’t as wide as it should be which gives a smaller silhouette than it should.  Given that I am not THAT worried about historical accuracy I don’t think this is a big problem.

Things that I am missing include the bottom ruffle (not enough fabric left, due to indiscriminate cutting) what I may do is just do a less ruffled bottom ruffle to finish it.  I am also thinking I may add some lace to the bottom of each ruffle just to add some interest.

Unfortunately, my bustle had a wardrobe malfunction internally on the day.  The ties that control the bottom wire decided they would rather not exist than deal with the strain of my butt and the stitching on one side came undone.  Consequently the bustle doesn’t sit quite right in the photos but we make do.  The issue has been repaired and seems to be holding much more strongly now.  I assume this strain to be based on that size issue previously discussed.

The fabric is a quilting cotton that I picked up in spotlight a year ago specifically for the skin up Victorian project so technically it was stash fabric.  I picked it because it is of neutral shading but has this pretty white print on it that is barely noticeable.  I thought it was both pretty and likely to hide under any colour skirt I should choose.

TV410 – 1873 Polonaise

I tossed and turned over this or the wash overskirt with the fabric choices.  I would have preferred the more Austere 1887 outfit but concern over yardage lead me back to the polonaise.  Sadly once all was said and done I probably could have done the wash but oh well that will just need to be a project for another day.  I had two different fabric choices, one was a light blue stripe with white underskirt and the second (which I went with) was the brocade and green satin.  

The biggest benefit of the polonaise is that having made it twice before (once as per the previous post and then again as a stage costume) I knew that I could throw it together quite quickly, and as previously mentioned anything worth doing is worth doing last minute.

The Brocade I got for a steal about 3 months ago. 50% off the already marked down price at spotlight brought it down to $5/m.  The Green Duchess has been in the stash for years, since 2012 to be exact.  I remember it was like $2/m at Cabramatta and I wasn’t going to get any for me then a friend I was with bought me 4m as a present for helping her make a costume.  For cheap fabric its actually pretty nice to touch and has a lot of body.  I was concerned that they didn’t go together but after a quick facebook survey I ended up reassured.  In the end I went with this over the light blue and white because I felt that the stripes could work well as a regency where this was less versatile, and who can turn up a red/green combo for Christmas in July.

As noted the polonaise was made in a single night and the underskirt the following morning before we left.  As such I can’t say that on this wearing the finishes were, well finished.  All my internals were open and lining unsealed, there was no boning in the polonaise, the ties in the bustle bit were tacked in bias binding.  I added the snap front closure in the morning.  Luckily you can’t really see any of the rush in the wear but let’s say the slightly too small corset was knee in back tight just to allow the snaps to stay snapped.

After being totally jealous of the finishes on Marion’s Beautiful taffeta extravaganza I have decided not to let sleeping dogs lie and begun the process of finishing the internals and closing off seams, upgrading and more thoughtfully placing the bustle ties and considering closure options.  Do I go buttons or hooks and eyes…. So hard to decide.  Anyway I will repost with the updated, finished and fully tizzed up version once complete.

Simplicity 5457 – Skirt

The underskirt is very simple, three front gores and two back pieces gathered onto a waist band.  I do think maybe this skirt has a little too much fullness for the outfit and I MAY decide to take out some of the a line in the front gores at least, however these shots only have the bustle underneath and perhaps with a finished petticoat the skirt will hold itself better.  

Made in a matter of hours from trace to wear, there is a few things I want to change on this.  Firstly the waistband is too big.  I mean it is the right size for me without a corset but can’t be tightened to the corseted waist measurement.  I am thinking of removing the ties and adding a button/buttons to allow for both sizes to be utilised.

Secondly it is very plain, I have plans to add a pleated ruffle around the bottom just to dress it up more to the Victorian over-dressed standards.  I have enough fabric left for it.  I also may pink the internal seams.  Full sealing isn’t necessary as it won’t be a high wash item.

Missing items

TV105 – all in one underwear.  This is about 80% done now so its on the to do pile

TV170 – Petticoat, that has been hanging around about a decade now unfinished.  Movement has happened and it will be finished in the next few weeks for the finalised.  Fun Fact  I lost the waistband so now will need to buy just a smidge of yellow poplin to be able to finalise.

A Look back at my Victorian Past Part 5 – Stacey's Ensemble

This was a nightmare of a costume to make.  Bit of background - these costumes were made for a game at a role-playing convention, yes it has crossed my mind since that it was a lot of work for 3 hours of use but that aside.  In addition to all the Victorian costumes I was also making all these pirate costumes (that were worn for the 4 days).

I did get a lot of help from the lovely ladies but I was at the time the primary sewist.  Stacey was the second and so she made her pirate outfit and was also going to make her Victorian.  Pirate went off without a hitch but Victorian was presented to me the afternoon before con, the self drafted underskirt complete and the Wash over skirt mostly complete but the bodice was simply pieces.

Now remember when I said that TV had the best sizing system ever - well Stacey did not listen to me and had decided she would need the largest pattern size and thus traced and cut that out.  So Yeah, perhaps a post on perception v's reality may be in order some time.  Anyhow we were up until about 4 or 5am getting this completed a task made all the more fun by Stacey's bizarre ability to stab herself with any pin post about 3am to which the sewing hours after that became known as stab o'clock.

I won't break this one down as I did the last ones because as I have already mentioned I didn't sew a lot of it.  From what I can tell the Wash Over skirt sews together well looks great and is easy to deal with in terms of cleaning and storing.  The whole skirt flattens out for ironing and cleaning.  what I will focus on is the bodice.

We changed up the sleeves (to make it easier at stab o'clock) and changed the neckline quite substantially.  I was especially proud of having lined up the chevron despite the resizing stress.  I assume it would have sewn together much better if the proper instructions were followed from the start.  Lucky I had some practice with the whole resize thing on my own bodice so it wasn't completely foreign though I would still only rate myself novice at best.

Anyway there is now only one Victorian to go but alas I will need to get a better picture as the one I have is only from behind.

A Look at my Victorian Past Part 4 - Pam's Ensemble

Due to Pam working shifts I had all rights to choose fabric for this outfit.  As such it is all my fault or all my glory.  I think it turned out well to be honest.  There are things I would do differently which I will outline below.

Bodice – TV462

This is called the Tail bodice specifically for the pleated falls over the bustle and can be made in long or as you see here short length.  It is designed as a late bustle period bodice/jacket and could likely have used a bit more pomp than I afforded it in the material choices I made. 

The blue is a self striped polyester satin with a very soft fall.  The colour was nice and worked well for Pam but the weight was all wrong for the pattern.  This didn’t make much difference to the bodice pieces as they are all flat-lined with denim but it did make quite the difference to the tail pieces which didn’t really hold the pleating as well as a stiffer fabric would have.  I don’t think the effect was detrimental to the overall look but it certainly didn’t showcase the double box pleating that is done to create the falls of the tail.

The detailing was simple, I just created a bordering using the brown fabric of the skirt.  Lessons learnt since tell me that had I cut the strips on the bias it would have sat much better.  The straight cut edging I think does effect the sit of the top and as I said it also could have used some more je ne sais quoi.  Maybe ribbon detailing or beading or something to bring it more into the over lavish time period of Victorian.  To me the styling seems like the more austere Edwardian period, but with bustle.

Skirt – Simplicity 5457

There isn’t much more I can say about the skirt than I haven’t already said here.  The same pattern was used for this and a very similar material differing only in colour.  Again like the bodice I feel that the skirt is lacking in decorative finery.

All in all the outfit turned out well but it does serve as a reminder of what could have been so much more even if it was good as is.

What suggestions would you have given to dress this up a bit more?

A Look back at my Victorian Past Part 3 – Debbie’s Dress

This costume uses the same polonaise pattern as I intend to use for the most epic project.  I do however want to point out how absolutely annoying it is that Debbie was so fantastic at fabric picking and trims that this one really was the standout in many ways and most of those ways had nothing to do with me.  Everything about this just matched.  Nothing was overdone, nothing looked cheap (even though like all of these it in many ways was, fabric would have cost $4-6/m at most).

Polinaise – TV

The original plan was to poofie up the back as per the pattern but I found once it was hanging on Mavis it just looked so good without it so the early bustle pattern ended up creating a late bustle look.  The hardest bit on this was matching the pattern down the back panels, an effort that was definitely worth it as it would not have been nearly as amazing had we not taken the extra time.

I want to take a moment here to talk about the Truly Victorian size system and just how awesome it is.  Without it I never would have been able to complete the costumes in time.  All bodice patterns have a system for working out what pieces you need to use.  You measure about 10 different dimensions, do some tricky math (take measurement a from measurement b) or in my case force your husband to do said tricky math (not actually tricky if you don’t suck at math like me), and it will tell you what you need.  For example when you take the across back away from the bust measurement and look up the remaining in the table it tells you your size for the front bodice is F but the measurements for the back piece equate to D.  In this way you build your pattern pieces to fit your form.  And 3 out of 4 fit perfectly first time.  In fact on all of them I ended up using the trial as a lining. (the other two are myself and Ange who both had ageless pattern bodices and the one that didn’t work didn’t use the system correctly – more on that later).  Anyway my advise if you have a TV pattern is to use their sizing system, yes it is more time consuming then just selecting all pieces the same “size” based on bust measurement but it is less time consuming than refitting pieces because your not perfectly in proportion.  The fit is beautiful and worth the effort and icky “mathsing”.

Underskirt – Simplicity 5457

 So the underskirt and “bustle” were taken from a butterick pattern, I just didn’t have the time to create proper cage bustles.  The bustle effect on this is made by a shaped pillow that gets tied to the waist.  It’s a good cheat if your just after a quick fix to get the right silhouette.  The pillow pattern is included with the skirt and a bodice that we didn’t use (two bodices and an overskirt pattern to be exact).

There isn’t much to be said about the pattern, it was very simple gored skirt with added fullness in the back.  Debbie chose a steel grey duchess satin and trimmed with black lace and ribbon.

All in all this was a very simple pattern, that yielded quite outstanding results.

A look back at my Victorian past Part 1 - Hef's Costume

I realise that this blog has exclusively featured my fashion projects.  This isn't so much by design as that the blog started after I had moved out of costume making and into vintage fashion sewing.  See I used to make costumes for role playing LARP and so when I stopped doing so much LARP I also stopped making costumes.  There is actually a wealth of costumes and fashion projects that haven't made their way onto this blog for one reason or another and I intend to catch up on some of them in the coming months, starting with the Victorian stuff that I mentioned in my epic project post.

So why does one be so bat shit insane as to agree to make 6 full Victorian female outfits, 3 Victorian coats and 6 full pirate outfits all in the same few months - the answer is Role playing convention.  You have already seen details of Girlsquad's Marvel Costumes well the Victorian costumes were also for girlsquad.  Though we had already agreed to be pirates as the Con Costume, one of our favourite GM's was running a Victorian cthulu LARP and we had a reputation to uphold.

So With only about 2 months to get it all done I escorted my lovely ladies to Cabramatta in search of the right materials, ordered a bunch of patterns from Truly Victorian and Ageless Patterns.  Arranged sewing days and worked tirelessly to complete everything.

In this post I will cover the creation of the costume I wore

Bodice - Ageless Patterns #1442

This was the most challenging part of this project.  Ageless Patterns are truly vintage with little to no updating for modern terminology or fit.  I had to completely reshape several pattern pieces to make it fit my shape - the patterns original shape was that of full waist training.  I obviously altered a lot to work with what I had and the look I wanted, however many reviews will tell you Ageless Patterns do tend to leave the decorating up to you - that is the pattern included is only the base garment.  They certainly are not a pattern company for the novice or unadventurous.

Material used was some sort of polyester with a velvet burnout on it.  I had originally wanted a stripe but I saw this and thought that is exactly what I want.  I still remember it was $10/m a BIG spend for me in the days when I didn't ever spend more than $5/m.  The trim is a silk duponi that I got on MASSIVE sale because spotlight was moving to new premises.  I love the feel of the duponi and really wish I could afford to get more as it sewed like a dream and feels so luxurious.

The entire bodice is flat-lined in denim to give it enough body for the look - though there is a corset on underneath as well.  I decorating it with some hanging beads and there is a cameo on the front (photos to come once I find this in my storage clean out)

Skirt - Truly Victorian Fantail Skirt TV225

I love this skirt.  The pattern is so simple yet so effective.  Very few Pieces and came together like a dream.  It basically has a front panel, and side panels and inserted back panels that get pulled together with a drawstring to create the fantail shape.  I added horsehair braid around the hem and also added a dust cover to the train to try and protect the silk.

I can't recommend this skirt enough

Overskirt - Truly Victorian Split Pannier Overskirt TV328

I both like and don't like this pattern.  Firstly like the fantail it came together very easily and gave a good line to the natural form shape but on the other hand some of the gathering in the front seams were difficult to get sitting straight, though it may just have been the material I was using.  The Burnout didn't always drape perfectly.  I still think the final outcome looked good.

The last pattern listed is for the petticoat in which you will have to wait to hear - as I will document that as I finish the UFO that has been sitting around all this time.

I will probably add to this post once I have found the actual outfit and can take more detail photos.  But for now that's it.

The Most Epic of Major Project for 2017

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.