Christmas Reticules

This is one of my heavily delayed posts due the content containing Christmas goodies. For my friends, this year I decided to make some reticule hand bags for everyone. I used two patterns for my bases - Butterick 3485 and B4411, both out of print.

They are both very easy to follow and I made only slight alterations to some of the bags. Because of this, there aren't too many detail constructions. Each bag is listed below with the pattern and materials used.

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Pattern: Butterick B4411 View A
Modifications: No major modifications outside of deviating from the instructions on how embellishments were sewn on
Fabric: Red and black silk dupioni, heavy duty interfacing
Notions: Black woven trim for the edges and front decoration, braided black trim for the bag handles, black poly satin ribbon, plastic canvas, matching thread

Regency Shawl Hack Project

So I finished a project that was probably my quickest project to date. Two hours total!

Since my Regency dress is coming along so well, I'm now going on a Regency project binge. On the list of things I'm starting to brainstorm and put together to go with the dress are:

• a shawl
• chemisette
• bonnet
• petticoat
• stays (on-going WIP)

The shawl came first because I remembered a shawl hack that Jen from Festive Attyre had put together a while ago. Following her tutorial, I first started on ebay and selected a dark navy shawl that would go well with the red and matched a bonnet I started eons ago. Per the instructions, I purchased two of the shawls. I couldn't find the actual fiber content but at $7 a piece, I'm guessing it's a synthetic blend of some type.

ebay.com

These were just basic pashmina scarves and nothing too fancy. True Regency scarves, from what I can tell, are the same color on both sides of the shawl, excluding the paisley design areas. These are navy blue on one side, gold and red on the reverse due to the weave pattern of the threads.

Just Another Handbag Weekend

I had the weekend off so I put together a quick little project. I had bought Butterick's historical handbags 1890-1910 pattern (B4411) at some point and pulled it out last week to see about doing one of the bags (This pattern is now out of print, but can still be found on etsy and ebay). I opted for B because after looking through the instructions, I figured it would be the easiest to get done over the weekend.

Using the last of my Christmas gift card stash, I picked up some supplies (shame on me for not using the stash). I opted for a brown shot teal silk for the exterior of the bag, and a gold poly satin for the lining. Ribbon and trim that I selected matched the satin.

After cutting everything out, I found that the directions were probably the hardest thing to work with. According to the supply list, I needed interfacing for only one of the fabrics. According to the directions, I was supposed to apply interfacing to both the lining and contrast facing.

Ophelia Bonnet Homestretch

In case you missed the squeals of delight on Facebook, my silks are finally here! Ordered in the middle of March, I endured shipping delays, wrong items being sent, secondary packages which were also delayed...

My beautiful silk from India! Color is actually dark navy.

Yeah, patience has certainly become a virtue where this project is concerned (it was started in early February). Along with my silk issues, I had supplies run out on multiple occasions, which resulted in more delays and frustrations that nearly made me throw in the towel for the whole project.

Before getting started on the covering and trimmings, I'll give a quick progress report on how the actual bonnet construction went.

This was my first venture into hat making where I constructed the base myself. Once I had all my supplies together, it went together very easily, much to my surprise (aside from running out of a few things - AGAIN - during the construction process).

Millinery wire taped and ready to be sewn to the buckram.

Finished crown, pipe, and brim. These are the pieces that make up the full bonnet.

The crown piece and brim are attached to each other using just a whipstitch around the wire and crinoline tape.

Finished form ready for covering.

Like most hand sewing projects though, very slow going but the outcome is certainly rewarding. Although the the buckram form has been sitting around for a bit now, I still look at it and go, "I made that?" Now looking forward to finishing it.

These are all my trimmings which I have been slowly accumulating during the project.

The plan is to cover it with blue silk and line the brim with cream dupioni (not completely period accurate, but this will be on the inside and not as noticeable). Still have to play with the ribbons, but the wide cream will be used for the ties, and the thinner cream and pale green for pipe trims. The flowers, bing cherries, and leaves will go at the very top of the crown, similar to the ones in my research plates.

Keep your fingers crossed that the next time I post about the bonnet, it will be finished!

And just for fun, a late night selfie from when I had actually finished the bonnet.

Mother's Day Reticle

Yay I finally get to post this! A few weeks ago I started on a small project for Mother's Day. I had to wait to post so it would actually be a surprise.

My awesome mumsy is the one who first taught me to sew many moons (and years) ago and she's a a big sponsor when it comes to adding to the costume supplies. Although she does not do costume events like I do, I figured I still needed to sew something up as a thank you for everything she's done for me.

This isn't really inspired by any particular period, just stuff I pulled together. No progress pics, but I still had to show off the final piece.

Thanks for everything mom!

Ophelia Regency Bonnet Mayhem

When sewing projects decide to revolt, they apparently like to stage a very large protest. After the difficulties I had with my late bustle bodice, I decided to jump ahead and start on my next HSF challenge project, only to be waylaid by more delays.

We've now reached challenge #7 - Tops and Toes. This time it's creating an accessory to decorate either the head or the feet. I've been wanting to do a Regency period bonnet for a while so I took the jump back in time and started pulling things together.

The last time I made a bonnet, I purchased the pre-made buckram form and all I had to do was cover it with fabric and trimmings. This time I opted to build it from the - ahem - neck up. Not entirely sure of everything I would need, I purchased a bonnet kit from Timely Tresses which came with everything I needed to complete the bonnet for the pattern I had picked out.

Bonnet in a box!

Unfortunately, the kit arrived and was missing the wire connectors and the pre-cut buckram was not large enough for the pattern pieces. Although I did contact the company about the pieces being replaced, they still had not come after two weeks and finally opted to order these supplies on my own. For the record, Judith M Millinery has fast shipping and great prices on millinery supplies.

*Update 4/7/14 - The materials were received in the mail today. Slow mail truck apparently. 

With all the base supplies now in place, I pulled out the buckram last night and started tracing out the pieces and cutting them apart. Then I found that I would need some masking tape. Well, back to the craft store today.

Yes, that's a costume drama being used as a weight

In the meantime, more about the bonnet. The pattern selected was Ophelia, best for use during the years 1810-1820 approximately, and has a shaped brim with a stovepipe headpiece.

Ophelia Pattern from Timely Tresses

I started looking through online museum collections for references of originals, but was finding very little. Instead, I started pulled from fashion plates and there are so many examples! I'm glad I'm being paced by my materials because as of right now, I still have no idea how I want to decorate it. Something with flowers possibly...

HSF - Challenge #3 Pink

Challenge - Pink!

Fabric - Dupioni silk and acetate lining

Pattern - Hand-drafted pattern

Year - The original piece from LACMA is dated about 1800-1825. Mine will probably be used for Victorian events.

Notions - Machine stitched lace with beads and sequins, pre-made cord with tassels attached, and upholstery trim.

Hours to complete - About 18.

First Worn -  No idea when I'll use it. No upcoming events.

Total Cost - $23, all of it was purchased on gift cards though so no out of pocket expenses.

How accurate is it?
Probably about 50/50. I used the original for inspiration, but changed the design and structure around based on what I know about modern sewing construction. There was no information actually available about how the original was sewn/put together, so it was a lot of guesswork. Most of it is machine sewn, the detail work is by hand. Fabric and materials were mostly modern creations including the upholstery trim and acetate lining. Design wise it's very accurate though since it follows the three-panel original.

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After completing the mockup, I jumped straight the final reticule cut from my fashion fabrics. After cutting all my pieces out, I sewed everything together. While doing this though, I carefully maneuvered the tassel ends into place and sewed them directly into the corner seams. I had looked at the tassels beforehand, but couldn't figure out how to attach them in place without the threads showing. The ends I went ahead and anchored to the fabric within the seam allowance.

The ends were anchored using just a zigzag stitch

The pre-made lace that I had bought had to be sewn on by hand - there was no other option. Using just a simple overhand stitch method with matching thread, I attached it in place to the exterior of the bag.

Interior showing back of stitching for lace

Part of the reason I drafted my own pattern was I carefully measured out the side pieces to match the LACMA original and the length of each repeated section of the lace. When I stitched it around the entire bag, I managed to make the ends meet perfectly and carefully overlaped them so the join was barely noticeable.

I won't say where, but there's two ends of lace in there somewhere

The lining I wasn't concerned too much about so it's made of just an acetate lining fabric. It was sewn the same way as the exterior bag, however I did leave a small opening in one of the side seams so I could turn everything right side out after sewing both bags together.

Once everything was sewn and turned out, I used the small opening to thread the tasseled chair cord I had bought through the drawstring opening and around the lining. The rose silk extended another half inch to the inside to help hide the lining and give it a more finished look.

To keep the drawstring cord in place and prevent it from coming loose, I added a small running stitch along the seam line.

The final step was to sew the opening closed along the inside using just a simple whipstitch and then voila! all finished.

I'm really happy that I managed to finish this challenge ahead of time since it will allow me to start focusing on the next challenge. Although this was a small project, I'm glad I took it on because of the amount of hand sewing that it required. I can be a very impatient person sometimes so I'm not a fan of handwork. Having such a lovely piece to admire after the outcome makes me appreciate it a little more though.

Start off to HSF Pink Challenge

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing else happens, but it's been a pretty smooth start to my pink reticule for the new HSF challenge. After buying most of my supplies last week, I sat down and started to sketch out a basic design based on the dimensions of the original.

Using my measurements, I then sketched out pattern pieces for the exterior and the lining of the reticule.

The one thing I found in the initial start-up is there is not a lot of descriptive information available about the original at LACMA outside of the dimensions. Based on the available pictures, the reticule is made up of three embroidered panels sewn together to form a triangular shaped purse. I cut pieces out of muslin then sewed everything together so make sure my measurements and pattern drafting had turned out the way I needed.

It actually turned out very well since the only adjustment it looks like I'll have to make is to the length of the exterior piece of fabric since it ended up being about a 1/4" too short.

The one hitch I've ran into is that apparently small brown tassels are impossible to find. Every craft store I went to had small tassels in every other color and medium-length brown tassels, but no small ones. I couldn't even find a thread that I liked so that I could attempt homemade tassels. So I went for an alternative plan. Instead I bought a length of home decor trim with brown tassels...

Dismantled it...

And ended up with six tassels.

All things considered, I might look into this in the future for the simple reason that it only cost $2.50 for the length of trim and single tassels are about $2 apiece. Much cheaper overall.

I also started cleaning up the lace that I had bought from the store. The one gripe I have with craft store lace of any type is the edges are usually very uneven and choppy. So I grabbed my small scissors and started trimming away the extra netting. Oh what a difference it makes!

Top - Untrimmed Edges, Bottom - Trimmed Edges

With my minor adjustment made to my exterior pattern piece, I'm going to sit down tonight and start cutting pieces from my fashion fabrics.

Next Challenge for HSF - Pink!

Well onto the next challenge for the Historical Sew Fortnightly. Since I'm doing the half-marathon, I'm jumping to Challenge #3 - Pink. This one is very basic, I have to make something in a shade of pink. Very straight forward, right? Here's my issue, I'm not a huge fan of pink, at least the modern day fuchsia and hot pink that seems to be everywhere.

Because I have only four weeks to complete the challenge and a pink dress is out of the question, I settled for something a little smaller. I love reticules. They're great for keeping small things in when you're out and I find they work a lot better than those matchbox sized evening clutches. I'm pulling my inspiration from this reticule from about 1820-1825 at the Los Angeles Community Museum of Art.

Women's Retitcule 1800-1825 LACMA

Yes, the big draw was the purple, but I also love all the tassels and the shape. So with only a vague idea of how I might approach this, I went off to the fabric store today to purchase materials. Now I have a big pile of - well, this.

A dusty pink dupioni silk with brown lining, cord, and beaded lace. I bought a little extra of everything since I'm going in pretty blind in terms of how to design and sew the reticule. First I'll have to sit down and draft out a pattern then play with the pieces to see how I'll go about things.

In my store wanderings though, I stumbled across this lovely red floral fabric. At $2.50 a yard, I couldn't resist and bought 5 yards of it with future plans for a Regency dress.

Hopefully I'll have a progress report in a couple of weeks for the Pink Challenge.

Tavistocks are Here!

I've only had them on payment installment for two months and they're finally here!

My lovely new Tavistocks!

These are the new Tavistock shoes from American Duchess that I have been eagerly awaiting since they were in the initial design phases over a year ago. When Lauren first announced she was going to be making these beauties, I was so excited because I've always loved the Victorian high-button shoes. Imagine my disappointment when it came out that they were only going to be made up to a size 10. I have large, modern day size 11 feet.

Well after a small incident that resulted in my getting a pair of size 10 shoes of a different style, I found they fit rather well. Lauren was already out of black Tavistocks in that size though so when she announced there were ivory ones coming in, I bought them as soon as possible. My ivory pair arrived two days ago and to my greatest joy, THEY FIT PERFECTLY!

And to make things even better, someone returned a pair of size 10 black Tavistocks which I immediately bought. Those are due to be here in another two weeks.

I have never had so much fun with a pair of shoes. In anticipation, I bought shoe button hooks a few months ago and got to use them finally. The fun part was despite never actually doing the process before, I knew how to button the shoes up (an indicator of how many period movies/shows I watch - too many).

I found out today that Hale Farm and Village is going to be doing a Gettysburg battle reenactment this weekend, so I just might button up my shoes and trot on down to check it out (the place is literally five miles from my house). They're not completely period correct for the Civil War, but they'll go great with my cotton blue bud dress.

Shopping Finds

I've been finding all sorts of fun costume goodies lately and I just had to share.

The first find is something I've had for a little while now, but I just had to show them off. In anticipation of my new Victorian style Tavistock shoes coming from American Duchess toward the end of the month (hoping and praying they also fit), I purchased some button hooks off of ebay. And for such a great deal too! Three Bakelite hooks for $12, and then when they were shipped I found a fourth in the package as well! Hopefully these will work for my shoes, if not, they'll be great for my teaching collection.

My next shopping find also came off of ebay. While perusing for some trim for my next set of underfrillies, I found some lovely lace. After stalk bidding until the final second, I won much to my excitement. Not only is the lace beautiful, but there's a ton of it! A whopping 7 yards of the Greek key/floral pattern and 3.5 yards of the grape leaf pattern and for only $25 altogether. My original plan had been for underthings, but it's too pretty to hide so the lace has been relegated to the Future Project stash for now.

Greek key/floral lace

Grape leaf lace

And last but not least. Thanks to a tip-off from Jen Thompson at Festive Attyre about some Regency look alike shoes from Rocket Dog, I went in search of my own pair. I found a pair of the Water Chamay Silk shoes at my local DSW for a little bit more ($40), but when you need a size 11 shoe, you can't argue. I sometimes have issues with the fit of ballet style flats, but these fit well and are very comfy. I haven't delved too far, but I'm going to see about attaching laces to the inside, similar to the Highbury Regency shoes also from American Duchess (which I also have on order but there's been a delay).

Next week is payday so I'm looking forward to getting some cotton lawn fabric and getting started on my Edwardian and 1910s undergarments.