1873 Evening dress

I wore this dress in november at an ball. Winterball in Castle d'Ursel, Belgium. It was for me the first time I attended a ball and it was such perfect evening. I want and will attend more off these balls in the future now I know how fun they are. 
The ball was year bound. So the dress code was 1873, first bustle period.  It gave me the chance to make the dress I wanted since 2012, when I began dreaming off historical dressing. But I wanted to make this dress only when I was ready to make this dress, I wanted to invest in expensive fabrics knowing I wouldn't mesh up the dress. The sad thing, I began early with the dress, but could not finsish it in time. I miss some rows of trimming, and I will sew them on the skirt for next time I wear it. But it was a bit of disappointment when I realized that I couldn't finish the dress in time for the ball. 

But when the evening arrived I shut that feeling off dissapointment on myself off and enjoyed every moment. When I decided that I wanted to make a new silhouette I knew that I needed everything new. from chemise till the petticoats. my old corset was worn out and never of the best quality. So even that had to be don before I could began with the outer layers off the dress. 

 After the ball I knew the little faults the dress had so after the ball I fixed most off them. You can see that the bodice got ride up sometimes, that was because there wasn't a waistband sewed in, I knew that even before the ball that it would be a problem. So a few days after the ball I placed a waistband in the bodice and that problem was fixed. I sewed the afternoon before the ball all the hook and eye closures in the petticoats and skirts, but came a bit shortly, I survived, but after the ball I bought some hooks and eyes and sewed them where they had a lack off it. And I'm still a bit tinkering on the system for pulling up the train enough so people don't stand on it when I'm dancing... I had a little accident. But I want to finish first the trimmings before I finish the pulling up system. 

So for the layers.. everything is newely made. Also I was thinking ahead for future victorian dresses, so I chose for pieces that would also go for other decades. Until I have time to be more precise for corsets and underpinnings. Petticoats are a different deal. 

So it feels like the first time since I began with corsetery I felt like I nailed that corset. 

Off course there are things I would do different the next time, but I'm very happy with this result. I took the pattern off an original corset from 1880 that was not only in new state but also fitted perfectly my body. I didn't make any adjustments to fit it better. I had the chance to borrow it from a dear friend I always be greatfull for. It was for me the first time to take a pattern directly from an garment at all.

So because this was a for me large part of sewing this hole dress, I made the decision to use for the other pieces patterns out off the envelop to spare me some time.  

The chemise and drawers I made from Truly victorian  TV102. I knew black cotton would be a better choice for under an black dress. But here is again the part reuse it for other victorian dresses, and many off them have white blouses and are a bit see through... and white is easier to wash and that sort stuff. In the future I will make a black set. 

 A closer look at the neck line. I like that you can choice if you use the button closure at the shoulder. For ironing very handy. And under a close up from the hem.














I don't have a closer picture of the drawers.

So this are the layers under all that black. I used TV108 for the grand bustle. It did easy together, instructions where easy to follow, nothing out off the ordinary. The two petticoats are made from TV170. One from a more sturdy beige colored cotton and the second one from a bleached thinner cotton and had a lace hemming, i really love this pattern and hope to make some new 1890's petticoats soon because my old one is in a really bad shape. The last layers before the actual outer layers begin is the trained petticoat, I made this on from the same pattern I used for the outer skirt, so the skirt wouldn't suffer that directly from the ground. I used TV208. 

So I began first with the skirt and the apron. I wanted to finsih them at least with minimal off trimming before I sewed more on it, and run out off time if I hadn't finisched the bodice first. I used TV208 for skirt and apron, and the fabric I used is black dupioni silk. In these three pictures you can see the skirt before I began with the bodice. But after these pictures there is not much changed. After the bodice I sewed only one row of ruches at the apron, for more I hadn't time. The skirt has two pockets instead of one, I'm happy with those spaces. They are big enough, so no need for a handbag.

 The dress with the bodice, only the buttons and buttonholes where needed here. 

For the bodice I used TV416. I didn't changed anything about the pattern, but for a next time perhapes do some alterations or draft something completely different. 

I think I would do more bustle periods in the future, I feel really good in this dress. 

For this dress I'm gonna make a day bodice as well for a day event in June, with new gloves and a hat. And offcourse finish the skirt.

So last but not least, I did something I dreamt for years. My first pair of American Duchess shoes. A pair of renoirs, and I love them! They are really comfortable. I danced the night away, stand most off the time. And believe me, I can't stand long on my feet before they begin nagging, completely with heels. But those heels are from perfect height. With those beauty's no problems at all. I hope to order there soon, but it's really expensive to order over sea..... 



 

And the prove I danced the night away....!

I need some new self-adhesive soles.....

 Happy new year!!

Drindl dress

 

I don't have a lot of pictures of this dress and not even making off pictures. So perhapes this will be a short post. You see here the front, I used Burda 7057. I'm not that a great fan of Burda in the first place, the one time I made earlier back in 2013, it came so terribly out I can't even rework the dress. But I wanted to give Burda another try. This time it was better, but there where still parts I don't like about how the dress turnt out. 

 I think Burda would never grow on me.... But good, this dress it's not really groundbreaking. It's fun, but no more than that. I think to wear it with easy or hot events if I don't want something restricted of difficult to put on. What I would want to chance if I ever get in me head to do this pattern again.... I would begin with lenghten the bodice. I have a short torso, but this is ridiculous!! Even for me this bodice came in to short. And second, add boning. The instructions don't ask for them, but it would straight out the bodice and would look more pleasing for the eye. This would be the only two things, but for me they would be a game changer. What I changed this time about the pattern? I changed the skirt so the embroidery would match more and add some pockets. Pockets do everything. 

 So I don't think I have to tell more about this dress. It isn't that a accomplishment.. I hope to have some fun with it in the future, but not more than that. Burda don't do it for me. 

Till next time.  

1899 black-white bathing suit

So the right one is my main inspriation. 

I fell in love with this bathing suit, I don´t now how long ago, but it is a time ago. There are beside this picture two more of pictures of these young people. I show one other picture. 

Finding the real sources of these pictures was a real pain in the *ss. Because the cut of the dresses speak against the data I have found. The data I have found are between 1897 and 1899. I found where they where taken. Coney island. 












 



So here are a few pictures of mine version and the bathing suits my friends made and wore. 

As a group we wore all different bathing suits from different time periods. From 1890 till 1920's. Most of us made are bathing suits our self. Only one friend hadn't the time to make one so she borrowed from a friend who also made the life guard bathing suit for her boyfriend. Who has now three bathing suits at home.

It was a lot ot of fun to wear it, and I find it a pitty I had only that day this year to wear it. I hope to enjoy it coming year more, and also have time to made a bathing corset as wel. 

I wore it with my old corset who was deeply in need for replacement. 

So, let me see. what can I tell about the dress.. 

I drafted most of myself or redrafted patterns I already had.

The cap and bolero where me own addition. The cap because I felt my bathing suit needed a cap. And the bolero was for more practical reason. I burn very fast and so I could spare my shoulders from the sun, also if it was a bit windy, it would help to. Altough, a bolero is not really HA for an bathing suit. But I really hate to be burnt.











The entire thing is made from cotton, I considered wool, but I wanted to wash it normally. 
I began to make the bloomers. Perhapes these are only of all the pieces I dind't draw myself or change a pattern for. I used simplicity 2777. I also couldn't see any proof on the original pictures of bloomers under the young lady's bathing suit. But it was for me a logical assumption. Because there was no visual proof I had to improvise how it would look. But even then, I wanted some sort of pants under my skirt. For reasons above.... (see picture when turning) 
So a bloomer was for me a must have. 

 After I finished the bloomers I began with the skirt. I drafted the pattern myself. It went pretty fast together, the most time was spend on the stripes. 

This is the front view, in these pictures the skirt isn't finished yet. I originally wanted a systems with buttons on the waistband of the bloomers and buttonholes in the waistbands of the skirt and bodice, so if I decided to go for a real bathing experience, the pieces wouldn't shift of ride up when bathing. But because of time shortness for the event where I made it for. I eventually sewed the bodice to the skirt waistband en left the button system for what it was for now. 
I want to redo that part of the costume when I want to go bathing.

This is the back view. I originally wanted also some pockets in the skirt... but I stept away from that idea, sure pockets are very handy at an day event. But I really want to bath in this thing to... and bathing in something with slip pockets felt..... weird. 


I chosed for the colors with black and white, not necessarily because that in the picture the bathing suits looked like it was black and white. I know that black and white pictures can be misleading and that the original bathing suit could be made from total different colors. But I liked the idea of an white and black bathing suit. I had made lately so much things in blue for the 1890's, that I wanted something in other colors. And black was for me so long ago, that I choose for how the pictures looked like. 

 After finishing the skirt I went through with the bodice. I altered an pattern I already had in stash. Butterick 3765. The back is closed with black cloth buttons, I chose for that for a bit more contrast at the back. Other wise it was a bit plain. 

The front has an fake front for the stripes. The bodice it sewed to the waistband from the skirt for now.

After finishing the bodice the last importent piece for the suit to complete the original look was the belt. There was nothing difficult to make. After some studying the photo's I saw in the picture that I didn't show here, what was a side stand, a hint of sashes. So I chose for a closing that I could tie in to a bow.

The bolero is a mix of two patterns simplicity 1819. Where I used the bodice of the bolero and butterick 3417 Where I used the ruffled sleeve and shorten the three-quarters sleeves in to a small pouf sleeve.

Made a cap with a rosette. Making one was a lot of fun. I think I gonna make some more rosettes in the future.

Even the bathing shoes where self made. I wanted to try something I didn't do before. They weren't that good, but for a first try to make something close to shoes I'm not gonna complain.

So I wanted to update this blog a couple of times before new year, But I don't think that is gonna happen after this post. So I wish everyone a happy new year and till 2018!!

Rococo gaga

yeez... I have been lazy couple of months about writing at all. I mean, I have made several new things and wrote nothing about it, I have to do some cathing up. So first things first. beginning this year I had the annual elfia in Haarzuilens in april where I made a big, and I mean really big costume. 

I gave it the name: rococo gaga, beacause... yeah, you can see why....

It was a bit of an madness to make.....

The dress, is made from table plastic, have you ever sewn plastic with an sewing machine? I calling MADNESS! Really, at some point I couldn't put the plastic under the sewing foot, so there was no other way to staple the many layers plastic in the side where the skirt is with a stapler... hahaha *looks a bit gaga out her eyes*

In the end, there a very few photo's made, and the dress began to fall apart at the end of the day... yeah, you still are wearing plastic, and the movements you make, the bodyhead that lives onder the bodice can't go anywhere, so the plastic began to weaken at some points. the dress lives, plastic isn't maked for something like a hole day of walking, moving, rubbing and go on. I really loved it to wearing it, but it was also very exhauting. My head was screaming at the end of the day. The wig is glued on my forehead, instand botox!! And also walked more side way....The dres itself wasn't that heavy, but there where things I couldn't do, like go to the toilet, or sit like a normal person. 

At some point the dress began to vaporize and I began to catch flies under my plastic skirt, and yes you could see them....

I did knew before I began to make the dress that the evaporation would happen, so I wanted that every layer under the dress would be from natural fibers. So my first choice was cotton. Printen cotton. I knew I would lost a lot of water and I wanted that the under layers where easy to wash afterwards.

In this picture you can see clearly the evaporation in the sleeves.

So for my choice of fabric colors and prints....
The dress itself arise from the idea of an fairytail. I made it my one with an colorfull twist. Because you can litterly look through my outer layers in to my underlayers. I based on the fairytail `the emperor without clothes´
But I made a gender swap and it became `the empress without clothes´. I didn´t want to be completly be naked under my see through dress and considered some options for underneed. what for colors, or underpinnings. And after some concideration I wanted something colorful, with many patterns and that was almost wrong. So I had to do pattern matching and search for a color scheme that would please the eye, but also make the eye a bit twitch. 

I began with the under clothes. I used many different patterns, all of them from commercial brands.

For the shirt I used Simplicity 5359 . For the bloomers I used simplicity 2777 , I sewed not two but four pockets in and on this pants, I dind´t plan to sew that much of pockets, but I decised later I wanted other pocket on the pants who you could see, and I never took the other pockets out, so, yeah... four pockets... The where quite usefull. I don´t have pictures where the two new pockets are yet sewt on.

So the stays where next, the fit very nice, I think it is my first pir that fit that great. I like the figure they give me, and I will use them even with more historical correct 18th future dresses. Until I have made a more historical correct pair of stays in a more... neutral colored fabric.The pattern I used for this pair of stays are butterick 4254.
I have made stays before, but never they fit that good as this pair.

So here are the huge panniers in progress. I like the size, but the overall look was a bit a dissapointment for me, also they are not so stable because they rest on a couple of strings. I want to make a new pair of this size of panniers, but than a full fabric body so that the boning cant swing to much as it do with the strings. I used simplicity 3635 as my guideline, and the new pair I use for the full fabric body panniers. The new one, would be for more historical based dresses.
I dind´t make any progress pictures after this one, the plastic dress is made from simplicity 3637. These patterns are not printen anymore, but you they are still fnd them at etsy or ebay.





So this is it for my rococo gaga. I want to wear it again, but I can´t do it without help, and have to fix the dress at some points. Perhapes I can wear it for a photoshoot where I can get help with make up, hair and dressing. So fingers crossed for a next time of wearing.
 

1896 blue-brown tartan dress

Last year I made this dress for an annual Belle Epoque event in the zoo of Antwerp. But beacause the weather was to hot for the dress I could not wear it that weekend. 

It was almost a year later when I could wear it for the first time. This was for Elfia at Haarzuilen in the Netherlands. Sinds then I wore it three times, last weekend was the last time. Now temperatures rising again I think it was the last time for a couple of months or longer before I can wear it again.

So I made the dress last year around this time, but the little cape is an addition from last spring as an inbetween project. It is made from Truly Victorian TV590. I made a little adjustments in the front. I have combine view 3 with view 2.

Making the cape was easy as cake, the base of the cape I mean.... The base was in a couple of hours ready. But making all individual flowers, sewing them, the little roses and pearles was a work of couple of days, and I mean days... For such a little piece of the dress, making it was probably the peice I work longest of them all, from this dress. 

But the result was satisfying.

Photographer: Henk Rijssen

The dress it self is an walking dress where I used the Truly Victorians patterns TV496, TV491 and TV296 for. They come together very well, as known. As always I have to adjust the length of my bust to shoulder, because that part of my body is shorter. Problems of a short torso...

Photographer: Gerry De Jonghe

So when I made the dress I was a bit in a hurry, because of that the hem of my skirt is an rolled hem. I want to adjust that in the future. But also I want another skirt, same pattern only other colour brown and in linen, for when I want to wear it on hotter days. The skirt is more for the winter, and the jacket and blouse more for summer days. 


The man next to me is Pedro a friend of mine that helped me several times with his knowledge of historical dressing up. He is also known as the Baron (shown in picture), but also as the Barones (when he has help for make-up and hair) and believe me, you would't recognize him. :)

Photographer: Pedro Konijn

Overall, I'm not so happy with the skirt, there is a lack of length on the front and is a bit uneven parts in the backsides. Last thing I could adjust. But the front problem I could not fix. So things I would change for the skirt: another Hem and adjust the uneven parts of the skirt. 

The bodice I'm very happy with, it gives an slim figure, fits very nice. Movements are good and the blue fabric, where I was suprised for, fits nice with the sillhouet. 

For an fabric that I received as an gift, and I dind't now what to do with it, turn't out as one my favorite dresses. 

crochet and embroidery

Sometimes I don't feel like sewing, that is mostly the time I feel terrible, and the last few months where terrible. It was physical imposible, but I dind't feel it. The spirit for sewing was gone. 

After a time, in the innermost moment of lost and grief, I took my crochet-hook and began with a blue pineapple reticule. Beeing a person that not can living without doing sometimes, it is hard to find something to do without thinking to much and losing to much energie. Crochet and embroidery where doable. 

And sinds a few weeks, I'm sewing again, you can see in my last post that I sew a pair of pants and some under garments. Woehoe! I have to look out, because, my burn out is still there, but some things with time in balans and patience I could make new thing again. 

So this is the first result from my blue pineapple reticule, I have to make a lining and a new strap. This is for personal use. 

I made also the sort of pompon with the leftovers cotton yarn. The yarn is from action, it has a multi-color overflow, so all the colors you see is from one yarn. 

 I making an second one for a friend of mine, she wanted a purple one... why not, purple pineapple are cute 

 And this is my first attempt for embroidery sinds nine years ago when I was in first class of middle school. I like the combination of old pink and grey stripes with the colorful embroidery. The pompon is old, I don't know how old, but I'm would not be suprised if it be over thirty years old. 


The embroidery design is partly my own, and partly off The sense and sensebility pattern An regency closet. 

An close up for the embroidery, it would be very nice addition for a new regency outfit. It is from the same fabric I made the underthings and a regency apron. So fabric well spent. 







Overall, I'm very happy with the result, and I hope to enjoy this result with new costumes. 

Next time, my new costume for elfia Haarzuilen, and yes it going to be big!