The Finished Gown - Purple and White

Hello all,
As promised, here are some pictures of my finished gown. The gown made it's debut at the Rebels and Redcoats event at Old Sturbridge Village over the weekend. This gown has been on my project list, half finished, for about a year and a half. The fabric was purchased from William Booth Draper back in March of 2012. I've posted on occasion about this gown. You can read all of these posts here. The two posts people might find the most interested are my research post on purple and white fabrics in the 18th century and the one showing a painting of a gown with a similar print.

The back view. I spent a lot of time playing with the fabric until I was happy with the arrangement of the back pleats. I didn't want the floral design to look too chopped up. Back pleats are much easier with stripes and solids for sure! The flowers didn't match up perfectly but I didn't really expect them too. The floral design on the robings and stomacher match up pretty well so I'm happy about that. :)

And the front. Closed front gowns begin to appear in the 1770s but there is some debate as to when exactly. There is an interesting article on the subject here. Personally, I like the look of the open or stomacher front gowns so that is what I decided to make. They are versatile and work for a range of dates from the 1740s to 1770s. Of course the width of the back pleats, cuff size, and other details change. I still need to add cuffs to this gown.

I wore my new gown with a semi-shear cotton apron and matching neckerchief. They are both very white, making the gown seem off white in comparison. My black silk bonnet was made for me by the wonderful Hallie Larkin of At the Sign of the Golden Scissors. Hallie makes custom bonnets but also has a pattern available for making your own. You can find her shop here.

And finally, I picture of Rebecca and I together lol! Rebecca was wearing a lovely red and white gown of her own creation. I believe she is working on a blog post about it. Rebecca and her sister Ashley co-write A Fashionable Frolick. These are two of the lovely ladies I met during the first part of my 18th century shoemaking adventures. Ashley was not able to make it to OSV this year. Hopefully the next time we meet we can get a photo of the three of us. :) Check out A Fashionable Frolick out for a great selection of photos of OSV.

Photo from Rebecca of A Fashionable Frolick

Rebecca also sent me the link for this photo. I took part in a fashion show called the Runaway Runway hosted by the Ladies of Refined Taste. A group of us posed as runaway servants to help show case the clothing of working-class people of the 1770s using descriptions from 1770s runaway advertisements. Cori also took part in the show. Part of his "character" required the application of a "proper hair mole." Ewww!

Attaching the mole. Photo by Irina Huynh

Photo by Irina Huynh

Snowshill Costume Collection Tour

Hello everyone,
I have a very quick post for you all today. I just learned that a costume study tour of the Snowshill Costume Collection is being organized by Aylwen of Aylwen Historical Costuming. Please see her post here for more details. This fascinating collection is held at the Berrington Hall in Leominster, UK.

 National Trust Inventory Number 1348709.1

Those familiar with the collection will know that pictures and details of the some of the items can be found in Janet Arnold's books Patterns of Fashion 1 and 2, Hats and Bonnets by Althea Mackenzie, London, The National Trust, 2004,  Shoes and Slippers by Althea Mackenzie, National Trust 2004, as well as Costume in Detail: Women's Dress 1730-1930, by Nancy Bradfield.

Photo source - http://historicalcostume.wordpress.com/

Any pair of their 18th century shoes would be top on my list of must see items, followed by any their 18th century gowns. The fabric of this gown is particularly interesting.

Yellow brocade shoes? Yes, please!! These are dated 1740-1750 National Trust Inventory Number 1348843.1

Unfortunately for me, a trip to the UK is not in my budget right now. But how wonderful would it be to see some of these gowns, shoes, etc. in person?!? I so wish I could go. Thank goodness for the Internet! The Snowshill Costume collection is available to view online here!

There is still time to enter my vintage pattern giveaway! Details on how to enter can be found here. :)

Checking Things Off the Project List

It's been over a year in the making but my 18th century purple and white cotton gown is just about finished! The gown still needs cuffs and a stomacher but other than that it's ready to go, just in time for the event at OSV this weekend. Yeah, one big project done! The first outing of a new gown is always the most fun, don't you agree? :) I can't wait to have some pictures of the finished gown to share with all of you.

These are not the best pictures (crummy cell photo pics, sorry) but here's a quick look at the sleeves before they were finished and attached to the bodice. They are lined with white linen and the seams are lapped. You can sort of see where I had to piece the end of one sleeve. I really should have purchased an extra yard of this fabric so I would have enough for the gown AND a matching petticoat but at the time I was only thinking of the gown. Oops! For me, 4 yards of 52"-54" wide fabric is plenty to make 1750s to 1770s style gowns leaving enough for cuffs and a stomacher. (All my wool and linen gowns are untrimmed.) 2 yards of the same width fabric is also enough for a petticoat. So far I have not made a gown using narrower fabric as most linens and gown wight wools these days come in wider widths. If I were to use 36" wide fabric I think I would plan on purchasing somewhere between 5 and 6 yards plus extra for a matching petticoat. Silks are another story.... I think I purchased 10 yards of 60" wide silk taffeta for my green sacque and probably still will not have enough to fully trim the gown as planned.

The petticoat for this gown, which I have not started, will need to be pieced using a different fabric. Probably white linen or cotton as that is what I have on hand. I need to measure what I have left but I think it's just over a yard of this lovely purple floral. The upper back portion of the petticoat will be hidden under the gown so any mis-matched fabric will not show. I won't have time to make the petticoat before the event on Saturday so the plan is to wear the gown with another petticoat for now and bring the extra material with me. I also plan to bring my linen mitts to finish so I can cross those of my summer project list as well. :)

By the way, don't for get to enter my vintage pattern giveaway! Details on how to enter can be found here. It's my way of saying thank to all of you. :)

Roaring 20s Lawn Party

Warning, this post has lots of pictures! :)

On Sunday Cori and I attended the Roaring 20s Lawn Party at Castle Hill in Ipswich, Mass. My goodness, what an event! Live music, dancing, classic cars, vintage clothing vendors, and the most amazing grounds you can imagine. The event was organized by Boston Swing Central and the Trustees of the Crane Estate. (Be sure to look at their site for more images of the house and grounds.) I really hope this becomes an annual event.

Music for the event was provided by Baby Soda, a traditional jazz band from Brooklyn. The vintage clothing vendors included; Artifaktori Vintage, Bobby From Boston, Curio Vintage, Morning Glorious Vintage, Tangerine Boutique, Salmagundi a full service hat and accessories shop, Joanne Klein Vintage, and Wish List Consignment. Did we go shopping? You bet! I picked up a pair of blue and white 1940s shoes and a purse from Curio and a 1940s felt hat from Wish List. Cori struck gold with a beautiful pinstriped suit from Morning Glorious Vintage. It really needs its own post.

The classic cars of course offered many picture opportunities. My dress was quickly thrown together in the days leading up to the event. I used this pattern but shortened it significantly, left off the collar, and added a large box pleat to each side. The belt and sash were a last minute add which I finished sewing on during the drive down on Sunday. I completed the look with a vintage buckle and 1920s straw hat. I used my vintage wave clips to wave my hair, which didn't turn out as nicely as I had hoped so I kept my hat on all day. That's was hats are really for, right? :)

I didn't realize I was showing so much leg until I saw this picture! I should have worn a pair of stockings rolled down to my knees to really complete the flapper look. Ah well....

 We both wished we could have gone for a ride in this little car!

This is one of my favorites of Cori. He looks like a vintage used car salesman. He wore all vintage except for his shirt. The 1920s straw boater arrived in the mail just in time. The owners of Salmagundi were kind enough to take a look at it and give us a little more information about it. They said it was nicely made and believe it dates to the late 1920s or early 1930s. I think it's a great look for Cori. More guys should wear cool hats these days.

We met some wonderful new people!

The grounds were stunning. During the afternoon we walked down the Grand Alee, a 1/2 mile stretch of rolling lawn that leads down to the ocean. This first picture shows the view looking back towards the house.

The view of the ocean and salt marsh was beautiful.

Cori looking handsome in his new straw boater.

Guests dancing into the evening.

More pictures of this event are posted here as well as on my Facebook.

A Little Delay

Hello everyone. I know I promised a giveaway this week but some things have come up that I need to take care of. Haven't had a change to take picture of the of items up for grabs so there will be slight delay in announcing the giveaway. My plan is to have everything ready in another day or two. Thanks for being patient with me! You guys are awesome. :)

In the mean time I thought I would share a collage I've been working on for part of my new portfolio page. (That will be available to view soon.) I've been using Picmonkey, a free online site for editing photos. It's lots of fun, give it a try.