Accessories Showcase

There are so many types of accessories for ladies of the 18th century, some of which are rarely seen.  But add them all together with a nice set of clothes and the effect can be almost transporting.  However, the argument for accessories is to come another day this week.  Today, I just want to show you some of the things I've made.

Flamestitch wallet:  While relatively simple in shape and construction, the amount of time taken in embroidery makes this a rarely re-created object.  It's wool floss stitched to a linen backing.  Hundreds of different patterns and colors can be found.  I bound the finished piece in navy wool tape.  Very simple, but time consuming (and sanity consuming).

The inside is lined with silk taffeta.  There are two pockets controlled by a quarter circle on each side.  There is a layer of heavy interfacing inside of the flaps, but I wish I had used something more like pasteboard (cardboard).  

Here is the back layed out.  Very simple rectangle with curved ends at the top (also an optional design choice).  It makes for a wonderful piece to pull out at events to give business cards or even just to pay for an item.

Gloves:  Leather gloves are very much a staple of 18th century life.  A riding habit isn't truly complete without them.  And they do far better than mitts in the cold weather.  My pair is made from deerskin, the seams whipped with linen thread.  I'm hoping to make a slightly longer pair to meet up with my gown sleeves and a very short pair to go with the riding habit.  I also need to make the bicep length Regency style out of white pliver leather (skimmed down to the very thinnest skin possible).  Interesting note if you do try to make your own pair, leather does have a grain.  Therefore a bias.  Use it wisely.  Or you'll end up ripping it out rather quickly.  Most of my glove leather I get from Uncle George.  Pliver or Skiver is the thinnest, Kid is often a little heavier.  Deer, Kip, and Goat can also be possibilities but are sometimes too heavy.

Mitts:  I've got at least five pairs of these.  They're so simple to make and can add a very nice accent or wind/sun block.  These are worsted wool lined with persian silk.  My other pairs are un-lined worsted, lined linen, un-lined linen, and a fancy embroidered pair.  Covers the range of temperatures.  But, I'm sure there are more to come.

Pinballs:  There are so many ways to make these.  I'm just showing a cross-stitch, crewel, and a pieced geometric (paper in each piece to hold the shape).  You can do just about any embroidered stitch you would like, such as the flamestitch like the wallet.  I usually put a ribbon around the seam to finish them, although a metal ring would also work (it's just very expensive).

Needlecase:  Based on the original in 18th Century Embroidery Techniques.  There are four petals attached at one point with a shell button.  The leaves are taffeta with silk floss and ribbon embroidery (2mm wide from Hedgehog Handworks).  There is a small square of leather on two of the leaves to put the needles through.  The edges are bound with a woven silk fabric cut on the bias.  This is a deceptively fast project.

Buttons:  They are almost an accessory unto themselves, really.  Fitting out a jacket with death head buttons can make a massive difference.  Here you see plain, two color, and metallic.  The stripes can be any width.  You can also do six point instead of four.  When deciding on a pattern for a garment I like to take circles of paper and pencil in the lines.

Caps:  They come in all sizes and shapes.  I often make mine out of linen for regular use.  Cotton was more common post 1800.  Silk gauze, embroidered cotton, or a woven stripe cotton or linen are viable options.  This one is plain linen, made with a double ruffle.  The base is a very simple caul and ruffle connected with a band.  I used two parts for my bands to sandwich the other edges inside (less finishing!).  The second ruffle is self finished and whipped onto the edge of the band.  The ribbon (pinned on) hides the edge.

There's a small drawstring in the back bottom to fit it to the head and give it a nice poofy look.

This cap shows the band a little more clearly.  I made the band very wide in this cap to cover the ears well.  It's a nice weight of linen with a check'd pattern woven in.  I cheated a bit and added a lining to the caul and a third layer in the band for warmth.

Hand fan:  You can't last a summer without one.  Of course, they don't have to be this fancy.  My favorite fan is just one layer of plain silk taffeta (I used fray-check on the edges) glued to a nice set of sticks (near the bottom of the page here).  This fan was painted on habotoi silk with gauche.  I did use an anti-diffusant primer on the silk, although I'm not sure it was necessary.  The design is based on an original in a book of fans I own.  The sticks are just the cheap bamboo kind painted over (I hadn't found a resource for good ones yet).  There are sequins sewn on it as well.  The gold is done with acrylic paint, which helps to finish the edges.

Interim

I'll be back tomorrow with a real post, I promise.  It's been a weird weekend.  Here's a bit of what's coming up.  I've got an accessories workshop this next weekend, so a few posts about accessories seems in order.  And maybe one about plain gowns to supplement, we shall see.  In the mean time, here's a hand-painted fan I made a while back, and learned a lot from!

Regency Evening Gown: Designing

I had some extra time today, so I decided to start on my taffeta 1810s gown.  The question is, what to do with it?  I purchased this silk taffeta a couple of months ago from Burnley & Trowbridge with a general idea of what I wanted.  A gown circa 1812-15 with a decent amount of trimmings, for some reason vandyking came to mind.  It's a pale aqua with a small white pinstripe.

 After a few days of searching, I came across this image.  The gown on the left not only has a very similar fabric, but has all the trimmings I was looking for.  The next challenge was to find more images and extants that resemble it.  Different angles, especially a back on a similar gown, can help to understand the shape.  It also helps to know what makes this gown 1816 distinctly, because I would like to move the date up slightly on style if possible.

This fashion plate is a bit earlier in years, around 1811 I think (I need to go back through a huge database to find that date, ugh).  The neckline crosses over like my drawing, but the shoulder strap width is much wider.  The shoulders also sit up higher.  Less trimming, but it is more of a casual morning dress in style.

This definitely resembles the previous plate, same neckline.  A bit of trim around the neck, sleeves, and hem.  But, more gathering under the bust.

Going even later than my plate, this one being from 1818.  The trimming style is very similar.  The neckline seems to be almost horizontal, however.  Hints that the neckline may be the biggest clue to what makes my plate 1816, rather than an earlier style.  There's no visible shoulder strap, probably just a very tiny 1/4" or so strip the sleeve is gathered to, like this gown.

I don't have the plates to show how I reached the conclusion that the trimming wasn't what made it a later style, since they're in a book.  However, I will at least describe it.  There's one plate from 1811 where the gown has four layers of zig-zag style trim around the hem, rather deep.  The sleeves also have three layers of that same trim.  Another 1811 gown has gathered, pinked trim around the hemline, one high up, another at the hem.  Trim around the neckline is commonly seen throughout the Regency period.  I did find a couple of 1812 images where the neckline is very wide, almost starting off the shoulders, but the v-neck in front reaches all the way up to the top of the shoulder almost meeting the back.  The only trimming I didn't find an earlier facsimile for was the second layer around the bust.  However, I can wait until the garment base is finished to decide if I want that or not.  It may look awful in real life, or just too bare without it.

Problem #2.  Fashion plates don't show the back of most gowns (or if they do, there's no front!).  Figuring out what would be appropriate for that style of neckline is going to fall to the original garments. The problem is, I just can't seem to find any.  There are a few with somewhat similar fronts, but just not quite right.

This original in the Met, from 1810, has the v-neck shape, with a small modesty piece instead of crossing the fronts.  Similar amount of trim and wide neckline.

The back scoops down fairly low, but not extremely.  It fastens with ties.  Possibility for fastening, but rather un-exciting.

This garment, sold by Vintage Textile, has the crossed front like the two earlier plates.

The back is one solid piece, meaning the fastening occurs invisibly on the front somehow.  It also has a scooped neckline though.

And here the mystery is solved.  The front is created with two separate pieces that attach with ties.

This gown, called Hortense, from the Napoleon and the Empire of Fashion exhibit shows a lovely back. I don't know what the front looks like unfortunately (anyone seen it?).  The trimming on the neckline doesn't seem unlike my fashion plate and would be very pretty (and unusual).

I've also seen plates (and an original at the Kyoto museum) that show lacing up the back.  Some plates even show that low v-neck in back, like the Hortense gown, but with a laced up panel behind it.  I honestly still can't decide.  I'm leaning away from the front fastening, because I'm afraid I can't invisibly control that style well enough in front, leaving an open slit on the side, etc.  That leaves me with buttons, the v-neck and/or lacing.  If you've happened across that style of neckline, please let me know.  I'd love to see an original showing what they deemed fashionably appropriate with it!

Jackets

I realized yesterday that there are many garments I've never posted.  Even some that I had shown or talked about progress with!  I'm still in the process of taking pictures of everything I've made, so here are a few different styles of jackets that I've created over the last three years:

Caraco Jacket, based on this original in the V&A.  The fabric is a cotton chintz from the Williamsburg collection that came out a few years ago.  My biggest issue was the unusual shape of this garment.  It was clearly made from either wide fabric, or was short enough to use it lengthwise.  Unfortunately not the case with mine, so there are some hidden seams in the back.  The fronts are fairly normal.  The bodice and skirt are one piece.  The facing is folded back and opens up below the waist.  The side seams have pleats inside of them as well.  There is a separate stomacher which is pinned on, then three sets of tabs extend across it.  I wove the kerchief between them.  The sleeve cuffs are pulled up by a cord over a button, with a small pleated trim.

The back is the unusual part.  I must admit I spent hours looking at the photos of the original, mapping out the chintz they used to see angles and possible seams.  The center back pleat is just like a Robe a l'Anglaise, but just one instead of the normal two.  What gets weird is that the sleeves are of the same piece as the back.  Why?  I have no clue, but it was a fun challenge to drape.  There's no center back seam, and a small tuck is taken at the waist to shape it.  I need to make a few alterations to the petticoat, it being too short and a little narrow for my taste.

Bedgown, patterned from Diderot.  I know there is a commercial pattern based on this, but I was curious to see what alterations had been made from the original.  If you've ever seen it, the most obvious thing is that mine is a great deal shorter.  The exterior is a worsted wool with a heavy linen lining.  I wish the sleeves were longer, but I was using leftovers and ran out of fabric for that.  The front ties with linen tape, and you would usually wear an apron over it.  It's really all one piece with the seams up the sides, very geometric design.

The back has a very deep box pleat that opens at the waist.  I'm still struggling on how to make the collar  part of the main garment and get it to lay correctly.  The longer you cut the collar in back, the further down you're cutting into the back neckline.  The modern patterns fix this with an added collar piece, but I wanted to see if I could follow the instructions exactly.  It works, but pulls a little funny.  Would probably fit a woman with 18th century posture better since their shoulders sit further back.

Fitted jacket, from the Snowshill collection in Janet Arnolds book.  I did make the cuffs a little smaller.  The front pieces have gores put in to allow for the hips.  I think mine needed to be a little larger and definitely taller.  The cuffs are simple pleated bands, whipped on.  The front pins closed.  It's just a light weight linen, meant to be a good summer weight.

The back has excess in the skirts at the seams, cut with extra "pie" wedges to create the fullness at the hem and not the waist.  I'm still struggling to keep them looking decent, but I think it's the fabric.

Short gown, which I don't really know provenance for.  I've made dozens like it for where I used to work, and it's one of their fairly recent designs (so it's well researched I'm sure).  It's very simple though, being a singular piece and unlined.  There are facings on the sleeves to allow them to fold back.  The center front laps over and pins shut.  Edges are simply rolled to be finished.  This is my lightest garment, made out of complete necessity for a Virginia summer.

The back has pleats sewn in similar to a Robe a l'Anglaise to fit the garment to the body.  There is a small piece used inside the back neckline to face it, rather than rolling the pleated edge.  By far one of the easiest things I've made.  I cut one out for my mother and handed her this as an example, which she completed easily in a weekend.  She's a beginner to historical costumes, only having made a petticoat and apron prior to it.

A quilted waistcoat isn't quite a jacket, I know.  I did a post on this a while back, but these are much better images.  Based on an original at the Atwater Kent Museum.  Sharon Ann Burnston wrote an article about it here.  Mine is a cotton chintz with linen lining, bamboo batting, and linen tape binding.

A very simple design, it could be worn around the house for lounging, or along with stays for warmth.  I sometimes wear it under a gown, occasionally over if the gown is not large enough to accommodate the added width.  It isn't meant to be worn on it's own however.  Namely, it's not a bodice!!  I wouldn't wear it as the image shows in public.

Dressing

One of my jobs is to take school groups around at night to different shops in the historic area and give a ten minute explanation of the trade.  It always helps me to remember how much knowledge I just assume people know.  So, even though it seems a very simple and obvious thing to some of us, there are tricks to getting dressed that most people don't know.  I was getting ready to go to work last night, so I took pictures of the process that I go through.  Keep in mind I'm dressing to work outside for 3 hours at night, the temperature being around 50 f.

Shift and stockings.  I generally leave the shift neckline open.  You don't want to see it above your outer garment, it is underwear after all.  If you want modesty, wear a kerchief instead (I always do!).  Using tapes to keep your stockings up is a must.  These are just yard long pieces of wool tape, not the fancy loom woven tapes (that I really want).  I double knot mine, if you want to use a bow cut the tape longer. I've actually got two layers of stockings on for warmth; a light cotton and a light wool pair.  Tie them while sitting or with your knee bent or they'll be too loose.  Always below the knee, they'll just slip down to the point otherwise.

Stays.  Mine are back lacing only.  I lace them up in front of me, loosely, and turn them to the back to be tightened.  I'm currently using 1/4" linen tape for lacing, although it really doesn't hold up very well.  I would prefer a braided silk cord (without a core), but that isn't really found easily.  A bodkin (large blunt needle) makes lacing quick.

I lace and tighten from the bottom up.  I know many people that prefer the other direction, usually because reaching the top to tie off can be difficult.  For some reason though, I just can't do the other way, it hurts my back.  Side note that I do have Spondylolisthesis, so that may be part of it, but interestingly stays prevent me from having major back pain when standing or walking for long periods of time (it's a condition where a lower vertebrae slips out of position, mine is due to dancing and over stretching the muscles).  To tie off the top I pull a loop up behind the top horizontal lacing, make another loop below and tie a bow around that last lacing.  All I have to do is pull on the tail end and it comes undone.

I place the underpetticoat over my stays, although you can put in on before.  I find it uncomfortable that way, but it's just personal preference.  Under does help reduce bulk of ties, however.  For that reason as well, I tie the petticoat on the sides rather than around the waist.  If I tied every part of my garment center front and back I'd have huge lumps!  It's fine to have it sit a little low because of looser tying method since it's covered up completely.

Pockets can be placed in between a number of layers.  I prefer them under my petticoat so there's no chance of them being accidentally seen, but there's no reason to have to fish through the underpetticoat slits as well!  I tie these on the side with a bow (usually I pull one loop through so there's less bulk in the knot).  Granted, I might pull the pocket out to show off occasionally, even if it's not appropriate behavior!  And if you're going to specific events take a look at the guidelines.  When we do Under the Redcoat in the summer here at CW, costumed women are asked to place modern items on the right side.  Why?  Because if you harass the British troops, they will detain and search you!  And they know to not go into that pocket and start pulling out your keys and cell phone.

Outer petticoat.  This I do tie around the waist.  The back comes up first with the tie on the side.

Then the front comes up and ties center back.  If you're wearing a jacket or have long strings you'll want to tuck the bow inside the waist.

I usually place my kerchief under my gown, so that goes on next.  There are many other ways to wear one, some of which happen after the gown has been fastened.  I'm currently looking for a small silver brooch to keep the neckline pinned together (like what we call trade silver today).  Men often used them to fasten the slit of their shirt closed as well.

The gown is pinned closed, allowing for adjustments in size.  I insert the pins horizontally weaving between layers and finishing the end towards or even in the stays.  Usually I place them ever 2" or less, about eight for a gown bodice of this length.  Some of my gowns and jackets fasten left over right, others the opposite.  It doesn't signify anything at this point in time.  I prefer left over right for ease of pinning, but usually it comes down to which way I cut the bodice when I wasn't thinking.

Aprons can go on over or under a gown or jacket depending on style and preference.  Leave a little slack in front for a dip.  And try tying in front.  I've often seen portraits where the bow is visible in front, others where the ties are clearly doubled around to the front, and ones where no bow is visible.  I've only seen a couple of caricatures where they are tied in back, and even one image that was tied on the side.  I think it looks prettier too.

Accessories.  One cannot forget those.  Loose the modern jewelry (I replace my 1930s wedding ring with a plainer engraved silver band).  A good cap can go a long way since your face is where most people focus their attention.  This one is a fairly heavy linen.  A nice pair of mitts or gloves, I like mine long enough to reach the gown sleeve.  And shoes, of course.  It might be easier to put the shoes on earlier if you have trouble reaching your feet to buckle or tie after the stays and layers of petticoats.

Last is the wool cloak.  It amazes me how warm this garment can keep you, and how dry!  I almost never use an umbrella unless it deluges because the water tends to bead and roll off.  I have a full length cloak for colder weather as well, but this length is much easier to deal with going in and out of buildings and sitting on the floor occasionally.  I've found that hooks don't stay properly closed, so I have two sets of wool tape ties to keep the front shut against the wind.

My photographer (my husband) got bored and decided to harass the sleeping puppy.  Your moment of aww for the day.

Regency Inside-Out

This is by far the simplest garment I think I've ever made.  It has no lining, drawstrings and gathering to adjust fit, and mostly geometrical shapes.  The gown was draped in a B&T workshop, but I've adjusted the pattern for my second muslin gown and will probably do the same for the taffeta.  It's all made from a brown cotton muslin with a small stripe running through it.

The fronts run straight over the shoulders, extending to the back similar to 18th century gowns.  The center front piece is just a long rectangle gathered to the underbust band on bottom and drawstringed on top.  Getting the band measurement correct is really the most specific part of the whole gown.  The front area of the skirt is left flat, some gowns don't start pleats until the half-way point.

Sleeves do have a fair amount of head on them (curve on top), but being gathered in at top and bottom it's more for volume than allowing for movement.  The cuff here is fitted snugly to the arm to keep the "poof" up.  You can choose to drawstring the hem instead.

The back I fastened with hooks and eyes, using the drawstring which starts in the front pieces to tie the very top off.  You can see where the front pieces attach, not terribly far back.  Again, personal choice.  My next gown has a much more severe diamond shape to the back pieces.

I used the underbust band to finish off the edges inside.  The seams I felled, but since the fabric wasn't prone to fraying I left the armscye and the skirt seams raw.  Small eyelets in the front rolled edge and on the left back neck allow the linen tape to exit the channel unnoticed.

There's no easy way to photograph it, but you can see at least one skirt seam here.  The skirt is made of four pieces.  The front angles out toward the hem, the two side pieces have one straight edge at the front and a more severely sloped back edge, the back piece is rectangular with an opening slit cut in the center back.  It's just one way to do it, you can use as few or as many as you would like in reality.  The top needs to be smaller than the hem unless you want to look extra poofy and there needs to be some angling out at the hips (or pleating over the sides).  I don't recall measures of this gown skirt or the other muslin, but I'll be sure to keep track on the taffeta.  Some of it depends on the fabric width.

I threw together a pair of long sleeves the morning of the event.  I simply measured the sleeve band and my wrist for width (loosely at the wrist so the hand can fit through).  It flares out 1" after the wrist to fit long over the hand.  Very simple shape with only one seam which quickly whips to the permanent sleeve bands.  Making it on the diagonal allowed for a tighter wrist fit.

Military Through the Ages

This weekend my housemate and I decided to get out of the house and go to Jamestown's Military Through the Ages.  And two costumers can't just go to a historical event, they have to dress!  It is a very interesting event though, traversing dates from Charlemagne and Vikings up to WWII and modern military.  Wonderfully anachronistic.  I know there are events similar to this all over the country, and I really do recommend them, especially if you're considering a new time period or living in a new area.  My housemate, Gwendolyn, is fairly new here and had a great opportunity to chat with the local Civil War re-enactors about upcoming events and groups to join.  After seeing some of her lovely 1860s gowns I'm quite inspired to make some of my own.  But, that is to come later.
We decided to go in 1812 attire because there aren't enough excuses to wear it around here, and it's so terribly comfortable.  So, here is a simple shot of a gown I'm going to do an inside-out on in the near future.  It's just a simple un-lined brown muslin that came from a Burnley & Trowbridge workshop.  Shift, corded corset, and underpetticoat worn underneath.  The bonnet is actually a modern hat that was hanging out in the closet never being worn, a little ribbon and tacking up the back and it has a life again!  Gwendolyn made her ensemble, a lovely dotted swiss gown and silk velvet spencer.  And she made the bonnet from straw braid, giving me another great inspiration to attempt!  I also really need to make a chemisette....

Inspiration Sources

I had an amazing week listening to people discuss their research and processes at the Accessories Symposium, which has quite inspired me to follow my process much more closely.  I recently finished a muslin 1812 gown and I'm just about to start on a silk taffeta one as well.  Their design came from two different sources, so I'm going to try to do a quick run-down of the muslin gown (and the problems I encountered!) and really follow all the steps of the taffeta.
To start with I wanted to talk about where to get ideas from.  I use a huge assortment of resources, some more reliable than others.  Generally their broken down between Primary and Secondary, but even Primaries have their issues.  Most of my clothing items begin with fabric, which is a whole different post, and then I begin to look at what I can do with it.

Primary
Extant Garments:
There really isn't a better source, but hands-on just isn't an option for most of us.  Museums have extensive galleries online, providing a visual for fabric weight and texture, as do antique sellers.  Most don't get detailed enough to see construction techniques unfortunately.  As discussed this week, the garments are almost always shown alone, without context to the whole outfit, fit, who wore it when or why.  Try using different terms when searching, ex. some museums use the term "dress" rather than "gown".  Demode Couture has an amazing list of museums sources.  I generally start out with these five:
The Metropolitan Museum
Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
LACMA
Victoria & Albert Museum
Vintage Textiles

Fashion Plates:
Or magazines and catalogues in the later time periods.  Just keep in mind it is high fashion and an artists rendition.  And they never turn around!
Maciet's Prints (through Lisotchka's LJ for instructions)
Ackermann's Repository of Arts

Written Word:
This could be novels, letters, informational books, advertisements, runaway ads, etc.  The difficulty here is often the limited info provided and deciphering the terms used.  Especially in the case of fabric terms.  I often use it to understand what sort of garments a more average person owned, such as the propensity towards gowns instead of jackets in the 18th century no matter what the class.  Check out your local area to see if they have newspapers available online if you re-enact a specific region.  In my historic area the VA Gazette is available and easily searched.  If you have an ebook reader, take a look at just how many novels can be found for free.  This is an area I'm just beginning to delve into, so hopefully I'll be able to come across some more specific examples in the future.

Artworks:
Anything from a formal portrait to sketches of the street.  Formal portraits tend to provide the best detail, but judging their usefulness in accuracy is difficult.  The sitters often wore their best clothes, or possibly even a costume.  The artist also interprets and possibly adjusts the image as well.  Informal sketches are a rare source for what people have worn day to day, but even those have their faults.  If the artist really wanted to portray the person as poor, they may have included a few "hints" of what always triggers that assumption (today we think of patches as an ex.).  Caricatures and satire do well if you can isolate what the artist is making fun of and keep that out, such as the tall hair of the 1770s.

Secondary
Modern Books:
Despite the fact that books like Janet Arnold's and Nancy Bradfield's provide so much more detail and information than most primary sources, it's still their interpretation and something is going to be left out.  But I can't imagine trying to do historical fashion without them.  On my main bookshelf (there are dozens not listed, or just on my wish list):
Patterns of Fashion; Arnold, Janet
Regency Era Fashion Plates 1800-1819; Timely Tresses
Costume Close-up; Baumgarten, Linda
Historical Fashion in Detail; V&A
Underwear Fashion in Deatil; V&A
The Dress of the People; Styles, John
Fashion; Kyoto
Costume in Detail; Bradfield, Nancy
Corsets & Crinolines; Waugh, Norah
The Cut of Women's Clothes; Waugh, Norah

Media:
Films and television.  No matter how high I put the goal of accuracy, I'll still have Pride & Prejudice playing in the background.  I'm not going to copy anything from them, but it is an inspiration and can give a beginner a sense of the time.  Even if you find a piece in a movie you absolutely love, simply use it as a challenge to find a primary source to support it!

Other costumers:
We all do it, ogle the latest gorgeous frock from a blog, LJ, or even in person at an event.  Once again, it's a spring board.  Despite the fact that I could well support anything I wear in a discussion, I still don't think I'm at the point where I should be "copied".  Every time it goes down the line, it ends up like telephone.  I will try to provide sources for most of what I do, but sadly that is not the case with everyone.  If you see something you love or don't understand, ask about it!  Hopefully the owner will be able to give you some great new resources and ideas.

And just so this isn't all words, here's a small preview of the muslin gown up next.  I challenge you to find the extant garment it's based on. *Hint: this is the shoulder.