Quick Update

Sorry I seem to have disappeared!  Everything is half-way done it seems (and I'm trying to plan a wedding amidst it all).  I've managed to assemble my stays, and they fit beautifully, but I'm having difficulty finding decent ash splints.  Both places I ordered from sent me something akin to balsam wood.  I'm headed to a local source tomorrow to beg, so we'll see how that goes.  I'm also preparing for the riding habit workshop at the end of the month by building a shirt and a petticoat.  The shirt will be made into it's own post of construction techniques, since I learned soooo much while building it.  This project has already been a wonderful test of finding decent (and correct) materials.  I'm going with a light worsted wool in a dull green basing it on a 1774 fashion article mentioning "pearl green" as one of the popular riding habit colors for the year.  That's coming from WM Booth.  I also was recommended the "silk" velvet from Design Diva Fabrics for the cuffs and collar, which I'm getting in a coffee tone.  Linen lining and shirt are all left-overs from the usual places.  Silk for lining the visible parts will come from Burnley and Trowbridge (they have just the perfect color!!).  Lace for the shirt I ordered from Garden Fairies Trading Company.  I feel a bit like I'm getting off the usual topic, but it seems to take almost as much time finding the materials as it does building!

So, back to the usual.  Here are some poorly taken images of the last time I tried on my stays:

Hopefully I'll get some boning soon and can finish those up for the workshop as well!

Stays Original

Just a quick add-on to my stays postings.  I took a tour around the Dewitt Wallace Museum today, and lo and behold they had the stays I'm building up in the Quilted Fashions exhibit.  There's not much light, but you can get an idea:

It's a bit hard to see, but you might notice the lack of boning casings showing.  This pair was originally made of silk, but must have worn too much because it's been covered over in cotton.  So, I will still be making mine visible.  The binding is green silk ribbon.  I'll probably use cream so it doesn't show under any of my clothes, but maybe I'll use a color to lace the front for fun, since I can always change it out.  The difficulty will be finding a good cording to lace the back.  Now that I got a glimpse of those and was able to examine a few others stored in back, I'm going to pick back up on my pair and start stitching channels.  I had been concerned with size since the original channels are all 1/8", but they were baleen.  Oak won't hold up to that, and even though I've managed to find spring steel that size, I'm afraid it won't have the resistance to permanent bending I need.  So, seeing a late pair of stays with mixing of 1/4" and 1/8" channels today I feel confident that I can mix in 1/4" steel correctly.

Cut-away Gown History

Here is the infamous portrait by Ducreux that shows a beautiful example of the style.  While this gown was most popular in the 1780s, it did actually show up in the colonies in the late 1770s and continued to be worn throughout the '90s as well.

Obviously, most of the gowns seen in portraits are made from silk taffeta, but a cotton print would be lovely as well.  For some reason, I seem adverse to linen, but I can't give a particular reason why.  Both solid colors and smaller stripes are acceptable.  The large 2 or 3" stripes seen earlier in the century would have been out of style by this point.  You can also choose a contrasting fabric for the leftover zone in front and even the petticoat.

In terms of the actual cut, there are a number of different looks to the front and to the sleeves.  At this point the back would have usually been quartered rather than an English style.  You could cut the CB pieces flat on bottom and connect them to the skirt to give that illusion of continuance without actually pleating the bodice if wanted.

Above you can see three examples of both front cut and sleeves.  Simplifying it, you can choose a straight angle or to curve it away.  From there, whether it will be a split zone piece or not.  And if it will be whether you fasten by pins, hooks, or buttons.  You can also add a tab, as I did, across the top of the front.  The sleeves can be the regular elbow length style, full length (you may choose to have the wrist area button since they're tightly fitted), or even cap sleeves over a contrasting long sleeve.  It gets more complicated when building, but that will come later.

The back, as talked about, is shown with two different styles of quartered backs.

Of course, in this period especially, accessorizing can make all of the difference.  Be it through a sash or ribbon around the waist, a crossed over kerchief, lace, or the ever popular hedgehog hair with ribbons, feathers, or over-the-top hat.  It's easy to see, from some of the portraits below how this style of gown evolved into the separate over-gown near the end of the century.

Collection of French Miniatures

Coming Soon.....

Hello again!  I am finally managing to get out from under the process of moving and back to the clothing.  Unfortunately I don't have much to post today, but things will be coming soon.  I'm finishing the trim on my Caraco, still working on a Robe a l'Anglaise, looking for buttons for my 1790s jacket, and should get to a pet-en-l'air by Christmas.  I'm also attending two workshops this month:  1780s gowns in two weeks and stays the week after.  I'll make sure to take lots of notes and pictures and try to get up some comprehensive information and instructions soon after.  

On a side note, I did get to attend a lecture by Caroline Weber on her book "Queen of Fashion".  Slap me on the wrist, but I haven't read it yet.  I promise I will soon!  I was impressed to find that she has origins in French history and self-taught the fashion history just for this book.  Listening to her rattle off French terms made me very glad to have minored in it!  Some of the most interesting information she discussed were the Poufs.  That oddly wonderful three foot tall hairstyle which acted as a 18th century billboard.  Now, I've seen images of women with ships on their poufs, but that was only the beginning!  Those were termed "Poufs de Circumstance" having to do with current events or politics.  On the other side are your "Poufs de Sentimente".  This could be A la Trouche, with ostrich feathers, or even A la jardinier, with vegetables!  She mentioned one headdress made of a cabbage surrounded by root vegetables.  I can't imagine the weight of that!

There was much more discussed on Marie Antoinette's phase with wearing men's riding wear, the infamous portrait in the gauze gown, the colors of the revolution, her fashion designer Rose Bertin, and her final days in jail.  I was told, if you speak French, to check out the book "La Modiste de la Reine".  Now, if I can just find it.

Bodice Assembly

When putting together a woman's jacket or a bodice for a gown, the assembly techniques are generally the same.  I've already shown in a previous post how to lay out the front pieces and stitch them together.  Leave the seam allowances at the ends un-sewen (shoulder seams, side seams) so you can fold it over later.

When stitching the back seam I generally use a back-stitch on the fashion fabric.  The lining can be done the same or with a butted edge.  For that you fold over the seam allowance on both sides, put wrong to wrong side and do a very tiny whip stitch.  Grab just a few rows of the weave each time.  Don't stitch too tightly, but do keep it snug.  When finished you pull the two sides apart a bit and the seam should be able to lay out flat (hence why not too tight of stitching).  This same technique can also be used on selvages and I've seen it on shirt seams like that.  If you're doing a jacket, you can put the fashion and lining backs together and stitch around the neck and bottom hem up to seam allowances.

The sides can also be done a few different ways.  I like the method I found in Costume Close-Up.  Fold over the front fashion fabric and line it up on the back pieces.  You will stitch a spaced back stitch very close to the edge through all three layers.  The front lining will then be folded towards the seam and stitched down, enclosing the raw edges.  You can also use the same technique explained for the back seam, but use the back stitch on the fashion fabric seam instead.

Sleeves use the same techniques as the side or back seams (underhand whip the hem) and I've seen the armscye left raw and whipped, with all allowances sandwiched in the sleeve, and where it's inside the bodice.  It's all up to you and whether your fabric frays and if you want to see stitches externally (and where).

Exterior of a side seam for a 1790s jacket I'm building.  Shows the spaced back stitch on the side seam (horizontal in picture) and the underhand on the bottom hem.

Repeat imagery of the ever so useful backstitch I keep mentioning.
The overhand stitch.  Same usage as underhand, but shows up as a small dot on both sides.  Just up and down with the needle very close together.
Similar to over hand, but as a seam.  Resembles the spaced back stitch in form and function (just doesn't back up on the small visible stitch).  Use for side seams or armscyes.

The butted and whipped seam.  Not the prettiest of examples, but it would be the lining anyway. (Also used to piece together stays, but I'll be doing a workshop on those in November).

Just like modern stitching you need to find a technique that works for you.  Every extant garment is different and there are probably many stitches we haven't ever seen!

My caraco is nearly completed (one more cuff, then some details).  I'm hoping to do a pair of mitts soon, a 1780s gown workshop, a stays workshop, and eventually a riding habit workshop in January.  I move in two weeks, so if I disappear for a while I promise I'll be back!

Caraco 3

I apologize for the delay, things have been hectic with preparing to move soon.  Hopefully I will have more time for projects once October comes around.

I have nearly completed the caraco and hope to try it on and take pictures this weekend.  In the mean time, here are a few up-close images of construction techniques.  These can be used in any style of jacket or the bodice of a gown (or anywhere else you can imagine!).

This shows an interior shot of how to lay the lining to the fashion fabric.  In case of a jacket, you would use this along the exterior edges; front, neckline, bottom hem, and sleeve hems.  Simply fold over the fashion fabric at the seam allowance line, lie the lining on top and fold back the edges a small amount (1/16") past the fashion fabric.  I usually pin the lining in the middle area to make sure it doesn't shift.  The other edges I baste together flat (temporarily in some cases).

Here's a shot of how fold the corners.  I recommend the right side (where the fashion fabric shows more) used at the bottom as the front and as the neckline on top.

This shows the small "whip" stitches I described in one of the previous posts.  You can also do a spaced back stitch leaving a long stitch on the wrong side or do it pretty and make it look like a dot on both sides.  I recently did a workshop on hand stitching at work and will bring my book home this weekend to post up here.

In the near future I will try to post from the workshop, more comprehensive instructions on my caraco, roll hemming kerchiefs, and soon to start patterning and building my next pair of stays!

Hand Sewing Techniques

I'm going to try to cover some of the basic stitches and their uses.  There are so many other stitches and I really recommend purchasing Kannik's Lady's Guide to Plain Sewing books.  I'm mainly covering the types that I'm going to be mentioning a lot.  I noticed that one of the hardest things to find information on is what stitch is proper to use where.  I'll try to mention a few of the most common uses and they'll come up later in instructions.

One of the best tips I have gotten about 18th century hand sewing is that today we stitch a seam and open it up.  Back then, they would most often fold the seams then stitch.  I'll explain it more further on.

Running Stitch

The most basic of stitches.  Up, down, up, down.  That's it.  On average, there would be about 8-10 stitches per inch.  That depends mostly on how much work the seam will get.  If you're doing a side seam for a petticoat, you can run a little longer.  This can be used in open seams or as a basting stitch.  Yes, I did just say they folded then stitched, but some seams like petticoat sides or center back on some jackets couldn't be.  However, in both cases, I'd recommend a back stitch or a combination stitch for strength.

Back Stitch

Probably the most useful stitch to learn.  You come up a stitch length past your last stitch and then go down meeting with that last stitch.  It creates a very strong seam.  Again, about 8-10 per inch on average.  If you do a few running stitches, then one back stitch it's known as a combination stitch.  Combinations are great for petticoat side seams where you want speed and strength.  Back stitches can easily create open seams or lapped seams.  For lapped seams you spread out the stitch showing a short "prick" on the outside and a longer stitch inside.  Fold over the seam allowance on one piece and lay it on top of the other then stitch near the edge (1/8").  If you're doing a lined piece you can fold the outer layer on one side, lay it on both layers from the other side, stitch, then fold the last lining piece over to hide the edges.  I'll show examples when I get to jackets.  The spread out back stitch can also be used along edges to keep them from rolling, attach skirts on gowns, or stitch on trim and robings.

Point a Rabattre/whip stitch/plain hem

Whatever you call it, this stitch can be used just about anywhere.  You can use it to hem, roll edges, and stitch in linings.  I show two uses below, the first as a way to stitch a lining in at the edge and the second as a rolled edge.  I'll expand on the lining use at a later point.  Keep in mind this stitch is small as well, only showing a small prick on the outer side.  

If you roll two layers together and make sure to go through both on the prick stitch then it's a Mantua Maker's seam which is a fast way to seam and finish edges at the same time!  

If you do a back or running stitch with the two edges off set, fold over the allowance twice then whip it down to one side it's a flat felled seam.

There are many more combinations of these three stitches as there are many other stitches.  Again, I recommend the Lady's Guides.  They're inexpensive and probably the most useful books you will own if you want to hand stitch your clothing.  I'll be referencing the use of these stitches in all of my instructions.

Caraco 2

A new and better picture of my Caraco mock-up.  I added in the tabs and cuffs as well.

I think I'm going to alter the front piece slightly to get rid of the puckering under the arms, but it might just be the light-weight muslin not offering enough resistance.