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.