madamemodiste | Entries tagged with 1890's

Here is the moodboard I created for this project. Remember I decided to scrap the satin taffeta for velvet lapels instead. And here is the finished gown:

I hear there is an mourning art exhibit near my house, and an open house on Saturday. I want to wear this to the event, though I suspect no one would have worn moire bengaline as a half mourning fabric, that's what I had in the stash! Yes, I took creative liberty again.

Current Mood: hungry

Didn't get anything done Sunday or Monday. Today I have been working on the lace inset collar. What a pain in the butt! Might be the fact that I'm on antibiotics as of today for a sinus infection and feeling really run down, but what a crazy, fiddly contraption! I think this thing will be finished tomorrow. Maybe tonight.

Current Mood: drained

Went out last night and had cocktails, so I wasn't productive today. It was nice to hang out on the couch with J and watch tv. I hand sewed the poly horsehair braid to the inside of the hem of the 1895 Walking Suit skirt. It hangs beautifully now!

Current Mood: tired

More for personal reference

Today I got back to the 1895 walking suit. Made the lapels twice as I screwed them up at the last minute. Once done, I got the velvet collar and lapels on. Then I made the center front faux blouse. I discovered that using such a stiff lace wasn't the greatest choice because of the gathering that is involved, but I made it work. Wished I had white hook and eye tape as I looked at all the hooks and eyes I need to sew on. Considering ordering some. At that point, it was 5pm and I knew I'd never finish the suit to wear tonight, so I picked up a side project: pvc short sleeved shrug.

got pieces cut out, sewn together, sleeves made (and one made twice when a pin got jammed under the needle, putting a big hole in the fabric. Opps!) and sewn on. Stopped at 7pm to start cleaning as I think J's friend is coming to the club with us tonight.

Once again, neither project finished to wear tonight. Costume fail.

Current Mood: good

Hrm...let's see. Last weekend I interlined the giant pouf part of the sleeve in black organza instead of net so it's not so scratchy at the armhole, since this jacket does not call for a lining. I find it odd that this jacket is faced instead of lined. I wonder what the original called for? Doubt I'll ever know! Anyway, then I did the gathering stitches and attached the pouf part to the lower sleeve. Then Monday I pulled a muscle in my arm and was barely able to brush my teeth let alone sew, so had to take a few days off.

Back to the sleeves yesterday! I prepared the sleeve stays and attached them to each sleeve. Two giant 1895 sleeves completed and ready for setting! I successfully set them and then made the back outer collar. At that point, the husband came home and wanted to hang out, so I put the project away for the evening.

Movie in the DVD player: Shakespeare In Love

Current Mood: good

Last month I started an 1890's walking suit. If you forget, GO HERE to see the entry complete with pattern and fabrics. I've made a change to the fabrics, though. Instead of doing the lapels and collar facing in black satin taffeta, I'm doing it in black cotton velveteen.

I finished the skirt a few weeks ago, but turns out I hemmed it on the wrong height setting on my mannequin, and it was too long. Doh! So today I fixed that. I am the WORST hemmer in the world, so please, I beg you, ignore the hem when I post photos. It's really bad. One of the reasons I don't do commissions! I also started adding a strip of polyester horsehair braid to the hem so it would sit right. I ran out before I finished, so that will have to wait.

Over the past few weeks I have been slooowly cutting out the pieces to the bodice. Some I had to cut 6 of, so this has been taking a while as I lose interest in cutting very easily. For my own reference, I'm going to list what I got done.

Sunday: Finished cutting out lining, made markings, made double layer interlining with boning (where applicable), flatlined to fashion fabric, sewed all bengaline bodice pieces together, pinned and sewed on black velvet ribbon trim. Movie in DVD player: Middlemarch

Progress photo:

Monday: Sewed together jacket hem facing and attached to jacket, flatlined sleeve pieces, sewed together, turned under for hem (hand sewn), and made sleeve vent (slightly incorrectly, but it works/ also hand sewn). Fixed skirt hem and began pinning on horsehair braid. Movie in DVD player: The Way We Live Now

Current Mood: accomplished

I made this using Comic Life. It's a moodboard for my 1895 half mourning suit

Of course I spent half the morning playing around with that instead of working on the suit. Opps.

Current Mood: accomplished

I hit a wall with my purple NF gown. Just didn't feel like working on it for a while, I guess, and became enamoured with 4 yards of a black moire bengaline in my Stash that I got for $1/yd at a closeout sale earlier this year.

Realizing I really like to wear a particular skirt in my wardrobe, I decided that it made sense to make it again out of the moire bengaline. I am currently making the skirt from Simplicity 4156 (1895 suit) without the triangle appliques. The front seams will be covered with 3/4" black velvet ribbon. I then ordered 4 more yards of the fabric so I could make the matching jacket (which is a reproduction from a fashion plate, by the way. See cover of Stella Blum's "Paris Fashion of the 1890's"). So this will be an 1890's half-mourning suit even though I know the fabric is inappropriate ;P And I need to make the matching hat from the fashion plate!

Current Mood: good

The following article from the London Times on Feb 16, 1896 forecasts the Fall of the Big Sleeves! Oh no!! I'm out of fashion already!

Anyway, I did the second sleeve today, so now we have two Lamb Chops! OMG, this gown is going to make me look very regal and important!! That is, if you can find my head around my gigantic sleeves!!

Current Mood: accomplished

I need an icon for huge sleeves!

Here is the sleeve before it was gathered and sewn to the sleeve stay. It covered an entire 2-seater bench!!

Then here is Lamb Chop just pinned to the dressform. I wanted to see how it looked. I LOVE it!!

Current Mood: accomplished

This project is slow in getting done. I'm not super motivated, and I have school, so it's going along slower than usual.

Anyway, I've been grapling with the lace detail in the front. No matter how I drape it, I'm not thrilled. Thought I'd move on to something else and come back to it. I chose the sleeves.

*insert maniacal laughter here*

You know I had to have an enormous sleeve battle since the last two sets of sleeves I did came out fine. 1890's ballgown sleeves are not the simplest things to construct. Especially when you are following Big 3 directions! The sleeves kicked my ass all afternoon. No matter how I pinned, it was wrong. My gathering thread kept breaking. Took a break to do homework, and came back refreshed from reading Modernist poetry (Ok, the poetry put me to sleep and I got a nap out of it, hence being refreshed). This time, I got it! I completed ONE sleeve. It. Is. HUGE. I have named it "Lamb Chop". Tomorrow maybe Lamb Chop will get a twin.

Current Mood: tired

I have all this black satin taffeta and black lace in my stash, and it needs to be something!! I've decided it needs to be an 1890's ballgown!

image courtesy of vintagevictorian.com

Simplicity put out a ballgown pattern (#4078) that is very obviously based on this gown, and I have it in my stash. It's meant to be!

So, I have the 18th century corset, the striped gown project (Alas, no one guessed it! It's the Tissot-inspired gown from "The Buccaneers"), and now this.

I finished it last night aside from some trim I don't have in The Stash, and finishing the hems on the bottom front points.

So imagine the revers have lace trim and that there is a wide black satin ribbon closure at the top!

Also, for those interested, here is a picture of the original cape that inspired me:

( CLICK HERE TO SEE )

Current Mood: good

I watched Marie Antoinette and The Women while I made this skirt. Of course, one must stop often to see the movies!

( CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST )

Current Mood: accomplished

I decided to begin a sewing journal for those who like to read about my sewing but don't have much interest in reading about that dinner party I went to last night. This will be 100% sewing and crafts. I can post 14 times in one day and not worry about annoying my non-crafty friends.

If you want to see a general view of what I have made in the past, SEE HERE

So welcome to my new journal!

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I have promised myself I am going to make the 1890's pinstripe skirt today. Yup, finish it with a waistband and everything. From my other journal, you know that I cut all the fabric out yesterday, so it shouldn't be a big deal to make it, especially since I have decided not to line it!

I hope to have some pics up later.

At the moment, I have taken apart the vacuum because it needed to be cleaned out. When you have 5 cats (very recently, down to 4), it gets gunked up pretty quickly. I had wanted to vacuum the sewing area before I began, but oh well. It'll have to wait.

Until later...