Early Regency Dress - Indian Silk Sari

Patterns: I used a combination of the robe and underdress patterns for the 1795 woman's ensemble in Evolution of Fashion: Pattern and Cut from 1066 - 1930, by Margot Hill and Peter Bucknell. The underdress is sleeveless, but I used the robe sleeves with some alterations.

Available on Etsy HERE

Fabric: 100% silk, lightweight, taken from a vintage Indian sari. Total fabric used was 5.6 yards at 44" wide.

Measurements:
*This dress has drawstring closures at the neckline and waist in both the back and front, making it very accommodating to variations in bust and under-bust sizes. 
Chest: 37-41" (39" shown in the pictures)
Underbust: Practically OS (35" shown in the pictures)
Hem: 43" from under-bust.
Bicep: 13" max
Sleeve length: 14" from top of armhole seam.
Shoulder strap (stationary, ungathered area): 10" from back shoulder seam to beginning of front gathered neckline.
Shoulder strap width: 3"

1860s Bolero Jacket Set - Pink & Brown

Patterns: Truly Victorian #441 - Garibaldi Blouse
           Truly Victorian #440 - Pagoda bodice (sleeves only)
           Truly Victorian #444 - Spanish Jacket (bodice only)

Fabrics: 100% cotton gauze for the blouse and sash, dark brown. The skirt and jacket are 100% cotton calico in a dark pink and brown pattern.

Measurements:
Chest: 44" max
Waist: 35"
Hip: Free
Hem: 43"

1894 Navy Wool Blouse Set

Patterns: Skirt is Butterick 3418. Blouse is a combination of Truly Victorian 494, Truly Victorian 495 - view 3, and my own alterations.

Fabric: Medium weight 80/20 blend wool, plain weave. Lining is white cotton.

Available on Etsy HERE

Measurements:
Chest: 44"
Waist: 36"
Hip: <52"
Hem: 41" at front, 43" at back.

1500 Images of My Past Work!

I've learned that once you've been on the internet long enough, it becomes like a closet in the real world. You start stumbling across old things you forgot you bought or did. I completely forgot about my old Flickr account. I stopped updating it once I decided a blog was more what I needed, as opposed to a simple image dump.

More than 1500 images of my past work, mostly Victorian, but including pieces from many time periods. Take a look! I am slowly, but surely, downloading the photos to my new computer. I thought most of them were lost forever when my old computer died.

The Antique Sewist - Flickr Page

1750s Casaquin Jacket - Yellow & Blue Brocade

Pattern: Diagram XXX from The Cut of Women's Clothes, used as a base, but with the front altered to use a stomacher.
Previous Use: Yes. I've finally perfectly my drafting of this pattern, after months of tweaking and reshaping to accommodate modern figures. The original pattern is very petite, with the torso length being incredibly short. You can see the progress of my use of this pattern with the following posts:
Casaquin Jacket - Purple and Green Silk
1760s Casaquin - Brown Silk and Winged Cuffs
1750s Casaquin Jacket - Blue Floral Cotton

Measurements:
Chest: 34-36"
Waist: 26-28"
Back Width: 12.5"
Bicep: 13.5"
Hem: 37" at front, 40" at back.

1750s Casaquin Jacket - Blue Floral Cotton

Pattern: Diagram XXX from The Cut of Women's Clothes, by Norah Waugh, used as a base.
Previous Use?: Yes. I have made this same jacket style using the same pattern before when I made the Brown Taffeta Casaquin. The sizing is the same as well (I have yet to draft out this pattern into a larger size).

Measurements:
Chest: 34-36"
Waist: 26-28"
Hip: Free
Bicep: 13" Max
Back Width (between armhole seams): 12.5"
Hem: 37" at front, 40" at back (cut for bumroll).

Wingeo Regency Era Pelisse & Spencer WN255

Pattern: Wingeo (WN255) "1795 -1825 Regency Era Pelisse & Spencer"
Fabric: Faux silk moire, rayon, in a sea-green color. The dress is 100% cotton with matching bands of the moire on the hem.
Construction: Hand stitched. Spencer lining is assembled, then used as a "foundation" for the jacket to be built upon.

Available on Etsy HERE

Measurements: *as taken on the dress form shown
Chest - 45"
Underbust: 41"
Cup Size - Large C to DD
Hem - 45" from underbust at front
Upper Arm - 14" circumference

Tailor's Guide TG129 - Ladies' Two Jackets

Pattern: Tailor's Guide #129, "Ladies' Two Jackets: Styles 1770-1785". With alterations to the center front closure. This jacket is based on that features in Costume Closeup, from the Snowshill Collection.
Fabrics: 100% cotton, blue damask on white. 100% linen for lining, white.
Alterations?: Yes, to the center front closure only. All other pieces are true to the pattern shapes.

For Sale on Etsy HERE

Measurements: As taken on the dress form shown.
The lacing front closure allows a range of fit above and below these numbers.
Chest - 38"
Waist - 32.5"
Hip - Free
Hem - 38" at front, 41" at back (bum roll)
Back Width - 15" relaxed fit
Bicep - 15" max, relaxed fit.
Back Length: 15" from base of neck to waist.

Construction Methods: 100% hand stitched. Lapped seams, whip stitching, etc.. Edge stitching done in "le point a rabattre sous la main". It seems cumbersome, but the English translation is roughly "Point to the fold under the hand". Yeah...not much better, lol. 

Truly Victorian #170 "Victorian Petticoats"

Pattern: Truly Victorian #170, Victorian Petticoats. View 1, early bustle era. Fullest version.
Fabric: Two-tone taffeta, red-green, polyester/rayon blend. Not historically accurate, but at roughly $25 a yard for real silk of a similar weight, I wasn't interested in spending $125 on fabric alone for this ;) LOL

Measurements:
I made the largest size, which according to the pattern comfortably fits waists between 38" and 40".

Truly Victorian #170, View 1, shown over large pillow bustle.

1755 Waistcoat - Margot Hill Pattern

Pattern: 1755 Men's Waistcoat, The Evolution of Fashion, by Margot Hill and Peter
Fabric: 100% silk taffeta, dark brown. Back lining is double layer cotton osnaburg. Front section lining is plain weave cotton and taffeta facings.
Construction: Hand stitched using period methods, including the "Weird running whip-stitch thingy" (this method has a French name, but darned if I can't remember it right now)

Measurements:
With back lacing fully closed
Chest: 40"
Waist: 36"

Note on Photos: I don't have a male display form, so I'm forced to improvise by using a small female dress form and then stuffing it with poly-fill, LOL. Not the best, but it's what I have at the moment. 

1760s Casaquin - Brown Silk & Winged Cuffs

Pattern: Started with the "1760 Jacket" Diagram XXX, from Norah Waugh's The Cut of Women's Clothes, with heavy alterations. Cuffs, stomacher, and petticoat are self drafted.
Fabric: 100% Silk taffeta, Dark Chocolate Brown, for the jacket. Brick red linen/cotton blend for the stomacher and petticoat. Jacket lining is tan ramie linen, also called grass linen.

SOLDAvailable on Etsy HERE

Measurements:
Chest: 34" - 35.5"
Waist: 26 - 27.5"
Hip: Free
Hem: 40" at front, increasing to 43" at back (should be worn over a bumroll)
Back Width: 13"
Bicep: 13" max
Shoulders: 16"

1760s Casaquin Jacket with large Winged Cuffs

Tailor's Guide Riding Habit - Brown Silk Taffeta

Pattern: Tailor's Guide "Riding Habit", with alterations.
Fabric: 100% silk taffeta, dark brown (not blue. Damn camera...). Lining is done in a ramie linen (grass linen) and Tencel blend.

SOLDAvailable on Etsy HERE

Measurements:
Chest - 36.5"
Waist - 31"
Hip: Free
Hem: 40" at front, 43" at back (cut for bumroll)
Back Width: 14"
Bicep: 15" max
Sleeve: 22" from top of armhole seam to cuff

 So continues my ongoing battle against photography ignorance. Ugh! Every time I take pictures out doors, I can't seem to get the colors to show true. The picture below, taken indoors, is a much better representation of the true colors. Antique gold trims with dark chocolate brown silk. The outdoor pictures are skewed blue, for some damn reason, and I could not get them to correct =/

1775 Orange Stripe Caraco - Pet-en-l'air Style

Patterns: J.P Ryan "Pet-en-l'air" pattern, altered.
Fabrics: 100% Cotton; cream with orange and dark grey stripes. Cotton osnaburg lining.

Available on Etsy HERE

Measurements:
Chest: 38-41
Waist: 33 - 36
Upper arm: <14.5"

Construction Details:
Hand stitched in all visible areas. I only used machine stitching on inside seams. Also handmade eyelets for the front lining lacing.
The ruching on the stomacher has scalloped cut edges.
Lining has size adjustment options at center front and center back. The front laces closed and the center back has ties.

1880s Black Evening Gown - Asymmetrical

Era: Victorian, Late Bustle, 1883-1890
Patterns: Truly Victorian #261 Skirt, #382 "Add-On", and #460 Bodice (altered)
Fabric: Faux-silk faille, 100% polyester. Sleeves are black chiffon with black velvet flocking.

Measurements:
Chest: 43" max.
Waist: 34"
Back Width: 15" max
Sleeve Length: 15" from shoulder to end of cuff.
Hem: 40" at front, 44" at back.

This dress consists of 4 separate parts: Bodice, Skirt, Over-skirt, and Fichu (scarf). The fabric is a polyester/rayon blend done in imitation of a very small rib silk faille. The bodice is fully interfaced in cotton, lined in black cotton, and has 8 bones on the seams and front darts. The neckline is low and wide, suitable to evening, but the a fichu of matching fabric to the sleeves can fill in the neckline for day time wear.

The over-skirt is originally intended to be an add-on to the skirt, but I gave it a separate waistband so the skirt can be worn alone, if designed, or pieces can be mixed and matched with other garments. I'm not a fan of compound skirts with a lot of things all attached together, because they are difficult to wash, iron, and store properly. 

1887 Paisley Print Day Dress

Patterns: Truly Victorian #261 Skirt, Truly Victorian #367 Cascade OverSkirt, Truly Victorian #460 Bodice (altered).
Fabrics: 100% cotton, printed in a paisley design of red, gold, tan, black, and grey (It's a pretty complex printing). Black broadcloth for overskirt and bodice cuffs.

Available on Etsy HERE

Meausrements:
Chest - 45"
Waist - 36"
Hem - 38.8" at front. 43.5" at back (cut for large bustle)
Back Width - 16"
Bicep - 16"
Neck - 17" max.

1872 Summer Dress - Plaid Cotton

Patterns: None. Self drafting for all pieces
Fabric: Lightweight 100% Cotton. Black, goldenrod, and white, all with a cross-weave of white (which has the effect of making the black look speckled and the goldenrod lighter in areas)

Measurements:
Chest: 42-44" (Padding and/or under-breast padding was common at this time)
Waist: 34"
Hip: <50"
Hem: 38" at front. 43" at back.

Available on Etsy HERE

~Features~
This is an early 1870s day/evening dress suitable to the harsh summer heat. Contrary to the accepted norms of 19th century dress, ladies did wear short sleeves bodices in the summer heat, especially in the deep south and out West. This is backed up by extant pieces as well as some private photography from the era showing ladies in short sleeve dresses that were clearly not evening gowns.

This dress comes with a matching fichu that fills in the bodice and covers the shoulders for day wear, but is then removed to leave the shoulders and chest bare for evening wear.

1910s, WWI Plaid Silk Dress Set - Blouse & Skirt

Patterns: Truly Victorian TVE30 " 1911 Narrow Panel Skirt ", and Truly Victorian TVE45 " 1911 Narrow Panel Blouse ".
Fabrics: 100% silk, Dupioni with a very low slub and grain. Plaid in shades of black, brown, and gold. Skirt lining is gray broadcloth. The blouse is unlined.

Available on Etsy HERE

Pattern Review: HIGHLY recommend both patterns. Both are very simply and go together quickly. You will most likely have to do fitting alterations on the skirt simply because it's such a close-fitting design, but other than that both are excellent. For the blouse, the shoulders have a tendency to slip to the side if the blouse isn't firmly tucked in and thus pulled down against the shoulders, but that's how it should be worn anyway, lol.

Measurements:
Chest: 40" (Padding was typical of this era, to create to pigeon breast effect)
Waist: 30"
Hip: 40"
Hem: 40"
**A long, 1910s style corset is recommended, but not necessary.
Sleeves: Full length, 21" front shoulder point.

1780 "Zone Front" Pierrot Jacket - Pink & Green

Pattern: None. My own drafting.
Fabric: Pink silk/cotton blend faille, medium weight (70%silk, 30% cotton). Green cotton jacquard. 100% cotton gauze for petticoat.

Available on Etsy HERE
SOLD

Measurements:
Chest - 40/41"
Waist - 34"
Hip - Free
Hem - 40" at front, 42" at sides, 43.5" at back
Back width: 13.5"

1770s Work "Seersucker" Caraco Jacket - Blue & Red Stripe

Pattern: I draped this pattern myself, though I did take the sleeves from one of the Anglaise dresses shown in The Cut of Women's clothes. 
Fabric: 100% cotton, uncommon seersucker weave. There is much to discuss about this fabric choice, as seersucker is often dismissed as a purely 20th century fabric that did not enter fashion until the 1910s. The weave is actually much older and has documentation in Europe and the American colonies as early as 1694

Available on Etsy HERE

Measurements:
Chest - 38"
Waist - 32"
Hip - Free
Hem - 36" at front, 38 at sides, 39.5" at back (suited to medium or large bum roll)
Back width - 12" (armhole to armhole)

1885 Blue & Black Stripe Suit

Patterns: Truly Victorian 460 Bodice (altered), TV #364 Overskirt, TV #261 Skirt, TV #104 Collars/Chemisettes
Fabric: Navy blue with black herringbone stripe, smooth faux silk. Bodice lining is yellow satin.

Available on Etsy HERE

Measurements (as shown in photos):
Chest - 43"
Waist - 35"
Hip - <50"
Hem: 40" at front
Back width: 16"
Sleeve - 22.5"
Neck (chemisette) - 15"

**This dress is show over a crescent pillow bustle of my own design. 

1885 Yellow & Black Plaid Suit

Patterns: Truly Victorian 460 (heavily altered), with folding collar taken from Truly Victorian 428. Skirt is Truly Victorian 261, with the back panel flipped so that the curve it at the top waistband and the hem is straight.
Fabric: Silk/cotton blend, though I can't be certain. I'm certain it is mostly silk, with the second fiber being something natural. The burn tests were non-melting, grey ash with the scent of burning hair, which matches silk.

Available on Etsy HERE

Measurements:
Chest - 43" max
Waist - 34" max
Hip - 50" max
Hem - 40" at front
Back Width - 16"

 

The black satin portion is a plastron with a full collar and ties securing it around the waist and underbust.

Hood & Capelet. Update on the FOTGA pattern - Black linen & Paisley

Pattern: My own redraft of the Cashmere hood taken from Fashions of the Gilded Age: Vol. II (see previous post about the original pattern)
Fabric: 100% linen, heavy weight. 100% cotton lining, paisley print. Interlining is cotton flannel.
**Care notes: Machine washable. Hang dry or tumble dry with low heat. 
Measurements:
Essentially one-size-fits all, though a very small wearer might find the neckline too large. The capelet is cut as a true circle, so it will lay over any shoulder width.

Available on Etsy HERE

Construction Features:
The capelet hem is hand bound in matching linen, no visible stitches.
The hood and capelet linings are hand whip-stitched at the neckline.
Hidden snaps secure down the point of the hood and the front folds on the hood opening.
The point of the hood is decorated with two black faux-fur balls.

The pointed hood is held down with a small snap that can be undone when the hood is lowered or i the wearer wants the pointed look =)