period costuming.
I'll discuss my recent obsession with period costuming (in particular the Regency era -- think Jane Austen) under a cut, because I don't know if this will interest anyone at all!
I've long been interested in period costuming and historical fashions. It naturally follows my interest in history, after all! I've also long been in love with all things Jane Austen. AND, to top it all off, I will be visiting Bath and environs from 2nd-5th August whilst I am in the UK. What do you get when you combine all this?
A need to make a Regency gown, of course!
After a very, very small amount of research that mostly involved eyeballing a variety of different dresses from the period and recreations that claimed to be accurate, as well as possibly watching some costume dramas (the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice is one of my all-time favourite films, as is the 1995 version of Sense & Sensibility), I settled on Simplicity pattern 4055, view A (the short-sleeved on). All this research was very tedious and difficult, I assure you. It is almost the same as the pattern from this website -- Simplicity just computerized it -- which is quite historically accurate.
I've chosen a sage green cotton for the bodice and overskirt and an off-white/almost-beige cotton for the underskirt. As is typical for me, after buying the fabric nearly two weeks ago (almost as soon as I knew the trip to Bath was reality) and cutting the dress out the same night, I did nothing further until Tuesday. Tuesday, I merely started the bodice, realised I'd screwed up and sewn one of the side bodice pieces on backwards, and stopped. Wednesday, I knocked out the entire bodice, including the sleeves (I have not sewn sleeves since a t-shirt Mum and I made for me when I was about 8 -- I forgot how fiddly they could be!). Today (well, Thursday was technically yesterday), I finished the skirt -- lots of nice long straight seams, including two hems (I dislike hems -- well, pinning them, sewing them is okay). All that remains is to sew the skirt and bodice together and do the buttons! If it looks as good when it's all in one piece as it does right now in two pieces with raw edges and wrinkles everywhere, it will be awesome.
I think I've been officially bitten with the historical-costuming bug. It's been an interest for a while, but making this dress was a whole different ballgame. I think I'll suffer withdrawal after I finish it. I'm already plotting my next Regency gown -- either pale lavender or a deep rust/burnt orange. Maybe stripes. Maybe a different method of gathering on the bodice -- perhaps pleats rather than gathers in the skirt, if I can find an example of them in an extant garment.
And then, perhaps a Renaissance dress, or an Elizabethan dress. Maybe something from the Georgian era, or the Edwardian era. Victorian? 1940s? Medieval?
Yes, this could become a problem. And where would I wear these dresses? (The correct answer is in England, while visiting period-appropriate locations -- and I don't care if I get weird looks.)
I've long been interested in period costuming and historical fashions. It naturally follows my interest in history, after all! I've also long been in love with all things Jane Austen. AND, to top it all off, I will be visiting Bath and environs from 2nd-5th August whilst I am in the UK. What do you get when you combine all this?
A need to make a Regency gown, of course!
After a very, very small amount of research that mostly involved eyeballing a variety of different dresses from the period and recreations that claimed to be accurate, as well as possibly watching some costume dramas (the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice is one of my all-time favourite films, as is the 1995 version of Sense & Sensibility), I settled on Simplicity pattern 4055, view A (the short-sleeved on). All this research was very tedious and difficult, I assure you. It is almost the same as the pattern from this website -- Simplicity just computerized it -- which is quite historically accurate.
I've chosen a sage green cotton for the bodice and overskirt and an off-white/almost-beige cotton for the underskirt. As is typical for me, after buying the fabric nearly two weeks ago (almost as soon as I knew the trip to Bath was reality) and cutting the dress out the same night, I did nothing further until Tuesday. Tuesday, I merely started the bodice, realised I'd screwed up and sewn one of the side bodice pieces on backwards, and stopped. Wednesday, I knocked out the entire bodice, including the sleeves (I have not sewn sleeves since a t-shirt Mum and I made for me when I was about 8 -- I forgot how fiddly they could be!). Today (well, Thursday was technically yesterday), I finished the skirt -- lots of nice long straight seams, including two hems (I dislike hems -- well, pinning them, sewing them is okay). All that remains is to sew the skirt and bodice together and do the buttons! If it looks as good when it's all in one piece as it does right now in two pieces with raw edges and wrinkles everywhere, it will be awesome.
I think I've been officially bitten with the historical-costuming bug. It's been an interest for a while, but making this dress was a whole different ballgame. I think I'll suffer withdrawal after I finish it. I'm already plotting my next Regency gown -- either pale lavender or a deep rust/burnt orange. Maybe stripes. Maybe a different method of gathering on the bodice -- perhaps pleats rather than gathers in the skirt, if I can find an example of them in an extant garment.
And then, perhaps a Renaissance dress, or an Elizabethan dress. Maybe something from the Georgian era, or the Edwardian era. Victorian? 1940s? Medieval?
Yes, this could become a problem. And where would I wear these dresses? (The correct answer is in England, while visiting period-appropriate locations -- and I don't care if I get weird looks.)