Author: fashionthrougherstory

Re-make of the “Spring Anglaise”

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You know the dress that got rushed and didn’t turned out the way you liked?
Or maybe the fit wasn’t perfect, or the matching trim didn’t quite match after all.
Or maybe you just learned so much lately that what seamed pretty good to you before, just won’t cut it anymore?

We all got one (or more) dresses/costumes that we just can’t seem to love.

That’s exactly how I feel about my “Spring Anglaise“.

I love the fabric and the style, but for some reson I never cared much for the finished dress.
I’d say it is the styling combined with the fit that makes it look… of.. at least in these pictures.
But why don’t I love the dress itself then?

It’s for exactly this reason that it’s been sitting in my wardrobe un-loved and un-wanted for quite some time now.
I even thought about selling it, but decided I didn’t want to sell something I wasn’t completely happy about.

But then something happened.

It all started earlier this summer when I decided I wanted to attend a event, to which this dress would be perfect
– if only I could get it to work.

So I dug it out the closet, and gave it another try on.
Still not loving it… :-/

So I put it aside in favour for another dress I do like (the striped Anglaise/Turque), and which I’ve worn two times before.

But I couldn’t put it to rest completely, and a few days before the event I decided to see if I could fix it.

So I ripped the gown apart and started from scratch (sort of, since all pieces was already cut.)
After removing all (hand-stitched) seams I pressed the pieces flat with the new iron I got from my boyfriend for my birthday a month or so ago.   quite the difference

Even though the dress originally was completely hand stitched, I decided to use the machine this time since the few days I had was quickly running out.

I started by stitching together and tried on the lining (as you would a mock-up) to see what I could do to make it fit better.

It needed to be taken in a bit, and the under arm needed to be lowered, but other than that the fit was quite good.

This time I decided to baste a cotton interlining to the bodice pieces of the fashion fabric (instead of just to the lining as done before), and I think that made a huge difference in the way the pleats and fabric looked once stitched.

The pleating of the back was a bit tricky but, after some fiddeling I got it to lie nice and flat.

Then I stitched on the sleeves, added some boning at the center back and front, attached the skirt and rows of hooks and eyes for the clouser.

Lastly I re-pleated and attached the trimmings around the neckline and cuffs.

And then it was done (and I even had a *whole night to spare before the event) Worn with a white fichu, petticoat and cap as it would during the light party.

The finished dress:



Worn with the skirt down:

The facts:

What: Re-make of a 1780s Robe anglaise made from IKEA fabric/bedsheets.

Original blog posts: Construction and photoshoot

Additional fabrics and notions: 0,5 m of white cotton from stash and thread. Accessorized with a red velvet ribbon and a old brosch.

Additional costs: about 20 Sek for the cotton sheet

Time: 8 hours ro re-make

First worn: On August 26 (2017) at Ljung castle Light party

Final thoughts: I’m so happy I took the time to re-make this gown because I love how it looks now, and I feelt so pretty wearing it. Hopefully it will be worn several times more.

*That “whole night left” part wasn’t completely true since I also decided I wanted a Bergere hat, and needed to re-hem the petticoat. But the dress itself was finished one day before 🙂

Söderköpings Medieval Fair 2017

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It’s almost been a month since the yearly Medieval fair in Söderköping, and I just now gotten round to post about it, but better late then never right:-).

I’ve been attending this fair with my sister for a few years now (2014, 2015, 2016) and this year was no exception, only this year I didn’t joined the dance recital, but instead had my hand full taking care of my 1 year old son.

As always I had a bit of a trouble deciding on what to wear, but finally settled on the Elizabeth I dress l made last year.

My sister borrowed my red renaissance kirtle.

And baby Charlie wore the Henry VIII coat from last year, pared with an old red velvet hat to match.

I promised my fiancé I wouldn’t dress him to weird, and in my defence I can only say I (partially) held that promise. Besides from the coat and hat (which he needed for head covering), he wears a regular gray long sleeved t-shirt and pants pared with his autumn boots. 

*Disclaimer: This post will be full of cute (faceless) “Henry VII” baby pics – so consider yourself warned;-)

**I’m sorry about the “Floating ruff”, but the partlet was simply to hot to wear, and I’ve forgotten to bring my necklace and/or black-worked smock, so I figured it was better then nothing… :-/

We begun the day by touring the market place.
And I got a beautiful feather fan, and a book about medieval clothing that I’ve never seen before.

Then we walked the 500m or so to the camp and Medieval playground.
 There was a lot of “follow the toddler” happening.

Then we meet up with the dancing team and baby C got introduced to the whole gang for te first time.

My sister joined the dancing

And me and C watched(At least for a little while), then he was of agin… I do think we made for quite a sight.
Lots of people commented on how cute he looked, and some even wanted our picture.

After the dancing we went to get some food, and encountered the knights on our way to the restaurant.After lunch we stopped to take a break and to play a bit in the parks playground.  The slide is by far his favourite.
The we did even more exploring the townHa ha, I love that my sister tries to play with him and how he’s much more interesting in the gravel:-D  Trying to get some nice photos together… It’s harder then you’d think
Before we headed home we took another round of the market and listened to some music, Met a knight of the crusades  and looked at some more pretty things (that we didn’t buy). Renaissance ladies.
 It was such a fun day, and a perfect “first event” for C (who was in the best of moods during the day, and then slept the whole car ride home). What more could you wish for 🙂

Long lasting Robe a La Franchaise – Photoshoot

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Once the Robe a la Francaise finally was finished, I couldn’t wait to get it photographed. So I asked my sister to help me take some pic (on one of the windiest day no doubt).

I’m wearing the newly finished Robe Francaise, over matching petticoat, regular petticoat, Panniers, Stays, chemise, stockings, “Kensington” American Duchess shoes, a masquerade wig, pearl bracelet and a lace fan.

Inspiration Me and Madame Pompadour
Pictures by: Elin Evaldsdotter 

A video of the dress in motion (viwes best without sound)

And a bonus one where I’m “Bounching” and busting a pin in the stomacher

Long lasting Robe a La Francaise – Construction

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When I started this project back in 2014 I never thought it would take this long to get it done, (then, a bit later I thought I would never finish) But here it finally is, My long awaited Robe a la Francaise.

As mentioned this project took it’s sweet time to get finished, and it all started with this:
A pink/flower/striped polyester satin found in the bargain bin at my local fabric store.
I immediately though it would be perfect for a Francaise, and bought the while bolt (8-9m)

Then it rested a while in my stash while I finished some other projects and gathered the courage to actually get on with it.

The intention was to make something like these

The project then started in 2014 when I made my 18th century long stays, and then cut into the fabric to make the skirt/petticoat for the dress.The first version of this petticoat paired with my (then) newly made stays.

In jan 2015 I continued the project by making my “Panniers of pain” (and getting started on the actual robe)

Along the way the petticoat have evolved a bit and here is the final result after some additional tweaking of the hip-pleats, hem and adding of some decoration.

In January 2015 I started on the robe by drafting the pattern, making the mock-up and cutting the fabric.

I spent so manny hours hand-stitching the pieces, draping the pleats, adding the lining, and making the lacing holes, that I eventually tried of the whole thing.
(the curse of the creative – always got to move on to new exiting things).

Then, in Jan 2017 I picked them up again, and continued by adding the sleeves, and making (and adding) all the trimmings.
 The firs try on after 2 years (and 1 baby) – and it fits like a glove :-D.

But then I got stuck on how to best solve the tapering of the sleeve flounce, and since I no longer felt the excitement over neither the fabric nor the gown itself the project once more went back in the closet.

Unfortunately all y pictures from the construction (from 3 years past) got lost in a computer crash in mars, (It wasn’t even the damn computer that crashed – but the extern memory/safety backup where I kept all the old pictures:-( – how is that even possible) and all I got left are these who happened to be on my phone.

In June, however, my interest returned when I found this picture:

“Portrait of a lady” (thought to be Madame de Pompadour) by François-Hubert Drouais

Whoa!
So close!

And once more the excitement came rushing back.

So I spent a few more hours finishing the lace flounces and decorating the stomacher, and that was that.

The Finished Francaise:

Just the facts:

Challenge: nr 8/2017 – Ridiculous
 – Fashion is sometimes a little silly, and historical fashions can look particularly odd. Make something that was considered outrageous in its own time, or is just utterly ridiculous to modern eyes.

What: A 1760s Robe a la Francaise

How it fit the challenge: The special shape of the Robe Francaise, with its wide hips/panniers and full back pleats makes it instantly recognizable for the modern viewer as a piece from one of the most exaggerated part of history. Both the shape and the “fru fru” trimmings are cause for ridicule and head-scratching in our time, even if it was a more common and sought after sight back in the 18th century.

Pattern: I draped my own based on drawings from Waughs “Cut of Womens Clothes” and Arnolds “Pattern of Fashion”

Fabric: 6-7 m of a thick flowery/striped polyester satin, 0,5 m cotton twill for interlining and 0,5m white cotton for lining.

Notion: Thread, 2 m cotton cord for lacing, 3 m plastic bones for back opening and stomacher, about 20m of thin cotton lace for the trimming, 5 m of 15 cm whide cotton lace fro the sleeve ruffles and 5 buttons for decoration on the stomacher.

How historical accurate: So so. The fabric are polyester (should have been silk), the pattern and construction method are ok since its draped for my (corseted) body and entirely hand sewn. The print on the fabric is a bit to modern, but as shown in the above portrait not to far of. The business of the design/print are totally accurate even though it may seem a bit over the top for our modern sensibilities. I’ll give it a 7/10

Time: Waaay to long… I started this project in the autumn 2014, the again winter 2014/2015, and again winter 2016/2017 and only now (summer 2017) got around to finish it. I spend somewhere between 100-150 hours on the dress.

Cost: Not sure but I’ll guesstimate about 600 Sek (75Usd).

First worn: For photos in late July

Final thoughts: I’m so happy that it is finished! And even though there is some things I liked to have made differently I think it is spectacular, and it’s so fun to wear.

***

For this project I alos made a Masquerade wig to match my gown.

It’s made from a re-styled and powdered halloween wig.

The finished wig:
 pic from before the photoshoot

“Jane” A Regency Daydress – Construction Part 2

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The second part of “Romantic Recollections” Regency challenge was to add embroidery to the piece I just made.
But since I’m a total beginner at embroidery I decided to not risk my new gown but instead make a reticule to decorate.

My inspiration

For the design I turned to my book about 18th century Embroidery. 

I used a design element from a original pair of stays but changed the style from metalwork to silk embroidery.   My design sketch based on the drawing from the book.

It took me two nights but once the embroidery was complete I pressed them to circles of stiff fusible interlining.  Then I stitched the bag from a long strip of satin, gathered it to the circles. The lining was made a lot smaller and in regular cotton sheeting. I made a channel at the top and added ribbons for straps.  Although the bag turned out nice, the proportions are all wrong, and it’s way to big. So after I took some pictures of it, I took it in quite a bit to make it better.

***

To finish the look (from Janet Arnolds book) I also needed something I’ve been planing to make, but never taken the time for before – a Chemisette.

So now was the time 🙂

Using the pattern diagram and pictures from Arnolds Book I quickly cut and stitched the chemisette.  This pic is from Bradfields “Costume close-up”

The thing that had me thinking the most was the “Mushroom-pleated” collar, something I knew I would not be able to do with my cotton lawn and limited time. So i opted for a simple gathering to the neckband instead.

I cut the three layers of Ruches in different lengths, and pinked the hems.

The Finished Chemisette:   And the collar “Puffed”:   Worn with the dress: 

“Janet” A Regency Daydress – Construction

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In may I heard that “Romantic Recollection” Started a Regency challenge where you were to make something from the Regency period and then embellish it with some kind of embroidery during the course of may-June.

And as I’m always up for challenges and reasons to try new things I decided to join.

After some thoughts I decided to push myself to make a dess i’ve been thinking about for quite some time but never goten round to make.

The 1800s Apron/dropfront daydress from the Snowhill Manor Collection and Janet Arnolds “Pattern of Fashion” (thats also where this dress got its name).  love the detailed drawings of it’s construction and the enlarged detail of the fabric pattern made me think of something I my stash. Remember this fabric?I’ts what I used for my 1825s Biedemier ball gown

You might aslo recall my disappointment when discovering the back of the bedsheet was white instead of purple.Something that turned out just perfect for this dress 😀

After carefully cutting the les then 2 m of fabric, I started by stitching the pin-tucks on the front flap. 

Then I assembled the bodice and stitched it to the skirt. With the front down.

Then I stitched together the sleeves and added them to the dress.  lastly I made and attached strips of fabric for tying and a small pad for the back to hold out the skirt

The finished dress:   

Just the facts:

Challenge: Romantic Recollections “Regency summer challenge”

What: a 1798 – 1800s Regency dress

Pattern: I used a mixture of “Simplicity …” and my own draft based on Arnolds pattern diagram för the Snowhill Manor daydress.

Fabric & notions: 1/5 a beedsheet, 0.5 m white cotton and thread.

How historical accurate: Pretty good. The print’s not period but the fabric and the look of it is good, and even though it made mostly by machine all the finishing are made by hand. So maybe 8/10.

Time & cost: About 10 hours and 100 Sek (10 Usd)

Final thoughts: I really like this dress  and it makes me quite happy. The only thing I would change is to fix the front slits which now stands away a little from the body.

1920s Sparkling Evening Gown (HSM 6/2017)

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Since my first planes for the HSM nr 6/2017 fell through, I needed to think of something else to make.
Stuck in the 1920s as I where, I quickly decided to use on of my old fabrics (you know the ones you bough really Loooong ago, when you were “young” and foolishly though everything poly and shiny was pretty).I still think this fabrics pretty, sort of, but now I’m all to aware that sequined polyester lace was not a 1920s thing.

Anyhow I figure if I ever’s gona use it now might be the time.

Unfortunately I only had about 1 m.

Not enough for a dress – how small the 20s fashion ever might be compared to my usual stuff.

Hm, how to get that little amount of fabric to cover the body?

By making really low necklines and short hemes of course.

like the V-necks in this fashion plate or the pattern from “Waughs Cut of Womens clothes”

So I though of the brilliant idea to cut the lace in half almost at the bias to create the triangular pieces that would make up the bodice. only trouble was I forgot to mirror the pieces for the second cut – which of course left me with 4 identical trapezes pieces of fabric (and not 2 left and 2 right which I needed).

Crap!

I had absolutely no fabric left, not even scraps, so I experimented with using the wrong side of the fabric for two of the pieces.
No, that would not work, neither esthetically or functionally, since the sequins would snatch hold on the lining or underdress.

So I decided to try to fix my mistake by also cutting the pieces the correct way. Which ment they would need to be mended back together form the first cut. This resulted in slightly smaller pattern pieces and a mend that would hopefully not be this obvious with selveges cut down and worn over a underdress.

I experimented on my dressform to get the sizing right and cut and stitched as I went along, deciding on a knot for the front to make it easy to adjust and to create some interest in the otherwise simple design.    I also found the perfect little dress (on sale) to use as a slip.The dress worn open.

The Finished dress:

Just the facts:

Challenge: 2017 nr 6 – Metallics – make something in silver, gold, bronze, and copper, whether it be an actual metal, cloth of gold or silver, or lamé.

What: a 1920s silvery palette party gown

Pattern: None – I just cut and stitched

Fabric & Notions: 1,5m of white/silver palette lace in polyester and sewing thread.

How historical accurate: Not at all. Maybe the silhouette would be passable but it lacks lots of the refinement the dresses of the time possessed. i’ll give it a 3/10.

Time: About 6 hours (most of which I spent scratching my head and cursing, wanting to trash the damn thing).

Cost: About 50 Sek (5 Usd), found the fabric in the clearance bin several years ago.

First worn: Beginning of July for photos.

Final thoughts: I can’t say I’m particular happy about this dress. The dress itself are fine, but the road to make it was only trouble and the fit is strange on me (it requires a smaller figure). But I am glad I pushed through and finished it despite everything, then again I’ll be reminded of it every time i find some more lost sequins in my home (which will probably be for several more years)