Early Teens Underthings

Huzzah!  There's another HSF challenge that I can do!  Here's my submission for #23: Gratitude.  It's an early 1910's chemise.  Who am I grateful to?  Lauren from Wearing History for her totally fab tutorial on lace insertion!

For the pictures, I decided to wear a black tank top under the chemise (a) so that my grandmother can read this blog, and (b) to make the insertion and tucks easier to see.

The Challenge: #23: Gratitude

Fabric: 100% cotton

Pattern: Past Patterns 9206: Ladies' and Misses' Dart-Fitted Princess Slip: Circa 1910-1912.  I made the knee-length version, and didn't sew the darts to make it a chemise, rather than a slip.

Year: 1910-1913

Notions: Thread, lace, self bias-tape to attach the ruffle

How historically accurate is it? I think it's pretty gosh darn accurate except for my not-so-straight tucks.  It's also a bit light on silly frills; I'll just be a middle-class Edwardian

Hours to complete: 4

First worn: This photoshoot, not sure when I'll get around to wearing it in front of actual humans

Total cost: Fabric: $9.00, lace: $12.00

I made the corset back in the summer, so it doesn't qualify for the HSF, but I wanted to give credit to Jo at Bridges on the Body, for hosting the 1911 corset sew-a-long, which is where I got the pattern.

The tank's built-in bra was fighting with the corset, so I couldn't lace it up properly.  Hence the wrinkly top.

Doin' Up the Pemberleys

After owning these shoes for, what, 18 months?  I have finally gotten around to painting them.  Oh, Costume College, where would I be if I didn't have your deadlines?

My inspiration was this pair from the Met:

Slippers

Date: 1790–1810

Culture: European

Medium: leather, silk, metal

Dimensions: 3 x 10 1/2 in. (7.6 x 26.7 cm)

Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Herman Delman, 1954

Accession Number:

2009.300.1474a, b

But in teal, of course

First coat.  I was a bit nervous at how streaky it came out, but all blended together nicely.

Second coat

Third coat and finishing coat

 Now to make the tassels.  I couldn't figure out was what holding the tassels on the Met pair together, so I had to get creative:

Scissors, embroidery floss, and a metal D-ring

 My toes were about the right diameter for wrapping the floss.  I had to trim it down later, but it was much easier to manage when it was long.

Tie it up; cut it apart.

Then I needed something to secure it to the D-ring.  So I tied on some floss, and made a monkey chain to the other side.

I caught up the short side of the floss in the chain, so that it the knot wouldn't untie.

Then, I slipped the tassel under one side of the D-ring, over the floss chain, and under the other side of the D-ring.

Et voila!

1790's Undergarments: Take Two

Hey, remember this?  My first go at a set of underthings for the 1790's morning outfit.  I decided that it just wasn't working.  The boning in the center was poking out too much at the top, and the lacing wasn't very adjustable, which became a problem when I lost some weight.  I probably should have taken the hint when I had to more than double the size of the cups: these stays were not meant for my body.

So, I was all ready to mock-up the "late 1790's" stays from Corsets & Crinolines, when I had a think.  This is a morning outfit, I don't need to be fully laced up - let's experiment with bodiced petticoats...

It actually worked quite well.  I shorted the lining from the half-robe pattern in Janet Arnold, attached and skirt and bustle pad, and inserted 4 pieces of cable ties (which had rather pointy end when I cut them, so I filed the edges down with a nail file.)

The Challenge: #15: White

Fabric: Bodice: 100% cotton, Skirt: 50/50 cotton/linen blend

Pattern: Bodice: Adapted from Janet Arnold's 1790's half-robe, Skirt: Rectangles!

Year: 1796-1801

Notions: Kitchen twine for lacing, cable ties for boning, polyester padding in the bustle pad

How historically accurate is it? Well, you just saw the word "polyester," right?  Bad me!  It also has criss-cross lacing, instead of spiral lacing, which is a bit innovative, but not unheard of for this era.  And the seams are in completely the wrong place because I had to Frankenstein the panels to get the most out of my fabric.

Hours to complete: Far too many.  I started the petticoat over 18 months ago, and it has gone through quite a transformation since then

First worn: Well, the photoshoot, but in front of other humans on Sunday at Costume College!

Total cost: All stash!  Well, the polyester was filched from an old pillow, so, nothing.