Set of 1860's clothes

In the past 2.5 weeks I have made a chemise, a corset, a cage (hoopskirt), a petticoat, and a dress. I intended to make some drawers today but I totally messed up, and gave up on them. Maybe, maybe, maybe I'll get some made by the end of the week, but that's a big maybe.

So, here it is, photos of all the items one at a time. I laced the corset onto the dressform and I didn't want to remove it to photograph the chemise by itself. Sorry. And, once again, please excuse the messy room. That's one of my next projects, cleaning all that up...

• Chemise: free pattern drafting instructions from The Sewing Academy
  
• Corset: Simplicity 7215 (out of print, available on Etsy.com and eBay)
  
• Cage: Originals by Kay 7-bone cage kit (okay, I used some hoopsteel I already had, and the instructions from my old kit)
  
• Petticoat: free pattern drafting instructions from The Sewing Academy
  
• Dress: Past Patterns #812 Sheer Muslin Dress (added the ruffle myself)

Corset and chemise:


With the cage:


And the petticoat:


And the dress, with the corset peeking out:


And, finally, the dress. In person it's just possible to discern the slight shade of pink underneath the dress, but it doesn't really show in the photos. I didn't think it would show at all! Ah well.

Bubble-gum pink corset

I started this over a week ago, what a chore! The pink twill is a bit heavier and stiffer than what I'm used to using (even after I pre-washed it) so it took me longer to make than usual. I used the now out-of-print Simplicity 7215 corset pattern, which works best for those of us with curvy figures. You'll notice that I have a pink satin ribbon at the top of the corset... I drew it through the top binding, so I could pull the bust area of the corset in some (these hard plastic dressforms do not quite fill these corsets up properly. Ahem.)

It doesn't look as good as I'd hoped because needles that were sturdy enough to go through the fabric punched a hole in it, and I never could get the tension quite right (it's tough when you're going through 4-6 layers of this twill). I've used this pattern twice before, but with lighter and softer twills, and it works great for those.

And I had to use two pairs of shoelaces (tied at the top and bottom) because I did not have any corset lacing! And if I ever use this pattern again, I might put the eyelets 1" apart, instead of the 3/4" apart they currently are... 18 pairs seems a little excessive. To me, anyway (I also don't like placing the eyelets so it'll save me a few minutes of time).

Click for larger images.

Front view:


Side view:


Back view:


Full-length view. Chemise is made from Elizabeth Stewart Clark's free pattern.

The dress is finished! Kind of.

I must ask that you please ignore the messy room. :)

I finished the dress on Saturday evening. I was so happy to have it finished... until I realized that the skirt is lopsided! You can't really tell in the photos, but it is one inch longer on one side than it is on the other. D'oh! What happened was that I didn't fold over the top edge of the fabric on the left-hand side (the wearer's left side) before I gauged it. Grr. I'll fix it at some other time. It's a pattern size 12 (34" bust, 26" waist) and it's gonna be a while before I'm there, so I have time to get back to it later.

So... I paid $4.95/yd for this fabric. Took me 7 yards to make the dress. I thought I was getting a decent price. However... the fabric went on sale for $1.99/yd last week! Unbelievable! Just my luck. Of course, the lovely plaid wool I bought for my Halloween costume at $4.95/yd also went on sale for $1.99 three weeks ago. I can't win! (But that's okay, there isn't a lot I can use that wool fabric for anyway... too heavy for a dress...)

Here are some small pics, they're big files so they might take a few seconds to load. Click on the image for a larger view.

Front view:


Side view:


Closer view of the bodice:


Close-up view of the gauging (What is gauging?):

Cage and petticoat... finished.

I made a cage crinoline today... this type, 108". I used to have a 90" one but it wasn't quite big enough for nicer dresses... and, I threw it out when we moved. It had been misused and abused.

I made most of the petticoat last Wednesday, and needed to wait until the cage crinoline was done before I could set the petticoat on a waistband... so I could adjust it for length. This cage is 3" longer in the back than it is in the front. The petticoat originally had 7 half-inch tucks in it, but when I put it on the cage today I noticed it was too short! So, I took out the two bottom tucks, lengthening the petticoat by 2". I need to give it another good ironing to try and remove the evidence of the previous tucks, and give it a light starching.

Wow, do I need to clean my sewing room!! Or then den, I should say.

Front View, click for a larger image:


Side View:

Bodice construction nearly complete

Today I finished constructing the bodice. I'm really trying to get the hang of stitching down the gathered fronts, but I can't quite get it. Each attempt looks better than the first, but I'm not sure I discovered the trick to it yet.

I finished the sleeves day before yesterday. Tomorrow I just need to cut some bias strips, put them around the armscyes, neckline, and waistline, add piping, then sew the sleeves on, and stitch the piping/binding on the inside. I messed up on my first attempt (a plaid bodice) so hopefully I'll do better this time. The plaid bodice can be salvaged, but since this white one is for a talent show, I want it to look really good.

Click for a larger image.



I need to make a cage/hoopskirt before I can make the skirt! I'm still waiting for my husband to cut the hoopsteel for me. I'll have to work on the chemise and drawers in the meantime, and as far as I can get on a corset while waiting for the busk I ordered to arrive.

Oh, and the corset is going to be pink cotton twill. :)

Tucked petticoat almost done!

Today I started on a tucked petticoat... 3.5 panels of 36" wide muslin (122" when seam allowances are taken into account). I made it long enough that I could put seven 1/2" tucks into it. I have it hemmed, all the tucks added... and it only took me 3-4 hours! (I kept taking breaks so I don't know exactly how long I worked on it). All I need to do now is make a hoopskirt, and I can measure it on the front, sides, and back, and trim the top off the petticoat to make it the proper length, and gather it onto a waistband.

Tomorrow... I'll work on either the dress (I'm done with the sleeves and need to do the bodice), or on the chemise/drawers.

New fabrics...

Yes, I am crazy.

I ordered some new fabrics today, semi-sheer cotton lawn. They were a great price, less than $5/yd.

I've had the Past Patterns Sheer Muslin Dress pattern for quite a while now, and I'm wanting to make a gown from it. I think it will look rather similar to this one (by the way, I have that exact fabric in my stash somewhere! I paid $4.95/yd for it... and found a lady online who ordereed some at the same time I did, and is trying to resell it for $14/yd. Ouch).

I'm writing a book about some reenactors who fall in love (the full story, I think, sounds pretty cool) and I want the heroine to be wearing a dress similar to the one in the link above, the first time the hero sees her. I'd have her sitting in the grass, reading a book, but she might get grass stains on that lovely white cotton...

So, here they are. These swatches are 10" wide, so just imagine them being more than twice the size they are on-screen. The first one is an embroidered swiss dot... I don't know how accurate it is for 1860's use, but if any of these fabrics turn out to be incorrect for that era, then I can use them for some really awesome Regency dresses.