18th Century Stays

This weekend I finished up my first pair of stays, well there's a couple eyelets left to sew but ill get to those when I get some free time throughout the week.  I've definitely learned a lot sewing these, and while I like them a lot I'm concerned about the fit. I may need to take them apart somehow and make them smaller if that's possible... or I may just need to make another pair.


I gave it somewhat generous seam allowance and I think in the end just a few centimeters here and there snuck in.  It took a long time, I only remembered to keep track of the time for some part of it but marking all the channels, sewing up all the channels, cutting the cable ties took about 5 or 6 hours. Sewing on the binding took forever also and I have a lot of sore fingers from stabbing myself so many times.  On a side note those erasable pens were great for this project! Marking the channels and everything else and then after I just ironed them right off!

It does fit in a way... but it closes completely in the back and the bust doesn't fit like it should. Im assuming the bust doesn't fit because there isn't enough pressure pulling from the back.  But it also may just be cut too high up, at least it looks like it may be in the side picture. The good thing is I think this pattern is great! It probably just needs to be sized down a little bit. Also, I really love the crispness of the white and blue together. Originally I was going to bind the stays in this light blue but I didn't have enough of it and I really do like this bright blue.

Materials: white cotton outside, tan cotton lining, some stiff white lining found in stash. All fabric material I had on hand so nothing new.  Cable ties from home depot.

Time Spent: 10 + hours

Pattern: drafted from Period Costume for Stage & Screen by Jean Hunnisett. Pg. 135. While this book is meant for stage costumes, it still contains a lot of information that is historically accurate and in places where she says to put elastics such as where the shoulder piece connects to the front, obviously you would just do it without. Her patterns are from real historical pieces though, so I do feel the pattern is pretty accurate.

Time Period: I was aiming for the 1780's... and I think this fits that time? I've been researching stays of different decades so I'm still trying to learn what the difference is between like stays from 1760 and twenty years later in 1780.

Construction Details: I really truly meant to hand sew this thing but I'm actually really glad I didn't now. Since these are my first pair of stays I knew something could go wrong in the fit, so I decided to sew as much as I could by machine figuring once I had a pattern that fits great then I'll put a lot more effort and time into it. There is still a considerable amount of hand sewing in this but all the channels were done by machine.
I did make a long rectangular panel that I placed horizontal ties to go across the front of the stays to give it more shape (though I forgot to take a picture). I stitched this in between the tan cotton lining (unseen) and the white lining.

Change for next time: I found out later that supposedly there are more heavy duty cable ties. When I got mine I just looked for the longest one with the most in the pack, I didn't consider some may be stronger than others.  Take away more seam allowance, size down a bit. Take better in progress shots!

Books

I actually thought I had found all the books there were on historical costume at my school library two months ago, but when a title came up online and I searched it in the library catalog, I found so many more! I ended up in a section that was dark, cramped, and dusty; it definitely wasn't a high-traffic area. I did find a LOT of great books, books that I've seen other bloggers mention before and ones I hadn't heard of. I checked out a good amount of ones that had patterns in them, but there were so many more just information books about historical clothing that I want to look through too sometime!

I'm really excited about putting these books to use. I've been looking through them all day when I really should have been studying! lol!

I've got some great 1920 patterns and a lot of other era's too that I'm really excited about. I have a lot of 18th century books because lately I haven't been able to stop obsessing over the 18th century! I want to make everything! Unfortunately I still need to get a pair of stays done before I can start a petticoat or dress or anything, but I found some great patterns and instructions in some of these books so it's my next project.

More Bedroom Plans

Via

So while I'm not trying to design a historical bedroom here, I am always inspired by historical designs and love to incorporate them into my ideas.

Via

I found some great ideas for canopy beds from Costumes, Cats, and the 18th Century blog! These pictures appear to come from Sweden... I think...  from Skansen. I love the look of this sheer fabric with just the touch of pink in the bows that tie it back.  These draped canopies are a great way to create a canopy over a bed that doesn't have the posts for it, and I love that it's historical too!

Via

Originally I was going to use my blue and white floral fabric so that the bedding and everything would match but I think it may be too much (In reality.. I am just in love with this sheer fabric above) but I think finding a sheer like that will be hard. I'm always looking for sheer fabric to make an 1860 dress and I never find one I like. 

I also loved the detailing on the walls! Mine are a light blue but it would be really cool if I painted on small detailed panels like this.. though I'm not really the best painter!

Via

Here's to hoping that the ceiling fan doesn't interfere with my plans...

The Finished 18th Century Shift!

Finally, I settled in tonight and just made myself finish up the 18th century shift! It really is a pretty easy and simple sew and once I start hand sewing I actually do enjoy it... it's just getting myself to start is the problem! It's done and I'm happy with it and I'm excited to work on the stays next! (Side note: I actually have been really wanting to try more hand quilting lately since my pillow... I have some ideas in mind!)




Stitches used were backstitching and then a slanted hem stitch for the bottom hem, sleeve hems, and neckline hem. Then eyelets made at the neckline, and a cross-stitched monogram.

It's not the prettiest item of clothing... but it's the first thing I've completely hand sewn and it does make me feel more confident about moving into 18th century sewing. 

I wish I had tracked how many hours I spent on this, it would be interesting to see. 

My favorite part was making the little monogram at the top, it's white so it can't be seen unless you look closely, but I just love it! It's supposed to be "DD", I hope they look like D's! 

 I also made little eyelets for the string to go through. Originally I wasn't going to encase the neckline for a string since there wasn't that much fabric there to gather but I'm glad I did it. The little gathering it does have makes it fit better. 

So next in 18th century sewing I want to make stays, then I plan on a linen petticoat and the jacket from Costume Closeup! 

The Mary Walker Dress

This is actually a draft from a post I wrote exactly a year ago in late March. Since that time, I haven't made any progress on this dress. My new long-term project is to finally finish this dress! Since I am still stuck in the same part I'm going to post this post and then start posting further progress and information I figure out. 

“Misses Organdie Dress with Over-Skirt”

“the collar, cuffs, and piece in over skirt are made of tucked material of the same material or of another color (To avoid tucking material, I decided to just do a decorative stitch, now I'm thinking I should go back recut the overskirt and instead make it in another color so that I will still be following directions exactly) . The dress opens in the back and the sash ties in the back in a big bow. The hem of the bottom skirt folds back to top of top skirt”

Besides the description it has the amount of material needed, the seam allowance, symbols used. and the name “Mary Walker” and “Bust 36”. It is is a brown envelope and the back has a cutting diagram and vague directions.

I got this at an estate sale along with two 1930 sewing catalogues. I thought it might be from the 1920’s but as I’m making it im not so sure anymore. It is not a drop waist, it has a normal waist line. I figure it must be from somewhere between 1910 and early 1920's. 

With this pattern there were two others in the same brown type envelopes. The other is torn and the picture isn’t there but it is a “Ladies Envelope Chimise” that has just two pattern pieces. I found references to these envelope chemises in the 1910’s and 1920’s. The third is mostly torn and only a small part of the drawing remains and the name of what it is is gone. Though on the back there are two main pattern pieces and a sleeve piece (I'll get some pictures and do a post on the other two patterns later. I plan on making the chemise for under this dress). 

The front has her name on the bottom of the envelope and “Sec. III” so I wonder if these must have been for a class.I also considered this being a pattern for a younger person but the size being a bust 36 it couldn’t possibly be.They are homemade patterns and I’m really interested to find out anything more about them. It would certainly help me to more accurately decipher the dress I’m making since the instructions aren't a ton of help.

This is my attempt at the pattern.

The bodice and skirts are not connected and the top is not finished at all. Instead of the pleating I did a decorative stitch on the overskirt that I will also do on the sleeves and possibly the collar.

Right now my biggest problem is the bodice. It has no darts, it’s just gathered and the neckline wont sit flat. I don’t know if the gathers are not in the right places or what.

Besides that, the skirt has no opening. The back buttons down the back so I can't figure out how you would get into it. The blue belt is leftover from my white 1860 ballgown from maybe 4 or 5 years back.

Since even the bodice I can't get to sit right, I think this will have to be started over from the beginning. On the front of the envelope under seam allowance, it gives very specific instructions such as "on top skirt, 7 inches fullness allowed in back. 6 1/2 inches in front." The first time I didn't measure seam allowance exactly figuring it wouldn't make much of a difference, though perhaps it did? 

I am still working on other projects as this is going to be a long term project with lots of stops to research and make sure I'm doing the next step right, but I do want to get this done after sitting on it for a year! 

1940 Quilted Back Rest Pillow

I finished up my 1940 quilted back rest pillow tonight! 

It was my first time hand quilting so I think I did it mostly right, my stitches could have been smaller but I got tired and anxious to finish it towards the end of quilting. 

I drew the design on the white back fabric and layered two layers of batting in between. I loved the bow design but in the end it didn't turn out very prominent  I'm not sure if it's because of the way I quilted or it's just not meant to stand out that much. 

I made a pillow in the same shape from plain white cotton, I used leftover pillow stuffing I had laying around and it wasn't as stiff as I think it should be but I wanted to use it up. I definitely think though the stuffing is a huge part of this. In the picture where the outer blue covering is still being made, you can see how the pillow stuffing puffs out and doesn't give it the straight line it should be.

I always hate making my own piping especially in a slippery fabric like this, but afterwards I'm always glad I did. I did really like how it turned out though! I'm glad I used this blue fabric, I can't remember what it was, but it looks like those quilted satin 1940 bedspreads! 

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