Victorian Chemisette

A couple of good friends and victorian re-enactors brought me this lovely lace collar as souvenir from Bruges. Now I finally am able to use it!

There is still a lot to be done, but I am satisfied with the chemisette so far. Last Saturday, on a collectorsmarket, I even found some small white antique glass buttons, the same as on one of my originals, to go with it. It made my day, or rather my morning, I have a slight concussion and walking around in a crowd gave me a severe headache. So I spend the rest of the day in bed but it was nice to be out so it was worth it.

Victorian Chemisettes

I've been wanting to make a couple of victorian chemisettes for a long time. I've decided to start working on them before something else takes precedence. Re-enactment season will be starting again shortly and there are a couple of things that I need to repair, alter or make. Like a new pair of nalebound socks for my husband....

This is a pair of antique chemisettes from my personal collection. After looking at pictures of dated version on pinterest and ofcourse the rest of the internet. I estimate the childs size to be from the 1880's or later. Standing collars like this where common from the 1870's and up. The grown-up size I estimate to date to the 1860's, maybe even 1850's. Ofcourse I could be way of.

I need to re-attach some of the decorative buttons at the neckline.

I find it nice to have a pair of originals at hand while trying to make a reproduction but it also makes very obvious how hard it is to find the right materials. Most victorian chemisettes where made of thin cotton batiste. Which is hard to come by at least here in the Netherlands, not to say expensive! I bought the thinnest sheerest  I could find on the internet and still it's not thin or sheer enough! 

It was bio cotton batiste, so it had to be bleached. The unbleached fabric I will dye black and make a 1880's high neck chemisette with. I have heard or read about black chemisette being worn, but have found no evidence of their existence so far. Still going to make it though a white one would look off with that costume.

The white chemisette will be 1840's/1850's style, a lot like the original I own.

Victorian working class boy costume; pants.

Our son has decided that he wants to join us at our victorian events this year! He wants a working class outfit. Which will pair nicely with my 1840-1850's working class costume.

I have made him a pair of grey wollen trousers for him with Laughing Moon pattern #106, California pants. The pattern doesn't come in childs sizes so I made the smallest size, 28 waist. And took it in at the side seams. The pants are also much to long but will be given a wide hem just before the event. Hopefully this way he will be able to fit in it for a few years as all the seams can be let out.

Pants front, closed button fly, pockets and wooden buttons.

Front open, button fly with bone buttons.

Pants back, waist cincher.

We didn't purchase any new things for this costume. I already had the pattern lying around for years, unused I might add. The grey wool fabric was a left over scrap from his previous costume. He went with us to one victorian event when he was a lot smaller.  And got really cold and bored. So we left him with his grandparents every year since. The brown tweed woollen coat was a gift from a friend who's son had outgrown it. The red scarf I knitted myself and is actually one of my first knitting projects in years. The grey tweed cap I bought in a store for his previous victorian adventure.

We still needs shoes and a knitted sweater or flannel shirt and vest, but I think he already looks the part!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsboys_Strike_of_1899

Source: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/