1880's hat

One of the bigger project I am currently working on is a 1880's hat. I have been wearing my top hat for years now with my bustle costume and I am actually quite fed up with! Time for a new hat.

The intial inspiration was the hat worn by Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler in Sherlock Holmes (2009) directed by Guy Ritchie.

Here are some hats in the same style from the 1870's-1880's.

Hat made with fur, wool and silk ca, 1885, French 

http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/156128

Straw hat, ca. 1886, America

http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/113332

 1870's-1880's hat pattern by Wingeo

I have bought the 1870's - 1880's hat pattern by Wingeo. I don't think that the pattern is bad but the description is really very minimalistic. If you want to make a hat like this I would reccomend buying the Womens Victorian tall hat by Lyn McMasters or the 1880's buckram hat frame pattern by Truly Victorian. I am actually using the description from a Lyn McMasters hat pattern to make my hat.

Cutting the buckram

Buckram frame for the brim and top

Both sides of the brim have been covered with outer fabric.

Now putting ribbon on the brim to finish the edge.

The top has also been covered with the outer fabric.

There a lot of things going on in my life at this moment. Working on this hat and my other projects helps me unwind.

Anton Pieck Parade 2014

The weather forecasts had been frightfully bad the whole week. With horrid tales of heavy rains and storms. So when  it only rained a little for a short while last Saturday. We felt truly blessed! 

This year our son came along. It's doesn't happen often

that we have a picture with the three of us in it.

Two of my girlfriends joined us as well.

My 1840's dress looks better on her than it does on me!

This year the lady in the middle didn't need to borrow

one of my costumes. She made her own and

I think she did a splendid job!

This picture is taken in our "living"room.

My husband is teaching our son how to write 

with a dip pen.

It was his first time writing with a dip pen

but he got the hang of it almost immediately.

All three of the ladies where doing needlework.

A proper activity for fine victorian ladies.

Added bonus was that I got some work done.

I added some braid decoration to the 

1860's winter hood that I am currently working on.

Me at the end of the day, tired but happy.

One day victorian chemise

When I tried on my black victorian bustle costume I noticed that my white chemise was a visible at the neckline. Only a little but enough to annoy me! So ofcourse I just had to make a black version...
The pattern was Truly Victorian #102 and it took only one day to make.

I also added an antique veil to my top hat and a strap to my victorian purse. There are still some small things on my to-do-list  but I almost finished preparing for the Anton Pieck Parade.

Next year I would like to be completly dressed in black from the skin up. This means making a pair of black drawers and a bustle. I already dyed my white petticoat, originally the mock-up for my bustle skirt, black. With some small adjustments this could be used to complete the set.

Next year I would also like to make this hat from patterns of time.

It reminds me of the hat worn by Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler in Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Black bustle skirt aka the Frankensteins bride skirt.

A friend nicknamed this skirt the Frankensteins bride skirt because it is made with pieces of leftover fabric from my fabric stash. Usually I buy the fabric I need for a costume but this time I challenged myself to make a costume from my stash.

The pattern I used was one of my favorites TV 261, 1885 Four gore underskirt. I have had it for several years so I have the old version of the pattern not the revised version.

I didn't have enough fabric for the wide ruffle like in the old version so I made the ruffle smaller, like in the new version.

I used four different types of fabric; velvet, wool, small pieces taffeta with velvet flock print  same as my bodice and plain taffeta.

front

For a marriage of so many fabrics I am quite happy with the result. If I had had more fabric I would have made the knife pleats smaller and closer together. 

back

And I would have added an extra row of decoration to the back. The fabric is easy to come by and it's cheap. So I might consider adding a row next year.

 I am done working on Victorian costumes for the moment because I have to get started on  St. Nicolas poems and surprises (funny way to pack presents).  They have to be done for St.Nicholas evening on the 5th of December. Also there is my son his thirteenth birthday this sunday!

I am really looking forward to this years Anton Pieck Parade in Haarlem!

Progress report on my black bustle costume.

I see that it is a month since my last blog. I apologize for neglecting you my dear readers but I've been incredibly busy. Not only with working on my costume but also doing volunteerwork, studying and household chores. A day often just doesn't have enough hours to do all the things I want and need to do.

A project is always more work than you think when you start. This time it is no different. The problems started when I decided to work with the fabric left over from last years bustle overskirt. The original plan had been to make a tail bodice from this fabric but when I ran out of time I decided to make an overskirt instead. I thought I would be able to get more of this fabric but unfortanetly this ended up not being the case.

As I didn't have enough fabric to make a long tail bodice I decided to make the short version instead. Unfortanetly I had the old version of the Truly Victorian pattern without the short tail and different neckline options. This meant making quite a lot of alterations to the pattern, Something I hadn't really done before. The upside was that I could adapt the pattern to fit the amount of fabric I had left!

After sewing the pattern pieces together and hand sewing all the seams allowances flat. I found out that my seams where weak and falling apart. My sewing machine went to the repair shop for some tlc. Unwilling to start all over again I reinforced all the seams by hand and ended up with numb fingers. The fabric is satin with a velvet flock print and the flock print was very hard to get through. When I was done reinforcing the seams my machine still wasn't back from the shop. So I started work on sewing my boning in. 

When my machine came home I could finally set in the sleeves and work on the button closure. The antique (victorian?) black faceted glass buttons where purchased a couple of years earlier on Ebay.

In the picture you can also see my black chemisette. 

Getting the neckline to fit properly and the black satin piping in neatly in place was a real challenge. Lucky for me my husband was here to help! 

The final step was sewing the collar and the chinese frog closure on. I am really happy with how the bodice turned out! I already started work on the skirt to go with it. It has been nicknamed the frankenstein's bride skirt because it has been made from several pieces of fabric from my stash as well. 

I try to spend as little money as possible on this costume and make it with thing from my stash.

Black bustle tail bodice inspiration.

I am working really hard on my tail bodice and I could use some inspiration!

A tail bodice from 1883,

 owned by the Metropolitan Museum

1885's dress designed by Emile Pingat,

 owned by Philadelphia Museum of Art

1888's dress designed by Emile Pingat.

found the image on Pinterest, original source unknown.

1880's black silk and cut velvet dress,

at AntiqueDress.com

Black 1883's Bustle Tail Bodice

I have been busy making repairs and alterations, not only to costumes but also to our everyday clothes. Most of it was quite boring work but necessary.

Replacing my velvet collar with a fur collar and adding fur cuffs was a lot of work. But I am really happy with the end result so it was rewarding. The fur was donated by one of my husbands aunts and came from one of her old coats. 

You can find more information and pictures of the coat here.http://historicalcostumes.nl/

I also started with a new bustle bodice. I fell in love with the Truly Victorian pattern #462, the 1883 tail bodice after it was revised.

Unfortunately I didn't pay enough attention when I ordered it on-line, not at the Truly Victorian website. And ended up with the old version of the pattern! 

:Lucky for me that my pattern drafting skills are good enough to make the necessary adjustments to achieve the look I want. A short tailed bodice with 3/4 sleeves and a keyhole or diamond shaped neckline. 

Yesterday I made the mock-up and this morning I tried it on over my victorian underwear and corset.

And started with my corset training for this year by keeping it on for 30 minutes.

The two main inspirations for this project are:

 this dress from 1887,

owned by the Metropolitan Museum

And this dress sold by Augusta Actions

I love the strict look of the neckline and I am thinking about keeping the decorations on this costume to a minimum, but we'll see how it evolves. 

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.