Pony and a Photo Shoot

Tags

19th century clothing, historic clothing, Historic Clothing Photo Shoot with pony, Miss F's Dress 1815, Regency, side saddle, The simple life

Though I should be posting about my trip to Europe in chronological order, I’m actually beginning at the end with a photo shoot at my friend’s house. She owns a wonderful farm, writes fabulous stories, and is living her dream. Check out her blog. I met my dear friend at Camp Anna Behrens. She was a counselor in training and I was a camper. Soon after, she was a counselor and I was the one in training. We shared several summers together that turned into a life long friendship. She was gracious enough to spend a few hours with me last week, teaching me to ride side saddle and taking photos of me dressed in my (sister’s) Napoleonic dress, riding her horse (the best horse ever). Below are the best photos from the bunch she took. I couldn’t decide on “old timey color,” black and white or sepia….so they are all mixed.

 

It was a huge challenge to keep the horse still and smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See…can’t decide which version I like more….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Miss F’s Dress on location – Waterloo 2015

Tags

19th century clothing, hand sewing, Miss F's Dress 1815, Regency, sewing projects, Waterloo 200

The dress made its debut in Brussels on June 19 2015 for the Inferno Opening Spectacle at Waterloo 200. My sister was a really great sport about running through the downtown Brussels train stations in period clothing.

Here are a smattering of photos from that day and then a few from our hotel in Bruges. (The more artistic photos are on her camera, so those will be posted later).

 

The hotel, Hotel Patritius, is an 1830s house right near the Grot Markt in Bruges. It was the perfect hotel for our architectural souls. Though the house is a later date than our dresses, it made a gorgeous backdrop for our little photo shoot!

Here are some random photos at the Battle of Waterloo site.

 

Obligatory selfie

Right as I took this photo, a huge gust of wind poofed her dress. Bahahaha.

 

 

Miss F’s Dress – the first fitting

Tags

19th century clothing, Miss F's Dress 1815, Regency, sewing projects

Due to unfortunate circumstances, Miss F and I were able to meet up in Mi for a fitting. Our grandma passed away last week and Mr. H and I made the drive over for the funeral. I forced my sister into a fitting session when we had some down time at the hotel. I’m pretty pleased with my hand sewing technique and how much it has improved since my other previous garments. Everything is coming along nicely and I’m glad I added extra length to the front and back skirt panels because my calculations were perfect.

Here are some photos. Please ignore any wrinkles as well as Miss F’s obnoxiously striped tank.

 

The sides seams are just pinned and the front bib part still needs to be made and sewn on.

 

 

The angled side gore is not very visible in this photo. I’m wondering if I should have made it larger. But then I looked at some photos on pinterest or some other blog (can’t remember where) and I saw that the 1815/18 silhouette is not all that poofy/angled but it is also not a column. I think mine works! 🙂 Success.

I’ve also been going back and forth in my mind about what type of bib front to add. So far, I’ve only done rectangular ones for myself because that’s what the pattern called for and it was easiest given my sewing skills at the time. However, now that I’m learning more and am more ambitious, I’ve been mulling over the options. (These are the things I think about at night).

I tried a little mock up on my dress form a few weeks back, saved the pieces and then tried them on Miss F. She was confused (mainly because she does not sew), and I had to tell her to keep standing still and be patient.

 

I’m not sure if it was my horrid first time draping ability or my crappy pinning job (because she was rushing me) or my cutting it on the wrong grain, but we were not entirely happy with the look. It could be the shape of her chest and this style just doe not suit her, or it could be my fault. But I made the executive decision to just go for a basic gathered bib front that will pin into place. I’m going to make the top a drawstring so that it is more adjustable for Miss F.

Also it may or may not be evident in the photos that she is not wearing any stays. We decided that because she is not a hard core living historian like I am that it was silly to force her into uncomfortable undergarments (she does not enjoy clothing that physically constricts her) for this event. I know all the purists out there are gasping because how can you make a historically accurate dress without proper foundations?!! Well I am and I’m really okay with that because it’s for someone else and I want her to have fun and feel comfortable.

*Update: since posting, the side seams are now halfway sewn.*

More progress on Miss F’s Dress – Attaching skirt and bodice

Tags

Miss F's Dress 1815, Regency, sewing projects

I wasn’t happy with my pleating job last time. It sat for a week on the dress form across the living room where I stared at it. I made tinier pleats and ended up getting nine on each side. I love pleats.

First try:

 

Second try:

 

With the new pleating job, I moved the sides of the back skirt back just a tad. I basted the pleats into place and sewed the skirt to the bodice. It hangs quite nicely now and looks even better than I had planned/hoped.

On the dress form:

 

The way the gathers ended up on in the middle, it looks like a bunch of pleats, but it’s not.

I’ve decided that because I will need to double check the bib/apront part that goes over the bust, I have to make a mock up first. The same goes for the sleeves. My sister is larger than me in these areas and I can’t risk anything. She also gets cranky if clothing is too tight. Hehe. It’s an adventure!!!

Miss F’s Dress: Skirts

Tags

19th century clothing, hand sewing, Miss F's Dress 1815, Regency, sewing projects

My fabric isn’t wide enough. I have the back skirt panel gathered and pleated and I pinned it to the bodice. I tried it on to see how it felt in terms of flowy-ness and what not. It felt okay. (Miss F and I are similar in stature). However, I think I’m going to add 5 – 7 inch-ish panels to either side so I can have a bit more pleating in the back. I like the fuller back skirt look.

 

 

Sleeves still need to be cut, sewn, attached. Belt/waist tie still needs to be cut, sewn, attached. Front big needs to be played around with: I can’t decide it it should be gathered, pleated, etc. I need to make these decisions now. Then that needs to be attached.

I’m enjoying making another dress of this style. I think it’s giving me another opportunity to refine my hand sewing skills and learn how to alter parts of the pattern for someone other than myself.