Errata slip
Book Source: Digital Library of India Item 2015.501869dc.contributor.author: Not Availabledc.date.accessioned: 2015-09-26T02:44:04Zdc.date.available:...
Source: West Bengal Public Library NetworkSource Identifier:...
Ok, this post is a long one, but I hope you’ll think it a good one. I’m using this as my (slightly belated) entry for the HSM ’16 (Historical Sew Monthly) January challenge: procr…
A young girl’s come-out in Polite Society started with her presentation at Court. During Regency times, she would “make her curtsy to the Queen”, be honored with a large ball given by her fam…
What did it take to host a ball in the Regency era?
Attending and participating in the Jane Austen Festival for the very first time, I've spent the last month fabric, notions and pattern shopping, planning and designing my dresses and accessories. I'm utterly exited!! Me being a new member of the JASNA Louisville chapter and having seen all those pretty people online attending last years festival in their regency get up, I'm determined to give it my all to show my appreciation for the beauty of the period and my admiration to Jane Austen. And of course..OOOH , what FUN it will be to dress up all pretty among other pretty dressed up ladies and gentlemen and immerse oneself a bit into regency life. So here they are; my regency long stays: Regency corded corset front They are made in 3 layers; 2 layers of cotton drill and 1 layer of 100% white cotton. The cording goes between the 2 cotton drill layers. The busk cover is made from eyelet lace, topped off with two hand stitched eyelets. Between the cording I let my trusty sewing machine do some decorative stitching. Between the underbust cording, as well as on the hip gussets I did some hand embroidering. I find it keeps me from munching in front of the TV at night. :) The sides have some cording as well, but after trying it on, I would recommend either doing MUCH more cording or adding at least one boning on each side. It IS fine and does a good job as is. But it would be more supportive with some more cording or boning. The pattern I used is the Mantua Maker regency corset and you can order it with or without the busk. I ordered the busk with the pattern. I also read that one can use one of those paint stirring wood slats as a busk. The kind they give you for free at the home depot. I'm not sure how sturdy they are ..but hey, if they are free you can get a few and try it out. :) The instructions were pretty easy to follow. There also is an excellent tutorial on how to make a regency corset by Sidney Eileen that got me started. Very step-by-step and in depth and hers turned out absolutely perfect doing it exactly that way, which gave me the courage to attempt this at all. But after sewing the whole corset - which honestly intimidated me at first- I have to say an intermediate sewer can whip this one up in about 8 hrs... (from cutting the fabric to fished lacing- provided you have absolutely no interruptions and can indulge in the sewing flow) ... using boning instead of cording and skipping the embroidery. It really is much less work than it looks. Once you start it just all falls into place and sooner than you thought you are holding your finished regency long stays. :) Corset front with cording, machine- and hand embroidery The three things I personally asked myself, after reading the Sidney Eileen's tutorial were: Question 1) How do I do the gussets an easier way?? The Gussets she showed looked easy enough but turned out to be all wonky when following her steps. I don't know HOW she got them to look so perfect using that method but I knew it was not for me. Question 2) What kind of cord should I use and how much of it do I need?? Question 3) How on earth DO I do the cording in a way that looks neat but doesn't make me hate the corset before it's even done?? The cording method shown looked like WAY too much work and a pain in the butt. She of course did a bang-up job with hers and created a beautiful piece. I have the utmost respect for her skills and workmanship!! Yet further searching and looking at all those gorgeous cording jobs I saw all over online, left me with more "but how.." thoughts to ponder over. SO... Answer to Question 1) My gusset question is actually answered on my Mantua Maker pattern(duh!!) . So engrossed and frustrated by the Gusset online tutorial, I neglected to look at the actual pattern instructions more closely. It only has drawings but they still helped me to easily do them right and get evenly sized and pucker free gussets. Here are some pictures to help with the pattern drawings: stay stitch around gusset marking left; cut marking, right; cut and ironed towards left side to stay open place gussets on the ironed-over edges and pin in place from right side turn over to right side, have pins in direction of sewing and top stitch in place- removing pins as you sew. Top-stitched and deco stitched. Top is trimmed and zig -aged Et voilà! Bust gusset done and onward.. Problem solved for Question 2 : I wanted the cording not to "bleed" into my corset when it is washed (like hemp cord does, frequently used for authenticity) ...and not to shrink and pucker my fabric (like with cotton cord or cream and sugar yarn)... so I opted for a white nylon cord. Knowing I needed a lot and since I didn't want to pay 1.99 a yard for measured notion cord - guessing I would buy about 10 yards that would have been $20 just for the cord! *where are my smelling salts* So I chose to buy a package of 2.2 mm nylon cord for window blinds. I found mine at Joanne's fabric for about $6.50. Plenty of cord on that little card board thingy for extra practice runs too. I still have some left over. 2.2 mm nylon cord for window blinds or shades (That's my left overs) And finally the solution to Question 3; The cording process Reading about it probably takes longer than doing it, so don't get discouraged Here is what I did; I call it "Zipper-foot-instant-cording". (Practice-pics on scraps ) 1. With your regular foot sew a straight line through two layers as long as you want your cording "channel" to be. 2. Open up the fabric and place your cord as close as you can against the previously stitched line/inner seam. Now change to your zipper foot for the following steps: 3.Close the fabric over the cord, so the cord is now sandwiched between the layers. Place your zipper foot as close as you can onto the top layer next to the cord. 4. Now stitch very close to the cord, inching your way down, stopping occasionally to feel-push the cord nice and tight against the first line of stitching. ...stitch very close to the cord, inching your way down... 5. At the end of your "channel" fold fabric up/over and cut the remaining cord off. Finished cording row. Adding more is a cinch- just repeat from step 2 above :) Check list so far: all pieces cut bust gussets done cording channel width established by doing a few practice cording rows on scrap fabric To make a cording pattern I placed a piece of paper on top of my front piece and traced the shape of it. When you design your cording pattern make sure to mark the busk pocket first and then let your imagination and sewing skills be your guide. Cording can be done vertically, horizontally and diagonally. It's up to your preference and skills but keep in mind that the cording has to be done in a certain order.(!!) Because once a cording channel is sewn, you can only open the fabric a certain way to make the rest of your cording. Also you want to make sure your cording does not end into another cording. You may however cross over ends. With that in mind the order becomes more clear. That means cord the parts first that will be crossed or joined by other lines! So mentally walk your way through first before you do any stitching. I realize it sounds VERY confusing. It becomes clearer when you do it. I will also show pictures on that and explain more with them. It's actually quite simple. Just the words fail me to make it sound simple. (This would be the time to excuse my English, it being my second language and German my mother tongue ) ..aaand moving on: I used the online cording patterns I found for inspiration and rough drafted this one: Next step is the transferring the cording pattern onto the top fabric layer of the front piece. Not an easy task considering it's thick cotton duck fabric. It's not really transparent. Quite the contrary! So, using a sunny window, I taped the paper pattern onto it. Holding my fabric piece over the paper and let the sunshine do the rest. In short; the bright sun light made it easier to see through the fabric and consequently to see and trace the pattern markings. Having learned from my mistake of stitching over pencil marks which seems to imbed them permanently into the fabric, I invested in a Mark-be-gone marker. Incredible thing! A drop of water and it just disappears. No scrubbing or washing. Just wetness. I'm very much liking it! :) After all that technical work I deserved some relaxing embroidery. I hadn't done any for decades!! Knowing that the swirls will be embroidered only onto the top layer and will not disturb the later cording, this was the perfect time to get it done. The embroidery of the swirls: I felt quite accomplished that day and put my work down. As I will now with this blog entree. Enough to digest for today. I will do the rest of the tutorial in mostly captioned pictures, so it doesn't feel so long winded. Thank you for bearing with me. Ciao for now, Darlings...
Papers from The Spectator on a Lady's Library is an article from The Lotus Magazine, Volume 4. View more articles from The Lotus Magazine.View this article...
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There’s no point denying it anymore: I have developed a very small, actually barely noticeable crush on Jack Davenport fetish for naval uniforms of the 18th and 19th century. It’s not j…
A while ago I styled a cheap modern wig from Amazon.com into a regency hairdo. I promised I would write a little tutorial on it, but it took me a while.... So here it is better late than never! I started out with this wig from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008R2CBG4/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It's a lace front wig that has a natural looking center part and long bangs .The synthetic hair is heat resistant up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, which means you can actually use heated styling tools on it. it's meant for African American ladies and comes in quite a lot of colors but all of them in darker shades. I chose color 4 which is a natural looking dark reddish brown. I paid $25 for it. It arrived looking like this. To style the wig I used a tapered curling iron, a heat resistant glove to prevent my fingers form burning, hair elastics, bobby pins, some scissors and a comb. The fist thing I did was to do a horizontal part from ear to ear separating the bangs and some of the front hair from the rest of the hair.Then I took the hair behind the the part and put it in a high ponytail, leaving some tendrils hanging loose at the nape of the neck. Then I pulled back the bangs and pinned them in place. I twisted the ponytail into a bun high on the head, I left some of the hair in the middle of the bun hanging free to be curld later. I curled the hair coming out if the bun, then I started curling the front hair. It turns out that curling synthetic hair is not exactly the same as curling human hair. You have to let it cool off to get it to hold its shape. So the way I did it was to warp the strands around the curling iron hold them for about 10 seconds and then to carefully slide the hair off again while holding the curl in shape with my fingers. ( this is where the heat resistant glove is very helpful). Then while still holding the curl I blew on the hair to speed up the cooling process. Once it's cooled let it go and it will hold its shape. If you don't do this the curl will just go limp. After pinning the side curls into place I trimmed down some of the tendrils I left hanging at the nape of the neck and curled them to make little curly wisps for a more natural look. The last thing I did was to give the wig a light dusting with hairspray. And that's it. Voila! All in all it was super easy to, only took about an hour or so and the result is quite nice. I've worn the wig twice now and have gotten lots of compliments on it. Here's some pictures of the finished wig worn with and without costume. Sorry for the low quality of the pictures they where all taken with my cellphone... The last picture was taken by the fabulous Toni Tumbrush at a Regency wedding I went to last weekend. Thanks for letting me steal your picture Toni! So anyway,the wig is pretty awesome and is great for those times when you do not have the time to do an elaborate period hairstyle with your own hair, or if you simply do not have long enough hair to do one. It's surprisingly comfortable and not really hot or itchy at all as long as it's worn wih a proper wig cap underneath. Now go style some wigs people!
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Corset making is HARD - isn't it? Actually, it isn't as hard as it seems. There's basic information online about how to make a corset, but there's a sorry lack of information on how to do it WELL. So if you're serious about ending the frustration and making a corset that you can wear with pride, here are a few tips from a pro.
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Pattern Pack A: Size XS–XXL (includes short and long stays)Pattern Pack B: Size 18–26 Plus (includes long stays) Our Regency stays patterns are appropriate for 1800-1830. They create a Jane Austen era silhouette with lifted bust. The long stays with front busk smooth the torso and provide more postural support. The short stays (included in pack A only) are great for petite wearers and beginner corset sewists. Both designs feature drawstring at bust and alterable straps. Short stays are not included in pattern pack B (plus sizing), as we have found that style often does not provide adequate, comfortable support in this size range. Pattern features: Bust gussets and hip gores (on long stays) Back lacing Adjustable straps Includes multi-sized printed pattern, sewing instructions, fitting & mockup guides, and list of supply resources. You can also get all the specialty supplies for our corset and stays patterns in our corresponding kits. See materials list below. This pattern is recommended for those with intermediate to advanced sewing skills. How to Pick Your Size Our stay and corset patterns are based closely on historical shapes and extant examples, but utilize modern construction techniques and materials to bring you an accurate silhouette in a sturdy, comfortable garment. Please see our Policies page for important information regarding payments, shipping, returns, and VAT/customs. DIGITAL PDF PATTERNS ARE AVAILABLE AT OUR DIGITAL PATTERN SHOP Materials for Long Stays A & BFabric—All SizesStrength layer (coutil, twill, drill): 1 yd @ 60” wide | 1.5 yd @ 54” wide | 2 yd @ 45” wideOptional outer fashion fabric (mid-weight cotton, linen, etc.): Same as strength layer, but add 0.5 yd if you want to make self-fabric binding BoningThe pattern is designed for 1/4” wide boning. If making up the pattern as-is with no length adjustments, you will need:SIZES XS–XXL: Straight Steels—6 @ 14”, 2 @ 10”, 2 @ 7” | Spiral Steels—2 @ 13.5”, 2 @ 13”PLUS SIZES: Straight Steels—6 @ 14”, 2 @ 10”, 2 @ 7” | Spiral Steels—4 @ 14”, 4 @ 13” Misc. Supplies14” wooden busk; 8 yds ribbon or cord for lacing; 1 yd narrow ribbon or cord for front drawstring; bone casing: 2 yds XS–XXL, 4.5 yds 18–26 (or 1/2” wide twill tape, thick bias tape, coutil strips, etc.); 2 pkgs 1” wide single fold bias tape (or make your own: cut 1.25” wide bias strips, 4–6 yds worth depending on size); 3 doz. grommets; grommet setter Materials for Short StaysFabric—All SizesStrength layer (coutil, twill, drill): 5/8 yd @ 60” wide | .75 yd @ 54” wide | 1 yd @ 45” wideOptional outer fashion fabric (mid-weight cotton, linen, etc.): Same as strength layer, but add 0.5 yd if you want to make self-fabric binding BoningThe pattern is designed for 1/4” wide boning. If making up the pattern as-is with no length adjustments, you will need: Straight Steels—4 @ 4.5”, 6 @ 4” | Spiral Steels—2 @ 5”
My repro lappet & my antique lappet Remember that original lappet cap I found when antiquing last fall? I copied it for that letters program earlier this year, and I recently added the final ruffle. For the lappet lovers of the world (I know you're out there), here are some photos highlighting the construction process... I started, naturally, by patterning the original cap. Normally I'm working from memory, vague notes from seeing an object at a museum or my Pinterest board for this process...and I discovered that it's so much easier with something tangible to work from. I found linen scraps in my stash that I had cut from another project. Lucky for me, that flat felled seam was perfect for the center seam on the caul. I used stroke gathers to make the poofy bit at the center, which adds a nice effect. Looking at the two lappets side by side... I used two types of fabric, just like the original. The ruffles, side by side. I cut the ruffle linen on the selvedge to save time/sewing. The extant ruffle has a very fine hem. A close-up of the whipped gathers, the stitch that attaches the ruffle to the caul, from the fashion fabric side. My cap inside out. I made an extra one that's up on my Etsy shop. It doesn't have a ruffle because my whipped gathers need work...but more on the technique next time.
So you’ve got your dress, it’s a few days before an event, and you’re thinking… What do I do with my hair? The period did allow for a lot of...
