Gearing Up for Calico Ghost Town

Good Afternoon!

   How was your Halloween? Mine was so much fun! I had a little bit of a fitting emergency with the Simplicity pattern I used, but my costume ended up looking okay when I called upon the magic of safety pins and false eyelashes.
    Now that Halloween and Veteran's Day have come and gone, I’ve just realized how late in the year it actually is. Christmas is around the corner, and I’m rubbing shoulders with Thanksgiving. So you can imagine the white-hot lance of fear that shot through me when I realized that the Calico Ghost Town Reenactment at the beginning of 2014 will be upon me in no time. This event is blisteringly cold, and is often punctuated by torrential showers and/or snow flurries. I know, I know. I’m really up-selling this reenactment. It is fun. Mostly.
    Since this event is the coldest of the year, I don’t really have much in the way of winter wear. I have flannel drawers and petticoats, wool gloves, and a bunch of wool scarves and shawls. I end up looking like a storybook witch. I think it adds to the persona, but it doesn’t keep me all that warm; the spaces between the scarves and shawls attract little gusts of wind, I swear. So, I have a list of things I want to get done by the Reenactment, which is about two and a half/ three months away:

 Plaid laundering dress

 Olive and black check paletot (lined with flannel?)

 Winter hood

 Plaid flannel wrapper (if I have the time/money)


The Plaid Laundering Dress:
   A couple of months ago I started hand-sewing a new laundering dress, since my machine was on the fritz. It’s better now, but all of the long seams have already been done, so I’m going to continue to hand sew. I’m calling it a “laundering dress” specifically because of some modifications I’m making.
   First, the skirts are a bit on the short side, making it easier to tramp around camp without getting caught up on stakes/ ropes when I’ve got armfuls of laundry. The skirt is cartridge-pleated a little narrower than the usual day gown (three 44” panels serge to serge), so I can walk through camp without having to maneuver skirts around.
    I absolutely hate bishop sleeves, which are good for rolling up when doing laundry, so I’m going with a buttoned coat sleeve, which I can unbutton at the wrists and roll to my elbows so the fabric doesn’t get wet. I’m going to line the bodice and sleeves with unbleached muslin, and the kick pleat will be unbleached muslin as well.
   My maroon gown is pretty and all, but the fabric isn’t really accurate, and I want to go with something a little more dirt-friendly. I purchased a tan plaid, and I’m changing up my usual hook and eye front closure for a buttoned closure. I’m using these really sweet untreated wood buttons, and hand sewing the button holes.    The bodice is gathered, which was fairly common for coarse or homespun cotton gowns during the period. A friend of mine said it wasn’t all that fashionable during the war, but I’m a laundress, so I really shouldn’t be looking all that fashionable or I’ll attract too much attention and get myself fired. So gathered it shall be.
   I won’t be sewing a collar to the gown, but instead will be using my trusty linen kerchief, which I think looks adventurous and comes in really handy in the summer.
   Both armscyes have self-piping, and the skirt will have self-bias around the bottom. I’m slightly worried that I may run out of fabric; I purposefully bought less than I usually do because the fabric was not on sale and I want to force myself to piece. I usually have a lot of fabric left over, and this wastes money and fabric, especially since I haven’t started quilting any of my scrap yet. I know I’m going to have to piece the sleeves, and definitely the bias and piping. If all else fails, I’ll probably take out some volume from the skirt for sleeves and piping.

Olive and Black Check Paletot: 
   This little beauty will probably lead me tear out my hair. I posted about this project, and was super psyched about it. I bought this really great olive and green wool check in the Garment District a couple of years ago, and it is perfect for a paletot. So I made a mockup and cut out the fabric. I also bought some cotton velveteen for sleeve cuff and neckline decoration. The sleeves and the little cap sleeves are done, and the sleeves only need some flannel lining basted in. The body of the paletot, though. Sometimes I really dislike being a woman. Especially the sudden hormonal weight gain where you least expect it. I mean, I honestly find myself thinking “do people really store fat there?” Don’t get me wrong; being a woman is way more awesome than being a man, in my biased experience. But the strange, sudden weight gain? I can live without it. Needless to say, I cut out the paletot when I was ten pounds lighter than I am now. And a large portion of those ten pounds magically ended up where it really matters in fitting upper body garments. The thing strains to cover my bust, and I definitely need to tear this thing apart and piece the heck out of it. I only have a small amount of fabric left, so I’m going to have to be very creative, I think.

Winter Hood:
   I found a great tutorial about Romantic History’s winter hood. I usually use a large-brimmed straw hat during the rest of the year, but I don’t ever take it to Calico. My face is always so cold that I end up wrapping multiple scarves around my head. But I was cleaning out my fabric chest, and realized that I have a couple of old Irish Wool skirts that would make an amazing winter bonnet. I also found some plaid flannel shirting and am going to line the inside of the bonnet with that, since the wool is a little scratchy. I plan on machining this, but I may hand quilt the brim if I’m feeling brave.

Plaid Flannel Wrapper:
So this project is going to be saved for last, if I’m feeling really ambitious. I have a mid-century wrapper pattern that I’ve made a mockup of, and it is awesome. And in flannel? I would never ever change out of it. Ever. If I can find some well-priced plaid flannel, and if I have enough time, I’ll whip this up on my Singer.

Pockets, and Jackets, and Stays, Oh My!

     So my embroidered pockets are coming along!!! I'm actually a little impressed with myself for having stuck with a project that I didn't need to complete the day before I had to wear it. Yay me.

   I used graphite paper (which was the only thing I had on hand but will never use again for embroidery because it doesn't wash out) to trace the pattern, and started the vines with a stem stitch. I've noticed that most extant pockets were done with chain stitches as opposed to stem stitches, but I don't like the chain stitch, so I'm going rogue. I filled in the flowers and the center design with a satin stitch.

   I usually embroider while watching "Vampire Secrets" with my friends. They get a little annoyed when I ask what Elena did to ruin the plan to kill so-and-so because I had an embroidery hoop in front of my face (trust me, Elena ruins all of the plans, all the time, always).

    But now that History-Con is coming up, I really need to set my pockets aside for a bit and get the ball rolling on my costume...and costumes for the rest of our group. We're all going as a cohesive group this year, and I couldn't be more thrilled. We're going as a rag-tag group of French Revolutionaries!!!!! Not the Les Mis kind, the cool, slightly creepy 18th century kind. Like these guys:

And:

See? Super creepy.

The dates for the Revolution land in my fave fashion period, and the 1790's are probably my favorite because of the dramatic change in silhouette due to the Revolution. Funny how that works :)

We have a wide range of social classes in our group: some wealthy women, some starving yeomen farmers, and some (still starving) classes in between. It'll be fun. 

Of course, as a lower-middle class woman (aka Citoyenne Starving Proletariat), I will be Behind the Fashionable Times, so my clothing will be closer to the mid- to late- 1780's. My costume is inspired by the Kyoto Costume Institute's Revolutionary costume:

http://www.kci.or.jp/archives/digital_archives/detail_230_e.html

I love the red jacket, but my own ensemble will differ a little bit; I'm going to be wearing a straw hat festooned with cockades, a linen or muslin apron, a striped linen petticoat and some super fetch Fugawee shoes:

I squee(!!!) a little every time I see them.

We're also going to be making a ton of these little guys (cockades) in all shapes and colors (three, to be exact) and sizes:

Scarletscarab.com has some super cool cockades for tams.

But here's the thing... I have a ton of stuff to do before I can look Rev-chic. My friends are going, so I'm helping out on their costumes, as well. Not that I mind, I'm super excited that other people are excited, but it is a lot....

Here's my own personal To-Do List: ( Citoyenne Starving Proletariat)

• 1780's Handsewn Stays ( My friends are borrowing my other two and looked a little daunted at the thought of making their own)
• Hand-dyed Scarlet Jacket with a super awesome Peplum
• Striped Linen Petticoat
• Apron
• A million cockades
• A fetch little cap
• An plain set of pockets (because I'm not crazy)
• False undersleeves (my chemise is short-sleeved)

My Best Friend's List: ( Citoyenne Starving Wandering Peasant [the Starving-er, the better in her opinion])

• Striped linen jacket with attached undersleeves
• Linen/Muslin Petticoat (she's borrowing an under petti from me)
• Apron
• Plain Pockets
• A portion of the million cockades
• Kerchief

My Brother's Best Friend's List: (Citoyenne Peckish Fashionable Lady Looking for a Cause)

• Chemise
• Chemise a la Reine 
• Ridiculous Hat
• A large portion of the million cockades (because she's super skilled at making these)
• Fichu
• Sash

I'll be posting my progress, and the pic-by-pic of the pair of stays my friend will be wearing: the Two Day Stays.

We have a month and a half. Let's see what we can do!

Split Drawers

Hello. It's been a while. I finished that paper.
And my split drawers!
So, here's the thing about split drawers: they're the best. Imagine that you're at a reenactment smack-dab in the middle of summer. You are probably keeping yourself hydrated (Me: "Water? What is this strange substance you speak of?") and, subsequently, you have to visit the "necessary". Which is code for ridiculously gross port-o-john with a swarm of mosquitoes hanging out on the ceiling. Would you rather contort yourself into a pretzel trying to unbutton the drawers underneath all of your layers, including your corset, while keeping your hoop skirt-petticoat taco from agitating those mosquitoes? Or would you rather have this handy-dandy, accident-proof article of clothing at your disposal?

Yes, it looks funny. No, the legs aren't sewn together, it's just a big gap. But they are amazing. Completely amazing.
Historical Side Note:
Ever wonder why those can-can girls were so risque? Most people don't think of the can-can as scandalous nowadays: "What's so crazy about dancers flipping up their frilly, voluminous skirts to show more frilly, voluminous skirts?" they ask.
Split drawers, my friends. Split drawers.

New Projects

Finally! I can breathe. All of my crazy hectic plans have been completed.
So, of course, I'd like to stress myself out again :)
It's really more like starting now before I stress myself out the last week of August, really.
My unit is going to the Huntington Beach Civil War Reenactment the first weekend in September, and I've things to make. Specifically: A third set of split drawers and a paletot.
I'm going to hand sew the drawers, since the machine I use is at the shop, and I'll probably machine most of the paletot. I'll do topstitching and trim for the paletot by hand.
The drawers (and maybe another chemise, actually. It's really humid and gross in H.B. at this event) will be made out of lightweight muslin. I have a 50% off coupon for Joann's, so I'm pretty ecstatic about it.
I have a nice wool suiting that I purchased in L.A. for the paletot, but no lining. So this week(end?) I'm going to the $2 fabric store nearby to pick up a lining fabric. They have some pretty nice twills, three yards of which I bought to line stays, corsets, etc. I'd use that, but it's tan, and my wool suiting is a hunter green/ black check.
Wish me luck!

The Great Mustard Jacket

So, after thinking about what I wanted to make for the fair for an eternity and getting nowhere, I figured I would just make something that I had been dying to make and send it in. I've been eyeing the 1790's red and white striped jacket from the Kyoto collection, since it is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen, and I've decided to make a jacket with the same silhouette.

I'm doing a mash-up, here. I've taken an internet-find pattern ( larsdatter.com, 18th century Women's Jackets) for the general bodice shape, 

and I'm looking at Janet Arnold's pattern for the 1780-1790 "gown with a front fall opening and a vandyked collar" from Patterns of Fashion 1: 1660-1860. I'm adding cuffs and a front placket which will imitate a buttoned front closure. For the fabric, I'm using mustard velveteen, of which I have about a gazillion yards (literally about 4), and I'm lining it in a creamy linen I found on sale. I think things will go fairly smoothly. I've enlarged my pattern(s) with my trusty enlarger that I received from a teacher friend (it's probably a hot enlarger, let's be honest.) and I've created a mock up. The proportions are a little wonky, but I'm making another mock up later today. I'm planning on hand sewing this, because I always love to super stress myself out at the last minute, but I may machine the innards of my french seams if it gets crazy. 

A Competition is Announced

      So I've made clothing for my role as unit Laundress for my Civil War Reenacting not-a-hobby (it's pretty thought consuming for me, and I obsess about it, honestly.), and I've attended several historical events and the odd costume party; I've even sold some of my creations. But submitting a project to a real competition? *gasp*

     I attended the Orange County Fair last year, and stumbled upon their "Fiber Arts" competition. There are quilts, knitted items, loomed items and sewn garments. Since I have absolutely no head for quilts, and I can only knit scarves, I ran straight toward the sewn garments. And there, Gentle Reader, I gazed upon a burgundy satin 1880's tea gown. It was breathtaking. So of course, me being me, I said to myself, "I'm going to enter and try to win this thing!" Fast forward to last week, when I registered in the "Fiber Arts" competition. It's due the 1st of July, and I've yet to start. Entertainment, commence.