The Vintage Nerd Sews

1790s, Colonial Williamsburg Collection I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I continue to be inspired by Felicity Merriman's wardrobe. I think most (if not all) historical costumers of a certain age owe a large portion of their passion to The Pleasant Company, and I am no exception. When Virgil's Fine Goods announced the return of their fabric, "Cait's Flowers," the original 18th century print that inspired the one used by American Girl, I had to have it. I was very kindly gifted 5 yards of it for Christmas by my parents, and spent my time waiting on the pre-order to arrive by deciding what to make with it.  I didn't want to go full cosplay, in part because that's not quite me. Another reason was that I already have a calico round gown, so another felt...excessive. What did catch my eye during the research process were the many chintz petticoat and jacket combinations. This struck me as something a grown-up Felicity might wear. I began to do my res...

Everything aligned at last to do a proper photoshoot of my round gown, and seeing the photos, it was worth the wait. Liz and I are so often on the same page for photos, it's not even funny, and this time, we were both feeling inspired by Fragonard's pastoral-yet-decadent portraits. I think she absolutely nailed it. I used a silk ribbon for my sash, and my hat is trimmed with velvet ribbon from my stash. The wind spent the entire shoot trying to steal my hat. Pleats and back shaping As always, I find things to correct every time I wear a make for an extended period of time. Most obvious to me is my too-much tucker. I'll be making the ruffles fuller and the height shorter. I'll also re-gather the back of this cap--the gathering needs to be more concentrated at the top. At present, the gathers seem to almost drag it down. It's nice to know that there are only tiny tweaks to make this time. I'm looking forward to wearing this gown again, and styling it in other ways...

We got some snow over the weekend, and of course I had to take some photos of the round gown against the cold, crisp backdrop! I only managed to make it as far as the backyard, but I'm still fairly happy with the results.

John Redhead by George Romney, 1780 After the success of my most ambitious project to date, the round gown from Fitting and Proper , I yearned for the next challenge in 18th century costuming. I do have a francaise in mind, but the time still hasn't felt right to execute that. Until I have a formal event to wear it to, the francaise will wait. I already realized that I went from zero 18th century gowns in 2022 to three in 2023, and I don't want to extend my 1930s evening gown problem to another century (i.e.: I have more evening gowns than have ever gone to formal events).  As I remarked in my post about the shirt, when I hear a thing is difficult, I often find that a call to arms. With my confidence in drafting boosted by the round gown, I began to formulate ideas and draw inspiration. As with women's wear, my interest does not lie in the elaborate and formal with its brightly colored silk and intricate embroidery. I admire that work, but my taste has never run to those th...

As I put the finishing touches on my round gown, I was ready to dive headfirst back in to the 18th century. There's something addicting about the peacefulness hand sewing brings me. I wasn't quite ready to tackle my Francaise yet--there are a lot of things that need done first, including remaking my dressmaker's mannequin. Instead, I thought I'd take a rather sharp fork in the road and head the opposite direction, taking a gander at menswear. When my husband was considering joining in on the early American costuming shenanigans a couple of years ago, I had made him a checked linen shirt. However, we never got much further than that, and his historical interests are considerably more modern. I still wanted to try my hand at menswear, but I didn't want to force him into it either, so I decided that I should work with what I had: me! I don't see many women in the historical costuming community making menswear. Perhaps its because few of our men share our interest e...

My modern sewing machine has been in the shop for the last couple of weeks, and was finished and ready for pickup just a couple of days before Christmas. While I was there, it was a moment of love at first sight with this Morris & Co quilting cotton. I grabbed a couple of yards and whipped up this sweet little jacket using Janet Arnold's pattern again. I went with View D this time, with the swallowtail back, and added lacing. It goes remarkably well with my wool sage petticoat (pardon the wrinkles--I pulled it out of the trunk for a few quick photos). I had to eke out the pattern as I got the least possible yardage, but it was well worth it to match up the pattern at the back and center the stomacher. I'd like to get some green silk ribbon to add a bit of flair to the stomacher so I can wear it pinned in as well. Nicely centered pattern on the stomacher As ever, I can only hope for opportunities to wear this in the upcoming year!