Looking Forward

I now have a fully functional 18th century working class ensemble for summer and for winter completed. With accessories, I can take my brown wool gown and dress it up more formally for special occasions, and the lightweight fabric makes it appropriate for fall through spring. I'm very proud of my accomplishments, and this sewing project has brought me a joy in sewing that I haven't felt in a very long time. 

So now what? 

I have some small improvements I plan to make to the things I already have. First and foremost, I plan to re-hem my sage green petticoat. I did an imperfect job, and you can see the hem stitches pulling all the way around the front (but of course the hidden backside looks fine). Larger improvements include a better pair of stays, this time using the Augusta stays from Virgil's Fine Goods, which everyone I follow on Instagram seems to have made and loved. The stays I currently have aren't a perfect fit, and the cut doesn't improve my bust situation, a necessary part of the 18th century silhouette. A market bonnet has been cut out, and lays abandoned in the pile of unfinished projects. I'd like to finish it before I begin my stays, but after re-hemming my petticoat. I also plan to make a second shift. If I participate in any living history events, this will be a must, as a shift picks up all the oils and sweat of the day when worn. 

Looking forward to bigger projects: 

I was never particularly drawn to the extremely formal gowns of this period--not because they aren't beautiful, but because I often feel out of place in elegant formalwear. It's a feeling of Cinderella at the ball, but if her coach had turned into a pumpkin early. However, the last few years have brought with them some wisdom, including an appreciation of myself and of this body I live in. This isn't the place to go into detail, but when you lose your body as you knew it, with returned health comes a new appreciation for your physical being, flaws and all. With this newfound view of self, I no longer feel nervous at the thought of getting all glammed up, and I plan to work on a robe a la Francaise this year. I don't feel confident that I can draft it from scratch like some of the costumers out there, so I'd like to use a pattern as a starting point. J.P. Ryan's pattern seems to have been popular, but I'm a little nervous at the thought of using one of their patterns again when I struggled so much to make their robe a l'Anglaise work for me. I do have the gradable pattern in the American Duchess book to work from, as well. 

I've already purchased the fabric, a stunning print from Peas Projects on Etsy. It's called "French Spring," and I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. The beautiful combination of colors called to me, and demanded it become a beautiful formal gown. I'm planning on making the petticoat in white, but trimmed in the same fabric as the gown to tie it all together. Once again, unplanned, but it will coordinate well with my green shoes and my blue-trimmed hat!

While the robe a la Francaise doesn't have a deadline, I do have another project in mind with a completion date of spring. I love a white gown, specifically the chemise a la reine of the 1790s and the columnar white gown of the early regency period. 

Chemise a la Reine, found here

Regency gown and open robe, here

I have three yards of a semi-sheer white cotton with red and green floral print that I believe would make a nice open robe. I love the contrast of the dark fabric against the white in the image above so much, though, that every time I see it, I reconsider my plans. The white gown and the appropriate undergarments come first, no matter what I decide to do for the open robe, so I plan to move forward with it and see what happens afterward. I'd like to use the two-tone floral for a chemise a la reine, but three yards isn't enough for that voluminous a garment. If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears! 

Finally, I roped my husband in (ish) to letting me make an 18th century ensemble for him. Nothing formal, because he's not a fancy guy, but he consented to a longhunter's attire. I plan on working on this here and there. I already have the shirt completed, minus a couple of small alterations, and may share that project here in the future. 

I hope that my "journal" of sorts is interesting and educational, and that if you've been reading along, that you'll stick around as I continue to undertake more projects. Please don't mind if my posting is a bit more sparse, however: I'm back in the full swing of work and grad school, which doesn't leave me much time to pursuing these creative endeavors. I promise to update here as I can, however!