Progress Report

I've been seriously bitten by the sewing bug these past few weeks. Usually I attempt to divide my free time between sewing and writing, but since seeing the film Testament of Youth, I have been inspired to create a 1910s autumn/ winter wardrobe for myself. I wrote a post on the Rag Trade Sisters blog about the excellent costuming done for that film.

I selected several patterns, most of which are from the excellent Wearing History. I chose a skirt pattern from The Fashion Archaeologist as well. 

The lovely patterns I selected - some of which I already had before this project seized me!

But before I could begin sewing any blouses or skirts, I had to begin with the proper corset, which I chose from Truly Victorian, who had recently added a 1910s corset to their collection. 

I was very surprised by how different this corset pattern is to the other corsets/ stays I have made. I have made Regency short stays, and 18th century stays, but I have never ventured with anything this modern. 

Pinning the pattern pieces.

I was able to sew several parts of the corset together, but had to break while waiting for the proper boning to come in the post. But I look forward to finishing this corset in the next week or two. 

A glimpse of how the corset might look when completed! 

1920s salads & yes, I am alive!

I realise that it's been over a month since I wrote a blog post. In my defence, July in my family is full of birthdays. There are nine July birthdays, to be exact, and then mine falls in the beginning of August. So it's always a crazy, busy time for my family. Thus writing posts for my blog goes by the wayside. 

I wanted to do a new recipe from my Modern Priscilla cookbook, even though the first of the month is long gone. I also thought it would be nice to try a savoury recipe, as I think I choose sweet things most of the time. 

So, last night I made dinner - a zucchini casserole, and, from my cookbook, Filled Tomatoes with Asparagus Tips. The recipe was a bit unusual, but I thought it sounded pretty good. 

The recipe: 

There were a few things I wasn't sure about, and I made a few changes, as I usually end up doing with these recipes. For one, I didn't peel the tomatoes. Part of me couldn't be bothered, but I was also afraid that they'd end up being too soft. They were pretty ripe to begin with. 

Also, the instructions didn't really seem that clear to me, so I used the tomato insides as part of the cucumber vinegar mixture. Also, I didn't have celery (actually, there was some in the fridge, but I didn't realise that till I was done) so I used a bit of celery salt for seasoning. I didn't drain the mixture, either, but put the whole thing in the hollowed out tomatoes. I also just put the asparagus (which I had steamed & allowed to cool) on the lettuce beside the tomato. I've never had asparagus cold in a salad, but it was really delicious. Also, the cucumber/tomato/vinegar salad was so delicious! 

It seems as though every salad recipe in my book calls for French dressing. I wonder if it was very popular, or if it's the only salad dressing that was readily available. Something I need to research! 

The final result: 

The salad & the casserole together

A close-up of the salad.

1780s Kelvingrove Dress

Something about the new year inspired me to make a copy of a stunning dress that I had seen in the summer of 2014 at the Kelvingrove Museum - a lovely Robe a l'Anglaise influenced by the Chemise a la Reine.

An example of a Chemise a la Reine, Musee de la Toile de Jouy, circa 1787

Some views of the gorgeous Kelvingrove dress, also from the 1780s:

Such a beautiful, light dress. Perfect for the summer!
CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collections

Having close-up images like this was invaluable when trying to recreate this gown.
CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collections

The muslin material and the gathered bodice echo the Chemise a la Reine.
CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collections

A side view - the beautiful pattern and the light petticoat and ribbons are such an amazing combination.
CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collections

The original dress is very delicate and feminine, and I feel as though my copy is not as dainty. I did work with cotton, but not muslin, so my bodice and overskirt were not as light as the originals. Perhaps, several years down the road, I will make a more faithful re-creation.

I got the material from Ikea, and I am not the first to use it for an 18th century dress. According to the Shadow of My Hand blog, the print is taken from an original 18th century one.

I used the Sense & Sensibility Ladies' 1780s Portrait Dress Pattern, as I liked the look of the back, as it seemed to match the Kelvingrove Dress pretty well. 

The back view of the original dress.CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collections

I did most of the bodice by hand, but chickened out and did the petticoat & dress & the front bodice panels by machine. 

The V-shape in the dress pattern was more pronounced, and if I were to do it again, I would modify that, as well as making the bodice itself longer. These are things I should have picked up on, however, when fitting it to my dress-form. The sleeves are also very bizarre, with too much extra material in the back, which did not match the dress I was trying to copy, nor many 18th century sleeves. I might try to re-do the sleeves at some point. 

This was a very challenging project, and ended up taking longer than I supposed - I think that happens a lot when I take on a new sewing project! I finished this just one day after it was due for the June Historical Sew Monthly challenge.

One of my two front bodice panels, with same-material casings. 

Seeing how the front panels fit!

The finished product! Not perfect by any means, but I'm pleased with the result. 

Hopefully you can't tell that my over-dress has a wonky hem. I am not very good at cutting, and I used a duvet cover from Ikea, so that make it even more difficult! My sister Heather was a great help in salvaging my wonky hem!

It was a challenging dress to make, and if I ever do it in the future, I would get lighter material, and I would either modify the pattern more, or use a combination of others. It was a great learning experience, and I hope that it has improved both my skill and enthusiasm for historical dress making. 

First of the month baking: Raisin Biscuits

I'm afraid that I wasn't able to get around to baking anything from my "Modern Priscilla" cookbook last month. I was so keen on finishing my stays, so didn't make time for a bit of baking. 

I don't really fancy raisins, but I had currents, and I thought that maybe these might turn out a bit like Welsh cakes, which are delicious. 

The Recipe

I'm a somewhat impatient baker, and have never been a fan of sifting. This recipe calls for sifting it *twice*, so I compromised and sifted it once. I also added a little nutmeg and used butter instead of shortening.

Proof that I sifted!

I also added a bit more milk than it called for in order for it to mix together properly.

 Our oven runs a little hot, so I had the temperature at 425 instead of 450. Even still, after 15 minutes, the first batch burnt!

The burnt batch!

The second batch at 400 for 10 minutes!

The second batch turned out quite well. The biscuits are quite similar to scones, and very nice with the currants.

18th Century Stays

It is beyond thrilling to me that I have finally completed my 18th C. Stays. My sister Heather had a pattern from the JP Ryan company which she let me use. I completed a mock-up in early February but then got cold feet. I knew the stays had to be well-fitted, and I wasn't sure how I would achieve that.


After my brother Jared & my sister-in-law April gifted me with a dress-form, this became more feasible.

The mock-up on my dress-form. I later used this as the lining. 

Making the stays ended up being more of an undertaking than I realised, especially as I was doing the sewing by hand. I had made Regency-era short stays by hand before from the Sense & Sensibility pattern, and that had been delightfully easy. Creating 18th century stays, however, is much more time-consuming. There are three layers to sew together, and more pieces, not to mention the boning!

A thicker cotton for the outside layer. 

Pinning all three layers together. 

Sewing the boning channels.

I was hoping to finish the stays by the end of April. I didn't complete them till the beginning of May, which was not too much over my intended date.

There are two JP Ryan patterns available - one for half-boned stays, and the one I have for fully boned stays. I did not have the stamina or patience to make mine fully boned, but tried to put in enough that it would be stiff and supportive enough. There are extant versions of both kind of stays:

18th century stays, half-boned, Victoria & Albert Museum

18th century stays, fully boned. 

Despite the somewhat tedious nature of hand-sewing 18th century stays, I enjoyed the challenge. I was also grateful to improve my skill as a seamstress.

Hand-sewn eyelets, as metal grommets were not available in the 18th century.

A close-up of the front of the stays

The back. I think I should have laced them a bit more tightly in the middle! 

And now I have the correct foundations ready for when I complete my 18th century dress. I am planning a copy of a dress seen in the Kelvingrove Museum, but I confess, my new-found enthusiasm for the 18th century is becoming difficult to check. I may have to make a few more ensembles after the Kelvingrove one is finished!

On to the next project!

Bergére Hat

When I decided, a few months back, that I needed to make a copy of a 1780s dress that my sister Heather and I saw in the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow, I didn't realise all the work it would entail. Of course, before starting on the dress, I would have to make the proper stays or corset to wear under the dress. As I am sewing those by hand, they are not yet finished. At some point along the way I thought it would be jolly to have a hat as well, and my fancy was taken with the Bergére hat, which was very popular throughout the 18th century.

Susan (1735-1776), Sister of Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 1st Bt.
Kelmarsh Hall Collection.

Bergére is the French word for shepherdess, and was the inspiration for the hat, emulating the idealised, pastoral look.

British hat of raffia & silk, circa 1760.
Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I bought a straw hat and red silk ribbon from Burnley & Trowbridge. I also had some thick cream ribbon from a Ribbon Mill in Greene, New York which I used for trimming. The hat above was my inspiration.

A close-up of my ribbon work.

My completed Bergére Hat.

First of the month baking: Rice Pudding

I am well aware that it is not really the first of the month anymore. I apologise profusely! This has been rather a busy and distracting month so far, and this is the first time I've had to try something from my Modern Priscilla cookbook.

This month I thought I'd try rice pudding. I am exceedingly fond of rice pudding, and have met very few I didn't like. 

I had some reservations about the recipe, though, as it required only 4 tablespoons of rice, which didn't seem like very much. However, I followed the recipe (with the exception that I stirred in a bit of vanilla as well. 

How it looked all mixed up and ready to bake. 

The finished product!

 I tried it while it was still warm and it was very delicious! So far these Modern Priscilla recipes are turning out so well!