Pattern review: Truly Victorian 143 – Small Hoop Crinoline

 Let's do a small throwback to 2024, when I started to do 1860s again...

My crinoline (hoopskirt), always made after a TV kit, was old and needed some adjustments. It was far too big and quite impractical in a camp-based contest like the one I was going to have. Wearing a bridal crinoline was out of discussion, so I did a small research and came across this pattern always by TV.

I had everything to make it already in my stash and the instructions looked so clear and easy to follow. I used a strong cotton canvas found at a local thrift shop,  marked all the lines were the boning channels will be and started sewing. 

The seams were overlocked to save time and then ironed to one side to be flat and allow boning installment. A slit with a placket is present at center front and the upper edge was simply turned under twice to form a drawstring channel. I used cotton twill tape to make boning channels but you can use bias tape as well. The tapes end at a certain point creating an opening where you have to insert the boning. 

I didn't take further photos during the construction which was very straightforward and if I remember well, I was able to finish it in just a weekend. 

The hoopskirt done! It's definitely much smaller than my old one but way more practical! 

And that's the crinoline worn over a brand new black cotton skirt! Personally I prefer a more trapezoidal shape when its comes to crinolines (I think they fit my body type and modest height much better) but this model works good as well and is a good alternative for those ladies who don't sport exaggerated silhouettes. I'd definitely recommend this pattern! 

  

A floral Regency short gown and skirt

 Hi everyone!

Long time has gone since the last post...and I feel like we've missed a lot. I moved to another region, changed my job (I'm no longer a full time historical costumer alas...but I'm always employed in the sewing industry...), got married and changed a little my focus on historical reenactment introducing new eras (like 17th century) and putting apart some (18th century).

But let's try to start again. I have updated my "19th century" archive right now and noticed that despite the lack of time, I managed to make something new. The floral short gown is one of the few things I made and it has a special meaning to me as I made right after the loss of Furio, my beloved tuxedo cat passed at the end of August 2023. 

First of all, what's a short gown?

Short gown is a sort of jacket worn during late 18th century and early Empire/Regency era (I'm Italian so I should talk of Empire fashion though...) which is perfect for informal and/or working occasions. As the name suggests, the short gown is...short, though the lengths may vary according to fashion trends and purposes. Short gowns were often made in linen, wool and cotton and feature a drawstring closure at neckline and lower bust, some had a separate front lining and some not. I made mine in late 18th century style with a separate lining that crosses over the bust and my stays and a moderately high waistline. Plain, prints, and stripes were all very popular and sleeves came also in several shapes from short to long. My favourite is the 3/4 length. 

Some extant examples...

I wanted this project to be fast and low budget. Very low budget. I'm trying to use my stash instead of buying new stuff so I used what I had on hand...I'm sure you recognized this.

Sounds familiar?

It is! The famous Ikea duvet made it again! I had several left overs from my robe à l'anglaise which were enough to make a jacket or a small bodice so here there we go...

The construction was pretty much straightforward, I basically used my round gown pattern for bodice and sleeves and used a simple rectangle to make the skirts; I used machine stitching inside and hand finish outside as usual. I planned to wear it with my frilled chemisette but the weather was too hot. I left sleeves unlined to stay cooler and I'm so glad I did. 

                                          

                                           

                                           

I didn't take photos of the skirt but it has the classic trapezoidal shape with cotton straps. 

Some close ups...

A hat was mandatory...

Caught on the job by FotoDidi

My not impressed face in 36°C heat...

A classic mirror selfie before heading to the camp...

 And that's all for now.

I wish I had took more detailed photos of the inside of the jacket but I didn't have the chance to wear it again as my presence in Empire reenactment is quite low at the moment...

I hope you'd happy to read from me again and found inspired enough to make your own short gown! 

1890s Cheerios jacket

 Let's talk about another project made this year during the lockdown. Take a drink, eat popcorn because this jacket has a long story. I called this project "Cheerios" because of the colour of the fabric. 

After watching Crimson Peak movie a couple of years ago I fell in love with the costumes and immediately wanted to reproduce the yellow dress, though it's not properly my colour. I went to the fabric shop, found some lovely mustard cotton but then I realized it wasn't enough for a complete dress. Nevermind, I bought it with the intention to make a fitted bodice. I adapted the pattern to my measures, cut the mockup, did some fittings, cut sleeves lining...and put everything in a box for 3 or 4 years. Don't ask me why I didn't finish it before. There was something wrong with me and my mind and I was literally afraid to start working on that out of stock cotton (you know...no room for error!). 

So I waited. And waited. And waited. Until last year, when I found the mock up in a box and remembered of this project. I put the mockup on the dress form and it looked ok but when I tried it on, I immediately realized there was no enough room for the overlap at center fronts. I did darts smaller, put a facing. Nothing. It was way too tight. This was probably the reason why I didn't finish it back then. Totally discouraged, I took the mock up and put in the box for some months again. 

During the lockdown I was looking for some easy sewing projects to do using stash materials as long as I couldn't order something new and - oh! - this little thing came to my mind again. This time the sewing Gods were with me. I tried the mock up on and - omfg - I understood I could turn the bodice into a fitted jacket with reverse, MY FAVOURITE THING! Squeeee! I rip the mock up, cut the fashion fabric, assembled the whole thing and admired how beautifully this jacket looked with a plastron instead of a sleeveless blouse. 

I ordered an antique silk organza and lace plastron on eBay but alas it was too delicate so I used it as reference to draft a pattern and make one of my own using some cotton and laces from stash. So much better as I could move and breath in the jacket without ruining the delicate silk organza. After finishing the bodice and adding the boning  I worked with the sleeves, which were incredibly big; they are attached to a fitted sleeve lining so there's no way to use sleeve supports; I stitched some netting in the upper cap of the sleeve to give just some support. 

Then I made buttonholes (later covered by hand) and used vintage honey buttons to close it. 

And it was done!

Then summer came and couldn't wear it until last weekend, when the weather finally allowed me to  put it on for the whole day. And my friends, it was a success! Enjoy! Sometimes it's amazing to see how wrong projects can turn into something beautiful and unexpected. I wore it with a matching hat with vintage veiling, antique silver buckle, gold pleated earrings and antique cammeo. 

1840s lilac dress

 Let's update this blog a little! Summer has passed (finally!) and this year I have been able to finish a couple of projects due to human temperatures until August... The projects are not in chronological order, I'm going to write about as long as I remember them.

First, a new 1840s dress. I had this lovely lilac cotton in stash for approx 2 years and decided to use it after a looooong wait. I already have a 1840s dress made in 2019 with a fan front but I wanted something different. I used my trusted TV German Day Dress pattern as base for the bodice, while sleeves and skirt are self drafted. I started this project at the beginning of September because I remembered the first version didn't take so long but I was wrong: the bodice took a lot. Almost 2 weeks. 1840s dresses may sound easy but they are not! The sleeves are fitted and have to be well drafted, same as for the elongated waistline in the bodice. Fittings took a while. I had no problems with the longer waistline (the facing piping took away 2,5 cm in lower edge and neckline so it shortened a lot!) but the fit of the bodice was a pain. 

I have a weird body with a very small neck but wider shoulders and a "medium" waist, which forces me to make a mix and match of my pattern pieces. My dressform has a huge neck so I can't drape my own patterns over it and this is a problem with back fastening gowns like these. I did all my best to achieve a good fit but the neck is still gaping and the hooks get unhooked. So boring. On the other hand, the bodice was so well fitted along the waistline there's not so much overlap for the hooks. I'm pretty sure these ladies had someone helping them when making their dresses because it's impossible to get a good fit without another pair of eyes... Front closure next time. No way. Or buttons. Buttons are lovely! 

Despite these issues, the bodice came together quite well. I just take in some extra cm in the neck and bust area. The bodice is flat lined in cotton, serged, boned in all seams and then trimmed with this lovely lilac braid I purchased online. I wanted to use only stash materials so I used what I had on hand, including this bold cotton cord for piping. 

The skirt was a breeze if compared with the bodice. Two rectangles pleated to the waistband with a faced hem and the same braid to cover the stitches. So easy and relaxing! 

I completed the look with a straw spoon bonnet from Nehelenia Patterns, trimmed with vintage decorations and cotton sateen ties again from stash. The dress is worn over chemise, corset, corded and tucked petticoat. I only realized my corset provokes a bad wrinkle at top of the bodice for unknown reasons (this was not present when making fittings...) so I will have to fix that together with the back fastening. The day of the event the weather was rainy, cold and cloudy so I had to wear a shawl to protect me a little; the silk parasol was just for scenographic reasons... ;)