A 1750s Ikea floral caraco

New season, new project! Well, to be honest this one was started this winter but you know, I don't have lot of free time to sew for myself. If you read my previous post about 18th century fichus you may have noticed a new, lovely, floral caraco.

I started it between January and February for an event at the end of March, using some cotton from stash as lining (you know, economy!) aaand approx two yards of this famous Ikea fabric. This kind of cotton is thicker than Ljusoga duvet so keep it in mind when buying: it wouldn't work good for a summer dress or jacket. The price is about 5€ at yard so it's definitely budget friendly! 

"Luckily" our event ended to be really cold and windy and the caraco worked perfectly as mid-season garment. 

I used the famous caraco pattern shown in "Patterns of Fashion 1" by Janet Arnold with some alterations. A very, very similar version if you're not good at scaling up patterns can be found on JP Ryan online shop; I loved her cuffs so I used her draws as reference to make mine. I also added a side seam to the bodice to make it a little bit different to my robe à l'anglaise.  My.ma in reference was this beautiful extant piece:

First, I printed the pattern and adjusted to fit my body. I have very large back shoulders and I always have to enlarge period patterns a lot to fit this area. Then, I raised the neckline quite a lot, added cuffs,  attached fine cotton engageantes and a lovely small strip to the bodice to keep my fichu in place. I also omitted hooks and eyes closure for a more practical one with pins since I'm currently losing weigth. When I made the mock up the sleeves were perfectly fitted but now, in just two months, they run large but I can live with that. The rest is still perfect and the back so incredibly well fitted, yay! 

The front edges are boned with synthetic whalebone.

The skirts have two lovely box pleats in the side seams which give to the caraco a very elegant, flattering look. They need to be worn over pocket hoops to show their volume at best. I wore the whole thing with a brown linen skirt and a cotton petticoat. I'm planning a lighter one in red. 

The caraco came together really easily. It doesn't have a waist seam and the wrinkle you have at sides is absolutely correct. I made the lining first and joined it to the fashion fabric as a separate piece; the lining and the fabric have been joined by hand. As usual, my garments have machine made seams but hand finished details. I skipped trims and decorations for now: they can always be added later. 

I could work on it for a very limited period of time but on a normal schedule I would have finished it in a week/ a couple of days.  

I didn't take many pics of the construction, it was really straightforward. I was thinking to add this lovely piece to my Etsy shop as made to order item in different sizes, who knows...

New Ancient Roman stola and veil in linen

It's been a while since I updated  this outfit, I admit. Things are getting really busy here, including a big new: we're moving in a bigger flat! So this means we're surrounded by boxes everywhere worse than usual (lol), displaced furniture and so on. The shop is still running though it's really hard to combine work and moving. Anyway, we decided to celebrate this moment introducing a new discount code which gives you the opportunity to get free shipping on every order above 100€!

Let's talk about the dress now. Last April we introduced the Roman world in our events since some of us already had experiences in this field. I was planning an update version of my outfit from a long time and this event was the best occasion to sew a stola and a veil.

Some costume history...
The stola was an outer layer worn by married women to indicate their status; it was usually sleeves and come from a rectangle of fabric draped on shoulders and secured with brooches or pins. The veil was worn over the head by every woman when she was outdoors (sounds

familiar, uh?) and could be replaced by the larger and longer palla.

So I just had to make a stola and a veil, nothing difficult. The stola  is made of lightweight blue linen with handsewn finishing and same for the veil, which is white. The day was very hot and sunny and I'm so happy to have worn the veil on my head.

And the stola...

The red palla and the under tunic were already part of the outfit. I'm sorry for the lack of hairstyle but I was waiting for  my turn to be brushed ;) 

And that's all for now! I didn't take more photos that day but I'll use this outfit again next September!

White cotton Directoire dress (1795-1799) part 3: finished and worn!

And here we are with the last part of the process, the dress finished and worn. We had a rainy Sunday and we couldn't take better photos but a couple turned out lovely. 

Some words about the finished dress: despite taking accurate measurements, there's a huge gap at the back so excuse me if I didn't take so much photos of the back view. I was wearing accurate underwear (chemise, stays and fichu) but I felt ridiculous. I know it's accurate (drawstring dresses were often borrowed because they could be easily altered to fit different bodies) and no skin is shown, but I have to fix this issue as soon as possible; for the event I relied on my long hair to hide the gap. 

The sleeves are really comfy and so the bodice. Sense and Sensibility pattern worked great for this project! The alterations were minimal but if you're planning to use it for a similar dress I strongly recommend to choose a bigger size (the bigger, the merrier! More gathers!) 

The sash and the hair band are made of burgundy cotton sateen. I'm planning a matching open robe for the next event which will be about fashion and will cover a huge period (1750 until 1825). 

And the photos, at last!

Some shots directly from the event: 

Un post condiviso da Il Fiore Nero (Danielle Fiore) (@ilfiorenero_handmade) in data: 2 Apr 2017 alle ore 06:45 PDT

...and a video with the dress in action! 

The #directoire dress in motion :) It is so comfy! #18thcentury #1790s #directoire #direttorio #whitedress #historicalcostume #costuming #sewing #handsewn #seamstress #costume #costumery #reenactment #reenactor #rievocazione #rievocazioni #rievocazionestorica

Un post condiviso da Il Fiore Nero (Danielle Fiore) (@ilfiorenero_handmade) in data: 3 Apr 2017 alle ore 06:37 PDT

The beautiful pearl necklace I'm wearing is by Fantasia Trinkets. It's a great addition to most of my historical costumes! Despite the issue with the gap in the back, I'm kinda pleased with this costume. It was fun and easy to make and the thick cotton makes it look more accurate. I also forgot to mention the outer finishing is all hand sewn and the drawstring channels are hand sewn with double thread.

And now, heading to the next project!

Making the Kyoto Costume Institute striped jacket (1790s) part 1

I recently ordered the famous book by Kyoto Costume Institute and their amazing collection of extant gowns because I definitely needed some "real" visual reference. With real I mean a material version of the references, without using the web; ok, Google is amazing but you know, some details worth to be looked at closely. 

I already knew the famous striped jacket from KCI and I saw the beautiful reproduction by American Duchess some years ago. Now, with the 1790s events quickly approaching, I decided to make my own version. Unfortunately there aren't photos of the real jacket showing the back so I had to use my imagination to figure it out: it doesn't have a peplum skirt and considering the small tail, this one doesn't have a skirt at all. The back is surely fitted at the back with curved sleeves. The jacket is double breasted with only a row of functional buttons. 

Un post condiviso da Il Fiore Nero (Danielle Fiore) (@ilfiorenero_handmade) in data: 5 Feb 2017 alle ore 07:24 PST

So, after studying the images, I started to draft my own pattern draping it on the dressform. It went together really quickly and yes, this surprised me.

Un post condiviso da Il Fiore Nero (Danielle Fiore) (@ilfiorenero_handmade) in data: 23 Feb 2017 alle ore 02:47 PST

There are no details about the construction methods. American Duchess used a hidden lacing at the front but I avoided this part, choosing a simple double-breasted closure with 5 real buttons as the original. I only need to make the front longer, I made them too short but this is just a mock up.
This is a close up of the fabric I'll use and gosh, it's really similar!

Un post condiviso da Il Fiore Nero (Danielle Fiore) (@ilfiorenero_handmade) in data: 6 Mar 2017 alle ore 07:32 PST

I still have to draft the pattern for the collar, for the sleeves I'll use the pattern made for my black regency Spencer with minor alterations. I will make a simpler version of the cuffs as well.
More photos to come!

19th century cotton chemisette

Last Christmas I have been gifted (squee!) with a full series of Regency patterns created by Jeannie of Sense & Sensibility. I came across their website ages ago, when looking for Titanic tea gowns patterns. At that time I didn't sew yet (we're talking about more than 10 years ago!) so I didn't pay too much attention to the full series of patterns they offered but - recently -  I changed my perspective. Usually I try to draft most of my patterns to save money and assure me a great fit (I have a weird body shape with small bust and very wide hips so not every commercial pattern fits me) but since I sew mostly for others, I rarely have the time to drape a customized pattern for myself. So, yeah, sometimes I choose the easiest way using a premade pattern. 

My boyfriend made me the best present ever, purchasing for me a whole series of Regency patterns: this collection includes undergarments, several dresses, purses, embroidery patterns and spencers. Oh my god. You cannot imagine how happy I was, my hands were absolutely scratching while looking at the pattern pieces. I HAD to try them asap! However, I had a very difficult January fighting against a bad ribs inflammation so I couldn't sew or cutting without feeling huge pain: this situation translated in a temporary closed shop on Etsy and a period of relax. I felt kinda down (being self-employed if I don't work I don't get paid...) and during one of these afternoon I decided to challenge my pain sewing a very small piece from these patterns: a chemisette! 

The Regency undergarments pattern includes two chemisettes, one with ruffled collar and another one with a pointed collar. I decided to make the first one with a flat ruffle. I used some sheer cotton I had in my stash plus some satin ribbon to close it. That's all. I made it all by hand excluded the shoulder seams, made by machine with a french seams.

A general overview with the dress on.

The chemisette came together really quickly, it was extremely easy to put together and it took me just a couple of days to be finished. In a normal health status I would have finished it in a day. I decided to avoid buttons or pins so I left the two part of the chemisette open, because there's enough overlap on the front to keep it closed when worn. 

This item is available on my Etsy shop in different standard sizes!  

A Regency day in Osasco: dress and undergarments

If you followed me for a while, you may know I'm kinda new to 18th century and Regency costuming. Being definitely not what you can consider a tall lady, I've never been a huge fan of high waistlines and raised breasts because I considered them bad looking on me. I was wrong. Really wrong. My perception of Regency era simply mislead by movies, period dramas and lack of knowledge. Being honest and admit your limits is the first step to open your eyes and start studying seriously a certain historical period and fashion. 

Period dramas and so on forced the public to think Regency fashion was something delicate, extremely feminine and with a great freedom of movement given by the lack of corsets, heavy undergarments and underpinnings such as panniers or pocket hoops. Many ladies I know who sewn a Regency dress think the same but this is partially true. Regency women WORE corsets, even if they were surely more comfortable and less constrictive than their predecessors. They wore several layers too, such as chemises, petticoats, chemisettes and so on. 

So, after making my own and serious researches I radically changed my point of view about Regency costuming; those dresses looked bad on me because of the lack of proper undergarments. That's all. You don't need to be tall to look good in your historical outfit.

After all these considerations, I can (finally) tell you something more about my first Regency event. Two months ago (ok, I'm a little bit late!) I was invited by Le vie del tempo to join one of their events at Osasco castle; I didn't have an early 19th century wardrobe so I had to sew or purchase everything. I mean...everything. The only thing I had was a pair of flat shoes. Sounds great, uh?

I started with a bodiced petticoat. Since we were at the end of July I decided to skip the chemise to survive the italian summer heat (I failed) and I drafted the pattern for my bodiced petticoat in a while; it's a basic top with a gathered skirt at the underbust with hooks and eyes at the back. I used some cotton in my stash and I sewn the hems with a basic running stitch. The garment when together easily and without surprises. Phew!! 

Then the corset or - better - the short stays. They're made of two layers of cotton with plastic boning and metal grommets, not accurate but I was out of time and on a budget. I drafted my own pattern and since I'm not busty I avoided the gussets. 

Bodiced petticoat with pinned stays

Now the fun part - the dress! I originally planned to make a blue cotton dress but the cotton I had was too heavy to be worn at the end of July (and still is...) so I run to the fabric store to look for a lighter fabric. I ended to buy the same fabric of my Ancient Roman green tunic with some extra satin piping for the back seams. 

Ta-dah!

I wanted a drawstring dress but my bodice wasn't big enough to be gathered; after consulting Historical Sewing again about Regency dresses closures, I went for buttons at the back. I put piping at side back seams and between puff and lover sleeve but adding it to the neckline has been a mistake. The neckline became too heavy and large for my bust and needed to be filled with a fichu. 

I don't have nothing new to say about the construction; the dress is made of a 5 pieces bodice and a two pieces skirt partially gathered. That's all. For a fuller skirt, just add another panel and you're done. 

I have larger biceps than an average woman of my size so I wanted to hide them with long sleeves. A mistake, again. But they were really nice. 

Here you can see how the gathers look. I love how the piping came out! 

The ladies from the group especially loved the braided hairstyle my boyfriend made me that morning. 

Indeed he really did a great job! 

Some photos from the event:

Fotolibro by Saal Digital

Il mese scorso ho esposto alcuni dei miei costumi dal vivo, durante una manifestazione. In piena fase preparatoria, ho iniziato a pensare all'allestimento; volevo qualcosa di semplice, intuitivo, ma che potesse suscitare l'interesse del pubblico (ovviamente i manichini avrebbero avuto il ruolo chiave in tutto ciò). Tra tutte le varie idee (dépliant, volantini, foto stampate e via dicendo), mi è venuto in mente di far realizzare un fotolibro in modo da avere raccolti i vari costumi realizzati e permettere al pubblico di "sfogliarli" comodamente.

News news news: on May 21 I'll have my first costume exhibition during an historical fair! I am really happy, sometimes hard works pays off :) I ordered a photo book especially for the event since I cannot bring all the costumes with me. #book #photobook #showcase #costumeexhibition #comingsoon #costumes #costumer #handmade #historicalcostume #hardworkpaysoff #sewing #seamstress #costumemaker

Un video pubblicato da Il Fiore Nero Costumery (@ilfiorenero_handmade) in data: 2 Mag 2016 alle ore 11:45 PDT

Ho iniziato a cercare online, selezionando varie offerte, finché non mi hanno suggerito di provare Saal Digital. Ho avuto modo di toccare con mano la qualità dei loro prodotti, sfogliando uno dei loro fotolibri. La qualità di stampa è davvero ottimale, le immagini sono chiare e nitide, il tutto è corredato da una bella copertina rigida che conferisce professionalità al vostro prodotto.  Per questioni divulgative ho preferito ridurre le foto per dar spazio ad un minimo di didascalia, includendo spiegazioni dettagliate su periodo storico trattato, materiali e tecniche utilizzate.

L'ordine degli abiti è cronologico, partendo dall'Antica Roma per giungere agli albori del XX° secolo. Il retro copertina mostra un mio scatto in stile preraffaellita, nel quale indosso un abito in velluto bordeaux decorato con pizzo nero. 

Il pubblico ha apprezzato molto la qualità delle immagini e le spiegazioni fornite nelle didascalie, ponendo domande e mostrandosi incuriosito. La qualità del prodotto è assolutamente ottima e indiscutibile, corredato da un software un po' macchinoso ma alla portata di tutti. Consigliato! 

Se desiderate ordinare il vostro fotolibro, visitate il loro sito web o la relativa pagina Facebook. 

Today, talking about ancient Roman and early medieval fashion :) #exhibition #costume #costumer #reenactment #historicalcostume #history #historical #rievocazionestorica #reenactor #ancientrome #medieval #costumehistory #ilfiorenero #monferrato #mostra #handmade #costumeexhibition

Una foto pubblicata da Il Fiore Nero Costumery (@ilfiorenero_handmade) in data: 21 Mag 2016 alle ore 12:33 PDT

IX century Anglosaxon - Norman dress

I have several sewing projects for this year, including a bunch of medieval dresses. My last medieval dress was from 2014 (the burgundy Bliaut) so I thought it was time to create something new. I always had a passion for the lines and shapes of early medieval fashion so first of all I did a little bit of research to understand how these dresses were made and cut.

The fashion of this period was not so advanced and the influence of the roman empire is still visible when looking at the cutting diagram: the dresses were cut following simple shapes, often squares, rectangles or semi-circular, and they were studied to save most fabric as possible. Women's fashion of 11th century featured two basic garments: an under dress with fitted sleeves and a knee length super tunic, including a oval veil to cover the hair. This kind of fashion works perfect for the late Anglo-Saxon period and the early Norman kingdom. 

I chose brown and ivory linen for my project. I wanted something simple and practical, something completely different from my other dresses; the medium weight linen worked great for this purpose: it gives a "everyday" look and the simple linen trims add that touch of elegance perfect for lower-middle classes. 

The tunic fits like a glove and it's really comfortable. The sleeves are faced inwards and there's no visible machine stitching from the outside. The super tunic falls gently on the body and looks great with or without belt; the neckline is faced outwards and every hem has been hand sewn with cotton thread and medium sized stitches. The skirts float so nicely together when moving!

The faced neckline

The veil was a challenge. It was really easy to be made (all hand sewn) but wearing it has been more difficult. I had to make several fittings before finding a nice way to drape it over the shoulders, the secret is to put the longest part of the veil on the head and then wearing a leather or metal crown to keep it secured on the head; the shorter part needs to be draped on the shoulders or tucked behind the neck. The important is to hide the hair completely and - very important - the ears: this might sound strange but covering the ears was not only a sign of modesty but a way to protect women from...pregnancies (during Middle Ages it was widely believed the Virgin Mary was inseminated by the Holy Spirit through her ear).

A version of the dress without all the trim

To complete the outfit I sewn a white under dress in fine lightweight linen as well. This piece has a modern construction on the inside but the outer elements have been all hand sewn.
I'm often asked if chemise (or shifts) are important when recreating an historical garment; the answer is yes, absolutely. Chemises/shifts/under dresses are the foundation of an accurate, well-made garment and they make the difference. First of all, they are the foundation of your wardrobe as you lived in this garment; people was supposed to own a bunch of these which were frequently washed,. They lived in an era when human bathing was not frequent. The chemise helped you to protect not only your body but your outer clothes too (often more expensive), acting as a barrier and keeping them clean from dirt and body oils. So yeah, when purchasing/sewing an historical outfit please don't forget to add a chemise as basic undergarment.  

And so here I am, wearing the whole outfit during my latest costume exhibition :)

Enjoying my latest medieval outfit :) #reenactment #handmade #rievocazionestorica #historical #historicaldress #historicalcostume #costumer #costume #middleage #11thcentury #sewing #havingfun #reenactor #smallbusiness #etsy #etsyseller #etsysellersofinstagram

Un video pubblicato da Il Fiore Nero Costumery (@ilfiorenero_handmade) in data: 23 Mag 2016 alle ore 12:15 PDT

The items are listed on our Etsy shop and are available in three different standard sizes (S, M, L).
Thanks for reading!

Apple green ancient Roman tunic and palla

As you could read in my previous post, I sewn a new ancient Roman outfit for an historical event in Rome. To be honest I didn't need a new outfit since my last tunic was just from 2015 but the group asked me to bring a second pair of clothes in case of bad weather. 

So I went to my local fabric store to look for nice fabrics to use; the emerald cotton I liked was too expensive and I didn't want to spend lot of money for a dress I already own (so silk and linen were absolutely out of budget) but I had to be historically accurate at the same time. Luckily cotton was widespread during the Roman empire (good for my pockets) so I bought this nice light green and apple green fabrics. The lighter one was chosen for the tunic and the brighter one for the palla. 

The dress had the same construction of the previous outfit (so nothing new under the sun) and I recorded a speeded video to show you the various steps of the sewing process; since I had to keep it accurate I did every hem and outer details exclusively by hand. The tunic has been fastened with two bronze buttons and fastened at the waist with a leather belt (not displayed in the following photos).

I hand sewn the eyelets of the headband as well. The palla has been made out of 3 metres of cotton, all hemmed by hand (what a work!) but in the end I managed to finish the whole outfit in less than a week. 

Since the palla was really long I could wear it in two ways: wrapped around the body or worn as shawl draping it around shoulders and on the head. 

The only problem I got when wearing it as veil was the weight; the veil pulled the headband away so I had to keep it light and not tight as shown in the picture. The tunic is really comfortable and fresh, in the photos I worn a white extra layer since the weather was kinda cold. 

I took two videos for my Instagram profile showing the costume in action: 

Another video with the ancient Roman outfit :) Here you can see how the palla falls  when worn wrapped around the body.  #reenactment #costume #costumer #history #historical #natalediroma #handmade #rievocazionestorica #ancientworld #ancientroman #ancienthistory #circusmaximus #seamstress #cosplay #historicalcostuming #historicalcostume #sewingvideo #natalediroma2016 #spqr #historicalfashion

Un video pubblicato da Il Fiore Nero Costumery (@ilfiorenero_handmade) in data: 1 Mag 2016 alle ore 09:29 PDT

First video from #natalediroma :) We took it during a break from our reenactment, sorry for the people on the background. The weather was really cold so I wore a longsleeved cotton tunic as extra layer. The palla worked really well as shawl :) #natalediroma2016 #reenactment #live #livevideo #rome #ancientrome #history #historical #historicalcostume #costumer #handmade #showcase #circusmaximus #ilfiorenero

Un video pubblicato da Il Fiore Nero Costumery (@ilfiorenero_handmade) in data: 30 Apr 2016 alle ore 03:40 PDT

I simply love how the palla falls around the body and how it looks on my skin! 

A made to order version of this costume is listed on my Etsy shop: give it a visit! 

Titanic Era - Downton Abbey dress revisited

Maybe some of you may remember my first Edwardian outfit ever. It was done using Simplicity #8399, the famous (now out of print) pattern released when "Titanic" came out in 1997. So, I already wrote a lot about the pattern in this previous post and now, after two years, I've been able to work again on this costume to improve it. I worked - and trained - a lot since then, so yeah, now I can consider myself an intermediate sewist; I couldn't stand the view of those mistakes anymore, mistakes committed when I was new to historical costuming. Sewing takes time, and practice. Lot of practice. You can't imagine how much you can learn project after project. 

So I took that costume out of my closet and looked at it carefully. A mess. Totally a mess. Some edges weren't hemmed before putting the lace (whaaat?), the seams weren't serged (I didn't own one at that time) and frayed a lot, the back was gathered and not pleated. 

(Sewists screams out there) Ok, now breath. 

I didn't take photos before the massive restyling, I was too ashamed. I held my seam ripper and starting to remove all that ugliness from my costume. I always wanted something simple with it 'cause I find the fabric really elegant as it is, so I put all my Titanic - Downton Abbey memories together to start figuring how the dress would have been. I went for a very simple satin binding around the edges of the overdress, completely sewn by hand 'cause it had to be perfect. After that and serging the raw edges I worked on the skirt: the Simplicity model looks more a Regency gown than a late Edwardian dress (ok, the Empire Revival was all the rage at that time but we all know the fitted gowns of 1912-1914 with their columnar shapes right?) so I pleated the back of the overdress with deep, very deep box pleats to allow a tighter fit. It worked perfectly, as you can see:

Then I started to work on the dress itself, which I didn't own before. It's made of a pale black - charcoal grey soft and thin cotton, a perfect match with the overdress. I used the same pattern pieces for bodice and skirt but the skirt has been altered according to my underbust to fit tight; I have very large natural hips so the columnar shape doesn't look good on my body and I've been forced to let the skirt falling gently with a wider hem. The bodice neckline and armholes have been faced with some cotton bias tape but - due to the non-stretchy nature of the cotton - I got some ugly wrinkles. Not a great problem since I'd cover that part with the overdress. 

The sash is made of cotton and black bias tape, I wanted to use a more classy satin ribbon (with looot of train) but unfortunately it wasn't wide enough to cover the very high bodice seam. 

The final touch: a fabric flower (do you remember the red flower Rose wears on her belt when she sees Jack for the first time?).

And so this the completed costume. I still have to wear it for a photoshoot but I took some fully dressed photos for my Instagram account. What do you think? It looks definitely a more professional product if you compare it with the first version. 

A thing I learned in these years: never, never throw your old creations away! Re-use what you already have, improve it if you can or what you can, sell them or gift them but never, never throw them away. I know, unstitching is a long process and requires attention, especially when working with sheer or delicate fabrics, but I prefer to give a new life to things than wasting them - especially when you're on a budget. Believe me, sometimes this is the best way to see how much your/our skills improved and to understand where and what you need to do better.