And here we are with some photos of the worn thing :) These are not the definitive photos, we're going to take new shots when the weather will be better.
I wore the outfit last Sunday during our latest event. It was a long fashion history discussion and I've been asked to show and illustrate my white 1860's dress. Argh! The bodice needed to be restyled a week before the event and in the end, I ended to make another one in another size. Definitely faster and better. I'll write a post about this later.
Let's talk about the jacket. A success! The fit is great, it's really comfortable and above all, believable! It really looks like an authentic jacket and the cap completed the "poorer" look greatly. The skirt was also a new addition and I'm so happy with this chocolate brown linen. Click here if you missed the previous post about this costume.
Hello May, here we are! I have been quite productive in the past weeks, but not so productive as I'd like to be. Recent commissions took me away from personal projects (aka, the red open robe I introduced in the last post) but I could finish a project that took me months to be completed.
Hands up!
I finished this blue linen 18th century lower class jacket, plus a brown linen skirt. The fichu, the cap and the stomacher were already done.
I was inspired by Outlander while making this and the blue linen I had in my stash worked great for the project. I wanted a middle or lower class look, without frills and decorations, so that I could enjoy our outdoor events without getting worried about dirt or ruining the dress. Plus, I needed something practical to wear to sew/embroidery in front of the public.
Un post condiviso da Il Fiore Nero (Danielle Fiore) (@ilfiorenero_handmade) in data:
The jacket has been taken out from "Patterns of Fashion 1" by Janet Arnold with some basic alterations. I raised the waistline to fit my torso and avoided the sturdy interfacing in the front piece. I omitted the winged cuffs for the moment but I'm planning to add them for a fancier touch.
The whole thing is lined in cotton. The sleeves are lined individually and joined at the armhole. I serged the armhole for a cleaner look.
The jacket fits perfectly at the back and the cotton lining makes it really comfortable on skin. I'm wearing correct underwear underneath (chemise, stays, petticoat and large hip pads).
The stomacher is made of three layers of linen and it's fully boned. I used cable ties for boning the channels instead of reed (which worked great for my pocket hoops!)
Un post condiviso da Il Fiore Nero (Danielle Fiore) (@ilfiorenero_handmade) in data:
The skirts of the jacket have been drafted using American Duchess hacks for Simplicity pattern #8161. I basically designed two rectangles with a center back seam large enough to be pleated at the side and back seams; I knife pleated the skirts at sides and box-pleated at the back. I decided not to line the skirts but I don't know if it was a good decision.
Un post condiviso da Il Fiore Nero (Danielle Fiore) (@ilfiorenero_handmade) in data:
I still have to take decent photos so for the moment, enjoy these shots taken from my Instagram account.
After looking at several exiting jackets, I decided to use buttons instead of eyelets to close the jacket. My boyfriend was so kind to make historical accurate buttons for me plus some cording loops.
Some examples:
Now the skirt. Nothing new here: two rectangles and a waistband with slits at sides. I used the entire length of my linen fabric (which is large 140) and then I pleated the upper part using knife and box pleats at center front and center back. The skirt ties at waist with two cotton twill ribbons. The hem is entirely hand sewn using an hemming stitch.
And that's all for now! The weather is not good so we can't take shots outside but we managed to record a short video on Instagram! :)
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.
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.
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!
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!
