Period Film Game {2} Answers

Wow! I'm so glad y'all were so into this second game! Thanks for participating :) I'll post the individual scores below the answers.

#1

Bleak House (2005)

#2

Nicholas Nickleby (2002)

#3

Cranford (2008)

#4

Amazing Grace (2006)

#5

Wives and Daughters (1999)

#6

Les Miserables (2012)

#7

The Paradise (2012)

#8

The King's Speech (2010)

#9

Ever After (1998)

#10

Daniel Deronda (2003)

And here are the individual scores:

Amanda-30 Points

Ireland-30 Points

Paige-80 Points

Tara-90 Points

Hana-40 Points

Thanks so much for participating! We'll have a third game soon :)

Period Film Game {2}

I think the last Period Film Game went well so we'll give it another go, eh? Now, for those of you who didn't participate last time, the rules are as follows: I put 10 screencaps from different period films and tv shows and you make a guess as to the title of the film/show. Comment below with your guesses. 10 points for each correct answer for a possible score of 100 points! Next week, I will post the answers alongside the individual scores of each person. I went easy on y'all last time but now I'm cracking down ;) Have fun!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

Have fun! And remember-don't peek at another's guesses until you've posted your own!!!

HSF '14 Challenge #9-Black and White

Happy Mothers' Day!!! In honor of my own dear Mama's favorite item in my Historical Wardrobe-the Caraco Jacket below-I am posting my HSF Challenge #9 entry today :)

Ta-Da! My first ever full Georgian ensemble!!! I've been dreaming of this day since I was 10 years old. If you've been reading my blog for a while (or even a very short time) you've probably guessed that I am a history nerd. You would be correct! I've always loved books and films about history or set in historical times. I read all of the historical American Girl books when I was 8, 9 and 10 but never had much interest in the modern dolls or their stories. What intrigued little McKenna most, poring over the brightly colored catalogues, was the costumes! Felicity's (1774) were my favorite. The gloriously embroidered gowns and aprons, wee hats and fans called to my little heart and, though I didn't know it yet, would set the stage for my historical costuming journey that began several years later. When my Mom and my Grandmom took me by the hand and taught me how to sew.

What I present to you for my favorite HSF challenge so far is a black brocade Caraco Jacket, white Petticoat and Bergére hat decorated in white. As soon as I finished my stays, I wanted to go for something big and significant for my Georgian wardrobe. I already had a chemise, the stays, a fichu and an under-petticoat (for volume) and was ready to grace my unmentionables with a proper ensemble. So, without delay, I turned to Janet Arnolds' "Patterns of Fashion 1: 1660-1860" and selected the Caraco Jacket (it's on page 22, I believe). Out came my gridded cutting mat, swedish tracing paper, a few rulers and a fat pencil. After scaling up the initial pattern from the book, whipping up a toile, doing a fitting (no easy task when it's just you with no mirror) and adjusting the pattern pieces, I was ready to cut out the actual jacket from my fashion fabric. Honestly, it's so worth it! Don't cut into your fashion material until you're absolutely sure that the garmet fits! Toiles are indespensible to any seamstress!!!

In my opinion, the best part of historical sewing is hand-stitching. After doing all the inside seams with my machine, it's nice to find a comfy place with a cup of tea to hand-sew and re-watch favorite shows like "North and South" and "Wives and Daughters". I tacked the box pleats in place, slip-stitched the hem and the neckline and finally tediously whip-stitched 32 individual hooks and eyes over 2 episodes of "The Paradise". I'm definitely going to use this pattern again! And I'm thinking of doing a tutorial with instructions on how to assemble the pattern. What do you think?

Generally, a Caraco is a working woman's coat but making this version out of black brocade turned it into more of a Sunday morning Church service ensemble. It's like my Mother as a garment. Designed to be functional and productive but perfectly beautiful and elegant. My Mama has always placed an emphasis on looking your best, even when it's just your family around to see it. 

 The Bergére is made of an old straw hat I had on hand. I used The Dreamstress' method for turning an old straw hat into a Bergére (see the tutorial HERE). I decorated it with white lace, white paper flowers (found at Michael's on sale) and a white satin ribbon. I have dreamed of having a Bergére of my own since I was very small. I, being the hat connoisseur that I am, think it's the most elegant and tasteful hat design I have come across! It trumps the cloche, in my opinion, and I think very highly of that hat! 

I'm more than pleased with how this jacket turned out and love wearing it! It's such an amazing feeling to have a remnant of history to wear and have on hand. You never know when you'll need a Georgian Caraco Jacket! 

The Facts...

The Challenge: #9-Black and White

Fabric: 3 yds. Black Brocade, 2 yds. White Cotton

Pattern: Janet Arnolds' 1775-85 Caraco Jacket from "Patterns of Fashion 1". No Pattern for Petticoat

Year: 1775-85

Notions: Thread, Hooks and Eyes, Bias Tape

How historically accurate is it?: 90%

Hours to complete: 10-12?

First worn: For Photoshoot 

Total cost: About $15; that was all in the petticoat

HSF '14 Challenge #8-UFOs & PHDs

Good afternoon, lovely readers! It's a stormy day and I have a few minutes over lunch to complete an extremely late post for HSF. I finished the challenge on time, but hadn't had the opportunity to get it photographed until yesterday so please accept my apologies. As our family is in the midst of moving (out West) I don't have much time to write so please try to be content with a picture-heavy post without much elaboration.

This is my first-ever pair of Georgian (1750s-80s) Stays!!! I thought I might have them completed for the HSF Challenge "Under it All" but that was not meant to be, so I saved it for this challenge. Blood, sweat and tears, folks...blood, sweat and tears...one of the hardest projects I've done and one of the most rewarding!!! 

My tecniques were not all historically acurate...the boning consists of plastic zip-ties, almost everything is machine-stitched and instead of actual hand-worked eyelets, I stitched double-fold bias tape down every inch and half-inch to create loops of a sort (I can't claim the idea as my own, though; I saw that on Pinterest) But the important thing is that I achieved the correct shape for the period. That's what stays/corsets are for! "It can look like a dyin' duck!" No one's really going to see it (unless you blog, of course) and as long as the shape is correct, you've made a goal!

Don't kill me, historical sewing purists, but I didn't finish the bottom with bias tape. Life is too short and pinking shears are near at hand. Like I said, no one's going to see it on me except me :)

I'm so pleased with the outcome! It's comfortable to wear and now I can really get going on my Georgian wardrobe. It's kind of blown up overnight, in a way. Less than 2 weeks after I complete my stays, I find myself with 3 Petticoats, a Caraco Jacket and a Bergere Hat! Pictures coming soon, I promise!

NOT a Weeping Angel, thank heaven!

Just The Facts, Ma'am:

The Challenge: #8-UFOs & PHDs

Fabric: 1 yd. Pink Ribbed Satin, 1 yd. Canvas Linen

Pattern: Corsets and Crinolines draft

Year: 1750-8os

Notions: Thread, Zip-Ties, Bias Tape

How historically accurate is it?: Approx. 70%

Hours to complete: 12-ish...who's keeping track?

First worn: Will wear with outfit for HSF Challenge: "Black and White" photoshoot

Total cost: $10 or so...I really busted my budget on those Zip-Ties, didn't I? ;)