2015 Dream Sewing

Sew...(pun-intended) I have big plans for sewing in 2015. I wish to expand my horizons. At the end of the year, we'll see how actual events will have matched up to my plans (I don't expect the comparisons to be similar by any means). I already have another Costume Designing job coming up (oh, glorious pre-production) but it should not interfere with my other projects *cough* *cough*

 

Anyway, starting from newest decade to oldest, here are the garments I'm looking forward to making this year!

 

 

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 A simple, yet elegant '50s dress. I absolutely adore this era! And I have so much fabric that works for this decade, it's really sad that I haven't made one in three years!
 

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Now, I'm not "into" the Forties as much as I should be. It's not that I think the styles ridiculous our weird; I just find other decades more exciting (I'm sure watching Agent Carter is going to fix that). But one thing I've always adored about the Forties is the sweet suits and business-casual side of fashion. I would love to complete a suit similar to the ones above.

 

 

The pure ingenuity of the women from the Thirties always astounds me. They had nothing and they continued to get up every morning, dress and put a bright face on for their families. Mommy still looked put together, so things couldn't be that bad. The styles are always practical, but elegant and those women emerged from the hard times all the better for it. I love all the separates that were more utilized in this decade. The skirts are flattering to any figure (particularly hip-y ones) and I would love just one evening gown *sigh*

 

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I'm just madly in love with so much about this decade! Oh, the styles just speak to my sensibilities. Elegance and optimism seem to be the theme of the Twenties. When most people think about the Twenties, they think flappers and The Great Gatsby and maybe the scandalous Miss Fisher (that TV show was a disappointment). I think of art deco and beading and feathers and fur and velvet. I think of also the simple calico, the eastern-inspired tea sets (I happen to own one), the t-strap heels and the Charleston and the magnanimous and endless variety of collars on those drop-waist dresses! I'm going all-out on the Twenties!

 

 

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Anna Pavlovna

I liked the NineTeens before Downton Abbey made it cool *pushes glasses up with finger*. It might seem like I'm covering every decade, but I'm not. The first half of the 20th century is absolutely my favorite! I have a lovely pattern by Andrea Schewe (I don't normally take Simplicity costume patterns seriously, but Ms. Schewe does her research). I have big plans for a dinner dress at the very least. And you can't go wrong with a huge velvet hat with silk flowers just as big!

 

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I do love the 1870s, but I'm not entirely sure I'm ready for it yet. It remains to be seen if I do end up bustling up in the end. I actually haven't made anything Victorian (aside from a girl's dress HERE )

So, I'm going to start with 1840s and move on from there. It may or may not happen this particular year.

 

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The 1830s, '40s and '50s are going to be my springboard for entering the world of Victorian fashion. My HSM project for this month is an 1840s-90s corset (I guess you could call it an all-purpose corset). Again, I doubt I'll attempt the 1870s, but I'm going to be hanging out here for awhile. North and South is what got me interested in Victorian fashion in the first place and I think I'm going to try and duplicate one of Margaret's dresses. Maybe eventually, I'll catch myself a Mr. Thornton of my own ;)

 

 

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Here, ladies, is my sweet spot. Regency! I don't normally make a goal to do more, but it's so easy for me, I often overlook it. A huge, huge thank you to Jennie Chancey for her wonderful

 Sense & Sensibility Patterns.

Her beautiful and easy-to-understand patterns were what got me into historical sewing in the first place! A must-have for me this year is a cross-front gown. Probably white (the 1790s-1830s was the era of the "Little White Dress"). I don't have any solid calico drawstring day dresses, so that must be fixed (not even kidding, it takes me about a four-hour afternoon to make one) and one can never have too many open robes!

 

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It would be positively heinous of me to put all the painstaking time and elbow grease into making a Georgian Corset and not make myself something other than a Carico Jacket and a few measly petticoats to wear with it. This year, I'm hoping for some pretty day dresses and maybe a ball gown with side hoops!

 

 

By Raffaello

I'm also looking into some French/Italian Renaissance pieces, but it's certainly not priority. My sister, for her 5th birthday, wants a reproduction of that Ever After gown on the top. I love it!

 

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And finally, I shall continue dabbling in Medieval/Faerie-Tale Gowning. I would like to do at least one practical gown and one Royalty gown. And a crown. One can't be a queen without a crown!

 

There you have it. Most of this will fit in one or another of the HSM categories. It will be interesting to see how this list compares at the end of the year.

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!

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

HSF '14: Challenge #5-Bodice

I'm sure rumors have been spreading, but I did, in fact, finish HSF Challenge #4, though it was late and completely different than the original plan :P Yeah, it was kind of a disaster. I had planned on making, at the very least, a chemise and a pair of Georgian stays but I made my stays all wrong and didn't even get to the chemise at all. Soooo, I just ended up replacing the straps on a vintage 1930s cotton slip I had in the ole' mending mountain, a day late and didn't end up posting about it at all. Thus, my plans to create a 1760s bodice and begin building my Georgian wardrobe completely fell apart...

I went onto the fabulous HSF Facebook page and asked my fellow HSF-ers if they knew of a good place to get 1930s patterns. I got overwhelming responses and found some incredible pattern suppliers that I had never heard of! But I ended up buying from Etsy (which I didn't expect, at all). Enter "Mrs. Depew" and her fabulous Etsy shop. Her beautiful French 1930s draft-at-home blouse pattern was exactly what I was looking for! And it was nicely priced, too.

Mrs. Depew's patterns seem extremely confusing at first. The French method of drafting in the 1930s that the pattern uses seemed, at first glance, to be cruel and unusual, but once I got the hang of it, everything made sense. It's quite ingenious, actually.

I constructed a toile first and foremost. That would be the biggest tip I would give to anyone using Mrs. Depew's patterns. Human error accounts for most of the mistakes I made (it was only my first experience with the system) and I'm so glad that I made a mock-up first. That was made of red calico with tiny white polka-dots. I trimmed it with red gingham ribbon. I did finish it completely but it's not my favorite. Marley took some pictures for me but I modeled it with a khaki skirt that is now too big for me (which is both exciting and annoying because now I have to alter it). Also, the shoulders ended up being way too wide and since the back was shorter than the front, I decided to chop the front even and add a waistband. The waistband was too long and small so it really doesn't fit very well right now and it's certainly not flattering so I'll only include one small picture below for the curious ones.

I didn't include the crossing straps

This blouse is one of the first items I've made that I am absolutely in love with! The fit is perfect and I feel so elegant and ladylike in it. I made it out of a $2 vintage, pleated skirt I thrifted. I couldn't even believe that I got almost 2 yards out of it! But I barely had a single scrap left. Use the whole buffalo, says I! 

I did make a few modifications to the pattern. After I had the sleeves basted on, I decided that I wanted the shoulder to be narrower to accomodate my narrowish shoulders. The predominating look of the 1930s was wide shoulders (usually padded), a narrow waist and an overall elongated, graceful figure. I didn't want to lose that essence with the shoulders but I didn't want to look goofy and clownish either. So, I let the drop-shoulder remain but dialed it back a few notches :)

The only other problem I ran into was that again, the back ended up being shorter than the front. I agonized over this problem longer than I should have, but eventually decided to create this little peplum to make up for the 3" difference. And I love the result! Way better than just a plain old straight seam!!! And, instead of drafting a sleeve band, I did a single box pleat and just turned the hem under, so it's still puffy.

In the end, I was so excited, I almost squealed! I love the fitted almost-princess seams that I have dubbed "diamond-seams", because the shape they create is a diamond, in essence. And the crossed bands in the front add such a nice touch of elegance to an otherwise simple and plain design.

I also made the gray skirt, but that was a month or two ago and not challenge-specific.

 The Challenge: #5-Bodice

Fabric: 2 Yards (give or take) Knit Rayon?

Pattern: Mrs. Depew 1049

Year: 1933

Notions: Thread

How historically accurate is it?: 100%!

Hours to complete: 3 or 4ish

First worn: Today's Photoshoot

Total cost: $2 for the skirt and $7.50 for the pattern=$9.50

Crossies!!! ;)

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Have a lovely evening!!!