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.

The Janeite Tag

Good evening, my friends! I hope you've had a lovely day. I have been pretty sick the last few days, so the posts I had planned needed to be put on the backburner. But, HUZZAH! There was an encore to my blogging life! The lovely Paige of Sunday Best and All the Rest, being the sweetheart she is, descovered my weakness for Jane Austen and invited me to join in this fun game!

The Rules:

~Thank and link back to the person who tagged you.

~Tell how you were introduced to Jane Austen and share one fun fact about your Janeite life (This fun fact can be anywhere from "I stayed up all night reading Emma" to "I went to the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England.")

~Answer the tagger's questions.

~Write seven questions of your own.

~Tag as few as 1 or as many as 7 other Janeites and let them know you've tagged them.

I was introduced to Jane Austen around 2007 when my family was lounging around the living room, flipping through the channels and came upon the 2005 "Pride and Prejudice." We only caught the end, but my mom and I were totally hooked! We rented it, bought it, then moved on to "Sense and Sensibility" (1996) and then "Emma" (1996) and beyond, which, in my opinion, is the funniest Austen film (and book)!

Fun Fact: I can fully quote both "Emma" (1996//Gwyneth Paltrow) and "Sense and Sensibility" (1995) doing all the voices just like the actors (Except maybe Colonel Brandon; the only one who can do Alan Rickman's voice properly is Benedict Cumberbatch) 

Paige's Questions//My Answers

1. What is your favorite Austen Book?

Hands-down "Mansfield Park"!

2. What is your favorite movie adaption of Austen's books?

One does not simply...oh, goodness! This is a hard one. I would probably say "Sense and Sensibility" (1995). I adore Alan Rickman as the Colonel and couldn't imagine anyone else as the characters! No other S&S adaption measures up, in my opinion.

3. What is your *least* favorite movie adaption?

From what I've seen so far, "Sense and Sensibility" (2008). It wasn't bad, it just didn't connect for me. It fell rather flat.

4. Which character in any of the novels do you relate to most?

I wish I was just like Fanny Price-Bertram, but in character, I am a absolutely Elinor Dashwood-Ferrars. My sister is Marianne, too! And right now (as in the beginning of the book), we are 19 and 16!

5. If you could choose a Jane Austen home to live in, where would you live?

Donwell Abbey. I relate to Emma a lot, as well, I'm afraid. But Donwell seems the most welcoming place to me. To be in the position of benefactress to so many good people (read: Abbey Mill Farm). I imagine it as a grand, inviting place with lots of stone and rugs and chandeliers that just needs a woman's touch ;)

6. Who is your favorite Austen hero?

George Knightley, bar-none! I am determined to find my own Mr. Nightley. Forget Darcy, he was an absolute idiot (forgive my language), Edmund Bertram was blind to everything, Colonel Brandon was too tragic, Henry Tilney was both charming and cold at the same time, Edward Ferrars was...well, dreamy, but rather unaspiring. Knightley had me from page 1!

7. If you were to write a sequel to any of Jane's novels, what would it be about?

"Death Comes to Pemberly" is a pretty acurate sequel already. But I think I would love to write more about Emma. She still trips up, she still makes mistakes, but she never gives up and with her husband by her side, she can learn a lot more. Plus, I would love to see what their children would have been like. Most likely, at least, a level-headed daughter and a wild, conniving son, always getting his poor sister into the most terrible scrapes! That would make me laugh :)

Here are my "nominees", if you will:

Desarae of Gladness of Heart

Tara of A Lass of Yesteryear

Kellie of Accordion to Kellie

Amanda of Amanda Grace

And I have one dear friend who is decidedly not a Janeite and I thought of tagging her, but I thought better of it. You know who you are ;)

MY Questions for YOU

1. Which do you prefer? Books or Movies?

2. How would you go about introducing a friend to Jane Austen?

3. It's Marathon Movie Night! Which 4 adaptions are you going to watch and in what order?

4. Who is your favorite "Villain"?

5. Who would you rather travel with on a long journey by carriage? Mrs. Jennings or Lady Catherine DuBurgh?

6. Which book/movie do you think is the funniest or most clever?

7. With whom would you rather be forced to stay with during your London trip? The "Affable" Miss Lucy Steele, the incorrigible Lydia Wickham, or the incessant Mrs. Elton?

I can't wait to see your responses! Don't forget to comment with the link to your post when you get around to it :)

A Regency Half-Robe and Round Gown Post {AGAIN}

No, you're right! That is my other Round Gown but the Half-Robe is new. The new Round Gown is pictured below. I understand the confusion. Actually, this pink linen Half-Robe is a refashion, just like my other Half-Robe. It's a refashion of the first Regency gown I ever made! 

See, the old gown from 2008 (that I don't have pictures of) was my first garment projet! But, I, in my ignorance, fitted the bodice to a mannequin torso. The only fault in that was the fact that it was a male torso. But I didn't realize that until I had finished the dress. There were a million other mistakes; the sleeves were going to be puffed, but I didn't bother and left them bandless so they were like butterfly sleeves (inaccurate), and I put the bodice and lining wrong sides together so had to improvise a facing among other isues. So, I set the dress aside until I had the experience to fix it...try 6 years!

Making the old gown into a new one was simple, but time-consuming. Thankfully, I had saved the leftover material and had *just* enough to rebuild the sleeves and make a closure. I am very pleased with how it turned out! I wish the closure was a bit wider but it's still accurate :)

My sister's shoes. I think they look like accurate walking boots!

I love this parasol!

My gown did fall a bit below the closure. I guess nothing's perfect!

Here below is my new blue linen Round Gown! As always, I used Jennie Chancey's "Elegant Lady's Closet" Regency pattern :) It's a super thin linen, almost like gauze so the first time I was threading the drawstring in, I ripped right through the bodice front!!! Thankfully, my dear Grandma was visiting when this catastrophe happened. I called her to the basement as I was pacing around in my Regency underthings (chemise, stays, fichu and bodiced petticoat with a shawl around my shoulders), trying not to cry...and failing. She brought a tissue and assesed the situation. 

She swooped in with her super-sewing powers and convinced me that all I needed to do to fix it was sew a band over the rip and...viola! She saved me from having to cut out a whole new bodice front and rip the entire dress apart to fix it. Sorry if it offends you, but my Grandma is the best one there is! That's the truth.

The moral of the story is...be patient. If you mess up, it's not the end of the world. Just move on and you may come back to it later. You might shed a few tears, but it's all worth it!