Fairfax House dress - toile

So far so good - the trouble is 'so far' isn't very far at all.  To recap - inspiration is -  Phillip Mercier's portrait of Lady Anne Fairfax, 1750. Progress at the end of last week - under pinnings made, like this-

Tasks this week were  petticoats,  source fabrics and toile (prototype dress).  Petticoat is made -



The robe anglaise style dress I'm planning on is  pleated on the back, en ferreau (back bodice and skirt is cut as one)and  front closing. General ideas for the shapes are from Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion 1 and from  extant examples in the Metropolitan Museum.  The closest examples to the painting seem to be from 20 years later but....
Toile is kind of done, it's a little awkward as the pins are nearly as big as the seams.  But the fabric choice remains a problem. I posted for advice on facebook and received some good insights, duchess satins or silk taffeta seemed to be the consensus.  Not in abundant supply in York but did find some, not the right colours, but had a try. These are probably the right stuff for period etc but not at this scale- they both bulk up alarmingly as soon as they are pleated and have a dislike of tight corners and shapes. The waist is only 5 1/2 inches and I want to knife pleat the skirt on to this. Compromise time - I'm going into town  on Tuesday  (hope) to buy what ever will do the job- should be shiny,  softly drapey and as close to the slightly greenish yellow ochre colour as I can.  I don't quite believe the colour in this copy - think it is too rich, so will have to pop back into Fairfax House to double check.      Do wish they would allow photography.






In the mean time - distractions -
Sewing buttonholes and buttons onto Gwen's Rupert frock coat,
Trimming the Victorian  1890s day skirt,
Actually got some drawings taken and now  published by the Stamp Press, Manchester.

And there is to be a new fabric in York -   Yipee!

Still can't wrinkle forehead following the botox  treatment 9 days ago - will keep trying.

But at least The News Quiz is back on Radio 4!

 

The French Revolution Dress of 1793

The finished Revolution Dress

This has been an interesting make, not just for the sewing. It has  gone in several directions so apologies for the epic saga of a post. As you can see it is not an accurate copy of the original but  apart from the proportions of the peplum, the fabric, the sleeves, the fastenings, and being adjusted to fit Gwen, it is fairly (vaguely)faithful. Well at least the skirt is. The real dress also  had history and a fascinating back story to go with it, I doubt that Gwen will ever be asked to flee from a revolution as Mrs Seymour did. She sounds like an enterprising woman but without much luck in her husbands. I have tried to find out more about her and her husband as part of the general background research but with mixed success.  The story, some sources and attempts at translation are at the bottom of this post.

The  NSCT pack went into detail about the condition of the dress, and the context of second hand clothing, its sock, as well as the history. The dress has been reworked and modified so often that there seem to be layers of stitching done in different threads and styles. It must have been an elegant garment once upon a time judging by the quality of the fabric, probably at least 3 incarnations ago. In some ways mine has done the reverse- it has been modified but often going back in time  for ideas as well as forward.


  Unfortunately the  instructions  have only really come together now that my version's made. This has been happening a lot, understanding is achieved after the event, one day I  look forward to knowing exactly what I am doing before starting...... Some things were not possible at this scale so the fine details of construction won't bear looking at. Right at the start the cut of the sleeve had too be altered to fit on the fabric and  the method of  insertion is wrong. It should not have been done as one piece but have been attached at the bottom and then the shoulder 'strap' sewn in place - ( http://americanduchess.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/setting-18th-century-sleeves-18th.html explains it better than I can  ). The tiny tails on the original bodice also proved a nightmare - the seam allowances were bigger than the tail itself so it grew to a manageable size.  Surprises were the lack of boning, this is a soft garment, not tightly fitted or excessively shaped. There are no fastenings, it was pinned closed to the stays worn underneath, ( mine has hooks and eyes for convenience). And as for the stitching - the back seams were meant to be like the cat's whiskers diagram below, I tried it and opted for the 'not quite right whipped seam' stitch (last post) and have since decided that neither were the best option for this - the stiffest part of the whole garment were these seams - it could stand up on them! Maybe my stitching is too small and dense (first time ever...) so instead of being a time/labour saver - several redone-redone seams later it is back to where it started. I've left the sleeve seam as the whipped seam as evidence of the attempt. I don't understand the logic of this technique - why leave the ridges? why not just fold open at the seam line? The lining could still be slipstitched on to enclose the raw edges..... ummm

 The skirt did go according to plan, It has a simple pleated front with a drawstring sewn into the side seam, running through a channel around the back of the  waist to tie at  centre back. The skirt is longer  at the back than the front, (really the front is lifted at the waist) to allow for the bumroll.  Although not as exaggerated  as in the illustration below the difference between hip and waist  gives Gwen  the illusion of a more slender torso. The fabric design has also worked well for this modified version- the bold asymmetric pattern may well have swallowed the more delicate detail of the original. Some of these dramatic Georgian styles lend themselves to this, they balance tailored shapes with volume to create contrast in the silhouette. I still have a couple of mad designs left to play with - might be interesting to see how a more restrained classic Regency look works. Mind you with the development of roller printing by the 1820s some of their own fabric choices were fairly challenging.  Not bad for a pillowcase though. ( am getting urges to make self covered buttons for the front, a couple on the back seams on the waist perhaps, at the cuff?)

 

This was billed as  "A Dress of the Revolution" but is a separate bodice and skirt.

It does feel odd calling this a dress, dresses are one piece garments - top and bottom together. Apparently not always. When matching bodice and skirt  together they equal a dress.
 What it would be when the top was mixed and matched  with another skirt?  The bodice followed the same kind of construction lines as a caraco made last year - what is the defining difference between them? Or could they be interchangeable?

 

And as for the illustration - have had some fun with this - took ideas from a different style of fashion plate - June 1790,  Journal de la Mode et du Goût, ou amusemens du salon et de la toilette, and painted it  to match the Victorian bustle dress illustration. The concept is good but  did rather overexaggerate the mannered pose and face (she doesn't really look that evil first hand).
Then the Liotard Chocolate Girl,  as promised last week- with cupcake. This photograph hasn't translated very well as the pencil work is quite light and delicate. It may require another try, but the stance and the dress have worked out very nicely ( she does look a tad grumpy though).
 

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The Seymour's story - The bare bones  - Henry Seymour married his second wife, Louise Therese  de la Martelliere, the widow of the Count of Panthou in 1775. The marriage had problems ( Mme du Barry) but in the early 1790s they had to flee to England and had their French estates seized. In escaping from Paris Louise Therese disguised herself in this dress  which had belonged to the wife of the boatman who helped them to flee.

There is a discrepancy over her name  which confused me -Louise Therese  de la Martelliere or Anne Louise Therese -the wandering 'Anne' !-  but what is clear is that the marriage, naughtiness with Mme du Barry,  and flight to England all took place. I am still not certain if they left France together or if Henry was already in England, was the marriage was on again or still off by then?    It is quite amusing finding the three of them listed on dating websites but I haven't found any portraits (only Mme du Barry), images of their houses, or  references to Mrs S. after the dress episode.  Mrs Seymour died in 1821 (or 1824)  and the dress and story were kept in the family then loaned to Castle Howard for exhibition in 1992.


Sources-

NSCT fact sheet- (gist of)
Mrs Seymour  was born  as  Louise Therese de la Martelliere. Her first husband was M. le duc de Panthou. She married Henry Seymour esq and lived  in Prunay. Husband Number 2 strayed, unable to resist the infamous Mme du Barry, a neighbour, and the couple separated early in the 1780s. In 1793 Louise fled Paris in 1793, acquiring the dress as a disguise on the way. It has been kept by the family ever since.

Dictionnaire de la noblesse ... de France

 By François Alexandre Aubert de la Chenaye Desbois

"  Louise la Martelliere, né le 31 Mai 1741, mariée, i. le 19 Septembre 1763 Guillaume de Panthou,  Chevalier, Seigneur, Patron d Elcots, Saint Frefnay, &c. ( fils aîné de Gaspard 8c de Françoife de Croifilles) Capitaine au Régiment de Piémont, Infanterie, mort le 29 Août 1768, age de 76 ans, fans postériré d une ancienne Noblefle de Normandie connue des l'an 1070. Elle a épousé, 2, le 5 Octobre 1775  Henri Seymour en Angleterre, de la branche cadette des Ducs de Sommerset  & alliée à la maison de France & d 'Angleterre " 

My very rough translation is that she was born 31 May 1741.
1. Married de Panthou  19th September 1763 (  army man, old noble family) who died 29th August 1768, aged 76.( huge age difference!)
 2.  Married  Henry Seymour 5th October 1775 ( younger branch of the family of the Duke of Somerset?)


Henry Seymour was much easier to find - on Wikipedia!
        

"Henry Seymour (21 October 1729 – 14 April 1807), a British politician.
Seymour was the eldest son of Francis Seymour, of Sherborne, Dorset. He was educated at New College. In January 1746/7, he inherited the estate of East Knoyle from his uncle, William.^[1]
In 1753, Seymour married Lady Caroline Cowper (d. 1773), daughter of William Clavering-Cowper, 2nd Earl Cowper, by whom he had two daughters:

• Caroline Seymour (31 January 1755 – 20 March 1821), married in September 1775 William Danby, of Swinton Park (b. 9 July 1752)
• Georgiana Amelia Seymour (31 Dec 1756 – ?), married on 27 September 1794 Félicité Jean Louis de Durfort, Comte de Deyme (4 March 1752 – 10 Mar 1801)

He inherited an estate at Sherborne, Dorset upon the death of his father in December 1761, and also owned estates at Redland Court, Gloucestershire, and Northbrook, Devonshire. After his father's death, he entered politics,^[1] obtaining the office of Groom of the Bedchamber on 16 February 1763 and being returned as Member of Parliament for Totnes in a by-election that year. On 17 January 1765, he resigned his office as Groom of the Bedchamber.^[2] In 1768, he was returned for Huntingdon. After buying an estate at Norton, Worcestershire, he was returned as a Whig for Evesham in 1774, but did not stand in 1780. He is only known to have addressed the House once, in 1776, supporting Fox's motion to inquire into the mismanagement of the American war.^[1]

On 5 October 1775, after the death of his first wife in 1773, he married the widow Anne Louise Thérèse, Comtesse de Panthou. By this marriage he had one son:

• Henry Seymour (1776–1849)

Seymour and his wife moved to Paris in 1778, and he soon after bought an estate at Prunay. Around 1779 or 1780, Seymour became the lover of Madame du Barry. He separated from his second wife in early 1781.^[1]
The French Revolution led him to flee France in August 1792, and he lost most of his property in that country through confiscation. He spent the rest of his life in retirement at Knoyle.^[1] Seymour is often stated to have died in 1805, but his monument in Exeter Cathedral dates from 1807.^[3] By this time, he had disposed of his estates at Sherborne, Redland, and Norton, leaving Knoyle and Northbrook to his son Henry.^"



 Knoyle - East Knoyle, small village 15 miles from Salisbury, Wiltshire. Better known as the birthplace of Sir Christopher Wren. Also interesting to note, Henry was resident in France while being MP for Evesham.... Seems a rather sketchy career- goes through several estates, (sub leasing Knoyle - bought by son after 1843)- probably most famous as one of Mme du Barry's many lovers (adore the notion of her being banished to a nunnery - so mediaeval!).

Georgian Jacket, caraco, pet en l'air, bodice......

Georgian Jacket - the French Revolution  Dress crossed with the Chocolate Girl.

Somewhere along the way I  acquired a pack from the Northern Society of Costume and Textiles about a dress  displayed at Castle Howard in the 90s.  The linen dress had been worn ( as a disguise!) by the widow of the Comte Guillaume de Panthou, wife of Henry Seymour, to escape from Paris at the time of the Revolution. By that time it was second/third hand, owned by the wife of a Seine boatman, adapted and altered from earlier incarnations. Although fine linen, it was no longer an expensive or luxurious garment, the fabric dates probably from the 1720s and this was at least its third makeover.

It was the bodice that interested me, the short body, fitted back, and the sleeve. The pack contained a gridded pattern to enlarge and detail drawings with notes. This was to be a quick slap it together at Gwen scale to see if this was something I would want to make for myself.  An hour later it was done in the rough and I was making a smarter version for Gwen  as part of her anachronistic pillowcase-wardrobe-in-the-making ( see the Victorian bustle dress). Never can keep things simple.....

As this was a reworked dress for a working woman how fashionable would it have been? Would it have been up to the minute? Was the style exactly what was desired or, like me,  would compromises have been made?  The photo above was the only one I could find for the dress so went looking for other sources for ideas of the front and closer detail on the peplum.  Many do seem to have similar bodies but  vary in skirt, sleeves and neckline. These source images and others are on my pet en l'air pinterest board.
 In the Liotard pastel study, the Chocolate Girl, 1744/5,  the jacket is different in detail, winged cuffs, the longer peplum reads almost as coat tails, and it looks as if the front maybe gathered under the apron bib. What it does have is a flat front with the shoulders  set well back, all  of the in and out curves on the torso happen at the back.
 I decided to take elements from both with a little bit of help from others such as the yellow c1750s example from Christies. This was never meant to be a precise recreation or totally historically accurate so a bit of mix and match wouldn't hurt.


The idea really was to make a short jacket/bodice  with a flirty peplum. The  fabric of choice was another Hobbs pillowcase- nice crisp cotton with a bold blobbish design.  The plan was to unpick and use the short side for the bodice and the larger part for the skirt. The base pattern shapes are from the Revolution dress but unfortunately the peplum was a greedy thing so I ran out of fabric to do the 2 part long sleeves - the compromise was to 'borrow'  a shorter single shape from Janet Arnold.

This is now complete, flat lined and with a contrast binding to finish the cuff and hem ( only because of fabric shortage- couldn't make my own bias).  It behaved quite well, apart from the fraying fine calico as the lining, but it did take forever. The back and peplum are in 4 pieces, the front and shoulder in 2 as well, so lots of  seams and finishing. In trying to speed this up I tried a stitching the top and lining fabric at the same time - http://stay-ingalive.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/how-to-do-weird-running-whip-stitch.html . This seems to be a form of ladder stitch now I look at it but I ended up producing a version  of this. I whipped the return stitch over the top instead of coming back through the fabrics but it does work effectively enough.  I, of course, didn't remember about this until most of it was done.  The compromise sleeves look quite at home, the tuck at the cuff to create the elbow bend was a nice touch. The peplum is a bit exuberant, flirty I wanted but this is very outgoing, very 'pet en l'air'.



This is the first part of the outfit. Of course it needs the skirt. I borrowed my pet en l'air's skirt for the photos but it will need to be  slightly longer at the back to compensate for a bigger bum roll. The Christie's side view has a very exaggerated  bum, the peplum sticks out  above the horizontal. I think a  little less would suit Gwen, but will have to balance the peplum.  I'm hoping this style will suit Gwen's body shape more than the white pelisse - already she looks to be  more slender, the change in angle at the waist flatters.

 By next week this should be done, and hopefully the illustrations to go with it.  (It is going to have to be a Liotard-ish - but what on the tray? Chocolate.... cake? Coffee and walnut? TV dinner?.....)  or maybe match the starker style of the Victorian bustle dress?

pattern source - NSCT pack 2.- A Dress of the Revolution- worn for escape- 1793.  http://www.nsct.org.uk/

Janet Arnold,  Patterns of Fashion 1, p 42 (sleeve)

http://stay-ingalive.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/how-to-do-weird-running-whip-stitch.html

Met Museum and V&A

So - it was going to be a painting week, that is happening, but while the watercolours were drying I got distracted again so had another go. This is glue-and-fabric-dress mkII. Do need a better title for them. This time it is based on the late 1700s high-waisted open robe shown in Nancy Bradbury's Costume in Detail. The extant example, from the V&A, gives an idea of the style of dress, The bodice detail is different but the general shapes are similar.  The Bradbury one is cut low ( very low!) and pinned edge to edge at the centre front, while the skirt has double inverted pleats and gathers to give the fullness at the back but remains open at the front to show the petticoat.

The start point was the same as for the ghostly dress - a papier mache cast of a little body form perched on a stand. I  took a pair of scissors to it and had narrowed the hips out of existence, there is a much cleaner line from shoulder to hem as a result.  Frustratingly the first steps were regluing and then creating a simple petticoat- just a rectangle of muslin gathered just under the bust. The skirt was cut and pleats pinned in using the Bradbury measurements to approximate to the proportions (bodice=1 unit skirt length =5ish). Back to the dunk, drape and dry routine, thank goodness for elastic bands to hold it together as it sets! And yes my high tech set up is an upside down bowl for it to stand on, and a plastic biscuit tin to catch the drips.
This was where I  parted company with dress making procedure. Instead of making bodice and skirt separately and then mounting together, the bodice was built panel by panel up from the waist.  The edges are still being turned under like seam allowances which did lead to problems, but working like this made fitting the sleeve on much easier. I could smear the glue, slide the sleeve head around without destroying too much this time. Should have put the cuffs on before assembling but.....

This was close  to the finish - the sleeves are on - looking a bit like Victorian insect specimens with the pins everywhere. All that is left are the shoulder pieces- they go from just above the bust over the shoulder and complete that distinctive diamond shape to the back. And then re gluing the inside to strengthen it. And adding another muslin petticoat inside the first - it was indecent (and a bit short) . And re gluing the skirt hem and turnings. and not dropping it. and not sitting on it (genuine accident not vengeful malice, yet)
And (last one), of course the belt! I did try the tie at the front (dressing gown), did try with just the organza ribbon ( no clarity, looked slightly dirty against the white), the pink ribbon (too narrow). So we have the double layer of organza and satin.
 Be grateful - having watched the BBC's Rococo programme this week with Clara the Rhino, I did try a tiny elephant as a brooch on the front. The tiny pink bead  is sweet but does make me think of a nose. Ummm. 
The muslin at the neck is temporary, preserving modesty again - these high/low dresses must have been seriously draughty. It looks 'right' and certainly stops the unfortunate Headless Horseman associations. I think I will declare it permanent! Hurrah!

  As you can see the technique is still evolving. Working out unwanted creases and dents would be a useful skill, as would  compressing seams and joins without leaving holes  or clip marks.  I do want to get artier with it as a process - more Wuthering Heights than Jane Austen as a expressive medium..... but she does look quite good striding purposefully across the window sill.

On a different note - so much for organising my working area. She is upstairs in the bay window  making the most of the natural light for photographing her, I'm working in the back room watching Sherlock Holmes wrinkling his brow in deep thought while doing this. At my feet are my painting things ( painted an inch of the nice sofa as a protest against the vile weather) and the experimental hand sewing swag bag and contents are on the squidgy chair opposite. The Front Room is the work space.   I begin to think that where ever I want to be becomes a designated work place.  Well, the house was never meant to be tidy, was it?
Never underestimate the power of blogging! There is blue sky! If stays good over lunch then I might make it out to see round the windmill!

ghostly dress

Headless wonder !

Currently haunting my hall radiator is the finished calico and PVA dress. It does look strange without a body in it  and is not at all what I expected at the start –  perhaps it was rather ambitious to do a sack back but a good experiment overall. It is fairly rigid, quite cardboard-like, but how this will last I do not know.

Process Problems – supporting the weight of wet fabric as it dries.
Keeping shape as drying – strange things can happen.
Preventing set areas becoming wet and pliable again.
Drying times.
Unblocking pipes having spilt large bowl of glue solution down the sink( hot water and unresolved anger issues worked wonders)

Benefits - do not have holes in fingers from sewing,

very direct way of working – see it, do it, dunk it,
small periods of working then put to one side to dry,
errors can be undone – frustrating but satisfying in the end.

  Would I do it again? Yes.

Would want to use different fabrics – cotton-based for absorbency- patterned/ striped?

Want to be able to fix more permanently – acrylic varnish?
Like the idea of having the 'seams' raw on the surface – really looking at the construction and fitting.
Might keep a body form inside or a wire armature .

Will try just with cutting out and sticking, no sewing.
In the background is the dress I've been making  while the glue dress dried. This is a fairly straight forward 1780s polonaise pattern, loosely based on the extant example from LACMA.  I've gone for

en ferreau back and front fastening with hooks and eyes. A pain - quite literally- to do - an awful lot of sewing before construction and and then a lot of finishing. I didn't help myself by adding a stiff interfacing and lining late in the process - to give that corseted look.  It just needs a wash to get the blue marker pen out and a press over to be officially finished! I do like the fabric, it is summery and fresh, and yes it is Laura Ashley curtaining. One extra tip - do not stab yourself with the needle and then bleed onto the nice crisply white fabric. It is an avoidable trauma - washing it out, not the stabbing.

Next task is going to be doing illustrations for this - patterns, drafting and construction notes and then the fun bit - painting. Romney I think for this - making the most of the creases without getting precious.

costume/sculpture II

This has been fun. Messy. Hysterical. More messy. But fun.  It is only possible to do a little and then wait for it to dry and stiffen, so even little things take a lot of time,  not making and doing time but standing-back-and-not-fiddling time - the very worst kind.

 The back story-
 Aim - to make a free standing C18th costume, inspired by Boucher and Gainsborough - using calico and PVA glue. This is a trial piece to assess the creative and practical potential of this method of working.

it's more like this from LACMA

It was meant to be elegant  like this, but....

Process so far -Bundled up a mini papier mache  body on a stick to be the armature.
Added a skirt. Dunked it  in glue, dried then redunked and dried again to make rigid.  Then added a stomacher and  the body of a sack backed jacket based on the pet en l'air made before Christmas. This was without sleeves or collar, to be added later. Dunked, draped and dried.

This was all in the last post - just didn't have the heart to update,  adding that the weight and wetness of the jacket caused a skirt crisis and it started to collapse over night.
 After expressing myself quite fluently, the skirt was resoaked and reset and redried.  The jacket was in decent state so only needed a gentle re-wetting and then resetting onto what is left of the now mutant body form and re-rigid skirt.
 For some reason the glue is struggling to hold the jacket closed onto the stomacher, it keeps gaping, I may have to resort to pins or tacks to close it while trying again. This sounds simple  but the fabric is now rising nobly to the challenge of going rigid - the last stay stitch had to be done using pliers to pull the needle through and the cotton thread wasn't as strong as the cloth!

Patience is not a virtue I possess, there are teeth marks on the furniture. The waiting has led to several ideas/ associations. At present the height of the back neck and the general headless quality remind me 'Sleepy Hollow' - could this be Mrs Headless Horseman, or perhaps he was a cross dresser before Tim Burton came along to do the film?


 Sleeve making has now happened, although not quite as originally planned.  The raw sleeve units were made up with flounces and elbow tucks but not then set.  To lessen the weight and the awkwardness of joining rigid to rigid,  just the top section of the sleeve was glued and then attached to the body, pinned (pliers again), and dried. They have moved as they dried but the glue is determined not to let go so it will have to stay. The rest of the sleeve is being painted with glue  and allowed to dry in sections. I'm just about at the flounces now, without major mishaps so far!

The neck edge has yet to be sorted out- the back lowered and then cased. I am thinking of cutting out  as much of the original body as possible leaving the costume to support itself.  I doubt if this will be easy or neat so extra finishing - maybe a lace edging will have to be done.    Another week of happy glueyness!
She(he?) is in the hall drying - I keep sneaking a peek round the door to check but she is being well mannered at the moment. I hope to have it finished by next week, I'm sure I said that last time.....
Also should have an en ferreau polonaise gown done by then -  I'm part way through fitting it - but key question - can  I be said to ferreauing?

Completed C18th costume - Gwen does Poldark?

Ta da te da te Dum! (larger fanfare than usual)

Not only are the pet and caraco complete (old news) but I have now made the skirt and a neckerchief to complete the costume. There is no point in making stays – the only way to reduce or alter Gwen's waist is with wood working tools, no point in shoes, etc – there are no legs or feet, and a cap or bonnet looks incomplete without a head to go underneath it.



front showing the inside of the open pet

The skirt is simple, blocks of fabric pleated at the waist, raised slightly in front to compensate for the bum rolls. The hem is taped rather than folded, extra work but a smart, clean finish. The construction is straightforward – the knife pleats face to the back leaving a small flat section at centre front. A length of tape runs along the waist edge, neatening and holding the pleat edges as well as extending to become ties to fasten the skirt. The knife pleats sit really well, opening over the roll and folding shut when not needed.

 This extra layer does not benefit the mission in search of Gwen's corset waist, but with the pet's skirts flaring outward over the hips it is contriving to give an illusion of narrowness ( you have to get the angle just right and squinting might help).

The neckerchief is again very basic. Janet Arnold shows a triangle, Nancy Bradbury, a square to be folded. For this one I used a triangle of muslin – need practice with the flimsy fabrics, though now I never wish to see it again! To finish the edge I turned a hem and then caught across it in the first row of a crocheted edging to keep it secure. The originals seem to have been made in a wide range of sizes, fabric and colours – coarse and dark for workers, finer and more ornate for the ladies, so it seemed quite safe to improvise a little. Having the longest side of the triangle on the cross grain of the fabric did make life a little exciting – the muslin is quite loosely woven so pulled and rolled out of shape. The crochet edging seems to have stabilised this and inspite of the excessive moaning was not difficult nor take long. It is a single crochet into the scarf, chain 4, and repeat every half centimetre. Row 2 is merely single into the chain loop of the row below, chain 5,and repeat. I did try all sorts of designs of various complexity but this gave a neat edge with minimum fuss.

 

Overall - an enjoyable foray into the 18th Century, frustrating, time consuming, deeply annoying. But enjoyable. There are many errors still to address but I would look forward to tackling them rather than sob into my soup and consider emigration. A full sack back gown perhaps?  It will join the growing list Of Things I want To Make... Seeing the ensemble together is strangely satisfying - something to be learnt there I think - but next task......  is already underway.

 

It is experimental, uses builders' grade and a hair drier - at the same time.

 Should have it done for next week's post, if I manage to recapture the scissors by then.