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!

 

Gwen's bustle dress finale

Gwen is far less demanding than I am - she is putting up with a lot - and at least she hasn't changed size and shape during an extended make. My own bustle out fit is progressing in fits and starts but is getting towards its final form and details are being resolved - let me get the sleeves on and I'll tell you all about it.

Gwen, lacking arms, isn't too hard to set sleeves for, so hers is about complete now. Some areas may be changed but the garment is together, the lining is in, so we did the photo shoot to show the final dress.

Completed to date - cage, petticoat, foundation skirt, apron and bustle. This week's task was the bodice.  The idea was to combine the two fabrics used to bring the ensemble into a cohesive whole. Yep - cohesive.

The pattern used was an adaptation of one used for the fishergirl project - simple pieces, straightforward construction, clean lines and unfussy. The front was one piece with 2 darts each side, overlapping centre front for button fastening, centre back seam and side back panels, 2 part sleeves and cuff.  t\he plan was to used the pattern fabric for the side back, cuff and facings, but of course this changed. The front looked too plain so patterned revers appeared, the patterned stuff did not like tight corners so a satin lining appeared ( off cuts from my own bustle project).  Also a flirty tail was added to sit on top of the bustle- not quite sure whether this has worked or not.  The sleeves as you can see are a high tech re draft giving less curve on the sleeve top and elbow. The only part not shown are the flirty bits, semi circles, added onto the back and side back pieces.

last week

this week

This was Gwen last week -  wearing the underwear, foundation skirt, apron and bustle. The apron has become more gathered and a little higher - late night decision!   The bodice is to complete the outfit,  not dominate it. Pressure is well and truly on at the costume college so this has to be quick.  So selecting the pattern pieces was Saturday at about 3pm. completing was 11pm.   The fit is not as exact as I want - extra side seams my appear,  to tighten up the back and the forgotten collar should arrive at some point - totally, totally forgot.  I like the 3/4 view- it shows the simplicity of the shaping and lets the contrast in the fabrics speak for itself.  There is the usual lack of mini buttons- the ones I liked were 48p each -  more than I paid for the fabric - dream on.

As for mine - it has got this far - bit of a hiatus at the start of the week - lost so much weight that my corset is too big - so borrowing one that is a different period and shape - so had to put toile back together to check fitting was do-able. Of course all the pieces were already cut so it was fairly fraught. It did work so then tacked together the real pieces to check - some changes to the side panels later and it was ready to work..... Phew!

one morning tea usage!

Distractions - pizza for one of the late nights.
 Forgetting about an art exhibition and having to rush about to get stuff together - thanks, Steve.
  Chain came off bike 3 times - have figured out how to put back on with out oily fingers.
 Chased by a cat.
Washing machine is working!
The Tde F crochet bike I helped with is on display at Naburn!
Made apple chutney so house is rather - fragrant.
 Can not believe the course ends on the 27th. With an exhibition.  Which means no excuses- all has to be finished. Best get on.....
 

 

KCI French Revolution Jacket 1790

7.30 Sunday morning -  am sat having breakfast on the back doorstep. Bees are up and busy, birds have been yelling at each other for hours and all is right in my little space, for a while. The jacket is done, finished, complete. Mistimed the start today, it was an hour earlier than I thought when I got up - 6.20! On a Sunday!  So that extra time has been very useful - found some old cover buttons to dismantle and re-use on the tail pleats and then bullied the seam allowance of the bottom of the armholes into some kind of credible finish. It is now washed and dripping gently into the sink. Coffee does taste better with a clear conscience.

It began with the book - big, heavy, lots of lovely photos, BIG  photos and shiny paper.  It says "Fashion" in very big letters on the front and is a tour of the Kyoto Costume Institute collection. There is a double page dedicated to this jacket. While I didn't exactly like it,  I always stopped here.  The notes from the book and KCI website credit it as a French  jacket, red striped silk brocade, dated 1790, so during the French Revolution. The style is quite simple, masculine even, double breasted with the over large metal buttons and collar.  The ideas of the cleaner lines, of a simpler aesthetic and nature over the artificial, had been emerging since the middle of the century, think of the chemise de la Reine or the practicality of the redingote from England,  a sign of the social and cultural  upheavals.   Fashion choices became very important as the politics got dangerous; this idea of the short jacket and skirt  was seen as an egalitarian costume - ostentation was not wise  during the Terror, and clothing was a very direct way of stating allegiances and outlook. We still use clothing in the same way, groups tend to dress in similar ways, we differentiate instinctively between those who are like us and those who are  different. 
Note the red, white and blue schemes and touches in the fashion plates - wearing the tricolor was considered a good thing and stripes too were  more classless and  patriotic.

  My usual goddess was not smiling – there was no Janet Arnold  dissection of a similar jacket in the Patterns of History. I was on my own. 

The choice of fabric for the original would have been an essential part of the garment, stripes were patriotic, worn by all, and showed support for the Revolution. I had 1/2 metre of delicate girly stripe cotton fabric, in green with roses (more 1950s really) – shall we  claim it symbolises the green revolution? (unfortunately not recycled).  The lining is quite heavy off white cotton, a scrounged off- cut of unknown parentage. So, my  expectations for this jacket, a fairly close copy – but want to be more determined about stitching processes and finishing. MUST not dodge doing the 18thC sleeves. Will do the odd banana shape sleeves.

 The bodice -I  borrowed from the French Revolution escape dress  for back shapes  but  reduced the flirtiness of the peplum to make it more masculine in cut. The fronts are extended wide to allow for the overlap  and shoulders pieces will be added later. 

 All began well – did the 4 layered ladderstitch for the main seams so the whole garment was being constructed in one go.  Tried not to make them quite so tight  but it still gave a stiff finish, felt a little like scar tissue!


Then the sleeves - First the strap which completes the armhole.  The lining was cut and attached first over the shoulder, raw edges folded in, ready to go. The sleeves themselves are in 2 parts, with seams at the front and back. I made these with the  linings separate and  assembled them and the cuff detail before sewing to the bottom curve of the armhole. This part was meant to be finished like a French seam for strength and  with the raw edges encased, but in the expectation of having to undo and reposition  I left them to neaten later. Oops. 

   Then the upper part of the sleeve was tacked in place to the shoulder strap.  I still had the collar to add into the neck edge of the  sandwich. so the  top fabric  was stitched on later. A lot of stitching in a small area but very effective, and it  is neat and robust. ( Photo is of the shoulder turned inside out, spot the raw underarm section!)
 

The collar - painful. I haven't found any back views of the jacket so I borrowed from this, also at the KCI dated 1780/90.  It is very masculine, like a caped driving coat. The original jacket's collar looked to be a single thickness and rolled down to drape. It flared over the shoulders so I imagined it not sitting flat but continuing to flare at the back like the grey one's capes.

Cutting it was easier than expected I didn't manage a pinked scalloped edge but a feeble cry on facebook resulted in the loan of Janette's pinking rotary cutter - excellent new toy, zoomed round those shapes no problem! Attaching took  longer. I really needed to think ahead, the plan was to slot the collar between lining and top fabric, but the seam stitching had secured them together. Un picking, muttering and repairing, but the collar was on. I guess a canny person would have left the top inch unsewn on the back seams.

After this it was all finishing,- the top shoulder straps, buttonholes, buttons, hemming., but....
Buttonholes - been avoiding them for years.

 

It began with the Purple Caterpillar of Horror, proper thread, proper stitch, proper mess. I did try welts but the inside was a sight, Then the yellow attempt and finally the unbleached millipede. Practice did improve matters and the end results are not too shaming.

Buttons - Bought these an age ago, liked the quirkiness, but never found just the right place for them. This probably isn't it, but they were the right size and number, tonally they matched and it was 10pm. When next in town I may trawl for a more 'period' choice - but you can be sure that they will have to fit those same buttonholes.
As for the mini cover buttons - used no gadgets so went together easily and made a nice finishing touch to the back.

Being me, of course, there are areas to be improved on, solutions to be pondered and developed further but this is actually something I feel quite proud of at the moment. It does what it sets out to do;  a copy of  the KCI jacket. It was never going to be the bees knees, the back is a best guess compromise and so are the inside details. But it has gone together remarkably well - I must have learnt something over the winter!

Hit List -Sleeves-  practice the sleeve setting technique - it went together fine but the sleeve linings behave like teenagers, excessive enthusiasm followed by strops and that 'so make me' attitude. I will advise myself to be more vigilant and baste lining and outer together more firmly and retrim if necessary before putting in. I must also be more careful about keeping the seam allowances even.
Seam stitching technique - the tightly stitched seam looks lovely from the inside but the looser stitched ones work better from the outside. Need to get the stitch size and tension right and then stick to it. (I may need to find a film with no exciting bits in to watch as I sew.)

Button Stash - needs organising so that hours are not wasted looking for that elusive last match. It might help if buttons are returned to the tin but they are adventurous little things and keep turning up in little colonies in odd drawers and boxes.

 BUT (big but) at last I have made something that is as smart inside as it is outside!


Coffee has gone cold, moment of oneness is past - blackbirds are squabbling - might even have to do some housework. Later....










KCI- jacket page -http://www.kci.or.jp/archives/digital_archives/detail_34_e.html 
FASHION - A History from the 18th to the 20th Century. Vol 1 p102/3      Taschen

interesting reading - http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlearts/2013/10/15/fashion-the-french-revolution-and-a-masculinity-in-continual-crisis/

http://locutus.ucr.edu/~cathy/mg.html  - Journal de la Mode et du Gout
Caroline Weber - Queen of Fashion, what Marie Antoinette wore to the Revolution

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!).