Fairfax project 1750s

New week, new task. Travelling back in time ( wibble wobble, wibble wobble) to 1750 or there abouts.  Location Fairfax House o Castlegate, York.  Minor difficulty is that the house was built 5 years into the future, but the portrait I'm taking inspiration from did exist, and hung and currently hangs there.

Hope that is clear.

in situ in her bedroom

The portrait is of Anne Fairfax is dated 1750, showing her as a young lady shepherdess. ( quite a common conceit  - see It's About Time for more imagery.)  Lady Anne was the only surviving daughter of Charles, 9th Viscount Fairfax of Emley  and the house was built for her. The painting  hangs in her bedroom facing the bed and she apparently was very fond of it.
The painter, a French artist who worked extensively in England, is Phillip Mercier. He lived in York for a time, painting many of the society ladies.  
 The painting is very whimsical, but I think I quite like it because it raises questions,   the rose at her breast is rather odd - painted differently, and there is a mystery orange line across her chest, plus one of the sheep looks like a neighbour, but it will do as the start point for a costume task.  I would like to recreate this - or something based on it. ( If it goes well in diddy scale  it might get made full size!) 

quick initial sketches and notes

The painting does pose some problems - it was about her and the allegory, not her dress. The two sleeves are different - one fits smoothly at the shoulder but the other is gathered into pleats, there is a faint line down the centre forn suggesting  a seam or an opening, but the brush work at the junction of bodice and skirt is so loose it is going to be interpretation and best guess. My assumption is that the dress is conventional, a closed bodice over a full skirt. The closest example I have found so far is the 1780 wedding dress from the V&A exhibition to the left. The low scooped neck, tight bodice and pleated skirt are what I am imaging. Just 30 years difference.

But the current question is really about the fabric. It shines so must be satin or silk, but it looks much softer in the creases and on the surface than the pink drapery, so it can't be the same as that. Could it be fine velvet?  I took some samples of satins and silks in to compare with the painting and remained unconvinced by any of them.

While all of this is happening I have not been idle - much.  I am now in possession of a 12 inch artist's mannequin and am trying to make the underwear to fit. It is currently nameless.

Progress  so far has been good, 'she' has  a chemise - with gussets!, an approximation of stays, and even pocket panniers.

The chemise is to an C18th pattern, the standard issue, rectangles and underarm gussets (- much the same as the blue print used for gentleman's shirts)

very masculine....

The stays were more of a challenge - boning, binding and eyelets! The boning I will admit to being narrow cableties, The binding is the smallest I could make, and the eyelets - I know they should have been hand done but.... so they are just what I had and are completely huge!  The first try was agonising but these ( version 2) went together quite simply.
The stays are really so that I could alter the shape of the torso - widening at the top and narrowing at the waist to the C18th cone shape. This is partially sucessful so more padding may be needed. Added padding to the upper back as well as bust  and it has made such a difference- happier now. 

They could do with more tabs at the waist but that will have to happen on the next ones.  

To give the exaggerated hips I decided on pocket hoops/panniers - small cages either side rather than the full width one more associated with formal or court dress. The discussion was whether to go for bum pads but actually wanted to try out the panniers! Umm.

They were based on a pair on display in the 'Head to Toe, Accessorising the Georgians' exhibition currently on at Fairfax House. Although fiddly at this scale they were fairly straightforward- channels were made in the outer panel, one side of the inner panel was attached, the bones slotted in and the other side seam made.

That the inner panel is narrower than the outer gives the tension to create the required curve. The top is pleated  to fit to the waist and sewn onto a band. Simple!

The overall silhouette is an improvement- would still like to pull the waist in more - the contrast between waist and hip should increase anyway as the petticoats are added so this is not crisis thinking yet.

Wonder if I would warm to her if she had hair?
Definitely lacks personality at present. Any suggestions for a name?

You never know - might have tidied up by next week.

Victorian underwear- corset, cage and petticoat.

This last week and a half has been focussed on ladies' unmentionables - none of which should be seen in polite society. We are going to be making an 1880s style bustle dress soon so need the underpinnings to give it the right form. The patterns used were Norah Waugh's from Corsets and Crinolines - or at least they were when we started. 
The corset was first, they are back lacing, steel bones - both spiral and flat steel, with a front fastening busk-  this is to define the torso's shape but has the added fun of moving the squidgy bits in all directions.



Norah Waugh- Corsets and Crinolines

First step - measurements of everything and then padding out a tailor's dummy to fit. We draped the corset - basing it on one from the 1870s/80s with 5 panels each side ( mine had to have 6 (depressing - have another cake?)).   Once the toile was workable we transferred to coutil ( densely woven and sturdy) and construction began. The seams were done to the outside of the corset and  the seam allowance was meant to be trimmed and folded to make a fell seam which doubled as the boning channel.

Far too simple - I ended up making each channel out of bias binding made from the coutil. The eyelet punch was fun but not as satisfying as getting out the hammer and beating them into submission, but at least the busk went in sweetly. When we tried this on  the corset all but folded in half - so more bones were added in each panel and the back spiral bones were swapped for straight steels.  It does now double as armour and weighs a minimum of half a ton. After the  basic fitting came the binding of the top edge and cutting the bones to length- sore fingers- and sealing the whole thing off with the bottom line of binding.

I'm not entirely comfortable in it - it pinches under the arm on one side so am still making minor adjustments there which explains the  unfinished lace trim- ( doesn't explain why one side has lace the top and the other at the bottom - ummm).

Bustle cage - this is the boned structure  intended to give extra volume to the skirt.

dog agility or tent?  It does look better the right way up!

This is straightforward to construct though it has an awkward moment or two and some muscle is required.  There are side front flaps that wrap around the waist, a narrow inner back that gives the tension to make the  wider outer back  steel bones bow. We started by sewing the outer back together and adding the boning channels with 1" tape as in the middle photo. The gaps in the centre are to make adding and removing the bones easier. The top two cross over  and are put in before sewing the side seams. The side seams are a sandwich of the inner back,  the front flaps, and the outer back. Sewing the second of the seams is the fun bit - the bones have to be bent so that the stitching lines match up- tack them into the channels, sew from the

inside the cage- the floor is the inner back.

bottom upwards and use a zipper foot and it was relatively easy- The muscle is needed to turn the whole thing rightside  out.  The top edges of the backs are joined and the whole is assembled onto a petersham waistband- measured to fit over the corset.  To finish the bottom a length of box pleating  is added to the hem - unfortunately I have mislaid the completed image - will add later.

  As if this isn't enough - or heavy enough - on top of this goes a totally frilled petticoat.  Again a simple garment with embellishments. It covers the whole cage, softening the outline while giving extra, extra bulk.

Step 1 was joining the front panel to the 2 side panels and hemming everything.

complete frilliness and the placket opening.

  Next was adding the frills to the back panel. We went for 4 tiers of frill plus one at the waist, so made them 12" deep. The back piece is 40" wide  so the 3 bottom frills were 120" wide and the 4th was 100" .  Making the frills was  repetitive labour rather than difficult, - 4 lots of overlocking, 4 lots of hem pressing and sewing, but the gathering was simple - we zigzagged over a length of buttonhole thread and pulled the fabric up along that. They were sewn to the back at 10" intervals to give 2" overlap.  Once all was done the front assembly and the back were attached leaving a 10" opening at the left top.  Then the mild concussion of trying to remember how to do a  placket to finish the opening. 

 It was put on the stand and pinned to a

petersham band, matching the back/side seams to the seams of the bustle cage underneath.  The back piece has  two lines of gather stitching at the top and these are pulled to fit. The petersham is sewn in place and the whole goes back on the stand for the final frill. This is shorter, only twice as long and narrows at the ends. This  was prepped as before and pinned from the centre back to the side seam  covering the top of the last frill - mine went from 10" to 5" deep and only 80" long. This was sewn on - the industrial machine was a godsend to this,

pinning to the waistband and adding the last frill.

the bulk reduced and the whole length of the waistband covered in white cotton tape to enclose the raw edges. Add on hook and bar fastenings and giant press studs down the placket opening and it is done!

 

The completed ensemble-  I still have visions of  looking like this in Victorian underwear - 

  think I'd be a good foot above the cushions in this bustle and the proportions are somewhat different. Need to find good opportunities for languishing. Answers on a post card?

Distractions list - Far too many  sweets (Minstrels!) museums, rain, Pauline's birthday-( nearly party-popped a bemused delivery man)  tea and scones at Grays Court (dead posh, right behind the Minster, optimistic wasp)  sewing moles - embryonic corset-o-saurus.  Will fill in the details next time.