Princess line bustle dress 1

Spent months being quite tasteful, there just had to be a backlash coming. When I turn nasty I like to do it good and hard - luke warm just won't do. So....

stuck to the recurring theme of the neck to hem long lines and pleating into the seams, and even a bit of polonaising and went Victorian!  Instead of en ferreauing I have been princess lining, not  Watteau pleats but a bustle!  Nothing by halves. While nowhere as ornate or complex as this dress

 from the Met, it will be a fitted, bodice front opening  down to below the hips. From there the front  skirt will be fairly straight but the back will increase in volume over a bustle cage and finish in a small train. I hope.

New things to do, new mistakes to make, exciting. Risking taking and problem solving - okay, on a small scale but still fun.

Back to Janet Arnold and Nancy Bradbury for a start point, again they both looked at the same day dress from the Snowshill collection.   Brightest  boldest candy stripes-
there is lack of stripiness in the fabric stash but lurking in the bottom drawer is a nest of Hobbs pillowcases - still in their packaging - desperate to get out. ( Not mad, bought when sold off as old stock, nice dramatic patterns, tight woven cotton. Only survived this long because I'd forgotten them)  Totally inappropriate. GOOD.




The whole of this has been done on the model, no pattern pieces, just a lot of pins, muttering, tacking and then redoing. Pattern pieces might have been easier.  The back - six panels, each full length with the centre and side panels  having extra width  from about bum level downwards to make pleats for the bustle bit. There is extra length on the centre pieces as well, this excess gathers up  in the side seams to make the polonaise. Again I like the idea of the contrast - fitted sleek v volume drama.

The basic ideas worked very well, worryingly so. The skirt bustled quite effectively and even began to train. It could have been an inch or two longer but there are plenty of opportunities to trim and extend. Getting the false front in was a bit of a menace - maybe that should have been done first and the whole front assembled then put to the back. I ended up starting from the centre back seam and building the dress forward from there. As usual focussed on the fun bit - working out how the skirt bustle came together.  I haven't got this too tight at the waist - there should be an internal waist band to hold the bodice in place which will help. As this was done as an experiment there is no lining either which would have helped avoid the stretching and twisting in some parts of the back.
The front of the dress has a false front  with hook and eye fastening on the centre line. Fabric choice was interesting - there was some heavy black satin all lined up, or another pillowcase - same colours tighter designs- or plain green or.... and I chose this Indonesian cloth. It was late at night, but having tried it all the rest looked safe and predictable. Not a wise choice as it had to be interfaced before it would hold the opening. Sometimes I like it other times it is sink into deep despair but unless something drastic happens it will be staying.  The collar is of the same contrast fabric, as will be the cuffs. There should be pleated inserts along the hem  - giving weight and flare I suppose- they may end up green and blue.

The sleeves are more tailored and shaped than the previous ones - in 2 parts and cut with curving seams. The sleeve head seems very shallow.
I did try a mock up of these and we are back to Pingu wings, flapping in the breeze. These current ones are cut with a steeper curve  but are still a bit flappy. The 18thC ones had lead weights but I haven't seen any reference to similar tricks for this. 


This is still very much under construction - final fit, finishing and trimming to do, all the fiddly bits, but it is looking better than I expected. I have enjoyed using the mad fabric choices - it is unexpected and instead of sitting there primly  saying 'aren't I historical', something else is going on. I will  have to do some thing to the front edges - the transition jars- a length of black grosgrain ribbon came off the pillowcase when it was dismantled - could be very useful.
It is starting to remind me of Yinka Shonibare's fabulous work but without any claim to be discussing cross culture references etc.

I had hoped to be finished by today - excuses are rather thin - keep falling asleep but did take a day out to join in with the Woolly Bike project with Cassandra Kilbride.  We were doing a Viking inspired bike as part of the Yorkshire Festival celebration of  the Grand Depart of the Tour de France this summer.  Very silly - I crocheted curly waves and half a snake. Di stole the show with a longship saddle cover and beard for the handlebars. The final exhibition with all 10 creations will be worth seeing!

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.

 

Bunny- sitting 2

Second bunny-sitting  garment.

Having fallen out of love with the purple velvet I spent this week trying some of the planned amendments out on a second Gwendoline spencer. (Gwendoline is the mannequin)

I had taken a piece of midweight plain fabric as an emergency travel stash on the bunny-sitting mission, quite textured, parentage unknown, loose weave. This was flexible enough for most things but prone to stretch and fray when bullied.

 

The old gwen pattern was redrawn  on paper, sliced and sellotaped back together to give the base shapes. It needed a tighter back with more visible seams, the shoulder further down, the back seam closer to the centre line to give more of the diamond shape to the back panel, the fit on the shoulder was suspect as well.

 

 The adjustments are moving in the right direction – the seams are further back and more shapely, the sleeve is more fitted and the front dart gives a sleeker fit. The back seems to big again and hangs quite boxily, not as smartly as the front.

 

Some extra fitting was needed ( helped by Bob the cat), the length of the shoulder had to be reduced to pull the sleeve head up onto the point of the shoulder and then the back was made narrower with a centre seam and a separate side back piece made.  The back seam is tapered so it is no longer hanging on the grain, this fabric will distort but I didn't have enough with me to cut a new piece. It will have to be declared another design feature not a half resolved problem.

    The result was nicely unfussy and clean. And then I went and had another look at the Met Museum's collection.( metmuseum, images and details)   What is it about the decorated pelisse? I like plain, I don't own anything with a flounce or frill, but these guys are entrancing. Don't look at the back, that is over the top in a majorly dramatic way, but the front – relying on the difference in texture rather than colour to create ornament is rather lovely. The style of the braiding is military-ish, influenced by the frogging and decoration on a hussar's jacket which was so popular at the time. The lines exaggerate the tight waist and wide shoulders, things I am trying not to do on Gwen, but still wanted to have a go. I tried buying but colour matching was a problem, the bought was too clean and bright, too perfect. So back to the crochet hook, one advantage of having a selection of vintage yarn.  Making the braid and then applying it has doubled the construction time but the cats enjoyed it! The pattern is from the Met example but modified, the central panel is lost and the number of twists  reduced, but the double crochet chain is not too far away from the ladder style braiding used. While the colour is not the same as the ground the contrast is quite mild and not too intrusive. The back is entirely made up. Just take a look at the Met link and you will see why.

The quietness of the fabric colour and the defined shapes work well on Gwendoline, she seems more in keeping with the clothing this time, the seaming gives a reason for the wide shoulders but nothing can be done for her posture.

As after thoughts go this has been quite a good one, the shapes and fit are better. If this is good base then experimenting further will be made much easier. Looking again at some of the extant pieces more extreme armholes are a possibilty. On some the sleeve is set incredibly far back, leaving a very narrow centre back panel. And of course the fullness and style of the sleeve and collar are to be played with as well. I still like the outer wear best for some reason, seeing as the dress and spencer have evolved from the same pattern  this seems strange and illogical.  Lots to do. Should I top stitch around the neck line to stop the facing rolling outwards? Back to saying  Ummm........ 

pink and dotty distractions... but lots of excuses.

My life is definitely not my own at the moment.

Scrabbling around, trying to keep up with work demands, weeds and hedge growing at triffid speed, making things for the yarn bombing, painting. Hamsters in wheels have it so easy.

Not upto date yet with anything!!

Pink and dotty pelisse has the lining cut and partially assembled though the collar is being stubborn. I tried with the main fabric top and bottom and it just would not sit right, now trying with a lining underneath to reduce the bulk. Still not quite right – will try it on the cross and look at the centre back lie, maybe make a slight angle in the centre back fold rather than have it perpendicular. Good job it's small!

 

This is with collar 4 pinned on, it is sitting better but imagine the 4mm seam allowance at the neck and the points pressed out properly. Have a matching thin satin ribbon to edge it with- another decision to waver at. The back point almost looks too long... ummm

Found a light weight lining in the stash – described as “synthetic silk : vile berry.” So now officially I'm making a miniature 1823 pelisse to scale in inbetweeny-pinky-browny-slightly-purpley-maybe-with-a- hint-of-grey-kind-of-dusky-pink and dotty, with vile berry lining and tinkerbell pointy bits.

Inspite of this I still really like it. Can't believe I did the couching work – I think it looks so much better than the rouleau work on the purple spencer. - wearing the glasses is an excellent idea!

Apart from these minor advances I learnt how to crochet (more) properly on Tuesday- thank you Youtube! We needed squares for the yarnbombing in July – knitting was just knotting my hands up so crochet was advised. I've dabbled over the years but this time sat down with different tutorials running on the computers and now it's making sense. 8 granny squares later I now have 2 large flowers and a half starved snake ready to go.

The craft group has been blogged about on http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/craft-group-at-explore-acomb-york.html.......

We are getting quite excited about this now – still making lots of squares and plans. What's the betting that it will rain? - there is a very nice cafe in the park so all won't be lost.

 

And nearly forgot - it seems so long ago - on Monday had a guest tutor Rachel McNaughton at the watercolour group -  very effective techniques and pretty straightforward. Seems daft - the painting was about an hour of effort, each granny square about the same, the pelisse -lots. No wonder full time work seems to get in the way !