The stripey challenge - my approach

hello everybody,

Recently our (historical) meme mom Karolina Zebrowska  introduced the stripey challenge.
Basically it's an invitaion to all historical sewists to recreate a historical garment from any deacde, but it has to striped in black and whited. Why?
Firstly because stripey costumes are awesome, secondly because its always cool to sew with complete strangers worldwide, it gives you this weird motivation.

So obviously I need to join stuff like that too and used the chance to make a black and white evening gown from the decade between 1900 and 1910. First I thought about the iconic Worth gown, but it just wasn´t stripey enough. So I picked a more rarely seen dress worn by the famous opera singer Lina Cavalieri

I really fell in love with the dress, So i searched up information on it, which wasn't as successful as I would have wished, but I found out who has worn it, as noted above and that it was made and worn in 1905 or 1906.The strange thing is that I cannot seem to find a picture from the front in a similar quality. In fact thats the only two pictures I find at all from this dress and they do look like two complete different ones, the front view looks nearly like a painting.But this leaves me a bit of room for interpretation, which isn't the worst either. The dress is rather slim and flares out extremly at the bottom, it has  a train in the back, which is, I have to admit, a bit intimidating for me, since i never made a train or such. The neckline is very wide, which leads me to make a new, more low necked camisole. The neckline seems to be decorated with a satin sash, and some mesh, as well as beaded fringe on the front. It has puffed sleeves, where the details are rarely visible. The embellishment is the most interesting part, but I will do it not as elaborate as it was made on the extant garment. To save the last bit of my sanity.
The orginal seems to have beading all over, but I am not gonna do that. I was thinking that I sew on fabric that has some sheen to it and if I have time and motivation I will do some beading on the edges. So on to the fabrics I bought for this:

The base makes a white, very crisp almost glazed looking cotton fabric, It will be the mock-up fabric and hopefully I can just take it like it is, with some minor alterations. The pattern will just be altered from my existing Titanic costume pattern, because it did fit well over the corset ( I´ll use the same corset and chemise)

Over that will go a black mesh, just like in the reference, it's not as sheer as I would have liked but, it should work. Furthermore it will be the base of the decorative elements, so the vertical lines and flower decoration. 

Speaking of the decorative fabric, I picked this shimmery, striped black taffeta and I will sew the stripes into the seams or over it. The floral pattern will probably be made out of the same fabric, but I have no clue how I will seal the edges yet, at least not in a historical manner. ( If you have any ideas, please let me know)

For the neckline, ruffles and sleeves maybe, I picked a black stain with a subtle sheen, which contains approximately half cotton fiber. 

I also picked a black chiffon for the sleeves, I could also use the mesh for them, but I just wanted to have something to vary. 

I took two trimmings, first a narrow lace in black, which will be on the edge of the ruffles on the train. Secondly I also bought this black and white embroidered lace, which isn´t used in the original dress, but it fitted so well that I just had to take it with me.

 

                                      For the petticoat I bought, a stiff but thin white cotton and some wide lace. I will make a camisole and and bustle pad as well, but I think I have all the material for that at home. As soon as I get my current project done, I will start on this.                   Thank you all for reading, I hope you share a little bit of my excitement



 

looking back at 2017 + plans for 2018

hello everybody

I thought to start the new year with a lookback at 2017 and my plans for 2018 are a good idea. So I start with some photos of the things I made in 2017. ( This isn´t by far everything I made, just the "Highlights" you can soon see everything in my portfolio)

Casual wear:

 

 

The first thing I have sewn in 2017 and also the first garment I have ever sewn was this coral chiffon top ( you probably can´t see it on the picture, but i was really badly constructed, but I want it here so you and me can see how I developed)

 



 

This was the first skirt made ( there are approx. half a year of practice in between the top above and teh skirt)

 

This was the second bag I made last year, which looks fine, however I didn´t like it that much, so I gave it to my mother

  Another skirt I made, which I am pretty proud of and love to wear:

 

I made two denim corset belts this year, so I could get familiar with boning and stuff. the light grey one is for me, the darker one for my mother as a birthday present

 

 

Another aim for 2017 was to learn a bit embroidery, first i did pimp an old blouse with some fancy dolphins.

 

 

The second embroidery project was this scarf that features a beautiful red chiffon and embroiderd flowers in  a peachy colour.

 

 

As mentioned before, I made more things this year as shown above, including lots of jewelry, but I show you the best things I made:

 

 

 

Costumes

I began this year, with something I wanted to do for a long time: fairy wings and a matching headpiece. The fabric was completly handstitched to the wire frame of the wings and it can be worn with straps or  the wire loop.

 

 

 

I also managed to make some costumes/vintage stuff. First a 50ies inspired Petticoat, which  I am not in love with, it is a bit to messy for me, the next one I´ll make will be more structured.

 



 

The next thing was an edwardian chemise, which will eventually be worn under a edwardian gown, but I am going to talk more about that in my plans for 2018.

 

 

I also made my very first hat, to be a bit more precise a pillbox (brimless) hat, also inpired by the 50ies.

 



 

Last but not least I made my very first complete fantasy costume, the christmas costume:

 

 

 

After all I was pretty productive this year, but I want to make more next year, especially complete costumes, not just different pieces. That leads me to my plans for 2018.

 

 

 

Plans for 2018

This year I want to make 7 complete costumes, one of it just if I have enough time. Some of them should be rather simple and done in a month or so, some more complicated, because I need many pieces. I also want to make some casual or vintage inspired things.

 

Lets start with those.

 

I don´t have a picture, but I am currently working on a Rockabilly pencil skirt and I already made a purse, but there´ll be  blog posts about both of them.

 

So one thing I will make in spring is a green linen blouse, the pieces were cut in school, so I just have to put it together.

This is the fabric for that, in reality it is more green, not grey

 

 

Another thing I´ll make is the silk dressing robe, which I already talked about in my fabric haul

 

 

And also the golden/ivory clutch I talked about

 

 

I also bought a dotted fabric for a dress, which I´ll probably sewing in autumn.

 

 

And I also want learn silk painting, for what i have bought this book on a flea market. I thing I´ll try a scarf first and  there are some beautiful ideas in there.

 

 

And there are some other things I want to make, where I don´t have material or photos of.

for exmaple differnt kinds of jewelry, a bohemian belt, a blazer or jacket, a jumpsuit, 2 blouses....

 

 

Now to the costumes, the most exciting part ( at least for me):

 

 

The first costume I want to make this year is a dress that complements the fairy wings. I want to start that one in February so I can hopefully make some lovley spring photos. You have seen the wings and headdress above so here are two of the fabrics I´ll use.

 

 

 The purple one was a curtain, but I just loved the subtle sprakling texture and the stripes.

For this dress I also need to buy some ivory satin and light pink chiffon. I´ll also make some more accesoires: a necklace, a bracelet and some jewelry for my feet.

 

 

 

For spring I want to make something set in 50s. I came up with this idea, because I got a sewing maschine from te 50s for Christmas and really liked the idea to sew something from this decade on it.

So I bought this soft yellow cotton and matching flower buttons.

This will be for some high waisted trousers.

 

 

To go with that I´ll also make blouse, but I haven´t deciced on one yet. Here are some that I like. comment down below, which one you like best

 

 

 

The next costume is probably the one I am most excitied about. It´ll be an late edwardian evening gown. based on a dress I saw in a museum in Barcelona.

 

 

I already made the chemise, but I also have to make a Petticoat and corset, which will be an adventure, but I am making the corset with this great tutorial

 

 

For my next costume I´ll be diving into the 40s. I bought a lovely pattern for vintage aprons, when I was in England and I also bought a striped cotton for the apron (D)

 

 

But of course I am also making a dress to go with it , maybe in blue or white or grey, I don´t know yet

 

 

Probably in autumn I will be making a costume from the medival time a bliaut to be more precise.

In the book "chronicle of western costume" was this drawing:

 

 

This will be the base for it, but I´ll change it a bit, make it more flattering by adding a belt.

In every case I want to make this golden circlet and I already have chain fo that. The main fabric for this dress might be purple linen.

 

 

The next costume will be reality just if I have enough time and it would be a cosplay.

I really like the fashion of the 18th century so I decided a remake of the dress Eliza Hamilton wore in my favorite musical "Hamilton", Since I probably don´t have too much time, I won´t make any fancy underpinnings, just a bumpad and a heavily boned dress.

 

 

And the last Costume I´´ve planned is another christmas costume, maybe something cute and less glamourous, a Christmas elf for example ^^

 

 

 

 

 

 

So this was a pretty long post, but well I have a lot ideas.

I hope you enjoyed it, is there something you ar eypecially excicded about?

 

 

 

Fabric Haul November 2017 & plans for the next months

 

Hello everybody
this is my first post on this blog and I will my share my ideas and plans for some upcoming procjects and the supplies i bought for them, because I simply love fabric and I love talking about it.

So these are the first two things I bought, there are for smaller projects, I have the other supplies I need in my stash. the brown fimo aka Polymer Clay was originally for a leaf pendant and a matching bracelet, but I tought about making it out of real wood, which would be more complicated, but also more beautiful, since it´s  natural.
The studs are for a weird project. I will, if everything works out,  make a little purse, that can be worn with a belt, it is inpired by this little bag, from the movie "far from the madding crowd". When I saw this purse, I immediatley tought, that this would be so handy for carring around your smartphone, or sewing supplies.

Now for the most expensive thing I bought last month. It was this silk/Cotton blend from an Etsy seller and it is so beautiful, ist is a little bit sheer, but so soft and lightweight, I just love to touch it.

I am planning on using this for a vintage looking dressing robe. I already have a pattern at home, so I won´t draft it myselft. The pattern is actually from my mother, but she never used it. I will put the lace probably on the sleeves.

The next project, will be the last one, which I am starting on, probably in February, but I already bought the fabric, trim and beads for it. I will be another purse. I took inpiration from the  galmourous purses from the 1930´s like this one. The colour scheme is Gold/Champange and it will eventually be worn with a 30s silk gown, which I am planning on making, someday. ( I am still too scared to work with really expensive silk).
The frame for the purse is still missing, but I am going to order this one.

So, this are remaining purchases for the biggest project I have in mind, which I´ll start at the end of November, and it will be a Christmas costume/ballgown. I am very excited starting on, since it will be my first full length gown, hopefully with matching accesoires. I took Inspiration from Angela Clayton, who makes gorgeous christmas costumes each year. This are the two main fabrics for the dress I have three metres of each, which hopefully will be enough. I´ll post a sketch of the dress, when I am starting drafting the pattern.

I also want to make a matching headpiece with lots of flowers, gold trim and some black satin ribbon. Here are all the flowers and pine cones I purchased for the headpiece.



 

Last but not least the embellishments for the costume: seed bead, sequins, some acrylic stones, satin ribbon and a closure for a bracelet.

Thanks for reading, I hope you´ve liked it and if you want to see my upcoming posts, the subscribe with your E-Mail ;)