mandie_rw | Entries tagged with 18thc belle outfit

This is probably the slowest I've sewn in quite a while! Still, that's the nice thing about this jacket - there are so few seams that even sewing at the speed of mud gets you somewhere. I'm at the point where I need to try the thing on with stays so I can sew the back shoulder seams in the right place. That will happen tomorrow before work.

And then Friday through Monday Imaginary Boyfriend and I are going away for Our Birthday (he's Jan 27 and I'm Feb 4, so close enough to celebrate together!), to a nice little B&B up in the Hudson Valley, north of Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow. (Where we of course have to stop. I've got great-grandparents in SH cemetery, but even if I didn't, we're People Who Like Cemeteries, and that's a very nice one.) It's a bit of a splurge, but he always gets so worked up about being a bad gift-giver, that I suggested we just treat ourselves to a long weekend rather than worrying about Buying Stuff.

And the room we booked has a real fireplace. Oooooo. The slightly higher-priced suites had fancy Jacuzzi tubs, which came briefly under consideration, but we agreed we'd both prefer the fireplace. Jacuzzi tubs in hotel rooms are more common than fireplaces these days...

Current Mood: okay

The HELLO I AM BLUE linen petticoat, to be precise. I mean, I don't plan on needing it for W'burg, but...a Done Thing is still a Done Thing, right?

blue on de ting

Note fuzzy socks and pajama pants. Hey, it was cold and snowy today! (Before it changed over to rain, because the odds don't look good for an actual snowfall this year! Boo.) Also green stays, because of course I'm going to wear them around for a while before deciding whether I really want to make a new and improved version asap, or whether that can wait a while.

Also, Pip is currently entertaining himself by batting an eggshell around inside a small cardboard box. I mean, I guess it says something for him that he figured out a way to play with it, but...he just stepped in it and it got stuck on his back paw and...he doesn't look real intelligent at the moment, is all I'm saying.

Current Mood: sleepy

Between yesterday and today, I got the blue linen petticoat hemmed, finished the side slits (sometimes I neglect those and then they go flappy flappy in the breeze, but as 90% of the time they're on the selvedges, it doesn't really matter, ahem), leveled the top, and pleated the front half to the waist tie. Was thinking I might be able to finish the back half tonight, but we got out of work annoyingly late, so no. Ah well! Should be able to finish it tomorrow, unless I decide to bop along to something else.

I find 18thc petticoats very satisfying to make; they're straightforward and an inexact science! Which is my jam.

Oh, I also cut out the ruffle for an-otherwise-finished linen cap I found under a pile of crap while cleaning up just a wee bit the other day (it was under the tea gown I got mostly made for Belvidere in September of 2018, so...uh...that cap's been there a while), and also tore a panel of the white-on-white linen/cotton stripe I had leftover from the 1790s round gown, for an apron. I've made umpteen aprons but never a white one! And Belle has a white apron, so...

Current Mood: awake

I'm being that weird kind of lazy where I'm hand sewing because I cannot be bothered to set up the sewing machine...

I found a kerchief and apron that I don't mind donating, and hemmed the old white petticoat up about 1.5" since Carly from the Indian King Tavern is at least that much shorter than I am! I also finally remembered to order some natural linen for shifts...since I wanted an unbleached linen shift for myself as well and I can get two shifts out of modern-width linen, I don't mind providing that for her. Still have to make that bedgown. I did actually think about doing that today, but I don't want to entirely sew it by hand, and, see aforementioned laziness.

So! New project! It's got a tag from 2017 so it's not that new...

If you were around in 2017 you might remember I had Opinions about the costuming in the live-action Beauty and the Beast. Mainly, that I actually liked it more than I thought I would, especially the 18thc-esque costuming. With the fairly major exception of Emma Watson's wardrobe! Greater or lesser "ugh", depending on the particular outfit. At least half the movie was spent (mentally) yelling WHY ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR STAYS, UGH; WHY IS YOUR POCKET ON THE OUTSIDE, etc etc. I did like the use of a great variety of cotton prints for the villagers generally, and keeping Belle in blues and whites with a bit of red, and the use of a few separates to give her a bit of wardrobe variety.

So I've wanted to make a "more appropriate by my standards" Belle outfit for a while! Possibly more than one, since 18thc separates are so delightful and versatile. And I want to be able to have both a movie-inspired version and an historical version, since I'll get more wear out of the second. The first...well, I'll probably enjoy getting a photoshoot out of it and swanning around with a book, but other than that who knows where I'll actually wear it.

At some point during the past two years I bought a yard of sapphire blue linen for stays, a couple of yards of a lighter weight and half-a-shade-deeper-in-color blue linen for a petticoat. I already had the white and red petticoat from the print Brunswick I made in 2016(?) that I was never overly pleased with and thus only wore once; I was already thinking about reworking the sacque jacket into a fitted 1760s or 70s style that I'd actually wear! Either way, it's already on hand. Was thinking about working the leftover bit of dark blue wool in as well, but then today I also bought a yard of light blue and cream striped linen when I ordered that unbleached linen, so...

I wasn't sure which stays pattern I wanted to use for these stays, but since the green stays came out decidedly "meh", I've decided these will be a trial run for the Augusta stays, which I've wanted to try since the pattern was released. This gives me a nice excuse! I ordered the print version because it takes me effing forever to print-and-tape a pattern, I haaaaaate doing it, so, dammit the shipping cost is still worth it to me. That should be here sometime this week. I may try cane boning again, in a different width from the 1770s stays I kept breaking... They're going to be a similar level of "accurate" as the green stays: machine sewn where I can, and hand finished. Well, I don't know of any electric blue linen extant stays, if you want to get technical about it... *grin*

I don't plan on getting movie-Belle wearable for Williamsburg, mainly because movie-Belle will have visible stays, and I don't anticipate having another pair of stays done in less than a month! I mean, miracles can happen, I guess...but probably not. But most if not all sewing I do for W'burg will be Belle-related!

SO. To that end, today I shortened the cotton print petti about 1.5" - still "cute 1770s length" but also will not hang out from under the slightly longer blue petticoat. Which I also measured, cut, and sewed the panels for tonight. Started hemming, will definitely not finish that tonight. I didn't need to hand sew it, as this is a pretty questionable shade of blue, let alone for linen, in the 18thc...but hey, I like hand sewing! Even though I may not wear the blue petticoat either, because cold is a thing in February, even in VA...

Current Mood: chipper

Lining is all stitched in; I just need to make the eyelets for the straps and sew the ends of my lacing into the stays, because that is how I do. (Anything that ensures I can't lose my stay laces is a Good Thing.)

Also I have Had An Idea for something to make for Williamsburg that might light a little more of a fire under my butt. It's an old (planned) project and I bought some fabric lo these many moons ago for it. Except it was two years ago and I honestly cannot remember exactly what I bought, so I shall continue to be vague until I paw through the Stash and see what's what!

Current Mood: cheerful

Sort of! I tacked the puffs of china silk onto my cap - planning to do my shoot of the chintz dress Friday morning so I wanted to get that out of the way...even though it's got enough powder and pomatum on it from just one wearing to be kinda icky already. Mostly because said powder is pink. ;) I feel precisely no inclination to add onto/fix the tucker right now, but maybe tomorrow I'll decide that's an awesome idea? Seems doubtful. Photos can still go ahead sans tucker, so, whatever.

Also dug through my bin of "everyday" fabric and was moderately ruthless in culling to put up in the shop. Took pics of all of them, and measured half of them (ugh, so boring), so hopefully I can get at least five of them listed tomorrow. Probably nothing to excite anyone here, but I sold all the ugly little pieces of silky poly fairly quickly when I put them up! So hopefully these will move too, because the piles are getting dangerous!

Plus I'm making a deal with myself that I can't buy fabric for the Currently Secret But Probably Not Secret Once I Get the Fabric Project til I sell a few things on etsy! ;)

(Somewhat related: it occurred to me that if I don't finish the Hell Dress, this project would be fine for the "fancy dress" ball as well. This is a terrible justification, but I think I'm taking it.)

Current Mood: good
Crossposts: http://mandie-rw.livejournal.com/586702.html

I'm mentally collecting supplies for the random outfit I think I've decided to make, because that is totally a thing I have time to do. I got the taffeta from fabric mart for the 1860s Hell Dress, but the color looks quite different and it won't work for the outfit, so, bummer! Will probably sell it on on etsy rather than send it back, to try and break even. Shame, as it's a pretty gold-ish color that I would usually hoard, but the fabric stash is out of control at the moment so I need to stop hanging on to things I won't use!

My mantua-making demo with some of the usual local suspects is two weeks from Saturday, so I need to figure out what to wear for that. Currently inclined toward either the bird print polonaise, or the jacket and petti from the print Brunswick, and a stomacher to go with those. (Provided I can find the leftover fabric for it...) The yellow/red/green anglaise is a possibility too but I somewhat suspect it'll be hotter weather than I'd like to wear that in.

I've gone another step toward committing to DW over LJ - a paid account (shut up, I want my icons back!) and turning off commenting at LJ. I don't want to lose touch with people who are staying over there, and I'll still read my friends page, but I consider DW my primary journal now, and frankly I don't want to give LJ any more traffic than I need to.

Current Mood: okay
Crossposts: http://mandie-rw.livejournal.com/586347.html

I am blissfully unconcerned about nothing really being finished! It's all quite finished enough to wear, and I guess I must be fine with that! Especially as I spent my free time today puttering about in the garden (I think my new tiny tree is currently being flattened by the rain, oops) and scheming for a new, totally random project that I don't even sort of need. Ordered linen swatches though! Yes, it's a secret for now. ;) Mostly as I haven't decided whether I should try and squeeze it in this year or not. But I'm sure by next year I'll have lost all motivation for it, so, hmmm.

Things that are done: gauze trim on the petticoat, gauze trim on the gown's sleeve cuffs and neckline, and hemming of the crown of the cap and half the band. Not done: gauze trim on the gown skirt, twisted silk trim on top of all the gauze trim, the rest of the cap, the bows on the gown, tacking in the tucker and sleeve ruffles, and the mitts I was going to make. Ah well! If I get the gauze trim on the gown skirt, tack in the tucker/ruffles, and tack on the bows I'll look quite put together enough!

Also, a Very Important Question: should I bring the blue or the pink hair powder?? (I wasn't going to use the colors for risk of staining the cap and/or hat, but...oh, well, let's live dangerously. Especially as I shan't have a cap, haha!