Breyer Boot Camp & Sewing Progress

Some time ago I mentioned that I was working on several horsey projects but that I could not speak about them at the time. Well, at last I can share! One of them has been announced and the show holders, Liz Cory and Jamie Rott, have given me permission to talk about it.

I'm stewarding for Breyer Boot Camp again this year. This is a show that is connected to BreyerFest and helps prepare novice showers for the Breyer Open Show. Entrants have to be at least 15 years old and cannot have ever participated in shows such as NAN, the BreyerFest Open Show, etc.

I enjoy stewarding (making sure entries are in the right class and that the formatting is correct on the entry) and I  get to see every entry in the divisions I am assigned. What a treat - so many pretty ponies! 

Ask me to judge though, and almost always I will decline. I don't mind judging my own Happy Trails (a pony party/collectibility show held in my home for fun) or I might even judge a youth division at a show, but judging high stakes classes no longer appeals to me. 

I've stewarded for this show several times and was happy to be invited back again this year. It will be fun.

Yesterday I made good progress on the robe a l'Anglais, enough so that a "vision" of the gown can be seen even if it is not yet shaped and is still incomplete. 

There are 4 yards or so of fabric in the gown and so it is heavy. It was a risk to hang it at this point as the shoulder straps are just facing pieces. They will be covered with the robing and have the sleeves stitched to them, both of which will take the pressure of the weight off those thin straps.

I pinned the stomacher in place to give me an idea of how it is going to look. The white lines of stitching around the waist are basting stitches and they will be removed soon. (Long ago I learned to baste in a contrasting color on dark fabrics so that I could see the basting stitches when ready to remove them.)

The white "lines" coming down from the shoulder straps is a pinning line of white fabric from the bodice lining. In the 18th century, women were literally pinned into their gowns.  The pins will go through that pinning line rather than into the navy fabric. It's a way to keep the "fashion fabric" (what the outside fabric of a gown is called) from being damaged from the pinning or by having the weight of the gown distributed through it. The lining fabric takes that stress, hence the pinning lines.

These pinning lines will be hidden by the robing that will be draped from the shoulder blades, over the tops of the sleeves, and down the front to the waistline. The robings will also help carry the weight of the fabric of the gown and alleviate stress on seamlines, preventing tearing.

Using fabric clips, I added the petticoat under the gown and the stomacher. Again, I wanted an idea of how the gown was coming together but I was also aware that I had REALLY increased the weight on those shoulder straps.

Here I have pulled the sides of the gown over a bit to check the petticoat.

Knowing I was risking tearing the shoulder strap linings, I worked as fast as I could. I was afraid to leave the gown hanging like that for too long, and I'd seen enough to be really happy with how it was coming along. I removed the clips holding the stomacher and petticoat, removed and rehung those two pieces, and then rehung the gown.

I folded the bodice in half lengthwise and then draped it over the hanger, again using fabric clips to hold it in place on the hanger.

Teacher Daughter Lisa is coming over later today to do a fitting. I hope to have the sleeves set in before she gets here - they're made and ready to go, so I should be able to have them stitched in place.

I'll post some pics tomorrow. Stay 'tooned!