18th Century Riding Habits: Done!

It's October 1, and late yesterday afternoon I clipped the last thread on Lisa's stock and called the project done. Finally!

But there was one last step - a final fitting and putting together of all the components to make sure they worked as planned. 

And they did!

The crop (actually a pig whip) arrived Thursday afternoon and the silk stockings came Wednesday. No one will ever see the stockings, but that's okay.

Oh, how I love the peplum on the jacket. (It still needs a final pressing, but I will do that a day or two before the Feast.)

My riding habit is done, too. I think I am going to switch out the fichu and wear a stock like Lisa. I made several practice ones and one of them will work just fine.

I could not be happier with how the riding habits turned out. They were worth all the time I invested in them. And believe it or not, I am already looking at patterns for next year.

A girl can never have too many riding habits, right?

18th Century Riding Habits: At the End

Finally, and heaving a sigh of relief as I type, Lisa's riding habit is DONE! With four days left on my October 1 deadline.

The hem was 125" around and I had to hand stitch it due to the depth of the hem. (The line of machine stitches you see above is stay stitching, not the hemline.) 

I am still experimenting with 18th century stocks and have made several different styles. Lisa is leaning toward this one.

This is a jabot and another style I am trying. I don't have a pattern, so I borrowed this one from my sister and used it to figure out my own pattern.

As for my riding habit, I should finish that up tomorrow. I just need to finish hand stitching the hem and I'm done.

This photo is from a fitting - I wanted to be sure the waistcoat was pinned correctly into the jacket before I hand stitched that in.

I was going to make myself a jabot or stock, but I already have a beautiful fichu that my mother made me, and I think I will wear that instead.

Me wearing the fichu. For the riding habit, I will tuck it in more so that the collar of the habit shows rather than spread the fichu out over my shoulders like it is here.

 

Lisa and I would like to make our own hats to wear on October 9, and now that the habits are essentially done, that is my next focus. 

We've got the hats and an assortment of feathers to use

and the supplies to make our own cockades. 

Having said that, although we hope we get the hats completed, they are not a priority.

I have two hats already, and Lisa has my mother's hat from her days of attending historical reenactments, so making hats is not a necessity.

We also have our riding crops to modify - I did some research and pig whips resemble most what 18th century riding crops looked like and just need a little tweaking. Those are on order and scheduled to arrive Thursday along with silk stockings for us to wear under the habits.

Photo from Burnley & Trowbridge Company. 

We got the fabrics and patterns for the riding habits in July and I started working on them the first week of August. That's two full months of sewing, five to six days a week!

Just one (very long) hem still left to hand stitch before I am finished.