I Need a Lady's Maid!

Yesterday, Lisa, Leslie, Rick, and I stepped back into the 18th century bringing around a hundred and twenty 4th graders along with us.

It was the first time I'd worn this new chemise, fichu, and petticoat to an event, and I was pleased not only with the final look, but also with the way they fit and how comfortable they were.

Of course, Craig took the obligatory "back to school" photo of me before I left.

I haven't worn my panniers for a while - they make it awkward to put your arms down against your sides and you end up holding them out or clasping your hands in front of you. Panniers also make it difficult to squeeze into a chair with arms or to use a walker. (Or to put on a seatbelt. But I succeeded.)

There is a reason that ladies during the time period often had a maid to help her. It took me about twenty minutes to get dressed! The order of what you put on is important, too. I learned long ago to put my footwear on first as I would not be able to bend over and do that later on.

Here is the order I dressed:

1) Stockings:  These go above the knee and are tight like compression socks. (They stay up and don't slide down as a result.) Mine are silk and they are smooth and really comfortable.

2) Shoes or Boots: I chose to wear boots this time.

3) Chemise: The basic undergarment, also called a shift. I made sure the sleeve buttons were in place and then tied the neckline, drawing it up to give me a bit more modesty.

(For historical accuracy, I would have put on my stays next but I only have one pair and wanted to show them to the kids. Stays were the precursor of the corset, and once they are on, bending over is difficult.)

4) Panniers: These are tied around the waist and then "fluffed" out from their folded storage state. This is to ensure that they are sitting on your hips evenly and that they are in place to support the weight of your skirts.

5) Petticoat(s): You can step into them or bring them over your head. Since I was wearing panniers, over the head was the best option; stepping into the petticoat would mean I'd need to adjust them back into place again. Wearing two petticoats was not unusual in the 18th century, partly for warmth and partly for fashion. If the latter, the top petticoat would be pulled up from one side and tucked into the waistband so that the  the second petticoat underneath could also be seen.

6) Fichu: The large scarf (36 x 36 in this case) that is folded into a triangle, draped over the shoulders, and then tucked under the stays or knotted and smoothed down over the chemise.

7) Caraco Jacket: This jacket has three vents, the back and two sides, to accommodate panniers. Hooks and eyes (which are historically accurate) run down the front edges. They have been and can be tricky due to boning in the garment that makes it rigid along those hooks and eyes. They take some time to fasten, but once they are done, they usually stay shut unless you move in an odd way.

(Originally made as a practice piece, I fell in love with my practice Caraco and never made what I now call the "real" Caraco. Although I do still have the fabric for it.)

8) Jewelry & Accoutrements: Trade silver earrings made by Rick, another check of the chemise's sleeve buttons, the Oiuatenon Cross or my seamstress medal necklace.

9) 18th Century Hat: Usually I wear mine, but I decided to use Mountain Mama's hat. It is maroon and coordinated well with the colors I was wearing.

At this point, my back was screaming and I was desperate to sit down.  I was also starting to run late and while I'd allowed myself some wiggle room, that wiggle room was about gone.

So, Craig took the photos as quickly as he could (thank you!) and I hustled out to my car. (Thank goodness I'd already packed what I was taking to show the students!)

I made it to Lisa's school on time, only to get a text from Leslie and Rick. They'd run into a delay. (Hint: it says "Choo choo!")

Stay 'tooned!

Leslie's New Feast Outfit

 Second Post of the Day

My sister Leslie has been attending The Feast of the Hunters' Moon since the mid 1970s. She's worn a variety of period clothing and interpreted many different lifestyles over the years. In the 1990s, she began wearing 18th century riding habits and has done so ever since.

Until this year. This year she is switching things up and has asked me to make all her clothing for her new interpretation.

I started with a brand new chemise

that has my favorite set of sleeve buttons in the sleeves.

Next, she chose the blue linen bed gown I'd made. Blue is her favorite color.

And last but not least, she asked me to make her a new petticoat, one that was pleated instead of gathered at the waist.

I am really pleased with how it turned out. 

Pleating can take three to four hours to do, but it is worth it in the finished product.

Can you see the three pleats in this photo? The print of the fabric hides it a bit - which made the pleating more difficult to do.

With pleating, you don't have the "give" that you get with gathering, so you have to measure not only each pleat, but then the row of pleats together to ensure it fits properly. (I measured repeatedly to get it right.)

Then you add twill tape for the waistband. I have bleached and unbleached; Leslie chose bleached. (I agree with her choice.)

When I know my measurements are correct (Leslie came over and tried the petticoat on to be sure), then I stitch one long side of the twill tape to the waist, flip it to the other side and hold it in place with fabric clips.

Finally, I hand stitch that side down, and the petticoat is finished.

She's going to put the clothes on and send me a picture. I'll post it when she does.

Any guesses as to who Leslie is interpreting this year? Here a hint: cheese.

Stay 'tooned!

Some Horsiemama's Haversacks & Another Petticoat

My sewing passion has really shifted to 18th century clothing, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy pulling out a stack of horsey fabrics and making haversacks!

They are not complicated like time traveling clothing is, and they stitch up quickly so you switch fabrics often rather than spending days on one garment/one fabric. It's quite relaxing, and every now and then, I just want to sew horses, you know?

Here is a just completed batch of Extra Long Traditionals. (XLTs.) They will fit shelf eaters (see last picture) and have velcro closures.  All are lined with a quality grade of plush white fleece and sell for $17. Want one? I'm at horsiemama8 @ gmail com

Blanket Bonanza

You've Won!

Purple and Ponies

Girls Playing Polo

Chariot Runners

Model to show scale of print and what will fit inside.

I have many more fabrics and pouches made up from them. Go to Horsiemama's Haversacks & Mercantile, click on Media, and then Albums to see what is available. 

 I also just finished another 18th century petticoat, a commission from Kalamazoo.

The waist is gathered rather than pleated - at this point, that is the only option I am offering for petticoats. I'm thinking about offering a pleated option, but I'd have to charge a lot more for a pleated petticoat to make it worth my time. 

My Vintage Club Admiral and Wings have arrived. I was getting worried as I'd had no tracking info sent yet the order was showing as fulfilled. 

Then, Thursday evening I opened the front door to let the dogs out and discovered a Breyer box sitting on the park bench by the door. 

I'll open that box later today. Stay 'tooned!

Sewing for Myself: a New Petticoat

Second Post of the Day

We got very lucky last night when those severe storms were moving through. I haven't seen a formal count, but as I watched the live weather news stream as the storms came through, there were lots of spin-ups as well as tornados on the ground.

Lisa and Curt both live on the southern edge of town and they had it much worse than we did. Curt reported strong winds, rain, and lightning.

Lisa already had some damage from Sunday's storms; I am hoping she did not lose more siding or have any further fence damage.

We'd had roof damage on Sunday but had already had it repaired. I doubt I will find any problems today when it is light enough for me to check the roofline.

A tornado actually touched down a couple of blocks near the place in Indianapolis where we volunteer twice a month. I'm waiting now to hear if the building took a hit or has any damage. (UPDATE: Just got a text; no damage!)

It was quite an evening and I am thankful that we are okay. 

Moving on to other things...

See these two fabrics on my tent? I've had them for three years but had not gotten around to making them into something, something that was for me and not for sale. 

This year I decided I would finally make them into period clothing that I could wear to events.

My friend and fellow sewist Marge had the same idea - we both made bedgowns from the green and thistle fabric!

The bedgown finished, I then needed to do something with the pink. I had not made myself a petticoat for several years, and I had some ideas that I wanted to try. That meant working with the specific pattern of the block print to create one that was a little more unusual and eye-catching. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I could do it.

It took some effort and a lot of math to get all the measurements right for cutting the fabric the way I wanted it to fall, but I did it!

Usually hems are easy, but this one was more of a challenge.

I wanted a narrow stripe of pink flowers at the bottom and measuring to be sure it was there was tricky. 

The waistband is pleated and while I love pleating, this time I had two vertical stripes on both the front and back panels of the petticoat to work with. If my measurements for the pleating were off and those stripes were not placed correctly, that would spoil the look of the petticoat.

View of the back of the petticoat.

Luckily it all came together and I have a new petticoat!

Now, just six more months to wait until I can wear it to the Feast!