Toiling a New 1860 Chemise

For the past few years all my sewing seems to have been focused on Amelia May, Nic or mending.  My wardrobe is sadly in need of updating.  Much of my undergarments were made for my wedding 10 years ago this November.

I came to this realisation 2 weeks ago when repairing inner seams on some drawers and replacing hooks and eyes on bodices. Somme of the hooks were seriously deformed. 

When I first started in living history I only had basic sewing knowledge. I've now made so many amazing garments I figured it was time to make something special for me.  10 years ago I purchased this book '60 Civil War-Era Fashion Patterns'. In this book is a collection of patterns from Peterson's Magazine. It has had years of ogling and post-it-note plans. I've now decided to actually start making some items I've dreamed of for years. 

Due to my needs, I chose to start with the 1860s chemise. I really try not to reinvent the wheel. I had 2 similar period patterns that I was able to adapt to help me make my pattern. 

Simplicity 2890 had the same front and back shape,  as well as a similar front panel and sleeve. 

I then had to adjust the front panel to match the pattern diagram.

As I knew this was only a learning exercise I decided to make it issuing a fitted sheet that was in excellent condition,  but it's elastic had decomposed, so it was no longer usable. I purchased some cheap cotton ribbon for this chemise with the intention to use nicer vintage ribbon later on a finer version. 

Once I had my pattern I made multiple pin tucks to get a size and distance that would balance nicely. 

I also discovered that pin tucks and insertion lace can be quite tricky to do together.  In the past I've only ever seen one or the other. This took me a few days to perfect as the illustration and diagram had different pin tuck directions. after trying both I found the diagram with the tucks in facing the same direction was far nicer looking. I also had to adjust it a few times as my original pattern was too long. 

For the gores I was able to use another Simplicity pattern.

I did have to adjust it to be a slight bit shorter. Some patterns skip the gores,  but I believe they make the chemise stronger and help it to sit nicer around the hips while having less fabric around the waist that can be bulky under a corset. 

The buttons are small shell buttons that I purchased years ago from an op shop.  They had been salvaged from garments that were not saleable.

The chemise came together very smoothly due to adapting the pre made pattern pieces. While it took longer than expected I now have an amazing chemise that is very comfortable and a completed pattern.  I am also looking forward to constructing the nice version with finer and wider insertion lace. I just need to find a matching edging lace. 

The front of the completed chemise. 

The back of the completed chemise. 

circa. 1864 Crinoline

About 5 years ago I was gifted a strange crinoline that had no sides and tapes inside.  The owner was also gifted it and was unable to work it out.  After playing with inside tapes I found that it created an awsome shape that could be adjusted for circular or eliptical use by tightening on the tapes.  After using this crinoline for 5 years I needed to replace and upgrade it.  The original was made using hard plastic instead of wires.  A few years ago I had also spoken to the person who had made it and had explained the design and it's reference for construction.

The design came from Norah Waugh's Corsets and Crinolines. This is an amazing reference book.  The book has a diagram and drafting instructions for this crinoline. 

This is the diagram,  I have not included the drafting pattern. 

Side View

Rear View

View looking upwards inside the crinoline. 

The inside tapes that adjust the front and back curves.

Front view with petticoat.

Side view with petticoat.

I absolutely love this crinoline.  It has a beautiful drape with the slight eliptical rear that can be adjusted to create more of a bustle if required.  As it has gaps in the side it collapses easily and is very comfortable for traveling. It is also very stable when walking.  We took it to a hilly botanical gardens to test run it. 

I've never had so much room wearing a crinoline in the car. I was able to get in and out without assistance and touch my feet.  It was also amazing walking up hill as the tapes caught on my legs and automatically lifted my skirt just that little bit that I could safely walk up an incline without man handling/lifting my skirts by hand to avoid tripping. Amazing to not have to touch my skirts or kick my toes out to walk up stairs, feels way more graceful and stable. 

This crinoline was time consuming to construct all of the channels.  I also discovered that the earlier one I had was a smaller circumference (probably as the original seamstress is short) and that with the plastic it had only half of the boning channels. It is currently too large for most of my dresses as you can see by my blue dress pulling on the bottom wires in the photos.  This is not really an issue as I'm in need of new garments anyways. 

This is definately my new favorite crinoline. 

Recipe - Potted Cheese (Godey's 1866)

For a few years now I've been enjoying cooking period recipes.  I have decided to start blogging some of my experiences.

I found the cutest potting-jars at a local antique store and was inspired to start potting. There are many different potted recipes,  which in modern terms are the equivalent of spreads or dips. In my 1866 Godey's Lady"s book there was a simple potted cheese recipe. 

This is a very simple recipe and does not require any preparation.

Ingredients:

1  pound of cheese

2 ounces of melted butter

1 cup of sherry (I assume a sherry cup full)

Cayenne,  mace (nutmeg) and salt

Method:

One pound of cheese must be well beaten in a mortar, to it must be added two ounces of liquid butter,  one cup of sherry,  and a very small quantity of cayenne pepper, mace (nutmeg) and salt.  All should be well beaten together and put in a potting-jar, with a lip of butter at the top.

The beating of the cheese was quite hard work and it broke one of my pestles.

The finished potted cheese. As described it is a very nice looking. It tastes very much like the ingredients of a strong cheese with a sherry aftertaste.  It is very nice in small quantities on toast or fresh bread. You can also seal them with a beeswax cloth and string tied under the lip of the jar. 

1860s Cloth Doll

Amelia needed a decent doll for re-enactment use. I am always reluctant to allow any toddler (especially mine) to play with original historical antique items. After some discussion we decided that it would be best to provide her with a cloth doll. Thankfully, we were able to purchase and download Great Auntie Maude’s Cloth Lady Doll (https://www.thesewingacademy.com/shop/). This is a fantastic pattern and was fairly simple to hand sew. The complete doll and outfit only took a few weeks to construct during my leisure time. It was also nice that we completed the doll together as a family.

 Nic painted Minnie May's face, while I started on the arms. Once she was dry I was able to complete hand sewing her body. She was made with cotton and stuffed with natural cleaned wool from a Steiner children's shop.

 I loved that the pattern included a full wardrobe of garments, including all her underwear. It is nice not having to purchase multiple items. The instructions were very clear and easy to follow. 

 The completed drawers. I was worried at first that they are closed with hooks, but once on the doll they have never come undone.

 For her dress Amelia chose some scraps from her tan dress. As Minnie May is meant to be a doll version of Miss Amelia May we decided to make her dress at a child's length. Later Nic did paint the back of her head as well.

 

 Amelia was super excited and enjoyed every new item as I finished sewing.

 I love the very small hooks and thread eyes. Very easy to use and surprisingly stable.

 

  

 Miss Amelia May and Minnie May at an event.

She also has a coat now. We still need to make her a bonnet and a copy of Amelia's yellow dress. For her stockings we used finger bandages that we cut in half and stitched closed. We were able to purchase leather boots from the Doll Hospital.

 

Amelia's Yellow/Wiggle/Alice 1860s Dress

Having completed my daughter's tan dress using the Elizabeth Stewart Clark's Sewing Academy Girl's dress pattern (https://www.thesewingacademy.com/shop/) I felt confident in undertaking a bigger project.

My husband has always been a big fan of Alice in Wonderland. My daughter loves Emma Wiggle (http://www.thewiggles.com.au/). I love original garment inspiration. So after a few months of discussion and planning we found a way to mix all three into an amazing dress.

 Stock Art Image of Alice from Google

Original Dress from the MET Online Collection

(https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/80030738?img=2)



 

I started with yellow cotton as the original inspiration is described. I was surprised as I expected it to have been made of wool. The braiding was hand sewn using a black cotton soutache braid.

 I started with the sleeve design as it was a simple loop. The ends of the braid were pushed into the seams and hidden inside the dress as can be seen with the sewing of the waist braid. Once the waist was decorated I then finished the construction of the waist by closing and hand stitching the inside waist closed. This means that non of the black thread can be seen inside the dress.

 It took me a few days to finish the waist as I was only working on this a few hours at night.

The completed top half of the dress.

 Once the rest of the garment was complete I began work on the skirt. This design was a lot more complicated. I created a design on tracing paper then transferred it to the skirt with invisible/washable ink.

 To help keep the braid smooth I used an embroidery frame while hand sewing. I began and finished the braid at the centre back seam, with the braid ends hidden inside the garment.

I chose to place the braid higher up as I wanted a deep hem on this dress as I am 6ft tall and expect my daughter to grow fast (which she is). I wanted this dress to have a long life.

**Edit - When my daughter turned 3 years of age she requested her first crinoline and that required me to drop the hem significantly, so I was very happy with this decision. She loves this dress and it has had an amazing amount of use.

 
Dropping the hem significantly.

 

 Playing indoor croquette while on holiday.

Enjoying the day with her apron on, a rare occasion.

  Homestead station vacation

(yes I know my collar/chemisette is missing.... All this toddler sewing has left my wardrobe looking sad and in need of repairs)