Fall-Front Trousers

Preparing for last years Jane Austen Festival in Bath was a very stressful time, because I was trying to make a costume for Robert, as well as a new spencer for myself (my ivory satin spencer split across the back!)

A tailcoat pattern had been purchased, so I began work on it in calico only to find that nothing matched up right, or the instructions were sadly lacking, so I collected together all the images of extant garments I could find to guide me...and bought more calico.

The Festival drew ever nearer, and I still had not started on trousers, so I set to using patterns from Norah Waugh's The Cut of Men's Clothes, as quickly as I could.  The fall-front was worked out, but I was having problems with the back and fit.  As it was still unfinished on the day, we had to cheat...big time!....but we got there and had a great day...

 

Back home, I unpacked the costumes and vowed to find a suitable pattern.  The pattern I purchased from Nehelinia Patterns www.neheleniapatterns.com was Kannik's Korner Man's Trousers...

I will blog about my progress with this pattern later, but I can tell you now that I am impressed by the in-depth instructions, explainations and options that come with it. 

Chemisette

A few years ago I decided to have a go at making a chemisette.  The pattern I tried to copy was from Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion, but never finished it becuase I wasn't too happy with the way it looked.  The fact that it was made from polyester/cotton might have had something to do with it.

Since then I have made a 'Regency' dress for myself, with a spencer for the Jane Austen Festival in Bath...

These were worked out without the use of patterns, which weren't too bad for first attempts.  I now have patterns from Sense & Sensibitity, one of which includes chemisettes.

Whilst browsing photographs from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, I found this picture at the top of the page...and fell in love with it!

That was it!  The need to have another go at making a chemisette was upon me, so I had a rummage amongst my fabrics for something suitable.  This was soon found, a piece of cream sriped cotton.

Out came the pattern, but neither of the chemisettes were quite what I wanted, so I improvised...so far, so good!

But I wanted the frill, but was afraid that this was where I would mess it up.  I persevered, and the frill was added with little fuss.

Only one thing niggled me...the seam showing on the underside of the frill!

So I covered it with binding...which resulted in another minor niggle. 

Stitches now showed on the base of the frill, I decided to stitch on a piece of lace to hide them, and luckily I had a small bit of cotton lace that was just the thing... 

Jane Austen Festival...Or Bust!!!

After the mad rush to get both our costumes made for last years Jane Austen Festival in Bath, we both arrived late...in costumes anything but finished!!

My spencer was quickly 'finished' off, but without the embellishments that I'd planned...piped straps at the wrists, and other trims, so the sleeves gaped. The fronts were badly gathered onto the waistband, etc., and the whole looked bloody awful!!

Robert's shirt and waistcoat were made, followed by the tailcoat, but the pattern used was anything but perfect, and most of it had to be made up as I went along...which took a lot longer than I had anticipated. It's not perfect, but as a first attempt, I can't complain.

Then there were the trousers to make...I've never made men's trousers before!! No matter what I did, I just could not work out how to make them fit right. In the end we had to cheat big-time!! Almost at the last minute, we decided to pin and tack the trousers onto a pair of cut-off cargo pants. It worked, and no-one knew...unless we told them! :-)

All Quiet On The Western Front...

...and the eastern, northern and southern...!

What I'm saying is...there's nothing of interest to report!!

My blogging head seems to have been lost in the clutter of the library, because I have had my sewing head on for most of this year...apart from the costumes for the Jane Austen Festival in Bath in September, I haven't really been that productive. This has been due to one thing or another, which has resulted in a lot of frustration!!

Fabrics, patterns and other necessary materials are to hand for a couple of new costume projects, but I want to finish the bonnets that I have started first Besides, I will need the room to lay out the fabrics and paper patterns, but the floorspace in the living-room is currently taken up with a huge dinosaur of a TV and a very large cardboard box (that the new widescreen TV came in!) It looks as though the room is divided into two columns!!

The snow and ice are still with us...we are now into the third week...and apart from a bit of rain yesterday, that managed to slush it up a bit, it does not look like it has melted any more...and there is more snow forecast for later this week! Oh joy!!!

That's all for now, folks...maybe I will get around to writing another blog next year...who knows!

Another Attempt at Writing a Blog!

If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again.

That is precisely what I have been doing in an attempt to write a blog, but every time I have clicked in the box and attempted to write...nothing has happened. I have been on the verge of giving up and closing Blogger altogether, but one last attempt and it finally worked!

Now I am here, I will have to think of some things to blog about, but first I must work out what is what and where...and how to get the whole thing looking how I want it to look!

I want to have one blog just for costuming and all things Regency/Napoleonic, and the other one for general, everyday things and the odd rant (LOL!)

So, as I often say...watch this space...

First Blogger Blog