Rockin the Regency!

Ok... So I have been super busy.  Sewing and looking at everything I need to pack.  Me and the hubby are building a house and it will be finished in a 1 1/2 weeks!!! The DFW Costumer's Guild is having it's summer tea party in the 19th century.  Quite a few of us are going regency.  I decided due to time constraints I would go with a simple day dress.  PLUS the hubs is going with so I need to make his outfit!!!!!  I used the Sense and Sensibility pattern's for the Underthings and Drawstring Dress.  I am very proud to say that most is stitched by hand!!!! I did the inside seams of course with the machine but anything visible I did by hand....errr except the short stays.  I did them as practice but when I was finished I realized ...yyyaaa I may not have time to do it ALL by hand.  So that will be a project later.

I super love the short stays though.  They are really comfy and give me good posture.  I was really nervous half way through that they wouldn't fit right but I am satisfied with the way they turned out.  I ended up making the top a drawstring as well as the bottom *makes me feel a bit more secure.*  LOVEEEE the chemise...in fact I slept in it last night...its light and cool for this 100 degree summer we are starting  to have. 

I bought a spencer jacket pattern that should be on its way but I may end up drafting something from Costume in Detail.  I would like to document that if possible.  Plus the bonnet.  I am first going to work on the bonnet that way I have a pretty complete look but really want the spencer jacket as well.

The husband will have a cut away tailcoat of brown velvet (which my spencer will match).  And he is opting for long fall front trousers and we need to find suitable boots.  Any suggestions for decent priced reproductions that can get here in two weeks?

The Suffragette Picnic

Ok this wasn't the dress/outfit I had originally blogged about.  I found this fabulous vintage gauze tea dress on eBay the week before..and prayed it would get to me by the Friday before, and it did!!!!  It was a little short so I made a quick petticoat from some cotton voile I had to help with the length but otherwise the measurements were perfect.

The DFW Costumer's Guild spent Memorial Day Saturday honoring the suffragette movement.  Thank you Jen for the AWESOME sashes and the gorgeous hand painted poster!!! (see Jen below with her sign in the back)

Edwardian Hat Making

My attempts at an Edwardian hat:

Ok so this was a quickie hat for the suffragette picnic last weekend

1.  Plain hat found at good will.  It's sort of a flexible plastic feel...not real straw or anything

2.  I only had some thin wire so I used three pieces the length of the circumference of the brim

3.  I twisted these three wires and then pinned them to the edge of the brim.  The hat actually had a standing edge around the brim so I folded the wire into that.

4.  I used the zipper foot for my machine to sew the wire into the fold....being very careful not to hit the wire!! (which I did a few times)

5.  Using some scrap black satin I cut two pieces the size and shape of the hat (for the top and under part of the brim)

6.  I cut a hole in the center of both pieces and made tabs to better fit the satin around the top and inside of hat.  I also sewed the black satin pieces to the hat along the edge of the brim (folding the top piece under and the tucking it in the satin piece underneath) *the stitch was on the inner edge of the wire*

7.  I then cut a circle piece of the same black satin fabric a few inches larger that the crown of the hat *which was pretty shallow*  I put a gather stitch along the edge of this circle and pinned it to the crown

8.  Using my zipper foot again I sewed the black satin crown piece to the hat

9.  I used a piece of white satin and sewed a simple strip of fabric the size of the circumference of the crown (with seam allowance)

10.  Uh...that's hot glue my friends.....attaching the white fabric and lace to the hat

11.  My own personal opinion it looked a little too much like a pimp hat....sooo.....

12.  I picked up a white feather boa and safety pinned it for the final wear!

I Knew It!!!

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