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18th Century Pockets

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One era that has always intimidated me is the 18th century.  Now that I have been actually sewing for a year (before it was kind of half-assed) I feel like I might be able to dive into this era.  Gowns are defined by their undergarments, so I felt that was the perfect place to start. This includes stays (Which I ordered from someone) petticoats, bum rolls, and pockets. The pocket seemed the easiest place to start, plus when I went to Colonial Williamsburg I found this lovely fabric (And too many books)! Colonial Williamsburg Haul In the Costume Close-Up book was a nice pattern of an embroidery pocket. I am a student who also does an internship so I really didn't have time to dedicate to embroidery, plus I am not very skilled at it.  Instead I chose just to copy the general shape. I then sized it up some. Creating the  pattern In the book it recommends that you use a running stitch and a binding stitch to construct the pocket.  I have neve...
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Jane Austen Festival 2018: Creating a Day Dress/Ball Gown

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I recently returned from the Jane Austen Festival and it was wonderful (despite the heat). Because my husband and I recently moved I didn't get a lot of time to make my gowns. I ended up making one ball gown and one more day dress which is less than I wanted to make. I am kind of glad now that I didn't make another one because it was quite rainy and muddy on Sunday and the gown I made last year now has a nice layer of mud on it. :( Anyways, onto the day dress! Step one: Stays. The ones I made last year didn't work so well (They were too big) so instead of doing them myself this time I ordered them from Historical designs on etsy. They are absolutely perfect! I never could have achieved anything close to this. Day Dress 1: I found this lovely block printed cotton on Etsy (shop: handprintedshop) from India that was only $50 for 10 yards! It took about a month to get here. It was a lot more sheer than I expected so I ended up having to line it. Block printed ...
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Brown Elizabethan Kirtle

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I started this kirtle back in August 2017 after being successful in making my first historical-ish costume for the Jane Austen Festival. I was hoping that I would get done before my classes started at the end of August so I could wear it to the Renaissance Festival in September but that didn't happen. Now 6 months later it is finally complete! Kirtle sketch The pattern that I used for this kirtle was the Reconstructing History Elizabethan Common womens Outfit. I am still very much a beginner sewer so I thought I could handle this pattern. To be honest, I couldn't. The instructions were too vague for my taste; I actually had to reference other books (Tudor Tailor) and the internet to figure out what to do a few times. A pictorial guide would have been wonderful in addition to the instructions. First I tried making the bodice. This was the hardest portion for me. I was confused about their 'kirtle' pattern because there seemed to be no way for the...
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2017 Jane Austen Festival

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The Jane Austen Festival in Kentucky was wonderful! I live in Columbus OH so it was a three hour drive down to Locust Grove. I went on a Saturday (The festival runs Friday through Sunday). I didn't attend the other days or the ball on Saturday night because I had only sewn one dress. I could have worn regular clothes for the other days (not the ball) but it's not in my nature to do that, lol. Locust Grove, KY The house at Locust Grove is beautiful! It was originally founded in 1790 on 55 acres of land by William Croghan and his wife Lucy Corghan. Lucy Corghan was actually the sister of the famous William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In 1806 the expedition was heading back towards the east coast and the Croghans held a homecoming to celebrate the event. Locust Grove is the only residence west of the Appalachians that once housed Lewis and Clark.  Another view of Locust Grove Inside the house were beautiful rooms and quite a few handmade dress...
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