Half Agony, Half Hope Sewing

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...

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...

After completing my chemise and stays I only had about a week left to finish the actual drawstring dress. I wasn't 100% sure on the instructions so I had to e-mail the pattern maker and ask for some help. She was very helpful and even has photos of the process you can follow if you get stuck. I'm glad I did because I almost ran out of time. Sketch of day dress. As I mentioned in the previous post I used Sense and Sensibilities The Elegant Ladies closet drawstring dress pattern. This was a very easy pattern to work with especially for a true beginner like myself. I started with mock ups of the pattern because I really didn't want to mess up the fabric I bought. The fabric I purchased from a quilt shop in Texas that was having a really big sale. Fabric choice! Mock up and actual bodice Note puff sleeve on mock up. It looks bad. The construction went very easily for me. I really liked the ease of making the drawstring neckline. The only hang up th...