I finished the birthday dress. Well everything but the hooks and eyes, but ill do that tomorrow. I had problems with the hems but I fixed it well enough for this time. 

The fabric I used was way to stiff so if I make this dress again i'd like to do it in a silk or cotton. 

 Well ive been doing research on aprons and what I was going to do was a white half apron to go with my work dress. But it seemed to be that usually pinner aprons were white and half aprons were printed fabric. I think I just did too much research and got myself overloaded with information haha. 

Anyways so I couldnt figure out what was most accurate to go with what I wanted and I had this other apron lieing around. Its actually a modern apron but if I tuck the ties down the top looks like a pinner apron and it ties in the back which seems to be an accurate way also. 

So im thinking that the only inaccurate thing is the fabric?  Which if it could be accurate im worried that it wouldnt be considered a work apron because of the fanciness of the fabric and the ruffles on it. I think though that the fabric is most likely inaccurate. Anyone know if this fabric is considered inaccurate for 1860s? 



btw I finished putting the blue dress top and bottom together. I would have put pictures but it really just looks like it did before, its just the construction of the dress is more accurate now. 

 I know I've posted a lot today but I just keep finding out things haha. Ohkay anyways so I was doing some research and Ive just read that during the war years a lot of women in Texas would wear moccasins.  It was hard to find boots and it seems correct that it would have been easier for women to moccasins in Texas than trying to buy new boots. 

This is the first I've heard about it so I'd like to do some more research and find out whats accurate and not. I think it would be kind of cool to wear moccasins with my dresses, they would (you would think) be more comfortable. From a quick search on google I didn't find anything, but I am going to keep looking. 

 Because There arent any new projects I can start on I am going to work on improving what I have now making things more accurate etc. 

Im taking my blue plaid dress, which i've decided is going to be a work dress, just because its  a simple cotton day dress in a very basic style. So the inaccuracy comes because the top and bottom is disconnected, which isnt not accurate, but the way my top is it is inaccurate. If that made any sense? lol. The top for my blue plaid has no waistband its just a blouse thats tucked into the skirt. 

I am putting two darts in the front and two in the back then sewing it to the waistband of the skirt to make it one dress.  I'd like to shorten the length of the skirt just a bit too so im thinking of just putting a tuck into it. 

also because of my lack of fabric and money, i found an old plain white cotton bedsheet and as soon as i stitch this blue plaid together am going to make a petticoat out of it. I dont have a petticoat that goes just under the hoop (modesty petticoat I think its called?) 


After which Im sure by that time I'll have come up with some other thing to improve or make! :D

 My 17th birthday is in a couple of weeks and I've decided I want to make a new dress. I really want to make a youthful looking dress. All of my dresses are long and I just adore the young girls 1860s dresses and at 17  I wont be able to wear the younger styles much longer. So I would really like to do short sleeves and a boat neckline (is that what its called?). Also I know they wouldn't have made a dress specifically for their birthday back then, but I really do need a short sleeve dress and so why not make it now and at least if its for my birthday I have a reason! LOL!  

I just made a whole album of fashion plates on facebook that I had sitting on my desktop their are a couple of dresses I love on there. I think I will probably just take a couple different designs from dresses I like and combine them together to get the dress i'd like for my birthday.  I'm thinking  a sheer dress, possibly. I still have more thinking to do on this. I just thought of the idea yesterday. 

My fabric arrived for the athenaeum dress, im waiting to start it with Rosie though, I dont want to mess up lol! And anyways she has the pattern Im using for the dress. 

Theres so much I want to get done, but I just dont have the fabric or anything to get stuff done right now. Im sad summer is almost over, I never get to sew that much during the school year. At least I have a month left though and when september comes that means the reenacting parks are open again! Yay! 

 I finished the blue dress, zipper and all! The white jacket with it, is finished too and their both ready to wear for tomorrow.  I dont have a picture but I will soon. 

I also made a bonnet for the Athenaeum project im doing with irishgal1211  and reine_de_coudre . We are recreating the 1860s athenaeum uniforms. We are starting with the summer uniform which is white and the bonnet is suppose to be trimmed with sky blue ribbon. I made this bonnet today and I like it but its only suppose to hold me over till I can buy a real bonnet. 


I'm going to add some tiny blue flowers to it too.  And im going to buy the white wool today.  
Yay! I am so excited to start the dress! 

 I dont know why I even tried to put a zipper into this dress. I thought oh this time I can do it. I was so happy with how this dress was turning out and I had even finished the jacket, although that collar had me stopped for a while. But as soon as i put the zipper in the dress it got all odd. it made the middle too tight and the top was too big and then the zipper side thingie stuck out. So now im taking it out and trying to put it in one more time. After this I am not doing any zippers again,  yet another reason I love period sewing so much more than modern sewing. 

 I was watching this movie once again and everytime in the beginning when the piano scene comes on and their in their robes, I've always just loved those robes. I tried to find some pictures of them anywhere and i've never been able to find a clear shot of them. I happened to find these two tonight. 



In these pictures it almost just looks like two pieces of fabric just draped. In the movie though when shes dancing you can see theres more to it. I'll just have to keep looking for some pictures or something on it. The move takes place in the early 1900s maybe theres some type of robe or something that this was based off of. 

 So I was thinking tonight and I've made a list of everything I want to do. 

1860s
- new pairs of pantaletts chemise etc
- make 4 or 5 new simple day dresses. I feel like my other ones which were my first dresses to get me started aren't accurate enough, i dont know. I really want some new day dresses. I have 5 sketches drawn out so I know what I want to do on each, I just need to find material and some time and a good pattern. I do want at least one or two of these dresses to have short sleeves. 
- a new ballgown in blue possibly. Although I feel as if I shouldnt since I already have two ballgowns. The problem with those though is that their white, and I really do want a blue ballgown. But having another ballgown makes me feel wasteful of the other two lol. 

1870
- I haven't ever done anything in this era but one of the reenacting villages near me has two 1870 houses, I have found a lot of pictures and I'm really excited to make some 1870s dresses . So I want to pick  1 or 2 dresses and start working on 1870s

1890s/1900s
- some of the other reenacting villages near me only have 1890s and early 1900s. I've been wanting to do more of the early 1900s for a while, so Im looking forward to this. Ill probably do this last of all, because at least for 1860 and 1870 a lot of the underthings are the same but Ill have to make a lot of new stuff to do 1900s, but I'd really like to get to it at some point. 

And finally, there is another new historical village that is being built near me and at first I assumed it was 1860s, but the other day when reading about it I found out it is going to be for 1920s and 30s. I was a little bit dissapointed, because Ive never been that interested in 1920s/30s, but then I started to do some research and I still don't know what Ill do yet but  Im starting to like it a lot better. I do wonder though, if its more of late 20s and 30s or If I would be able to do early 20s late teens because there are some dresses I just love from about 1918 but theres such a big difference between those and the late 20s. Its still not open yet so I have a while. 


What I really need to do is go fabric shopping because I get so inspired but then I dont have any fabric and nothing gets done lol! 

 I finally finished the ball gown around 5ish today. I am pretty much exhausted and of course I havent even packed yet so Im off to pack. I was going to put pictures of the ball gown but that involves taking them and then uploading them etc. I really am happy with this one though, it looks a lotttt better than the first time around. 

So I finally went and got the fabric today for the dress im making for the Victorian Festival.  I decided, after multiple changes, in this dress.



I plan on waking up very early saturday morning and starting.



the black fur is the trim. the red the overcoat and the black for the petticoat underneath. If I have enough time and fabric I'd really like to try to make a hat, but I dont even know where i'd start for that. lol!

I do wish I could see the back of this dress though. Its hard to see exactly what that bow is doing. I can't tell if its just a big bow or if its a bow that is somehow bustled?

I leave Monday the 16th so from today I have 10 days to make it. I plan on spending from around 9 Saturday morning till late into the night so hopefully most of it will be done this weekend.

So ive  gotten around to some more work on the edwardian dress. I finished the sleeves and put them in  and finished one side on the back. The only things left are to put in the hooks and eyes and to hem the skirt. I dont know if I even want to finish it though, because im so dissapointed with how its turned out. There is just something completely wrong about the whole dress. Maybe it is because I really should have made the dress out of a more see throughy linen, which this style of dress is just about always made out of, but I needed to use this polka dot fabric. I still want to finish it though because I just cant stand not finishing things. Here are the latest pictures of the dress.




Oh well this was just kinda a pratice edwardian dress anyways, ill try another one again one of these days.

I had a bolt of white and black polka dot linen someone gave me and I didnt really know what to do with it. I decided to just try to make a more basic 1900 dress. I also still have a broken machine so i've been handsewing all of this.  Im not sure I exactly like how its turning out though. I feel like the skirt is a little too poofy?  I think I put too many pleats in.  When the sleeves are put on I think it might look a little more edwardian.

   back                                                      front
front closeup


I still need to hem the collar and the bottom and put buttons on the back. Maybe Its the polka dot fabric that I dont like about it, theres just something off about it. It has came together relateively fast though, I made and cut the pattern yesterday and sewed most of the bodice and did the skirt today.

I arrived in Tennesee on Sunday night and then I went to the athenaeum on saturday afternoon. There were a lot of girls there, this year their was 28 of us. Then we found out our hosts house and went there to unpack etc. Then we went  to the church down the street from the school where they talked to us about rules and whatnot. After we went to see the symphony. That night me and my two room mates kyle and jordan werent able to go to sleep for a while, we were too excited.  on Sunday we went to the school, had breakfast and went to church. Then we had a house tour and sidesaddle riding. Then lunch and after we learned about mourning and then visited the cemetary. then Tea etiquette and dinner and then dance pratice.

During the week just about every day went like this: We woke up and went to the school and ate breakfast. We had classes then walked to the church for morning prayers. After prayers we had music lessons.  then  lunch and more classes. Then tea and after more classes. Dinner and then walked back to the church for evening prayers and then dance pratice.

The classes were things like hairstyling, needlework, penmanship, etiquette, art, etc. the dancing was so much fun too. We learned about 15 dances. The ball was the so wonderful. All the girls dresses were so pretty and everyone had an escort and we all had to walk across the street. We all had little bouquets of flowers and the dancing was really truly the most fun.

Everyone had such wonderful dresses and I'm already planning the dresses ill make for next year! Im so excited, Im glad that you can go two years but it will be so sad next year to know It will be my last year.

ok and now for pictures :D

I decided I think I'll go friends only. Anyone is welcome to add me! :)