Iced Blue Plaid

Well!  This isn't the blog post I thought I'd be writing, nor the post I would like to be writing.  But, I figure I might as well be open and honest with ya'll, and post my mess-ups as well as my successes.  This is, as I'm sure you have figured out by now, a mess up.  :O :P

Tomorrow (yes, we know, possible tornado warning, showers, wind, etc.) we are having a picnic.  Bascha and I have met this really neat girl online, via The Sewing Academy, and since she lives only a couple hours from us, we decided to meet up half way.  So we're having a Civil War picnic, and we're going to dress up, drink tea, make music and do other such lovely stuffs.

But back to my point.  Ann Marie, Caroline's best friend, is coming with us.  And...she hasn't got any clothes.  So, using some wonderful cotton plaid, I attempted to make her a dress.  I made 3 mock-ups, and when I thought I had it right, I cut it out.  It looked JUST LIKE THIS.  Down to the piping, the top-stitching, everything.  No kidding, but blue.

I just thought this dress was beautiful

And now for the bad news....it fit horrid.  Absolutely horrid.  (And yes, if I get really upset I say "hawrrid" with the proper southern accent.)  It actually like couldn't be put on at all.  So...I tried to fix what I thought was the problem, and apparently that created more problems.  So I ripped it up and tried to make a gathered part instead of pleated.  I thought I had it fixed, when yet again, it did not fit. :O  By then, you can imagine I was feeling pretty glum. :P

After talking with Ms. Rhonda (Bascha's mom), we thought maybe that the armholes were too small, because the sleeves were too small.   I added an insert of ribbon up the sleeve to widen that area.  The armholes were still too small, or high, or we're not sure. But it doesn't fit in that area.

ribbon insert

On top of the armhole issue, the back doesn't meet at the waist, and it buttons on a diagonal.  Yep. Didn't know that was possible, but it is.  So, the dress is unwearable.  Oh, and it chokes her at the neck. :P.  (she said her arms were choked as well.)

I found another curtain of this same fabric at VV yesterday, so I have enough to remake the bodice.  I don't have the time to do it before tomorrow, but I do plan on it someday.  Right now I'm sick of blue plaid!

There you have it!  I've had to eat my humble pie! :D  And I do mess up!
~Theresa

Of Wool and Fringe

Just finished a fringed wool shawl for Caroline and thought I'd share a few pictures. :)  I used the instructions found HERE.  I used around 2 yards of medium/lightweight wool, free to me from the stash.  This shawl was fairly easy to complete, but the fringin' did take a while.  Quite a while.  :)

What?  You think that's the chair I sat in?  Well how'd you know???

floor fringe as well.  will be vacuum fringe soon too.

So that's it, just a quick post this time!  I've got to get back to sewing! (and pinning on Pinterest....this pins and boards thing is taking up my life!!!!!)  Hope ya'll are having a wonderful week!
~Theresa

Painting

My mom found this painting by William Powell Firth and I absolute love it!!! <3 For all those sewers in the world:

The Little Seamstress-1865

       By William Powell Firth 1819-1909

~Bascha

Another Quilted Sunbonnet

Last night I finished up another sunbonnet, this one being for Caroline.  It too is made following the instructions from Sarah Jane, except that I did not quilt it in diamonds, but it squares this time instead.  I'll probably do diamonds on the next one though.

Total cost of this bonnet: $1.50.

it's some-what hard to see the quilting because of the fabric pattern, but that's the quilting.  It's harder to see the piping as well, but I still put that in there too :).

 

She wore this bonnet to the Civil War girls camp she is helping with today, and didn't get any un-lady-like red marks on her nose or cheeks :).  Hurrah for the sunbonnets! 

 

~Theresa

A Quilted Sunbonnet





I must admit I thought slat/corded/quilted bonnets were some of the ugliest things I'd ever seen.  I thought they just looked so odd...and not pretty at all!  (I used to think Toms shoes were ugly too, until I got a few pairs :P).  But this was only until I got the sewing urge to make one...and then they just seemed lovely.  :)

 

At first I had planned on making a bonnet from this fabric for my little sister's bff, but the bff thinks that these bonnets are ugly still, and after I'd made it I just had to keep it for myself. :P I'm horrible about things like that!  I'm currently in the midst of making another bonnet like this out of a blue and white gingham curtain for Caroline. 

 

This fabric is a $2 curtain I bought at the VV, the function ties are 1/4 inch cotton twill tape, and the batting was from my cousin's deceased grandmother.  I'm not sure if the batting is cotton or not :?.  As for a pattern, I followed Ms. Sarah's instructions in her tutorial she's put on her blog.  It did take a whole day just about though. 

side view

neckline piping

quilting

more quilting :)

ties

Caroline being sweet and modeling for me.  She'll be wearing this bonnet tomorrow and Thursday
during a Civil War girls camp she's working at, unless I hurry up and finish hers :).

Overall I'm very happy with this bonnet and the pattern.  It was very easy to understand and construct, and I think the finished result is quite nice.  So what I'm really saying is I love this bonnet! :D  And it will be good to have when doing a more working class impression, especially if I'm outside most of the time.   So yay!  Now back to the sewing area to sew up another one!



 

~Theresa

Homespun for Stephen

I'm still undecided if I really enjoy sewing for boys or not.  They outgrow their clothes so quickly, and get them dirty, or tear them in such a short amount of time.  But, they look SO cute, and they are so excited to get dressed up and get involved with the living history too- it's irresistible.  :) So maybe boys shirts and pants are not my most favorite thing in the world to sew (they do get finished faster than dresses...and I like short projects! I've gotten to a place now where I can sew 2 waistcoats in less than a day...I've made 6 so far) but even still, I think I'd like to keep sewing them. :)

Of course, Stephen (9) has outgrown his first shirt (a recycled shirt from VV) and it's not really period so he needed a new one.  The fabric I used was a very lightweight cotton homespun that I took from a size 3x dress and lining bought at the VV.  It's by far some of the breeziest material I've worked with, but I didn't have any problems with it and the sewing machine.  I actually hand-sewed a decent amount though because the cuffs and things were too small to fit on my sewing machine. :P The pattern I used was this one I believe...and I borrowed it from Bascha. The pattern is fine, though I think you could easily make it without a pattern, all it is is rectangles and squares.  The underarm gusset I made 3x4, and I made the shirt without a collar.  It's a little on the short side (I shortened it a good bit to start with), but I didn't have any more fabric so it has to work!

The buttons are ?? buttons I got for a crazy good price ( 50 for $1) (Bascha knows what they are called, but the name of them has escaped my memory.  They are period correct buttons though, and for me that's really all that matters :P), and I made the button holes the same as I did on my homespun dress.

him being goofy, but I really like the way the shirt looks so I'm keeping
the photo in here :P

the button(s)

The back.  Oh and forgive the camo shorts...(I was surprised they were dry actually, considering we were
having a water fight!)...and the van.

cuff and button

 

 

 

Isn't he just adorable? Xoxo, I love him! :D

Oh, and I've recently acquired a...a, well, UGLY fur coat. *lopsided grin*.  I know these first two pictures are not the best, but hey, it was an ugly coat so it deserved ugly pictures. :P  But who cares if the thing is ugly???  IT'S REAL BEAR SKIN!!! My mom and I were not sure at first...but after much investigation, she and Joshua claim it's real. :)  One of the nicest ladies on earth gave it to me.  She volunteers at Latta Plantation as well, and is like the grandma on the grounds:).  We all love her! She is really funny, and at the last WW2 reenactment, she was just dying to get rid of this coat, either by goodwill or by Latta (or by me :D) because she says she hates fur.  I'm thinking this will make several fur muffs or something else I haven't thought of yet.



Me, in said coat

I notice sometimes that other people have pictures of themselves and their things either at a reenactment, or
at some really pretty place, or in a pleasant backyard...not so in my case.  Yes, this is my driveway (the part you can see of it).  And if you are wondering if a tornado hit...none did, just 7 kids.  And yes, if you are wondering, yes it normally looks like this. :O  but in our defense, they were in the midst of a water balloon war. :D And I'm about to go join them!!!!!

Update: the effects of our water fight...a big balloon mess to take care of!

~Theresa

Silk, Straw, and a Lot of Finger Pricking

First off I need to give a shout out to the very sweet young lady who was so patient in helping me with my bonnet from beginning to end.  Thank you F!  She blogs over at Ruffles not Rifles, and sews superbly!  If you haven't checked it out already, I encourage you to :D  And just so you know, the things done correctly on this bonnet are due to her good advice, and everything done incorrectly on this bonnet, is well, due to my own (not so good :P) advice.  And I need to put Bascha in the good advice category as well, she put up with several phone calls...and many notes :)

I would have really liked to have studied the insides of original bonnets.  I zoomed in as well as I could to pick apart the images online, but I just couldn't find a whole lot of photos of linings or frills for some reason. Maybe I was just searching incorrectly.  But anyways, without further ado, here's what I did.  

To begin, I of course bought the bonnet.  (actually, I should say my Mimi and Poppy bought the bonnet since they paid for it :) Love you!) It was $35, from Abraham's Lady. I highly recommend her company (as do many reenactors I know), and the lady who contacted me was super nice-she even put it online so I could buy it!  Shipping was like $10 though, so if you are in Gettysburg and want to buy the straw bonnet, drop by her store.  :)

Second, I collected the supplies I would need.  Leftover white cotton curtains from my tucked petticoat project for the lining, a 75 cent curtain to use as the frill, and some silk for ties and trimmings.  I got 2/3 yards silk for $10 (ouch, most money ever spent on one piece of fabric) off a scrap table when I went shopping with Bascha and her Mom.  I'm not sure exactly what type of silk it was-it had a slight sheen to it, it was an incredible tight weave with hardly a slub to be seen, and not quite as plasticy feeling as taffeta, but definetly stiff.  It both wrinkles and irons really well.  As soon as we felt it though, we all agreed it would make a lovely dress..except the 2/3 yard part :P  (I hated the taffeta....there was no way I was going to pay that kind of money for silk that felt like super thick flag material!  It was not at all what I was anticipating.)

Then I plunged into the construction.  To line the bonnet, I laid the fabric in it, making sure it was smooth at the round back part.  I pinned this down to make sure the back round part fabric didn't get any odd wrinkles.  I stitched this down with straw colored thread.  As for the rest of the lining, I measured down 4 inches from the brim and marked it all the way around with a pencil.  I cut along this line.  As you can see in the following photographs, the lining was very full around the edges, so I made some small pleats to tuck that excess fabric in.  Then I folded under the raw edge and stitched it down with straw colored thread.  

marking the lining

Measuring 4 inches from the brim on the lining so I knew where to cut it

cut bonnet lining in the full stage

pleated bonnet lining pinned

sewn bonnet lining
the lining makes me think of the amish and menonite caps

For the bavolet I cut a strip of silk 36 inches long, and hmmm, I think 5 inches wide.  I made a narrow rolled hem along the bottom, and the edges.  Before I box pleated it to fit the back of the bonnet, I folded over about 1 inch and using a large machine stitch just basted it in place.  After I had sewn the bavolet to the bonnet I removed the basting stitches.

pressing down one edge of the bavolet for the rolled hem

folding it over, tucking the raw edge in and pressing it again

after that I whipstiched it down doing a "blind" hem (not really blind...this was a very
tight weave) with about 2 stitches per inch

I box pleated the bavolet, and here you see it pinned to the bonnet

sewn down

You really wouldn't think that a bonnet would have much trouble staying on your head would you?  I didn't think so, but it does.  I used a couple scrap pieces of cotton twill tape for functional ties, which are the unseen ties doing the hard work of keeping the bonnet on.  Here is where I put mine.  

my fuctional bonnet ties

attached under the pretty bonnet ties

placement of both ties

bonnet ties before getting hemmed.  I narrow hemmed them also

This was my inspiration for the trim.  I just loved the poofs!
And I really wanted to find something original from the 1860's
to base my trim off of.  And I also found this little blurb when reading
something in an article on bonnets from the Huntingdon Journal (PA), August 2, 1854
 "A modest straw trimmed with white." So this just had to be :)

the trim

For the frill, I cut a peice of the curtain about 2 yards long (...I had a whole curtain, no need to be stingy) and 6 inches wide.  I put two rows of gathering stitches on one end and gathered the frill to fit the bonnet.  It covers part of the lining on the inside.  Then I sewed it down with straw colored thread across the gathers at the base of the frill, and then each side of the frill to the cheek tabs.  Then ta-da!  The frill was done :).  

hee hee, look at all my metal hairs! :P this was the frill pinned in

sewing the frill in

frill sewn to cheek tab

the frill sewn down

As of now, there are no silk flowers or things inside my bonnet.  Maybe I'll add a few one day, but then maybe I won't.  I'd really like some pinky-red flowers and light olive green leaves...not a bunch, but just enough to give a little color.  But anyways, here are a few pictures of the finished thing :D

My mom saw this picture and said "selfie!" (a term she just learned
a couple weeks ago) :P

Until next time!

~Theresa