Nearly Halfway
December 18th, 2010
Last March I began a truly monumental project: to whit, a hand-sewn, tucked, embroidered petticoat based on an 1854 Practical Dress Instructor pattern from Godey’s Lady’s Book. The skirt, comprising 3 panels of 45 inch “calico” (modern cotton muslin) was finished in relatively short order, including 6 hand-sewn tucks and a 2 inch wide insertion of white-on-white embroidered morning glories going all the way around the bottom. I’ll post pictures once I dig it out of my sewing closet, where it has been peacefully reposing for some time now.
Then it was on to the frill in Broderie Anglaise. And that’s where I’ve been stuck for the past 6 months. Cutting and stitching, cutting and stitching, all with a single thread of embroidery floss. I’m finally nearing the halfway point on the cut-work. When all 135 inches are finally complete, I’ll go back over it again to buttonhole the scalloped edge.
Gores & Seams
December 16th, 2010
I’ve been making progress on my new stays. I’m proud to report that the bosom, hip, and stomach-gores are all neatly hand-sewn and felled in place. I particularly like the way the directions include steps for fitting each gore as they are first basted in, then adjusted, and finally sewn in place.
I must admit I did most of my fitting with a machine-sewn mock-up, so I didn’t bother basting the bosom gores or stomach gores at all. But when I discovered how poorly the hip (back) gores that I’d cut out fitted into the slashes they were meant to fill, I decided to fit them on my body again. Good thing too, as I ended up taking out nearly an inch of fabric!
Practical Instructions in Stay Making
December 8th, 2010
These are posted verbatim from the August 1857 (not 1858, as I had previously thought) issue of Godey’s Lady’s Book, with gratitude to Accessible Archives for making them so, well, accessible.
Stay Stitching
December 7th, 2010
I’ve been working on a new pair of (badly needed) stays. They’re based on an 1858 pattern published in Godey’s under their Practical Dress Instructor department and I am following the directions to the letter. I spent a great deal of time — and used a lot of scrap upholstery fabric — making a paper pattern that fits me to a T.
Since the directions assume that you are already familiar with the fit and form of mid-19th century stays, I’ve also taken a few hints from the stay-making instructions in The Workwoman’s Guide. Learning, for instance, that the side seams of the stays should fall just a little bit towards the back of your actual side. But for the most part, I am sticking to the Godey’s directions for cutting out and making up.
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