Dans en Montreal?

Well, we made it, along with all of our stuff.  The last week has been unpacking boxes, finding homes for things and complaining about the lack of clues found in the typical packer...yeah, joyous bliss!

I have a loom room now, and there's a loom in it...albeit in pieces on the floor.  As the studio gets unpacked I will be donating fabrics I have no use for and getting things organized again.  It has been five years since I've actually had a studio of my own, so it's a little like Christmas, and a little bit of "why do I still own this?"

stay tuned!

a bit busy...

We were supposed to have been moved by now.  I was also supposed to spend the summer in Williamsburg with Jay Howlett making breeches.  Neither happened.  Our move date has been pushed to next week, the 29th of July.  So I have been keeping myself busy with other things.

First off, I made an 18thC pin ball.  My mum made the silver ring, and then I worked the embroidery.


blue flower on one side, pink on the other

 

Then I realized that Pierre would need a new waistcoat for Shelburne's founder's days, since all of his clothes are F&I period, not Revolutionary.  I had a piece of blue finely striped linen that would do the trick.  I ended up piecing the top shoulders as the length wasn't quite long enough.  I interlined the fronts with linen canvas as the fashion linen wasn't up for the challenge of being tailored, and then I lined the whole waistcoat with a thin green linen.  It took me two days of sewing, but I got it finished by Wednesday afternoon...now I'm wondering if there are any photos from the weekend that show him wearing it?

Thursday we headed to Shelburne Nova Scotia.  It was a great weekend, just what we needed.  It was warm enough for me and being right on the water, still cool enough for the rest of the gang.  We hosted a tavern night on Friday evening which was a famous success! We'll have to do more of that.  And now I am inspired to work on more projects.
The best part of the weekend for me personally, was learning that clothing that I made almost 20 years ago is still going strong, still being worn.  Some of those uniforms are now on their third owners.  This has encouraged me to start the business back up again.  So this winter, I suspect I will be sewing as well as studying.

For now, I'm off to see if I can find a photo of Pierre in his new waistcoat, if not, you'll have to wait to see the rest of the suit!

mitts...and stuff

Last night at our local stitch and bitch night I finished my new cotton mitts.  For this project I used Sharon Burnston's pattern in Fitting and Proper
https://www.facebook.com/sharon.burnston?fref=ufi

http://www.amazon.ca/Fitting-Proper-Sharon-Ann-Burnston/dp/1880655101

I made my set a bit longer than usual for the 18thC because I'm actually going to be wearing them with my regency evening gown.  So they come up over my elbows and tie above with drawstrings to keep them in place.
I made them from a piece of cotton batiste in my stash, cutting them so tightly that all I have left are cabbage pieces...stash busting for the win.  They are fingerless though, with the triangle over the back of the hand, and just a tiny half thumb.

I made the tiniest little flat felled seams and small little hems on everything.  So small that sewing actually made my hands hurt.  Over all, it took me three days to make the pair.  Working slowly with many breaks.  It'll be a while before I tackle a small seamed project like this again.

Next up are stockings.  I got some money for a birthday present, and after I buy a new pair of bumming around modern shoes, I'm going to buy some yarn. I can get single ply yarn at the NSCAD supply store that knits up into the most lovely stockings.  I'll get into production of those so that Pierre can toss some of his Townsend cotton stockings, but also so that mum and I have some new stockings too.

a few projects on the go

I went back to my new striped 'en ferreau' gown on Wednesday.  When I started the damned thing, I had big plans.  I cut the lengths of cloth down to the right width, making the seams more closely resemble the seam widths on extant gowns.  I cut my linings out of plain linen from the bargain wall ($3/metre for the win!), and got started.

Then I futzed with pleating the back on to the lining for an entire day.  I just could not get the damned thing to work.

OK, so it was a bad sewing day, at 3pm, I got up from my table and went to make supper and enjoy the evening with my family.

I tend to pleat gowns flat on the table.  I don't use my manikin for this as seamstresses in the period would not have access to a manikin, they'd have the body the gown was being made for (from time to time), and the table at which they sit to sew.  My linings are fitted to the body.  The pattern I use was made at a draping workshop I held for the ladies here in my local area.  We got together with our stays and petticoats and hip supports and draped bodices on one another so that we all have custom patterns.  I know it's going to fit, especially since I use stomacher front gowns as we time travel between the wars.
I cut my linings from this pattern, using a standard 1/2" seam allowance.  I then lay the fashion fabric on the lining and pleat it to the lining in the back, following extant pleating arrangements drawn by Norah Waugh or Janet Arnold

 Norah Waugh, Cut of Women's Clothing

I ended up having three pleats from the centre back to get it to lay flat and nicely.  This drawing was just a guideline.  I also didn't want a seam right at the centre back, so I cut that. 
Wednesday when I went back to the gown after a week's hiatus, I sat down to once again try my hand at pleating, and it went together perfectly.  On the first go.  Both sides of the back of the gown are beautiful, even, and almost like I measured out every last millimetre.  I didn't though, I just used the 'mark 1 eyeball' and it was a thing of beauty.

I stitched those pleats down quickly, lest they had a change of heart and decide to spring up and be a mess again.

The stitch I use is a running stitch, with the odd back stitch from time to time to lock the seam in place.  I go through all the layers, including the lining.  Taking as small a stitch as I can, I feel for the table underneath the work with the tip of my needle before returning to the topside of the work.

*The trick to get nice small stitches is to use nice small sewing needles.  I use #10 Betweens, and waxed silk thread.  They are a pain to thread.  Put your big girl panties on and suck it up... but it is easier if you hold the top of your waxed thread between the thumb and forefinger of your 'non-dominant' hand so that you can barely see the tip of the thread, and then with your dominant hand lay the eye of the needle on the thread.  Sharp snips will help in getting a nice crisp thread tip.  Don't try to poke the thread into the needle like a dart, you'll miss 9.5 times out of 10 and you'll shred the tip of the thread in the process.
I also use a new needle every project, sometimes a few needles over the course of the project.  I also use thread lengths that are only the length of my forearm, the thread will shred at the point where it goes through the eye, as you sew.  so don't leave a long tail.  I also only use a single thread to sew, hardly ever double thread your needle.

I also use a thimble, but you guys probably knew that already.  If you don't, find one that fits, and use it.  It will be a pain to get used to sewing, kinda like having a big bandage on your finger at first, but your sewing will improve with it's use.  It should fit snugly on the "fuck you" finger of your dominant sewing hand. It should feel as comfortable as wearing a ring, so find one you like to wear, and wear it, like all the time, even when you aren't sewing.  You'll get used to it quicker that way.*

Now that my back is pleated down, I've taken another short break from the gown.  I think I want to make and set the sleeves next, before dealing with lots of skirts weight.  A friend of mine has a beautiful sleeve pattern that I want to try.  She's tracing it for me and is going to send it in the mail.  In the meantime, I've been working on other projects.  Yesterday I made a spotty new neckerchief for Pierre, red with white spots, in cotton.  I also cut some cotton lawn mitts, and have been working on them...tiny little 1/8" seams on those beautiful things, so I can't sew for too long before my hands start to hurt.  They are going to be lovely though.

Stays, almost done...

My new stays are now finished, I put in the last eyelets in the shoulder straps this morning.  So, I figured that I would take a moment to tell you how to finish your own.

Now that all your bone channels are stitched in, and maybe your boning material inserted tightly into those channels, you can begin to build your stays.  At this point, before sewing the pieces together, I like to work the eyelets along the centre front, centre back or both, depending on your chosen style.  My latest set has lacing up both the front and back so that I have greater control on how tight I can lace them as my weight fluctuates.  I work the eyelets at this point, because working them when the pieces have been stitched together causes you to have to contend with the big floppy mess instead of just one piece.
Eyelets should be worked evenly up either side of the opening, about an inch apart.  To keep the lacing straight when you spiral lace the stays, additional eyelets are worked between the top two eyelets on one edge, and the bottom two eyelets on the other edge.  And yes, in the 18thC you should be spiral lacing, not cross lacing like an old boot.  Trust me, it is easier and far sexier.  I work my eyelets by first making a hole with an awl, not a punch, as you'll want to move the fibres, not cut them.  Then with good strong buttonhole twist, I whip over the edge of the opening tightly.  No fancy stitches are needed, and they tend to close up the hole anyway.  So no decorative "Blanket" stitch, just a simple whip.

Yes, you'll need to work eyelets before you have a fitting, so just do them now.

Once the eyelets are worked, you can sew the stays pieces together.  Be mindful of matching up the waistline points exactly or your stays will go crooked really quickly and then you'll be uncomfortable.  The tops and bottoms of the pieces will work themselves out during the binding process if you haven't trued up your pattern.  The waist points are crucial though.  I use that same running stitch then back on itself as I did when sewing the channels.  And I make sure I'm stabbing through all the layers.  You can do this part by machine and nobody will easily tell the difference...and if they can, they're too close and should be buying you dinner first.

Now, try the beastie on.  This is when you'll want to take it in if needed, mark the neckline, the length of the shoulder straps, all that good stuff.

If you're happy, press the seams open.  I usually line my stays, but if you're not interested in this, overcast the edges of your seams.  When lining, I cut one big piece the shape of my finished stays and just lay it in place.  I then baste it to my structural layers so that it stays put while I bind the edges.  My lining is whipped to the front edge, just inside the eyelets. Same with the back edge on this set.

Binding can be different materials.  I have seen bias binding, twill, and with this set I used leather.  I like to use a contrasting colour than the body of the stays, sometimes matching the stitching thread colour.  Hey your underwear should be pretty, even if it's only you that sees it.  I also don't like to spend a lot on anything for the hobby, especially if I'm making it.  So I will hunt for scraps of silk, twill tape, what have you.  For this set, I went to the second hand shops and looked for a leather garment I could cut up.  In this case, it was an ugly shrug style leather jacket from the 80s.  It did not need to remain in its ugly state of being, and is much prettier as binding.
Binding should be narrow when you sew it on.  No more then 1/4" should show on the outside.  Not only is narrow binding easier to get around the curves of the tabs, it also more closely resembles period garments and is just plain prettier.  So for this binding, I cut 1/2" wide strips, since I didn't have to fold under the raw edge.  Half inch wide twill is the same.  Bias tape, you'll need to fold under the raw edge, as it is a bit more flimsy and needs the extra stability of a folded edge.

I finished the binding yesterday, it should take you about three days of serious work to do this job.  Again, a simple whip stitch is what is needed, again, no blanket stitches...please.

Once that was done, I tried them on one last time to be sure my strap length was good, then I made the eyelets in the straps.  I use fancy ribbon in my straps, usually once they've been tied properly once, they don't need retying, so here's where you can dig out the pretty silk ribbons.

Now that I have stays again, I can continue on with my summer projects.  New gowns for Mum and I and a new suit for Pierre.  Nothing fancy, work clothes really, all in linen.  My old stays have now gone on to a new home, where they'll be altered to fit another person, or used as a template for a pattern.

I'll post pictures when I'm feeling up for dressing properly.

Stays, the construction

I always start a project with the thing I find the most difficult to do, if possible.  It's not that sewing bone channels is hard, mentally, it's just that it's a lot of work.  They are also the first thing you need to do to begin the process of sewing your stays.
I sew mine by hand, I find hand sewing to be much more enjoyable most of the time.  I'm also really trying to have the most authentic looking kit as possible, skin out.  You can sew the channels by machine though, very quickly, and nobody will get after you for it.  Mostly because so very few people will ever see your stays, since you'll be wearing clothes over them, but also because we all have room for improvement in our kit...every last one of us.

The boning you use can range from steel corset bones, nylon zip ties, reed or bents, wool or hemp cording, or in very rare cases, baleen.  Steel boning is still used in many schools, theatre houses and by older costumers.  Reed, bents, cording and baleen are the truly authentic choices for making stays.  Nylon zip ties are what I use, mostly because they provide a look to the garment that most closely resembles baleen in my eye.  I also use a mixture of nylon and cording, depending on the stays I'm creating.  I have cut baleen myself, for a corset that I made for a museum once.  I don't recommend it, mainly because of the environmental impact of creating a whaling industry again, but also because it was probably the grossest thing I ever had to do...burning flesh anyone??? yech.  Nylon I can cut with my kitchen shears.

Now, for fabrics.  Sometimes you might have to back your fashion fabric with a cotton calico for stability.  You can use 'wonder under' to fuse the calico to the back of the fashion fabric quite easily.  If your fabric is quite fine, or loosely woven at all, but you have your heart set on it, do this...OR, use two layers of canvas in this next step.

When I sew my boning channels in, I use the fashion fabric and the canvas as a sandwich (the bread), with the boning (the contents) in the middle.  I start by scribing a line to guide my stitching on the wrong side of the sandwich.  I don't personally like using a running back stitch to sew my channels in, as I don't care for the long carrying stitch on the back side of the work.  I use a running stitch, with stitches that are about 1/8" long.  Then when that first seam is done, I do another line of running stitches, same size, directly on top of the first line, to fill in the gaps and lock the original stitching line in place. 
After I've made that first, beautiful line, I cut a bone to length, rounding the corners, and stick the bone in between the layers of fabric right up next to the stitching line as tightly as possible.  Then I stitch that bone in place, using the same running stitch and going back on itself.  I stitch every bone in place using this method. * This creates a nice tight boning channel which is key to the success of your stays. *  If your method of boning has room to move in the channels, they will twist and bend in the channel and will make for an uncomfortable corset.

If you are wanting to do this step by machine, the half width of your presser foot should be wide enough for the bone channel, do some samples up first.  You want a nice, tight channel.  If sewing by machine, I will sew all my channels first, then insert my boning material.  If you want to do it one bone at a time, a close sewing zipper foot will be your friend.  My machine's zipper foot is a waste of time...

When using cording of any kind, I will also stitch all my channels first, then pull the cording through.  That way I can control the amount of cord I pack into the channel, and I don't end up sewing through the cord.

Boning a set of stays by hand will take you about a month of serious work.  By machine, you could get it done in a day of hard labour, a weekend at most.  Things to consider when you're getting ready for your first encampment of the season.

Just like when you are tiling a floor, don't back yourself into a corner when sewing your bone channels in.  Some boning will have to be inserted before you start the next row of boning, or you won't ever be able to slide it into place.  You may also need to fully bone your corset before sewing the seams together.  Figure out what is best for your set of stays and do what they tell you to do.

Have fun with this step.

Re-enacting inexpensively - Stays

I'm going to start writing about the most important garment a woman in the hobby will own, her stays.  I am in the process of replacing my own stays at the moment, and thought I'd share with you my thoughts on the subject.

First of all, they are not life threateningly painful as media and folktales would have you believe.  They are constricting, and they aren't comphy like your pajamas, but they serve a purpose, and without them, you may find yourself more uncomfortable than if you just suck it up and get yourself into a set.
In the 18th Century, stays are shaped like a big V.  The point of the V being just below your waist, usually hitting just above the pelvic bone.  They are meant to give you a smaller waist, but not as small as in later periods.  My stays will tighten up to about a 34 waist, where naturally I'm about a 38/40.  This may vary, depending on how squishy you are, and how much distance there is between your bottom rib and your hip bone.  I am squishy, but there's only about a 1" gap between the bottom rib and the hip, so I can only squish so much before my ribs would complain.  Also in this period, we see finger like tabs the splay out over the hips, greatly contributing to the comfort level of the wearer.

I drafted my own original set of stays, using my own body block as a starting point.  Several friends use the method of trying a bunch of people's stays on a new person until they get a close fit and work from there.  There are commercial historical patterns, and even Simplicity also had a fairly reasonable stays pattern recently, but it has since been discontinued, the shame.  You can also find custom corset generators on the web, or draft a pair roughly looking at style lines and go from there.  There are many ways to get yourself a good workable stays pattern.  For my new set, I already had a good fitting set, I just wanted a new pair as the old set were falling apart too badly to repair any further.  Following this cutting diagram
I laid my old set out on paper, traced around the outside edge, and then marked in my cutting or style lines.  Then, cutting out the paper pieces, I marked the grain lines and boning channel lines.  There are many examples of extant stays on Pinterest, I have quite a few pinned on my 18thC stuff board, here  https://www.pinterest.com/esteladufrayse/18thc-stuff/

Now, I was also making these on the cheap.  I am still a student after all, and I have never believed in spending vast amounts of money on anything for the hobby, save our canvas.  I'm also a fan of using what you have close at hand.  It makes for a more inexpensive garment if you can buy at your local fabric and supply shops instead of ordering in.  So for this new set, my fabrics were 1m(one metre) of straight woven cotton canvas, 1m(one metre) of twill woven linen fashion fabric, both found at the local Fabricville and 1m(one metre) of straight woven linen for the lining, also bought at the local Fabricville on the bargain wall a few years ago.  I used Gutermann buttonhole twist for sewing and making eyelets.  The boning for this project was 1/4" wide nylon zip ties from Lee Valley, a bundle will run you about 35$ and make several sets of stays. And I bound the stays in leather repurposed from an ugly 1980s shrug style leather jacket.  All told, I think this project ran about 40$ in supplies, and then my time.

I have to run now, but I'll be back later with how I put them together.