Challenge #9: Black and white

A mourning outfit 1780's

This is what I am aming for, but it will take a little more time....

This is a Levite Pelisse so actualle it is a coat worn mostly on for example on chemisse a la Reine. My interpretation of this picture differs a little bit or perhaps quite a lot, but that way I can wear the outfit more...

To worn under I will make a petticoat and a pierrot jacket, something like in this picture but the petticoat will be like in the picture above. So it will be cotton with black dots and I think I found a perfect fabric for it (though it coud be a litte thicker). The petticoat in the mourning outfit is silk sateen with somekind of dots, so there's the first difference. The fur in the petticoat is removable...

Second difference will be the fur. I counted from the picture that there were 70 or even 100 ermine tails - which means I should be enormously rich and violent - so I use fake fur. I think using vintage fur is just as bad as making a new one, so I will never use that stuff. I know I know - I eat meat and wear leather shoes, but that's me... still having troubles about using silk.... anyway, since there were no ermine-looking fake fur anywhere I looked for I used white and made the tail with a black permanent marker. Note to myself - always sniff the marker first and if it's ok, the use it. The one I used had the strongest smell (not a good one!) and my sewing room had that smell for three days (don't know if it's gone or I'm used to it....)

 

                                        real ermine collar                        my version

Third change will be about the fabric of the pelisse. In the picture it was made from silk sateen (if I understood it right) but I will make it from the thinnest loveliest wool. Since hey, this is Finland after all.

Forth change - the text in the fashion plate says nothing about a muff, but it sure looks like one, and muff there will be!


For the challenge I made a petticoat and a muff

The Challenge #9: Balck and white

Fabric: white cotton with black dots, white fake fur

Pattern: basic stuff

Year: 1780

Notions: cotton thread, black cotton ribbon, white cotton ribbon, black permanent marker

How historically accurate is it? Not very much, I used sewing machine a lot

Hors to complete: muff - about 1,5 h, petticoat a lot more (hemming...)

First worn: not yet

Total cost: so far about 40 € (but that includes the pierrot jacket fabrics and notions)

Tanssiaiset Tampereella sinä huhtikuun 12. päivänä

Kauniina huhtikuun lauantaipäivän iltana piipahdimme herrani kanssa Tampereella Keväisissä naamiohuveissa. Olimme suunnitelleet matkustavamme jo päiväksi viettämään Kevätpäivää kartanolla, mutta suunnitelmiin tuli valitettava muutos. Mutta tanssiaisiin sentään ehdimme, kiitos uljaitten vankkureittemme.

Naamiaisiin lähtö oli samanlainen kuin yleensäkin tapahtumiin lähtö - viime hetkellä päätin asuni, ja koska kyseessä oli tosiaankin naamiaiset, päätin, että laitetaan sitten jotain hieman enemmän kuin pelkkä naamio. Ja niin siis päädyin merirosvoaiheeseen, ja onnistuin saamaan herrallenikin hieman aiheeseen liittyvään vaatetusta.

Tulipahan sitten tehtyä elämäni ensimmäiselle mantualle pikainen muutos - herrani leikkasi helman saksilla juuri ennen lähtöämme sopivan mittaiseksi - ja samalla sopivan resuiseksi ;-)

Kuva Teemu Laukkarinen

Tanssiaiset alkoitettiin ottamalla vieraat vastaan aloituspuheella ja jakamalla jokaiselle uudelle vieraalle suloinen pieni helmirintakoru

Kuva Teemu Laukkarinen

Aloituspuheiden jälkeen oli vuorossa ruokailua, ja ruokapöydän antimet olivat jälleen kerran oivan emännän jäljiltä mitä mainioimpia

Kuva Teemu Laukkarinen

Illan mittaan oli toki myös seurustelua sekä tuttujen että uusien tuttavuuksien kanssa 

Kuva Teemu Laukkarinen

ja tokihan joukossamme ollut päivänsankari sai myös oman ennustuksensa...

Ja sitten tanssittiin ja tanssittiin ja tanssittiin.....

 Kuva Teemu Laukkarinen

 Kuva Teemu Laukkarinen

Kuva Markku Arvonen

 Illan aikan saimme kuunnella myös ihanan laululintumme kaunista esitystä. Uskomattoman kaunis ääni, eikä luonnollisestikaan huumoriakaan ollut unohdettu ;-)

Ja päädyimmehän sitten myös yhteiskuvaankin

 Kuva Teemu Laukkarinen

Ja illan päätteeksi otti herrani minut kainaloonsa ja pääsi saatille kotiin asti...

Challenge #8: UFOs & PHDs

...use this opportunity to finish off something that's never quite gotten done, or stalled halfway through... http://thedreamstress.com/the-historical-sew-fortnightly-2014/

A 18 th century handkerchief/ fichu

I started sewing this handkerchief  - I'd like to say a few years ago, but the truth is more likely - ten years ago. I can't be totally sure of the fabric, but I think it's cotton-poly blend, at least it feels like poly but not totally. But if it was totally cotton, would it still be hostorically accurate? I had seen these kind of hadkerchiefs or fichus somewhere, most likely in some movie, and when I started to know a little bit more (internet wasn't very helpful at that time...) I started to think that pattern wasn't so historically accurate at all.

When cleaning - again - my sewing "storage" (walk-in wardrobe) I found it (plus about 40 pins attached to it). So I decided to finish it, mainly because I wanted those pins ;-) BUT I also wondered if there was any chance to wear that handkerchief/ fichu....

So the problem was this: all women used somekind of handkerchief or fichu in the 18th century (well, exept with court habit etc). I have seen so many different kinds both in paintings and in museum collections....

~1750-1775 Cotton, curved tringle BUT part of the neck cut off and with white work (met) - no ruffle

~ mid 18th c Cotton, tringle BUT white work - no ruffle (met)

1770's Cotton, ruffle BUT the ruffle is lace not cotton and the size of this is huge (met)

and so on and so on....

then I found this Dorner's painting which would be perfect since it's painted in Russia (or Estonia) so it would be even quite close......

BUT it's not 18th but 19th century painting (1838) so no luck there either...

Then there are these Mosniers's paintings... the year is perfect (1789), kerchiefs are just like (or close enough) mine... 

BUT they are little BOYS and I am an old WOMAN..... 

and yet, those could be also collars not kerchiefs...

So can find many different kind of cotton handkerchiefs/ kerchiefs/ fichus with ruffles, BUT those ruffles are always lace or embroidered with white work, or they belong to a young boys...  

 the search continues....

What the item is? A handkerchief/ kerchief/ fichu/ halsduk/ halskläde/ kaulahuivi/ kaulaliina

The Challenge: #8 UFOs & PHDs

Fabric: Cotton-poly blend (could be all cotton, but I can't be sure)

Pattern: No that's the problem...

Year: later 18th century

Notions: cotton thread

How historically accurate is it? All hand sewn, cotton (but most likely cotton-poly), BUT the main problem is the pattern - I can't find any example of that kind of fichu, so if you know, please help 

When you started it and when you finished it: I started sewing it about 10 years ago (!) and finished it May 1st 2014 - easy and fast actually, but since I am sure it's not hist. acc. in any way I haven't finished it before

First worn: not yet and nore it will be unless someone gives a proof that there is a even a little chance for hist.accuracy (execpt for that poly part...)

Total cost: not a clue but not much

Meet Baron von Grenzhügel

For modesty sake only his head is seen for now ;-) 

Cotton, cotton thread and poly wadding, hair is 100 % wool yarn, not so much hand sewn...