It's been over a month! I need to get this recap wrapped up.

Saturday was mostly a socialize with friends day. I wore my old 1883 print polonaise during part of the day. Not very exciting, thus no pictures. Several of us had lunch in the hotel restaurant. I had a pretty tasty tomato and white bean soup. Then I was SO ready to get out of my corset. ( Read more... )

Overall, a very productive year for historical sewing because of Costume College, at least for the first half of the year. Sadly, no modern makes and not much done lately.
1880s Undergarments: Chemise, Corset, Bust Pad, Ruffled Bustle Pad, and Petticoat

( Read more... )

I had to get up bright and early on Saturday so that I could dress in my Little House ensemble and go to ashamanja_babu's dance class. It was so much fun and Elizabeth is incredibly graceful and a great teacher. I think I may have 2 left feet though and certainly my too-long skirt didn't help. A dress up to my neck and a corset also made dancing hot and ( Read more... )

This weekend I met the main members of a local group called Victorian at Heart. They are two ladies, Wanda and Shirley, who enjoy making Victorian costumes to play dress up and go to cool places. (Just my kind of people!) We went to Dalnavert House (where I volunteered the other week) to take a tour and have iced tea and cookies on the porch. Wanda ( Read more... )

Whew! I'm tired out. I had a long day today. This is the weekend of Doors Open, when a bunch of historic sites around the city are open to the public for free tours. Places like the Legislative Buildings and the Lieutenant Governor's house, but also other random houses (and a jail!) that have been converted to offices and things. My living history ( Read more... )

I'm pretty much done with my print polonaise now. I got the 2 flounces sewn. I even sewed one of them on to my skirt. And then decided I was sick of this project and lazy and feeling behind schedule and needing to start on my ballgown. So I've decided to just have 1 flounce for now. If I feel like adding the other one later, I still can. Then I ( Read more... )

So close to being done! I got all the buttons and buttonholes finished this weekend. I wanted to have the entire thing done, but was just not disciplined enough. Since the closures are on, I was able to take pictures! The ties for bustling are all pinned. You know what's not fun? Trying on your polonaise and having pins poke you in the butt. ( Read more... )

A picture of me sewing while on my stationary bike. ;p (I took a video for ashamanja_babu but LJ wouldn't let me upload it. Sorry, Elizabeth!)

( Read more... )

I got the sleeves hemmed and I made a collar and edged it with my pretty cotton lace from Treadle Yard Goods. Hemming and adding lace were both hand sewing projects, so took a bit of time. I've attached the collar with a strip of fabric for a facing/edging along the neckline. It now needs sewing down, also by hand. Then I am moving on to hemming ( Read more... )

Thanks for the input, everybody! I really appreciate it. I think on this one I am going with a falling collar. Although, like ashamanja_babu, I think the standing collar is more "Laura Ingalls" and I think I actually prefer the standing collar, I'm pretty sure that almost every single bustle day dress I'll be making in the future (and I have fabric for at least ( Read more... )