More underwear... structural support

 We are still at that "big" project, I worked on for a month in October and November.

We know by now, that it is an 1870-ies dress, which needs more than one underlayer. 

The first layer, the chemise and drawers I showed last week, are the one that directly covers the body, they can (and should be) changed and washed regurarly, possibly daily (if used daily, otherwise after each use). They are the one that suck up sweat, bacteria and other stuff, and defend the next layers from them. 

The next layer containes what can be called, the structural support, the layer, that gives shape to the outfit. This layer containes the corset, the cosetcovel, the bustle and the petticoat. 

The corset has more than a few "tasks", of which making the body thinner is the last, and practically only a side effect but there will be a separate post on that. 

There is a "corset cover" over the corset, to soften the lines that could be seen at the bustline or at the back. In certain cases it can have an extra decorative function too. 

The bustle that gives the skirt shape, which is in this period emphasizes the back.

And a petticoat that is a layer between the skirt and the bustle, once again, softening the lines of the bustle structure. It is still valid for this period, what we say for the crinolins, that if your hoops showing through was much like we look at having your panties show above your trousers. It happens, but definetly not elegant, not even accepted. 

And now, there is only the dress itself, that we have to wait for...

Monday Pattern-Muster - SEWING

 After many months of considerations, here it comes. 

The thing is, I still do not know, exactly, how I am going to go with this, but I keep promising, and there is no occasion as good as RIGHT NOW. 

The first is a pattern I have for years, though I never actually got around to make it. 

I have other experience with Scroop patterns, as I did test their Aidah gown, and made that in more than once. 

This is the EASTBURN pants from the same company. 

I always liked pants that are (relatively) thight around the waist and hip, then go wilde (umm, wide) from there. 

Also, it is photographed in many different bodies, and it looks good on almost all of them. 

Go for it. 

Accessories: pink, lace choker

 And we arrived to the last but one accessories to the pink striped Rococo dress.

I needed something for my neck and the choker type of necklace was an obvious solution. And I decided to make one for myself.

I wanted to use linen thread, but I could not find it in the right color, so I got some cotton embroidery thread. A bit of digging on Pinterest provided a nice enough pattern.

And then all I needed a bit of shine, so I got beads and silver thread for a couple of bobbins. 

And here is the finished choker:

Weekly SO

I think it is really not a nice form that someone buys a hank of handdyed yarn from someone, for whom dyeing is just a hobbi, a side-things and only does two events in one year, where the main thing is teaching, not selling, and s/he teaching an ancient skill for free, and it is really said that those handdyed skeins are one-of-a-kind, not repeatable, etc, and you open the skein, start to use the yarn, then decide that your skills are not up to that yarn (which is fairly thin), or realize that you do not like the color after all, then frog back said sample and after more than half a year, take back the skein and ask for an exchange... 

Yes, I know that there are rules of sales, and consumerprotection and all that. But as we say in Hungarian, sometimes we fall over to the wrong side of the horse, and some costumer abuse that.

I could have said no, as there were MONTHS since the sale and the hank was OPENED, and I did not. Mostly because dyeing is really a hobbi for me, and it is not my livelyhood that depends on just how many skeins I sell, only just how many unddyed skeins can I buy before the next one. Still I do not like when somebody thinks I am an idiot.

Ps.: The same goes for clothes, you had someone to sew for you personally, you try it on before you take it, then you use it, ven more than once, then think up things you do not like on it, and had the whole thing taken apart, and of course, saying it is under "guarantee" in other words, you are not paying for the extra work.

Underwear ... and repeat

 Yes, you know it by now, that for every historical dress (at least for women), to get it look correctly, to sit on a body correctly, proper underwear is crucial. 

So the big project I mentioned earlier, also started with the proper underwear...

And the first layers are the drawers (that are long underpants, but split in the middle), and a chemise (undershirt). 

There wasn't many things new, or challenging, I did a similar set last year, for Viki, who regurarly portrays Empress Sisi, and now I used the same pattern, the difference was that instead of the embroidered fabric I used fine, but plain weave cotton, decorated with borderie anglaise edges, and instead of the blue, purple ribbons. 

As usual, even though we've started to talk about this project in the early summer, because of burocracy and changes in plans, and other stuff made it if not rushed case, but really thight deadline, which was made even thighter by things, like the three days out for the gall-stone affaire, and other family matterns.

So, once again, I am only showing the end results.

(Oooops. I just see that I took the photo before I ironed the pintucks... I promise, they are all flat now and looking downwards.)

Pattern: Truly Victorian

Monday's pattern-muster

At the Day of Wool last weekend, somebody told me that she really likes my weekly pattern-suggestion column, so all right. maybe not EVERY Monday, but I will try to look up patterns and talk about them, and I have not forgot, that I also promised to suggest sewing patterns as well. 

In the same discussion it was also mentioned, that I could talk about patterns that I actually do NOT like more often.

So there you go. The Enchanted Mesa by Stephen West is such a pattern. Actually I bumped into it, that I was trying to lookup something totally different, and a Reddid thread came up, in which they discussed how Stephen theratened someone with legal retaliation because S/he was trying to sell a shawl knitted from his design (as a used item). Of course, I do have an opinion about this one too, but I rather write about it (if I come around to it) in a weekly Strong Opinion post. However, reading that thread reminded me, that I kind of gave up on him, when he came out with the Mesa sweater, because, even back then I though, it feels for me, like he was just testing, how big of a sh*t he can throw at his fans who would happily eat it up- I never felt the slightest inclination to knit it, even though, there is unlimited amount of yarn in this house. 

No, it was not the assimetry that hurt my eyes. I always loved assimetrical clothes (even - or especially) in historical clotes, but it felt like it was just thrown together, withouth really thinking the thing through. I don't think it can be comfortable under coats, nor for any activity that requires more movements than sitting at a desk. 

(And the usual disclaimer: the above are MY opinion, it is not a reflection if the design or pattern itself good or not, or it cannot or should not be liked  by others, or those who like it, lack taste or anything. Luckily we are not the same. I am not a Stephen fan. Thats all.)

Sunglasses

 What you would need to look at the wool I just dyed for the day of wool that is on tomorrow. 

I am sorry, I fell off blogging for a week or so, but beside of dyeing wool and yarn I was working on a big project (in fact three of them), besides my regular work, and the event last week, and had no time to even breath, or think, let alone write. 

But here I am, take on your sunglasses and imagine all thecolorful yarns that could be spun from these. 

After tomorrow, I will come with details of that other thingie.