HSF challenge #24: Re-Do

Earlier in the year I decided to make my mother a dress and two weeks before Victorian Ball I finally got to pick it up again!

For the literature challenge in May, I chose Hyacinth Kirkpatrick from Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. The gown is made from a purple/silver silk sari found on Ebay with over-sleeves of black silk organza. I ran out of the purple sari fabric, so the under-sleeves are made of a gray silk dupioni.

"...and it was her taste, more than any depth of feeling, that had made her persevere in wearing all the delicate tints — the violets and grays — which, with a certain admixture of black, constitute half-mourning. This style of becoming dress she was supposed to wear in memory of Mr. Kirkpatrick; in reality because it was both lady-like and economical."

My mother loved it so much she wore it to Dickens Fair

With each post or photo be sure to tell us:

The Challenge:  Re-do

Fabric:  Silk sari, silk dupioni, silk organza

Pattern:  Truly Victorian romantic era gown

Year:  1830's

Notions:  Thread

How historically accurate is it?  Machine sewn

Hours to complete:  Two weeks

First worn:  November 30th

Total cost:  ??

HSF Challenge 22: Masquerade or The Empress of India bodice

I ended up filling three challenges almost by accident. It is a widely known fact among my general acquaintance that I have no free weekends in that nebulous time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Aside from the two major holidays, my mother, Mr. G and I attend the Victorian Grand Ball, a friend's longstanding Christmas party, and lastly the Great Dickens Christmas Fair. We have a lot of fun, but it tends to generate a lot of event-specific sewing. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that for once a few challenges actually meshed with the events I needed to sew for.

I had already made a bodice to wear with challenge #14 and challenge #15 at costume college, but I wasn't really satisfied with it. Fortunately I'm the kind of pack-rat that saves every scrap from previous projects and so I had enough of both fabrics to make a new one.

Here's the original bodice:

And here's the remake! 

I call it my Empress of India gown.

Coincidentally the theme of this Victorian Ball was masquerade as well, and so I felt completely justified in draping this bodice in as much lace and trim as I could while still remaining upright. 

I used a bunch of vintage gold trim that I'd found at Costume College and accented it with a few gold ribbon rosettes and a little lace.

The Challenge: Masquerade

Fabric:  Silk dupioni

Pattern:  Umm... I've had i for so long, I've completely forgotten

Year: 1880's

Notions: Thread, gold ribbon, lace and vintage gold trim

How historically accurate is it? Machine sewn

Hours to complete: Once again, I wasn't keeping count

First worn: November 30th 

Total cost:  $0

Three non-HSF costumes, Two HSF challenges and a partridge in a pear tree

Merry Christmas everyone!
Wow. So I kinda wrapped myself up in a cocoon of sewing and school... and when I finally emerged, it was December.
But now that I have a little breathing room before the new year, I think a few photos are in order. I'll be making more detailed posts about these dresses in a few days, but for now, enjoy:

HSF challenge #17: the lumberjack dressing gown

I got this challenge entry done by it's deadline, but between altering a friend's bridesmaid dress and making a dress for a neighbor, I haven't had much opportunity to post.

I'm not too fond of this dressing gown, to be honest. My original plan was to make a banyan for Mr. G, but he was unable to find any suitable fabric in time and so I had to improvise. This is bare bones, seat-of-pants, last minute stuff made from what I had closest to hand at the time and it shows. When I first looked through my stash, it seemed as though all the fabrics I had planned to use either had insufficient yardage or were in hiding, so I was left with seven yards of red gingham homespun that makes me look like a lumberjack. 

Here's the back. Along with the annoying-as-hell-to-hem collar.

I will not lie, this thing is probably going to be buried in the back of my closet and never see the light of day again.

The Challenge:  Robes and Robings

Fabric:  Red gingham homespun

Pattern:  Period Impressions 1837 robe front day dress

Year:  1837

Notions: Thread and lace

How historically accurate is it?  Machine sewn, so not very

Hours to complete:  20

First worn: Never, and likely to stay that way.

Total cost: My sanity and dignity.

HSF Challenge #15: White

It's been a week and change since Costume College now that I'm A) suffciently recovered  and B) no longer being ambushed by a victorian seaside picnic (another story for another post) I find that I finally have enough brain power to post about my white challenge entry:

This 1880's overskirt (and it's matching bodice) was made to wear with the previous challenge to the Time Travelers' Gala. It's made of a white chiffon sari with gold sequined embroidery. It went together with a minimum of fuss and I'd say it turned out pretty well.

And here is the full outfit in action. Unfortunately I didn't get many pictures of it.

The Challenge: White

Fabric:  Embroidered chiffon sari

Pattern:  Truly Victorian

Year:   Latter half of the 1880's

Notions:  Thread

How historically accurate is it?  Machine sewn

Hours to complete: Umm... I wasn't really keeping count

First worn:  August 3rd 2013

Total cost: $20

And here I am, a' singin' the old refrain...

The good news is, all my Costume College sewing is done save for the bodice of my gala dress. The bad news is, if I want it done by Saturday night, I'm probably not going to sleep at all.

I'm not terribly surprised. This gorram thing has given me more trouble than anything else I've had to sew. Oh where do I begin? Being unable to get any help fitting it during the first week of the time I alloted. The inability to find a good lining fabric in cream. Having to recut some of the pieces when the originals went missing. Wasting lots of time trying to incorporate the lovely embroidered gold border of the overlay only to find that the only way to make it work will be to cut out the border and applique it on. Dealing with a curved front closure. The list goes on and on, and I am fed up to the back teeth with it.

This has eaten up so much of my time that if I hadn't already made my other costumes beforehand, I'd be up a certain well-known creek without a certain implement. At the time of this post, the bodice has been thrown across the room ten times, had it's stitching unpicked six times and generally been screamed at, bled on, and cursed over more times than I care to count. I hate this fracking bodice with the passion of a thousand fangirls and the only thing keeping me from setting it on fire and dancing a merry jig around it is the knowledge that it is going to be BEAUTIFUL.

I could have rested on my laurels this year. I have a few evening dresses that have never gone to Costume College. I could have worn any of them. But I saw the opportunity to knock out two HSF challenges at once and just couldn't leave it alone. And while the dress's overskirt does work for the "white" challenge, the bodice was meant to be part of it too.

As it is, I'm packed and ready and I've got two days to sew the hooks and eyes onto the bodice and attache the sleeves. Wish me luck.

HSF Challenge #14 Eastern Influences

Wow, it's been over a month since my last post. Sorry about the radio silence, but between attending Old Ft. MacArthur Days and gearing up for Costume College, I suddenly got very busy very fast. I ended up skipping the last two HSF challenges in order to avoid sewing burnout and to give my hands a break.

Challenge #14 is an 1880's bustle underskirt made of sea foam green silk and is trimmed with a gold sari border leftover from another project.

charmingly modeled by Esca

closeup of the trim

The Challenge: Eastern Influences

Fabric: Silk dupioni and gold sari trim

Pattern: Truly Victorian

Year: 1885-7ish

Notions: Thread. Lots and lots of thread

How historically accurate is it? The skirt is machine sewn, the trim is sewn on by hand

Hours to complete: 20

First worn: Will be worn on august 3rd

Total cost: Don't remember. I've had this silk forever.

For the next challenge I will be making the bodice and overskirt that go with it. Here's a sneak peek of the fabric: