gallery

October 2005
I started work on my ball gown today as well. I have a short deadline so I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible. I'm using the same pattern as my red striped English Gown, with a better fitted back and sleeve flounces. Very simple indeed.

I cut out my lining today. I'll use that to fit the back and adjust the neckline before I cut out the green fabric. That is the plan anyway.

Dec 7

I'm finally getting around to working on the gown I'm wearing on Saturday the 10th. Yes, I'm insane, it's okay. I don't know why but my costumes either take 6 months or 36 hours to make. I can't seem to get my act together to sew in a more reasonable fashion. *sigh* Still, my gown will be done and it will be lovely and then I can move on to the next thing, right? If I survive of course.

So I'm making the green 18th century ball gown I've been talking about for months. The fabric I'm using is a poly/something from the stash. It's actually not the ideal 18th century fabric as it's a bit thick and heavy but I think it will be pretty. The second fabric in the pic is the left over cotton sateen from my teens Cream Tea gown. You can't tell in pics but it's actually a light green, rather nice with the green ribbed fabric. This will be a petticoat if I have time (if not I'll just wear my cream linen one). I'll trim the neckline in a simple manner with the delicate gold trim for a hint of glamour. I'd like to add sleeve ruffles but not this week.

As I's mentioned before, I'm using the same pattern as my red striped English Gown, just tweaking the fit a bit. That is what I'm taking a break from at the moment. With Mom's help, it's looking pretty good. I have a little more to take up in the back and it should be good to go. Of course when I trimmed up the waist (which I shortened in the process of making the red stripe if you recall but never changed on the master pattern) I forgot to factor in a seam allowance so I have to recut the lining. No matter, another reason to use inexpensive cotton for my linings.

My eventual plan, once I have another proper 1770s ball gown, is to convert this gown to a 1780s "zone" front gown. That will be a late 2006 or 2007 project though..

Okay - back to work!

Dec 7

I've finished up the back (bodice) so I'm going to call it a night. Yay!

I finished fitting the toile (ooh it looks so much better!), made a master pattern in interfacing and re-cut the lining. I decided to start with the back section, so I first sewed up the back lining. I added a length of Rigiline down the center back this time. I thought it was a good idea since my fabric has a bit of body but without any stiffness. So far it's working well.

I then cut a length of fabric for the back and began pleating. I used my red stripe as a guide, creating three pleats (one towards the center and two facing out). I did all the pleating flat on a board (rather than trying to pleat on my own back or Narcissa) – it's so much easier this way and I haven't noticed a problem with the shape not being right on the shoulders. Once it was all pinned, I hand stitched the pleats to the lining. Once I was done I basted along the edge of the lining piece and then cut the fabric to shape. I roughly cut the extra away – I'll probably trim some away when I get to the skirt.

I'm really happy with what I've accomplished today. If I keep up this pace I will definitely get this done in time, and with sleep involved. :> So tomorrow it's on to the rest of the bodice…

Dec 8

*stretches* Okay, time for a break! May I just say it's been really fun to do nothing but sew the last two days. I haven't had a sewing marathon like this in way too long. I see still being slightly sickly has its advantages. :>

As you can see I've finished up the bodice. I haven't finished the sleeves because I want them a little shorter. I have to try the gown on to determine the new length and I want to get the skirts on first (or at least that back section secured). I'm going to eat some dinner and then start work on the skirts. My goal is to get them pleated and attached before bedtime. That would leave only the hem and hooks & eyes tomorrow. *squee*

I'm so happy with how well this project is going! *woo hoo*

Dec 8

Well I didn't get as much accomplished as I hoped tonight. I was hit with a massive headache during dinner (the kind where your whole face aches) so that has pretty much killed my momentum and zapped my energy. Pooh on the storm tonight that caused it! :< *moo*

I started on the pleating, once the meds kicked in but it's going really slow and I think an early night is the best plan right now. My fabric, while lovely to work with on the bodice, doesn't like to be pleated so it's fighting me all the way. I'm just not up to dealing with it at the moment.

Good news is I will have plenty of fabric left over to apply some self-trimming to both the gown and petticoat. Not that I anticipate getting to that this weekend...

In other good news I think I have a plan for my hair, thanks to your suggestions and images. I was also directed to some images on the Williamsburg site by my friend Tina that have proved particularly helpful. (For the originals of the above, click here, click on the slide show "women in trades" and go to the wig maker's section.) I'm especially fond of the first one so that is probably what I will base my hair on, perhaps with some hanging sausage curls. I love bouncing curls. :>

I should write a note to myself to boil perm some of my fake hair tomorrow so I don't forget…

Dec 11

The dress is done! *whoot*

Here are the last of the construction pics from yesterday, one of half the pleats pinned and one of the skirt attached to the bodice. You can tell I didn't take as much care on the right side, the pleats don't lie as flat as the left. Oh well.

I'm off to do my hair and depending on how well that goes I may have time to pop some trimming on the frock. :>

Dec 11

So yes, my gown was finished on time (sans trimming of course)... as much as a costume can ever really be declared "finished". *grin* Tonight was really lovely. I was able to dance at Stratford Hall - something I've wanted to do (and never thought I would!) since I was a little girl.

The pics from Stratford, while lovely, don't show off my dress or hair terribly well. My digital camera has a hard time with low lighting – silly thing! So I took some self timer pics before I got undressed this evening. I really need a tripod. Or family members that are awake when I get home. :P All of the pictures from the event can be found in the diary gallery and in the Events gallery.

I couldn't be happier with the way my frock turned out. Actually it was nice the way the whole outfit, accessories and hair went together too. It was all last minute of course but it just fitted together and worked with little effort – I must be getting good at this stuff!

Of course my gown was lacking trimming, a new petticoat and a hand-sewn hem (yes I machined it for the night *sue me*) but I wasn't held together by tape or safety pins. In fact I arrived a half hour early!! Proof that God is a God of miracles. :>

I was happy with my hair too. It took a few tries but I came up with a decent style in the end. *sigh* I just don't have B's magic touch. It was all my own hair, hot curled, teased and hair sprayed to death - not a rat or roll to be seen. Impressive, huh? *ooohhh, aaaahhh* :>

Dec 12

Thank you so much for your kind responses to my newest frock. You spoil me so! *curtsies humbly* I'm a bit in awe of how well it turned out. I keep looking at it on Narcissa and thinking “I really made that in 2½ days!”. It helped that this was the second time I'd made that exact dress (hence the better fit) but still... :>

Yesterday I attended another holiday gathering with RCHS, this time in Scotchtown - the home of Patrick Henry. I ended up sewing most of the evening, working on the trimming for my dress.

It took me a little while to work out what I wanted to do with the trim but in the end I lined my fabric strips (torn off my extra fabric about an 1¼” wide) with two rows of the gold trim. I then used those basting stitches as gathering stitches and gathered the trim up a bit. I pinned it on the frock last night to get the effect and I like it a lot. It's simple but it adds just enough glamour to work.

The trim will go along the neck and sleeves. I also have some sleeve ruffles ready to be cut (to which I'll add a bit of the gold trim) but I have to run out and get some fray check before I can do that. I also need to find some lace or embroidered organza for the sleeve flounce…

Dec 13
I came home today to find Narcissa sprawled on my bedroom floor and the length of gathered trim that I stayed up late last night working on and had pinned along the neckline or the dress (on Narcissa), in a tangled mess in Mom's room. I should also add that the gathering stitches have been broken in several places so I know have to redo the entire piece.

Not knowing which worthless furball did it I could happy kick them all in turn at the moment. *sigh* Have I ever mentioned that we have way too many cats?

Dec 16
Not much on the costuming front happening these days. I have taken out all the broken stitching from the kitty toy that was my ball gown trim and started again.

Dec 29

I did mange to work a bit on my gown today. After much fussing, I finished pinning the trimming along the neck and one sleeve. I still have to make trim for the other sleeve and then tack it all down.

I popped into Hancock's today and picked up some sparkles for my ball gown as well. I just couldn't stand it! :> Since I couldn't find small (4mm) flat sequins by the packet I bought a length of trim to salvage. I even figured out a way to remove the sequins intact on their string! I'll use them lose on the ball gown (applying them here and there along the gold trimming) but the string of small sequins gives me evil ideas for other projects. *rubs hands together* Small sequins are so cool! *grin*

Jan 2
Phase two of this dress is done - we have trim!! Yay! *throws confetti* See the pics here.

Oct 20 2006
Looks like I will be going to see Marie Antoinette next weekend with Loren and some of her friends. We will all be in costume. Should be fun, the weekend of Halloween no less.

I'm going to wear my green ball gown with BIG hair. :> I need to add some more trimming (I think I'll make it a fake "zone front") and something at the sleeves. A new (and properly fancy) petticoat would be fun but I don't know that I will have time for that.

Oct 23

I got started on my revamp of the green ball gown today. Yay a Sunday afternoon of sewing – such fun! I really need to do this more often you know. *wink*

I didn't realize until it was too late that I didn't have any of that little gold trim in my stash (I hate how everything closes early on Sunday) so I couldn't work on the new trimming scheme. *pouts* I pinned the one leftover scrap I have to get an idea of how it would look as a faux zone and I like it. I like it a lot! I moved the skirt edges back 1.5", un-picking the stitching, folding back the excess fabric and re stitching it for a better line for the zone front.

Then I started work on the petticoat. I found this cream matching fabric (I forget what it's called) in the stash today. It was actually Mom's but she generously gave it to me (have I mentioned I have the best Mom ever?).

I'm almost finished with the petticoat - just have the hem to sew up and the ruffle to attach. And guess what? I have enough fabric left over for a jacket, so I can make a whole new outfit with it too. I'm trying to decide if I want to try my hand at another style of 1780s/1790s jacket for make the same as the yellow linen, only without the mistakes I made on it. Ummmm….

Oct 24

I made good progress on the ball gown yesterday. Ooh it's really looking like a ball gown now! I tacked down the zone trim and started on the one side of the skirt (any place you see sequins it's sewn). I need to make more trim obviously, to finish the bottom and the other side. I want to add a second band to the sleeves too, but only if I have time.

The petticoat is all done, except for some trimming. I have a little piece of the gold pinned on and that little bit seems enough to tie it into the gown. I don't want to go too wild on the petticoat as ultimately I want a different petticoat for the gown (a gold silk satin I think, or maybe a shot bronze taffeta or something like that). I also want to make a jacket ensemble with the cream and I don't know how I want to trim that yet. I'm not sure I'll have enough of the baby gold trim, I bought out JoAnns supply yesterday and don't particularly want to drive to PM for more. I have some other gold trims laying about so I could just use one of them instead if needs be.

Oct 27
I finished sewing on the skirt trim last night (pics to come). I think it needs more but I don't have time - next time I wear it right? :> I have come up with a way to polonaise it that I like involving my favorite safety pins. I am so lazy. I also started putting cockades all over the outfit and I'm liking the effect.

So today I need to:
finish making cockades
trim petticoat
make sleeve ruffles
pad polonaise?

Looks like today will be costume day. The whole family are going to Halloween parties tomorrow night - all different ones. Well technically mine isn't "Halloween" but it's the only thing I'll be doing for the holiday so that is how I'm thinking of it.

Oct 27
Here are some step by step pics of my trim making for your viewing pleasure.

First the supplies. The sequins are small flat ones taken from a trim I found at Hancocks. I couldn't find them loose so I picked a trim that had a lot of them and tore it apart. If you pull the threads the right way most trims will just come part you know. :> The gold trim is 1/8" trim I found by-the-spool at Jo Anns, very simple stuff but cheap. The thread is Coats and Clark, also from my local Jo Anns. The fabric strips are made by tearing the fabric along the grain and allowing it to fray a bit on each side.

I attach the gold trim by hand, using the little holes as my guide. I just eyeball how far I want it from the edge; it doesn't have to be exact. As you can see from the underside I'm basically basting the trim on. Once the gold trim is attached I use the basting threads to gather the trim up.

I then pin the trim on in whatever arrangement I want and use the loose sequins to secure the trim to the gown (you can see the sequin stitching on the underside of the bodice). I placed the sequins alternating about a 1/2" or so apart, depending on how tight the corners were and how much sparkle I wanted. :>

It's a bit of a cheat - if I ever take the trim off I will have to re-apply the sequins but it does save time in the short term. Ta da! Trim on a budget – what is not to love?!

Oct 29

The Marie Antoinette excursion last night was so fun! I had too much fun working on my frock, way too much fun dressing up in it and too much fun watching the movie in costume and hanging with everyone. Too much fun!

I wish we could have gotten better pics but we had to take them all inside, due to the gale force winds outside. Dratted weather. See the rest of the pics here!

This is the first time I've gone all out in late 1780s garb and now I'm wondering why it took me so long. It is my most favorite era afterall. *rolls eyes* I definitely felt like a pretty princess, especially after B did my hair. Isn't she fabulous?! *applauds* I showed her an pic in Revolution in Fashion and she just did it for me. The scarf in my hair is the last little scrap of my bee dress fabric, which was my brilliant idea. :>

Another of my brilliant ideas (which B did for me because she's talented that way) was my necklace. Do you recognize it? It's my Katherine of Aragon necklace with drop pearls wired on. It turned out to be the perfect touch, drawing in the cream petticoat and making everything work together instead. I need to get some nice glass or cultured drops to do it properly (the ones I used are cheap plastic ones I picked up ages ago and they look it) but it worked for the evening.

It's silly but one of my favorite parts of the evening was wearing the bum roll of doom, otherwise known as both my bum roll and false rum worn on top of each other. :> Driving in it was a bit of a challenge but worth it. :> I need to make a nice big false rump now because I loved wearing this more exaggerated style. How shall I ever go to CC without my hair diva though!!!! :<

Oh yes - I've decided that my green ball gown is actually my "Comtesse de Polignac" dress. I was thinking about it and if I were dressing up for Halloween that is who I would be. Afterall she wears a dark green frock like mine in the film and we both have red hair - it works for me!

Nov 19

I worked on my new ball gown petticoat today, it's mostly done. I have the waist band pinned on so just that, the hem and the ruffles to add. I ended up with a shot gold/bronze taffeta. It looks nice with the ball gown but isn't too matchy-matchy. Pretty!

Dec 2

I have been sewing - yay! The bronze taffeta petticoat is done... sans ruffle for now. (Pictured with my red print Englist gown.)

Dec 11

Friday I was again part of the Stratford Hall candlelight tour and got to dance, in candlelight, in the Great Hall. I did a bit of caroling downstairs but mostly danced all night. We did Rufty Tuffty and Childgrove over and over… I didn't mind though as Childgrove is my favorite dance ever. I wore my newly trimmed green "Polignac" gown, with new bronze petticoat. I still haven't gotten the smell out of my extra fabric so I went sans ruffle and trim. I think it looked okay, although after seeing pics I do think it needs some kind of trim on it.

I was so happy - my hair came out wonderfully! I don't have great pics unfortunately but it did look good, if I do say so myself. I washed, dried, hot curled and then teased it to death before pinning it back and adding feathers and a bow to embellish. Yep, it's all my own hair, no rats or hair pieces! Once Bridget is home from school and available to take pics I'll try to do a tutorial on the hair for you guys. Of course I may never be able to do it again...