Adventures in Cranford....

I've been kind of stuck on the Blue Holly Dress since my last post about it, since I need her body for pattern drafting, and there are a couple of bits I'm not very sure about. I'll keep pondering, and work it out later, I hope. (The two main sticking points are 1-front closures size/type/color/attachments and 2-how the heck do I deal with the gold undersleeves?)

I posted to costuming the other day, and got some really great pointers for starting out on my Cranford dress. Also known as the Purple Monster. (I need to post pictures of the fabric I got for this project....haha!)

Since I'm feeling uber-sewey, and can't work much on Holly's dress, I decided it was high time I start working on my dress for CC'09. (YAY!) I already have the corset squared away, so next step are petticoats. "This will be easy!" I thought. No. Not at all. I pre-washed all my fabric, and started hacking away. At this point I felt a sense of dread......"Oh noes! I'm doing this wrong, I just know it!" Since I had already begged the almighty LJ for help with the dress, I felt dumb going back again and saying "Um...yeah. I need underwears! Help?"

So I turn to my trusty bookcase. "I have some awesome books I know will help!"

"PoF2", not really. "Corsets and Crinolines", you'd think, with a title that includes 'Crinolines'....but no. "Let's see, what else to I have?" "History of Underclothes". Not a chance! Sheesh.

*Tearing hair*

"Ok, calm down. The internet has everything." *trot to minitop*

You would think that there would be a wealth of information about crinolines/flounced petticoats. Well, there is.....but not what I want. "Crinolines were used in the 1800's"......"Wear at least two petticoats, and preferably at least one flounced petticoat"......."Here's my awesome flounced petticoat I made, isn't it awesome?!"

"Well, yeah, it is awesome, but I need to know how to make one! After many, many hours of fruitless searching, I hiked back to the Lair (aka Sewing Room-O-Doom) and turned to my fabric pieces that I had so rashly hacked apart with little sleep, late the night before. I sighed. Again.

The base skirt portion itself is no problem. (If the base to a flounced petticoat is supposed to be 85" or so.) I start pulling out all the strips that I had cut for the flounces. "Oh NOES!!!!" I had cut them far too wide, and the exact same length as my base petticoat. "Not much flouncing there" I mumbled and sewed the pieces back together. *grumblegrumble*

"Ok, now what to do about the width?" Cut them in half? No, that is too small. Chop them at 2/3 and have yards and yards and yards of 4" wide strips of white cotton? That is wasteful!

It was then I came upon a cunning plan. (To which I have absolutely NO basis in historical fact.) "I'm gonna use the selvedge edge as the edge of an inside ruffle, and make each of my ruffles TWO layers!"

I seemed to work just fine! It's a smidgeon heavy for what I'm used to (and I'm not done yet!), but I have no idea what it's supposed to feel like!

So onto the pictures!

The bottom most two ruffles are completed! I am going to add 1-2 more above that. (And I finally used some of the 105 yards of lace I got on eBay for next to nothing!)


And here is one of the double-ruffles flipped up. I gathered about 1/2" down from the fold, and sewed it on at the same line.


The bottom most layer is flipped down, and the upper (lace) layer is flipped up.


I have no idea if it will work or not, but I sure hope so!

I've been on the prowl for accossories and bits for the Cranford Dress. So far, eBay has been far too willing to empty my pockets. I've won on some awesome stuff!

Straw hat!!! The crown is rounded, rather than the sharp edge of the stovepipe bonnets of the time. I'm going to try to figure out if I can steam a crisper edge to the crown. If not, I'll just wear it as-is and be happy that I have a hat. The trimming is actually off-white, which will go well enough with the dress. I am still hoping to track down some purple silk velvet ribbon to use as trimming on the bonnet and for a belt, though. (see below!!!) In the movie, Mattie wears her bonnet quite plain. I think I'd rather keep mine fairly plain, so I can use it with other future outfits. I really do want to try covering a bonnet at some point, and go all out with the trimmings, but I don't think this is the right project for it.


Also got about 4 yards of this pretty vintage lace. I'm sure I can get the age spots out with some OxyClean. I'll be using this lace for either a brand new cap, or possibly add it to one of the ones I'll hopefully win in the next few days. Remind me not to try the Cranford lace cleaning solution.....we don't need any cats in boots with digestional troubles!!


........If you don't know the reference to lace/cats/boots/digestional distress.....watch this, it is hilarious!

I also won this pretty antique (period-correct!) collar. If it's in usable condition, I'll use it with the dress. If it's not, I'll figure out some pretty way to display it, and use it as inspiration for a new made collar. (It's so pretty!)


I'm bidding on two antique caps (in seperate auctions). I'm really hoping I get at least *one*. Depending on their condition, I may just wear them. If they need special attention, I'll display them and use them as inspiration. (I've been wanting forever to collect antique clothing, and it seems I'm getting a pretty good start!)


This ribbon might be too light colored to be able to to used for a belt...but it's so pretty! (The listing says it has a stiffened backing, probably to be used specifically for a belt) I stopped myself from buying some darker purple that would have matched wonderfully, and it was gone within 24 hours. I'm still wiffling on whether I should get some or not! (If I do, should I get just enough for a belt, or should I get enough for some bonnet trimming as well??)


And I'm also bidding on one other thing.....not necessarily for the Cranford Dress, but just because I think it's pretty and made of 18th century fischu awesomeness....

Blue Dress Update....(Looking more like a dress!!)

My fingertips are hamburger! I can't for the life of me get used to using a thimble. I usually end up hurting myself more than if I had not used it. I think I need to look into getting a leather thimble or something.

Aaaanyway......Here's the dress! (The white part is a piece of paper for contrast)


And a closer view....I'm pretty proud of how square everything turned out!


Do you see an opening? It's invisible! I know I keep crowing about it, but I really am proud of that little placket!


Deconstructing the placket....the left hand side is hooked inside of the bodice. The hook on the edge will be tucked underneath the pleat to the right.


There's the pleat pulled out of the way to show the hook buried inside. (Man, it was hard getting that thing back in there!)


And the whole ensemble from the inside.


So.....I might end up sewing on the ribbons. I'm still trying to decide! If I *do*sew them on, do I hand sew or machine sew? Oh the dilemmas!

Yay! I'm over half-way done tacking the pleats into place. The front half of the skirt has regular box pleats, the back half has double-stacked (organ?) pleats. Next step is to attach it to the bodice. (Then after that, I'll need Holly's body for the sleeves! Well....I could probably start tackling the ties connundrum. Still makes me twitch.)

( Peekshurs of the skirt-y-ness... )I only have the pinned section to go!!!


This is looking from the outside of the skirt. The opening is going to be 1/2" out from the right hand side of the bodice. (If you can see it, the upside down pin on the left marks the bodice edge, the valley to the right is where the opening is)


And this is the inside of the skirt. I'm tacking twill tape to the front 10" or so to hopefully keep the nice straight line of the skirt across the opening. (Also to reinforce the hooks and eyes that will eventually close the skirt)


Aaaaand....the opening. The left side goes behind the right, I'll be adding hooks and eyes to the inside, and to the outside. I am hoping that I'll be able to tuck one of the hooks neatly behind the pleat that creates the invisible opening. The opening is actually quite a bit longer than shows in the picture.


I don't think I've mentioned it before, but I cut the skirt so the selvedge was at the hem. I flipped over all of the excess (about 10" or so) to the inside, and that became the padding for the pleats.

Um...yeah! I think I should be done with the tacking by late tonight, and start on the skirt attachment tomorrow. I'm totally fired up to get this done, I have so many other projects that are running around in my little brain!

Blue Dress Update....(Gold undersleeve edition)

Because I'm procrastinating ripping off the skirt, I'm going to post about the gold undersleeves!

I started out witha regular sleeve pattern slit it up the middle....


I had originally thought I would seperate the pieces evenly, but after looking at the full size paper pattern, I decided it would be better to open only the bottom....which left me more or less with a large rectangle. I ended up with a cuff that was just about double the width of the regular sleeve.


I turned up and ironed the cuff to create a nice finished edge of the ruffles...


Then, I box pleated through the entire width of the sleeve. (This took......forever. and ever. and ever.)


One down, one to go!


Both sleeves finally creased, pinned, and stay stitched....the wrist is stitched at the edge of the turn-up, and the forearm stitch is about 3" above that...


The ribbons are pinned in place over the stitching. One end looped and became the button loops. On the outside edge, I angled out the pleats to create a placket for the sleeve opening.


Close-up of how it all works...


And the loops/placket


And this is what it looks like on! YAY!

More Blue Dress Updates (Bodice Edition)

We had to get the Italian Sports Bra done before fitting the bodice.

The bodice draping went fairly smoothly.


Again, this is my favorite view of the bodice. It's pretty fun to try something new, no?


I more or less arbitrarily decided to do a sharp angle on the back rather than a scoop. It seems to play nicer with the squareness of the neckline.


Refining the pattern and making a paper copy for future use.


I spaced off taking any pictures of the actual construction....*duh* but anyway, it's a layer of cotton duck sandwiched inbetween the inner and outer satin layers. I stitched the back of the neckline, the curve of the armcye, and 3/4 of the bottom of the bodice.


And here is the bodice on Holly. (I don't sew down the shoulder straps until I've done a final fitting.)


And the back....look at Holly's teeny waist!!!


I spent forever and ever getting the dumb organ pleats to stack neatly and end up at the correct waist measurement. I've gotten about 6" into the stitching, and I'm thinking of pulling the skirt off again.


I really love how the pleats end up...


The opening is invisible, since it's between to sets of pleats with a placket behind. (Go me! I can't believe I got it to all end up so even. The left side is the side that has the opening......invisible!!! The right is wonky, because it's pinned and not sewn on yet)

What I am not pleased about is how the pleats line up to the bodice.
On the left side, the edge of the bodice lines up perfectly with the valley of the pleat. on the other side, the bodice edge is exactly 1/2 through the pleat. I might take out what I have done so far and even out the 'opening' part. The opening is exactly 2 1/2 pleats wide, so I would shift the skirt over so each bodice edge is 1/4 into a pleat on each side. Maybe. I have do decide how much it makes me cringe.


Next up, tomorrow I will post about the gold undersleeves! Sneak peek --

Blue Dress Update...Weekend Sewing Madness!

Teh Holly came down late Friday afternoon. We tried to get the shopping we needed to get done before everything closed, but we ended up not getting anything done.

I stayed up way too late working on drafting a pattern and getting started on things, so the next morning, I woke up late, pushing the shopping trip even later. Beth-a-Val met us at the fabric store, as did my mom with a multitude of cupons in hand. Much shopping ensued! Holly, Val, and I went to lunch, and we finally headed home to dive into the project in earnest. Valerie spend the bulk of the afternoon generally being helpful and conversational.

By the end of the weekend, we had a working undergarment, bodice, skirt, and undersleeves, (pictues below) all of which are in the hand-finishing stage at the moment.


(The 'wall of inspiration')

Holly and I agreed that whether the portrait dress needed supportive undergarments or not, we'd be making something to hold everything where it should be. Thus was born the "Italian Sports Bra". I used the Eleanor Toledo bodies as an inspiration. I ended up cutting off the bottom of the bodies (right above the side gores)

Beginning of the fitting....I wanted to keep some softness of the bust, so the only thing boned is the center front.


Flipping up the bottom of the bodies pattern where the gores begin. Yep! This will work!


and the front of the mock-up, shortened to match the back


The pieces cut out


Front of the bodies, constructed, with boning down the front. The bias is sewn down around the edges, hasn't been tacked down yet...that's the woobly bits around the armscye and neckline!


I love this view....it really shows off the rounded, soft line I'm looking for. The straps are going to be pulled slightly tighter, the pins couldn't take the pressure!

Next up.....tomorrow, I'll post about the bodice.