A dancing adventure

So, I was going to do something yesterday as a remembrance for the centennial of the Titanic sinking, but that didn't work out. So instead, two friends and I went to a contra dance at a small town that I had heard about. We were afraid there wouldn't be anyone there to dance with, but thankfully that wasn't the case. It was a lot of fun, and we had no trouble learning the dances, because the three of us all do English country dance together, and the moves were pretty much the same.

One of the really cool things about it was that it took place in a building that used to be a train depot, and was over a hundred years old. It was interesting to think of all of the people who had walked on that same floor. They also had live music, and I told my friends that it reminded me of a dance you would have after a barn raising or a quilting bee or something.

Rebecca

Reenacting?

As of late, I have been experiencing a sort of disillusionment with 18th century reenacting. The primary site I go to is no longer offering the same reenacting opportunities, and I'm not sure where exactly to go from here. You see, reenacting is easier when you have a family that all goes to events together, but mine doesn't do that. I am, effectively, a reenacting orphan; the only member of my family who reenacts. I have a few "adoptive families" I stay with at events, but it's not the same.

However, the main thing I've realized I don't like about the reenacting I've been doing, which is site-centered, is that it limits my growth in my knowledge of historic fashion. For instance, my site encourages the use of shortgowns and petticoats to the exclusion of all else, like roundgowns, etc. which are also accurate and under-represented. If I stay with place-centered reenacting, I will never make a sacque, or a quilted silk petticoat, or anything similar to these that would further advance my skill and variety as a historical seamstress, because they were not things people in my area would have had.

So after some thought, I have decided to stop limiting my 18th C sewing projects to the styles and materials that would have been available in my area and my time period. I am branching out into a different sort of reenacting, which I think of as time-centered reenacting. No longer will I only portray a woman on the frontier, but my opportunities are opened up to being a gentry woman, etc. The key of what I am saying here is that I am no longer bound by place. I can make a silk sacque, or anything else a wealthy woman from Williamsburg might have had if I wish.

This does not mean that I am going to stop going to my site or reenacting there altogether, or that I will wear a silk sacque to a place where my persona is poor. It does mean, however, that I am now open to do some projects I would previously not have done. I am excited about my new opportunities, and this change of attitude is rather refreshing.

Rebecca

(Note: This is not to discourage anyone who is solely a site-centered reenactor, I am just expressing my views as someone who enjoys sewing fashions from different social levels and now has the freedom to do just that with 18th century!)

Well...

I ordered them!

Now I have to decide about the buckles.  I'm looking at two from G. Gedney Godwin, this one, and this one.  I've been doing some research to try to find out if they are accurate, and which one would be more accurate for me and my "station".

Now my feet will be nicely shod!

Rebecca

She sure knits a mean pinball...

...or something like that.

Remember that knitted pinball I was working on awhile ago?

 I finished it last week!

Before we get to mine, I need to explain what a pinball is.  It is a pincushion (usually round, but sometimes heart-shaped or rectangular) that is hung from a string or a chain from the waist.  It serves a functional purpose (clothing fastened with pins, sewing, etc.), but it also could be highly decorative, an accessory.

I chose to have mine be a little lower class by knitting it with wool instead of silk. They weren't always knitted, however.  They could be embroidered also, or made with plain fabric.  I did research and found some good examples of extant pinballs at Diary of a Mantua Maker and The 18th Century Notebook.

I also found some good instructions at The Fashionable Past.

Here are some pictures of the progress:

This is the back piece during blocking.

Making sure the front and back are the same size and shape.

I think this is the best intarsia (color change) work I have ever done!

The reverse of the back. I love that it's almost as pretty as the front. 

The back after blocking.

Starting to make the pinball.  I followed the process Katherine used for her pinball.

Gather edges of knitted fabric and liner.

Stuff, put the round piece of cardboard in, and stitch the fabric around until secure.

Perfect!

Do the same with other side.

You can't really see it, but I put my name and the date on the cardboard, just for fun.

Align the tops and bottoms. and start sewing them together.

It feels like sewing the tops of two muffins together at first.  You wonder "Is this thing ever going to be a perfect sphere like the originals?" 

And then it happens. You have a perfectly round pinball.  Now all it needs is a tie to attach it to the apron.

At this point I began to wonder if my pinball was too big (it is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, 10 inches in circumference).  Many of the extants I had seen were smaller (about 5 in. around) and so was Katherine's.  In addition, I braided a tie, but I wasn't sure if it was too long. I did some more in depth research and found some examples of extants about the same size as mine, and some paintings via Diary of a Mantua Maker, and it assured me that it was a good size and length.

 The Pretty Maid, 1779

 

The Mutual Embrace, John Collet 

 

 and

Spring, 1779

 

Here is the finished pinball!

The back.

In this picture you can see how big it really is.  It's about the size of a baseball.

Here is is hanging from my apron on my dressform.  I love it so much that I wore it around the house for about an hour after I finished it.

I hope you enjoyed my pinball adventures!

The Pinball Wizard,

Rebecca

I am very excited about this!

I have needed some accurate 18th century shoes for some time now, and the amazing American Duchess is making some that are going to be perfect!

"Kensingtons"

These would be the ones I would get.

They also come in red. Buckles are sold separately, but she carries them in her shop also.

You can find them here:

American Duchess

Downton Abbey

Masterpiece Theater (BBC) has made some pretty amazing productions over the years. Their historical productions are so fascinating, and the costumes are great!  Which brings me to my topic for this post:

Downton Abbey

It's a great show, near the end of the second season.  For a bit of a refresher, we watched the entire first season today.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any good publicity shots or film stills that I could put on here, but here's some costume inspiration from the time period to drool over...(all are pinnable!)

Formal wear in the 19 teens.

Look at the fancy beadwork!

I love this one!

A hat. A lot of hats from this time period were very large, and loaded with decorations, like this one.

This one is a day dress. I love the stripes on the skirt.

A walking dress or suit, but still with feminine style.

An evening dress. Black, but not necessarily for mourning.

Here's a bonus for fans of Downton Abbey and BBC (these crack me up every time):

Part 1

Part 2

Just for fun...

I have never really been interested in the clothing from this time period before, but I guess it was Sherlock Holmes that won me over.  Here are 3 dresses from the 1880's that I really like: (All images were found on Pinterest and will be linked if you want to pin them! Just click on the link underneath)

A wedding dress from 1880, Bowes Museum

This dress is so pretty! I love the buttons down the front of the bodice, and the ruching strip down the front of the skirt.  Ruching, gathering, and pleating create such beautiful effects when they are used creatively to accentuate the figure (in a good way, of course!).  The idealized body shape of the 1880's is one of my favorites.  It doesn't try to drastically reshape the body or limit movement, it highlights the waist and is very feminine.

An 1880's dress bodice

This one looks like a day dress bodice.  One feature of quite a few dresses from this time period is that they had 2 tops to go with 1 skirt: 1 for day and 1 for evening.

A dress from 1883

If I made an 1880's dress, I would choose fabric in a strong color, like this one.  It shows off the draping of the skirt especially well.

It wouldn't let me upload all the pictures I wanted to, but if you want to see some more, this is my Pinterest board for Late 19th Century Clothing.

I'l be back with some more sewing news soon, life has just gotten in the way for a while.  I'm still working, however slowly.

Rebecca