All posts filed under: 19th Century

Terminology: What’s the difference between stays, jumps & a corset

I’ve already posted about the difference between swiss waists, waist cinchers, corsets & corselets. This week, I’m going back in history, and back to basics, to discuss the differences between stays, jumps & corsets. Stays, was the term used for the fully boned laces bodices worn under clothes from the late 16th or early 17th century, until the end of the 18th century. Before this boned garments were called (in English at least) a ‘pair of bodies’ – for each side of the stays. via here (but if anyone knows the original source I’d prefer to credit it!) The term stays probably comes from the French estayer: to support, because that is exactly what stays did. Stays turned the torso into a stiff, inverted cone, raising and supporting the bust, and providing a solid foundation on which the garments draped. Despite their heavy boning, and how stiff and constricting they may seem to modern eyes, stays were originally seen as more informal wear, as opposed to garments with the boning built in, such as the …

Rate the Dress: Lock me up in 1887

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week’s 1860s wrapper made us think of warm fires and good books: until we noticed the terrible un-matched front stripes. Unfortunately, mis-matched stripes could not be unseen, and could not be forgiven, and so the dress lost an average of two points for that flaw, whether your original rating was good, or bad. Still, 6.6 out of 10 isn’t too bad after all! Over the past year most of my Rate the Dress picks have been chosen to fit the Historical Sew Fortnightly themes, but sometimes I find a frock that I really just want to feature, and which doesn’t have anything to do with the HSF. This week’s choice, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of those. I think this dress is fascinating. The tomato red silk, paired with the red velvet in a very slightly darker shade. The mix of pleating, gathering, ruching and draping as you move across the skirt, and from the apron overskirt to the velvet underskirt. Most of all, the chain-inspired trim. What a intriguing motif …

Sewings, sonatas and soirees

Published by The Dreamstress

This, dear readers, is why my Robes & Robings project is going to be hopelessly late: I’m not supposed to be taking commissions at the moment, as I’m working more than full-time between teaching at uni and teaching sewing, and trying to run the HSF and work on other projects. But when Rowena, who I’ve worked with before, contacted me to see if I would make her an 1840s inspired evening dress to wear at a parlour concert set in the 1840s, how could I resist? I’m such a sucker for a pretty dress idea! And Rowena is such a delight to work with, which made taking on a commission very easy. We only had a month and a bit to make the dress in, but luckily we were able to find a fantastic pure silk jacquard in Wellington, and once the right fabric was found, the project just sailed ahead. Sea green was very fitting for this project, as the parlour concert’s programme included Haydn’s Lines from the Battle of the Nile, the Mermaid’s …