All posts filed under: 19th Century

My, what an enormous padded fur or fabric hand receptacle/warmer you have

So, I originally titled this post “My, what an enormous muff you have”, a la Little Red Riding Hood, because apparently I’m on a children’s story theme this week. Then Mr D pointed out that my title was perhaps a little more risque than I usually aim for with my blog. After blinking at him in confusion for a very long moment, comprehension finally dawned. Ohhhhhh…. I know I keep him around for something! Anyway, I’ve been looking at late 18th and early 19th century fashion plates, and, thanks to my love of muffs, I’ve noticed all the absolutely enormous muffs that were in fashion in the Regency period. I mean, look at this: Her head would fit in the hand hole! And if you thought that one was bad, look at this one: Forget keeping her hands warm, if she gets cold enough she could climb into this thing wholesale, and keep warm like a little post-Revolutionary space rebel. How did she even carry it? It would weigh half her body weight! Things got …

Announcing: Polly / Oliver!

Published by The Dreamstress

Well, it’s been five years, a lot of fabric, a lot of thread, a lot of buttons, a lot of gold braid, and a bit of moaning and swearing and threatening the garment with dire consequences (“I will DYE you blue. I’ll do it! I swear! You’ll be an abomination unto Nuggan from head to toe. Behave or dye!”) but I have finally finished the whole Polly / Oliver Perks ensemble, and Polly is ready to stand for Borogravia and women’s rights and well-maintained pubs and clean socks everywhere. (well, not quite everywhere, but not just on feet and in the sock drawer and other places you might normally expect to find them). This dress and I have done battle, I lost some skirmishes, but I’ve come out the winner in the end, and I’m rather pleased with it. It’s Borogravia does girlie-military, with lots of gold braid and fitting, meets historically plausible 1880s fancy dress. After seeing the photoshoot images, there are a few places where I need to tack the skirt panels into …

Skirts, scrambled eggs and sewing cats

Published by The Dreamstress

I had an afternoon tea this Saturday, and hoped to debut Polly Oliver at it. On Friday, I was doing great: ahead of schedule even. Felicity was helping. You didn’t need to cut where my paw is, right? I had all my pieces cut: apron, over-train, bottom pleat/over layer (not sure how to describe it). I lined them, finished them, and had them all ready to attach to the skirt and assemble. I started by pinning the bottom pleat/over layer on. It’s quite short in the back, over the skirt hoops, where it will be covered by the long over/train, and longer in the front where the apron will sweep up and reveal bits of the under skirt. As with the 1886 dress in Janet Arnold, there is a part layer of good fabric over the original support layer. Based on my inspiration images, mine has a slit showing the red under-fabric. I’m not entirely pleased with how the part layer is hanging at the moment, but I’m hoping that the buttons can be …