The Dreamstress

Latest Posts

Have a Scroop-tacular Halloween!

I LOVE Halloween. How could I not? It’s a holiday all about dressing up!

I love going all out with Halloween costumes, but I equally love taking ‘everyday’ clothes and sewing patterns and turning them into a costume. There is something really fun and clever about turning a simple thing into something wacky and fabulous with a bit of creativity (remember my circular cardigan Jedi?)

In celebration of this concept, we’ve been brainstorming all sorts of fun costumes you could make from Scroop Patterns.

The Miramar Dress, Top & Tunic

We had to restrain ourself with ideas of costumes that could be made with the Miramar as a base. There are SO many.

Make it floor length in black, add a hat and a broom, and you’re a witch!

Or, a dangling girdle belt, and you’re a medieval maiden.

Many stretch velvets have the right amount of stretch for the Miramar too. Dark red stretch velvet? You’re Mother Gothel! Pale turquoise with a chiffon cape? Elsa! Dark blue? Arwen!

But you don’t have to go full length with the Miramar to have a cool costume. The Curvy Sewing Collective suggested it would be a good base as a Catwoman costume, and we thought the idea was so fun we had an impromptu Catwoman photoshoot.

This really is as impromptu as you can get! I pulled out a black Miramar top, leggings from my favourite legging pattern, cut a quick pair of ears out of some black fabric, stiffened them with interfacing and cellotaped them to a black mask, and we used watercolours to paint my face because I didn’t have any suitable facepaint. Five minute costume for the win!

The cut-on sleeves of the Miramar give it a very 1950s-60s flair which is just so perfect for Catwoman.

The Henrietta Maria Dress & Top

What can you do with the Henrietta Maria?

I got a bunch of suggestions of a Dorothy blouse, with a blue gingham pinafore dress over it, and what do you know, Ciara has already done a delightful Dorothy-esque outfit with the Henrietta Maria over on the Monthly Stitch!

In white, the HM would also be a great pirate shirt – those big puffy sleeves! Arrrrrr matey! (which reminds me how much I want to sew a white HM for myself).

Or, what about a full length Henrietta Maria, in white jersey, with the bottom of the sleeves left loose, as a Princess Leia?

The Fantail Skirt

The Fantail is an obvious choice for all sorts of 1900s-esque costumes: add red hair and you’re Anne of Green Gables; a white blouse, daisy trimmed hat, and red bow tie, and you’re Mary Poppins.

We got a little over-excited brainstorming Fantail ideas, and started debating dividing the back panels into multiple panels, to make a rainbow, with each pleat in a different shade. It would be amazing to see if you tried it!

The Rilla Corset

You know what I would REALLY love to see someone do with the Rilla? I’d LOVE to see a 1910s period-accurate Wonderwoman corset. Something with a red chemise and blue drawers, and gold binding and trim… I think it’s do-able, and would be amazing! Whose game?

I’m sure there are lots more costumes that could be made from Scroop Patterns! What else can you think of?

Whatever you’re doing for Halloween, happy costuming!

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

WWI era corset, 1910s corset, Rilla corset, corset pattern

The Scroop Rilla Corset on real bodies

Published by The Dreamstress

I’d hoped to show the Scroop Rilla Corset on models when I launched it, but unfortunately due to timing issues that wasn’t possible.

Happily, we’ve now managed to do a full photoshoot with the Rilla, and I can show you how it looks on actual bodies!

Both Jenni and I are wearing the Rilla Corset in size 38, with Average hip flare. Jenni wears View B in white coutil, and I wear View A in peach pink brocaded cotton.

The size 38 in Average is a perfect match to my measurements. Jenni has an exceptionally small waist compared to her hip size, so the ideal Rilla Corset for her would be custom fitted to her measurements: shortened, as she is petite, and let out slightly in hip and at the underbust, to accomodate her amazing curves.

I give guidelines on adjusting for fit in the Rilla Corset pattern, and will also be demonstrating custom fitting on Jenni in a later post. Although not an absolutely ideal fit, the standard pattern still fits her quite well.

We both put on our corsets right after eating a big (and delicious) lunch, and then spent a couple of hours in them hanging out, posing, sewing, grommeting another corset, and lounging on the couch reading my vintage 1910s magazines and Alexandre Dumas’ Louise de La ValliÃ¨re (scandalous!).

Perfect proof that you can comfortably live and work and do things in these corsets!

Both Jenni and I are wearing combinations made from Wearing History’s ca. 1917 Combination & Chemise pattern, Rosalie stockings, and earrings by Dames a la Mode. Jenni’s shoes are 1990s era Louis heels, and my shoes are modern ballroom dancing shoes.

Huge huge thanks to Jenni & my amazing photographer for their work. They are such amazing women, and I’m very grateful to get to work with them, and to be their friend.

Further pictures will be appearing on the Scroop Patterns product page shortly!

Rate the Dress: Madame Houbigant in all-white

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week’s very vividly green 1840s dress sparked a lively discussion over whether it was actually poison-green (i.e. arsenic green) or just poison-green coloured. Deadly or not, most of you liked the brilliant hue, and while not everyone was keen on the ruffles and ties and overall silhouette, it still came in at a rather nice 8.5 out of 10.

Whew! We’d been on such a bad streak, nice to have a good score again. Will this week’s choice revert back to the poor scores, or set us on another winning streak?

This week let’s look at Madame Houbigant, wife of perfumer Jean-FranÃ§ois Houbigant. Her feather-trimmed cap, heavy satin over-robe, lace chemisette and Kashmiri shawl provide a more mature take on the ubiquitous all-white ensemble of Regency and Empire fashion.

Merry Joseph Blondel French, 1781 â€‘ 1853 Portrait of Madame Houbigant, born Nicole AdelÃ¤ide Deschamps, about 1807, 1993.17 Speed Museum

Nicole AdelÃ¤ide Deschamps was the daughter of a perfumer herself, and her husband entered the trade by apprenticing under her father in law, and then founding his own business. After rising in prominence under the ancient regime, and surviving the revolution, Houbigant Parfum went on to become the personal perfumers to Napoleon. He travelled with their perfumes on campaign, and they were asked to create a custom perfume for Josephine. This portrait, showing her in the height of Empire fashions, was probably commissioned to commemorate the success of Houbigant Parfum under the Napoleons.

Unfortunately the triumph of Houbigant Parfum was also marked by tragedy: Jean-FranÃ§ois died in 1807. After her husband’s death, Madame Houbigant continued the business. Unfortunately, in order to do so she had to marry a licensed perfumer, so she chose the chief clerk of Houbigant perfumes. I really hope she actually liked him!

(All of this makes me wonder if Houbigant Parfum is yet another business where the husband gets all the credit. Starting a business is admirable, but Nicole AdelÃ¤ide potentially kept it going for 30+ years after her husband’s death, including a period where it was official perfumer to Queen Victoria. She barely gets a mention in any of Houbigants official marketing. Did the chief clerk really do all the work, or should Madame H be receiving far more acknowledgement?).

Getting back to the actual question at hand: what do you think of Nicole AdelÃ¤ide’s ensemble? Has she successfully mixed luxury, as befitted Houbigant Parfum’s success, with restraint, suitable to her age, and merchant background? As an example of Empire fashion, incorporating delicate laces, a luxurious Kashmiri shawl, and the heavy silks that Napoleon was promoting over imported muslins in order to support the threatened French silk industry, does this outfit work?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

SaveSave