The Dreamstress

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The HSF: Favourites for Challenges 16-20

Woohoo! We’re heading into the last six challenges of HSF ’13! I can’t believe how successful it’s been, and how much I have sewn, and the amazing things other people have sewn.

As we got past the halfway point I did find myself lagging, and struggling to keep going, and I don’t think I was the only one. There was a definite decline in entries for each challenge over the low at the end of summer/winter. Things seem to be picking up again as we head into the last few challenges, so hopefully we will finish off the year with a surge of sewing amazingness.

Despite the slight lull, there was still lots of individual amazingness in the creations that were submitted, and selecting only three items that inspired me for each challenge was still a struggle. I shared my favourites for Challenges 1-5 here, and for Challenges 6-10 here, and for Challenges 11-15 here. You can see all the creations for each challenge either through the comments for each individual challenge page, or through the Facebook group albums). Here are my favourites for Challenges 16-20

Challenge #16 — Separates (and the facebook album)

Mouse Borgs 1790s jacket based on a KCI original – I can’t believe it’s her first jacket ever! It’s so beautiful, and I really appreciate all the construction photos, and drafting info. Plus, check out how wonderfully ridiculous the full ensemble is.
Kelsey’s Viking overdress & apron-dress — Lovely garments, and I really like the way they help to create a whole wardrobe, in a time when people would have added individual pieces to a wardrobe as old garments wore out, rather than thinking in terms of ‘ensembles.’
Teacups among the fabric’s ruffly 18th century shirt — It’s a beautiful shirt, and exactly the sort of garment that I was thinking about when I proposed this challenge, and Laurie even demonstrates how versatile it is in her post. Mostly I’m just envious that her son ardently requested more ruffles though! Oh, for a man who wants a ruffled shirt…

Challenge #17— Robes & Robings (and the facebook album)

Gouvernante Astrid’s monk robes – I don’t think any finished challenge item ever brought as much joy to as many people as these. I laughed when I saw them, and I’m far from the only one. They are just so deliciously robe-y!
Kitty Calash’s ca. 1760 open robe – I appreciate how this one kept not being finished in time for challenges, and ended up getting done for the perfect one, and I can certainly sympathise with her mental agony! And the research and construction are excellent.
Festive Attyre’s 1930’s Hooverette – OK, so it’s stretching the idea of a robe to the very limit, but her wrap frock is adorable, and does show how versatile the robe shape has been.

Challenge #18 — Re-make, Re-use, Re-fashion (and the facebook album)

Stephani’s 1800s Round Gown — Not only is she much happier with the look and fit of her re-fashion, but this gown is a very historical example of a re-fashion: updating a gown that is 5 years out of date to something that fits the newest trends.
In a Time of Cosplay’s Regency from 1970s-Renaissance – Re-made from a gown her mother wore to Renaissance fairs! How sweet is that!
Fashioning Nostalgia’s 1900s combinations — Combinations from a chemise/night gown isn’t a re-make that is likely to have been done in-period, but it’s a perfect example of how modern things can be turned into plausible historical items, and the result is lovely.

Challenge #19 — Wood, Metal, Bone (and the facebook album)

Rachelle’s 1770s stays — She’s been working on these for so long, but I think the end result is so worth it! They are beautiful!
Phillip’s Viking pendant— I’m just in awe. The level of skill in the carving is phenomenal.
Jill’s Edwardian corset — There were a LOT of beautiful corsets & stays produced for this challenge, but the handmade lace on this one made it particularly special.

Challenge #20 — Outerwear (and the facebook album)

Isabella’s red 1770s-80s cape. It’s the classic red cape, that just makes you think happy snuggle warm thoughts. What could possibly be more suitable for the challenge!
Carolyn’s 1880s paisley dolman— It’s so amazing! Just beautiful! And the construction info and details are fantastic too – so helpful if I ever make the dolman I suddenly desperately feel I need!
Christina’s Regency frock coat — It’s beautiful, it’s beautifully made, and the wearer even helped with the welt pockets. Now that’s what I call a gentleman!

And now that I’ve overwhelmed you with links to fun historical stuff, here is Felicity hogging all my sewing stuff:

What? You wanted to use this?

A late ‘teens sweater

Published by The Dreamstress

Just in time for the end of winter, I’ve finished a late ‘teens, early ’20s inspired boiled wool cardigan jacket:

I had intended this to be another ‘Outerwear’ entry, but as I was sewing it I realised how much it was like a robe – the cut is nearly identical to my favourite robe pattern, just shrunken. And since my poor robe a la francaise is still pottering along, very slowly, I’m VERY excited to finally have finished a Robes and Robings entry of any sort.

For something that is essentially robe shaped, this cardigan was stupidly hard to make. It’s not a hard pattern: I just got caught up in my own brain as I sewed, and turned something that should have been a doddle into a complicated mess.

I started out wanting to make this:

Early 1920s Bay Blanket Coat

I’m still madly in love with it as inspiration, but as I tried to sew it, I realised that the look really did need to be made out of blanket weight woven wool, not lighter boiled wool knit.

So, failing that, I went back to actual late ‘teens and early ’20s knitwear, like this (which includes a pattern, so you could knit it, if, unlike me, you knew how to knit):

Sweater of Angorina, Star Needlework Journal, 1917

I adapted the look to have a shawl collar, very fashionable in the late teens and early ’20s.

Apparently these sorts of cardigans were meant to be worn to play tennis and golf, but since I haven’t been near a tennis racket since high school and have never played golf, I think the school-marm look is more my speed.

Because of my brain-tangle and stupidity, the cardigan has some flaws, like side gussets, because I originally cut the cardigan too loose, and then I cut it too tight and had to add back in width.

I think I added in a teeny bit too much width, but at this point I’m just telling myself done is beautiful and leaving it at that.

Despite the flaws, and the sewing-every-seam-at-least-twice and having to re-cut the sleeves and piece the front overlap, I actually really like the cardigan. It’s warm, and comfortable, and since ‘end of winter’ is a bit of a joke in Wellington (it can randomly get down to single digits in summer) I’m sure I’ll get lots of use out of it, both as a historical garment, and for modern wear.

The Challenge: #17: Robes & Robings

Fabric: 1.5m boiled wool knit – I traded it with a student in exchange for a class.

Pattern: My own, mushed together from various vintage patterns and with a bit of drafting.

Year: ca. 1919

Notions: Thread, 4 wooden buttons ($6)

How historically accurate is it? Since this is another example of my sewing something that would have been knitted, not. I don’t think it would really pass the most basic ‘could I have worn it on the street in period without getting really strange looks’ test.

Hours to complete: Way, way, way too many!

First worn: Last night, for reading and posing and staying lovely and warm and snuggly on a chilly evening.

Total cost: $6 + a $60 class fee.

HSF ’14: How it’s going to work & Challenge #1

Published by The Dreamstress

Oh my goodness! Only 6 more HSF challenges to go in 2013! That means it’s time to start announcing the challenges for 2014, but first, some basics about how HSF ’14 will work.

I’ll be getting a proper page with all the details, and a HSF button for your blog, up in the next few weeks, but here are the most important bits:

There will be 24 Challenges in 2014, with a Challenge due on the 1st & 15th of each month.
You can do as many or as few Challenges as you want, though I’d encourage people to aim to do either the full 24 (full marathon) or every other challenge (half marathon) just to give you a pattern and motivation.
To be eligible as a Challenge entry, items should have been finished no more than 6 weeks before the Challenge due date.
For HSF 2014 ‘Historical’ counts as anything from the earliest moments of textile history to the end of WWII – 1945.
I’ll announce the first seven Challenges of HSF ’14 after HSF ’13 Challenges 20-26 close, respectively, and then announce the remaining 17 HSF ’14 Challenges in one big lot in January 2014. I’ll continue to do inspiration posts for the Challenges 8 challenges ahead throughout the year.
You can post your completed challenge item in the challenge album linked to the HSF facebook page, or as a comment on the blog post for the Challenge (so in January you can comment on this blog post with a link to your completed item for Challenge #1).

So with all of this in mind, Challenge #1, (due Wed 15 January) for HSF 2014 is: Make Do & Mend.

Let’s start of the year with a clean slate, and with a bit of a tidy up. Use this challenge as an opportunity to get your historical wardrobe in order by sewing back on all those buttons and hooks that have worked loose, replacing those very dusty dust-ruffles, adjusting that jacket that never quite fit you, or re-making that out-dated item into something fresh and new.

Don’t have a historical wardrobe? Or is yours already in perfect order? Celebrate the historical precedent of making-do by re-making something into a historical garments, whether it be a bodice from a worn-out skirt, a chemise from old sheets, a bosom-friend from an old cardigan, or a new historical hat from an old modern one etc.

Or, just celebrate those people who had to make-do by making something for someone who would have scrimped and saved and re-made and mended until the fabric entirely fell apart: the poor peasant, the intrepid pioneer, the Depression era housewife, and anyone from any other historical period who couldn’t just buy a new one.

To celebrate the new HSF guideline dates, and how one era sewed in the spirit of Challenge #1, here are a few images from a WWII era ‘Make & Mend for Victory’ book in my collection.