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A midwinter Georgian dinner

It’s winter here in New Zealand, and cold and dark and windy and rainy.

My local historical costuming friends and I decided to brighten up the shortest (ish) day of the year, and have an 18th century dinner.

We researched, we made food, we dressed up, and we had a lovely time.

I finished my newest Amalia Jacket just in time. Nina finished her warp printed silk Amalia as well (so exciting!). And we made Miss Four a Norland Frock.

I’m in love with this Amalia! I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

And a lovely time was had by all!

The Menu:

Vegetarian Oille:

I used this recipe, which is the most ridiculous recipe possible (yes, it’s even topped with gold leaf) and should not be attempted unless you have 8 hours, 3 sous chefs, the patience of a saint, and can read minds.

I realised partway through that it wasn’t remotely accurate as an 18th c oille. By that point I had already devoted three days of my life to testing the recipe, and had the only chervil plant to be found for love or money in Wellington ensconced on my warmest windowsill, being alternately bribed, coddled, and threatened a la Crowley to THRIVE. I was not giving up. So it’s a sort of conceptual oille: a wild assortment of extremely expensive vegetables, instead of extremely expensive meat.

Also, it’s not worth the effort.

Salmon mousse and crackers

Mandrang Salad (1773)

This fabulous cucumber salad, which probably originated in the West Indies, shows up in a 1773 cookbook, and is reproduced in one of Mary-Anne Boerman’s excellent cookbooks.

The original recipe called for chillies, but we substituted horseradish to accomodate an allergy, a twist that I can well imagine an 18th c cook resorting to if chillies weren’t available. I also made my version non-alcoholic, and used a dash of mandarin juice along with lemon juice, an alteration that seemed very fitting, as everyone I mentioned the salad to originally assumed it was a mandarin salad.

Mrs Frazer’s dish of Macaroni (1791), Cauliflowers fried, Brockely Sallad, Potato Pudding, Dressed Mushrooms (1700)

I’ve been advocating hard for a mac n cheese 18th c dinner, because it amuses me that it’s so plebeian today, but was an exotic luxury food in the late 18th c.

The cauliflower, broccoli and potato recipes are all out of Hannah Glasse’s Art of Cookery.

The cauliflower was fine, but looked like the perfect dish for a gross Halloween dinner. The broccoli is fabulous, and I’m definitely adding broccoli with vinegar dressing to my cooking repertoire. We were also delighted to discover that the 18th c preference was apparently for very crunchy veges.

Potato pudding is definitely a pudding, and I love it. I loved it so much I had two helpings, which was a bad choice considering we still had three courses to go…

The broccoli did lead to a fascinating discussion of why and how broccoli was clearly widely known in 18th century England, and yet almost completely unknown in early 20th c New Zealand. At what point did it drop into obscurity?

Persimmon ices

Croquembouche and syllabub

Our syllabub was non-alcoholic, so not accurate, but soooo delicious…

Fabulous!

Banner showing line drawings of four petticoats and reading 'call for pattern testers'

Call for pattern testers for a petticoat (or skirt!) pattern with options from 1890-1920

Published by The Dreamstress

I’ve been hard at worn on the next Scroop Pattern, and have a fabulous, versatile petticoat (or modern skirt) pattern ready to test. So, that means I need testers to help make sure it’s absolutely perfect!

If you’d like to help test the petticoat, keep reading to learn all about it, and how to apply…

The Pattern:

A versatile four-gored petticoat with all the delicious finishing details that make late-Victorian and early 20th century lingerie so beautiful.

With four views based on extant garments and original patterns, the pattern creates the correct silhouette for fashions from 1890-1920, but also looks fantastic as a modern skirt.

View A works perfectly under the Fantail Skirt. View B is great for the slim silhouette of 1909-1914. Views C & D are perfect for the Kilbirnie Skirt and other mid-1910s skirts.

Make it in silk or lawn as a historical petticoat, or linen as a modern skirt.

The pattern goes from a 24”/61cm waist to a 50”/127cm waist.

Testers:

This is an easy-intermediate pattern. Prior historical sewing experience is not required, but testers should be comfortable with both machine and hand sewing.

The pattern features historically accurate construction details. It’s been designed as a historical petticoat pattern, but can also be worn as a modern skirt.

As part of the application you’ll need to indicate if you plan to test this as a historical garment or as a modern skirt. If it’s the first you’ll need have a photo of yourself in a corset that matches the era of the view you plan to make (i.e. if you want to make View B, C or D you’ll need a 1910s corset like the Rilla Corset) that you can send a link for.

To be a tester you will need to:

Be able to print patterns in A4, A0, US Letter or US full sized Copyshop paper sizes
Have the time to sew up the item. You’ll have 10 days (with two full weekends) to make a finished petticoat, photograph it, and provide feedback (for reference, I can make either view in under 6 hours from cut to finish)
Be able to photograph your make being worn, and be willing for us to share your photos on this blog and instagram.
Provide clear feedback
Agree to a confidentially agreement regarding the pattern

I would hugely appreciate it if testers would share their finished make once the pattern launches, but this is not mandatory. I’m asking for TESTERS, not marketers.

As always I’m looking for a range of testers. I need a spread of geographical location, body type, sewing experience, and personal style.

Social Media

Having a social media presence helps your chances of being chosen as a tester, but isn’t necessarily a requirement.

I’m significantly more likely to choose testers who have an online social media presence, as that means I can really see and analyse their sewing, and how they think about sewing, when I’m choosing testers.

I do occasionally choose testers who don’t have social media, especially if they fill a less common demographic.

The Timeline:

Materials:

If you’re selected to test I’ll let you know and send you the materials requirements, line drawings, and the full pattern description by 6pm NZ time on Thursday the 15th of July. This is Wed the 14th for most of the rest of the world.

Lace:

An important heads up: this pattern uses a LOT of lace. Views A & C use just under 10 yards/9 meters (7 1/4 yards/ 6.5 meters of insertion lace, and 2 3/4 yards/2.5m hemming lace) in Size 40.

Patterns:

I will send out a digital copy of the pattern to testers before 10pm NZ time on Friday the 23th of July.

Testing & Reviewing:

This should be a fairly quick, easy sew. Testing will go for 10 days.

Testers will have until 10pm NZ time on Monday the 2nd of August to finish their petticoat/skirt and provide photos and feedback.

To Apply:

Fill out this form!

Make sure you have a link to an image of yourself in a period-appropriate corset if you plan to make a historical version.

What you get:

Pattern testers will get a digital copy of the final pattern, lots of thanks, and features on my blog and IG.

Evening dress by Augusta Lundin, 1913, Sweden, silk georgette with gold, silver and copper silk thread embroidery, lame, velvet, gold lace, chiffon, satin, GÃ¶teborgs Stadsmuseum

Rate the Dress: Edwardian Metallics

Published by The Dreamstress

I’m currently choosing fabrics for costume designs in bronze and copper, so this week’s Rate the Dress seemed perfectly in keeping with my mental design board. Or, mostly in line! The designs I’m working with are very aged and worn; all verdigris and corrosion. In contrast, this week’s 1910s evening dress is all crisp and polished, almost bright and shiny as the day it was made. Will you like it?

Last Week: a pink and black striped 1890s reception dress

A very mixed reaction to last week’s Rate the Dress. Everything from ‘smitten’ to ‘just no’, and every descriptor from ‘restrained’ to ‘exuberant.

Those who didn’t like it weren’t sure about the pink and black though: was the pink to pale to hold its own? And they definitely weren’t in love with the sleeves (I suspect they were a lot better when they were new).

Those who did like it liked it because it was such a perfect exemplar of the 1890s, or in spite of the fact that it was 1890s…in other words, for every possible completely contradictory reason!

The Total: 7.7 out of 10

A slight improvement on the week before.

This week: A 1910s evening dress in copper and bronze

It’s pretty amazing that this 1910s evening dress is only separated from last week’s dress by 30 years. The fabrics, silhouette, and design aesthetic are all strikingly different. In contrast, my students today are all wearing clothes that are basically identical to what was worn 30 years ago (in fact, a lot of them are literally identical – late ’90s ‘vintage’ is all the rage amongst the hip young things who were wearing diapers when these garments were first sold!)

Evening dress by Augusta Lundin, 1913, Sweden, silk georgette with gold, silver and copper silk thread embroidery, lame, velvet, gold lace, chiffon, satin, GÃ¶teborgs Stadsmuseum

While this dress is radically new compared to the 1890s silhouette, it is nostalgic in its own right; the silhouette and decorations look back to Ancient Greece and Rome. The sleeves, banded overtunic, and bodice girdle are all re-interpretations of classical dress. It’s characteristic of the 1910s take on Hellenic styles that this dress is coloured, turning its wearer into a goddess in bronze and copper, rather than a marble statue in white.

What do you think? Would Venus herself have envied the wearer of this frock?

Rate the Dress on a Scale of 1 to 10

A reminder about rating — feel free to be critical if you don’t like a thing, but make sure that your comments aren’t actually insulting to those who do like a garment. Phrase criticism as your opinion, rather than a flat fact. Our different tastes are what make Rate the Dress so interesting. It’s no fun when a comment implies that anyone who doesn’t agree with it, or who would wear a garment, is totally lacking in taste.

As usual, nothing more complicated than a .5. I also hugely appreciate it if you only do one rating, and set it on a line at the very end of your comment.