All posts tagged: Polly Oliver

Polly / Oliver Waistcoat, buttons

The Historical Sew Fortnightly ‘Literature’ challenge is due today. I do not know if it will be done today. As I write this I’m curled up under a pile of blankets, with a cup of lemon echinacea tea, the heater blasting, and a box of tissues. Yep. I’m out with a cold. Instead of sewing, I spent most of yesterday sleeping. I’m feeling a bit better today, and am hoping to get the bodice done today, but taking care of myself is going to have to come first. So what have I got done? Cut and sewed the false waistcoat front: The front, neck and bottom front edges are finished with narrow piping. I forgot to add in allowance for an overlap for buttons and buttonholes when I cut the waistcoat pieces, so my front edges are sewn with the narrowest possible seam allowances. I’ll also sew the side seams with teeny seam allowances, and lace my corset a bit tighter. Will it actually fit me when sewn together? I hope so! Before finding that …

Dressing Polly / Oliver. Inspiration, and a teeny bit of progress

Published by The Dreamstress

This week is Polly / Oliver week (also Tax week, T-Shirt week, get-that-darn-car-sorted week, and plan-next-semester’s-schedule-week), and I’m working on it like mad. As a bit of a Hudson-Bay start after my little meltdown/epiphany over the weekend, (or really, a Hudson-Bay Start after a 5 year delay in getting this enterprise off the ground), I took stock of what I had, re-looked for inspiration, and have finally sorted out what I’m actually going to do, and what is actually going to work. I started with late 18th century female dress borrowed from male hunting attire and military uniforms, some real, some rather satirical: This print shows an outfit almost identical to the one on the cover of Monstrous Regiment, but for women: I’ve already shown you this image: And, of course, the MA portrait in hunting attire: Finally, the ubiquitous Reynold’s portrait of Lady Worsley: From these, I really love the white single-breasted waistcoat on Lady Worsley and the “Officer in the Light Infantry”, and their black feathered hats. I’m also borrowing the gold binding/ …

Polly / Oliver – learning to let go

Published by The Dreamstress

I’ve been working on Polly / Oliver, trying to get it done, in to the Literature challenge, and off my UFO pile. I’ve also been working myself into a bit of a state over it. I want it to be based on Terry Pratchett’s description of Polly / Oliver Perks feminine dress uniform at the end of Monstrous Regiment. And I want it to be 1880s, with overtones of late 18th century inspired historicism. And obviously it needs to use all the bits of the costume that I already cut and worked on back in whatever year it was when I actually started this (2007 maybe?) otherwise it would defeat the purpose of finishing a UFO. And I want it to be historically accurate, which means accurate fabrics to the 1880s and military uniforms, and an overall design that is supported by extent garments and fashion plates. And all the fabric needs to come from my stash. And you know what? I realised last night, trying to pick skirt fabrics, that sometimes everything I want …