Kristen: Fort Wayne, 18th Century Inspiration

This might be a little secret (no wait, I posted it on Facebook!) but I have been researching 18th century clothing as of late. It doesn't help that I attended a Revolutionary War reenactment with my fiancee and the Giorlandos a few weeks back. Of course I have forgotten to post those photos...

My fiancee had never seen the fort (a gem in Detroit) and I had never been there as a spectator. It's odd; I felt that I was dressed wrong! The first thing I noticed about the reenactors is that they remind me quite a bit of the Civil War. The wooden tables and chairs, tents, and cooking fires all reminded me of "home."

All of the people were very friendly and willing to answer questions. Hmm, that sounds familiar! The doctor and his tools were especially interesting, as my fiancee recognized a few from his medical studies.

 

We continued exploring Fort Wayne, and even ate lunch on one of the porches of a house. It really is a shame that this place was so misused for such a time. All of the history in this fort, and it was abused by the people of Detroit. Thankfully, there are those willing to donate their time and money to the fort, fixing it up inch by inch. If you're interested in knowing more, you can look at their facebook page here and donate here.

Finally, I MUST talk about the clothing! Since I am not well-versed in 18th century clothing, it was difficult for me to completely know every bit of clothing, though I did note a lack of stays on several women. Was this common? My Civil War dress just doesn't fit right without proper undergarments, though it might be different for this era. Also, I saw many pockets!

So here is the big reveal...I've already made 18th century stays! It is not perfect by any means, but I am proud that I jumped right in. It is better to have sewn and lost...then to have never cut at all! My next post will show its construction, and hopefully me in it. Also, Port Sanilac is coming soon, in all of its reenacting glory...

~Kristen

Becky: A Dress In A Day

courtesy of The Two Nerdy History Girls  

This has been swarming around on Facebook for sometime now, and I finally saw the videos today.

The Margaret Hunter Shop in Williamsburg, VA replicated a 1770-1780 dress, or a mantua, as it was called then. Not only did they replicate the dress as it was built in the Early American era, but the women who worked there made this mantua in a day!

I learned that silk was made in 23 5/8 inches long! The average length of fabric today is 45 and 60 inches. Janea Whitacre mentions that the average work day in the 1770's maybe 12-13 hours! She also mentions that one's dress was only the cost of the material, but not the labor that was put into making the dress!

The videos are a great inspiration for myself to make the stays I have been thinking of. I hope the videos will be an inspiration for you too!

Enjoy!

Guess What Came in the Mail Today!- Becky

Wool and reeds for my stay came in today!

 

I bought 2 yards of  Wm Booth Draper's "Light Blue Stuff", enough worsted wool for making mistakes. I also bought the closest thing to Colonial bones: reeds. I didnt know that I would get that much! Ive heard that plastic zip ties has the same effect and are cheaper, but Im a person who likes accuracy, even if this is my fist stay.

 Im happy and I cant wait to work on it!

Becky's Spring list

There is 87 more days until summer and I have a major sewing list. Each due date is an event, but most likely well not be related to the project.

My list:
4/14-Greenfield Village opens
Yellow sheer dress
1770 cotton shift

5/03-Walker Tavern
1860 bonnet form
1770 stay

5/24-Memorial weekend
Stripped apron
1770 hips/roll

6/21-Mackinac trip (in question)/first day of summer
1770 petticoat
1770 dress

So there you have it! I hope I can do it.

"Becky! You need to post something!" "Okay, Okay!"

Umm, so I havent posted in... forever.

So what have I been doing? 

I have been "behind scenes" working on the blog section " Get The Look" as well as keeping busy with sewing and researching. I have also been busy finding a house to move out with the boyfriend.

Im sorry that I failed to post anything.

This weekend I attended the Kalamazoo History Living Show and what an event! The atmosphere was almost as existing as a reenactment, if not more! There were eras from Early American to late Civil War. Ive been attending this event for a few years, but this year was different.

Not only did I bring my boyfriend, hoping to convince him that dressing up is fun, but I purchased nothing for my Civil War persona! 

Thats right! Im moving up! Well....maybe moving backwards. Im now working on Colonial wardrobe and my hopes are to one day work in an environment surrounded by its history; such as Fort Michilimackinac or maybe even Williamsburg, VA!

I had purchased all my patterns, looked at shoes, and bought my first silk fabric! Im not quite sure what to use the silk for, but it is the prettiest magenta/ olive green Ive ever seen!

The picture is inadequate to what it is in real life! 

Im not sure where or when my interest peaked for the colonial era, but looking at the fabulous Samantha Bullat and visiting Fort Michilimackinac in 2011 were defiantly influential!  

Becky: Completed embroidered braces with tutorial

I've been working on my dad's braces for a while. In fact, they were supposed to be a Christmas gift last year or even the year before! This week I was finishing them at the sewing party. I'm happy another project is crossed off my list and dad is happy to be able to wear awesome braces for his wedding.

Embroidery comes easy for me, but I'd love to show you my technique!

1) Trace your pattern on parchment paper with a pencil

2) Place the tracing on the braces or on the latest work to continue.

3) Embroider through the fabric and paper

4) Finally remove paper by streaming paper and tearing.

I'm now working on a custom dress someone asked me to make and finish my 

corset.

I need your help deciding on which colors to use for my first Rev war dress!

Should I go with the pink jacket with a blue shirt or blue jacket with pink skirt?

With Love,
            Becky!