green_martha | Entries tagged with 1890s

I've been going through my books for my 1890s research... project... thingie. All in the name of going back to basics and looking for what's really typical in terms of shape and trim for 1890s lingerie. Turns out colored lingerie seems to be all the rage. I can't find a single fashion column between 1893 and 1898 that would mention lingerie and NOT mention color. Pale pink, pale blue, and pale pink, blue or purple flowers on a white ground. I need to look into what the patterns might have looked like now.
I'm enjoying some free time as the kids are with my parents and I'm home alone. I "only" have to make about 10 pounds of plum jam this afternoon. The plum tree is full of ripe fruit. We've have various cakes already. Tonight I'm going to try duck with a plum sauce, and this afternoon jam. And most of the fruit is still ON the tree. I've picked over 30 pounds of plums already. Does anybody want some ?

Current Mood: geeky

I haven't forgotten about sewing, I just spent a lot of time sewing this mostly by hand. I think there are two machine seams in the whole garment. There are a few things I wish I'd have done better but I'm generally pretty pleased. Oh, and it hangs all wonky on the dummy because the client is a totally different shape.
Now I'm thinking about really diving into the 1890s madness, but of course, I can't find my twill. I'm sure I still have some white twill, it just... disappeared. But in the progress of turning up my entire stash I found various linens that I thought I had used up - and subsequently bought some new fabric to replace. I'm sure the old twill will show up the minute I buy some new one !
It's not like I have a lot of time to sew anyway - starting tomorrow, we start tearing down the old upstairs bathroom. The pink wallpaper's days are counted ! YAY !

Current Mood: accomplished

I have a pile of extant garments sitting just a few meters away from me ! Including a late 1890s bodice and a 1890s skirt...

Bodice : not the most perfect sewing skills, it has been worn a lot and altered in several places. The pleating in front and back is beaaaaaaauuutiful ! Concerning the details I'm presently looking at, the sleeves are lined ust the same as the bodice, without any kind of stiffening.

Skirt : it is NOT 6m50 wide at the bottom :) I haven't measured precisely yet, but somewhere between 3 and 4 meters. It has 10cm of cartridge pleats at the top in the back. The hem is stiffened with a 25cm high strip of a kind of glazed coutil - the same fabric that's used for the waistband. There's a small braided band, about 1,5cm wide, folded in half over the bottom edge of the skirt, and a mystery strip of blue silk, 3cm high, applied over the glazed coutil but under the braid on the inside.

heileen has put up a truckload of pictures up on her FlickR, includign a fa-bu-lous natural form bodice... Yum !

Current Mood: high

Another short note on the insides of the gigot sleeves ad matching skirts, from La Mode Illustrée (p. 70).

On March, 1st, 1896, they begin talking about "flat" sleeves, except for the very top of the sleeve. Or the sleeve can remain full, but with a vertical gathering thread running from shoulder to wrist and flattening the fullness. These two styles are still very new and the author isn't convinced they will last, though.
Long sleeves are "still" completely lined with starched muslin, just enough to prevent them from being too floppy.
Concerning skirts, they remain very wide (6m50 says the book), but the heavy stiff lining is now omitted. Some couture houses use a kind of light and flexible padding as an interlining. A simple 10cm high strip of horsehair is inserted at the hem.

This doesn't quite agree with what I found in my previous post - although both fashion chronicles were by the same author. That's... amusing.
I'm not translating those quotes very precisely, just compiling tricks to get the right shape for sleeves and skirts. If you want the exact wording, just go ahead and ask !

Current Mood: nerdy

Okay, I started really going through all the text parts in my books.
On the 26th of January, 1896, La Mode Illustrée, pp. 30-31, says sleeves entirely lined with a stiff fabric are now a rarity (so they DID entirely line the sleeves before !). Sleeves should now only use a 20cm deep, 60cm long horsehair ruffle attached on the sleeve lining (between the lining and the fashion fabric), a little below the armhole, on the upper side of the arm only, not on the underside.
By the way, the text also says skirts are made of heavy woolen fabrics that don't require a lining. Skirts of lightweight fabrics and silk should be lined with a stiff fabric like horsehair, at least for the three box pleats in the backs.
There are a LOT more information tidbits in those texts, covering fabric advice, tips on how to refurbish an old dress, collar and cuff shapes... I just have to sieve through this. I will probably end up gathering all of it into some... thing, for my own use for this 1890s project. I have to think about this more, as I'm pretty sure it could be of interest to other costumers. Suggestions are always welcome :)

Current Mood: geeky

Yesterday Murphy tried jumping over the railing at the top of the stairs. That wasn't a good idea as he can't see where he's going. He knocked a lamp down (one that was hooked to the wall over a big mirror), the lightbulb exploded, but thankfully the cat is unharmed. *shakes head*
This morning I got a kind of weird email. I think someone confused me with someone else - but it still made me happy as it offered some information I'll be sure to keep in my head for someday, later. I have the feeling life is throwing lemons at me as a very unsubtle hint that I should make some lemonade. :) Lots of ideas about my business project(s), and I managed to get some structural work done on the website as well.
And now, I noticed I must have been on crack when I scanned the La Mode magazines, because I put them all together in the 1913 folder while more than half of them date from 1914. I need to correct that while I'm editing the nodes.
I started mocking up the sleeve for my 1895-6 blouse, happily using

jenthompson's work as a starting point. It's not bad, but not perfect either. I need to research what the innards of those gigantic sleeves looked like. Right now my gigot is a bit floppy. The stiffer taffetas will help some, but I suspect they did have a few other tricks back then...

Current Mood: rambling

So the good news is : I've sewn some ! I thought the 1893 blouse from Ageless Patterns I had lying around was a good starting point and it was. It worked even better once I figured out the seam allowances were included in the pattern. Tried it on, adjusted the fit and I can now proceed to cutting out the lining. I also realised I could use it as a base for my corset cover as well. I'm glad I started from scratch again, I think this pattern block fits me slightly better than the previous one I was using - which would have needes adjusting anyway, as my body has changed some after two pregnancies.
While I made progress on the outerwear, I'm afraid more work will be necessary in the underwear department. My antediluvian corset is coming apart. The hook-and-eye tape I used instead of a busk in front is coming undone. I kinda fixed it, ghetto-style, but I doubt it'll last very long. So the 1890s corset I had planned has turned from a "oh, I'd like that one day" into an emergency. *sigh*
I tried the Erris pregnancy corset on, and the lacing on the sides just flatten my hips. And it has spiral steel rubbing against my ribs down the front, so I'm not planning on using this one again.

Current Mood: busy

Before I go back to working on some mid-1890s stuff, I figured I might as well scan just a few images from my 1917 book. *big grin* It's not much, but there's a lot more to come. This morning I picked up the 1895 and 1896 books from La Mode Illustrée, I also have two other books from 1895 waiting. And there are still some pictures on my site awaiting text.
I have found a tartan blouse from 1895 tha I like, so I *think* I have a general concept of what I want the blouse to look like. Or two. I'm debating whether or not to line it and I'm leaning towards a lining. It will make it hang better. My 1893 blouse pattern says only wash goods blouses should be left unlined. As a bonus point, I could use the same lining as a base for the cream and green blouse as well.

Current Mood: creative

I tried searching for the yardage requirements of some mid to late 1890s skirts, and all I got was "OMG you can't survive under 5 yards !!!".
I took the pattern pieces out of my trusty Ageless Patterns package (don't remember the number, but the skirt is perfect and the jacket is pretty close), laid them out on the blue wool... I might have to piece a teeny tiny bit the side, but it fits ! Hahah, take THAT 5 yards ! (I have something like 2,5 yards)
Still, I haven't found tha tmany examples of strong color contrasts for the last years of the 19th century, so I'm considering using a brown wool twill I inherited from my Grandma.
I went fabric shopping today, and came back with a mauve and white shot taffetas for a petticoat, purple and black tweed for a commission, some stark white fine cotton for underwear, and I couldn't pass up the check taffetas in green and cream. It shall become another 1890s blouse to go with the brown skirt. It also works with my existing 1898 skirt, and it would look awesome as a complete day dress... Decisions decisions...

Current Mood: contemplative

And it feels weird that I'm turnign into a researcher, me, the "OMG it's prettiz I wants its "-girl. I'm looking through my magazines collection, compiling tartan occurrences and looking at silk vs. plain petticoats and at how to get the correct fullness at the bottom. Mighty ruffles of Doom ! Lots and lots of ruffles on top of ruffles on top of flounces on top of... You get the picture.

First, I need to make myself some actual clothes to wear for Easter-shmeaster-when-do-we-do-this-Heileen-? I'm looking for plaid blouses, because I have four meters of plaid taffetas, and this photograph has made me want to make an 1890s plaid blouse for years.
Now the questions :
- which year do I choose ? I have a soft spot for some 1895-96 designs, but tartan really does seem typical of 1897-98. The sleeves would be a little more work, as I haven't yet found patterns or diagrams for those, but I could go a little more crazy on the trim. And I have a bazillion skirt patterns/cutting diagrams at hand.
- OMG I have to choose a fabric ! The blouse itself is settled. I have some silk remnants from my wedding dress that coordinate quite well and would make nice accents. I'm leaning towards some wool or the like for the skirt.
Option one would be the same short plush I used for my 1885 dolman. I then have different shades of wool* twills that might work, one more reddish brown, one a lighter brown. It also suddenly occurred to me there's a hint of light blue-grey in the plaid, and I have the world's prettiest lightweight blue wool*, but alas, only 2 meters. I doubt I can wing an entire bell skirt out of that.

The skirt won't get done for a while, though. First I will concentrate on the blouse and make the waistband of my existing 1898 skirt a smidge larger - I made the skirt before Heimlich, it's a little too tight now, not much, I don't expect to have to move the zipper**.
Then I'll need proper petticoats, because I'm ashamed of the ones I have, and after I've read a very complete description of a fashionable 1898 silk petticoat, I can't see a way to alter my existant ones to my satisfaction. Now if only I could find a nice, cheap taffetas with rosebuds or B&W stripes (it can be synthetic, as long as it's not screaming "Polyester !" too loudly, but it has to be cheap). And lace. I need yards and yards of lace.
Then probably the rest of the underwear : chemise, drawers, corset cover.

And only after that am I allowed to make plans for the next ensemble... but the dark turquoise wool is talking to me in my sleep :p

*all wools courtesy of my grandmother's hidden mighty wool stash of doom that we found while emptying the house. It filled about 1/4th of her wardrobe, and she didn't even sew !
**Yes, it has a zipper, I wear it in everyday life, so it got everyday conveniences.

Current Mood: exhausted

... you make me want to wrap myself in ham and dance around in the moonlight.

You are making me CRAZY !
I want to see 1890s petticoats, so I suspect those would show up in a 1800-1900, Textiles, "Petticoat" search. No 1902 négligé. No 1998 Dior dress. No fishermen photograph. No 1750 court dress. PETTICOATS, I just want to look at those damn petticoats ! *sobs*
Also, what tells you the bottom of this piece was "meant to be seen" ? Cause it's pretty ? I have a lot of pretty lingerie, I had a lot of pretty lingerie before I even met my husband. I don't go around naked in it. 66cm is pretty short for a petticoat that's supposed to be seen in 1903. Also, considering half of your petticoats from the period are either colored or even patterned, I wouldn't say color is "unusual" for the late 19th century... It's also nice that the "petticoat, linen" search turns up a few cotton ones that didn't show up in the "petticoat, cotton" search. No linen petties in sight, though...

So yeah, I can't sleep and I've started researching 1890s undies.

Toad slept through the night, a little over 12 hours straight last night, yay ! I can't tell you how relieved we both are. She's been having bad nights ever since she got out of the hospital, and last week was particularly rough. So rough the neighbors noticed. She woke up at the most irregular times, she was fine as long as one of us (or better yet : both of us) was holding her. Then she was smiling and playing. But sleeping ? Oh noes ! A few times we managed to lull her back to sleep after a bottle of milk, but sometimes there wasn't anything to do about it.
This means we were both really, really tired (oh yeah, because the HG has been sick as well, and completely drained from it and thus no help in the household for some days), so when I kinda crashed yesterdya evening, he told me to just do something that makes me feel good. So I went to eBay for some retail therapy of the costumer's kind. How long do you think it'll take for my new 1886 book to arrive ? :D I have my eye on some teens stuff as well. I blame you all for putting me in the mood for Titanic/Downton Abbey costumes ! I don't have time for this ! I have nowhere to wear it ! Tsk tsk tsk... :)
The justaucorps is hemmed, next are buttonholes, but ThePrincess is extremely loud and the kids are asleep. So I just *have* to start on the next thing on my list : 1890s !
My corset is still okay until I have a good chunk of time to make a new one, so I'll be starting on the rest of the undies. My current ones are a mish-mash of different periods and mostly in somewhat thick materials. I have better fabrics now, and I want a really pretty set of undies. I oviously need a few really good petticoats to get the right bell shape for the skirts, as well.