The Victorian Alaskan

Hello again, both stitching and non-stitching friends! As I wait for my order order from Mood Fabrics, thanks coronavirus, I figured I would start working on my skirt so that all I have to prepare before starting on the bodice is two petticoats. Fitting the bodice on the petticoats, and even on the skirt itself, is entirely optional. Generally, bodices in the 1860's were worn over skirts, meaning that shirts weren't tucked into skirts but instead lay over top of them. So I personally felt better with measuring and constructing my bodice last (to get my sewing skills as sharp as possible) and to give myself my best chance at laying the entire ensemble together correctly. (Image source:  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/178595941452485881/ ) It is important to note that your bodice, and skirts and hoop skirt, should be constructed over and tailored to your body while in your chemise, corset, corset cover, and shoes. If you opt to not wear a corset cover (that's fine, n...

Hello stitching & non-stitching friends! I know it's been quite a while since I last posted, and I know the world has kinda fallen apart since I last wrote. Unfortunately, school has kept me quite busy and I have barely put in more than a dozen stitches or so into my projects since I began back in January. Horrifying, I know. However, since everything has transitioned to online, and with the quarantine, I've had more time at home. Therefore, I've been able to do some research and plan out my next few steps for my 1860's dress. I finally received my hoop skirt! Since I like in Alaska, I don't have access to the supplies to make a crinoline and obtaining said supplies would be prohibitively expensive, so I purchased a custom crinoline from a German tailor. As I type this, I am just now realising that I have taken exactly zero pictures of said crinoline, so I'll be sure to get them up just as soon as I take some. However, I have to report a loss in my s...

Hello fellow stitching & non-stitching friends! This post is fairly simple and straightforward, but it's a very important step in historical costuming. Flat-felling is a technique for finished seam allowance inside a garment. It's especially helpful for lined garments, since the stitches won't show through to the outside of the garment. Before doing anything to the seams, be sure to press them flat. This helps them not wrinkle as you're sewing them, and also stiffens them a bit to make cutting them easier. Once your seams are ironed, cut one side down to a quarter of an inch. It doesn't matter which side, but if either side is smaller than the other, cut the smaller one down and leave the larger one intact. Once you've cut one side down to approximately a quarter inch, fold the uncut side in half. Then lay the folded side down over the cut side, encasing all the raw edges and leaving only the folded edge out. I like to pin my felled seams do...

Hello! As I mentioned in previous posts, I made a proper 1860's gored corset. However, I had already made a corset cover using a plain old modern corset. When I tried on my old corset cover with my new corset, sadness! It didn't fit! I had to go ahead and adjust my pattern piece, which I detailed in another post, and then remake my corset cover. I chose to use my Truly Victorian TV 107 corset cover pattern. The pattern is very easy to use, and it also details how to adjust the pattern for the best fit, which I found exceedingly helpful. The pattern requires almost two yards of forty four inch muslin, which I already had, some buttons, and some lace for trimming. I got these mother of pearl buttons, half inch lace, and beading lace from my local JoAnn fabrics. Since the beading lace originally came with a bland, white ribbon threaded it through it, I opted to purchase a very thin strip of ribbon through the threads instead. I chose this gorgeous deep purple ribb...

Hello stitching friends and non-stitching friends; I've been busily ignoring my ever growing list of chores and to-dos and instead scrolling through fashion plates on Pinterest, drooling at all the dresses. I am a person fond of lists. Shopping lists, to do lists, gift lists, they make me happy. I love the feeling of accomplishment I get when I not only create a list (because organised people create lists, thus I must also be the ever elusive Organised Person) and secondly, when I cross things off the list. The crowing jewel is finishing  a list, when it's all crossed off and there's nothing left, hallelujah! But there a downside, a dark side if you will, to lists: not completing them. What do you do when you can't finish a list? Sometimes it makes me not want to accomplish other tasks, or to throw out the list altogether. It's the same with our goals. Goals are, essentially, a really big to-do list. One we work towards and try to achieve. But because they...

Hello fellow historical enthusiasts! In this post, I want to take a pause from technical talk and just chat about dressing historically. How do you decide what you want to wear? What era? The sleeves in the 1890's are unrivaled, but the drape and deep pleats of the 1880's are calling to you. And who can forget the delicate bell shaped skirts of the 1840's? I could go on and on, showcasing each of the beautiful sewing techniques and styles seen in each decade of the nineteenth century. How do we decide which one we like best? Or if that doesn't help, which dress do you make? After all, you're only one person who can make one gown at a time. A good place to start is in your own, twenty-first century closet. Do you like bright, vibrant colours with bows and frills? Do you usually have ornate or complex hairdoes? Then definitely consider the tantalising gowns of the eighteenth century. Perhaps you prefer to dress more plains, in dark, rich colours. Then the eleg...