Le Modiste: An itch to stitch!

Embroidery!  Not everyone likes to do embroidery but I am one of those that does.  There was a while back when I use to do it all the time.  I haven't done much in a long time.  A very long time!  Recently, I have been inspired by some recent reviews of others work and realizing how much I miss embroidering.  If you have followed the last couple of posts you saw the results of my 18th century pocket.  It took over a year to get it done but I had the itch to stitch and it finally got done.  I want to do more!  In fact, I adore the idea of fabric embellishment and manipulation.  So, I am exploring this genre of sewing that has implications for historical clothing as well as home furnishings.  My latest muse is Alabama Chanin.  This American company is the vision of Natalie Chanin.  (Check her out on Facebook or go to her website direct: http://alabamachanin.com. Her latest book -

Cover of her latest book

 Ms. Chanin's work is using only 100% US grown cotton jersey knit and embellishing it with stenciling, applique, embroidery and/or beading.  The sample below takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary!

This inspires me to work on mundane clothing for everyday that is not mundane in the least.  Yes, time consuming but what lovely clothing to have that has a vintage feel to it!  I ordered via Amazon, her other previous books to get more ideas.  Her clothes are lovely, but I am not sure how they would look on a petite, rounded body like mine.  Her models are impossibly beautiful, very young and TALL et SLIM!  But I am determined to figure it out as I love the idea of embellishing clothes.

With that said and within the topic, I had planned to embroider an Elizabethan shift - yes, another UFO of a year or two ago.  I got the shift cut out and was ready to rock and roll with the embroidery but once I got started I wasn't happy with the size of the motifs and the stitches I was using.  The shift is similar to one in Janet Arnold's  Patterns of Fashion 4.

Woman's linen smock 1605-15

sleeve detail

Neck and construction detail

I love grape and grape leaf motifs and also acorn motifs. I found some period images to verify my use of either motif.   I decided on a repeat pattern of a cluster of grapes and a single leaf.  At first when I started it a year or so ago I was using 3 strands of cotton embroidery thread and mainly using stem stitch and French Knots.  But it looks heavy and fuzzy.  I tried it with 2 threads (no image) and it looked to limp and fuzzy.  So, what do do?

This is the original motif I embroidered with stem stitch and French knots.

I decided to try it with using a back stitch (the image below to the right).  In comparison it looks neater and a lot more like the Janet Arnold version in texture.  I think I am going to with that.  What do you think?  A friend of mine did the same garment but followed the Janet Arnold embroidery pattern and motifs.  She did it in pink and it came out fabulous!  I am not a pink girl so I decided on blue - a deep blue instead of the black.  My friend used silk embroidery thread which is what was used on the original garment.  Cotton embroidery thread is cheaper but it does lack the soft sheen that the silk has so I will investigate sources for the silk.

The one on the left was started in stem stitch.  To the right it is all done in back-stitch.

Eventually I would like to have an embroidered jacket of the time period to wear over a boned kirtle.  Ha, Ha, Ha....we shall see! Although, I mainly do 18th century, Victorian and Art Deco events now, I do want to attend a 16th century camp event that happens annually in Northern California every April.  One day, one day.

In the meantime, I think I will work on a sampler of what I want to be on the shift and the jacket and get use to embroidering again.

More to come, stay tuned!

Le Modiste: Italian 1790's jacket and gilet

Sharing!  This lovely jacket and gilet I found in one of last year's Marie Claire Idees magazine.  The magazine is a French publication all about arts and crafts.  However, they often have a travel article in some of their issues and this one I believe was to Italy.  I could be totally wrong as it was a while ago and I have since cut up the magazine for my scrape files.  I rediscovered the image while de-cluttering my house and files.  Now, with all that said, I hope to one day build this or something similar.  In fact there is a similar garment in the Kyoto collection.

Kyoto Collection Inv. AC4350 82-21-13AC for the blue jacket and Gilet on the left.

I have always loved this Kyoto item.  I have seen the gilet underneath which is actually a separate garment - like a vest.  I can't remember where I saw the two pieces separated as it was ages ago when I was surfing the net and didn't think about logging where I saw it for future reference.  Sorry.

When I create historical clothing, I am one of those gals that likes a feminine tailored look.  The jacket with gilet fits this preference.  I call it 18th century coordinates or sportswear.  :)  The image from the magazine article is very lovely with its green stripes and the cuffs with buttons, I think is rather elegant.  The embroidery in the gilet is nice - though not very clear.  I believe the original shot of this garment was at a distance as the garment was in a case and I have taken a picture of the magazine cut out, so the quality has not really translated.

Perhaps once I get the Pierrot done that I started ages ago (here is the post I did on it: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4876460879989115941#editor/target=post;postID=2458202876907329965), I can think about figuring out a pattern for a jacket and gilet.

If any of you have seen the jacket and gilet at the top of the post, please pass on where you have seen it, as I would love to get a closer, detailed image of it.  Merci!

Addendum:  A friend found the website where the top garment is found:  It is not in an Italian museum but a museum in Lyon!  http://culture.france2.fr/mode/expos/si-le-xviiie-siecle-m-etait-conte-en-costumes-68348649.html.  Check it out.