Le Modiste: 18th Century Pocket

One of these days I will be able to afford the bone thread carriers. :)

I have been working on an 18th century pocket for about a year.  I am nearly done with the embroidery and will then construct the pocket for use.  I love embroidery since it is so portable and can go anywhere.  For example:  I took it to a marathon I participated in last spring up north in California.  I was one of several adults with our high school girls running club.  One of my students asked,  'What is that going to be?'  A pocket.  A very quizzical brow furrowed.  "Uh?"  I explained what a pocket was and how ladies used them to carry their belongings under their skirts.  "Why, would you spend all that time embroidering that and no one will see it?"  she exclaimed!  I said, "Good point but I know its there and after all its a personal item and a woman would want to practice her skills."  I don't think I convinced her but she sat with me and watched me do it while we talked about other things.  Anyway, here is the results so far:

I used an oatmeal colored linen and backed it with a muslin to give it some weight.  I did set up a duplicate to have a pair but I think I want to do something different for the next one which is to do one that is more early 19th century and make using patch work cottons.

Please note that this is one of the UFO's I have on my list to get done that is not a 'garment'. I am giving myself the deadline of early February, so I should have the finished deal by then!  Cheers.

Happy New Year!

The Wednesday after Christmas I went for a walk with a good friend and her 2 month old daughter.  We often walk together to get exercise and keep up with each other in many ways.  As we walked we encounter two very uplifting things.  One a family had set up on a deciduous tree a small plastic bucket with mail tags and permanent markers.  The sign asked:  What are you thankful for?  Both my friend looked at all the fluttering  tags with expressions of thankfulness.  We added ours.  What a wonderful way to celebrate our lives and share our joy of life no matter what is going on in our lives.  This simple mode of expression was a beautiful gift that this family could share with their neighbors.

We advanced to an eatery and had a nosh.  While we sat in the sun - yes we were wrapped up against the chill but the sun warmed us - a monarch landed in the bush next to us.  He/she wondered below the canopy of the leaves and the then boldly emerged to stand for its photo op.  What a beautiful reminder of how precious life is and how strong even a simple creature like this butterfly is.  This butterfly is probably one of the early arrivals of flocks of migrating Monarchs braving through ancestoral memory the migration from southern climates to come north and start life again.  Many do not make it but those that do remind us how strong we can be in life's journey to survive and thrive.

Best wishes in 2012 to you all.  May your days be filled with creativity, love, hope and joy.  No matter what the world (media, politicians and other unhappy souls) say or do, don't let anyone steal your joy and share it that joy.  Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays and best wishes in the New Year!

Best wishes to all this Holiday Season!!  I feel extremely blessed to have connected with you all over the last couple of years.  I hope that we will all continue to keep in touch through our various blogs in the new year.  I am planning to post more often even if it just to check in and say hello.  In fact my historical clothing goals are:

1.  Titanic Ball Gown (March event)

2.  Art Deco evening dress (Lt. April/Early May event)

3.  An 30's outfit for a talk I am giving at the GBACG Academy in March

4.  Victorian Jacket, Skirt and vest (Dicken's faire 2012)

5.  Finish the Pierrot I started this summer

6.  Remake the Victorian corset I made that shatter in one wearing! (Don't ever forget to interline your corset especially if you are using silk - bones and silk don't like each other!)

7. A Gatsby Picnic dress (Sept event)

8.  Regency evening dress and a Redingote.

Phew!  What a list.  Will it get done?  We shall see.  I have basic wardrobes for Art Deco, Victorian, Regency and 18th Century so all the above are icing on the cake for me....yummy!

Again, my dear readers.  Thank you for your visits and comments.  Please accept my deepest wish that you and your families have a wonderful holiday -  no matter how you celebrate this time of the year.    Cheers!

Le Modiste: 1840's successfully completed!

Well, with some minor handwork the day before going to Dicken's Christmas Faire, plus the bonnet I finished the dress.  I was really happy with the results and wearing it was like a dream!  Even with my corset shattering under the stress of wearing it (I will explain later), the dress was comfortable!  As I may have said before, I like to think that I am making historical clothing so I prefer my clothes to fit, look nice but also be comfortable - in other words I prefer that I wear my dress and not my 'dress wear me'.  Here is another image in the context of the faire:

With friends @ Tavistock House:  The two gentleman are friends visiting from England and one of my dear girl friends

The bonnet came out great.  I will try to take more up-close pics for another post.  I am not really a bonnet type of girl.  However, 1840's is a bonnet period and there was no way of getting around it.  So, I set-to and got a pretty blue silk one. I used a Lyn McMasters pattern for Early Victorian bonnet.  The fabrication was blue dupioni silk for the outer part and a silvery blue green silk for the interior gathered lining (both fabrics were from other projects - I love making use of scraps!)  My hands were very unhappy with trying to sew through the buckram which was a double layer laminated together.  I ended up doing a lot of hot gluing of the frame together and the mull over it.  The fashion fabric was glued in some places and sewn in others.  I will post close-ups on the next post.

Now, to the 'shattering corset'.  So, my pretty little corset taught me a very hard lesson.  Ladies - do not make a silk corset and not interline it so that the bones are b/w the interlining and the lining.  I had cloutil and silk and that was it.  The bones began to eat through the silk.  Yes, I know, what was I thinking?  Well, I wasn't.  I really took my time with the corset, too!  But for whatever reason, I just didn't think it through.  So, I will have to make another - a bit more sturdier.  Sigh. 

I am on to Christmas gift making and decorating but I have a few historical clothing projects in the works:
Regency day dress and Pelisse.  I hope to use American Duchess' turban how-to video to provide a headpiece.
Late Renaissance/early Jacobean embroidered jacket.

More to come.  Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all and updates on my 1840's day dress!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.  I hope that on this day you will accept my thanks for being a part of my life, even virtually.  I enjoy our community of history enthusiasts and those who express their creativity through the art of sewing, cooking and all.  Best wishes to you and your families for a joyous beginning of the holiday season.


As you know I have been working on a day dress for the Christmas Dicken's Faire here in San Francisco.  As thanksgiving dinner is to be at  my house today, I had to get the dress as far as I could so that I would not feel rushed next week.  With that said, the dress is down to handwork and finishing.  The process has been thus so far:

The dress sans sleeves.

I made self-fabric piping using the super skinny cording I bought ages ago.  I am told and have seen period examples of piping and it is always very fine.

The sleeves pinned in to test run and a sample of lace/cutwork for the neckline.

As soon as the joyful celebration of our Thanksgiving is cleared away, I will renew my efforts with finishing the dress by Sunday.  I want to make a bonnet but I think that won't happen not this time around.  I have a pretty matching fur capelet and cap that I can wear. 

Before I close this post, about a month ago I went to the Bay Area English Regency groups Queen of Naples Ball.  It has been a very long time since I had been to one of BAER's balls, but it was close by and though I haven't a Regency evening dress I wore my Directoire gown.  I went with friends who were just able to send me a pic to share.  It was the bloodiest hot evening of the year and I, in a wig and gown with chemise et al was roasting!  But it was fun and I enjoyed myself a lot!

My friend Sheila and I.  Photo by Walter Nelson

Again, happy Thanksgiving and best wishes to you all.  Updates to come, stay tuned!

Regency Alert! A new magazine to check out!

I found this at our local fabric store and at Barnes and Noble.  The magazine has a few articles about Jane Austen, the Austen movies and some back ground information around fashion, knitting and just a great timeline of corresponding events during Jane's life time.  The knits are all Austen/Regency inspired pieces sent in by different knitters and knit designers.  Unfortunately, none of them are for the novice knitter.    There is a sweet little reticule with a diamond pattern that I would love to try but I am not a good knitter nor a patient one.  Give me thread and needles and I will embroider and handwork up a storm but knitting, alas is not my forte.  What is exciting ladies and gents, is there must be an interest amongst Regency folks to produce a full, glossy colored magazine on such a specific topic.  There is a call for entries for future magazines, so all you knitters and Austenphiles go for it!

Le Modiste: Final corset fitting

Well, another UFO completed!  Opportunity knocked this past wet, cozy weekend to stay home and sit at my sewing machine and get some stitching done.  The rosebud corset I started this summer finally got its finishing touches and taken over to Lacis, in Berkeley, California http://www.lacis.com for its grommets. Lacis has all the equipment you need to put in grommets for corsetry for a minimal fee and all the help and advise you can want.

The original post for the corset was this one:  http://lachatelainechocolat.blogspot.com/2011/07/le-modiste-summer-of-underwear.html

Ta...da....!

The silk is super fine so I can already see that I will have issues with the boning coming through at the bottom edges.  In hindsight I should have put a middle layer so that the bones would go between the mid and layer and the coutil.  As I don't do Victorian events that often I may be okay.   I love this one.  I haven't made a corset in a long time so I have to pat myself on the back a bit.

Next posting:  How the Victorian day dress is coming.