OMG That Stitching!

If you've done any historical clothing research, you've probably come across the omgthatdress! tumblr, and subsequently wasted several ____s (fill in appropriate time-related word) looking at all the dress p0rn (and possibly spent a great deal of time cursing the lack of references for some of the older pictures -- sure, you're telling me it's a dress from the 1830s, but I swear that sleeve looks more 1840s than anything, and you don't have any links to the original source! Curse you with curses, so foul and cursed!). Well, last week I got to check out the Resplendent Dress from Southeastern Europe: A History in Layers exhibit at the UCLA Fowler Museum, and it was like omgthateyelet! omgthatembroidery! omgthatsoutache! omgthatlace! omgthatcouching! left and right.

See that expanse of gold? It's all tiny metallic threads couched onto the surface so densely as to obscure the actual fabric surface!

Apologies for the fuzzy iPhone snaps! It was pretty dimly lit in the museum. This is a different outfit, but gives a better view of the couching. Now just picture those little loopy lines filling an entire jacket, like in the picture before this!

It's just incredible how intricate the designs are! 

Couching done with black threads instead of gold. 

How fantastic would it be to swoosh around in this full-skirted jacket!

There were some pretty fabulous examples of other handwork too. This outfit was trimmed with intricate eyelet borders.

The method used to make these textured flowers is so cool -- little strips of stiff paper are wrapped with metallic thread and sewn to the fabric, making a raised surface like embossing. 

Gorgeous lace and embroidery on a bonnet. 

Look at that cutwork!! 

It was fantastic seeing such gorgeous handiwork up close, and marveling at the tiny stitches and amount of detail that went into these festival clothes. What heirlooms they must be! I don't have the patience for this kind of thing, so I'm even more appreciative of the fact that these girls spent so much time on these garments.

I was also a fan of the simple background that the exhibit director chose. I love it when little things like that enhance a museum experience. 

And then a couple of days ago, Sandra of Brown Paper Pattern met up with me to go check out the FIDM Museum's Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Travel & Fashion exhibit. I'm always excited when I get to check out extant vintage and antique gowns, and this exhibit, though tiny, was a treat because 1) the garments weren't roped off or behind glass, so we got to examine them up close (all the while keeping in mind the Arrested Development motto "No touching!!"), and 2) Sandra was with me! I usually go to these exhibits by myself or with non-sewers, so it was a nice change to have someone to exclaim with about things like...

This 1960s coordinated traveling suit and luggage! And the very non-PC fur stole. 

We marveled at the topstitching and clever seamlines...

...the bound buttonholes made in knit fabric, and the matching custom covered buttons!

The "invisible" hem allowance was a whopping six inches! Can you imagine a modern pattern calling for that much extra fabric? 

The topstitched seam on the front of the dress continues onto the back. Lovely. 

Another gorgeous travel set. 

I know I keep saying everything is fantastic and intricate and all, but it really is! Look at that contrast piping and edge!

The suitcase has a shoe compartment and a compartment for hanging tops. It was meant to be a coordinated traveling wardrobe, with mix-and-match spotted, solid, and checked tops and skirts, plus a reversible vest.

This 1920s outfit is pretty unremarkable. It's kind of all the things I hate about the 20s, all shapeless and weird floral prints...

But! I found it extremely reassuring that whoever it was who sewed this, totally botched the bound neckline! Hah, I'm not the only person who has issues with chiffon!

They had one older garment, too! The museum labeled this as 1904, but it looks more like an earlier silhouette to me.  This is more natural form  bustle Victorian and less S-bend Edwardian-puffed-sleeves, right? 

Neat back pleat detail on the jacket. See what I mean about getting to walk all around the dresses and get up close? 

Cuff detail. Sandra and I were both of the opinion that the silk moire looked quite a bit like some awful modern polyester...funny how that was a desirable look back then! 

Nice buttonholes, darts, and bobbly buttons. 

There were a few more outfits, but most of my photos were pretty bad. Still, I had to include this one with not only the coordinated luggage, but also picnic basket and thermos!

Unfortunately, both exhibits are closing quite soon; Resplendent Dress is closing tomorrow, and Travel & Fashion is closing on July 19. I always seem to check out these costume/fashion exhibits right at the end of their run! I'll miss having the FIDM Museum so close by once we move up to NorCal, but thankfully the De Young and Legion of Honor are pretty awesome too. Still, the Oscar and Emmy award-winning costumes exhibits have been some of the highlights of my two years in TCOCC. And of course, it's sadder to leave the little sewing community down here! The ladies of Stitch in the Ditch have been wonderful and welcoming; if you're in the LA area, I highly recommend their company!

Another 20s Dress, Old Sport!

I was pretty dubious about the drop-waisted, shapeless styles of the 1920s when I first started doing research for my Great Gatsby frock. I figured I was going to make my one evening gown so as to use up that elaborately beaded/embroidered stash fabric, then never sew anything from that era ever again. I  even went so far as to feel sorry for everyone who'd subscribed to my Great Gatsby Fashion board on Pinterest, because I wasn't going to add to it anymore. But I couldn't get that "robe de style" look out of my head! I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a tender curiosity.

So, when it came to my next sewing project, I decided to combine both the Stashbusting Sewalong dress challenge AND the Historical Sew Fortnightly lace theme and make another Gatsby dress, but a more casual one this time. It's more afternoon-outing-in-the-cream-colored-car, less lavish-party-at-the-mansion-in-West-Egg. Similar to my evening gown, it's a lace overdress, colored slip, and accents in the same color as the slip. This time, though, I went all jersey knits to keep it more casual (and also because it's what was in the stash). Funnily enough, just like how my previous make was a top from a pattern I originally purchased when I first started sewing, these fabrics are also from that same time period. It's one of my first purposeful fabric purchases (i.e. not just remnant bin finds for practicing on), but I loved the lace and the dusty robin's egg blue so much that I could never bring myself to sew them up because I was afraid I wouldn't do it justice. Three years later, I'm glad I waited for this.

I loved this random apartment complex's old-timey wooden door. The anachronistic key code box, not so much. 

Side view.

Isn't this fabric gorgeous? 

While they might not be the most historically accurate materials, my fabrics are still in line with the general look and popular color scheme of the time:

Lace over a pale blue slip with the same fabric as a belt...hmmm, that's pretty similar to the picture at the beginning of the post...

Pale blue!

More pale blue, with a simple gathered skirt.

And...more pale blue. 

Lace overdress with a gathered rectangle skirt, pale blue slip...are we sensing a theme?

Not the same shade of blue, but a lace overdress and purpley-blue slip nonetheless.

This tambour lace overdress actually reminds me a lot of the burnout pattern on my overdress. 

I think I did pretty well in interpreting this look for modern wear!

It's hard to see here, but I promise, the colored slip shows up much better IRL. 

I don't think it screams "HI I'M A HISTORICAL COSTUME!" at all, right?

Ignore my spaced-out resting face. 

On the other hand, maybe it screams 80s-drop-waist-dress. Please tell me it doesn't!

Summary:
The Challenge: Lace and Lacing...obviously I went for lace.

Fabric: 2 yards of burnout cotton jersey "lace" for the overdress, 1 yard of rayon jersey for the slip, belt, ribbon, and sleeve accents

Pattern: I didn't use a specific pattern, but instead came up with my own based on these dress patterns from the late 1920s. No shaping in the the bodice, kimono sleeves with an accent band in contrasting fabric, a wide scoop neckline with a bow, and a gathered rectangle for the skirt. The slip is the same pattern as the American Duchess tutorial I used last time, but with a more shaped neckline. Since I was using knit fabric, I bound the neckline and made the straps with the same fabric instead of using ribbon.

Year: late 1920s

Notions: Metal snaps for the belt

How historically accurate is it? I made my style lines as accurate as I could without buying an actual pattern. My research seems to indicate that knit fabric was made acceptable for daywear in the 19-teens by Chanel, but was usually made of wool or silk.  Rayon was invented, but not popular until the late 1920s, and then usually as a woven. That said, my M.O. is still accurate pattern, plausible overall look, inaccurate fabric, plus I'm making this more as a historically-inspired modern dress, so I'm okay with it.

Hours to complete: Ten, what with research, cutting, fiddly little binding strips, and handsewing snaps.

Total cost: I bought the fabric so long ago, it feels free...but it was probably about $10 in reality.

Will you make it again? When I made my first 1920s dress, I said it was extremely unlikely I'd make another one...and yet here I am, just two months later, prancing around in another one! I'd like to say this is the end, but knowing how these things go, I'll probably just turn around and do it again.

Final thoughts: The 1920s were one of the first eras of fashion that I was actually aware of, probably because of those horrible not-actually-1920s fringe dresses that pop up every Halloween. I wasn't a fan then, but thanks to the Great Gatsby movie, that look is back and I think I might actually like it now! So we beat on, [sewists] against the current, borne ceaselessly back into the past. Okay, but poor use of quotes aside, lace+dustyblue might be one of my favorite combinations ever. I'm also a fan of the full skirt in disguise that hangs straight down, and yet is delightfully swishy when I move.

Deceptively slim-looking...

But perfect for the Charleston starting a twirl!

Wheeeee! Good thing the slip isn't full, so there's no real danger of a Marilyn moment. 

Spin move!

Okay, allow me to indulge in just one more quote: “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”  

And now for some unrelated business: Lucille, you're the winner of the Zippered Wallet Pattern! Shoot me an email so that PoldaPop can get the pattern to you. Alice, I haven't heard from you about the Interfacing Swatch Set! If I don't hear from you by Thursday, I'll pick another winner.

A Top Three Years in the Making

I've been going through my patterns in preparation for moving, sorting them and trying to figure out which I should donate because I'm unlikely to ever make them, wondering why I ever bought some others, and remembering how much I want to make a Sewaholic Cambie. In the process I came across the very first sewing pattern I ever bought: New Look 6939. At the time, I fell in love with the ruffled sleeves and the lack of darts, but somehow I hadn't sewn it or even cut the pattern pieces in the three years that it's been in my stash. I do remember that when I first opened up the instructions, I was intimidated by the underarm gussets, talk of understitching and slipstitching and finishing with bias tape, and so I promptly folded it back up and forgot about it...

...until now!

After all my historical sewing and other random projects, I was looking for an easy, modern top pattern to use with this floral rayon challis that I had in my stash, and NL6939 fit the bill. Of course, I was also slightly swayed by the fact that View C is illustrated in a floral print that's very similar to mine. It's a testimony to how far I've come that when I reread the directions yesterday, they seemed so easy and understandable! Cutting and sewing this top was fairly smooth sailing, minus a tiny bit of panic about fitting all my pattern pieces onto my available fabric. The pattern envelope calls for 1.125 yards of 60" fabric, while I only had 1 yard of 54" fabric. I ended up merging the underarm gussets with the main pattern pieces and scrapping my plans for making self-fabric bias tape; I don't think I've ever had so little fabric left at the end of a project.

I've mentioned before that I am loving tops that cover the butt. 

See? Covered! I also added a tiny reverse box pleat in the back to bring in some of the excess fabric. The back yoke is very, very wide; I will probably take some out of the center next time. 

A better look at the swoop in the hem. 

Besides understanding the instructions after three years of sewing experience, I was also able to make more educated decisions about fabric choice and appropriate techniques. Had I gone ahead and made this back when I bought the pattern, I probably would've chosen some slinky poly-charmeuse like the model photo, and then been frustrated with the slipping and fraying and difficulty pressing. I would've made up a too-large size 12 because that's what my measurements dictated, and I wouldn't have known what it meant when the pattern said there was an ease of seven inches (!!!). I wouldn't have known about French seams, interfacing, or had experience with making neat bias tape finishes. It would probably have taken me over a week, and resulted in a poorly made top full of bad memories. I'm glad I waited on this pattern (although I probably could've just waited a year and half), because now I know to use rayon challis as a compromise between drape and ease of sewing, I know about the ridiculous amounts of ease in Big 4 patterns and can size down/modify as necessary, I'm a pro at French seaming and narrow hems, and I'm a recent convert to quality interfacing. So, it only took three years, but now I have a cute top that was exactly what I envisioned, that I love and can be proud of.

I look so smug and self-satisfied. 

The insides are pretty too -- all raw edges enclosed!

Summary:
Fabric: 1 yard of 54" floral rayon challis from the stash, originally purchased a year and a half ago from SAS Fabrics in Hawthorne.
Notions: Rayon bias tape for the armhole finishing, also from the stash
Hours: Three (plus the additional 26,280 hours of incubation time!)
Will you make it again? I'd like to actually try the ruffle sleeves that attracted me to this pattern in the first place!
Total cost: $3
Final thoughts: This is a great top for summer -- nice and breezy, breathable, plus it's got the trendy high-low hem thing going on (without going overboard, like in this ridiculous RTW example). Since it's sleeveless, it'll be easy to transition into the fall with a cardigan. That's cake in my book!

Actually, now that I look at these pictures, I realize that the front yoke is really wide too...more modifications for next time!

Even though I've really enjoyed all the historical sewing I've been doing, it's been really lovely to sit down and whip up a modern top where I don't have to apologize for not sewing by hand, and I can work all the way through from start to finish without having to stop and research some more about where a seam is supposed to fall or where trim would make the most sense. And of course, it's nice to actually sew up my first pattern purchase!

Fellow sewasauruses, what was the first pattern you ever purchased, and did you use it right away? How was that experience for you? Does anyone else have a too-difficult first pattern purchase that they've been saving for some nebulous future date?