1883 Riding Outfit

Every year, I produce a period fashion show for Gaslight Gathering Steampunk and Victoriana Convention.  This year's fashion show theme was Women of Sports and Leisure.  The models ranged from Regency and Victorian archery to Edwardian Croquet and everything in between.  We had a mother-daughter team in beautiful 1870s polonaises, an Edwardian dog-walker with real (service) dog to walk, a fencing team and a model with period underpinnings!  We had photography, painting, fishing, reading, piano playing, singing, sewing, ice skating, swimming, tea, badminton, golf, dancing, an Edwardian naturalist, and me...horseback riding. 
 
I had been wanting to make the Truly Victorian 1883 Riding Habit Bodice and Skirt for quite some time.

 In the rush of recruiting models, preparing a slide show and other things, I cut myself short on time for my own outfit.   I had the patterns and fabric for my riding outfit for months, but always said to myself, "I have plenty of time".  Well, with two and a half weeks before the show, I had nothing. 

My dear friend Val stepped in and rescued me.  I cut out the jacket and gave her the pieces, and she made 95% of it for me!  I managed to sew in the sleeves, sew on buttons, make the skirt and jabot, and decorate the hat (again, Val to the rescue for the hat and veiling, found at JoAnn Fabric.)  I decided I wanted it buttoned down the middle rather than double breasted.




Here are some shots of me being nervous backstage before the show. 

 Here is a photo of Val and me.  She is wearing her Victorian Photographer ensemble.

After the show was over, I took some photos in Jerry's photo booth. 

 

Photo by Debbie Boyd

The show was a success, thanks to all the wonderful models.

The breakdown on this outfit is:

Jabot - stash lace
Brown twill - the last $$ on my gift certificate at JoAnns.

$8 - 3 yards of brown lining
$5 - bit of velvet for collar
$5 - buttons
$3 - veiling

TOTAL  $21

Plus, a riding crop for $4 :)

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Oh WOW!  I am honored, as I have been given the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by Chelsea from   http://asartorialstatement.blogspot.com/    Check out her blog.  Her recent post about her Regency gown is wonderful.  Thank you Chelsea!


 To accept the award, one must:
1. Display the award and link back to the person who nominated you.
2. State 7 facts about yourself.
3. Nominate 15 bloggers for the award.
4. Notify the winners.


Seven things about me.....

1.   I love collecting things.  Right now, my favorite collections are: Jadite, Fiesta Ware, Jewel Tone purses, retro frosted bar glasses, Victorian and Edwardian fashion plates, and vintage postcards.

2.   I have always had cats my entire life.  I have never had a dog.

3.   I am very interested in genealogy.   My father was adopted, but I have traced both his blood family line and his adopted family line back to the 1200s.  Both lines originated in Scotland!

4.   I don’t like seafood.  You couldn’t pay me to eat anything with claws or shells.  I do like tuna sandwiches though, my only exception..

5.   I am an avid scrapbooker.   My house looks like a scrapbook supply store.  I actually have racks for my paper, and have dedicated cupboards for supplies and books.

6.   I love crime drama.  My favorites are Law and Order SVU, CSI and NCIS.  I also love retro crime drama like Adam 12 and Dragnet.  I used to be a closet Dog the Bounty Hunter watcher, but I kicked that habit a few years ago.  Maybe its because my dad was a cop.

7.   I have never been on a train (Disneyland doesn’t count).  I have never been on a cruise ship either, but am afraid to.   I got sick on the ferry boat from Victoria, BC to Washington State.  I was green for two days.

My blogger nominations.  I really enjoy reading these and have them saved as my favorites.

1.  http://timetravelingincostume.blogspot.com/  Val is the one who encouraged me to start a blog in the first place.  She is a wonderful costumer, and has helped me personally with my costuming.

2.   http://vintageattirew-dnalof2007.blogspot.com/  Trudy has a flair for adapting patterns to fit her ideals, has wonderful ideas on how to salvage pieces and turn them into something else.

3.  http://madamnovice.blogspot.com/  Kate is no novice in my eyes.  She makes beautiful 18th century gowns and jewelry.

4.   http://vintagepurse.blogspot.com/   Love love love all these purses!  Wherever does she find them all?  I am extremely jealous of her collection of Jewel Tone purses in the photo on her home page.

5.   http://fairyfingers.blogspot.com/  Threads of my Life is an all around great costume blog.  Such cute costumes!

6.   http://americanduchess.blogspot.com/    Absolute perfection in everything!  From hats to her very special shoes, we all love her.

7.  http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/   Informative, funny, inspirational, I have learned so many interesting tidbits from these ladies.

8.   http://evadress.blogspot.com/    Fantastic vintage patterns.  I like to see the photos of what their clients make from the patterns.

9.  http://georgianaduchessofdevonshire.blogspot.com/    Heather posts Interesting stories about ladies of the 18th century.  The Duchess of Devonshire’s gossip guide is full of history.

10.  http://marie-antoinettequeenoffrance.blogspot.com/  This lovely blog contains paintings, stories and gossip of Marie’s time.    Thank you Lauren!

11.  http://extantgowns.blogspot.com/   All the Pretty Dresses is just that - almost every beautiful gown ever made!  Its here that I get my inspiration for projects.

12.  http://anhistoricallady.blogspot.com/    Food, costumes, events and historical homes.   A full lifestyle in this blog!  I want to go visit them now.

13.   http://historicalquintessence.blogspot.com/  Kyrie says it best: adventures with historical costume, haberdashery, antiques, art and other curiosities.  Great blog just full of goodies!

14.   http://livingwithjane.blogspot.com/    Based on her love of Jane Austen, Jenni writes about the things she loves. This blog really shows her love for the simple and beautiful things in life.  I like her Words from Jane at the bottom of her page.

15.  http://quaintrellelife.blogspot.com/   Great vintage blog of fun stuff!  Nifty retro ads, hairstyles, recipes, lifestyles, clothing - all vintage fun.

I am in the process of informing all my nominees, please check out all their awesome blogs.

New Secret Project

So!   Myth Masque Ball is coming soon, and I am ready to start sewing my costume.  Black and Silver is my theme this year.    I pulled out various bits and pieces of black and silver jewelry to see what I can use, and what I will need.  I have more, just need to find it.



Take a guess......

Here is the fabric I am using.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

Raiding the cupboard for weights, I am starting to cut out the pieces.   That is all I will say about that!  And lets not forget about the trims :)






Best of all, this will be very inexpensive, thanks to Christmas and Birthday gift certificates from Joanns, and a huge after holiday sale.

Oh great, now I have help.....

Riverside Dickens Fest

Countess Ellen Olenska

Recuperating from a wonderful weekend at the Dickens Festival, so thought I would write my newest installment.  I have been going to Dickens for several years and have always enjoyed the fashion show.  This year, Nancy Smith presented Victorian Literary Characters from 19th and 20th Century Books.  The second half of the show, Valarie LaBore organized 100 years of mourning 1810 to 1910.  We had one from every era, but unfortunately we lost a few models due to work schedules, flu and injury.  There were still beautiful gowns to see!

For the first half, my character was Countess Ellen Olenska from The Age of Innocence.  I wore my seafoam green natural form gown I previously blogged about, but added a black fur muff, black faux fur capelet and hat.  Here I am!
 

The second half, I had to come up with another mourning gown.  The 1870s were taken, so I couldn’t wear the one I just finished.  So I decided on 1910 - because I wanted to do Black Ascot Races!  The dresses were elegant yet simple, and it was all about the big hat.  My description: 

A highpoint of the British social season, The Royal Ascot Race represents a glittering legacy. In 1910 tragedy struck. His Majesty King Edward VII died! What was the world of fashion to do? The King was a passionate Ascot attendee, and would have never agreed to the suspension of the week-long race meet. So although the Royal Box was quite deserted, with the Royal Family in seclusion, outside of the Royal Enclosure it was as packed as ever at the races, although out of respect, the elite were clad in black and grey.

Cindy is wearing a layered style dress popular through the teens.  The over skirt and sleeves are made from a sheer dotted swiss.   Velvet eyelet trim is used for the collar, cuffs and belt.  A cotton applique is used as a bodice insert.  She is ready for outdoors with her walking umbrella and large hat, covered in black velvet and ostrich feathers.  On her left shoulder she wears a memorial rosette of King Edward, as did most  race attendees.   Binoculars for viewing the race, gloves and double strand necklace complete her outfit.

Val and I were wowed by an Edwardian striped jumper and blouse that Arlene Terrell made which she adapted from a modern Simplicity pattern.  Val bought the pattern, and I borrowed it for this project.

  I changed it even further.  I wanted a dress instead, so I just used the bodice cross over front piece, the skirt, which I lengthened, and the pointed overskirt.  I drafted my own sleeves from a photo I saw. 

For my birthday, I received a gift certificate from my boyfriend for $50 to Yardage Town.  Off I went with my friends Joanne and Michelle.  I picked a cotton poly blend for the under skirt and bodice.  For the overskirt and sleeves, Michelle found a wonderful 100% cotton sheer dotted swiss.  Yay Michelle!  I got 12 buttons on sale for 50% off.   

All other items were from what I had lying around the house.  The hat was an old floppy sunhat that I wired, then covered in a velvet scrap.  I took an ostrich boa and cut it to fit around the crown.  I made the King Edward rosette from an old pinback button I got at Comic Con.  I used Mod Podge to adhere a photo from the internet on to the button, then used grosgrain ribbon folded into triangles around the edges.  The velvet eyelet trim was in my stash, bought at the swap meet a year ago.  I also made the belt by taking the same eyelet trim and sewing it on to a buckle from a thrift store belt.  The black applique I used for the bodice inset I have had for years and never knew what to do with!

I think I am done with black for a long, long time.  Here are a few photos.  I hope you like them.

This project: ZERO DOLLARS!

Taken by Marie-Jo Dulade-Coclet

The Half-Started Holiday Dress

My mother recently joined the Costume Guild, and is eager to sew Victorian gowns.  She bought some fabric in her favorite soft blue and grey colors.  Since she was familiar with modern sewing patterns, I gave her my Burda pattern 7880 to use rather than start her out on Truly Victorian.

Well, I guess its been awhile, because she cut out her dress size and NOT her pattern size!  She sewed the bodice pieces together, and it wouldn’t close.  She had made the underskirt first, plain with no embellishment.   She gave me the bodice pieces and plain underskirt, and she went out and bought more of the same fabric to start over.



I bought three yards of the crinkle poly taffeta at approximately $5 a yard to make an overskirt.  Then I thought about it.  I did not want the exact same dress as my mother, so I attacked the bodice with my scissors.  Instead of the high collared neck shown on the pattern, I cut a square neck.  I did not use the Burda overskirt pattern.   Instead, I used the Truly Victorian 303 Side Drape Overskirt pattern, which I love!!  Also to change it up, I cut about two inches off the sleeve length and added white lace around the cuffs.  

I decided to trim it out in white, as mom was using a grey braid for her trim.  I used about 4 yards of trim on the bodice, and 1 yard on the overskirt.   I used white flower shaped buttons down the front.










 I finished it enough to wear to the Costume Guild Holiday Party.  I did not have time to put the boning in, so that still needs to be done.  I want to find more of the blue the skirt is made from and add a row or two of ruffles around the bottom.

My mother and daughter joined me this year.   Here is a Three Generation photo of us.  My daughter is wearing a dress I made for her two years ago.  It is Truly Victorian pattern 216 - Parisian Trained Skirt with pattern TV 405 - Vest Basque.   Mom is wearing a Nataya dress with an added pink sash and underskirt.

Parisian Trained Skirt Pattern

Val and her beautiful dress

$15.00       3 yards of fabric for  overskirt
$  7.50       5 yards of trim
$  4.40       12 buttons
bit of white lace on cuffs from stash

Total        $26.90

A Mourning We Will Go!

My friend Val and her husband invited Jerry and me to spend time in Lake Tahoe the last week of October.  Being a hop, skip and a jump from Virginia City, I suggested we spend the day there for Halloween and dress in Victorian mourning gowns.  Jerry would do a photo shoot of us in the cemetery.  My dilemma: I had no mourning gown, and we were leaving in three weeks!  What could I make super quick in a few hours each night?  I relied on my favorite pattern - Truly Victorian’s Polonaise.  This is the same pattern as my earlier post Peppermint Delight, but the look is completely opposite.  

I had no time to go to LA fabric district, so I searched the local fabric stores for something black with a small and subtle pattern.  After the fifth store, I found a 100% cotton eyelet (the no holes kind) for approximately $5 a yard.  I got five yards.  I was just going to wear a regular long skirt I already had, but it was not the correct style and period.  While digging in my stash for lining for the polonaise, I found something I forgot I had.  Mom gave me 5 yards of black twill a few years ago!  YAY, I can make a free skirt!  So I got out the Truly Victorian skirt pattern, and whipped it out in two nights. 

A tip for heavier fabrics: It was impossible for me to run a gathering stitch and try and pull it to make the bottom ruffle.  In order to make the ruffle even all around the bottom, I used the “divide and pin” method.  First, place a pin in the front, back, left side, and right side of the skirt hem.    On your ruffle piece, do the same.  Line up the four pins, and pin the two together.  You now have four big loopy things hanging off your dress hem!

Find the center of the loop and pin it to the center of the skirt hem between the two previously placed pins.  Keep doing this all around until you have divided and pinned everything down.   You will have an equally spaced ruffle!




I found some black eyelet trim, and Val had some small braided trim for me to use.  This went around the neckline and bell sleeves.   On the skirt/ruffle join, I made a pleated trim from left over scraps from the polonaise.  I also made bows for the elbows and peplum out of scraps.  I did buy a dozen buttons, and yay!  They were 25% off. $2.70.

Luckily I had black accessories already, so that part was easy.  Here are a few photos from our day in Virginia City.

We had a fantastic day.  After the cemetery shoot, we wore our dresses around Virginia City all day.  We were asked to join in their costume parade!  We actually got to step off first, because we had a ghost tour to go to at 5:30.   We kept in costume in the ghost tour too!  Isn't Val's 1850's gown lovely?









After driving for hours on Friday to get home, we attended Dia de los Muertos procession in Old Town.  We wore our gowns again, and we both discovered we brought home Virginia City Cemetery dirt in our skirts!

Cost for this dress:

$25.00  5 yards black eyelet @ $5 yd  
$  6.00  2 yards lining @ $3 yd  
5 yards for skirt fabric - free!
$ 2.70  12 buttons   
$ 5.60  4 yards fringe trim @ $1.40 yd    
$ 2.50  2 yards eyelet trim @ $1.25 yd    
$ 2.40  4 yards braid trim @ $.60 yd
  


TOTAL    $44.20

An accessory post until I get my current dress done!

I am obsessed.   With an ugly purse.  Its so ugly its cute.   Ok, its not really THAT ugly, just..... gaudy.  A little background first.

In the late 50s and through the 60s, there was a wonderful purse designer named Enid Collins.   Enid was originally a fashion designer from Texas.   She combined her love of fashion and design and created beautiful works of art in her purses.

She made wooden mahogany box purses and the canvas bucket bag.  The bucket bag had a wooden bottom, leather trim, and was made from linen.  The backgrounds were often matte-screened or painted by hand. They were covered in jewels and sequins, each a work of art.  They are one of the most sought after vintage accessory today, and can cost up to $200 for some of them. 




I cannot afford a real Enid Collins purse unless its a steal.  BUT, the Broke Costumer CAN afford an Enid knock off purse!  That is where my obsession starts.

 There were plenty of women in the early 60s who could not afford their own Enid Collins Purse.  So, the General Crafts Corporation began producing make it yourself "Enid Style" bucket bags.  Called the Fabulous Jewel Tone Handbag Kit, you could select from any number of styles in either a natural or black background.  I remember as a child my mother even made one!  Of course, now that I want hers, she threw it out many years ago.  Here is a photo of a catalog page which gives you an idea of what you could make:

 

I started seeing Jewel Tones in the antique malls, but the average price was between $40-50. still too expensive for me.  I started looking on Ebay and Etsy, and found many of them - and for far less money.  Depending on condition, you can get some quite inexpensively.  My first Jewel Tone purse was No. 909 "Sunburst" Bag.   I took it to Costume College and it holds a lot! I only paid $12 for it on Etsy.

My second Jewel Tone was a great find - a rare Black Cat bag, completely unmade!  It had all the original hardware still sealed in little bags, all the sequins and jewels and even the original white glue bottle!  The glue is yellow now, but its still liquid inside. One problem.  It had no instructions.   And so it sat.  I looked for almost a year on line for a picture of the finished bag with no luck.  I didn't know where to put all the bling.

I got lucky about two months ago, and FINALLY found someone on line that was selling one, and had taken up close photos of the finished purse!  I used Jewel It glue and followed the picture.  I used my Sunburst bag as a model for how to put all the hardware on.  Here is a photo of the instructions and bag she posted, and my finished bag.

My Purse I Made

My third Jewel Tone is one I saw and fell in love with at an antique store, but it was $40.  I searched on line, and found one on Ebay for $6.99.  Its called No. 906 "Butterfly". It needs help, poor ugly thing.  The canvas was filthy, the hardware seemed rusty.  Many jewels were missing.  I  bought it anyway.    When I received it, it smelled.  I took oxyclean and a tooth brush and went to work.   It cleaned the canvas up nicely.  The rust came off.  Now all I have to do is go to Michaels and get some jewels to fill in for the missing ones.   Its going to look great!

I want more!  I want all of them!  But I have one rule.  I cannot spend over $15 for one.  Unless its the No. 903 "Pagoda" Bag.  I REALLY want that one, and I rarely see it for sale.  I may splurge on that one. 

 

EDIT 1:  My sister-in-law gave me this beauty for my birthday.  Love it!   (12-08-12) Jewel Tone Bag No. 912.  "Bouquet"

EDIT 2:  My sister-in-law does it again!  Look what she gave me for Christmas! (12-25-12) Jewel Tone Bag No. 905 "Flowers"

EDIT 3:  Boy these edits get better all the time.  I went to the swap meet today, and found a real Enid Collins bag called "Humdinger" for ONE DOLLAR!!! I think the lady selling was trying to get rid of grandmother's things and didn't know what she had.  Granted, the bag has a water stain and one large missing jewel, but I am going to try and get rid of the staining and I am ordering a genuine Collins replacement jewel for  the yellow flower petal.  I need to touch up the leather as well.   Here it is before the clean up.       (01-20-13)

Edit 4:   Here are my latest two purchases:   On 1-22-13 I won on ebay a genuine Enid Collins bag called "Carriage Trade" - for only $14.50!

On 3-3-13 I went to the Orange County Vintage Flea Market and found this cute Jewel Tone bag No. 907 "Sea Shells".  $15.