Outlander 1740s Stays

I am slowly working along with Lauren, The American Duchess, to create my own Outlander Ensemble. I am about halfway through reading the Outlander book. I have not seen the show yet but I am hooked on the first book.  And on Terry Dresbach's blog. She is the costume designer.

This is the pattern designed by American Duchess in coordination with Simplicity Patterns.

Here is one side of the stays with the top binding pinned on, but not the bottom binding.

Here I am in the stays.  I am long-waisted so these stays are actually too short on me.  I will have to do some  fiddling with the pattern and lengthen the waist about an inch and a half. Meanwhile I am moving on with the other pieces.  I have made the bum pad. next I will make the Chemise.  I wasn't going to make a new chemise as this one is perfectly acceptable.

But the Outlander pattern has longer sleeves with ruffles plus the neck ruffles. So Ruffles there will be!

Here is both sides, bound.  This is the inside.  I have not put a lining in yet. I'm thinking that may never happen.

Look how good my waist looks here! Oh wait, not me.

I hope you enjoyed my progress on the Outlander Ensemble.  Lots to do before I will be done with the next pieces.  School starts August 1 and I will be busy getting my classroom in order.  I will be teaching Family and Consumer Sciences as a full time regular teacher. I am excited to finally be a full time teacher.  But I am taking a bunch of classes as well.  less time for sewing my own things.

Blessings,

Jeannine

Regency Shawl Dress

For the month of June the Historical Sew Monthly Challenge was set  for "travel".  I live in California.  It is 100 degrees F. here.  It is really hard to think of making a coat or anything to wear over clothing for travel purposes.  So I went a different route. I decided to go with the angle that my fabric has traveled.  When The Dreamstress posted about her  Regency Gown made from shawls I got to thinking.  

Why not have my husband bring me a pair of matching shawls while he is on his travel.  He travels to the Middle East on business every few months. So he brought back four of these light purple, mauve colored shawls.  They are not paisley like the ones that were so wildly popular in the Regency era. 

These scarves were purchased in Turkey.  They are cotton and had a set of stripes across each end.

This is my inspiration photo. I wanted to use the stripes around the hem and then use the stripes again at the sleeves.

Painting 2: Yelizaveta Demidova (1779-1818) , previously Baroness Elisabeth Alexandrovna Stroganoff, wife of Nikolai Demidov, the exceeding wealthy owner of mines and foundries in the Urals, Russia; c.1805 (oil on canvas) by Lefevre, Robert (1755-1830) – Wearing Kashmir Shawl and a dress with Kashmiri Paisley motif embroidery.

I used the Simplicity pattern found here as my basis.

I decided to use white muslin for the actual sleeves and then split the pattern in half and cut the sleeves out again in two pieces. I have not draped them properly yet.

Unfortunately the pattern came out larger than I planned on. It is probably a size too large. I will need to unsew the skirt from the bodice and gather the front more and fix the size issue.  I will also make a fake bodice insert for the front and sew it in, a "dickey" of sorts.

I did try the dress on with the proper short stays and chemise.  However, the short stays do not give me the proper figure.  I will be making a set of long Regency stays soon to aid in achieving the proper figure.

Thanks for taking a look.

Blessings,

Jeannine