Victorian Madness

Until recently my historic wardrobe consisted essentially of Regency clothes, however as there is a Victorian Field Day approaching in early September it became clear that a new outfit was needed. And what better excuse than to make a truly splendid early Victorian crinoline dress alla Gone with the Wind?!

I started the planning / sourcing process in late June so 2 1/2 month to finish the outfit from head to toe!
It is now about 5 weeks later and great progress has been made, the corset, crinoline and skirt are finished and the petticoat needs about another hour of work. I will write reviews of the patterns over the next week or so.

But really it all started with

a) the hard decision which patterns to use
b) the even more taunting decision on fabrics 

 The end result will be something along the

 lines of this dress shown on the 

Truly Victorian website,

                 ... except less ruffles 

and more demure colouring ...

First up were the patterns  and I ended up with the following list

 
Underthings: 

I draft the pattern for chemise' myself as they are so easy to do and drawstrings / gathers can adjust the fit.

The drawers are made after a self drafting pattern by The Sewing Academy I mentioned in the Blog post about sewing on a budget.  


Corset:  Mantua Maker 1865 - 1880 

My decision was mainly based on my experience with their Regency Stays that turned out so easy to make and very comfortable to wear. The description on the website is a little confusing, the corset does feature bust and hip gores and is adjustable in length ... perfect for my long upper body and twins in dire need of support!

Crinoline: Truly Victorian 1858 Round Cage Crinoline

I wanted big, bigger, huge .... and the pattern seemed easy.


Petticoat: Truly Victorian Free Hoop Skirt Petticoat

Another Truly Victorian gem and totally FREE! even better there is no hemming to be done


Skirt: Truly Victorian 1859 Double Skirt

Yes yes more Truly Victorian but the patterns are easy to read and look great


Bodice: Truly Victorian 1860 Ball Gown Bodice

Well a ball gown bodice isn't really meant to be worn on a field day but I don't really like the high neck day wear so I decided cheat just a little


Accessories: 

Hat, Bag and Parasol I will make up as I go along ... not sure about the design yet.


In case people were wondering where to get patterns and particularly corset making supplies in Ireland ... Vena Cava Design have a great website and ship within a few days. There are a few shops who sell some of the basics in Dublin ... drop me a line if you want to know more.

Costume on a Budget

You know the sinking feeling ...

..... the feeling you get when you look at your newest costume wish list and you realise from drawers to bonnet it will cost you about 500 euros (probably more) and that is if you make it yourself.

Unfortunately most of us don't have that much money to spend every other day so I came up with a way save a few euros that I would like to share with other costumers around the world.

Lets start from the beginning:

Patterns:

There are many free patterns available out there from drawers to corsets. They usually require a little more work than if you buy ready made patterns but don't complain ... they are free after all (I love you Internet!) I will post links to free patterns as I progress throughout new blog posts but google will serve you well for now.
For those who cant wait to get started ... the most basic and easy to make costume item ... and really essential ... a great pattern by The Sewing Academy shows how to make your own split drawers!

Have fun!

Tracing paper is another cost that can add up over time. While brown butchers / parcel wrapping paper is nice and sturdy and really cheap I found it a nuisance as you can't see the tracing lines through it so it takes more time to transfer the pattern.... and I'm impatient! What works best for me is normal gift wrap, especially the cheap stuff (thin) you get on big rolls around Christmas. If you buy some that is mostly white the lines will show clearly through and voila 10m of tracing paper for about 2 euro! OK I admit the cut-out patterns pieces are not that sturdy but as most of us (*cough* me) loose or crumble up the cut-outs in any case after we are done with the project it doesn't really matter.


 Fabric: 

Well this can be a tricky one, I have been known to sigh over bales of silk dupioni at 50 euro a meter ... not really an option if you need 9m for your average early Victorian ball gown.

For most projects a mock-up made of basic cotton fabric is required and a easy and cheap option is to buy second hand flat sheets from charity shops. They usually cost a about 2 euro and gives you 4 square meters. If the sheet is in good nick I have even used as lining fabric for a range of projects.

Charity shops are in general a great place for finding good fabric for cheap. Curtains are a good choice for sturdy and beautiful fabric the same goes for duvet covers (esp. the silky / satin ones). Sometimes you even find random pieces of uncut fabric from people cleaning out their stash.






Another charity shop find, 7m of heavy cotton fabric for an unbelievable 15 euro ... and if the colour doesn't suit dye it!



Accessories and trims:

Once again ... charity shops! You would be surprised what you can find or re-purpose. Belts, scarfs, shoes, fake-antique jewelry ... there is nothing you can't find. And in this case it's a great way to build up your stash, just buy beautiful things and I'm sure you will find a place / project for it at some point of time.

Ribbons and bias binding can be made at home, it takes a long time but a great way to recycle pieces of fabric or make that perfect match from the fabric you are using for your costume.

The little boots to the right were another great charity shop find: 10 euro, brand new and they will be the perfect Regency outdoor shoes

 


Get creative:

Don't be afraid to cut things up and glue / sow / stitch them together in what ever way you feel works after all in past centuries that's how it was done too!


Hope that gives you some ideas and feel free to suggest more