Bonnet & Corset Progress

Here are a few progress shots of my current projects. This is a reproduction 1860s straw bonnet form that I have been working on in my free time.

And this is the set of early 1800s Corded Stays that I am making for a customer. Right now I'm in the process of cording them.

Victorian Tea Party

This evening I hosted a Victorian inspired tea in my apartment to coincide with our book club's discussion of 'Travels in West Africa' by Mary Nerietta Kingsley. Kingsley traveled to Africa in the early 1890s and wrote about her time there. When I was asked to host I knew that I would have to do something special. Since tea was an important custom during the Victorian era, I thought that a tea party would be fitting. Our apartment buildng is an 1890s mansion, so our study of this book was even more fascinating. And, to top it all off, it wouldn't have been right to leave my 1888 dress hanging in the closet when this was a perfect occasion to wear it.



Our tea was at 7:30 in the evening, so I lit the candles in our fireplace and had a few other candles scattered about the room for an intimate and cozy setting.

Scones and preserves.

I used some of the vintage glass items that I've been collecting, combined with some newer pieces for an elaborate table display. The teacups and matching teapot were a wedding gift from a dear friend who has inspired me with her lovely tradition of drinking tea each night with her husband before bed.

Menu:

Irish Scones with English Clotted Cream and Raspberry and Peach Preserves

Red Grapes

Pepperidge Farm Cookies (Yum!)

Cucumber Sandwiches from this recipe

Peppermint Tea

Buckingham Palace Tea

Many thanks to Margaret of Margaret's Fine Imports who helped me select the delightful teas and treats for the party!

Mourning James Buchanan

In Lancaster, Pennsylvania friends and family of President James Buchanan gathered at his home, Wheatland, to mourn his passing. The body was on display in the hallway for loved ones to pay their last respects.

Audrey looking lovely in her printed cotton dress.

My mother portrayed one of the family members.




Jennie Walton as Harriet Lane stands with several other mourners.

Mourning James Buchanan

Here is my mother in the most recent dress that she's sewn - a lightweight black wool mourning dress. I found this lovely wool at the fabric store where I worked several years ago and purchased enough for us to both make mourning dresses. Her skirt is box pleated and the sleeves are coat sleeves with horizontal gathering running down the back of the sleeve. We were able to remake a black silk bonnet that we had into a mourning bonnet, adding antique cotton net trim to the inside in large folds with black ribbon. A black organza veil is pinned in place with black pins.

We're planning to change out the shiny bonnet ribbons...we just didn't have anything more appropriate at the time.

Inside Wheatland.

Mark and Faith Hintzen in mourning attire.

Reproduction Horsehair Bonnet

In preparation for a small series that I'll be doing over the next few weeks on trimming a straw bonnet, I'd like to show you a reproduction horsehair bonnet that I trimmed several years ago.

For quite some time I've been looking forward to introducing you to the work of my friend, Beverly Lister. Beverly has been in the millinery business for many years, faithfully recreating bonnets of the Civil War era. This lovely horsehair form was made by Beverly. I need to brag a little bit about her excellent craftsmanship - she is an excellent bonnet maker, her work is top notch, and her reproductions look just like the real thing. She's also a lovely person to work with. Using a set of your head measurements, Beverly creates a bonnet form to fit your unique measurements and to the style and straw color of your choice. Beverly even dyes the straw herself. Generally, the customer will have Beverly trim the bonnet as well, but for customers who want to do their own bonnet trims, she sells the straw forms.

In the near future I will do some posts exclusively on Beverly's bonnets, but, should you wish to aquire information directly from the source, I leave you with Beverly's contact information.

Beverly Lister
New Holland, Pennsylvania
717.354.0960

Currently I am working on the curtain for my newest straw bonnet. Here you can see the curtain of the horsehair bonnet. This curtain is gathered at the top and has a 3/4" ruffle. The curtain has two layers or curtains. Olive green silk taffeta trims the edges of the curtains. At the bottom of each edge runs a tiny wire - about the weight of wire in wired ribbon. The wire is sewn into the narrow rolled hem of the curtain. The bottom curtain is lined in white cotton netting. The interior of the bonnet is also lined in cotton netting (black for this black bonnet). Original bonnets were often lined inside to keep the hair from catching on the straw of the bonnet. Bonnet curtains could also be pleated to the outside edge of the bonnet. More details and pictures to follow as I trim my newest bonnet.

Here you may notice that the flowers sit apart from the top edge of the bonnet. What is that about, you may ask. Often bonnets had a piece of straw braid sewn across the inside that fit securely to the head. Troube with your bonnet always falling back on your head? This piece of straw braid helps to hold the bonnet in place, as it sits more snuggly against the head. The trim can also be sewn to this piece of straw braid, as was done here. When worn, the flowers rest against the top inside of the bonnet, so you cannot tell that this piece of straw braid is there.

Original bonnets often had delicate white or ivory lace gathered or pleated and stitched inside the edges of the bonnet.

Functional utility ties - narrow cotton or silk ribbon - were sewn into the bonnet. These were the ties that really kept the bonnet securely tied. The silk ribbon ties were more decorative, often very wide ribbon. Sometimes these decorative ties were not even tied, but left to hang. When bonnet ribbons were tied they were tied in a bow directly under the chin - not to the side.

Please let me know if there are any specific questions that you have that I can answer in my next installments on Bonnets!

Lancaster Cemetery Living History

This Sunday I participated in a lovely little Living History event at a local cemetery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The cemetery was started in th 1840s. A group of friends decided that it would be a lovely opportunity to get together for a picnic in the cemetery. By the 1860s, Americans had taken a cue from European countries and began to create Cemeteries - resting places - to replace church graveyards. In Europe, cemeteries were beautifully landscaped, like parks. Cemeteries were a place to retreat from city life, remember loved ones, and perhaps have a little picnic lunch.

Here's a picture of our setup. The weather forecast wasn't good - thunderstorms and tornadoes. So we set up rather quickly, hoping to get a bite to eat before the showers started. After lunch and a little stroll around the cemetery we set down for some more conversation and a game of 'Question and Answer'. This game was an 1860s game in which the gentlemen receive Question cards and ladies receive Answer cards. A gentleman turns to the lady next to him and asks her the question from his first card, she answers from her first card - sometimes the questions and answers fit together, sometimes they don't, but either way, they're always funny. Here's an example...Question: "Would you go for a stroll by the river?" Answer:

"Ask the Cats". The Question and Answer game is available from Ragged Soldier Sutlery.

Sheer Dress Painting

Sheer 1860s Dress in an original painting. This is the dress that my reproduction is based off of. Isn't it lovely? I don't know anything more about this painting...but please let me know if you do!

Lancaster Cemetery Living History

I finished my newest sheer dress just in time for our picnic at the Lancaster Cemetery. This dress was inspired by the sheer dress painting in the above post. It's made of ivory silk organza with a small plaid pattern in it. I've had the silk for awhile and when I saw this painting I knew that it would be perfect!

The bodice is a gathered bodice with an ivory silk half-high lining darted bodice beneath. The sleeves have a double puff at the top and open pagoda sleeves trimmed with ivory organza silk gathered. The gathered trim is repeated on the skirt and a narrow 1/4" sheer ivory ribbon runs through the trim. The skirt is cartridge pleated/guaged.

Side view of the sleeves. The dress is slightly longer at the back, so I'd like to make a petticoat to wear with it that is slightly longer than my current petticoat. With sheer dresses, petticoat beauty matters.

Back view.

The bodice is gathered at the center back. (My chemise is showing a lot on the right side...so embarrasing!)

Lancaster Cemetery Living History

Vince in his Linen Paletot, Black Wool & Silk Vest, and Linen & Cotton Plaid Pants. The straw hat is an Amish hat that I shaped to look like an 1860s straw hat. I lined the inside with white silk, added a leather band inside, and a 3/4" wide chocolate brown ribbon around the outside. I also made his silk cravat, which I based on the lovely cravats from Corner Clothiers.

A detailed view of Gaye's Cotton Dress.

The bodice is a yoked gathered bodice, with gathered self fabric trim at the bottom of the yoke and also down the back of the sleeves. The sleeves are coat sleeves gathered into the armhole. The skirt is cartridge pleated at the waist.

The back of the dress is fitted.

Nancy & Gaye

Lancaster Cemetery Living History

My mother, Nancy and our good friend Gaye.

Our picnic group.

Jennie & Vance

Gaye

Swiss Waist Project

Two weeks ago I taught a week long Fashion History class at a local High School for 2 hours each day. I talked about education and career opportunities in related fields - Costume Design, Fashion Design, and Museum work. We also discussed fashion throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. I organized a field trip to Old Economy Village where we met up with my friend Sarah, who is the curator there. There the students learned about working with historical clothing and got to see some of the clothing in the work area that Sarah and her staff use to handle the textiles.

The big project for this class of 8 High School students was to design and create a modern take on the 1860s Swiss Waist. We spent a large part of the class at the sewing machines. Some students knew a little about sewing while others had to learn a lot. And, I did a lot of catching up for them each night after class so that they'd all be on the same page with their projects the next day. But in the end they all went home with a Swiss Waist or Corset type garment that they can wear over their modern clothing.

This is the 1860s Swiss Waist that our original pattern was based off of.

Swiss Waist Project

A creative take on the design challenge.

She'll be adding the buttons and straps. We didn't have time for the trim details in class, so the students got directions on how to finish the project and will complete the Swiss Waists on their own time.