Regency Costume

Nearly there! The Regency costume final fitting

Lewes Bonfire night 2011 is tomorrow! I've got a busy day today including WORK but it's hard to concentrate on anything else much. The weather forecast says rain for the fifth :( which will be a real drag, but as long as it's not heavy... I still haven't decided what to do about my hair. Too late to find (or make) a hat, a bandeau tends to slip off and as for doing my hair properly with little curls and ribbons... I just can't do that on my own. Plus, if it's going to rain.... anyway please ignore how the hair looks in these pics (taken this morning) as I will try to make it nicer tomorrow. And I won't be wearing glasses either.

There's still some adjusting needed to the jacket fastening, as you can see, and the collar doesn't quite sit right yet but on the whole I'm pleased.

The bodice of the dress doesn't look too flattering in these pics, all I can say is I think it looks nicer in real life!

Now all I have to do it make the final adjustments and spray everything with flame retardant (especially the skirt part as that's probably the most vulnerable from catching fire from discarded flaming torches, exploding rookies and the like.)

Progress on the Spencer jacket

I thought I would have the costume done and dusted by now, with only two days to go until Bonfire, but I'm only now just finishing the jacket. 

I couldn't work out why it wasn't fitting across the front - until I realised I had left out two panels, so I had to squeeze a couple more pieces from the cut-up coat, plus a strip of fabric for the waistband. I've lined the bodice and partially re-set the sleeves. The neckline has been bothering me a bit as it was slightly gaping on one side. So I'm afraid there's been a lot of work-arounds and patching stuff up. This garment would not win any needlework prizes, as the finishing is pretty scruffy. But I should get points for ingenuity!

And then there was the collar. The fake fur gilet turned out to be a washout - literally! I had the idea I could die it, so I bought some 'dark brown' dye and spent a morning sloshing it around in a bucket, but when it eventually dried it was clear the colour hadn't taken. It was a kind of light purple colour - not what I had in mind! So I decided to get hold of a piece of real fur. We have plenty of flea market/collectibles and second hand shops in Lewes, and I did find a surprising lot of fur - little mink stoles, big old fox furs and eventually a pair of revers collars which had clearly been cut off of a coat, so I've used those. 

Here it is with the two fur pieces making the collar. My fingers are sore from pushing the needle through - there was no alternative but to do this part by hand. Very fiddly. Also, sorry about the apparent change of colour - the first images were taken on my iphone so not ideal, now I am using a camera so the colours are more accurate. The coat had faded, in some places more than others, so by having to use whatever bits of it I could, not only did mean cutting some pieces not with the grain, but also there are slight colour variations from one panel to the next. Still, in the dark of Bonfire night these things won't be too noticeable.

I've re-used one of the original coat buttons, as it matches those on the cuffs (which I haven't messed with) - but they are of course plastic, what WOULD Jane Austen have said! The jacket does up by way of this one button on the waistband, and two hooks and eyes (possibly 3, I won't know until the next fitting) I haven't yet trimmed the ends of the fur pieces - I'm hoping they will tuck in quite nicely and save me the job of trying to 'tame' them.

One isssue I can't do much about is the join between the two collar pieces. I should have sewn them together but that created too much bulk, so overlapping seemed neater. However, the join is quite noticeable. I may leave this, as I don't want to have to unpick that collar. Oh, and the fur is lying the wrong way, but I couldn't do anything about that, I had to go with the shapes I was given.

Starting on a new jacket by recycling a coat

Having a new dress this year I also wanted a new outer garment. First of all I thought I would make a full length pelisse (nice and warm!) but with time ticking on I decided that was a bit ambitious for this year. Also, I was keen on using velvet which would have been expensive and it does need to withstand the elements!

As luck would have it, I have a green velvet coat that's at the end of its useful life, having become a little threadbare in parts, the button on the back was ripping off and the lining coming undone. So rather than throwing it out I thought I'd have a go at turning it into a little Spencer jacket.

Hmm! Easier said than done. I picked it apart, then, using pattern pieces for the Spencer jacket, cut out the shapes I thought I would need, although couldn't pay any attention to things like the lie of the pattern pieces in relation to the grain of the fabric! I tacked it together and played around with the fit and ended up with a little basic jacket shape which I'm hoping will work. It still needs a waistband, the collar needs sorting out and the fit is a little iffy, but I think it will be OK.

The sleeve lining is still in place (more or less) but I need to create a new lining for the bodice. I've cut off the existing collar and have in mind a fur collar (fake of course, there's only so far I will go with authenticity!) I picked up a fake fur gilet at a charity shop and set about cutting off the collar part. It needs dying brown, or I may even dye the whole jacket, although I like the green velvet, and the faded look of it works fine.

Here's the gilet before I cut it up, and here's how it will fit with the jacket (I've not yet attached anything or trimmed for length, this is just laid out to see the effect):

 

 

 

New Regency costume for 2011!

Having worn my outfit for two Bonfire nights (2008 and 2010), this year I decided to make a new one. I really like the Regency style though so I'm re-using the same dress pattern although going a bit 'off piste' with the outerwear.

In 2009 I became a 'rank marshall' which means you do a lot of running through the ranks keeping people in line, watching out for dangerous behaviour/drunks, taking torches off children if they're unhappy or asking members of the public not to pick up burning torches, etc... I was a bit worried about tripping up in my dress so I wore a more practical outfit of a basic smuggler (white trouser, hooped guernsey) with a little black 'military' style jacket and cap. But last year I was more confident, so I wore my Regency costume - everything went fine except it rained a fair bit and it was muddy at the field where we have the fireworks. So basically my dress and petticoat are pretty much trashed! It made me realise how durable those Regency garments had to be to withstand everyday use.

Anyway, the fabric I've chosen for this year's dress is a white cotton with a fine daisy print in green and yellow. Yes I know, another impractical colour! But reasonably authentic from a distance at least. I decided to use the 'round gown' pattern and go for a crossover bodice this time.

Here's how it's going so far:

The skirt opening with placket (I'm getting better at these!)

Here's one half of the bodice, pinning the casing for the neck drawstring which goes between the lining and the outer.

Once the drawstring is inserted...

Gathers on the lower edge (to fit to the waist band)

The 'finished' half-bodice, ready to assemble with its other half, and fit.

The Spencer Jacket

Here's how the jacket turned out - I'm really pleased with it actually, it feels lovely to wear and very snug fitting without being too tight.

I used a sage green corduroy, interlined with cotton sateen and lined with a sage green polyester 'mock silk' - whoops! I really caved on this - I was planning to use natural fabrics only but there was no silk available in the colour I wanted so I decided to go with the lovely shiny polyester. It was a nightmare to work with though, so serves me right. Looks great though.

I knew the jacket would be a challenge but all Nick's help (endless fittings and pinnings) was worth it! For the collar facing I used some heavy duty canvas left over from a harpsichord cover, and with 2 pieces of rigilene boning I got the 'standup' look I wanted. I had to re-do the waistband as it was originally too thick. Looking at the proportions in my reference book I knew it had to be daintier.

The sleeves were tricky - I cut my own pattern pieces because the actual pattern was simple straight sleeves. Unfortunately I managed to make one arm just a bit too tight - enough to notice - so I ended up having to buy more fabric to re-make the sleeve. I also messed up the piping on one arm, getting the join at the front rather than somewhere less noticeable! Nevertheless I loved some of the details like the button cuffs, the diamond shaped back and the peplum. It took a while to get the button placement correct so that the the bodice sat smoothly - once again I'm indebted to Saira Foden for her advice. Saira is a mine of fantastic knowledge about dressmaking, tailoring, historical costume and general tips and tricks. Her shop The-Stitchery has become like a second home to me and it's where I bought all the fabrics and notions I needed for this project.

Making the dress & petticoat

I made the bodiced petticoat using a cream sateen cotton, and used the same fabric to line the bodice of both the petticoat and the dress. I was looking for a white or very pale printed cotton for the dress itself, with some kind of delicate pattern. What I chose in the end wasn't exactly period correct if you look close up but from a distance it's great! It's a cream background with a tiny gold dot print. All pure cotton of course, no polycotton!

Sewing in the cotton fabric was easy, and good thing given the number of seams I had to unpick and re-do! I tend to naturally cut corners or ignore pattern instructions at will. Sometimes it comes off, sometimes not!

With the dress, I'm not entirely happy with how the neckline turned out, the fit isn't great, but maybe that's because I changed my mind from the crossover bodice to the round neck, after I'd cut it out, and was determined to patch it up rather than start again! Next time I would start again.

I enjoyed adding my own details: the ribbon ties on the sleeves, the overstitching on the neckline and the mother of pearl buttons. Thanks to Saira at The-Stitchery who put me right about buttons - bone or wood only, no plastic please!

Although I enjoyed following the pattern there were a few niggly things - like being told to 'cut 2' of certain pieces only to realise later it should have read 'cut 4'. Also, the illustrations didn't always apply to the style I was following, and sometimes whole stages were missed out, leaving the reader to fill in the gaps!

I was pleased with the the waistline gathers on both dress and petticoat - I made them flat at the front and put all the gathers at the back, giving a nice swishy feel and a smooth front (as opposed to the pregnant look). I'm no sylph and I need all the help I can get.

Style of dress and jacket

The pattern from La Mode Bagatelle gives a wonderful ranges of choices. The bodiced petticoat and the dress can be made up either with a round gown (less full, just one piece front and back) or a shaped skirt (gently flaring out, in 6 panels with optional train). For the dress, there is a choice of length of sleeve as well as the shaped of the bodice. I decided to make both the petticoat and the dress with the shaped skirt, and the dress with little puff short sleeves and a crossover front to the bodice.

As regards the Spencer, I liked the silhouette of View H, which looked like the sleeves were puffed at the top and then fitted the rest of the way. (Actually I mistook the contruction of this, but I don’t think it mattered too much in the end). I also liked the View H collar, which stood up and curved away from the neck like a sort of Red Riding Hood costume. I was thinking of my neck getting cold in the November air! However, I preferred View G for the little peplum or skirt at the back of the jacket. So I knew I’d be doing some mixing and matching of pattern pieces.

Here's how the Spencer jacket turned out - I was really pleased with the collar and the peplum. I made it in a sage green corduroy and added the piping on the sleeves, though not terribly accurately as other photos will reveal!

A word about underwear

I had read that to make my costume truly authentic I needed to start with regency-correct underwear, which meant stays. Stays are the foreunner to the corset, and instead of boning they have cording, with a busk centre front. I was keen to get the ‘uplift’ of a corset, especially as I had seen some photos of homemade dresses which had ended up without a great deal of support (it looked like!)

I found this pattern on the Jane Austen centre website  - which looked a little daunting. My friend Saira who runs The-Stitchery here in Lewes gave me some advice about corsetry and showed me the Rigilene synthetic boning material that she recommended I use. You can see I was wavering already as regards the period-correct detail!

When I studied the La Mode Bagatelle pattern that I’d bought, I realised it included a ‘bodiced petticoat’, so actually I could get away without the stays. Hurrah! As Jessamyn says, that means about a quarter of the work. Although she also says the bodiced petticoat doesn’t work for large busts, and on this I have to disagree.

Once I got going on the petticoat I decided I would give myself a break. I would wear a bra – one I knew gave me a good ‘uplifted’ shape. Stays or corsets – they would have to wait for another project. I had to think of the principal reason I was making this outfit – to wear on Bonfire night, which means walking in processions through the town all evening (about 6 miles in all), plus all the standing around at the firesite, carrying flaming torches and looking generally dignified in front of a huge audience – I had to think of comfort above all!

The Reference Book

I bought a copy of Costume in Detail, Women's Dress, 1730-1930 by Nancy Bradfield and referred to it often throughout the project. The illustrations are so inspirational. I had to remind myself that these were actual garments from the period that had been preserved, so although they were undoubtedly authentic, they were not generally everyday clothes but clearly had been deemed to be worthy of keeping and handing down. So I shouldn’t be daunted by the level of workmanship and detail in their makeup. All the same it was lovely to have the clothes described in such detail – the fabrics, the fastenings, every little thing down to the distance between buttons and how a seam had been finished.

A visit to Bath

On the last weekend in August I was with my choir, the Lewes Singers, in Bath, singing services at the Abbey. Bath! What a great place to get inspired about Regency costume. We visited the Pump Room, the Assembly Rooms and the regency house at 1 Royal Crescent, which was wonderful.

 

Unfortunately I was the only one in our party who wanted to visit the Jane Austen Centre (!) but then again I couldn’t expect the others to understand how I needed to get into the Regency thang! The Museum was a strange experience – the way it’s organised is that you are given a short presentation which takes place every half hour or so, then you are taken downstairs into the museum proper, and left to wander round in your own time. Because entry is timed, it means you don’t get those awful crushes you get in some National Trust houses in the summer.

 

 

But the strange thing was, although about 20 of us all trooped in together, within a few minutes I appeared to be alone. I don’t know if the others had rushed through, or decided they wanted to get to the tearoom, but I found I was able to stop and spend time looking at the exhibits in a really relaxed way. There were a number of costumes on display, and I had a good look at the fabrics and construction, where I could. The problem with dresses on dummies/mannequins is that they are pinned and so they don’t really fit properly, or look like they would on a person.

 

 

Anyway, I came back from Bath with renewed enthusiasm for the Regency dress project. And I knew I only had 2 months until Bonfire night!