October 5, 2013

Crossing the Finish Line



Success! We'll be able to attend our friend's Regency wedding without being half-clothed. In just under two weeks, I made an entire set of duds for me (shift, corded stays, petticoat, gown, big bonnet o' awesome) and I made half of Curtis' clothes (shirt, coat, cravats). The shirt and the bonnet were half done when I started this mad rush, and a few small parts of the coat were begun, but everything else was started from scratch.

Both Curtis and Kitteh approve of the window
seating in the new sewing room.

Curtis sewed his own waistcoat, and it turned out really well!  He even tackled the welt pockets and won, though I believe there may have been a little swearing involved.  Totally understandable when working with welt pockets, really.  When he wasn't working on his vest, I unashamedly put him to work sewing on buttons to anything that needed them.  Anything to buy me a bit more time to finish everything else, right?

I don't have final photos of everything yet (too busy sewing!) but I have a smattering of in progress photos to amuse you until I get a chance to do a full photo & writeup of everything.

We called this the Redneck Regency look.

Petticoat with tucks.  Why spend
time doing unnecessary tucks on
a petticoat when you're totally
swamped?  I plead insanity.

I had to use pliers to pull the cord through the channels.  I broke
two needles in the process of cording!

Using my tailors ham to shape the sleeve cap.


It took four mockups to get a sleeve pattern I felt would work.  Lucky for me
the 3/4 length allows me to use the decorative edge of my sari in the sleeve.

Apparently I have a tendency to look
pissed when mocking up bodices at 3am.

The felines LOVE it when I trash the sewing room.

Padstitched collar.  UGH my fingers hurt just
looking at that photo.

It's not like you can just cram a coat like that in your
luggage, so guess who classed up his jeans and T-shirt with
some fine wool for the Bart ride and plane flight?

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a wedding to go to!

12 comments:

  1. Great frickin work!!! I can't wait to see the final reveal. Great, fabulous working, lady. xox

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  2. Awesome! It's amazing how much one can create on a crazy short deadline!

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    Replies
    1. True! And the fear of showing up at a wedding with no proper clothes really helps light that fire under your butt ;)

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  3. Aaakjslyd fjajg asjglhajsdh. It all looks SO AWESOME! Have fun at the wedding!

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  4. Oh my. That cording. And everything.
    I love the coat with modern clothing. It clashes, but in that subversive historical way I love, and it would have totally made my day to pass you in the street dressed like that. :D

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    Replies
    1. That particular clash of modern and historical is quite fun, isn't it?

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  5. What pattern (if any) did you use for the frock coat? It looks amazing!
    thedeviantdressmaker.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! The pattern is by Fitting and Proper and is available on Etsy here. The maker is quite nice and willing to answer questions :)

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  6. Sweet!!! It was so awesome to meet you guys :) You both looked great!

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  7. Hey Christina,

    Is there a way to bury the cording so the ends don't show, or do they just poke out on the inside? thanks!

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    Replies
    1. You can get the ends to disappear most of the time. When you initially run the cord through the channel, it has a tendency to bunch up the fabric due to friction. Before trimming the cord, you'll want to smooth and stretch the channel out a bit to remove most but not all of the bunching. You then trim the cord close to the entry/exit points, and then stretch the channel gently to smooth out the remainder of that bunchiness. The ends of the cord should pull inside the channel.

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