Once in a while...

... A lady needs a new handbag. Or a new jacket. Or new lingerie. Or everything in one (slow) go.

As my sewing doesn't really follow a firm schedule, it can take quite a while until I finish a project. This one here took its beginning back in 2014 when Sabine made a delightful workbag in pale green. The little flame of desire was kindled, and I set off to create a base in cardboard, covered it in silk, and decided that I wanted knotted decoration, thus started knotting.

Fast forward two years, after having stashed both the knotted trim and the workbag-base so well away, that they were seemingly lost forever, they re-surfaced. A bag was made from white silk, sewn into (ouch, sewing through cardboard is NOT recommended if one has already slightly damaged joints), the trim attached.

 

The medaillons are copies from one of my books (l'ami des femmes, a wonderful book about female health and beauty written in 1804 and dedicated to Mme Bonaparte) and as no copy shop wanted to print on my lovely paper, printed on modern paper and stained with black tea. (Two times Venus/Venere/Aphrodite. I'm usually more on the team Artemis/Diana, but the Kaufmann print wouldn't have fit) 

During the same spree of productivity I finished another ufo: a new pair of 1790 stays, based on an 18th century stays what don't fit too badly. It features front and back lacing, is constructed of two layers of sturdy handwoven linen, one layer of silk taffeta, stitched with silk thread, boned with reeds, and bound in leather (what also re-surfaced in the same corner as the half finished workbag)

 

...And a new little transitional jacket. I used an old caraco pattern for the lining and drafted the silk taffeta shell onto it. The jacket is fully lined in old handwoven line, with the exception of the basques, and has some valenciennes lace around the neckline. It closes with drawstrings and a little belt in the front, the sleevils were set in while travelling with friends.

The pleats are freehand, I've just checked that it's more or less even, but I didn't really measure.

A picture of the free hand pleating of the back, somehow I don't have pictures from the front, but surely there will soon be some. The odd thing is: this jacket only fits over the early stays, the later more rounded shape makes it ride up :-(

Bag and stays and jacket in use, at the Ligurian cost: 

Picture by R. Dumke / J. Bennett.
Shortly after, the water nearly got me, and I decided to forgoe shoes and stockings, and have a splash. 

Other friends like lovely B. followed, and suddenly we've had a crowd of photographer snapping pictures, while we were laughing, chasing ripples and giggling like children :-)
Picture again R. Dumke/J. Bennet 

we can thank Roberto Fusconi, one of the official photographers for this one. Suddenly I've heard someone shouting "Alé!" - and he was waving 

Here a picture showing the coastline, J. and I standing with wet feet, wet petticoats and huge smiles :-)

A Print Dress

About two years ago, the V&A offered fabric reprints in their shop, and I fell immediately in love with this print, called 'Coral Leaves'

http://www.vandashop.com/V-A-Fabric-Coral-Leaves/dp/B00B7KCAC8

The combination of Green and red leaves and twigs captured me, and thanks to the generosity of my sweet Mr R, the postman delivered 4 meters of this beautiful cotton print.

The construction was quite straight forward, but not fast: the challenge being the piecing of the fabric, as it was not sent in four meters, but in 4x1 meter pieces.

Challenge No 2 was my dear old cat, suffering of renal failure who took an unexpected leak on the ufo, washing unhemmed fabric bits caused some additional loss in width, but again, piecing to the rescue: some additional gussets and a fichu when wearing and we were in business again. (The sweet old daft cat left us at the end of June, he's still sadly missed)

The dress is unlined, front closing by drawstring, the back panel is cartridge pleated, and the connecting seam this odd crazy tiny whipstitch we see in surviving garments, what takes forever, but looks so good when finished! The cord to close the dress is made of three strands of white linen thread and three strands of green silk, just for a fun detail. 

First time worn in the New Year 2015, when visiting my friends C & F, to work on the musicians garments for the April ball. Between then and now the dress saw already some good use: to a dance practise, travelled to Weimar and dancing in Schloss Wildegg.

In the grand potager parterre in Wildegg, photo by Helga Váradi

Avec C. In his beautiful 1790 ensemble, all hand stitched by him. 

Photo by F.Robardey

Aurore. Or my take on a simple and versatile dress with long loosesleeves

I While I love digging in archives, I also love to sew, it's just the blogging about it what is not that much my cuppa. Anyway, I've stitched a bit in the last year, and those garments what have been tested and worn several times under different circumstances will make a quick appearance on the blog. 

Many of us love to copy dresses or looks, and my look of choice is the combination of White, Black and red. In any way, black dress with white fichu, white dress with red shawl: anything of the kind is fine with me.

Therefore it can hardly astonish that 'Aurore' (private collection Lancaster-Barreto) and the styling of the outfit was love on first sight. I love the wide sleeves, as I am very self conscious about my spindly arms and bony elbows. It just suggested comfort and elegance and practically jumped on the top of my sewing list.

http://napoleon-fashion.com/home

The French catalogue is still available, via the eBoutique of the RMN (Réunion des Musées Nationaux)

Once I've found a light silk fabric in Berne, I've started the dress, back sometime in 2014. My choice fell on a soft drapey 90% Silk and 10% cotton, what frayed terribly, thus all inside seams needed to be over stitched.  The dress is lined in the bodice with some of the upper fabric, and closes in the back with drawstrings, has some fine English tulle lace at the cuffs and one tuck at the hem. Again, a quite simple and easy project, yet as with most projects, I was sidetracked sometime during the process (the diversion was called the Jubilée Impérial) and only gave it a push to finish when I was invited to a Soirée in Munich by lovely Ms B in January 2015.

I've worn the dress repeatedly over the last year, and it proved its versatility: elegant for an afternoon about town with a chemisette and capote, with a long necklace at the said soirée, and simple without belt or any additional bling for a Yuletide afternoon with friends.

With Ms. B (long sleeves) and Miss M (short sleeves), during Ms B's Soirée. 

Photo by Mrs J.Bennett

Drawstring closure in the back, photo by Mrs S. Reil

In Berne, in the Maison de Wattenwyl, photos by F.Robardey

The garden door leading to the first terrace. Photo by H. Váradi.

And posing for the Holiday Picture with Monsieur R, the dress worn without any additional bijoux or accessories (I was wearing a little shawl for most of the afternoon though, as it is winter after all), though showing the side parts very nicely. Photo by F. Robardey