This was my first foray into late 18th Century
attire. I must admit that I was a bit
intimidated. Where
to begin or even how to begin were just a few of the stumbling blocks, but I
needed something to wear to the upcoming San Diego Costumer Guilds “18th
Century Picnic”, so a commitment I did make.
Like many of us, I started poking around on my own 18th
Century Pinterest board for ideas, both for research and inspiration. The volume of information on Pinterest in
general is a tad overwhelming, so I began with just narrowing it down to the
style of gown I was going to make – mainly, what I am going to call, a “Caraco”
style. There are a few of these Caraco
style gowns out there, not many, but enough so that I felt comfortable using
this pattern as my starting point.
My goal in sewing is to make something to the best of my
ability that I am proud to wear.
Something that reflects my original inspiration of the era. Is it always “Historically Accurate/HA” or
“Period Correct” – no, but, it is as close as I can make it. I set myself very high standards, in that if
it is going to take me days and or weeks to create, if I am going to give up
days of my life, it had better be as great as I can make it. I do not sew to impress anyone or to measure
up to any persons expectations or restrictions except my own.
When I am done, I want the garment to speak for itself.
This era was always my most intimidating for a few of
reasons, one being the amount of fabric needed, the correct type of fabrics and
trims, the amount of hand-sewing involved, and even the technical aspects of
the historical garments themselves.
The petticoat went together quickly and was actually a lot
of fun. You will need pocket hoops for this look, and the pattern does compensate for them. I elected to utilize the
existing curtain seams and simply had to figure out seam placements. Lots of fast pleating for the front and back panels. I used grosgrain
ribbon for the waist ties, so it would not slip once fastened. The petticoat took all of maybe two hours.
So, on to the actual Caraco.
The bodice front is “pieced”, meaning on each side of the front opening
there are TWO pieces of fabric, as opposed to the HA “ONE” piece. Also, the pattern itself is of Modern Design,
as the cut of the sleeves clearly indicate. (Thank you to the ladies that helped me learn to see this pattern in a more realistic manner, in that it has a great look, but not exactly HA) I did find several examples of “Front Closing and Pieced Bodice”
historical garments, and this is my Pinterest Link:
I wanted to make sure that I was actually seeing a seam
line, and not a channel groove for boning.
So, I went into each picture to see if I could trace it back to it’s
original location. My favorite to use is at The Met, as it has an absolutely amazing “zoom” feature that lets you get right
down to the seam line, and the clarity is amazing. To see what I am talking about, try this
link, click on the photo, to bring it up in a new page, and zoom into the seam line:
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My "Painted" photo |
Frilly Pocket Hoops |
Lastly, here is the link to the “Pocket Hoops” that I made for this ensemble:
I have three more late 18th century ensembles on
the construction schedule for the upcoming months, and will post notes as I
progress through them. Thank you for
stopping by to read up on this. Feel
free to “join” this page for future posts!
Trudy, this outfit is a delight! One of my very favorites that you have made. It was even more beautiful in person! Perfection :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Cindy! I have a couple more 18thc gowns scheduled for 2015!
DeleteI have to admit I took more photos of you and Gina at the picnic. It was by far the most eye catching and you did a beautiful job on it.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'd better get my blog on this done too now.
Val
Thank you Val! It was a very challenging project and I am glad it turned out as well as it did!
DeleteLove this look, fabric and pattern( I knoe!!! Typically I don't say that about many patterns from the big three but it always went together so easy!)
ReplyDeleteAnyway you look stunning!
Ms Musings, thank you for your post! I had a little problem with the sizing and had to take it in everywhere, but finally got it to fit. I like the way it turned out as well, and I have fabric to make the full length version next!
Delete