Day 27: Future Projects

Just the other week I was lamenting that I hardly had anything [18th century] to sew... now I have the opposite problem!

There was a fabric sale with some incredible deals the other week, and I am now prepared to make a new jacket, a caraco with matching petticoat, and two full gowns (although I might make one of those gowns into a second caraco with matching petticoat).

Aren't they all so pretty?! I think my favorite is the one in the top center, but the bottom one will be absolutely perfect for a caraco. The total price for all four new outfits will be around $50, or less than $15 each!

I also have a couple of Regency projects on the docket, although those won't happen as quickly since I can only work on them in the evenings. Keep your eyes peeled for a new set of short stays, a wool spencer, and a gown modeled after the one in Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion though!

This fabric is from Verna's, which I love to visit with my Mom when I go back to PA - there's so many great finds in there!

The description of the original fabric for this gown is very similar to the fabric I already have (above), so clearly this is a good choice for a new Regency gown!

Finally, I have a few cold weather projects that I can sew, just as soon as the weather cools off and autumn begins. I have some wool that I found at a thrift store (for $3! For three yards!) to sew a petticoat with, and my parents got me some lovely sky blue wool and cinnamon brown Virginia cloth from Burnley and Trowbridge last Christmas that I'll be turning into something fun come fall. Lastly, I bought a little bit of faux fur trim a few years ago and stitched it together, but I am yet to turn it into the muff it was meant to be - hopefully that project will be completed in time for the snow!

I love the look of fur, but I could never support killing animals just for their coats, so faux fur is one of the very few modern concessions I will make in my 18th century costuming. (To quote one of my favorite movies, Christmas in Connecticut, "No one needs a mink coat except for the mink!" I do, however, need a faux fur muff, and a faux fur trimmed mantle, and...)

In addition to all of my future sewing projects, I am also hoping to undertake some more blogging projects. I haven't made any official decisions, but I have some cool prompts in the works, and some more challenges to keep me blogging through the rest of the year - so stay tuned!

Day 12: Garment

            Most of the things that I sew are garments, so there’s a lot that fits into this category for me. I decided to post about my caraco, because I just finished it last month and I haven’t shown it off yet.

            Much like my calash, this project was also started last summer. I cut out the pattern pieces, and then had to move back into a dorm and promptly lost my will to do anything the second I discovered that my room for the next year was completely lacking an overhead light and was in a constant state of shadow. So, the fabric sat untouched, and the pattern got wrinkled in a tote while I finished my senior year of college. However, upon graduating and moving into an apartment that was much more habitable, I pulled out all of my sewing projects and got back to work!

            The gown itself was very straightforward and easy. I used the J.P. Ryan pattern, with only a little bit of piecing on the skirt to accommodate the guestimated amount of fabric I had bought the previous May during a sale.

            The ruffles on the cuffs were where I really enjoyed myself though. The fabric of the gown was a printed cotton chintz, but I made the ruffles out of linen, because I just had to. I always forget how much I love to work with linen until I’m sewing it, and this was no exception.

            Because I sewed this gown at work, I don’t have any pictures of the process, and because the pattern was of the best quality I don’t have anything out of the ordinary to say regarding the construction of the caraco. I’ll close on this note: I sewed this garment at work, and so a lot of visitors asked me what I was working on. That usually resulted in me trying to compare different garments to modern clothes, and uttering the phrase, “A caraco is like church clothes or an outfit you would wear to work.” That’s a very rough and inexact description, but it seemed to help most people understand. Unfortunately, you just can’t get into the intersectionality of clothing styles, textiles, and social class in a two-minute interaction!

Here's the look from the side - please excuse the weird flaring from the base of my stays, they're too big and my new ones are still being worked on!

            If you want to make one of these for yourself I highly recommend it. J.P. Ryan’s pattern is fantastic, and it’s enjoyable to sew. Also, how cute is that ruching band?? And, if you want any tips, advice, or simply want to talk about your latest project, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or send me an email! 


*This post should have been published on Saturday, August 12th. However, I was returning from vacation and still needed to take some photographs before I could show it to the world!