“Time to go back in time”

I’ve always sewed! My mum sewed and taught me as a small girl to make clothes for my dolls and then myself. By 16 I was making curtains for ‘Barratt Homes’ show homes on a big new estate nearby,  this was the early 80s so think BIG Austrian blinds, swags and piping! 

I helped my mum to make my wedding dresses and the next year copied an expensive wedding shawl dress for a friend and made her bridesmaids dresses!

As my 2 children got older, I got a job and sewed less, I didn’t have time… then I got made redundant and had some catching up to do. I went self employed doing alterations and teaching.  This was ok but didn’t make much money so now I work part time, do the alterations and still have a few students. When this lock down started I began working from home, but the weddings and proms were cancelled so the alterations dried up, I now had rare free time!

I have always loved Jane Austen, the books, the films, the locations and of course the frocks! With all this time on my hands I decided to make my lock down project a full Jane Austen outfit.

First I done some research! I live history so enjoyed trawling the internet to find out what ladies wore in the early 1800s, I bought books (can’t help it), and watched the dvds with notebook and pencil in hand. My research told me that the commercially available patterns aren’t right and that I would need the right underwear. More research and books gave me the means to draft patterns for a corded corset, a shift and a petticoat. I machined these and hand embroidered the corset, it’s lovely and surprisingly comfy.

Next my dress, I had suitable fabric, a 5m piece of block printed fine cotton I’d got on ebay for £16 because it was pretty and a bargain! For the bodice lining I used an old line bolster cover, perfect. I drafted my dress from a book and fitted a toile made from stash scraps. I used up every last inch of the 5m adding extra width to the back. As I had plenth of time I hand sewed the dress, all of it, after all sewing machines weren’t invented until the 1840s. The dress took a few weeks to make and necessitated the purchase of a leather thimble, worth every penny according to my now healed fingers. Next a chemisette to maintain dignity in the face of a low neckline and matching under-sleeves, these were made from a charity shop sundress that had a lurex stripe, I pulled those out by hand,  that took a few weeks too!

I also needed a reticule, a sort of small handbag, I looked online and found a crochet pattern to suit so made that. My Spencer, a little jacket is well on the way and I still have a bonnet of some sort to make. I think more research might be on the cards? 

I’m loving this historic costuming as I’ve found out it’s called. I have my sights seton the 1780s next but then a very modern Vogue pattern caught my eye recently so I might do that first if my stash can produce the required fabric? Have you tried any historic costume making? I would love to hear all about it!

Stay safe!

Caroline x