Friday July 29

Spent the morning designing my bustle gown, after our week off we will make toiles, so until then you'll have to wait to see what it will be like!
Rest of the day taken up with finishing things off and writing a nice long to do list!
Back on August 8...

Thursday July 28

Today we made our final undergarment - combinations.  Not a flattering garment but it will be hidden under so many layers it hardly matters!
Nice and simple to make - only two pattern pieces - they have a buttoned placket down the front (yes, more button holes to do) annd are gathered across the back.  Only the neck and arm holes are to be finished with bias binding, once the dress design is finalised, and hems and neck will be trimmed with eyelet lace, which will have ribbon through so they can be gathered up.
Modelled below by Emma, who taught us how to make them.

Wednesday July 27

Ruffles...
Nearly finished!

Tuesday July 26

Ruffles....
One stitched on all around the bottom, six more prepared and ready to go on, in a 'waterfall' down the back section.

Monday July 25

Today we began work on our petticoats.
They are made up of six pieces, seamed together (with fell seams so no raw edges) and a quilted yoke that sits neatly over the top boned section of the bustle cage.  This is how it looks so far, another two days of work to go...

Friday July 22

Finished putting steels into the bustle cage and put a box pleated frill around the bottom.  The petersham waistband has a little buckle to hold it closed, so that is now complete.
The wrong size busk came so have just used a straight busk instead of a spoon busk, that is now in the corset and the side seams finished off.  The top and bottom edges have to be trimmed with bias strips to neaten them off, so another item on the nearly finished list!

Thursday July 21

Rest of the eyelets done and seams stitched for first fitting.  After fitting side seams taken in and 3/4 inch taken off the front.  Corset then abandoned for the day as the busks (metal pieces that allow front of corset to open and close) were too long, so a new one had to be ordered...

So instead I made a bustle cage...
Once the three pieces were cut out of calico and marked up the centre back seams of the inner and outer back were stitched.  All the pieces were hemmed and the edges of the front were turned in and neatened.  Seven channels of tape were then stitched onto the outer back to hold the boning.  The front pieces were then stitched between the two backs and turned through.  The top edges were pleated up and sewn to petersham ribbon and the raw edges covered with tape.  Then came the metal work, the boning had to be cut into lengths and the ends filed down and taped up.  Once prepared the bones were pushed into the tape channels and the shape of the bustle cage was formed.  The top two bones are still to go in and a box pleated ruffle goes around the bottom, but its almost finished (and no button holes!).

Wednesday July 20

Yesterday and today spent on corset building.
We cut out an 1880's pattern and then adapted it to our 2011 bodies and cut it out in cotton and coutil (a very densely woven fabric specifically for making corsets).

All the pieces then had to be flat tacked before stitching the front three pieces and the back two pieces together.

Next all the seam allowances have to be trimmed down and bone casings made from bias strips, stitched over every seam.  The centre back is then stitched over to form casings for two straight bones (as opposed to spiral bones that go in all the other casings - all the bones are made of metal)  and the eyelets go inbetween.

The centre front and side seams are temporarily machine tacked so that the corset can be tried on for fitting.

Monday July 18

Finished off my waistcoat today (apart from the button holes, obviously...).

Did a bit of work on my breeches, so they are almost finished too (button holes...).
Tomorrow we begin work on project number two - corset first.

Friday July 15

Waistcoat construction continued today.  Finished the pockets and then stitched the backs together, made and applied the jiggers (favourite word of the week), ready for the eyelets.

Then the front linings were attached to the fronts and the shoulder seams stitched.  Side seams and collar on Monday and then it will just be buttonholes...

Thursday July 14

Today we started on waistcoats.
Spent the morning cutting out and marking up, flat tacked a calico backing to the front and then spent the afternoon doing the pockets.  So far so good...

Wednesday July 13

Button hole on lining pocket done, then some more work on breeches and learning a new style of pocket for the waistcoat, which we start work on tomorrow.

Tuesday July 12

Spent quite a while pinning in the other sleeve to get it to match, then tacked them in and stitched both, twice round for extra strength.  Then the hair canvas in the front and and body lining all had to be tacked around the armhole.  Last of all the sleeve lining was turned over, seams matching and slip stitched around, so now all the raw edges and everything that you have seen stage by stage on this blog is hidden inside.

Then a good press and it looks like this...

Amazing!!
Spent some time working out how to make the epaulets, once we have the lace and bullion and where all the buttons will be positioned.  Then some more button hole practice, so tomorrow will get started on making them.

Monday July 11

Work on the coat continues.
First of all the hems of the tails were pinned up and hand stitched.

And the shoulder seams stitched, just the wool fabric initially.

The collar was then prepared with two layers of collar canvas, to make it nice and stiff, on a cotton layer.  This was then attached to the wool layer of the collar before it was lined, turned through and attached to the coat.

Once the collar was in place then the shoulder seams of the linings were stitched and pressed.  Finally for today I pinned in one of the sleeves, this is a trial and error process, keep pinning it in and taking it out until it looks right.  Tomorrow I have to get the other one to match.

Friday July 8

And on...
Today I put in a little lining pocket, it is in the lining of the left hand tail, somewhere for my Naval Captain to keep his compass!

Bit of stab stitching at the top of the back split and whip stitching to hold the seam allowance together on the inside of the pleats.

Lots of fiddling about then to get the linings nice and flat and even in the tails and attaching the facing to the lining of the body.  Then the lapels were prepared and stitched, so they fold over in the right place when the coat is being worn.

  Finally for today everything needed a good pressing to get all the bulky seams to lie nice and flat.
Just before leaving pinned the shoulder seams and took a couple of pictures for a preview of how it will look - hopefully soon!  Only the collar, shoulder seams and sleeves to do - oh and all those buttonholes of course!

Thursday July 7

And the coat goes on...
First of all the cuffs were prepared with canvas and then constructed and lined.

Then sleeves, linings and cuffs were all put together, turned through and pressed.

Sleeves completed the next stage was to stitch the linings to the backs and press them over and then stitch the centre back seams.  Its started to look like a garment rather than a collection of pieces of fabric now.

Wednesday July 6

Lots more progress made on the coat today, mostly the hidden secrets of good tailoring (Saville Row no less...) so won't be visible in the finished product but make all the difference to how it looks.

So this picture shows yesterday's finish point -

First thing today was to machine on the pocket flap and press, then the hair canvas interlining was pinned into place and the lapel was pad stitched, see next picture.

The rest of the canvas was then tacked from the right side and then muslin flat tacked to the top of the back to strengthen it.

The front of the tails (or skirt) were then reinforced with hair canvas and the edges that will form the pleats and centre back with iron on stayflex, to make the edges nice and sharp.

 Next was to stitch up the dart on the front, which pulls the front of the coat into a nice curve, capturing the top of the pocket and flap in, concealing all the raw edges - so obviously a nightmare to do!  First one took three attempts to get right, second one was right first time!  See before and after -

The dart also had to be stitched on the lining, easy in comparison.  Finally I stitched the front seams of the sleeves, both outer fabric and lining and pressed them flat.  A bit of stab stitching on my breeches and finished for the day.

Tuesday July 5

Work has begun on the coat...
We had staggered cutting out time yesterday; it took half an hour just to press the fabric and a further two hours adjusting the pattern and pinning it to the fabric, so actual cutting out took place today - fabric, lining and interlining of hair canvas (funny stuff, bit itchy...).  After cutting out was complete, prepped canvas panels at the shoulder to give body to the coat and then started work on the pocket.  Made a pocket bag and attached that, then cut a slit in the fabric and turned the pocket through, pressed and neatened the edges.  Then made the pocket flaps, also stiffened with canvas and they are ready to sew on first thing tomorrow.

Friday July 1

Me - modelling my almost complete breeches!
Only the waistband, hem facing and plackets to do, oh and at least 15 button holes...
I have bag lined my breeches, so made up the lining first and then the actual fabric version before putting them together and tacking around the top and hems.  Then it was return to split falls, all that practising and the notes I made was worth it as they seemed to go fairly smoothly.  Very happy with the results, although I'm glad I don't have to wear them as they itch!
We start on coats on Monday; I appear to be saving up an awful lot of button holes to do...