So, I've made shifts, stays, petticoats, gowns, bodices, shirts, breeches, pockets, coifs... Pretty much, most of the women's clothing items from the 17th and 18th centuries, and a few men's things here and there for my boyfriend (I dragged him into reenacting with me by telling him he could shoot cannons, now he loves reenacting AND cannons!).
But that's all in the past! The present is much more interesting. I've got two sets of stays in the works, which may turn into three pretty soon. The first set is a 17th century cut, hand-stitched in light green linen bound in a wine-purple linen. They are front lacing, and will have a stomacher in the same colors with light pink floral embroidery. The second set are still in very early stages- pretty much all I've done is cut out the pieces. These are an 18th century set, in a light orange cotton floral lined in grey linen and bound in soft brown leather. I'm going to use two layers of cotton as the inner layer instead of interfacing. The only thing I've found locally is synthetic, and I want this one to be all natural fibers. I even found really thin pieces of "craft wood," which is basically teeny tiny dowel rods, that I'm going to use as a substitute for reeds. I've used zipties on my previous sets of stays, and want to see the difference the wood makes.
I'm also working on a Regency ensemble for a friend of a friend (I'll post pictures later, I want to make sure she's ok with it first!), and a robe a l'anglaise ensemble for my sister. That one isn't entirely historically accurate, the fabric is kinda-sorta-but-not-really an accurate print. It's dots- pretty teeny little white dots on a dark green background. And it looks awesome on her (it even matches her stays!). I've got a pair of breeches to finish up for my boyfriend, and that sums up the things I have actually started.
Coming soon, or as soon as I finish the above-mentioned stuff, will be (drum-roll, please): a hoop skirt; a floral round gown with a red quilted petticoat; a fancy 17th century bodice in eggplant purple silk trimmed in gold silk ribbons (might add a gold silk petticoat if I'm feeling really brave); an entire 18th century set for my boyfriend in blue linen and brown wool; a 17th century court gown in a raspberry colored, silk-looking polyester (I got eight yards of it for less than twenty bucks, it'll be good practice until I find silk or wool in the color I want!); and a light pink Civil War era daytime ensemble with white trims. Unfortunately, I didn't check the fiber content before I bought the fabric for the Civil War day-gown, so its a cotton-poly blend. I figure at best it will end up as a costume rather than part of someone's kit, and at worst I will learn a thing or two about garment construction in this time period.
That's the plan as of right now- I may or may not actually follow said plan, but I will update as I go regardless!
Grey linen bodice (18th Century) purchased online,
and petticoats made by me. I normally don't buy
historic clothes since I can make them, but this
was too pretty to pass up, and happened to be
exactly my measurements!!
