EXAMS!! ARRRRGGHHHH.

On Thanksgiving, I started/completed my shift IN ONE DAY! It's all machine done, but I'm so proud of it that I don't really care. I made it out of muslin, which was good because it was cheap, and I have leftovers for whatever I need it for later! ^_^ So, thus far, my whole 18th c. wardrobe has cost under $150, which makes me very happy. The most expensive things were the red petticoat I bought and the material, which was around $70, with several leftover yards of each.
My current projects I've got going:
-18th c. straw low crowned hat: I've put pictures of this on facebook, and will have these up on here after exams are over. Tis pretty much finished, but I'm really craving some feathers for it.
-Owl apron: So my mum looked far and wide because she wanted to find me an apron with an owl on it for Christmas, because I love anything with owls and she wants me to learn to cook better. She couldn't find one, so she bought me a pattern and some cute owl material!!! Pics will follow. 0,0
-Embroideried stomacher-- Just a random project to keep me busy. I've no gown to wear it with, but oh well.
This week is finals!!!! GRR. But afterwords is the ball!!! Yay! I've even been asked, too... Mr. Amazing reserved me months ago! ^^
So, that's it for the moment. Better posts with pictures of EVERYTHING will come as soon as exams are over.
-Sarah

oh. my. goodness. gosh.

For some reason, I no longer feel as guilty about using material that is not 100% accurate.... It could be worse. Much worse. Much MUCH worse.
http://http//www.buycostumes.com/Marie-Antoinette-Adult-Costume-Gold/34633/ProductDetail.aspx?REF=AFC-datafeed&AID=10273928&PID=2587658&SID=pcost-18th
*gag!*
Today, my petticoat came! I bought it from here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/bonniemissflora. It's a really really dark red, and I'll be wearing it and a pink one I made underneath my green silk one for the ball. Pics will be posted when I can be bothered. I did try everything on last night and was quite satisfied! I just need to hem the green and pink petticoats and finish the trim on one of the sleeves of the gown (still!). Oh, and I'm hoping to get out tomorrow to get some material for my shift.
Also, I started on a little side project of a short jacket-- practice for one I want to make for a possible senior trip to Williamsburg/possible reenacting. I'm still kind of in the researching stages at the moment but have a general idea of what I want to do.
Well, that's all for this time! Bye!

shoes, stays, and other stuff.

so, my robe a la anglasie for the ball is basically finished, except for another sleeve ruffle which i am too lazy to finish at the moment. i also finished my pockets this morning while studying for an exam i have Monday--- multitasking win! basically, the only things i have left to do are hem and finish my petticoat, make my shift (which will be easy enough), and the nasty task of binding my stays, which i also started today. oh, i went to the fabric store last night in search of white linen to use for my shift. and you know what? they didn't have ANY. NONE! they only had pink, blue, an odd green, and this lovely deep red, which was tempting for a more practical future petticoat. but back to my rant. NONE! what the heck?!?!!? so for the sake of time and money, i might have to just use muslin. grr. while browsing about the fabrics last night, i kept in mind that in the 18th century your material choices were pretty limited. you had wools, linen, and silk, basically, all of which are pretty pricey and, unless you buy online, difficult to come by sometimes, because most things are a blend with polyester in them. Not to mention the price per yard... so I've decided that for my practical 18th c clothes, i'm definitely using cotton some of the time. i have no moral opposition against it!
i have also run into a shoe dilemma. i have found several tutorials on how to get yourself some 18th c shoes using thrift store finds and what not. here----http://bauhausfrau.livejournal.com/60973.html --- is a good one, and i'm guessing you could skip alot of those steps and just add straps and buckles for more sturdy, durable, practical shoes. at the suggestion of an expert, i'm going to check antique stores for a pair of 1940s-era shoes to modify. the problem is, i usually stay away from high heels due to my injury, so i'm a bit uneasy about it. i have seen some 18th c shoes with either very low or no heels, but they're usually from the 1780s-1790s and not civilian class shoes. but we'll see what happens.
so, questions for yall-- where do you buy your material? what kind of shoes do you use? comment below!

progress!

So last night after getting home from classes I got lazy about doing homework and energetic about working on my dress, and HUGE PROGRESS WAS MADE. Last week, I drew up my pattern for my robe a la anglaise and cut out the material. So the pattern I had on hand was an embarassing simplicity 'colonial' pattern, and that would NEVER do. NEVER NEVER NEVER. *gag.* But the invitation for the ball came and I have less than two months to finish this project, so ordering a new pattern and waiting forever and a day for it to come was not an option. Therefore, I basically dissected the pattern I have! I had some lovely brown paper that a picture come back from framing had been wrapped in, so that got used for the final pattern. I used my embarassing pattern and photographs of original dresses as guidelines. ANYWAY, I cut out the lining for the bodice from some white taffeta leftover from my blue and white gown from the ball last year. I also cut out everything for the outer part too. i put it all together, and YAY, I think my pattern worked!! :D

I intend to work in it more tonight... Got to admit I'm dreading the sleeves. :/ Oh, and if any of yall have advice on the best way to pin the front of your gowns shut I would appreciate it.

well, that's it for the time being!

-Sarah