To Walk Is by a Thought to Go - 1810s Photoshoot

To walk abroad is, not with eyes,

But thoughts, the fields to see and prize;

Else may the silent feet,

Like logs of wood,

Move up and down, and see no good

Nor joy nor glory meet.

- "Walking" by Thomas Traherne 

One of my favorite makes of 2019 was a little, striped, Regency Era half robe or short gown.  It was a seemingly simple project with straightforward construction, yet oh so comfortable and convenient to wear.  I like to think of the early-19th century "short gown" as comparable to today's t-shirt -- a throw-on-and-go staple in a living historian's working class wardrobe.  Plus, the opportunities to pattern mix-n-match and accessorize can't be beat!

In this blog post, I'll be sharing both the details of the garment's construction, as well as the completed project photographs that my sister graciously took last July - thank you, Maria!  So, without further ado, let's get started...

Construction Details

The story begins two years ago when I found the perfect, reproduction print fabric at Regency Revisited during GCV's 1812 weekend.  Readers, believe me when I say it was love at first site - my friends and co-workers can attest to this haha!  Unfortunately, there was only about two yards left, but I couldn't resist the indigo stripes and so it came home with me:

The fabric - a historical reproduction printed cotton.

Fast forward to July of 2019, I finally had a project in mind for the fabric!  I wanted a new half robe or short gown, something with maximum arm-movement (i.e. being able to raise my arms above my head, which those who wear mid-19th century clothing with those low-dropped armscyes can relate to), especially necessary while I was weaving.  After a quick mock-up (though the sleeves took two tries), I was ready to cut - and Jack, my best friend's mischievous, one-eyed cat was equally ready to assist:

Jack, always ready to assist!

Special thanks goes to Judy, not only for hosting the sewing day (and for her resident helper), but for the continued encouragement.  Had she not been asking for daily updates, the project might still be languishing in a u.f.o. (unfinished object) bin somewhere...sewing friends to keep you accountable make all the difference!

As for putting it all together, I think it took three or four days of working on and off to finish.  I assembled the fronts, 4-piece back (including the skirt), and lining separately, then seamed them at the shoulders and sides.  I stitched the long seams (and set the sleeves in) by machine to save time, but anything visible from the outside was done by hand.  I did also top stitch the shoulders down by hand though as it's a pretty and period appropriate detail.  

Only the fronts have turned down edges along the top and narrow pieces of bias tape at the underbust for drawstring casings, while the back is fitted with curved seams and pleats for the skirting.  Both the set-in, elbow length sleeves and skirt were finished with bias cut facings, and I turned under or overcast any exposed seam allowances to prevent future unraveling.  

Here's a picture of the interior, which hopefully helps to illustrate the process better:

Interior view.
Please excuse all of the wrinkles.

And here's the finished short gown:  

Full front view.

Side view.

Other side view -
I might try to reduce the height at the cap
for a smoother sleeve set-in next time...

Back view -
featuring directional knife pleats at the side
with an inverted box pleat at the center.

Completed Project Shots

Once again, the beautiful gardens at the George Eastman Museum and historic mansion were chosen for the location of our summer photo shoot.  Maria, my sister and photographer, did her usual, outstanding job of documenting my latest sewing project - and I'm so grateful for her time and talents!

In the following pictures, the short gown is worn with period stockings and pointed tie-shoes, a shift, long stays, strapped cotton petticoat, and linen petticoat.  A beribboned cap and hand-rolled checked kerchief complete the quick and comfy look.  

*All photographs courtesy of Maria M.*   

To walk is by a thought to go;

To move in spirit to and fro;

To mind the good we see;

To taste the sweet;

Observing all the things we meet

How choice and rich they be.

A little child these well perceives,

Who, tumbling in green grass and leaves,

May rich as kings be thought,

But there’s a sight

Which perfect manhood may delight,

To which we shall be brought.

While in those pleasant paths we talk,

’Tis that tow’rds which at last we walk;

For we may by degrees

Wisely proceed

Pleasures of love and praise to heed,

From viewing herbs and trees.

Poem is "Walking" by Thomas Traherne - stanzas 1, 4, 8, and 9.  Follow the link to find the full poem.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Inside & Out: Regency Half-Robe

Well hello there, long time, no post!  Today we'll be discussing the inspiration behind and the construction of the early-1800s half-robe and petticoat combination featured in our most recent photo shoot, here: Summer Sun.  The strapped, linen petticoat, made entirely from rectangles, also serves as my belated entry to the Historical Sew Monthly April Challenge - Circles, Squares & Rectangles!  

(Photograph courtesy of Maria M.)

The Inspiration

For those who have been reading my blog for a while, you may have noticed that I am quite fascinated by short gowns, and have reproduced several styles [see the tag "short gown"].  Per usual, the inspiration for this project comes from several extant garments and period fashion plates.  My pinterest board, 19th-Century Short Gowns, houses a growing collection of reference images as well as further resources if you're interested.

For this particular project, the fabric found me first!  Way back in February, I was sewing with Judy, the partner-in-crime, at her winter workplace, the Chestnut Bay Quilt Shop.  We took a break to "window shop" in the reproduction room (yes, an entire room!), when this simple print jumped out at us.  Long story short, I forced my friend, as she says, into what would become our "twin" gowns, matching half-robes and petticoats, as well as buying a beautiful red stripe that became her new 1850s dress.  Be warned, friends, fabric shopping with me may be hazardous for your pocket books!  Several of you can already personally attest to this I believe...

Anyways, after securing three yards of the brown print, I drew from two extant examples for the design.  This jacket from the Snowshill collection, with its pleated details and cross over front, spoke to me the most:

Dress Jacket, c.1790-1800
Snowshill Wade Costume Collection, UK
(Image via: National Trust Collections, 1348737.2)

This jacket, though dated later, is quite similar:

Printed Jacket, 1820s
"Jackets would have been worn during the day with
non matching skirts or petticoats for informal occasions"
(Image via: Meg Andrews)

Notice the higher back and pleated skirt details:  

Printed jacket, back, 1820s.
"Marvelous print and some lovely button and frill detail
including two thread work loops above the buttons
where the apron would thread through."
(Image via: Meg Andrews)

I also really liked the longer length of the morning robe on the left:  

Morning Dresses, May 1803
Fashion Plate, M.86.266.52
(Image via:  LACMA)

My version of a Regency half-robe.

The Half-Robe

Moving right along into the construction of the half-robe, to create the bodice, I began with the lining and cross-over bodice pieces from the Elegant Lady's Closet by Sense & Sensibility Patterns.  As patterned, the front is cut in four pieces: two of the printed cotton fashion fabric, and two of the plain, cotton muslin lining.

The cross-over bodice features three deep pleats on each side,
which were stitched to a waistband.

For visual interest, I added a pleated flounce along the neckline edges.  In the detail shot below, you can see how this was attached.  First, bias strips were folded in half and machine zig-zagged to save time.  Next, they were pleated and stitched to the neckline edge.  To keep the machine stitching from showing, I pressed the seam inside and hand whip stitched it to the inner edge or linings.  

The front of the cross-over is secured with two metal hooks and thread eyes.

Later, I added twill tape ties on the inside.

Note on the pattern & fit:  In the mock-up phase, the Elegant Lady's Closet cross-over bodice worked really well with a few adjustments on my friend, however, not so much on me.  The only adjustment I made to front was to trim two inches off the neckline edge, otherwise I kept the front lining and cross-over pieces the same.  If I were to do it again, I would have scrapped both, and drafted my own.  The fronts simply have too much fabric for my frame.  I should have shortened the width of both the fashion fabric and the lining, smoothing out the front and perhaps even eliminating the need for the pleats.  Though I did end up ditching the back pieces for my own, scooping the back of the neckline and raising the center back at the waistline for that gentle upward curve. 

For the bodice lining, I hemmed the top, side and bottom edges by hand, even though they don't show.  As a whole, I machine stitched more interior seams than usual, but made sure that any visible stitching was done by hand.  

The lining fronts are pinned closed when wearing.

I also lined the waistband to hide all of the raw edges with a strip of muslin.
Pressing both edges, I blind-stitched the lining in place.
Neat interiors make me happy!

The front lining when worn.

The back is cut in three pieces, with the fashion fabric and lining treated as one, unlike the front.  The skirt consists of three panels - two in the front, and one pleated in the back.  

Notice the gentle upwards curve at the center back.
I also balanced the skirt to have a slightly lower slope in the back than the front.

The shoulder seams also feature pleats to help control the fullness at the front, and provide a pretty detail.

Shoulder detail - notice the directional pleated trim and gathered sleeves.
Next time, I would add piping to the shoulder seam and armscye.

The lining is attached the the side, shoulder and armscye seams,
leaving the lining free at the front.

I added the same pleated flounces to the sleeve edges.  The only difference is that these were cut on the grain, rather than the bias, to follow the directional print.  

Wrist details, exterior and interior.

Last, but not least, to finish the skirt, I flat-felled the skirt seams by hand and added a small, contrasting calico hem for a pop of color!   

Hem facing, side hems and flat-felling by hand.

The Strapped Petticoat

Now with a new half-robe completed, surely I needed a new petticoat to wear it with!  Enter this lovely fashion plate:

Fashion plate by Georges Jacques Gatine
(Image via: Pinterest)

And this extant example of a strapped petticoat:

Petticoat or linen warp and wool weft, ca. 1825-35
(Image via: Nordiska Museum, NM.0001376)

I am very fortunate to have a friend who works at a quilt shop!  She procured several yards of a perfectly matching, light-weight caramel linen for our petticoats.

My version!

Constructing this petticoat was a breeze!  After taking a few measurements (underbust, underbust to floor, front, back, side, etc.), I ripped three narrow panels of the linen for a total circumference of about 85".  Seamed them together, turning under the allowances at the center back for the opening.  Pleated them to a waistband and added twill tape ties for straps.  

Petticoat features a flat front and knife pleats
with the fullness concentrated towards the back.

The petticoat closes with two metal hooks and thread eyes, and is finished with a printed cotton hem facing.  

Hem facing detail.

The finished strapped petticoat: 

Petticoat front.

Petticoat back.

Historical Sew Monthly Entry Details

The Challenge:  April: Circles, Squares & Rectangles – Many historical garments, and the costumes of many people around the world, use basic geometric shapes as their basis. In this challenge make a garment made entirely of squares, rectangles and circles.

My strapped petticoat meets this challenge as it was constructed entirely out of rectangles.  From the two skirt pieces, to the three hem facings, waistband, and even twill tape straps, every piece is a rectangle! 

Materials:  Lightweight caramel linen, printed cotton for the hem

Pattern:  None, I just measured and ripped right along the grain

Year:  Early-1800s

Notions:  1" twill tape for straps, thread, two metal hooks with thread eyes

How historically accurate is it?  The overall look achieved by the petticoat would be recognizable, however, the particulars of my construction may not be as historically accurate.  For instance, on a linen petticoat, they probably would have turned the hem rather than adding a facing.  Also, they would not have attached the straps by machine.  I cut a corner there, but did hand stitch and overcast everything else!  Maybe 75%?

Hours to complete:  Worked on and off over three days.

First worn:  Way back in April for pictures at the Stone-Tolan House.

Total cost:  Estimated $15

Now, off to blog about the next project...thanks for reading! 

Short Gown Studies IV: La Blanchisseuse

They that wash on Monday

Have all the week to dry;

They that wash on Tuesday

Are not so much awry;

They that wash on Wednesday

Are not so much to blame;

They that wash on Thursday,

Wash for very shame;

They that wash on Friday,

Must only wash in need;

And they that wash on Saturday,

Are lazy folks indeed.

 La Blanchisseuse, or the washerwoman.

Take a look at our first completed sewing project and photo shoot of the summer!  Early in June, Maria, my sister and photographer, agreed to photograph my newest, golden yellow short gown, intended for wear in the village down at Kieffer's Kabine.  (You'll find me interpreting there every other Saturday, so come out and say hello!)

It was hot, it was humid, and very itchy no thanks to the hordes of mosquitoes, but we persisted.  And, I can truly say that Maria's results never fail to amaze - she has such an eye for detail, composition and, best of all, is my sister.  We hope you enjoy the results!  

Washerwomen by Paul Sandby, ca.1790-1805.
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection.
(Image via: Yale Center for British Art, B1977.14.5133)

Completed Project Shots

*All photographs courtesy of the one and only Maria Meck*  

Since a short gown is a garment intended for work, I though it might be fun to stage a laundress impression for the shoot.  My photographer agreed, and the picturesque location of the "dragonfly bridge" and creek at Ellison Park was selected.  

You might even recognize some of the laundry from previous short gown studies!  (Short Gown Study I, Study II, Study III) 

On the subject of laundry, Thomas Roscoe's The Works of Jonathan Swift: Containing Interesting and Valuable Papers, Volume 2, published in 1843, offers some interesting directions to servants.  

In Chapter XIV: Directions to the Laundress, it is suggested that: 

"If you singe the linen with the iron, rub the place with flour, chalk, or white powder; and if nothing will do, wash it so long till it be either not to be seen, or torn to rags.  

"About tearing linen in washing: -- 

"When your linen is pinned on the line, or on a hedge, and it rains, whip it off, although you tear it, &c.  But the place for hanging them is on young fruit-trees, especially in blossom; the linen cannot be torn, and the trees give them a fine smell." 

~ Excerpt from Roscoe's The Works of Jonathan Swift, Volume 2

Digitized by Google Books

There is also a fantastic article on 18th century laundry - 

Laundering Clothing in the 18th Century - that contains excerpts from letters, laundry instructions from period resources, and a very long list of washing, drying and ironing depictions.  I highly recommend it as a starting point to anyone interested in forming a laundress impression for 18th century (of course) and early 19th century reenactments.

Fun with filters!

A note on the short gown itself:  Mostly hand stitched (only the two long inside seams are machine stitched).  The box pleated trim featured on the sleeves and neckline were rolled hemmed to prevent future fraying.  Finally, a small, contrasting hem facing was applied.  (My tradition is catching on at GCV!)  

Short gown details - interior casing, hem facing & box pleated trim.

Thank you for stopping by!