I got this Facebook message from a dear friend asking me if I could make her anything for a party this weekend. Apparently she's tired of the 18th century.
Really? Are you kidding? I sew on my days off from my regular job and then the two weeknights every week when I am not getting off my keister and getting some exercise (the gym and Flamenco--weeee!). That is a total of about 20 hours per week to make a gown and appropriate underwear...
But wait! There is a possibility!
As usual, I am falling back on the basic simplicity of the Empire period. I can whip out a gown in about eight to ten hours, and a petticoat in a about five or six more. And you can totally get away with a sports bra instead of a corset in this period if you need to.
I have six yards of Heritage Trading cotton hanging around that will work perfectly. Yes, I know I always say I've got fabric just "hanging around" but that's because I have a shopping problem that results in vast quantities of fabric sitting on my shelves like little fantasies of what I will make next. I shop on eBay, at fabric stores, and reenactments, building up this cache.
The fabric I am using looks something like this, but mine is pink with green. It's very gauzy--perfect for the Empire period.
And I'll use my old standard Folkwear pattern, which I have now made so many times, that I can't do it without making little alterations and changing the bodice on. I have to say, that the Empire has got to be the easiest period to re-design bodice for. If you ever get the urge to try, I encourage you to start there.
Marathon sewing today--here I come!
Really? Are you kidding? I sew on my days off from my regular job and then the two weeknights every week when I am not getting off my keister and getting some exercise (the gym and Flamenco--weeee!). That is a total of about 20 hours per week to make a gown and appropriate underwear...
But wait! There is a possibility!
I have six yards of Heritage Trading cotton hanging around that will work perfectly. Yes, I know I always say I've got fabric just "hanging around" but that's because I have a shopping problem that results in vast quantities of fabric sitting on my shelves like little fantasies of what I will make next. I shop on eBay, at fabric stores, and reenactments, building up this cache.
The fabric I am using looks something like this, but mine is pink with green. It's very gauzy--perfect for the Empire period.
And I'll use my old standard Folkwear pattern, which I have now made so many times, that I can't do it without making little alterations and changing the bodice on. I have to say, that the Empire has got to be the easiest period to re-design bodice for. If you ever get the urge to try, I encourage you to start there.
Marathon sewing today--here I come!
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