Betsy Ross In The Silent Films 1927

Its getting to be a tradition with me. Every year I must pay homage to Betsy Ross. She was a real person and she knew George Washington and the story goes that he asked her to help him out with making a flag to unify the country. They had umpteenth flags too many and he just wanted the one flag to symbolize the United States of America. She and her first husband were upholsterers. And supposedly there is very little proof of her actually making a flag, but she gave George some advice on the design and created a 5 pointed star instead of one with 6. I think she told him where to put the stars too. (that didn't come out right.....)

Now, some say that her grandson made up the whole story - Blasphemous! Some stories should just be left alone.
She went through a lot of husbands. they always died, it seems.

Happy 4th of July Everyone! I'll be spending my Independence day working on drapes. They are looking pretty sweet!

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Louie Says Relax

Another perfectly themed Christmas Fete at Matthew and Tom's house.

The arrival of the Christmas Season isnt complete without Matt and Toms' Annual Costumed Christmas Party. In fact, if I miss one of these, it just isnt Christmas.

Every year, Matt picks a theme (I think he has them lined up years in advance), designs his tree, constructs, paints, purchases and glitters ornaments and tree tops, wall hangings and decorations. Thier home becomes an environment of sheer funky, campy joy. The party is usually swingin til the dawn breaks. Not that I can party that late anymore, but Ive heard the stories!

Marie Atoinette -18th century costume requested - was this year's theme. And all the usual suspects had arrived. Some in borrowed or rented garb, some from my closet, some they make or have made themselves - almost everyone participates in some way, which is a far cry from many costumed parties that I have attended!

I had one day to make a corset, outfit, and wig, so I ended up being a long lost cousin from the colonies........that always explains it all anyway, doesnt it.......

Happy Christmas!








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Polonaise Part Three

After the bodice was sewn up, zipper installed, boning and grommets put in their proper places, ruffles attached with a double bias facing of the same fabric, and the sleeves put in place, I attached the ruffles and trim to the sleeves before I sewed them to the bodice.

I constructed the polonaise, with channeling but sans trim, basted pleats in, then set it aside while I lined the bodice by hand and sewed down the facing to the lining.

I basted the lining to the hem of the bodice and then I attached the the skirt to the bodice with a double bias facing. I made sure that the channel opening wasn't sewn into the bodice.

I sewed the facing down to the lining and voila!

The dress looks fabulous on the wearer and Im hoping that I have a photo soon. But for now, the dressform will have to do.

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Polonaise Part Two

After I cut out the mockup, cut out the bodice and ruffles, I proceeded to cut channels for the rouching, then the trim on the bias to make edging for the skirt and sleeve.

I figured out where I wanted the skirt to bustle up and then I sewed the channel strips to the underside of the skirt. I sewed a seam down the middle of the channel so that it would create a rouching effect when the ribbon was pulled. I made 4 of these. When I wove the ribbon through the channeling, I left enough room to pull the ribbon up from the underside of the skirt near the bodice if she didn't want to tie it from the hem.

At first, I cut and doubled up the bias trim strips and pinned my ruffle treatment to the skirt, but it was waaaaaaaaaaaay too heavy and bulky for this kind of project so I decided to cut it down in width with my serger, serged the edges on both sides, turn the edges over with my straight stitch and apply the trim to the skirt freehand for a bit of a carefree effect. Actually, it looked very even and I was quite pleased that I didn't bother to pin any of it on first. I "made it work". And it went on fast.

The sleeve was another matter. I basted that trim down first because I knew it would be a little harder to get it around below the elbow evenly and easily. This took very little time though.

Polonaise Part One

This is my all time favorite pattern..... I use it over and over and over. I think I made it as the instructions required once, but I just appreciate the silhouette, it is easy, and I can tweak the hell out of it.

So that is what I did. I tweaked a bit.
I found this great black and grey semi-sheer striped drapery fabric on sale and Lynne and I bought up most of it. She wanted a stripie coatie coverup dress kind of thing for her trip to Italy and Sweden. For when she gets dressed up, you know. Not that she doesn't always look great, but something fun and dressupie

First I took her measurements and made a mock up from what I understood that she was wanting. We thought about what she was going to wear it with and decided to make the front and back a little longer, make the skirt way bigger ( the skirt in the pattern always seems a little skimpy to me), add frills, bias ruffles, and channeling to rouch up the skirt, add a zipper in the front and modern it up a bit.

I flatlined the bodice in a light grey cotton in order to show off the stripes a bit.
I cut large bias ruffles for the neckline. I also made the neckline much deeper to show off her bosom. Why hide these things, I say.

I then cut two layers of bias ruffles for the sleeve and I shortened the sleeve a bit. I thought it looked better that way.

Wee Folk Of The 18th Century

It stuns me to realize how small people were until recently. At almost 6ft tall, I cant imagine being so tiny. This photo of me was taken at the Victoria and Albert museum in London about 5 years ago. The detail in the dress is amazing. I am always so excited to see these garments up close and personal after looking at them in books all my life. You just cannot get the grandness and scale of anything until standing right next to it.

I had the same excitement when I saw the Shinrone gown in Dublin for the first time. You cant get the same scope when looking at a photo or a diagram on a pattern. I saw how the threads were so expertly woven in the cloth. I cried. Maybe it is just an old dress dragged from the bog, but could the woman who had worn that dress even imagine a woman of the 21st century crying at the loveliness of the weave of her simple gown?

I'm sure the guard thought I was silly if he took any notice at all.

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