Road Trip With Pookie

(Topic: Travel, history)

Dear Friends,

I recently had the fortune to go on a road trip with hubby, one of my sisters, and her dog. We made a few stops in either direction - the final destination being a family event. Here are a few of the neat things we discovered in either direction:

Much of northwestern Ohio is a big wind farm.

Much of our path lay through a wind farm. On the way out we stayed on bigger roads, and on the way back we went on tiny roads and could see things better. A wind farm does not mean that all the land is owned by the wind company - in fact, most of the land isn't. The wind company owns maybe a headquarters or a staging area to keep their equipment, but all the turbines are on leased land, often in the middle of agricultural lands. In northwest Ohio that's mostly plant-based agriculture, though wind and animal farming is supposedly a better fit, since plowing around a turbine pad is a pain, but cows don't care if they are grazing around one!
Turbines are bigger and louder than you may think, and not everyone likes living near the big ones. However, smaller ones are quieter, and then there are also other styles to consider if you are thinking about adding wind energy to your home.

We also got to go to a dune area on Lake Michigan, and also to see some model homes that were left from a world's fair.

Unfortunately I was having leg and foot issues for this whole trip, so the camping and hiking didn't go so well, but I still enjoyed being along the lake, and seeing some concept homes from an expo - the Chicago World's Fair. These concept houses are currently being privately restored, and maybe lived in? but they have great explanatory signs.

On the way back, we also passed through Fort Wayne, Indiana. We tend to enjoy historical sites and museums, so we were looking for something like that to stop at, but not for too long because we were outrunning a massive storm cloud at that point!

We discovered, perhaps unsurprisingly, that Fort Wayne was founded around a fort - called Wayne! The original forts - like many - was destroyed and rebuilt a few times, and then ultimately not kept as a fort, and as with many, did not survive. However, (again, not uncommon), it has been reconstructed according to old records, so the reproduction fort is available to visitors.

In the case of Fort Wayne, the fort is in a public park across from a water treatment plant built in the 1930s, which had a fascinating edifice, too. There was a little info area about water treatment and clean water, where we got this cute photo op!

I think it's water bubbles...

That's the fort across the street behind him.

The fort, though, is an unmanned site, unless an event is taking place. This means it was all shuttered, but the gates were open, so we could enter the fort's courtyard but not enter the buildings. Even the reconstruction was abandoned for a while, but now there is a non-profit dedicated to the restoration and preservation of this cool site.

Pookie chilling on the porch of a barracks.

And Pookie keeping guard in a blockhouse!

The front gate of the fort. A Pookie for scale! The garden in front of the walls is for fresh vegetables (historically) and is used by reenactors to explain about life in the fort. Not sure who uses the crops if reenactors don't.

In all, it was a fun trip, and I love having Pookie photo ops to help show neat places!


Yours,

Sarah

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Plaid Ball Gown

Dear Friends,

I have recently had the pleasure to have a ball gown made by Sarah Crow, of The Preacher Wife's Gowns and Carr Antiquities (Facebook)!

She and I discussed options, the primary limiting factor being that we would work only with fabric I already owned, with minimal purchases for trim. I had a lovely red/gold plaid silk (with small stripes in navy and green, as well). Using some period images as inspiration, we agreed on a bertha-style, with puff sleeves, and then lace trim with ribbon work. Here are a few of the inspiration images:

1) Just a similar plaid. Since we weren't doing a day dress, this was more to help me picture my flat piece of fabric as a fully formed dress. This pin was originally from Ebay (I think it was a CDV), so there is no link to its original location.

2) Again, a day dress. Yet the way the trim is on the hem and the whole collar/bodice trim was very similar to what I had in mind. There's no good link to an original source, so if you happen to know where this is from, I'd love to cite the source.

3) Day dress.This one is just such a scrumptious blue stripe! Right??? Ok, but seriously, some ideas for a waist treatment (how to attach the skirt). Note that the original Pinterest post is no longer connected to a proper source, so if you know where this is from, please let me know so I can give proper credit/citation!

4) This neckline. This neckline trim. The pleats. The lace. YUM YUM YUM. Note that this Pinterest link also doesn't lead further. Again, if you know the source, please let me know so I can include it!

The sneak preview she sent me... ;)

The bertha was originally going to be a pleated sheer silk, and would be shaped in similarly to image 4 above. Instead, it became a separate piece that sits higher on my shoulders and lower in front, with a higher neckline on the true bodice, and the pleating, believe it or not, is actually the same silk as the dress, just pleated carefully to show only the gold!

Beautiful scrumptious work in progress! This was my main fitting. The minor adjustments I'll make are mainly things like moving a few of the hooks and eyes, since we didn't get a last fitting right before the ball to check those types of things.

And done! This is at the February Ohio Regimental Military Ball (ORMB) in Canton, OH.
I absolutely ADORE all the lacy lace! I felt so beautiful wearing it.

Happy dancers :)

My seamstress friend from The Young Sewphisticate and I, enjoying being beautiful! She also gets credit for loaning me the fluffy lovely cap I'm wearing.

Thank you so much to my friend Sarah Crow for making me this gorgeous gown!

Yours,

Sarah

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1860s Maternity Dress

Hello Friends,

Recently I decided to try to make a maternity-style dress, with the challenges of being able to accommodate different sizes and shapes that a body does during pregnancy. Since different people also carry differently (like high vs. low), the dress does end up being somewhat personalized (such as shoulder-to-waist length), but is much more flexible in sizing than the typical Civil War era dress, especially in the waist. This dress presented some interesting challenges. In the captions I will note some of the issues I encountered with the final product and possible solutions I could implement.

Garment Data:
- Type: Maternity dress, 1860s-style. Long sleeved, day wear.
- Date made: February 2016
- Pattern: self-drafted, based loosely on the pattern my friend Karen drafted for me, and on resources I read on thesewingacademy.org about how maternity dresses were made.
- Fabric/Materials: A heavy fabric I found at goodwill. Possibly meant for drapery and upholstery, this is actually slightly heavier than I'd normally use for a dress, but still light enough that I dared. Quite stiff.
- Trim: Cotton collar and cuffs.
- Time to finish: A few days?


Unfortunately I didn't get many in-progress pictures as I made it, but I have some detail shots and finished-product pictures, so I'll share those!

The fabric. The geometric pattern is good for Civil War era, but the swirly background is modern...

Sharpie for scale :)

Detail of the front bodice drawstrings. There is a set like this on either side of the front bodice. I created it by sewing a strip of muslin to the widened bodice front, and then sewed down the middle (I did not sew down the ends). I then threaded a bias tape through both tunnels so that the ends came out next to the front closure. Hope that makes sense!

The dress, part way done. Note the pins marking where I'll be putting buttons!
The waist is also bigger than usual, with an 8" overlap. I can change it to match the size needed, just by moving the hooks that close the waistband.

Seated, with hoops (no corset). While a gestational corset could certainly be used, I did not have one to work with. But since the bodice front is made to be more roomy anyway, the shifted and less structured body works beneath it.

Front view. It buttons down the front. Note that you can see the skirt overlap, and that it falls very un-gracefully. I could probably remedy this partially by making most of the skirt gauged instead of wide pleats, and then I could even have the front portion on drawstrings like the bodice so that it is easier to adjust.

Side view. You can see here that the skirt looks a little strained around the circumference of the hoops. I have extra fabric, so if I change from knife pleats to cartridge pleats (gauging), I will also add another panel. This will soften the way the skirt falls, I hope. I will also wash the dress at some point :) and see if the stiffness is partially some sort of sizing. If so, I think it will also hang more naturally after that.

Rear view. They back has not been altered from my normal pattern, so this is pretty standard. YES, I know the petticoat is showing!!! I didn't know it until I saw the pictures, though... :( I will shorten them soon. The petticoats were also made with a longer waistband than usual, but thus also have the overlap/awkward front problem. I think a partial drawstring waist may be a solution that would work, but I need to see if I can find out what was done. Possibly just resetting the waistband each time it doesn't fit well? (If you know, please post in the comments below!!!)

I also made a new narrow collar and white cuffs. Not perfect, but they work. The cuffs should be rotated more toward the back, but otherwise worked pretty well.

Most sincerely yours,
~ Sarah

1860s-Style Mourning Dress

Hi Friends,

As some of you know, we recently experienced a loss in our family. This led me (of course!) to looking into historical customs of mourning, specifically for the American Civil War era (1861-65).

Garment Data:
- Type: Dress, specifically for mourning or half mourning, depending on the accessories
- Date made: August 2016
- Pattern: My personalized Civil War "Day Dress" pattern, drafted by my friend Karen, adjusted slightly at the neckline, and with sleeves I drafted myself. Also, assisted by the Dressmaker's Guide by Elizabeth Stewart Clark
- Fabric/Materials: Linen, cotton lining/hem facing, polyester chiffon for the veil
- Trim: Nylon velvet ribbon (1-1/2" and 3/8"), lace (poly?), cotton hem tape (1" twill tape), plastic buttons, 2 pants hooks for waist closure
- Accessories: Brooch, Belt, Belt buckle, Headband, Veil, Hairnet, Shoes
- Time to finish: approximately 3 days

I was originally intending to make this dress from a light-weight or even sheer wool. However, I could not find it easily locally, and since I had a timeline in which I wanted to make it (I wanted to wear it to the Hale Farm (Ohio) reenactment on August 13th), I needed fabric to be available quickly. As it turned out, I knew someone who had over 6 yards of black linen - and, bonus, a roll of 3-1/2" black lace! I did a little bit of research to see if that would work. Linen was rare by this point, so it is a bit of a stretch but still possible.

Due to time constraints, as well as budgetary ones, here are the corners I cut:
- I used linen, a material no longer much in use in the 1860s for dresses
- I used a blue print for the lining rather than a polished cotton
- I did not make or use a bias piping on the armscye
- I did not make/cover a bonnet (though I did buy some of the materials...)
- I forgot pockets
- I used poly chiffon instead of crape

In all, though, it came together well! Here are the pictures:

Cutting the skirt. I based the number of panels on the yardage I had left after cutting the bodice and sleeves. I had enough length left for 3 panels, and they are about 60" wide, so that was fine.

Adding the hem facing at the bottom of the skirt.

Completed skirt (inside out) showing the hem facing.

Nearly completed bodice back. Note that the sleeves are still uncuffed.

Nearly completed bodice front. Note that I have not yet added darts or finished the front edge.

Shoe options at Goodwill. I realized last minute I had no black footwear that would be even halfway passable!!! I went with the top pair due to the overall look and that they were black. The bottom pair had a thick heel and were gray, which I didn't like.

Pinning on the trim. Note that I had already gathered the skirt at this point, using 2 layers of aligned gathering stitches in anticipation of gauging (is that the same as cartridge pleating?). I had tried larger pleats but noticed that the fabric was too bulky, so despite time constraints, I was going to have to gauge the skirt.

Laying everything out to make sure I had everything I needed :)

Completed dress!!! Just in time... this is the night before. I would still have to add the waist hooks in the morning, and complete the headdress and belt, but I had the bulk done! Hurrah!

At Hale Farm. I am wearing a ribbon headband, a hairnet, veil; period glasses, reproduction brooch, gloves; velvet ribbon belt with reproduction buckle; and the dress. The funny wrinkle-tuck at my waist is because I realized that the way I did the waistband of the dress caused the bodice to be too long. I pinned it up for the duration of this event, and will take it in permanently when I have the chance.

Here you can see the line of hem tape as well.

Detail of trim lines at bottom of skirt. They are all sewn on along the upper edge.

Dearest husband is the one taking the pictures! :)

The reproduction brooch by Elizabeth Aldridge, and the matte plastic shank buttons.

Velvet ribbon belt with reproduction buckle by Elizabeth Aldridge. You can see that my "fly" is gaping a little and I had to pin it shut. Not sure how to remedy that. You can also see my hasty pinned tuck to shorten the bodice. I can fix it much more elegantly, but that worked for the day!

Close up of the gauging along the waistband. I folded about 3" of the skirt down, then did pleating stitches in black thread, that stay in the skirt (two parallel lines of stitches, lined up with each other). I then pulled it tight, and matched the skirt to the waistband. I then whip-stitched one side of each pleat to the waistband from the inside, so only the outside edge of the pleat would show from the outside. Time-consuming, but I love the finished effect!!!

Most sincerely yours,
~ Sarah

Blue Apron

Guess what?? I finally finished the apron I've been meaning to make for ages!

Garment Data:
- Type: 1860s-style apron
- Date made: spring 2014
- Pattern: Elizabeth Stewart Clark's apron pattern
- Fabric/Materials: blue plaid 100% cotton "homespun" from JoAnn's - so, nothing fancy, and it has a "dishrag" soft texture
- Trim: none
- Time to finish: a few days of on-and-off work

This apron has only 1 machine-sewn seam. I did the rest by hand. This allowed me to do it as a portable project.
I also left the sides unhemmed, since they are the selvages.

The bottom hem. This is the only machine-seam I did - when I thought I'd have enough time to just sit down and whip the thing together! Turns out I had better luck (and, most assuredly, a better result) by doing it as handwork on the go.

A close-up of the machine hem. Hard to see, because I was being my usual self with plaids/stripes and was matching them! Actually, the machine-sewn hem is the least-accurately plaid-matched seam. You'll actually find plaid-matching through-out this piece, which means that even the pockets are fairly stealth!

The stealth pockets, pinned in place, for location (i.e., lining up the stripes). I then actually hemmed the pockets separately and then stitched them onto the front of the apron.
Since this was an apron I really wanted to wear soon, I actually end up wearing the apron at the Memorial Day reenactment in Painesville, and pinning and sewing the pockets while wearing it!

The pinner, pre-attachement. I attached it so I can easily fold it down behind the apron and wear it as though there is no pinner. Versatility! And yes, when I wear the apron, the pinner (the bib part of the apron) is actually pinned up to my dress, instead of having a loop around my neck or some-such.

 

Waistband, pinned and pre-sewing. The pleating of the apron is encased in the waistband, and then beyond the apron, the waistband turns into ties like in this picture.

 

 

The apron! No pockets or pinner (bib) yet in this picture.

 

A close-up of the pleated apron encased in the waistband. Note the second row of stabilizing stitching, so the pleating remains crisp and visible in what is otherwise a very floppy fabric (but great for wiping hands on).


... And below, the apron in action, with the pinner (bib) pinned up, and the pockets sewn on! It's very long, so it protects my dress well, and I really like how it turned out!
Things to change next time I make this pattern: maybe try a crisp cotton, or make it (just very very slightly) shorter. And make the ties way longer!! There is a short little bow in the back but long ties would be much easier. Let's be honest: I just want an excuse to have another apron or three in other prints!
(This picture taken at Fort Meigs in Perrysburg, Ohio.)

Most sincerely yours,
~ Sarah