Commisson Dress...DONE!!!!!!!

Alas, I will not be going to OpSail2012 but the commission I have been working on, the blue cornflower dress with yellow Silk will be there, on the lovely form of April Thompson. With Detachable Sleeves

Without the sleeves (for evening)

the bow is to help hide the tattoo on her arm, but now that its on, I think that I like it. It will look soooo much sweeter on her, and I hope to have pictures after Sunday with her in it, fichu and all, but now I just have these. I'm pretty tired and ready to start making silk flowers for the bonnet. So enjoy the photos.

The back will tie like this, will get a better ribbon tomorrow or soon....was the best I had.

My commission, a blue dress

I have been lucky enough to have a commission. I am doing it for a friend, therefore, My pricing has been..friendly. I already posted on here the success of the stays made for said commission. Now onto the dress. She chose a blue on off-white printed flowers that looks like it was block printed. Here is the sleeve being hand sewed.

I draped the muslin on her, as I wanted it to be as accurate as possible. Considering that patterns need to be altered even if they are true to size, I figured I would just drape. I had never draped before and I did about three alterations to the draft, as well as draping and pinning the sleeves and have come up with a bodice that fits correctly, and covers the tattoos she has, with the exception of the sleeves, but I will be getting around that hump. Here is the back. I chose to do drawstrings, and we will be replacing the current ties with stronger ribbon as well as a third in the middle.

We are going for 1810 to 1812, since she will be playing a middle class widow in a reenactment in celebration of the anniversary of the War of 1812, and so as is, this dress is too plain. It's hard to know what someone of middle class would wear, especially since its America, which could be behind the Paris Fashions a couple of years, you wore what you could make unless you had the means to have a mantua maker. I have looked and looked and it just comes down to what the customers taste is. The one thing that HAS to be done is detachable sleeves. The question is...how should it attach? to the dress? or the chemise? I have decided that attaching to the underclothes will be easier to detach for evening activities. here is the sleeve

I have to make a couple executive decisions on the decoration and I think it will work out well. Can I just say tho, that the yellow silk is hard to work with. The sleeves had to be taken apart and a gusset put in...and the french seams worked well, but took forever as i had to do them by hand.

The yellow silk will adorn the bottom of the skirt and the neckline and a sash around the empire waist. More photos will follow. I should have it done later today. Who knows. I hope so, because I have another commission that needs to be done SOON! Respectfully yours, Mrs. Azevedo, Modiste and a Baronets Daughter.

Stays...completed

This project of stays has been a challenge to all my meager skills and I have to toot my own horn on this one. The cups/gussets on this do EXACTLY what I want and need them to do and that is keep a high busted empire line set of ladies. A good fashion plate example of what we are shooting for is a la Dames A La Mode for Feb 1812

So, as in my last post about stays, I struggled with the gussets. They are really something that every accomplished stay maker should master. I wouldn't say I am close to mastery, but I have definitely made some strides. So, at a second fitting, this is what they did for my client. The gussets where unlined and it was un-bound, but I would say....we achieved more than I could have hoped for.

I would say the shelf has been achieved. Holy cow! We could all be so blessed. I didn't attempt this in a conventional way as I draped and used a hand made pattern and i lined it after i boned it and I quilted it and THAN I hand lined the gussets. I am a masochist. Truely. I did it the hard way..but here is how it turned out the quilting on the inside. I attached the lining by hand without a pattern. I quilted it and encased the bones while I went. I used a combination of covered plastic and metal

Hand lined and sewed gusset

the gussets from the tops

the whole thing

I know Pride may be a virtue or a sin, but considering how much I have gone through, sewing, taking it apart and trying again...yeah, I have made something I am proud to put my name on and sell. I have touched the high standard bar. Next time, I will raise it higher. Now onto the dress. I have draped it and will be refining and continuing on with that. I will take pictures today and blog when I'm done. Mrs. Azevedo, Modiste and a Baronets Daughter

Coorespondence

As some of you may know, I have been corresponding with friends and some new people to me via the month of letters. I have continued since and have received some letters from various places that are both pleasant and joyous. I received a letter from Mrs. Weissner and I responded in like....since we are writing in the 1812 parlance. I'm eager to receive a response. As well as from Mrs. Hanselmann in Germany. I am so used to instant gratification that I wish I could check my mail box digitally!!! IMPATIENT! Although I know that once I have a letter or two in hand, I will be delighted! sigh. Yours Truly Mrs. Azevedo

General update, but lets not forget Regency Goodness

Dear readers. I am remiss in that I haven't blogged about my regency adventures in quite some time. I apologize. I have have been quite ill for some time and have been wrapped up in my real life adventures that I have been a little behind on the regency stuff. Never fear, regency is with me all the time, I think about dresses, and equipage and shoes and baby stuff all the time.

In fact, Baby stuff has been the for front of my mind recently. Do not worry, I am not enciente, but as some of you may know already, Mrs. Cunningham is and with the home stretch coming and confinement nearing, we have been occupied with baby items and she has been renovating and re-organising home. I believe the term is "nesting". This has been all we have been thinking about for sometime. But, on the regency front, I am proud to have hosted a baby tea regency themed at the lovely home of my Lovely Mother in law, the Elder Mrs. Azevedo. She is quite the most excellent mother in law one could hope to have, and her home is the very picture of elegance. While she does not host any Crown Darby china or chintz, she does have a very lovely and well rounded china cabinet, a spacious lawn and deck. Unfortunately, we were not able to utilize her lovely back lawn, because the sunshine waited until today to appear, but we had a lovely time. We drank tea, wine and had refreshments compliments of the lovely Ms. Stephanie Robertson. I have cumcumber sandwiches in my kitchen waiting for my belly today. Score!

Speaking of the belly, I got to listen to the little ones heartbeat at the non-regency shower held by the ever lovely and lively Ms. Hayes. In all seriousness, it was more than a tiny bit life and perspective changing. While I am the only one in a large mixed family to not have children, I have never been changed by the coming of another niece of nephew. I am the eternal Aunty and I am happy to fill this role with gusto, but hearing the little ones heartbeat changed something in me. Now, don't think I am going to go get prego at the first moment, but there is something very cosmic going on in the process of child making. But as Mrs. Cunningham is very cosmic herself, why I am surprised, I do not know. In the words of my esteemed Mother in Law, "Charlotte is the prettiest Pregnant lady I know, she quite glows". Indeed, I can support that assessment, tho, I am more than a tiny bit biased.

On Regency Business, I have now two commissions! WOW! Perhaps in a couple of years I can just make pretties and not go to a "normal job" for more than part time. Who knows, but I am continuing on the stays for Ms. Thompson and I will probably have them lined and bound sometime soon and a mock up bodice made for her to try on. Being that she is a well endowed lady, I was astounded that I was able to provide support for said assets with a set of front lacing short stays that at the time, were not very well boned. lol. Now they have a considerable amount of boning and I am confident will stand up to three days in Virginia. :) Now onto her bodice, something low so a tucker can make it for day and no tucker for night. Its sad she only has one dress for this, but there is NO way I could make her three dresses...and outfits for her boys? oh no!

My second commission is scheduled to come in right now, in fact, for her sketch and measurement for a Spencer. The photo she sent me is the La Mode Bagatelle View K Spencer. I could just do it from the pattern, but while I would like to charge more for the amount of time I will be putting into this, I can't in good mind do that until I am more accomplished, and she is a member of the ORS, so supporting her in getting to events is ultimately more important. I know from experience, that a proper wardrobe helps in confidence to attend events where you know NO ONE. I hope this helps my client.

I also have continued in my correspondence started from Mrs. Kowal month of letters. I have received a letter from the most excellent foundress of The Regency Society of Virginia and the letter I received was exceedingly agreeable. I pulled a "Miss Bates" and brought it to the baby tea and let people read it. She writes to me in the parlance of that time. I am a bit intimidated but how perfectly and precisely her letter was executed, and being that I am in Oregon, you know..in 1812, there weren't women or cities out here....but there was Fort Astoria. Last year was the 200 anniversary of it. I try my best to create Oregon as I think it would be if it had been more populated. I didn't facebook friend my corespondent, as I want to make it as authentic a letter writing campaign as I can. It really was a treasure. My other excellent partners in letter writing, Mrs. Kowal herself, Mrs Cecilia Hanselmann and the founder of The Washington Regency Society Mrs. Amanda Gentry and the ever wonderful Mrs. Agnes Gawne. I really do adore getting mail in the post. If there is anyone reading this who would like to correspond regularly, let me know!

Well, I do not have any pictures to share yet, but one I get somewhere on my projects and some photos sent to me from the baby tea, I will share them all with you.

My warmest regards
Mrs. Nora Azevedo, Modiste and a Baronets Daughter.

Stays-the battle continues

As some of you may or may not know, I battle with Gussets.

Being a larger woman, with more..endowments....it can be a challenge when setting gussets to contain a more ample situation.
A friend of mine has done a bit of research, in fact, almost all the ladies I know in The Oregon Regency Society have done their fair share in how gussets should handle their various assets.

The consensus is that no one is shaped the same, so each stay and gusset can be different. See, the trick really is to make a curve. Fabric is a two dimensional media, but unlike a lot of things, it can be manipulated into a three dimensional.

Here is the difference.

Ms. Megan Funk, aka Mistress of the Universe has an excellent photo using the Sense and Sensibility pattern.


As you can see on the right, this is how the gussets can tend to stay flat, and depending on your assets, that may work... on the left, Ms Funk went and altered hers by taking the slit made for the gussets and shortening them 3/8s of an inch and than stretching the bottom to fit more of the original gusset size and top stitching. This has made her stays fit like a glove and provide support for the duration. No one likes to have to make "adjustments" to the assets mid-event.

Here is my interpretation of Ms. Funks adjustment.



I am more ample than Ms Funk, but the basic idea still applies. I did what she did, but I didn't alter the length of the gusset slit, as I know this to be the right length for me, since this is a drafted pattern for Miss Robertson and we have similar dimensions. (thanks going to Mrs. Johanesen) So, instead of clipping the ends to add enough room for the bottom of the gusset, I stretched and pulled and since I am using fabric that is as close to coutil as you can get at Mill End, it didn't rip and I was able to get some stitching in. I have yet to get some eyelets in so I can try it on, but I am fairly certain that this will indeed make a more "Egg like" cup, which will help to maintain a more Regency silhouette.

In closing, I would like to give all ladies a bit of consolation. No matter your shape or size, with practice and experimentation, you too can have the silhouette we all adore.

Now, go listen to your Pride and Prejudice Pandora station and carry on with your sewing.
Oh, wait..that's me. lol

Adieu

Mrs. Azevedo, The Baronets Daughter

Birthday presents. letters and pirates

So, my birthday is January 14th, but as I was out of town, and due to the fact that its not about presents, I received my "birthday" present from Mrs. Cunningham (who's birthday is today and her presents hasn't arrived yet..stupid Amazon..but I digress) in the form of two AMAZING wax seals and wax to use with them.

Yes, I received the N I requested, for my first name and it is delicate and lovely and can be converted to a necklace. SCORE!

Than, as a bonus, I received a SKULL AND CROSS BONES! For anyone who knows me at all knows that besides the lovely, elegant and mannerly regency that is my love, I am convinced that I should have been a pirate. I should have been one of those intrepid ladies who decided that she was going to pillage and live like a man, while retaining those delicate but razor sharp female sensibilities.

Like these ladies-Mary Reed and Anne Bonny and the lovely lady with parrot and eye patch.




The N Seal is delicate and very regency like and I will use that in my normal correspondence, as I am participating in a month of letters www.lettermo.com and I have to say, I really get a kick out of receiving them, but the writing is by far the most fun.

Here is my letter writing set up:


This has everything I need...a candle, the wax, my two seals and the correspondence I need to reply too.

Here are the seals and what they look like once applied..(as best as my little camera can do)





Needless to say, I love this set and will use it a lot, both of them. Mrs. Cunningham is most genius. I just hope that she enjoys the waffles that The Hungarican Chick and I will be making her tomorrow while we cackle around the dying pot. I will be posting about the adventures in dying cloth tomorrow.

I will leave you with a photo of my red flower, made today with red dupioni ribbon cut on across the grain and finished with a vintage button given to me by the ladies at the Button Emporium and Ribbonry. See, I told you they are awesome.


Good Night.