A 1780s outfit

 My sister had decided to celebrate her 45th birthday with an 18th century party. And of course I ws going to go. (Her hudband's birthday was celebrated with a 19th century dinner in 2023, you can see my 1830s outfit here)

I got rid of my old 18th century stays, made after Nora Waugh's interpretation of the Diderot drawings from the Encyclopédie, when I lost all that weight six years ago. Which probably was a bad idea, since I gained it all back again. (Link to a good blog post about Diderot's and Nora Waugh's stays) 

But in any case I wanted a slightly later type of stays, and decided to do somethin that I have never done before: not only buy, but actually USE a commercial pattern. I have bought patterns before, but never actully used them ;)

I had heard lots of nice things about Scroop Patterns, and their Augusta stays , and also seen a lot of people making them on Instagram, so I ordered them. This was another first for me too: This is the first pdf-pattern that I have used  (mostly because I normally make my own patterns)

And I am so happy with the pattern. I have a weird body: narrow straight shoulders, large boobs, a very wide rib cage that angles out at a 45 degree from under my boobs in front (the combined effect of arthritis and pregnancies), a very non squishable waist thakns to a titanium net cover all of my stomach after a hernia, a long torso and high hips. But the stays fit me without alteration, I think thanks to teh clever placing of the boning. To make them more comfortable I chose not to lengthen them, but becauase of that long torso they still look proportional.

Stays, all hand sewn. Because I am insane, and because I was influenced by Myra Lea (link to her Instagram) while having lunch in Stockholm in October.

I am also wearing Scroop Patterns free pattern for a false rump here, and a petticoat that I made from a decorative bedsheet with a wide broderie anglaise flounce that I found at a charity shop.

Actually, everything in this costume except the silk, which was a left over from another project, the pink ribbon, the boning, the fabric for the blue pettitcoat and stomacher, the yellow ribbon and the plumes is bought from charity shops. 

The shift is a linen bedsheet, the inner fabric of the stays in hand woven linen fabric, probably intended fro towels, and the gown is a rayon satin that probably was made for furniture.

The fabric for the blue petticoat is deadstock fabric from Gårda Textil, a local fabric shop which has a lot of both vintage fabric from their own history, and more newly aquired deadstock fabric. I cannot guess when it is from, it could be any time between the 50s and the 90s.

The trim around the sleeves and neck is probably from the 1940s, and I bought it at a charity shop over twenty years, intending to use it for an 18th century gown. Sometimes things just take time.

The cap was made for my very first 18th century costume in 2007. But it wasn't properly starched and mounted, just gathered with a ribbon. Now it is very much starched, it feels like paper, and luckily survived being carried on public transport a slightly rainy evening.

2007:

2024:

This is the frist time I have tried 18th century style make up, and made a try to powder my hair. I am very much fond of it.  Not having any eyeshadow or mascara seems strange a tfirst, but I think that it looks pretty.

I didn't really have the time and energy to make false hair pieces or get a wig and style it, so I just curled my hair and then back combed it a lot.

I haven't done any serious backcombing since the 1980s, and it was much easier then, with a layered hair cut. My hair is too long all ocer but the cap hides the not do good looking back of the head where I mostly pinned hair in place.

Then I added powder, both normal powder and some rice flour, because I didn't have enough powder at home. As a first attempt I think it looks good enough.

And it lasted through five hours of dinner party, the cap photos above are taken when I was leaving.

And this is from the tram on my way home. Still raining a little.

The Tale of the Mantle - finished!

 Yes!

My one year (or five, depending on if you count the four years when I didn't work on it) project of making first a cloak inspired by a description in the 13th century Möttuls saga, a translation of the French romance Le cort mantel, and then a matching kirtle and surcoat, is finished!

Read all about it here, on its long and detailed page.!

Update on the folk costume page

 The page about my folk costume has now been updated with info about, and photos of, the new bodice, and some new photos of the older pieces.

Finished folk costume bodice

 The new folk costume bodice is finished.

Like my other folk costume bodices it is made from a hand woven half wool (cotton warp, ought to be linen, but you can't get that these days)

In the second photo I have pulled up the kerchief to show the embroidery at the back.

Making a new folk costume bodice

 Unfortunately both bodices that I made for my folk costume have shrunk in the closet ;)

This summer I inserted panels at the side of my newest bodice, to be able to wear it for midsummer. But since most of my weight is gained in front this isn't optimal. But it was wearable

I am also wearing a new silk kerchief, and a new reproduction cotton print apron. Both these were found at charity shops. I have also made a new linsey wolsey skirt in green, which is  avery popular colour in theprobate inventories from this time and place that I have been working on the last two years.

Anyway, while I can wear the dark blue bodice there is no way I can fit into my old checked one. And I like the checked ones better.

The original for my old checked bodice, called "Viste"

Since the fabric for both bodices and skirta have to be hand woven, and I don't weave, I am lucky that there is some of the  fabric for the other variant of the checked bodice than the one that I already have available.

This one I can buy fabric for, it is the bodice variant called "Åse"

When I did my first bodice I mainly enlarged the original. Now I have both changed shape and become better at pattern making, so for the new one I will adapt it more to my large bust. The other one worked, and looked good, but since my weight gain isn't symmetrical it will look better if I add more in the front.

So after my first preliminary mock-up from a sturdy polycotton twill. Then I also made a wearable mock-up, intended to be worn as an example of popular dress in the period, if not part of the actual costume. For this I used a hand woven half linen, and a piece of rust coloured wool twill, both thrifted.

I sewed most of it on machine, though none is visible on either outside or inside now that it is finished. 

There are some smaller things that I will change when I make the real thing, but I am happy enough to use it as a pattern for the new bodice. 

The "real" one will be made from much stiffer fabric, and have more boning - the embroiderycontaisn boning channels.

The Viste bodice was lined with unbleached linen, but the Åse one is lined with a striped fabric. I am not going to look around for hand woven linen for this, but will use a thrifted striped cotton.

To make the birght colours a little duller I soaked the cotton fabric over night in strong tea. Not as dark as the original, which had black as groudn colour, but good enough for me.

I have cut out the lining now, so that I can place the pieces on the hand wocen fabric on Wednesday when I go to Nossebro and will be able to buy tthe fabric.

Image sources for matching tunic, surcoat and cloak

 While I have written about the written sources for matching sets of cloting (see previous post) I haven't relly shown any period art showing them.

Marching tunic/cotte/kirtle and surcoat are easy to find, especially in Italian 13th and early 14th century sources, but with a matching cloak too is a little more complicated. One reason for this is that it became less common to depict people wearing cloaks as teh 14th century progressed. While written sources show that they were still in use, in art they more and more became shown as ceremonial garments.In other cases you just don't see if the woman is wearing both a cotte and a surcoat.

In some of these you have to really look closely to see the cloak, since it appears to fastened at the edge of the shoulders.

This is not a reasearch post, just a few pictures that I have. When the whole set is finished there will be proper documentation.

Giotto di Bondone: Scrovegni Chapel 1304-1306

Pietro Lorenzetto: St. Catherine and St. Agatha c 1315. Only St. Catherine has the full combination, but St. Agatha has some rather impressive buttons.

Simone Martini: St. Elisabeth and St. Margaret 1318

Simone Martini: Maestà 1315-16

St. Ursula's companions in the church of San Orsola, Vigo de Cadore 

A couple of Virtues, by Taddeo Gaddi 1328-30

And a Madonna, by Taddeo Gaddi, from 1334. Here the Madonna has pulled her cloak over her head, something that might have been done in real life, especially when it rained, but above all was a convention in depictions of the Madonna.

Bernardo Daddi: St. Margaret and St. Agnes ca 1337-39

Bernardo Daddi: St Catherine.

Bernardo Daddi: St Catherine 1345-50

Ambrogio Lorenzetti: Maestà 1335-38. Note the fichets (pocket slits) on the surcoat.

Maso di Banco. Coronation of the Virgin 1335-40

Antother Coronation of the Virgin by Maso di Banco

Italian Painter c. 1365

Spinello Aretino: St Catherine, frescoes in the Bagno a Ripoli, second half of the 14th century

The further tale of the (13th-14th century) mantle

Continued from this post: The tale of the Mantle four years later.

So, I finished the actual mantle in the end of last year. But I decided that I wanted a whole set of clothes from this silk taffeta. While people were exceedingly fond of contrasting colours in the Middle Ages, coordinated sets were also common. I have written about it here and here, dsicussing the phenomenon in gerneal, and the trosseau of Isabella de Bruce from 1293. Matching cottes, surcoats and cloaks are also commonly seen in early and mid. 14th century art.

I will write much more about the set, the construction, the inspiration etc when it isall finished. Right now I just wanted to show the cloak and the cotte. And the beginning of the surcoat.

It is extremely hard to see the vines on the cloak in photos, you will just have to believe me, see it in person, or wait for summer and better light. Or possibly make it out in this detail shot.

Some more photos. The cloak is lined in a shot blue/green silk taffeta. And yes, I wanted to look like a fairy tale queen. I have now had the same really bad cold for 5 months, my arthritis is killing me and judging from the pain I have an ulcer again. So I deserve dressing up as a beautiful queen.

The fastenings

I am currently working on the surcoat, which will be split at the sides, like so many Italian surcoats from this period. It will have flowers all over, and like the cotte it will have a smaller version of the front borders from the cloak at the cuffs, but also around the neck and along the side slits.