Doctor Zhivago Inspired Edwardian Outfit

For Book Club this quarter, we read Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak.  It is a long book, but good for cold winter days.  The novel is set in the years 1903-1940's, but the majority of the book takes place in 1903-1920's.  I was inspired to put together an Edwardian ensemble with a Russian flair.  I also channeled my inner geology geek putting together a little box of minerals as a prop (see this post for that).

I'll post from the inside-out:

• Undergarments - If I had more time I would have finished my Edwardian Corset Cover that I had started so long ago.  So I just wore my older Edwardian undergarments.  I did make one tweak though - I had gotten my Erté Titanic Overbust corset from Period Corsets back in 2012.  It came with two sets of lacings for the back: one for the top-down and one from the bottom-up, meeting in the middle.  This makes it difficult though if one wants to lace themselves in.  Since I like to wear my corset during the week before an event to get acclimated to it, it is difficult when no one is home to help, as a two-laces corset requires (for the most part).  So I contacted a representative from Period Corsets, and she very kindly sent me a single long lace, which I re-laced my corset with.

• Blouse - I purchased an Edwardian reproduction blouse from Cotton Lane on Amazon.  It's very pretty.  I ordered a larger size (I have football-player-shoulders), then took in the sides.

• Skirt - Oh dear...this was a problem.  I used Rocking Horse Farm pattern #903 (Caution: Do Not Use This Pattern!  Ever!!) that was simply horrible.  The pattern lines for my size did not match up properly, I had to tape together the size small in order to see what they actually intended.  Even with that there was this odd extra fabric on the bottom front that was completely illogical.  There were no dots on the waistband pattern piece - needed for matching to the waistline of the skirt.  There was also a pleat marking missing.  The cut lines for it were on the pattern, and the markings were drawn on the suggested (tiny) pattern layout picture, but not on the pattern itself.  I spent a lot of hours trying to redraw, adjust, improvise.  The result was okay - from the outside.  On the inside there were problems.  It looked okay, but I was very frustrated with the lost time and aggravation of using a terrible pattern.  I will have to write a review on GBACG (Greater Bay Area Costuming Guild).  They have a Pattern Review section.  I so wish someone had reviewed this before and saved me the hassle of working with a dreadful pattern.   

• Boots - The darling, lovely Manhattan Button Boots from American Duchess!  I love these.  Customer service here was also very helpful with the sizing.  My foot is long but narrow, and their shoes tend to run a bit large.  They gave me good advice on sizing and the boots fit perfectly.  Button hook needed! 

• Hat - I bought a faux fur hat on sale from Fabulous Furs.  All of their products are faux.  This hat is very warm.  

• Coat - my coat is a modern-day coat, but I was happy to be able to match the faux fur of the hat with that on the coat.  

Book Club was lots of fun.  The ladies liked my outfit, and even chuckled at my very bad, well-intentioned Russian accent.  I only said a few sentences in my fake-ey accent!  Hello in actual Russian, and then some key phrases I put together watching YouTube videos, and here's a funny way if you need a fake accent in a pinch: Go to Google Translate.  Type in the sentence you want in the first box, making sure you select English as the language to detect.  Once your sentence is complete, change the language in that same box to the language you want to hear, and click on the audio clickable at the bottom of that box.  You'll hear the English words, but with an accent of the language you changed the "Detect Language" to.  It doesn't work with all languages, but did pretty well for Russian.

Disorganized Sewing/Robert's Room

I have two sewing projects on deck.  The trouble is that right now my home is not completely conducive to successful sewing.  Yesterday I wanted to get started tracing an Edwardian-era hobble skirt, and cutting bias strips to finally finish a quilt I started many, many years back. Step one was clearing off the dining room table - a Herculean task.  But it was done, wiped down, and worked commenced.  I was able to trace the skirt pattern yesterday.

The bias strips however, ran into a snag.  We have been, over the past, oh, six months or so, been doing some work on Robert's old room.  You see, Robert now lives in Portland, so the room is to be a guest room (and Robert's room when he comes to visit) and also a sewing room for me.  I've never had a sewing room before, and I long to have one.  But his closet was in need of repair (walls cracking, not insulated, cold), including a "secret passageway" that Tyler wants put in that leads from his closet to Robert's.  Fun, and has sort of a Narnia aspect to it (Mr. Tumnus?!).  So far the closet is insulated and has most of its wallboard.  All that remains is some electrical and the passageway door.  But we also needed to replace the ceiling in the room itself.  Right now the old ceiling is out, and 70% of the wallboard is up on the ceiling.  A paint job and new baseboards will follow (pre-stained oak this time, so all that needs to be done is the cutting and fitting).  But my sewing stuff is scattered to the four winds, including my iron.  Hence, the difficulty going forward with the bias strips.  So once I get all of my projects to the sewing stage, I will not have an optimal sewing space yet to do them.  Not really much different from when my sewing machine was in the dining room.

No one seems to know where the iron went.  To be honest, it is quite old, and I am tempted just to buy another.

My skirt project is for Book Club.  We are reading Doctor Zhivago.  I want to wear an Edwardian skirt and blouse ensemble, and I have my eye on an awesome faux fur Russian hat.  More on that in a future post.

Rocking Horse Farm #903 

Edwardian Hobble Skirt

My quilt - circa 1988

My Instructions to the Staff

I trust my faithful servant will follow them!  (Click on the photo to see!)

My Downton Abbey Dinner

At last I have the blog post of my Downton Abbey Dinner!  It was a lovely evening.  My family was amazing in the help and acting they provided.  Of course, there were a few snafus, but we worked around them, and the evening went smoothly.

I'll start from the beginning, showing how the evening progressed.

The Arrival:

Our "butler" stood outside on the front porch to welcome guests.  We had the American flag on our flagpole above, but we also hung the Union Jack on the porch near the butler.

Paul played Carson.  However, a small snafu detained him from the initial answering of the doorbell. (There was a mistake with our entree - not enough was made as we ordered!  He and Robert ran out to get the revised order right before the evening started.)  However, our butler-in-training, Mini-Me Carson (Tyler) subbed for Carson, and did a brilliant job of it ("Might I take your coat, mum?" and "Here is your champagne punch, mum" in a very authentic-sounding British accent!)

Mini-Me Carson (Ty) and Lady Mary (Julie)

Then it was time for the first game.  I spent a lot of time preparing what I called "Downton Abbey Easter Eggs" or "Hidden in Plain View".  This was where I placed reproductions of items or beings that appeared in the show out in the various rooms, along with other antique-like items.  The guests then needed to figure out which of the many items that were in and around the rooms were actually related to the show.  This was probably the most enjoyable aspect of the planning.  I needed to make some of the reproductions, which really tapped into my creative side.  

Game One:

While the ladies hunted for the objects, I played three harp pieces for them: Adagietto by Damase, Nadir's Song from The Pearl Fishers by Bizet, and an arrangement of Downton Abbey Suite by Lunn that my harp teacher and I adapted for harp.  I am wearing my Downton Abbey Dress that I had made previously for another event.  

This was one of two favorite Easter Eggs that I placed out.  I found instructions for this craft on this website, although we altered the bell to be an actual doorbell (non-functioning, just for show).  Paul made this for me.  I did the spray painting, but he did the rest, carefully pre-drilling holes for the doorbell, the clip, and the nail that went into the wall, and adhering the name plate to the wood.  It is still hanging on the wall, and I think I will keep it there, periodically changing the note to the butler as the occasion suggests.  

Here were some other Easter Eggs, see if you know which episode they are from and what was going on in the show around them: a bar of soap, a (reproduction) painting by Piero Della Francesca, a telegram (see below for text), a letter opener, a syringe, some letters, a train ticket (also see below), a fan, and a poster about a vaudeville act.  

Telegram

Train Ticket.  

This was my second favorite Easter Egg.  I made it using Word, and it was not easy!  I only had the photo below to go on, but it was really fun trying to duplicate it.  

This telephone was not originally intended to be an Easter Egg; I bought it to add to the ambiance, but many ladies guessed it, and it did appear in the show after all.  

Isis.  Tyler inherited her once the party was over. 

Baby Marigold.  

My doll is always in my parlor, but I added a silk marigold bouquet to hint at her identity.

Then it was time for dinner.  My faithful staff (Paul, Kristin, Robert, and Tyler) worked behind the scenes.  Lady Mary (Julie) dined with us, amusing us Violets and Isobels with her youthful company.  We played another game between the first course (split pea soup) and the second (Asparagus Salad with Champagne-Saffron Vinaigrette, recipe here) called Match the Quote (link here).

The Dinner:

The dinner table.  Julie had rescued me from the wrong tablecloth. (I discovered that day that I had ordered the wrong size; she ran out that afternoon and bought me one that would fit our table with both leaves in.)

A brass servant's bell brought our staff to our table.  We had pesto ravioli (Maggiano's, who made good on the whoops regarding mistake on the size tray we wanted in a most generous way) and Walnut Carrots with Honey Glaze (recipe here).

Between dinner and dessert we played our last game, Downton Abbey Trivia (link here).  Our dessert was Chocolate Toffee Mini-Trifles (recipe here).   And then it was time to depart.  

The Ending:

My wonderful "staff".  Tyler, Robert (the footman Albert), and Carson (who also acted as a footman during dinner - gasp! and poured the wine).  Mrs. Patmore (Kristin) was too shy for a photo.  

The Aristocratic Ladies (Violets, Isobels, and Lady Mary).  Note the hats and tiaras.

And one more with Mini-Me Carson.

We all had so much fun with this.  It was a lovely evening, and in spite of the effort, I am looking forward to our next big event.  It was just so nice to travel into the past!

Tea With Gerri

Last month, my Tea Ladies and I went to "Tea with Gerri", a lovely tea house run by a most gracious hostess, Gerri Gwarnicki, originally from Ireland.  We all enjoyed this outing very much, and plan to return again.

One of the table settings (A hilarious footnote: the overlay on this table is the same one I used for my Downton Abbey Dress overlay!)

Gerri pouring tea and explaining its properties

Hats abounded!

1940's dress, but a modern hat.  However, I love how they go together!

The simple elegance of Afternoon Tea

Downton Abbey Dress - Finished!

Here is the finished dress.  I was (as usual) literally sewing minutes before the event.  Paul and my friend helped set up for the event while I finished.  I liked this pattern a lot.  It went together well with only one snafu (something weird with the way the underbodice and overbodice armholes went together, i.e., they didn't, and I had to adjust the seams).  I never did get to doing the armhole seam finishing, and only did a basting of the hem (I will remedy these issues later), but the dress was ready to go, just in the nick of time!  The Musicale went very well.  Four ladies performed, and a lovely tea was enjoyed after the performance.  

Cutting and Fitting

I made the toile for the bodice of the Downton Abbey Dress.  The fit is nice, but may need some refinements before I am totally done.  I then started the long, laborious process of cutting out the lining, dress, and overlay yesterday.  We were so busy today with other projects that I did not get to sew.  But here is the bodice fabric with the curtain material laid over it.  I was checking to see how I wanted the overlay pattern to lay on the fabric:

The Downton Abbey Dress

I have a tea event coming up in a week and a half.  I have been wracking my brain trying to come up with an idea for an historical reproduction dress to wear for it.  I wanted something reminiscent of the costumes in the series Downton Abbey (gorgeous costumes).  I already had a net overlay with a scalloped hem (actually it is an embroidered  net curtain I found on sale at a home store years ago, saving for an occasion such as this!).  I perused my pattern stash, found two gowns that were really appropriate, but too much trouble as far as making complex toiles (samples of the dress or bodice in scrap fabric to check fit - always a good idea, and will be done for the gown I ended up picking as well), and probably taking loads of time that I do not have.  I finally settled on Laughing Moon # 104, 1909-1913 Day or Evening Dress.  It is not a hard pattern, and I will make a few small changes to suit me.  Today I went to Joann's.  I was originally thinking of a gold fabric to go under the overlay, but then I found this celery green fabric that looks gorgeous underneath it.  I also got a small amount of rose colored fabric for a sash.  

I washed my lining muslin, and began the tedious task of tracing out the pattern in my size on Bosal Create-a-Pattern.  Tomorrow I will make my first toile of the bodice.  Since the bodice is not tightly fitted, it should be an easy task (I hope).  I am so excited about this dress!

Corset Cover Completed Embroidery

Here is the machine-embroidery for the corset cover front, all completed and pressed.  Of course, it doesn't look like much now, as the fronts are mostly shapeless due to needing extra fabric around the edges in order to do the scalloped edging.  The actual sewing on this project doesn't concern me, even the tucks and whatnot.  It's the scallops and the buttonholes at the neck for the ribbon to pass through that have me nervous!

Embroidering the Corset Cover

I finally made some progress on my Edwardian corset cover.  I cut out the fabric, tracing the cutting lines for the neckline and armholes and leaving extra fabric extending beyond the cutting line in preparation for finishing the edges with machine scalloping (the extra fabric will then be cut away along the edges of the scallops).  Here's progress so far:

The Pattern

Cut out and ready to start.  Note the extra fabric left on the armhole and neck edges (this is to make the sewing of the scallops easier, then the excess fabric is cut away along the edge of the scallops).  Also ignore the extra black lines where the scallops are traced on the pattern.  The pattern is drawn on the original with the scallops set for the small size.  I had to hand-draw the scallops in for my size so they would be symmetrical.  

Embroidering.  I used one of the designs on the Brother Embroidery Card #23 (Linen & Lace).  It was tricky, because I had to do a mirror-image for the other side of the front of the corset cover (never did that before with my machine!). 

Now, if I can ever get to ironing the pieces I will post a photo of the completed embroidery.

Preparing To Sew

I am finally getting some time, motivation, and inspiration to sew again.  I have decided not to pressure myself, just take it as it comes.  Before I began though, I had some tidying up to do.  As you may recall, I had done an enormous organization of my sewing stash (see here and here).  Over the past year however, small things have gotten misplaced or not re-homed.  So I had my Current Projects basket filled to the brim with stuff.  I wanted very much to begin cutting out Past Patterns 108: Four Edwardian Corset Covers, which I had traced in my size, mapped embroidery for, and in general figured out the best way to proceed with this.  But I couldn't stand the bit of chaos in the basket, as well as spools of thread not put away, and other notions, purchased but not put into their boxes.  There was also mending that has been needed to be done for months.

Here's what I did:

1. Unearthed my sewing machine table from under a pile of papers that had ended up on top of it.
2. Gathered all of the corset making supplies lying here and there and put them back in the corset-making box (more on my decision to not make my own corset in an upcoming post).
3. Gathered all patterns lying about (some are new e-Bay finds), determined how many new file folders I would need to get them properly put away, realized I was all out of folders, later went to Office Depot for a new box.
4. Put all spools of thread away.  Then, in a completely disturbing fashion, proceeded to sort the thread into color families AND to put them in order of Roy G. Biv (spectrum of colors: reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, indigos, violets), plus my row of pinks, grays, browns, blacks, and whites.  
5. Put away the notions.  While I did this I got out the notions I would actually need for starting my project (tracing wheels and paper, scissors, tape measure, embroidery supplies).  
6. Mopped the area around my sewing machine.
7. Mended Kristin's pants, a kitchen towel, and then turned two pair of Tyler's school pants (that were hopelessly torn at the knees) into school shorts, just in time for warm weather!

Of course, after all of this there was no time left to actually sew, but I am pleased that all is tidy now.  It seems to clear my head.  While at Office Depot, I also realized that if I bought a bigger box, I could put all of my machine embroidery supplies, including the embroidery arm, in one easy place.  I will need to lay all out to get a good measurement for the perfect sized box.  

I hope to have some corset-cover-making photos soon.