Regency era cookbooks on my bookshelf.

I'm going to be reviewing these again, as I'd started but haven't picked enough for my afternoon tea plans.  I'm thinking of "cheating" by buying pre-made gluten free mini pies.  I know they weren't likely to have been set out in the afternoon back then, but I'm not really bothered. I've made them in the past with white wine sauce (mmh, some for me some for the white sauce) so I should really reconsider that.

What I have are :

The first book I bought, I'd originally borrowed from the library and really wanted a copy for myself. Cooking with Jane Austen by Kirstin Olsen is from a Feasting with Fiction series and only now am I thinking that I should see what else was in the series. I found a copy overseas - and was thankfully not underemployed in 2010 so could afford to buy it.

The second book I managed to track down was a copy of Margaretta Acworth's Georgian Cookery Book. It was published in the 1980s and the Prochaska's (who are the authors) list the original receipt, followed by a modern translation. It wasn't cheap, mainly cos few copies were available at the time, but now it's very affordable. Especially if posted from the UK.  The recipe I've made a couple of times is what I call Cardiac Apple Pie. The pie filling includes double cream and brandy and OMG it's so rich but so good. I'm thinking of trying to make a gluten free version, for which I need so GF digestive biscuits.

My third and last (so far) of my books covering this era is Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It’s a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels by Anne Chotzinoff Grossman and Lisa Grossman Thomas. I didn't get the hardback,  cos I didn't even think to look for one.  This series of Patrick O'Brian's books is set in the Navy (military not merchant) and food gets mentioned a lot. I'm assuming he researched the food of the era, and these authors have done an amazing job of researching and publishing them.

There are possibly others, but I'm a bit of a nerd, and want original era recipes not things that are thought to be Austen-ish.  You do you and I'll do me.

BTW the third isn't the only fiction inspired recipe book on my bookcase. I also have A Feast of Ice and Fire - because yes I'm a huge GRRM fan.

Oh, another regency era clothing book that I got last year at the Jane Austen Festival in Louisville (Kentucky) was the catalogue from the DAR exhibition An Agreeable Tyrant: Fashion after the Revolution.

brain-dump of regency stuff - or possibly how to freak someone out

I'm hoping that I haven't freaked out someone interested in regency fashion - and wearing it.  I did a quick brain dump in a FB message. I thought I'd make an expanded post here in case anyone else is interested - and it's Australia centric cos that's where I am.

First up places to wear costume (in Sydney, Australia) cos that's a little shorter than making-of info.

The Bush Dance Club have an annual Colonial ball that is awesome. Very reasonable price, live music and incredibly welcoming and tolerant of those who are new to the dances.

There's a Wentworth Falls Regency Weekend usually in September, skipping 2019 and the next one is in 2020.

On Facebook there's the Historical Picnic Society group - yes picnic events so not usually in mid summer or in mid winter.

Hyde Park Barracks did use to have a Redcoats and Convicts event in June, but as the site is having a major renewal it's closed til later in 2019. I hope they have them again.  Some of the Historic Houses have events I'd wear a costume to, though that's not necessarily their intent.

I've heard that this years Jane Austen Festival Australia in Canberra was the last one, so that's not an option.

Sidebar: I went to the Jane Austen Festival in Kentucky, USA last July and loved it.  Also making initial plans for the festival in Bath in 2021. It's a 10 day festival so I'd need to make more clothes, chemises and take more than one pair of stays.

I've worn costume as a ticket holder to both Ironfest (April in Lithgow), Blacktown Medieval Fayre (May), Winterfest (July in Hawkesbury Showground)  and St Ives Medieval Faire (September). Ironfest, Winterfest and St Ives are multi era events and coming along in costume is encouraged.

Friends have worn historical clothing to Supanova and OzComicCon, cos why not.

One of the first blogs I came across when I was looking for information on making things myself was Jessamyn's Regency Costume Companion.    It might be an older site but the information is still relevant.

The Oregon Regency Society blog has some great articles on garments (and one on fitting stays)
http://oregonregency.blogspot.com/2010/06/overview-of-regency-stayscorsets.html

Jennifer Rosburgh has some great posts on her website https://historicalsewing.com and a workbook you can buy on fitting stays and on sewing sheer fabrics. I only have her workbook on corded petticoats, which is thorough.

I also love libraries and books, so found in a nearby library Jean Hunnisett's books Period Costume for Stage and Screen. I borrowed and found them helpful because though it's aimed at theatre/film she has a solid grasp of fashion history, and the underlayers/cut required to have a reasonable representation of the silhouette.  Machine based sewing is a win in my book because I'm not a lover of hand sewing.  If it's your thing and love it, then that's awesome.  Anywho I bought 4 of Hunnisett's books:

• Patterns for Women's Dress 1500-1800
• Patterns for Women's Dress 1800-1909
• Patterns for Outer Garments: Cloaks, Capes, Stoles and Wadded Mantles
• Dominos, Dolmans, Coats, Pelisses, Spencers, Calashes, Hoods & Bonnets

For this period, my bookshelf also has 

• Regency Women's Dress: Techniques and Patterns 1800-1830 by Cassidy Percoco
• The Lady's Stratagem: A Repository of 1820's Directions for the Toilet, Mantua-Making, Stay-Making, Millinery & Ettiquette by Frances Grimble 
• Corsets: Historical Patterns & Techniques by Jill Salen
  
  and I want to buy
• Stays and Corsets: Historical Patterns Translated for the Modern Body by Mandy Barrington

Other books I have that also include some 1790-1800 era clothing scale patterns are:

• Corsets and Crinolines by Norah Waugh
• The Cut of Women's Clothes 1600-1930 by Norah Waugh
•  Patterns of Fashion 1 by Janet Arnold
• History of Costume: from the Ancient Egyptians to the Twentieth Century by Blanche Payne - the older edition has scale patterns but not all editions do.

Some fashion books with info or eye candy are:

• A lady of Fashion: Barbara Johnson's Album of Styles and Fabrics (out of print and hard to find so pricey)
• Fashion in the Time of Jane Austen by Sarah Jane Downing (not 100% sure but will check my bookcase)
• A Dance with Jane Austen by Sussanah Fullerton
  Costume in Detail by Nancy Bradfield (lots of sketches of garments and their interiors)
• V&A Underwear: Fashion in Detail
• V&A 19th Century Fashion in Detail
• Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in detail 1700-1915 bu Sharon Sadako Takeda (LACMA collection items)
• Fashion: A history from the 18th to 20th Century (Kyoto Costume Institute collection)
• Napoleon & the Empire of Fashion: 1795-1815 by Barreto and Lancaster
• The Art of Costume in Russia 18th C to 20thC - The Hermitage Leningrad

Scale patterns
If you can handle scaling up graphed patterns, then 19thUS website has great patterns in two sections  Women's Gowns and Outerwear, and Women's Underpinnings.  There aren't instructions, but they have photos and scale patterns of a variety of extant garments.  I made the Corset C1800 back in 2011 and it was great. I had to tinker to make it fit me, but it wasn't too difficult.

PDF patterns
If you don't mind printing and sticking patterns together (in my mind it's marginally better than hand sewing) then Redthreaded has great stays patterns and instructions. Already printed are available at redthreaded.com and the printable are via her Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/Redthreaded?section_id=24314830

BlackSnail Patterns on Etsy have a few regency PDF patterns - multisize which is great. Their romantic era stays could also be used, though the chemise pattern in this bundle isn't suited for 1790-1820.

The Danish National Museum has reorganised their website so I can't link their garment's with scale patterns. Yes, I downloaded them when they were available.

Actual paper patterns

I have a couple more than these but as an idea of what was or is available, though postage from overseas can bite. Personally I don't like the draft of Sense and Sensibility's regency dress, and Reconstructing History's regency era but like so much it's my subjective preference not a rule or even a guideline.

Country Wives
#02 - 1805-1855 Two Chemises

Daffodown Dilly
Regency era wrap stays

La Mode Bagatelle

Regency Wardrobe

Laughing Moon
#115 - 1806-1810 ladies regency/romantic era stays
#126 - 1800-1810 Ladies' Round or Trained Gown with a High Stomacher Front

Mantua Maker
#1800-5 -  1750-1900 fingerless mittens, multisize petite to XL
#1810-3 -  1800-1820 regency corset, multisize 2-30

Mill Farm Patterns
MF3 Womans caps 1720 to 1800

Northern Soc of Costume & Textiles
#02 - 1793 dress of the revolution. (FYI, a scale pattern)

Past Patterns
#001 - 1830-1840 stays, multisize
#002 - chemises, multisize 10-20
#038 - Transitional stays with bust gussets 1793-1820, mutlti size 8-26
#031 - front closing gown 1796-1806, 16-20
#705 - 19th century sensible stays, 8-20

Period Impressions
#461 - 1809 Spencer jackets, 18-20-22
#815 - 18thC caps and pocket

Rocking Horse Farm
#196 - Redingote/Riding Coat (regency)

Timely tresses
#103 - Camillia, 1795-1810
#105 - Zenobia jockey cap 1800-1810

I even have 3 cookbooks with recipes of this era.

regency stays research free on Foundations Revealed

A couple or 5 years ago I got a major nerd bee in my bonnet about regency stays, so I strip mined every online museum collection that I could find, and crunched the numbers.  A bit like my recent "they did wear colours in regency" nerdgasm, but back then it took hours and days over weeks to search & list & scrutinise & spreadsheet, not just 1 crazy night with pinterest. Partly because Pinterest didn't even exist when I started the research. I may not hve owned my own computer either, so I haunted my local library.  I started researching for a program part at JAFA (aussie Jane Austen Festival).  As more museums had expanded their online galleries I was able to found more garments and recrunch the analysis by the time it was published at Foundations Revealed in mid 2011.  Here's a link to the research article - recently made freely available for non subscribers.

http://foundationsrevealed.com/articles/corset-patterns/early-corset-patterns/273-regency-stays-1790-1820-part-1

I kept meaning to post a couple of extracts from it here, as the FR/YWU exclusive time (6 months from publication which can be 6 months from submission) had expired.  

The second article was about making myself stays from graph pattern of a garment owned by the Ohio Historical Society. If you're interested I can post it in a couple of segments.

data from single years of Costume Parisien fashion plates

Here's some quick nerd research I did on the subject of white dresses in what's called 'regency'  and it includes Jane Austen era clothing. Given Jane died in 1817 (just a few months before Princess Charlotte died in childbirth), I picked An 9 or most of 1801 when she'd have been 26. So not a young debutante and slightly on the shelf.

I sampled one single Paris fashion magazine, and the issues per year.  It's target market isn't middle class, but those with money. Napoleon became emperor in 1804. Plates were acquired and reused by other fashion magazines. So it was influential and aspirational.

I was motivated to do this by hearing a strong assertion from someone - that the only historically accurate colour for upper class women to wear at this time period is white.  

Every museum collection has been curated. That is, items have been selected or discarded for a theme, or an individuals taste, or a new direction/perspective of a new curator or what is approved by the museum board.  No museum has the space or financial resources to collect everything. Museums deaccession, to make room or money for other purchases. So each museum collection has been formed through bias. What forms that bias or consecutive possibly different bias may never be known. They are not an accurate representation of the complete past, but a blurred window on snippets of it.

I pinned all the An 9 Costume Parisien fashion plates and there are 85 different plates in the French Republic year or An 10, which was around 23-ish September 1800 to 23-ish Sept 1801.  I mention -ish because the revolutionary calendar year started on the [northern hemisphere] autumn equinox.

15 out of 85 aren't relevant as they're for menswear or bonnets, leaving 70 relevant fashion plates.

Of the dresses:

• 36 of 70 are white gowns ... 6 of which are worn with a coloured spencer or bodice but they remain white dresses.
• 8 of 70 are white with a coloured over shortgown/tunic
• 21 out of 70 are a colour
• 5 coloured gowns have a white over shortgown/tunic

One of the plates has an infant wearing a coloured (pale yellow) dress which I've not included above as it could be either male or female and isn't quite relevant.
So in that 22 Sept 1800-01 year, 51% of aspirational gowns were plain white, 49% weren't.


An 10 Costume Parisien issues contained 83 different fashion plates (so 23-ish September 1801 to 23-ish September 1802)

11 out of 83 aren't relevant as they're for menswear or bonnets, leaving 72 relevant fashion plates.

Of the dresses:
40 white dresses - of which 4 have colour motif print
9 white dresses with coloured over dress
22 colour dresses - of which 2 are print and 1 is broad stripe
1 colour dresses with white overdress

So in that 22 Sept 1801-02 year, 56% of aspirational gowns were plain white, 44% weren't.

An 11 Costume Parisien issues contained 68 different fashion plates (so 23-ish September 1802 to 23-ish September 1803)

20 out of 68 aren't relevant as they're for menswear or bonnets, leaving  48 relevant fashion plates.

Of the dresses:
24 white dresses - of which 1 has colour motif print
11 white dresses with coloured over dress
11 colour dresses - of which 1 is a narrow stripe
2 colour dresses with white overdress

One of the plates has an infant wearing a coloured dress which I've not included above as it could be either male or female.

So in that 22 Sept 1802-03 year, 50% were plain white, 50% weren't.

Anyhow, this is only a 3 year sample of inspirational/aspirational fashion images from one influential magazine.

Here are some links to not-all-white fabric Costume de Bal aka ball gowns.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115756652899519660/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115756652899519656/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115756652899517199/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115756652899519440/ same plate different bodice, not sure which is the original
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115756652899523340/

and all white fabric Costume de Bal
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115756652899519526/ with green trim
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115756652899517214/ with green & purple trim
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115756652899520320/ with buff trim
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115756652899520282/ with printed short overskirt
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115756652899523277/ with printed overskirt
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/115756652899520965/ with green trim

So even the 6 white fabric ball gowns have coloured trim, and there's 4 colour or colour with white underskirt Ball Gowns.  None are white on white with white trim! 

a second cloak added to my sewing list

The beginning of last year I was drooling over a plaid wool cloak in the Met and a similar plaid fabric for sale at FFC. It's true I may have spent a lot of time in museum websites, and looking at FFC fabrics.  I would even have been tempted to buy the orange plaid except that yellow and orange make me look severely jaundiced. Not just a little, but deathly and nobody wants to look their worst. Well no reasonable person. I'm not that crazy.

Well early in June this year I came across some plaid wool fabric being sold on ebay AU during a sewing studio clean up.  And there was 5 metres, at under $10 pm. I bagsed it in a heartbeat because there's enough for a regency cloak, and it's lightweight which suits me in the Sydney climate. Most importantly the colours suit me ... muted green, mauve/grey and black. I've hugged it a couple of times since it arrived in the mail


See how lightweight it is:


On pinterest I've tagged 5-6 extant plaid/tartal cloaks from the early 1800s including a fashion plate.  They all seem to have a collar and capelet/s and no hood. Which is a bit sadmaking as there are definitely plain and print cloaks with hoods in this time, but I haven't found a plaid cloak with hood until mid 19th century.

The fashion plate is appealing, found on Robin's Plaid Regency page though in my fabric it'd be less vibrand and more muted like the cloak in the Killerton collection fo the National Trust UK (item number 1360836, c1820-30, lady's travelling cloak).



Part of me - the heart part - wants to make this for the regency weekend at the end of October, but my head is telling me to make the hooded scarlet wool cloak/cape first. Partly cos I've had the fabric longer.  Also I know that I tend to plan more than I can achieve, so a plain hooded cloak is easier and more likely.

This Saturday - a Regency Fashion Parade at Woodford Academy

Up in the Blue Mountains, Woodford Academy is a National Trust property that dates back to the 1830s. There might be an older single building in the area but not by much as europeans didn't find a crossing over the mountains until 1813.

This Saturday afternoon I'm participating in a Regency Fashion Parade there, in 2 costumes, I'll be first on show and then do a quick change to reappear in a dress that's only 10 years older but quite a contrast in style.

I've had to write a packing list for both costumes so that I don't travel for 2 hours to get there, only to discover I've left something essential behind like stockings (once I packed white cotton ankle socks instead of knee highs).

Sewing ADD - or why is the next thing more interesting than the current project

I'm always thinking more about the next project (or the one after that) while I'm working on the current one. Possibley cos I enjoy research and making something almost more than wearing something new.

In 3 weeks I'm in a historical clothing fashion parade at a National Trust venue, for which I'm wearing my 1790s womens archery uniform (based on the Royal British Bowmen uniform jacket in the Manchester City Galleries). I've not yet even looked properly at my JAFA photos where this outfit debuted.

The weekend after that, I need a new costume for a friend's regency era dinner party. Complete with 3 removes for dinner. We all get to make something to bring so it's not a huge cooking burden on her, and as there's so much food vast quantities of each aren't needed even though there's 12 people dining.

In my UFO list is a 70% made open robe in the blue with black diamonds, back is already pleated & sleeves are ready to insert (hand hemmed sleeves even!). I've gone about this back to front, cos I now need to make the bodice lining and futz around drafting a 'waist' band based on the Janet Arnold or Blanche Payne's History of Costume open robes. I'm leaning towards making a simple round gown using the tufty/striped grey fabric - it tones better with the blue. Though I'm also tempted to make a black lawn gown. I've got the lawn, although it's tagged for another project. Maybe I should just make what I want/need and buy more if I ever get around to the black with blue trim roundgown.

Ooh, and I could finally motivate myself to make the jewellery I had planned for JAFA. Must get onto actually doing that.

And although I'm staying as an overnight guest, I can make my red cloak for a pretend arrival. Maybe.

backfilling - JAFA Friday night dinner

Friday evening was a re-wear event,  wearing my green silk evening gown from a couple of years ago with the green silk toque hat I made for a friends formal dinner later in 2012.

I didn't get many, if any, "nice" photos of me as I may have become rather silly that evening.  Starting with wedgie shots - my friends went along with the pose though they hadn't heard of the Regency Ladies Wedgie Society.


and then and I may have commenced shennanigans of the Godzilla re-enactment variety




and then a zombie outbreak afflicted proceedings. The carnage was dreadful to behold, while only metres away a formal night's entertainment continued blithely and carelessly.

flashback to daytime Friday at JAFA

We started the day with a delicious breakfast, in costume to the bemusement of other cafe patrons who weren't aware of what was happening at the University conference facilities that weekend. Not that we were the only ones in costume.

Here we are in our day gowns


Now I'm not the first person to see the 'wedgie' regency fashion plates and think it was a brilliant thing to emulate, but Jen has done her part to make it 'the' action shot of 2014





In the morning I went to a workshop on an 1814 walking bonnet. Just in case you don't know my thoughts on hand sewing, this photo may clue you in.

See, I'm wearing a chemisette!  I cared so much about having one compared to finishing my shortgown (MAGAM March project) and looked at many portraits which featured them. Online collections of extant garments don't have many to see at all, and almost all have a high neckline, but in portraits there's more variety.  Mine's inspired by this one on pinterest, but I didn't pleat the ruffle - though I did go to a class on mushroom pleated frills. I used the edge of the cotton organdy as it's crisp and clean.

Contrasting back to our suite where I spent happier time sewing that & the next day.



The grounds were lovely, so I wasn't the only one trying for photos of the fish and counting how many dinner sized there were ... we had an equipped kitchen!

a delay in finishing my short gown ensemble

I'm having to take a delay in finishing the shortgown set - about which I'm not happy.

The reason is that the stays I wear under it don't fit, so I'm having to make a larger, quick & dirty version of them to wear at JAFA which is just over a week away. So yes, very not happy.

Until the stay are on, I can't tell if the bodice will fit. And if the bodice doesn't fit I will have to unpick the waist seam at the sides, unpick the sleeves which are inserted and insert a gusset at underarm.

Until the stays are finished I can't tell if any of the other clothes I already have for it will fit either. I may go from being well dressed to being shabbily dressed.

My desire for a new red wook cloak will be put on hold I think, as I need other things more. boooo Hisssss to the genetic lottery that makes me fat. (If you think I'm deluding myself about it being endocrine related and not diet/exercise, well I can give you the names of both my specialists who've empathised while they told me this. Mind you, you can pay the hundreds the apppointments with them will cost. For some things there is no cure, and for others there's not even a best practise treatment).

So a cotton drill machine sewn stays, is almost complete. I'm adding the metal grommets tonight, so long as I remember to get white cable ties (to use as flexible boning at the centre back) from Officeworks on my way home.

progress on my short gown

Whee, almost all the hand sewing is done, other than the rolled hem on the bodice skirting.  I've already machine sewn the hem of the full length skirt. Not yet cut out the skirt bodice, but I've got plans to do that tomorrow night.

Having a hint of tennis elbow returning on my right arm, sooo I'm only hand sewing for 5 mins at a time, max.  Hopefully that stops a full on flare up. But gives me time to get through the rolled hem over the next couple of weeks.  Yay for making everything else by machine!



The fabric design is definitely one way only, and the shoulder straps will match the back but be upside down on the front. But they didn't care about that so much as effective use of fabric.

Soon I'll be inserting the sleeves ... easier now than when the skirt is attached. Depending on how long the sleeves are I'll be doing this, a double ruffle at the end of fashionably long sleeves ... (2012-08-25 Kent State - English printed cotton day dress, circa 1810)


Or a ruffle-cuff-ruffle as per a short gown in Costume in Detail and what could be on this dress in France (Les Arts Decoratifs, item Inv. 49-32 17.A.B ; c1818-20 cotton dress)


Fortunately having used this pattern before (though with the original length sleeves) I've already fixed any fit issues (unless it's too tight around the bodice!!)

Lots of cutting out over the past weekend

I had a long weekend away, looking after friend's dogs while my friends were out of town. I started with the discovery that I had brought both pairs of computer distance specs with me, and not 1 of them and my reading/sewing distance specs. That meant it would limit my ability to sew for much - eyestrain = headache = not working on anything.

So, I figured that I could start on my UFO bib-front regency day dress. the back shoulder strap should have been tapered just a little rather than straight, so I needed to unpick it, and cut a new one. Second packing fail: I didn't have any of the cotton fabric I'm using as lining for both that replacement piece and for lining the short-gown set.

Rather than drive home I went to the nearest fabric shop (The Remnant Warehouse) and got a lightweight cotton, with a small self pattern woven into it. It's nice and tight-woven so I might even get a smidge more for my lazy-lacing stays. I also grabbed a small sample of a red linen-cotton to use as lining my red wool cloak. I'm not going to use silk, for the hood lining. Just cos. My plan was to pre-shrink the fabric as soon as I got home, but I ended up crashing out on the sofa for 3 hours and woke up with 2 dogs snuggled up with me. If I'd pre-shrunk that dang fabric then it would ahve been dry already for me to start cutting out.

I had definitely been tempted to drive to Marrickville and look at my fave fabric shop there, but (1) it would not have helped my down-stashing target for the year and (2) I knew I needed a nap and extra driving was not smart.

Instead I made a head-sash thingy to go with my Wonder Woman inspired dress, but it looked ridiculous on me and I couldn't be bothered trying to experiment with length & width. I suspect a longer wider one would have been better, but not sure enough to cut another one out. If I'd been at home I'd have raided my mock up fabrics and just cut a strip out & tried it. Next time gadget!

Saturday I started cutting out my 2 piece short gown. I guestimated how long the skirt section should be on the bodice, and hope it's a flattering length. I also cut wrist length sleeves, and hope they're ok. Of not I can always shorten them.

Third packing fail: my mock up of the Daffodown Dilly wrap stays - that I'm going to do as parasseuse
. From my dipping in & out of The Lady's Strategem a ribbed dimity was one of the recommended fabric. The cotton I got isn't ribbed, but it's light & tightly woven. I'll see how it goes.

MAGAM - my plan for the March theme

For March I'm declaring an assault on the clothes I need for a Jane Austen festival. For starters I'm making a 2piece skirt & top using this dress pattern from Past Patterns #031 and some fabric from my stash.

I have plenty of other garments that I need to make for the 3 day event, so there's more to come than this 2-piece morning dress.

going to the aussie Jane Austen festival)

I'm trying to decide how I blog my costume plans for next April's aussie Austen festival. I could start a separate blog or start a new tab thing on this blog.

Anyway, a teaser. I've been planning to make this dress for ages, but first want to make new stays to fit it over.   It's from a 1799 fashion plate, and I had both white and red fabric for it already. 

However, I'm using the white fabric for my Dr Who nightie costume, and am going to make this out of black voile.  Possibly with blue trim - as I've seen a few extant black gowns with blue trim.

seating for working class regency events

Just ordered on eBay (waiting to hear when I can pay & collect it) a folding stool, that's suitable for regency events.  I really want a chair, but this will be lighter as I'm schlepping myself around on by public transport - both bus and train.  Seeing as Winterfest is at the end of this month I'm really looking forward to having my own seat. Though maybe like last year I'll spend my time napping on the ground.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/220865180681

and yes it may be slightly posher than working class, but it's transportable by design.

looking at fabric sends me to a happy place

ooh, I'd love to buy some of this to make my working class regency short gown.  It's a light weight wool from FFC, and not on sale.  Plus international fee and postage and yes, I'll be smarter to avoid getting it.  Though if it's still around next time they have a sale and I have cashy money then all bets are off.


I intentionally wouldn't pick a pinstripe, but I'd like a stripe. and I also like this one, also not on sale, #17998


KK918 confusingly is listed as a grey/black worsed wool, but the description says 100% cotton.

thinking about sewing - working class regency short gown

This morning I preshrank the hobbit blouse fabric, so I've done something today sewing related.  I got extra of this fabric so I could make a regency era fichu from it. There will be serious complaining about hand rolled hems.  I begrudgingly hand sew only when it cannot possibly be avoided.

Tonight I also put some thought into my regency short gown /jacket which I'll need in late June. The style I'm aiming for is similar to a bodice sold by Meg Andrews http://www.meg-andrews.com/item-details/Hand-Block-Bodice/7384. I could use the Lewis & Clarke era dress pattern & substantially shorten it, with less fabric in the back.

However I also thought of the Northern Society of Costumes & Textiles pattern of the 1793 Dress of the Revolution (French).

I could raise the waist, & add a "skirt" to the back.  It's similar to what was worn by working class at the time I'm looking at, a decade later than this pattern. I do want to use this pattern at some point in the nearish future but in the interests of expediency I may simply go with the Past Patterns that I know fits.  The NSCT jacket needs to be scaled to size, graded to fit, mocked up, etc.  

ebay helps out with accessories for re-enacting

whee, I got a pottery wine jug, about 18cm high (7"?) and a great shape for my bum-boater basket.

It' got a name, Sydney Town & date of 1795 on it but the seller think's it was made at "Old Sydney Town". That was a small open air museum recreating our early colonial settlement, and it closed back in 2003.  Lacking a car & having the worst of CFS/ME back then I never made it up there.  There's talk of it re-opening, and a campaign working on it. This would be fabulous, but I won't hold my breath just in case.

So I need to look out for a couple more grog bottles, and possibly a larger basket.

I'm thinking of using the paisley-ish fabric I got in Brissie last November to make a short gown & petticoat. I'm hoping it's enough fabric for both or another fabric will be needed instead. For this character, I'll make a plain linen bodiced skirt to go underneath. ie thin linen or cotton on the bodice.

 I think this would fit in nicely, as I've looked at all the (few) half-robe aka short gowns of the period. If I get a short gown & petticoat from my yardage I can wear this to other regency events as a morning ensemble.

street hawkers - georgian or regency style

I've been looking for sketches etc of street hawkers and working class - or lower order - people so that I can have a better idea of what to make as a bum boater.

Here's a couple of blog links

Spitalfieldslife posts
-  Thomas Rowlandson's Lower Orders  and more Rowlandson's lower orders - these are quite fascinating
-  Pictures of Real Life for Children 1819 in which the milk maid seems to be wearing a regency short gown.
- William Marshall Craig's Itinerant Traders 1804 part 1  b&w
-  William Marshall Craig's Itinerant Traders 1804 part 2 ...mackerel and potato sellers plus other women..

I'm going to look at short gowns, and maybe a slightly shorter skirt on the bodiced underdress, seemingly the lower orders had ankles to show.  Thinking that the streets weren't like today and hems muddy quickly and some mud stains are hard to remove, it makes sense to be slightly shorter for working women.  Also not as full as some of my other dresses which at 3m (approx 3yds 1 foot) may be an extravagance I couldn't afford ... unless I sold lots profitable veg & booze.

I'm also searching for suitable bottles/jugs for my wares.

pragmatically not starting any new projects

I've another 2 months to wait until my gallbladder surgery, and I'm trying to accept my limitations as it has severely impacted my life.

I'm being a bit fatalistic about not expecting to get anything finished, nor much progress on anything until afterwards.  {shrugs} it is what it is.  And I've got enough part started projects that I don't want to start any more.

What I can do is plot & scheme for when I bounce back.   Sydney Supanova is 21-23 June, which I'm anticipating to be a month after surgery, hopefully time to make a costume out of stash.  I've a hankering for a Catelyn Stark (Game of Thrones) so I have started trawling for pics ... hard to find any of the skirt section of her dress ... not her dark green coat but the V-neck, panelled dress underneath.  The bodice front has 4 panels on each side, and I'm guessing the back is the same, ie 16 panels on the dress.  I may simply dye the 2 pieces of pale blue linen I have in my stash. 

Winterfest is the following weekend, and I'll wear my regency kit as I'll be with my napoleonic re-enactment group.

Mid July is the Redcoats & Convicts day at Hyde Park Barracks, so I may finish my open robe for that.  Or a more downmarket ensemble as I'm with sailors.   As I'm not actually portraying a sailor I need a role that allows me to be hanging around with Nelson's sailors.  So after perusing the 1811 Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue I'm going to be a bum boater.  Which sounds hideous, but in fact is:

  "BUM BOAT. A boat attending ships to retail greens,
     drams, &c. commonly rowed by a woman; a kind of
     floating chandler's shop"

I love my greens, and a dram or two so it's a great match personally.

Further away, end of September is a subscription ball to celebrate the 1813 crossing of the Blue Mountains ...  it really was a trip to the unknown for them. They thought there was a huge inland sea ... unlike the reality of huge amounts of desert in the middle of the continent.  So I'm going to look for 1813 ball gowns for some inspiration for a new ballgown.