1760s robe à la Française, 2011

This has never been my favorite style for 18th century, but it's a classic and I wanted to give it a try. It's made of cream silk taffeta and lined with linen. I used cream silk thread for sewing. It's worn over the previously introduced shift, stockings shoes and stays, linen pocket hoops with willow hoops and two linen petticoats. All hand sewn. The lace I used for the sleeve flounces and top edge of the stomacher is a beautiful cream colored antique hand made bobbin lace that unfortunately has small holes all over it. Luckily the holes don't show much even from close distances and looking at the delicate lace pattern makes me happy when I move my arms.

The winter is approaching and the weather is mainly rather cold and windy, but I persuaded my husband to take the camera and came outside with me to take the pictures. I had a hat, but it was impossible to wear it as the wind was blowing so hard. Most of the pictures ended up looking like the first one, but we managed to take quite a few decent ones to capture the dress and you are about to see probably too many of them.

I was so glad I decided to line the mitts with leather. They were very warm.

The construction:

I started with the silk petticoat. I sewed together the skirt panels with running stitches and hemmed the bottom edge. Then I pleated the top of the skirt in a sloping shape to even the hem over pocket hoops. The top was then pleated and whipped in to the ties.

Then I made a linen lining and fitted it. At this point I left the shoulder seams unattached. 

Then I sewed together the robe panels.

I pleated the back to fit the lining.

I cut off the excess.

Then I cut an approximately shaped front bodice pieces, the robing side on selvedge. I ironed the robing folds and had my husband to help me fit and pin the pieces in place. I sewed the bodice pieces in to the lining from the outside using back stitching. I pleated and sewed the skirt to fit the bodice and had the husband mark the hem.

I drafted sleeves and sewed them partially on leaving the top part still free. In this following picture I'm trying on a first sleeve (that I didn't like).

The second sleeves were sewn on the same manner, the underside seam on the inside of the gown and the sleeve top from the outside. The robing covers the raw edge.

Then I made the stomacher and pinked the trimming.

I used whipped gathers for gathering and attached the trimming with widely spaced running stitches.

The dress closes by pinning the stomacher in to the stays and then pinning the gown to the stomacher under the robings.

18th century mitts, 2011

I love accessories, so when I found myself with a small piece of leftover leather, I was thrilled to discover it would be just enough for a pair of mitts. I wanted fancy silk mitts so I made the top layer from cream silk taffeta, but the leather worked wonderfully as a lining and made them sturdy and very warm.  I apologize for the blurry quality of some the pictures.

The construction:

I made the top layer from cream silk taffeta. I attached the thumb and made the wrist slit. Then I turned under all raw edges and top stitched them with herringbone stitch. I top stitched also the thumb seam.

Then I made a similar leather lining, just without the pointed tip, and whip stitched it to the silk around all edges. Then I closed the wrist slit by fagoting.

I lined the tip with blue silk taffeta and closed the side seam by fagoting and they were finished.

The finished mitt inside out.

1770s robe à lAnglaise retroussée, 2011

Edited: I have corrected the term for this kind of gown from the robe à l'Anglaise à la Polonaise I originally used after reading Kendra's informative post.

The dress is made of 18th century reproduction fabric purchased from Duran Textiles. The dress is lined with fine linen and hand sewn with linen thread. I left it unboned. It's worn over two plain linen petticoats, the previously presented false rump, late 18th century stays and shift and the recently finished shoes, stockings and garters. Everything has been sewn by hand.

(I bought the fabric in 2006 and the fabric I got back then was silk taffeta in texture. I have seen this same fabric in a retail shop earlier this year and judging by that they have since then changed the fabric in to a slubbed silk, like dupioni, but very fine quality with small and few slubs. The slubs are more or less hidden by the dots and stripes of the fabric and the fabric is still absolutely gorgeous. It could also be that it was just that one lot that was different. I just wanted to let you know if there is anyone considering to buy and is picky about these things, that the quality of the silk might vary.)

The fan was purchased from http://www.artbyaurora.net/18th/

It's painted on a paper leaf and the sticks are bone. I highly recommend her products.

Construction:

The bodice seaming was based loosely on the late 1770's robe à l'Anglaise in The Cut of Women's Clothes 1600-1930. I cut the fabric for the petticoat and the robe to period width panels and sewed them together with a running stitch, five panels each. The top of the petticoat was folded in a sloping shape to even the hem and to accommodate a bumroll. The folded edge was then pleated and whip stitched to tapes to tie the petticoat on. The robe bodice lining was then sewn together. The silk bodice pieces were mounted on top and back stitched from the outside, edges finished with the stitch with the fancy name, le point à rabattre sous la main. The underside of the sleeves were sewn from the inside through all layers and top sleeve from the outside through all layers except for the silk shoulder piece that was sewn down last.

Skirts of the robe were also folded to shape, pleated and whip stitched to the bottom edge of the bodice. The robe is "polonaised" through silk tape loops and ties.  The bodice closes with hooks and eyes with no overlap.

I decorated the dress with pinked self fabric strips. I used a reproduction pinking tool and was very pleased with the results.

The strips were then gathered using a whip stitch and then attached to the dress with running stitches.

I had a piece of very old handmade lace that I added to the neckline and sleeves. And I made decorative bows from dark brown silk taffeta.

The large pouf hairstyle was made over a large rat and a few hairpieces were needed to complete it.