Jenny La Fleur

koshka_the_cat I think you have started something!

I've been meaning to put these videos of costumes on my website for ages and have never gotten to it. Enter Katherine & YouTube! So easy.

Now I wish I'd taken more videos along the way. Oh well, expect to see more in future!

My vidoes

Now don’t faint – I’m actually sewing today!! I can’t believe I how long it’s been since I’ve had a chance to work on my projects. Not that I’m working on any of my CC projects or anything. I’m taking some time to sort out my 18th century wardrobe a bit instead. I have an event the first weekend in April and need something to wear. So here is the plan:

• make new petticoat
• trim new hat
• make new neckerchief?
• fix green wool:
• redo hem (shorten & hand stitch)
• shorten sleeves
• make new ruffle?
• sew on hooks and eyes

I have such a cunning little plan for the petticoat I started with that first. :> Inspired by this lovely ensemble from tailordrews’s recent soirée weekend, I’m taking my red stripe apart to make a new petticoat.

I’ve been in a quandary about what to do with my red stripe for a while now. It has two issues, the first is that it’s too big – partly from mis-fitting and partly my losing weight. The second, and perhaps more important issue, is that the fabric itself is beginning to break down. It was a cheap, old cotton when I finally got around to using it and it is literally starting to dry-rot. I had thought about taking it apart and refitting it (as I love the gown) but I honestly don’t think it would survive.

I will get much more wear out of it this way and it should last longer too (less tension and wear spots on a petticoat). I probably wouldn’t have thought of it but for that picture in Bjarne’s album. When I saw it I fell in love. I adore the bold stripe as a petticoat – it’s so different. The young lady wears the petticoat with another outfit that I think is charming as well.

I have some more very cunning ideas for summer ensembles to go with the petticoat too. Good thing since I am literally starting from scratch on my wardrobe with no money to spend on fabric. *sigh* I’m spending all my money on events this year (CC & Under the Redcoat) instead. This is a year I will just have to make do with what I have. Luckily I have just about everything I need for my CC costumes and a deep fabric stash to be creative with.

If there is one thing I’m good at, it’s budget costuming. :>

May I present your cute kitty moment of the day... My baby Nefret loves to beg and Dad loves to give her scraps. Afterall how can one resist that much cuteness? :>


I also bring you some pics Tina took at Gunston Hall last month. So there I am finishing my cloak at the event. :> *sigh* That was such a fun day!

Here are some pics from the recent RCHS fall tea. It was a lot of fun, despite my annoying cough. I really enjoyed getting all dressed up in my corset and petticoats – something I haven’t done since July. Mom and Bridget came too and were at my table. I “mothered” a table, serving tea, helping guide the conversation and such. I did have fun but I think I preferred being a servant (carrying food to the table, re-filling tea pots etc.). You are on your feet the whole time but you get a chance to nibble a lot in the kitchen. *hee hee*

I was able to snag some pics of myself at the July 3rd RCHS event so here they are for your viewing enjoyment – a few of me embroidering and talking to fellow RCHSer Allison (isn’t she cute?! :>) and one pic of what I was working on. *wink to Elizabeth*

I have a few more pics from the Williamsburg trip in June as well. I’ll try to get those up this weekend if not today.

I finished up the polonaise fixings today though. I was originally going to attach two ribbons to the inside, as illustrated in Arnold pg 36, but that didn't work. I think my skirt is too full for only two pulled ribbons. A look through Costume in Detail was helpful though. I hadn’t realized how many polonaise skirts there are in that book, and of course each one shows how it's done. I love that book, I really do.

In the end I found that three pulls, each with a ribbon attached at the waist, threaded through 3-4 thread loops and tied, created the look I wanted. For the loops I made thread loops out of silk thread in a buttonhole stitch. Luckily the stripe is so busy that no one should notice the tiny tell-tale stitches on the outside of the skirt, unless they are looking very hard of course. In which case they need to be smacked. :>

To test this all out I used safety pins to mount the ribbon and use as temporary loops. That little thought served me well as I was able to experiment quite a bit with the position and number of loops before I bothered to sew anything. I adore safety pins, have I ever mentioned that?

I finished up the neckerchief as well. It's nothing terribly special but it will work. It is hemmed by hand, with a running stitch, but not very well. Ask me if I care. :P

So all that's left to do tomorrow is the sleeve flounce, shopping for our picnic (hopefully the local gourmet shop will have some interesting cheese, oh for a descent cheese shop!) and packing everything up. I think that is do-able. *crosses fingers*

The tea today was fun. Well the tea itself wasn’t great, most of it cold, with 2% milk instead of cream and blah food, but the experience was fun. Bridget did my hair again for me before she and the parents left for a get together with the grandparents. Above is a pic of my hair straight out of the curlers, before she had done anything to it. Can anyone say Shirley Temple? :> Unfortunately there was no one home by the time I finished dressing so I snapped one shot of myself before I left the house… for posterity. *hee hee*


It was raining when I left the house, but had turned into a drizzling mist by the time I arrived at Belmont. It continued to rain off and on throughout tea (which was outside under a tent) but just before we finished the sun came out so I managed to get a few pics in the garden afterwards (thanks to and with Tina).

You can see the rain and humidity resulted in some really loose curls, despite mousse and hair spray. I had to re pin some sagging curls at the table but I have to say, my hair did look nice throughout. I actually kinda liked it a little looser, it went with the more relaxed looked I originally wanted.

I sat next to and chatted with Tina during most of the tea, she is very sweet. The other RCHS ladies were friendly super friendly as always and complimented me on my gown, hair and hat. Actually I got many, many complements on my ensemble throughout the day and even a few people who asked to take my picture. I hope I didn’t look too pleased with myself… *wink*

I am proud to say that I helped our table win prizes in the hat contest for the best non-red-hat group. (Most of tables were groups of red hat ladies – it was a little scary!) We all had our choice of a selection of handmade bracelets and necklaces. I choose one of the simpler bracelets. :> I toured the house, studio and some of the gardens and then headed home, tired but happy. I really enjoyed wearing my dress. It’s a very fun outfit to promenade and move in, especially with those tiny pleats adding fullness to the skirt. The linen felt lovely too, I’m definitely rethinking my opinion on the fiber. The hat restricted my view more than I anticipated (not that great for touring an historic home and art gallery) but I felt so elegant that I didn’t care. Walking down the wooden stairs in the c1790s house, with my skirts trailing behind me felt great. Yes I’m a silly! :>


Once B arrived home I had her take some more pics of me and I’m really happy with the results. There are some really cute ones there, despite the long day and humidity on curls. Oh yes and a pic of me back in the 21st century! :> Tonight and tomorrow I’m taking a break but Tuesday I begin phase two of the May sewing madness: I have a jacket, shift, cap and apron to make for Saturday. Not only am I a silly but I’m crazy, oh yes indeed! :>

shoe cockades:

I have a series of pics for a tutorial of how I made these, but I’ll post that after my deadline. *grin*

linen petticoat:

Finally finished – yay! The first pic is sans ruffle. After much prodding from the sister I went ahead and added the gathered ruffle after all. It does look nice but what a pain! I’d like to add a band of matching grosgrain ribbon, to cover my stitches but I don’t see that happening today, especially since I don’t have any narrow brown grosgrain ribbon on hand. The petticoat is nicely washed, softened and hanging up to air dry. Once it’s dried a bit I’ll iron it for tomorrow.

hat & hair:

The finished hat! :> I’m very pleased, thinking it turned out quite pretty. It would not have happened without Bridget’s help though. I am seriously millinery challenged but luckily she is not. I pulled together the elements (everything but the silk changeable ribbon swiped from the stash) but could not figure out how to arrange them on the hat in a pleasing way. All the credit for that must go to my long suffering sis. She pinned in place and I sewed it all on. Thanks Bridget!! :>

The hair test also calls for kudos to my talented sis. She patiently curled my hair in soft curlers before bed last night and then worked her magic on the set curls this morning. I’m really happy with the results. It’s not really “me” but it looks period, which is more important. It turned out to be quite easy to do as well. The trick is small curls, fluffed by pulling each curl apart several times to create volume. A few combs, hair pins and a hair extension and viola – big hair! The extension doesn’t need to be curled after all (which is nice) although I do need to tack down that bottom knot…

On to those wretched bodice hooks…

Yeah, shifts… I don’t know why but this is a garment I really hate. I avoid making them and then don’t really enjoy wearing them. If only they weren’t so necessary. I sewed up the toile this morning and tried it on. *sigh* You know I don’t even want to go into it right now.

Lets just say it could be worse, and I can make do, but I’m not happy. Thing is, because I’m not using a pattern and I don’t really know what I’m doing, I don’t actually know how this thing is supposed to fit/work. My problems may just be things inherit in the garment and not my fault at all. I have no idea.

After a counseling session with Bridget, I’ve decided to simply not worry about it at the moment. The shift is the easiest thing to fake in my ensemble, should I run out of time. So I’m going to work on something that will actually show and procrastinate about the wretched object. I’m very good at procrastinating.

Oh yes, I tried my gown on… and it’s too big. A wearable too big but by no means trim and figure hugging, as it should be. *whimpers* Maybe I should have waited to re-start my diet until after the tea…

Wish me luck on my next project, the cap. I do not need another issue today… I’m just not up for it.

I didn’t end up getting too much done after all. Cleaning, dishes and cooking dinner seem to have taken up most of my day. Oh well.

I finished up the skirt, finished one sleeve and attached some of the hooks and eyes. Still, it’s progress. Now I’m sleepy and can feel another headache coming on so I think I‘ll make it an early night…