Regency shawl hacks

1803 fashion plate via Scene in the Past

1801 fashion plate via Scene in the Past

I LOVE Regency shawls - especially the decadently long ones that nearly drag on the floor.  Shawls of this type found in museums such as the Met are typically a little over 100" in length, but others from this period could go up to 140" or more.  Unfortunately, it is difficult to find modern shawls that are longer than 70 or 80 inches, and it is also hard to find modern shawls that are simple enough to replicate the look of their Regency counterparts, which usually had a plain ground and designs along the borders only.

So for the Historical Sew Fortnightly "outerwear" challenge, I decided to alter a few inexpensive shawls from ebay to make them more appropriate for Regency costuming.  I found 4 different shawls that have paisley border designs and plain grounds, and they were cheap enough that I could easily buy two and piece them together in the middle to make them longer.

I started by cutting off one of the bordered ends on each of the two shawls (so you don't get a border in the middle of the shawl).  Then I sewed the two cut edges together to make one super-long shawl with a seam in the middle and borders on both ends. I used a flat-felled seam to make it look nice on both sides, and each shawl took me under 30 minutes to complete.  I sewed some of the shawl seams on my sewing machine, while others were hand-stitched.  Out of the four shawls, the one that I think turned out the best was hand-sewn on both sides with a wide 1" overlap in the felled seam.  When I tried to make the seams very small, they were more difficult to work with since the weave is relatively loose and threads have a tendency to pull out when there isn't much selvage remaining to help hold it together.  With the exception of the green shawl, which was shorter than the others to start with, I made all of these between 108" and 115" when pieced together.  

There is, however, one feature of a real Regency shawl that is noticeably different from my "hack" shawls: the ground on historical shawls would be the same color on both sides, and all of my modern shawls have a different color on each side.  But I think that's a pretty nit-picky thing to worry about - especially considering how cheap and easy these are to make.  But if it really bothers you, you could also cut the border designs off of a modern shawl and sew them onto a solid piece of wool fabric.  I found examples of Regency shawls that were pieced together during this period using a similar technique.  

 

Shawl #1: Acrylic/Viscose from the-bestdealmarket

This was the cheapest option that I found at $8.50 per shawl.  It also has the loosest weave and the design had the least amount of detail, but it is very silky and soft, and there is a good range of color choices available.  Not bad for a $17 accessory!

Shawl #2: Cashmere/Silk from thelakegalleria

These shawls are probably the highest quality since they are made of natural materials, and they only cost $9.95 apiece.  The pattern in less bold and they aren't as long as the others, but wow, they feel great.

Shawl #3: Wool (maybe) from aashigifts

I ordered these shawls from India, and they have a nice tight weave and a very detailed border design. The seller claims that they are wool, but there wasn't a fiber content tag on them, and I haven't done a burn test to see if they really are what they claim to be.  These were the most expensive shawls that I bought at $17 apiece, but it's such a pretty garment that I definitely think it is worth the $34 total cost.

Shawl #4: Rayon from jokotkat

This last shawl is another beauty that is sold in multiple colorways.  They cost $12.99 each and are very silky and soft.  I also have the same shawl in a burgundy color, and I am trying to restrain myself from buying a pair of the blue ones too.  The border pattern works so perfectly for Regency.  

Hopefully, this will give you a place to start if you are also in the market for Regency shawls.  If you don't like these options, all of these sellers have other shawls that might work for this period as well.  I was very pleased with my shopping experience with all four sellers, and the shipping was fast and free, which is exactly how I like it!  You can also do your own ebay search using some combination of the words "paisley", Kashmir", "pashmina", "wool", "shawl", or "wrap", which is how I found the shawls that I bought. 

Do you know of any other wonderful Regency-esque shawls that could be modified into a longer garment? If so, let us know in the comments and we can all share our shopping tips!

Spreading the shopping luv

I've had a wonderful run of luck with costume-related bargain shopping lately, so I thought I would share the luv with you all in case you any of you were looking for similar items.

Yesterday I stumbled across a wonderful pair of pointed toe fabric flats at my local Famous Footwear for $25.  They are made by Rocket Dog and are the Chamay watered silk style.  You can find better prices at other online shoe stores, but they don't always have all the colors available.  I especially love the rose and grey colored ones on the Rocket Dog website, but they only had black where I was today (is it wrong that I now want to make a Regency mourning dress just to match my new shoes?  LOL!).  I think they will work perfectly for Regency costuming, and I plan on adding crisscross ribbon ties to dress them up some more.  Just FYI, they are very soft and slipper-like, so I bought a smaller size than I often wear because they seemed to stay on my feet better when they were a little snug.  My shoe size ranges from 9-10 depending on the brand, but I thought the 9 was the most comfortable fit in this particular style.

Next, my favorite local vintage store, Vintage Martini, is clearing out all of their vintage patterns.  Although their stock is mostly gone at this point, they still have some gems that need to find a good home.  My favorites are the classic 1910's skirt patterns in the Edwardian section, and the adorable 1920's children's patterns in the kids section - all for under $10.  There are also a handful of 30's-50's patterns left, plus some fun vintage costume and apron patterns that caught my eye.  And don't overlook the wedding section, which has some gorgeous styles that would make up great as evening or daywear just by changing the fabric or shortening a hem.  I snatched up a couple of wonderful patterns a few weeks ago, including these 1910's beauties.  I can't wait to make them up!  Working with a 100 year old pattern is such a cool experience.  It always makes me feel more connected with history as I daydream about who used it in the past and what the original owner's dress looked like when she was finished (*ahem* and I also wonder if she was any better than I am at deciphering the vague instructions!)

Okay.  So now we have something that all women need more of in their lives - TIARAS!  Just check out Amy Farrah Fowler's reaction to her first tiara if you have any doubt about that statement.  I have to admit that I was a non-believer about the joys of a good tiara for many years, but I am finally a convert now that that I have discovered an ebay seller called Venus Jewelry which carries the most wonderful period-appropriate styles using cast metal frames that don't look at all "pagenty".  I picked one of the more simple styles, and OMG I love it so much!  I also really love this one and this one and this one... oh yeah, and this one.  So many gorgeous styles to choose from, and all under $30 with free shipping.  C'mon... you know you need one!

For Costume College this year I'm going to make a natural form ball gown, and I wanted to add some flowers here and there to dress it up.  So I was thrilled when my friend Taylor started selling paper millinery flowers at her online etsy shop, Dames a la Mode.  She doesn't have a lot of her stock posted yet, but she showed me some more options when I told her what I needed, and all of her flowers are gorgeous!  I definitely know where I'll be buying my millinery and dress flowers for now on, and I can't wait for her to add more options to her shop.  You just can't find flowers of this quality at your local craft store, and they are actually much cheaper than most silk flowers too.

And last but not least, I've been hunting for an affordable copy of The Cut of Women's Clothes for years now, so I try to poke around on Amazon and Alibris from time to time looking for a used copy.  Last month, I found a seller in the UK that was offering new editions for only $59.  Anyway, I told some of my friends about this incredible deal when I bought my book earlier this month, and the shop I bought my book from seems to be sold out now.  But keep an eye out on Alibris beacuse I keep hearing about people finding this book at bargain prices lately.  If you are fast, there are 3 copies listed at $65 right now, which is still SO much better than the $100+ it usually sells for.  I'm wondering if they did a reprint or released some old stock, but whatever the cause, I'm thrilled to be seeing these occasional dips in price.  I've had to rely on library copies all these years (I've had this book checked out non-stop for the 14 months - bad Jen!), so I'm estatic to finally have one of my very own.  It might be the most helpful costume history book that I've worked with due to all the fabulous patterns, detailed research, and wide range of eras covered. 

 

So what wonderful costume deals have you found lately?  Anybody else want to share their bargain shopping secrets?  :)

Antique Elegance Show



Americana display from A Wilder Place in Time

Earlier this month, I met up with group of friends from the DFWCG for our twice annual trip to the Antique Elegance Show in Richardson. This show features a variety of pre-1960 antiques and collectibles, but the coolest thing about it is that a majority of the dealers sell vintage and antique clothing, textiles, jewelry, and accessories.  So not only is this a really top notch antiques show, but it is also something of a hands-on fashion museum where you can actually touch, try on, and peek at the insides of 100+ year old garments.  It's an amazing experience, and it has really done wonders for my understanding of the construction and materials used in historical clothing. 

The vendors and patrons at the show are also incredibly friendly, and they always seem happy to humor our quirky habit of dressing up in costume for this show.  Sometimes we go all out and wear Victorian, Edwardian, or Regency clothing, but this year, most of our group took the easy way out and wore vintage.  It's a fun compromise becasue you still feel "dressed up", but it's much easier to fit into the sometimes crowded booths and dig around though all the bins of goodies on the floor. 



 

Usually I go to the show with a list of supplies and accessories to shop for that I can use for future costume projects.  If I ever want buttons, ribbon, lace, or trim, this is the first place that I look, and I've also bought a wide variety of accessories like purses, hats, gloves, and parasols here too.  This year I didn't really have a lot of specific things that I needed, so my friend Christy and I amused ourselves by trying on vintage accessories that matched our outfits.  I had no idea how many navy and white dotted items there were in the world!

If you live in area and you've never been to the Antique Elegance Show before, I highly recommed that you check it out.  The next show is February 16th and 17th, and it will include a fashion show featuring coats, capes, robes, and other outer garments from the 1860's - 1960's.  Also, Keven Jones and Christina Johnson from FIDM will also be giving a presentation on Royal Dress.  I hope to see you there!

Drooling over an amazing 1880's bodice at the Vintage Martini booth.  The full dress can be see here. 

Oodles of eye candy on display by The Cat's Meow

You can see a few more photos from the weekend on my flickr. 

hand-sewing madness

I have caught the hand-sewing madness lately, and one of my big goals for the summer is to hand-sew a new set of stays from 1790.  I can't guarantee that I'll actually pull this off, but I'm really excited about the thought of trying!

I have the pattern fitted now and I just got my fancy linen thread in the mail today.  I ordered it from William Booth Draper and I was so happy with the customer service there.  The shipping ended up being less that what was listed on the website, and they even let me go back and add some cotton tape to my order when I poked around their site some more and realized how cheap it was.  Some of you have probably been ordering from them for years now, but this was my first time and I couldn't be happier.  And it is such a treat to have nice sewing supplies to work with - it feels so decadent! 

You can also see the wool that I am using to make my stays in the background of this picture.  I dyed it myself to look like the pretty pink stays seen here.  I'm SO excited about starting this project.  Hopefully I'll be back in a few months to show you the finished results.