Hit the saque! ...beginning HSF #17: Robes and Robings

...ok, bad pun.  Remember when I said that the 1865 evening gown was going to be the most ambitious thing I did?  Well, as it turns out, this robe will probably take the cake for that - mostly due to the shape of the skirt.  It's gone well so far, only a couple snafus (granted they were big ones, but thankfully easily fixed), so the robe part is done (stomacher will be finished Tuesday, and hopefully lower sleeves, too).  Granted - it won't be trimmed, and it won't have a proper self-fabric petticoat (yet), but the basic dress will be there.

Here's the dress as it was this weekend: no sleeve flounces or engageants, no trim, a pinned-in piece of fabric temporarily used as the stomacher (actually the square 'sample' piece that the stores have for ordering in bulk, it was on sale for a dollar so I grabbed it one day), and the bodice waist pinned to the correct height...

I rather like it so far, especially the back, though the front needs finishing at the time of these photos.

... Without further ado, here's how it got to the above photos.

Inspiration (and historical reference/"proof" for the existence of printed/indienne cotton saques) came from this Pinterest page of cotton saques put together by Katherine of Koshka-the-Cat (thank you!!).  And MAJOR props also to Katherine for her tutorials on making a saque (this project really fits nicely under the "Gratitude" HSF, too, I realized); I used those as my "making-of" guide, though I did a few things differently (so far it's come out ok though).  The silhouette I'm going for is not a "court" silhouette, but narrower, more everyday one like that of the "block print francaise (c.1770)".  Wide isn't the most flattering for me, anyway, and right now I'm making do with a rather extended hip roll padding (with quilted petticoat on top) in place of panniers, so I doubt I'd've been able to get that trapezoid shape perfectly right (I know, I know, shame on me.  Pocket hoops are on my to-do-list).

And the construction...

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date! (well, HSF date at least!)

I actually finished the HSF #15, White, in time to submit it (almost a month ago), and even took pictures - but it's not a spectacular project nor a perfectly accurate one so didn't really feel it was worthy of an HSF entry... plus, what with work, class, and church stuff I've had a hard time finding time to do a blog post.  Much as I love to write in general, that's somewhat ironic but true.  I have done a lot of sewing, though... stay tuned over the next few days (I'll finish uploading pictures for the posts and get them up).

In the mean time, here's a very short post (for me at least!) with a few pictures of the fichu.

The original (unhemmed) version (kinda puffy and slipped a lot so it hung on my neck rather ungracefully) / the new version (pardon the modern skirt-posing-as-a-petticoat and complete lack of the proper silhouette):

Front / back / side views:

And, for consistency's sake, HSF info:

The Challenge: HSF #15 - White... a basic (probably oversimplified) late 18th century fichu

Fabric: white/translucent crushed organza (poly something, probably), 1/2 yard (ended up being too narrow, but it'll do in a pinch)

Pattern: My own, based on how fichus look in various paintings from the 1770s- 1790s

Year: 1770s-1790s

Notions: white thread (hemming), 6 inches of thin red ribbon (totally anachronistic; will replace later) for a tie

How historically accurate is it?: Overall look is accurate, either tied or tucked in. Material is not. Pattern could be significantly better. It's more costume-y, I think, then accurate (I probably wouldn't wear it to a reenactment, but for pictures it has the right 'look'). But I like it anyway. :-)

Hours to complete: Two at most. I had done a quick cut-out for the Independence Day shoot, but then reworked it a bit and took the time to hem it after that.

First worn: Independence Day shoot in a previous post (I'll post one of the actual fichu-shots here, they weren't very flattering so the only shot of it in the other post is where it's wadded up in my hand); then for pictures once it was fully completed Total cost: Essentially free, since it came from my stash. Originally, it was part of 3-4 yards of that organza which I'd bought on super-discount clearance for another project (and then haven't used)


And a couple photos for the 'making of'... not much, really, it was pretty straightforward.

Originally, it was a rectangle of fabric with a point in the center back (same shape as below left with more of a back), and a slit down the middle.  That left some rather obnoxious front edges to deal with, and was way too much fabric when worn (got into my face very easily), so I cut out the neck a bit, and then hemmed it by folding it over itself twice so the raw edges were held inside.  As I said, simple, and not the best - I really should have made it a diamond instead of a trapezoid (realized that *after* I cut it out) - but it does the trick in a pinch.  I'll have to make a better one soon.