Month: November 2021

Charlotte’s 1860s Winter Dress

Dear Sis,

We have period caroling on the calendar in just a few weeks time. Poor Charlotte has absolutely nothing to wear! We started for the bottom up with a pettichemise.

A pattern for a basic pettichemise or body can be found here. In the photo above, I was marking where to place the hook and eye tape for the back bodice closure and pinning the one inch twill tape straps in place. Twill tape is a time saving hack. I was trying to complete the body in a single night… and did:) Note all the tucks, they are not purely decorative! They help maintain volume in the skirts!!!




I was planning to make a wool petticoat to go with this pettichemise, but they fabric was not 100% wool as advertised and thus I need to order different materials at another time.

I started Charlotte’s dress without a clear plan of what I wanted it to look like. My fabric selection was some tropical weight dark gray wool, with a very nice hand, that was gifted to me years ago, and some teal undershot brown silk taffeta from a botched sash attempt from over a decade ago. I also was operating with the knowledge that Charlotte’s sensitive skin had to be fully removed from direct contact with the wool itself. Thus, I decided to line the wool with the silk. The uncut portion of silk that remained was small, so I narrowed the sleeves to accommodate what little materials I did have, and then opened the upper seams in a decorative way, so they wouldn’t appear too narrow for the period. After I opened the sleeves, I decided I needed more teal peaking out of the dark wool on the bodice and cut the tear shaped eyelets and secured them with button hole stitching. 

After, completing the bodice I decided I wanted to trim the skirt edge in more teal silk. Since my plans for a wool petticoat were thawed, I decided to make a double layer skirt to compensate. Upon completion of the dress, I realized that it needed a bigger splash of teal and I still had the sash itself to cut into. I was able to refashion it nicely using this period fashion plate for inspiration. 

I’ve included photos of the finish dress both on the wiggling two-year-old and off.




Pardon to poor evening lighting… and the blur of a child in constant motion:)

Charlotte enjoys here new dress very much. She and William call it her “princess dress.”

See you love!

Love,

b

See more Children’s Wear in our Historical Closet

Music Appreciation – Electronica

Dear Sis, 

This is the third of ten parts in our Music Appreciation lesson plan series. If you are just finding us now, the text that corresponds with these lessons is Music is… by Stephen T. Johnson. 

Electronica Music

Week Eleven

Approximately 35 minutes

Read playful narration “Electronica is…” text.

  • Encourage your pre-reader to try to repeat the scat in a musical way. Being silly with your kids is a great way to catch their interest.
  • Emerging readers can try to sound it out. Sometimes its fun to read non-sense!
  • If you have multiple learners you can make a game of it and see who can say it fastest or with the best musical performance, by family vote.

Watch our “Early Electronic Instruments” Playlist:

Week Twelve

Approximately 30 minutes

Read about “ELECTRONICA” music text. 

Watch our “Early Recording and Sampling” Playlist:

Listen to Sample One: “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer (1977)

Week Thirteen

Approximately 30 minutes

Listen to Sample Two: “Pocket Calculator” by Kraftwerk (1981)

Listen to Sample Three: “An Ending (Ascent)” by Brian Eno (1983)

Listen to Sample Four: “Your Loving Arms (Club Mix)” by Tiesto feat. Karen Overton (2005)

Listen to Sample Five: “A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay (2014)

Listen to Sample Six: “See the End” by Above & Beyond and Seven Lions feat. Opposite the Other (2019)




Please tell us about your experience in the comment section. Stay tuned for the fourth installment: Heavy Metal (Weeks 14-17).

Happy Homeschooling!

Love,

b

Dinosaur Cupcakes

Dear Sis,

Today we made cupcakes for William to share with his preschool class tomorrow. 

We found the cute Wilton dinosaur candies at JoAnn Fabrics.

And of course we had to sing again and taste test the cupcakes:)

Love,

b

Dinosaur Fifth Birthday

Dear Sis,

It’s hard to believe William is five! We enjoyed celebrating with a nice collection of family and friends. Our decor was simple:

The banner and plates are from Target. We found the piñata at Hobby Lobby. The foam dinosaurs are from a Michaels craft kit. 

We enjoyed a simple lunch of chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, carrots, corn on the cob, and grapes. Our meal concluded with ice cream cake.

The kids made quick work of opening cards and gifts. We spent the second half of the party busily crafting.

Crafts & Activities

It was a wonderful day!

Love,

b

Make Your Own Covered Buttons with a Modern Press, or the Hand Sewn Method

Hi Sis,

After hearing failed reports from others, and reading negative reviews on amazon, I bought my first silk covered buttons from Button Barron. They were beautiful, and I really really like fabric covered buttons now.

But, alas it is me we are dealing with. I wanted to make my own covered buttons. Why would I mail fabric somewhere, pay, and wait for them… when, I want them now!!!

I bought a legit button covering machine press. It was about $80.00 on amazon.  I figured with all the clothing we make it would pay for itself in about a year or two. 

I was sorely disappointed. It arrived with the wrong molds, it said it came with a 18, 25, and 30. (I like size 20 buttons, but figured 18 would do… it came with size 30, 40, and 48!!! Like seriously who needs a size 48 button? Thats a flipping pin)

Anyway, it also had the screws crocked and sent me cheap buttons, and I sent that back to where it came… just like the others before me. The box it came looked like it had been tapped up and shipped about 10 times.

Okay, now on with the good stuff. How to make your own silk covered buttons

First, buy your materials. You will need to get a kit the the button mold and press… if you don’t have one. Your choices are

  • pad back buttons – these are flatter buttons. Personally, I prefer these.
  • shank buttons 
  • various sizes. I used a size 20.

Other supplies, include your fabric and some kind of pad to help save your hand. I used a piece of felt folded up.

Step 1: Cut out your pattern. Cut it a bit larger actually then the pattern given to you with your buttons. Also, cut two layers of fabric!!! Silk taffeta is not thick enough in one layer, to hold. 

Step 2: Press it down into the mold. Then take the press, and run it along the edges and press everything down towards the center.

Step 3: Actually, press the shank down with the press. Press it like you mean business. I recommended a hand pad for this reason

pressure made by making just one button. Multiple buttons will really make your hand/fingers sore.

There you go! Now you have buttons easy peasy.

Working with Wool or other Fabric that Frays? Use glue, take scissors and cut flat to get rid of any frays that are sticking out. 

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Hand Sewn (The Historical Way)

For some reason, I didn’t think to try the historical method. I saw a video on it recently, and thought, “Oh, that looks easy!” The press is a fidgety thing, and it hurts my hands. With this method I had my seven buttons in no time, with zero stress and happy hands! I also like the pad back. Shanks stick out, catch onto things, and press into you.

Step 1: Is to cut out your fabric a bit bigger than your button mold, and round the edges. Naturally, for historical purposes they didn’t have plastic buttons as molds! hehehehe But, I have those in abundance, so it happened.

Step 2: About 1/8 of an inch away run a running stitch around the edge of the circle. Pop in your button mold, and drawl it shut. Use your needle to sew it together, and yank taunt enough that your fabric is nice and smooth on the front side.

Enjoy your buttons! You can sew them directly on with the tail that you used to make the button. But, I do suggest securing it with a few knots first. That way it will not fall apart if you have to remove it from your garment. 




 

Silk Belt Pattern

Here is one of my versions of a fun bow belt. Belts and sashes such as these were pretty common in fashion plates, especially with bows. You can see them in the front, side, or even on the back of the dress. This version has rounded ends.

First, start with the belt part. Measure your waist, and add about 3 – 4 inches for overlap and seam allowance.

Then, figure out width. I wanted a 2 inch belt, so I cult mine at 5 inches wide, folded it over and sewed it with a 1/2 inch seam. 

Sew one corner and most of the side! Leave one side open so you can invert, and enough space to sew the tails into the belt. Press. Trim corners so you get a nice angle. I use a butterknife so I can get a crisp edge while pressing.

For the next part you need the tails. You will need to cut 4 of these. scanned belt tails pattern pdf

  • Do keep your height and hoop skirt size in mind. I am 5 ft 4 inches, and using a 108 inch hoop. If you are significantly taller or wearing a larger hoop, you may want to adjust the pattern to be longer and wider. I would cut out a paper version, tape it together, and drape it on your dress. See if you like the result before you make it!
  • You can always cut about 1/2 or so around the pattern if you want it just a smidge bigger.

Cut, out four of the tails, and sew with a 1/4 – 1/2 inch seam allowance. You will not be sewing all the way up the belt, as you see there is a line a few inches from the top that says, “Stop Sewing Here” that is so it is easier to invert your work. You can fold in that part later and sew it down. 

If you are adding the trim on top, you do not need to stress at all about having a perfectly rounded or straight edge. 

I made the trim by using a rotary cuter to make 1/2 inch cuts of silk. Then, I got a baby fork, and fork pleated. You can look up how to fork pleat on youtube. It is very, very simple and fast! I used the sewing machine to sew the trim right onto the tails.

I added a tack stitch in the center of the tail, to keep the tails together, so they didn’t overlap each other.

Put the tails into your belt about a half inch. Fold in the raw edge and sew your belt close.

For this type of bow I cut a 6×12 inch piece of fabric, and folded it in half so it was a square. Then, I sewed it together, but I left about 1 1/2 inches in the center un-sewn so I could invert the fabric. Trim edges to make them have a nice angle, turn in raw edge (no need to sew it now) and press.

Sew trim on top.Using your trim, pinch in the center and wrap the trim around a few times. Sew right into the center of your two tails on the belt. And it is done!

 

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Note: You may have noticed some slubs on my silk belt. Sadly, the only matching trim I could find for my dress was a shantung. In an ideal world, you should use silk taffeta for historical sewing. 

copyright2021 – this pattern is for personal use only. This pattern is not to be sold or redistributed.

A Quick Neck Bow

I cut out one piece of fabric 12X5 inches. Folded it in half and sewed one corner and the side with a 1/2 seam allowance. Flipped it inside out and ironed.

Then, I folded the sides into the back and overlapped them by 1/4 – 1/2 inch and sewed it down. 

Took a needle and sewed the center with some big stitches and yanked the thread to create the crunch. I usually do this two times, and then wrap the thread around the middle a few times for extra stability.

The center was a 3×3 inch piece of fabric. Sew a 1/2 inch seam to make a 1 inch tube. I didn’t both sewing the ends, you can just turn them under, while wrapping it around the bow. Flip inside out, and iron.

If you want ties, measure the length of tie you want. You can always make it shorter. I made mine 5 inches wide just like the bow and sewed it with a 1/2 seam allowance.

I wanted a fringed edge, so I left about 1 inch un-sewn on both sides of the seam.  Fringe by using a pin to pluck a few threads at time.

Just in case you are wondering, this isn’t silk taffeta… what it should technically be made out of! The silk I found that matched my dress was a shantung, which has slubs. But, since it was a trim, and I wanted it to match… I just went with it.

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Stitches

You will never guess what wild boy got stitches before the age of two? Grant bit his lip in half on Monday. He climbed the chest freezer in the kitchen and fell off landing upright between the wall and the freezer. Somehow in that mix, he chomped his lip.

My friend Kathy, came over to check him out. She is a nurse, and I called her up because I wasn’t sure if he should get stitches, or if I was being a fussy mom. Together, we went to Urgent Care, where Grant got one stitch. The doctor wasn’t sure he needed it, but we were afraid he was going to keep playing with it and not let it heal together properly. 

Anyway, it hasn’t slowed him down a bit, and the day diet of popsicles was apparently the best thing ever! 

But, if I have an early heart attack. You know who caused it!