A dress commission!

Hint of History's #101 pattern
with trim options

Occasionally, I make period costumes for people, and I'm working on a dress for a friend this week.  It's #101 Shawl Collar Dress from the 1910s Collection by Hint of History.  To the left is a picture of the pattern, with some trim options drawn in by a friend of mine.

photo: Elizabeth Urbach

I'm making the version in the bottom of the illustration; the original pattern is a one-piece wrap dress with shawl collar and modesty insert (not in the photo!), but I've added extra panels to the bottom of the bodice to make a shorter over-skirt and give the effect of a separate coat and skirt.  I've also added the long sash panel to the front, which will have a tassel at the end.  I'm just tweaking the fit of the sleeves and shoulders (so hard to fit!) and then I'll add the trim.  There's some  plain gray velvet ribbon, plain black velvet ribbon, black velvet ribbon edged with pleated black satin, and some 3-dimensional black tulle roses.  There is also a great black and silver rhinestone and bead clasp to close the jacket at the waist.  I think I'll put the black velvet with pleated trim around the collar, and a tulle rose on either side near the face.  The clasp will go at the high waist, and the hem of the coat will get the plain black velvet ribbon.  The hanging "sash" will have the tassel at the end point, as well as some of the tulle roses on it.  A photo of the almost-completed dress is on the right. It's a lot of navy blue!  It will be very dark, trimmed entirely in black, with only the white insert at the neckline to draw the attention to my friend's face.  But she picked the fabric and trim, and she likes dark colors, so I hope she'll like it! 

Titanic Survivors' Reunion Picnic and Commemoration

"Wild Blue Yonder" rose

We had a lovely time at the Rose Garden on Saturday.  A small group of us gathered at a shady picnic table and enjoyed a menu inspired by the "Last Dinner on the Titanic" menu, as well as some recipes from Mrs. Rorer's cookbook from 1912.  Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of the table or the food, but you can imagine from the menu:

Ginger Ale and Tea Punch
Iced Black Tea

Cucumber, Mint and Cream Cheese Sandwiches

view of the Rose Garden

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Sandwiches
Creole Sandwiches (cream cheese, cheddar, tomato, and sweet pepper)
Stone-ground Wheat Crackers (standing in for the Cabin Biscuits from the Titanic menu)

Fresh Strawberries
Fresh Cherries
Coconut Cake
Coconut Lemon Sandwich Cookies

I wore my partially-restored antique lingerie blouse, with my walking skirt made from Sense & Sensibility's Beatrix Potter pattern.  It actually has a higher waistline, more in line with 1912 fashions, but because of the drape of the blouse, and the fact that my ribbon belt slid down to my natural waist, you can't tell from the photos.  I'll have to put it on again and take better photos of the line of the skirt.

"Europeana" roses

My friend Sara also wore a vintage dress; she actually took a vintage nightgown, made a slip out of vintage fabric to wear underneath, and wore it as a summer day dress with a vintage hat and parasol!  When I get the photos from the other ladies who were present, I'll post them.

It was extra fun because Saturday was Senior Prom for the local high schools, and there were a bunch of young ladies and gentlemen in evening dress, taking photos in the garden!  

Another Titanic event to attend!

View of the Rose Garden from June 2004.

Although the majority of Titanic commemorative events happened last month, on or around the actual anniversary of the sinking, there are still a few here and there, providing more opportunities for wearing the costumes that everyone worked so diligently to complete.  The next one on the calendar for the San Jose area is the South Bay Ladies' Tea Guild's Titanic Survivor's Reunion Picnic.  Here are the details:

Titanic Survivors’ Reunion Tea: Imagine yourself as someone who might have been a passenger on the Titanic, and survived the tragic sinking.  We'll get together for a picnic to celebrate our survival and remember those who were lost.  Gentlemen and older children welcome!
Date: Saturday, May 12, 2012.
Location: San Jose Municipal Rose Garden (near the Rosicrucian Museum)
Cost: $25 per person
Suggested Costume: day or dressy afternoon dress, 1900 through 1915, all classes.

Working on a Titanic costume project.

ca. 1911 day dress

Well, as everyone around here knows, this Sunday marks the 100th year since the tragic sinking of the Titanic, and I'm planning to attend some of the memorial events in the Bay Area.  While the Titanic dinner sounds fabulous, it's way out of my budget, and I didn't have anything to wear to the Titanic Ball last weekend.  A few friends from my costume guild are meeting for tea at a local tea room, and going to see the 3-D version of James Cameron's "Titanic" immediately afterwards.  I don't plan to join them for the movie, because 3-D movies always give me headaches, but I'll be there for tea!  That means a costume from 1912 ...

my vintage "pneumonia blouse"

I made a ca. 1911 shirtwaist and skirt for the California Woman's Suffrage Centennial last fall, so if I don't get anything else made, I can wear that.  I also have a 1912-ish blue lingerie gown that a friend made and passed on to me when she could no longer wear it, and it's just barely big enough (if I pull my corset laces tight!), but I need to put the hem up so I don't trip.  I've also been working on a ca. 1910-ish linen skirt and jacket, and I have a vintage ca. 1912 lingerie blouse that would be perfect with them.  However, the skirt is in the Edwardian high-waist style and I discovered that I don't have the right materials to make the fitted under-waistband that will keep the skirt waist at its proper position.  I haven't even cut the jacket out yet, and the vintage blouse is damaged and needs restoration, including the removal of rust stains.

Then, on top of that, I need the accessories, in particular the hat and hairstyle.  I have white stockings and T-strap pumps that will do, as well as vintage (1950s) elbow-length gloves and a modern handbag that sort of looks Edwardian, but I just have no imagination when it comes to trimming hats.  My hair, while it's very long, is also thin and fine, and won't hold a curl or wave even if I coat my hair with products and sleep in curlers, and it disappears to nothing when I pin it up.  So much for a full, luxurious, Gibson Girl marcel-wave hairstyle!  

Spring teas in the San Jose area.

Me making the tea in the kitchen!
Photo: Joanne Santner

Well, I started getting over my bad cold (still not completely better, though!) just in time for last weekend's 4th annual Cat Rescue Tea to benefit 13th Street Cats.  All the tea was donated by Satori Tea Bar in San Pedro Square and Peet's Coffee & Tea downtown San Jose and at Santana Row.  We served around 150 people over two days with a completely homemade afternoon tea menu in a lovely Victorian mansion in downtown San Jose's Hensley Historic District!  I'm so tired and my feet are sore, but it was worth it!  This was our first time using a larger venue -- our original venue is also a lovely Victorian house but we can only seat 35 at a time in the house, whereas this house sat 60 at a time -- and yet we sold out every seat in advance and had a waiting list!  Didn't think that would happen right away when we almost doubled our space!  We're already planning for next year, so keep your eyes on this blog for the notice when tickets go on sale (sometime in January or February of 2013) ...