I did it! I photographed #TheAmaliaJacket 🎉​

Sure, I was actually attempting to photograph the petticoat, fichu, shift and cap I also recently finished but then decided to toss on the jacket while I was at it. 😄​

Here pictured is another 1780s ensemble, this time a little cheeky middle class working lass.
Join me for a brief photo and explanations thread!

#HistoricalCostuming #sewing #18thCentury

I have finished #TheAmaliaJacket! Probably. Still need to try it on before I can be sure but cannot be arsed today. Actual photos of it are also behind a convoluted and annoying process, the details of which I won't bore you with. But photos perhaps incoming, at some point!

Currently preparing for post project ennui and catching up on house chores

Fixed the sleeves, put on the outer layers of the shoulder strap, fixed an entire new fit issue or two and now... I "just" need to hem the skirt and it should be done. This one closes with pins so no hooks and eyes, yay!
Here I am basting down the first turn because I have a mountain of ironing I need to do and cannot be arsed to iron this, too

#TheAmaliaJacket

News from #TheAmaliaJacket land!

You know how fabric, especially linen, stretches? I forgot about it and kept the jacket on a hanger, letting the straps elongate to about 130% of original size. Then I set the sleeves on those, like a fool.

I just put in gathering threads and steamed the everliving fuck out of them to shrink them down enough to fit the outer fabric shoulder straps on. My plan is to sew them on, as smoothly as possible, and hope that hanging the jacket makes the outer fabric straps stretch as well, to match the lining straps. If not, gonna have to set the sleeves again! Not ideal 😂​

I have finished the fitting of the sleeves for #TheAmaliaJacket!

I got them roughly right yesterday but then spent several hours today trying to get them perfect. Fitting two different shoulders in the 18th century way by yourself? Possible but tedious, 6 out of ten 10, would not recommend. (Further thoughts below.)
Now I just need to sew them on, tiny backstitching here I come!

#sewing #HistoricalCostuming #gif

I changed my mind and did start setting the sleeves!
This is the literal first fitting. Would not recommend setting 18th century sleeves alone, even when in possession of joints that give you a pretty wild movement range. It's difficult and slow and there's pins poking your skin no matter what!
Am pleased the overall look of them is fine, despite needing a million years of fiddling to get them just right.

#TheAmaliaJacket #sewing

Finished the sleeve construction for #TheAmaliaJacket after a briefly running out of thread. The new thread matches much better than the old one, but where it would usually bug me, it's kind of fun seeing the process in the finished garment.
I need to start setting the sleeves and aim to do that today, but it's an ordeal without anyone to do the fitting on me. I will likely end up wearing the stays all day and am not ready yet

Have done another fitting, or really more like eight fittings with putting it on, pinning things, taking it off, basting things and repeat for three hours straight. I am tired but pleased now.

Also it looks better with the split rump, I think, which is a real name for an undergarment and should not be googled without also adding "18th century" lest you want to scar your mind.

#TheAmaliaJacket

Did a quick fitting of #TheAmaliaJacket and it fits pretty much as expected and I can continue.

The skirts of the jacket look super huge and springy here because my bumroll was tied pretty high. I feel like it's bizarrely cute but also like my petticoats need to be much shorter with these style lines? Guess I need another petticoat 😅​

(low quality gif is low quality gif, I'm so tired, this was my last spoons y'all)

#TheAmaliaJacket now has too much skirt to fit on my desk unless I move to another spot.
All the skirt seams are done with a mantua maker's seam, which was new to me but pretty fast, the bodice seams are like previously shown. The pleats were an exercise in spatial reasoning.
All in all it's starting to look like a thing!

#18thCentury #handsewing #HistoricalCostuming

Teeny tiny spaced backstitch aka prick-stitch. Photo now with additional cat hair.
There's quite a lot of it I've done and quite a lot of it I need to do.

#handsewing #TheAmaliaJacket

#TheAmaliaJacket continues!

18th century bodice construction is fun. First you make the lining, then you place the top layer pieces on it and top stitch them down with tiny spaced backstitches. Here it is still in the process of basting thread, basting thread and some more basting thread to keep all the layers still while I sew it by hand. Also pictured my slightly maddening lack of pattern matching

#18thCentury #sewing #HistoricalCostuming

Look, I was supposed to rest, sit and sew, but did want to try on the lining for #TheAmaliaJacket before I continued with the outer fabric layers...
And it fits pretty great! I'm going to let down the basted on shoulder straps a smidgen but apparently I made the toile well enough I don't have to unpick and redo a whole lot of tiny backstitching. Am pleased, can continue.

(The garbage gifs remain the easiest way to get a full body view and these actually help me with fitting, too)

Welcome to my life for the next several weeks.
I got started on the actual sewing of #TheAmaliaJacket last night and am constructing the linen lining.

"Those are rather small backstitches, Sini, is that entirely necessary?"
No, no it's not. But my hand reverts to small stitches no matter what and it takes more concentration to keep them longer, so here we are. I sure hope I don't need to unpick these!

#HandSewing #sewing #HistoricalCostuming

As I was cutting the last pieces, feeling accomplished, I noticed I'd missed one piece completely.
I briefly stared at everything on my desk in disbelief, thought about that one time I built an entire skirt out of nothing but scraps, nodded and got to work.

I am glad that I am like this and that piecing is indeed period as they weren't super picky about it back then! 😂​

#TheAmaliaJacket #piecing #sewing #HistoricalCostuming #18thCentury

I finally got around to cutting out the fabric pieces for #TheAmaliaJacket. I was so preoccupied with being efficient with my fabric use that I completely forgot I maybe could have attempted some pattern matching. Oh well, it's too late now 😂​ And it's a pretty busy chintz anyway, so I hope it will lend an air of whimsy and thrift instead of looking bad

#sewing #HistoricalCostuming

Toile and first fitting of #TheAmaliaJacket is done!

There's still tiny tinkering to do but since the mock-up fabric is of different weight and hand than the final fabrics, it makes more sense to do it with them.

It's fun but tiring to do the fittings because you need to wear all the underpinnings and the full skirts and it doesn't make sense to take them off for such short intervals!

Karvinen assisted me to the best of his ability

#HistoricalCostuming #18thCentury #HistoricalFashion #Sewing