It took me a while to finish this gown, and that's because it is properly finished. All seams are felled, all edges finished, and it originally didn't have a neck frill, but I'm so glad I added it later. It took me even longer to find a time to photograph it because of trying to submit my PhD this year (I did, woohoo!).
In order to do one of these shoots it at least needs planning the day before, so I can set my hair overnight. Not that it has once done me good since my hair will not hold a curl for more than 5 minutes, despite this set being in for almost 24 hours! Hence, the hair is very Demelza-y from the latest Poldark adaptation, and if we're being generous slightly 1790s rather than late 1780s. I tried, guys, I really did. Unfortunately for me weather in the UK in October is bleak at best, I was lucky that it stopped raining by the afternoon, but the wind was there to stay. Despite all of this, I think this may be my second favourite project, after my Pet en l'air. It's really comfy, lightweight, and easy to get into. If we're ever allowed outside of our houses again I'll definitely be wearing this to an event.
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| We're not going to mention the hair..... |
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| Would this really be my blog without this picture? |
The making of....
Just a small note, I didn't take many pictures of this project, so I'll try to keep the text brief as well.
2020 was meant to be my year of socialising with other costumers. I'd taken a long break of 4 years not attending any events because my last experiences were not positive. This year events came along that sounded good, and both were set in the 18th century. A list was made, timelines were prepared, fabric bought, and foundation garments sewn. One of these planned garments was my second chemise a la reine, with the perfect cream/off-white coloured dotted cotton lawn. Comfortable, cool, and pretty.
I began by making the lining out of plain white cotton lawn (I recommend something with a tighter weave like poplin but I didn't have any white lying around and didn't feel like buying any). I used the pattern from my Pierrot jacket, but with small adjustments to fit over my new set of stays. I put all the pieces together, tried it on, and then it languished in the sewing room for months after the announcement that all my events were cancelled because of the fever/coughing plague (also known as Covid-19). As is typical with my short attention span, I quickly moved onto a new era when I realised I wouldn't be needing any 18th century garments any time soon. Although I did manage to complete my robe a l'anglaise.
About 3/4 months later, and after a sewing drought where I just didn't go into the sewing room at all for at least a month, I found the lining flung over my mannequin. I'd started a lot of projects since the beginning of lockdown, and got bored with them all. Now it was time to systematically finish them all. Starting with the chemise a la reine, which was by far the furthest along.
I think my advice, for my future self and for anyone who sews by themselves, is back lacing stays may look pretty, you may think they even look extra accurate, but lacing them up quickly becomes too much effort. It's not particularly difficult, but my arms get sore, and it does take a wee bit longer, and hence I just didn't want to do it, hence why this project was abandoned.
Anyway, I managed to scrape together the effort to lace myself into my stays and finally make some much-needed tweaks to the lining. After that it was time to cut out the actual fashion fabric. A very fine dotted cotton lawn. I constructed this the same way as you can do with stays. I mounted the fashion fabric onto the lining, hand sewing each panel down. This is the only way I can find, for me, that avoids the dreaded wrinkles. This isn't usually what you'd do for an 18th century gown. Normally, you'd construct each layer seperately and then join them together, folding in the outsides and stitching them together like that. I'd made quite a few tweaks to the lining that this wouldn't have worked without major bodice winklage. The hard way it was for me.
There are two common designs to a chemise a la reine. The first, dated earlier, is the huge gathered square design where it's literally just a large rectangle of cotton gathered down to fit the wearer. The second, that comes later, is the fitted one, with panels at the back and a gathered front panel. I prefer the second method. The front panel went by relatively smoothly.
It was only as I was doing the skirt panels that I realised I'd majorly f**ked up. This dotted lawn, unlike others I've worked with, has an obvious right side. I did not seem to realise this until halfway through the project. The skirt panels were sewn the right way. The back bodice panels were stitched on with the wrong side facing up. I would've left it by that point as I'd sewn all the panels, but I knew it'd just annoy me too much, so thank God I sewed them on by hand.
I think this might be the first time in my sewing career I've done this. I'm usually good with right side, wrong side because usually it's obvious on the fabric I'm using. I suppose there's a first time for everything.
After ripping out the panels and putting them back on the right way, it was back onto the skirt panel. I was surprisingly meticulous with this project. I finished every single seam. That's right, every bodice seam, every skirt seam, all hand felled. I don't know what's gotten into me during this lockdown, I'm doing an awful lot of hand sewing. I mean me actually finishing seams is unheard of! I'm finally growing up.
After that small delay, I was back to felling the seams on the skirt panels, which I was concerned weren't going to be wide enough. I also couldn't remember if I'd pleated the back skirt panel to the bodice the last time of gathered it. I decided to pleat it, and quickly began to realise I may have put too much fabric in the back panel because I don't think I've ever had to pleat that much fabric down into such a small space. It looks friggin awesome though.
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| Just thought you might like this highly satisfying picture |
Then more handsewing of the gathering/drawstring channels on the front panel. I put one on the neckline and the other at the underbust. Usually there's one at the waist, but I found that during my last chemise a la reine the drawstring channels were all over the place and not straight. I intend to wear a belt with this anyway, so why bother sewing one more channel?
The sleeves were a surprising success, only one mock-up, a few inevitable fangling of getting the sleeve in just right, and then finishing the seams. I made the decision not to line the sleeves, a decision I've yet to decide was a good idea.
And that was pretty much it. I think the last thing was the front hem, which I'd left due to knowing there'd be some differences in length between back skirt panel (which I'd pre-hemmed prior to stitching it onto the bodice), and the gathered front panel (which I'd had problems with during my last tango with a gown like this). It all worked out well in the end.
I really love this fabric. It frayed like an absolute b*tch, and I'm starting to think it's actually voile and not lawn because it's so damn see through, but I just really like it.
Conclusions. The only nitpick I have with this gown is I don't think I sewed the gathering channel straight under the bust, or maybe I did it too straight and it doesn't cope with the curving of the neckline. I still don't quite understand why this happened, so if you have any answers please let me know.
My favourite thing about this project might be the "Woman in White" photoshoot I got to do with it for Halloween.
