Friday 12 September 2014

18th century garter MFA




While I was waiting for material for the 1790s Imatex jacket, I started this project which in the end I finished after the jacket, for various reasons. I have taken the liberty to change some details, but no worries, they essentially stayed garters. :) I've used scrap silk taffeta and cotton thread and I changed the motive in the middle, because I didn't quite understand what it is supposed to be... and I wasn't that motivated to stitch lots of strange birds.




It's been a quick and easy project that was just the thing to do. :) Plus you can never have enough small accessoires. :)

Have a lovely day!

Sunday 7 September 2014

1790s jacket from IMATEX




My latest project is this 1790s jacket inspired by a 1790s jacket from the Imatex (Centre de Documentació i Museu tèxtil) here:
you can access lots of stuff there, if you want to look at the 1790s jacket, go to advanced search, then search for Register number 11551, then go to "full record" and voilà you can see pictures and read a despription in Catalan. I don't really understand catalan, but I think it's a children's jacket (they say) and the pictures do explain the rest. I call it the "Imatex jacket" (for obvious reasons).
What threw me a bit was, that I couldn't find many fashion plates depicting similar jackets. The ones that could be called similar were from fashion plates in the 1780s, but I suppose that doesn't mean much.
The following 3 pictures show the original jacket from the IMATEX collection.

original Imatex 1790s jacket

original Imatex 1790s jacket

original Imatex 1790s jacket.

This is the view of my pattern:
I've used the JPR Anglaise pattern as a start and then worked away on it. The sleeves are from Wingeo 207, but again, altered quite a bit (as I am NOT a giant). 



and these are the fabrics
silk repp in light cream with dots, silk damask in light blue/beige, ivory silk taffeta (for lining). Soutache apricot (not pictured) :)

I've used peach coloures soutache (2,5mm wide), about 12 metres. At first I was really sceptic about it, but I've used a colour scheme thingy on the internet called Paletton and determined the complementary colour to my blue-grey-brown silk was, in fact, peach. Wow, they did know what they were doing abck then. :)
So I dived in head first and attached the soutache. I am NOT a peach person... really. But I like the result. ;)
My biggest problem (apart from sleeves, right and left, buttonsholes patience and stuff like that) was to get fabric for the sleeve buttons matching the soutache - apricot  IS A NIGHTMARE! I did manage after months of repetitive visits to the fabric store (selfless...). :)

 And here are  pictures of the result:





 I am planning to make a matching hat like this for it, but have not got the materials for it yet (apart from the feathers and the black ribbon...)