From Russia With Love!

I always knew that by coming back into full-time education I would be jumping in at the deep-end, but I never thought that my very first assignment would be to research and construct from scratch an 19th Century Russian peasant woman's traditional Costume! Well.....here goes!!

Started off by learning how to drape on the stand. This was actually easier than I ever thought it would be!

After a LOT of pattern drafting, I could finally start cutting out my toile (a kind of mock-up costume in calico!)

Need to get those measurements correct otherwise there will be dire consequences!

Russian blouse toile up and running! (sorry Leanne!)

Toile finished, so to start on the real thing. The Russian sarafan (dress) is to be made using Navy blue,100% suiting wool!

Ribbon embellishments added, zip inserted......

and facing completed!

Now onto cutting out the blouse from basic bodice blocks using white,100% cotton lawn.

Needed to enlarge the head on the basic sleeve block to create a lovely 'puffy' shoulder!!

Small gathers around the base of the sleeve

Neatening up the inside seams just because that's how I like it!!

Lovely button (thanks mother!)

mmmmmm! Love satin bias binding :)

Three months of research, workshops and plenty of sewing later and I have one finished costume being modeled by the lovely Leanne!!

The end of year catwalk show! Leanne is modelling my costume (centre right) and here I am modelling Leanne's costume (centre left)!

All things Medieval!

My final assignment for college was to do anything I wanted!!! Well, obviously I was going to create a historical costume.....but what!

Choices were everything from Elizabethan to Victorian but in the end I settled on Medieval! A 15th century cotehardie and sideless surcoat to be more precise......it took a while and not completely historically accurate  but I thought my first ever 'proper' costume turned out OK!!!

First thing to do.....gather materials!

Starting on the skirt, need to learn how to attach godets!

Godets in (finally!)

Full length skirt

Bodice without lining

Princess seams fit!

Lining added.....

.....and neatened!

26 hand sewn eyelets (phew!)

First attempt at fitting sleeves...

.......and lining them!

Turned out fine!

Added embellishment

    Surcoat cut from bright red and royal blue panne velvet, trimmed in gold ribbon.

Red gems and crystals added to the surcoat edges

Templates for the French Fleur-de-lis and the English Lion Passant!

Aluminium wire was used for the crispinette frame

Pearls wired onto the crispinette

 

Thought I'd throw in a basic home made Medieval crown for good measure!

Crown and crispinettes ready

       

Finished Medieval costume!

Final show at college with costume on display!

Bowes Museum

Pictures taken of the historical costumes on my college trip to the beautiful Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham.....

www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk