Loose threads

Various sewing projects. Mostly historical (or historically inspired) stuff. Varying levels of ambition!

Challenge 2017:3 The stashbusting spencer

Kategori: Allmänt, Historic Sew Monthly 17, Stashbusting

The March challenge, "the great outdors" did yet again fit perfectly into my project list. Fortune and Felicity was still the main deadline, and one can't be a Regency lady without a spencer.
 
Again, larp and no need to be totally accurate, so I decided to go for a proper shape and just go ahead and use that scrap piece of linen I had had lying about since I made a dress for a friend some years ago (and got the scraps as a bonus).
 
The layout. No nape, but of course I had to do everything along the length of the fabric. This is a bit more waste than I'd actually like, but later I realised I would actually manage to get facings for the bottom half of the collar, as well as a collar, out of it too. Fabric thriftyness success!

The bodice outer fabric pieced together.
 
I then used another scrap piece of the same raw silk I used to line the bodice of the black silk taffeta dress with to do lining (also for the sleeves, since the linen wasn't thick enough on its own. If I had made the spencer in wool, I would not have lined the sleeves.
 
Adding the facings to the inside of the lower part of the collar. As you can see I had to piece it together. Waste not want not and so on...
 
And finished!
 
Ideally, the collar would have been two pieces of the fashion fabric, but I can live with the thin, dark line around it too.
 
The back.
 
The facts:
The item: A regency spencer

The Challenge: The Great Outdoors

Fabric: Striped linen, raw silk lining

Pattern: Sense & Sensibility's pattern*

Year: Early 19th century

Notions: Cotton thread for button loops, polyester thread for the rest, mother-of-pearl buttons.

How historically accurate is it? Pattern ok, garment ok, not at all sure about the linen and raw silk is normally not period at all - but using the last scraps from other projects, very much ;) I'd say 50%.

Hours to complete: Far too many, despite the machine sewing. Got distracted a lot, but perhaps 10-15 including the handsewing towards the end.

First worn: At the Fortune and Felicity larp at Medevi Brunn, 24-28 May 2017

Total cost: Under 10 euros. The striped linen was leftovers from a commission, the silk was bought on sale aaaages ago and I've used for several projects, which makes it a bit hard to estimate now. Buttons were about 5 euros.
 
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*A bit of a disclaimer/PSA: Nothing at all wrong with the pattern, not at all. I found it rather well researched and fairly easy to use. I will however not buy from Sense & sensibility again. Why? While people are perfectly entitled to their own opinions, I can make a list as long as my leg of things I'd rather have my money support than Ladies against feminism. Google it at your peril.
 
 
 
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