My 1905 Suffragist Ensemble

 I am very behind on this blog, partly because 2020 was a disaster and 2021 was just me trying to recover... while caring for a newborn... and partly because I started a YouTube channel! And video editing has taken over pretty much all of my (non-sewing) free time. But I do intend to be better! I will start by adding the projects that I've made videos about to my blog. First up is my Edwardian Suffragist Ensemble, which I wore for the 2020 election when I cast my vote. I have a whole series of videos about the various pieces that I purchased and created to assemble the outfit. Here is a playlist:  

And here is the breakdown of the ensemble: 

Blousewaist made from self-striped cotton fabric from Burnley & Trowbridge, using the 1903 Plain Blousewaist pattern from Truly Victorian.

Walking Skirt made from lightweight cotton twill flatlined with cotton sheeting (literally an old sheet) using the Fantail Skirt pattern from Scroop Patterns.

A purple silk belt that I self-drafted to be able to adjust to my changing figure during pregnancy.

For undergarments I commissioned a chemise from Willoughby and Rose and a custom maternity corset from LaraCorsets. 

(This is the corset mockup)

And I made a corset cover using cotton Swiss dot fabric and silk ribbon from Renaissance Fabrics and the Early 1900s Edwardian Corset Cover pattern from Wearing History, and a hip pad from scraps of an old sheet, using the Scotty Ventilated Hip and Bustle Pad pattern from Virgil's Fine Goods.

I wore shoes and stockings I already had from American Duchess and Penny River Costumes. 

And I accessorized with a custom hat from Shocking Bad Hats,

Held on by a hat pin from K. Walters at the Sign of the Gray Horse,

A bespoke wig from Custom Wig Company,

Earrings from Lady Detalle and necklace from Dames a la Mode,

And of course my suffragist sash from T.H. Clothiers,

Which I pinned closed with an enamel pin from Aimeekitty Pins.

Finishing touches included my cosmetics from Bésame Cosmetics and LBCC Historical,

And finally, a mask from The Sign of the Coughing Cat.

All in all, with this one ensemble I was supporting 20 women-owned or co-owned small businesses! 

A Studio Photo Shoot in Regency

I never got around to sharing these photos, which are from almost two years ago now. My friend Stephen, who photographed our wedding, invited me to do a (safely distanced) studio photo shoot to showcase some of my costumes in August of 2020. He suggested that I bring three different outfits, so I chose Regency in order to keep the hair styling as simple as possible. (I didn't have my new wig from Custom Wig Company yet, and I had cut my hair shorter than normal for the purpose of teaching myself to do 1940s pincurl sets. 

This blog post has been in my drafts for months, so I'm just going to share the photos without further ado!