Mrs. Hancock's Pudding Cap Pattern: Part Two

On the left is the Pudding Cap from the V&A, on the right is the pudding cap I recreated.

I'm proud to say that the pudding cap is done. Here's how it came together...

I sewed the four triangles together using backstitches and lightly stuffed them with lambswool. I then sewed the band together with backstitches. I cut a piece of pasteboard that I slipped into the band and then...

...using a tension rod, I stuffed it with lambswool.

Next I backstitched the four triangles to the band at regular intervals and applied black velvet ribbon (which is 1/2in thick) straight across the bottom and top seams.

A view from the inside.

I added ribbon to the triangles.

I needed some black grosgrain ribbon to attach to the band to tie it closed. I decided I would sacrifice my trimmed hat...

....and borrow ribbon from the tie. To close the band, I pinned the ribbon inside the fabric.

I backstitched it closed and then whip stitched the ribbon to the fabric to help ensure that it won't rip out.

For the silk ribbon ties at the top (which used two pieces of 19in long ribbon that is 2in thick), I sewed them to two of the triangle's points and declared the project done!

To improve this project:

• The triangles should be more oblong in shape, to better reflect the original.
• Using a velvet ribbon that is less than 1/2in thick would also better reflect the original. 
• I found that the band didn't shrink when stuffed and I ended up cutting about 4in off...it was so big it would have fit my head. 
• I probably didn't need to have a separate seam on the bottom of the band. It's hard to tell if the original has the velvet trim along the bottom...I'm guessing that it might not in which case I should have cut the fabric to be one continuous piece. 

To read about the "proof in the pudding"--the lambswool and the vintage velvet ribbon trim--visit my blog.

Mrs. Hancock's Baby Stays, Part One

I've been working on creating a small pair of stays for my little one. (If you are of the mindset that this is wrong to do to a child and that I must be an evil mother, I encourage you to learn a bit more about my baby stays before jumping to conclusions.)

I'm modeling my baby stays after the baby stays in Colonial Williamsburg's collections (with some help thanks to Mrs. Peabody), and referring to photos of the baby stays that the Margaret Hunter Milliner's Shop created from the same set. (The photos can be found on the MHM's facebook page.)

For supplies:  I need pasteboard, a few feet of reed for the boning, fabric scraps and some heavy linen thread.

I started by tracing my pattern, created from the baby stays that Mrs. Peabody had made, onto a sheet of pasteboard. After cutting out four pieces...

...I went through the dreadful process of making large slightly sloppy stitches to attach the reed to the pasteboard. I had thought I could use running stitches for this part to spare my fingertips (I'm not a fan of thimbles), but that wouldn't hold the reed in place as it kept slipping around. So I had to backstitch the reed. By the time this process was complete, my fingers looked like the header image from our friend Kristin's blog, Stuck in the 18th Century. (If this set of stays doesn't fit her by next summer, I will be tempted to research 18th century glue receipts to try and justify gluing the reed to the pasteboard.)

From there, I used a scrap of striped linen to cover the pasteboard and act as the lining.

I then grabbed some wool for the fashion fabric, but as I tried folding it I realized that it was too bulky and probably wouldn't be comfortable to wear.

Time to dig through my fabric stash and find another scrap for the fashion fabric!

Mrs. Hancock's Hurricane Shift

Miss Hancock models her almost completed shift.

Mrs. Hancock

Remember that hurricane last weekend? I set the goal to make a "hurricane shift", that is I tried to create a baby shift before the end of the storm. I wasn't entirely successful, but I was able to complete it fairly quickly...

I borrowed from research at 18cNewEnglandLife.org and the V&A's Dictionary of Children's Clothes: 1700s to Present (p.270). I know that children's shifts were essentially the same as mommy shifts, so I didn't use a pattern.

The storm's winds started in my section of southern New England on Saturday evening and lasted about 24 hours. I lost power on Sunday morning and it wasn't restored until Monday evening so I'm counting that in my timeline here. Sew I started the project Saturday evening. (Sorry, I like bad puns.)

Saturday Evening

Miss Hancock currently wears the 12 month size in Carters brand clothes and she will transition to the 18 month size this fall. I used one of her 18 month onsie / pant outfits to approximate measurements...

I measured this slightly larger size from the shoulder to the elbow...

...and from the shoulder to the knee to guesstimate the shift's measurements.

 I cut a piece of fabric for the body and sleeves, and started flat felling the side seams so that...

...by Saturday evening as the sun was setting,  I was well on my way with this project. 

By the time I went to bed Saturday night, I had finished the side seams and had started hemming the skirt.


Sunday 

Sunday: one sleeve attached, the other pinned in place

By Sunday evening I had completed the following:

• the sleeves were sewn
• one sleeve was attached (with the cute little gussets) 
• and the skirt's hem was complete. 

Monday 

On Monday I realized I had incorrectly sewn the first sleeve and gusset. I ripped that out and reset it, and then correctly attached the other sleeve.

I also added two drawstrings...

In the first drawstring, I simply turned down the hem at the neckline and added two eyelets. 

For the second drawstring at the sleeves, I used some fabric scraps to create a casing. As you can see above, this scrap wasn't long enough so I pieced it together. 

Later in the Week...

When Miss Hancock tried on the shift I realized that I made it waaaaay too long. This shouldn't have been a surprise since the measurements were based on the size that's larger than what she currently wears. She will be walking soon so this length just won't work.

Back to the workroom. When she was wearing the shift, I noted where her knee was. I used this length to trim several inches off the skirt and rehemmed it.

This resulted in the boxy and rather awkward looking shift pictured above. It's done. It's doable for a working class impression, though I don't think it's my best effort.

Besides taking better measurements so that my shift has the right triangle shape, areas for improvement include:

• Primary Sources. I relied upon secondary sources because I couldn't find primary sources. I plan on making her a spring shift (which she'll wear to the summer event) and hope to find a) an extant garment to work from or b) 18th century documentation in writing (maybe something like the 1789 Instructions for Cutting Out Apparel for the Poor but published two decades earlier).
• Better fabric. I choose the softest linen from my stash but forgot that it doesn't have a tight weave. As you can see in the picture below, it pulls very easily. I had planned on embroidering her initials at the front of the neckline and "12-18 months" to represent the size at the inside back of the neck (like a modern tag) but that just wasn't feasible. (Yes I realize embroidering the size is not accurate, it would be for my future reference since I plan on making her many shifts as she grows.) 

As you can see, this linen doesn't have a tight weave and leaves little marks from the stitches. 

Lastly I was concerned that maybe I tackled this project too quickly. Shifts are garments that receive much wear and laundering. It took me months to make my shift as I tried to finely and neatly sew the stitches. But in this case, I was focused on completing the project as fast as possible. 

In the Diary of Anna Green Winslow: A Boston School Gift of 1771 (Applewood Books), she writes on December 24th, "I began a shift at home yesterday for myself, it is pretty forward" (p10). Then on December 28th she writes, "Last evening a little after 5 o'clock I finished my shift. I spent the evening at Mrs. Soley's. I began my shift at 12 o'clock last monday, have read my bible every day this week & wrote every day save one" (12). 

So (sew?) I feel justified that Miss Hancock's shift will do. 

Mrs. Hancock's Baby Cap

Mrs. Hancock -

I have been working on (or rather struggling with) creating an infant cap. Who knew such a simple project could be so tricky? For details click here.

Mrs. Miles an Introduction

Good Day! I am researching Mrs Ruth Barrett Miles, wife of Captain Charles Miles, both of Concord. I have portrayed Mrs Miles before, but I need more information about the family. I may, yet, change my mind about who I am.

I want a woman who married in the 1750s, and has 4-6 children, aged perhaps 6 (no younger!) to 20 or so, in the 1770s. I think being a mother with my oldest children in the their early twenties or late teens will match me the best! I expect her to have been born in the 1730s, of course, to make this work. I'm finding some, in addition to Ruth Miles, I really like Thankful Sarah Balcom, unless she is Sarah Thankful Balcom. I need to find a stronger source for her! But, I love her name!

I am making a list of potential women, with as much information about them as I can find online. Next week I will go to the special collections at the Concord Library. The next step after that may be the MA archives. We will see! I'm mainly looking for wealth information, to try to judge who might have a silk gown and who perhaps has a printed cotton, as their best.