My life for the past few years has been "making" for others; making pottery stock, making a life for family members, making a living for myself and my kid. It's mentally exhausting, as well as incredibly time-consuming. So when I'm not working for others, I'm either resting brain (gaming, which is getting to be a time-consuming but non-productive habit) or sleeping so I can make a "go" again tomorrow.
After a discussion with my therapist - in January - I decided that as self care, I needed to at least embark on a small, simple-ish project for myself; something that I can work on instead of self-medicating with gaming, for just 10 minutes or an hour at a time. No deadline - well, a distant deadline anyway - and something... basic.
I chose to make a new 1890's chemise and drawers set.
Now, it's taken me two months to get to this point, but as of last night I finally have a pattern. :D
I've been doing research, looking in pattern books, looking at 1890's catalogues, looking for suitable reproduction patterns, deciding whether I want a chemise/drawers or a combinations - a wholly different pattern. Do I want to invest in a period pattern that has all the underthings? (Maybe, when it's time to make combinations.) I'm missing a pattern book [1], but I don't know if it has a chemise pattern in it anyway, and the one pattern book on my shelf does not. It has three patterns for drawers, though. Yay?
Ultimately I found a 1889/1893 chemise pattern on line that is exactly the same cut as chemises offered on the 1890-91 catalogue page. This means that I can work from primary sources for this project. It's somewhat different than my "old" chemise pattern, which is the Truly Victorian reproduction pattern.
Last night I took measurements and started the drafting process from the pattern, doing the maths to scale up to my body; it only remains to transfer the pattern to full-scale. (Where is my pattern paper...?)
A couple of nights ago, I tested gathering with an odd piece of the embroidered lawn for hem ruffles. My embroidered cotton lawn was pre-washed last week, and it turns out to be 10' instead of 3 yards, and is thankfully 60" wide instead of 45", because drawers use a huge amount of yardage. Due to the embroidery, it's not suited to pin-tucking, so I'm now noodling out a lace insert yoke based on those catalogue images, because I like extra. And it would be fine simply gathered too.
A couple of nights ago, I tested gathering with an odd piece of the embroidered lawn for hem ruffles. My embroidered cotton lawn was pre-washed last week, and it turns out to be 10' instead of 3 yards, and is thankfully 60" wide instead of 45", because drawers use a huge amount of yardage. Due to the embroidery, it's not suited to pin-tucking, so I'm now noodling out a lace insert yoke based on those catalogue images, because I like extra. And it would be fine simply gathered too.
I need to check my lace stash. The embroidered lawn trim for ruffles is too wide for neckline and sleeve trimmings.
Also on the to-do list is to buy a old sheet from the thrift store for mocking up.
Lots of baby steps and a long timeline so far, but I'm feeling like something meaningful has been launched. It's the most effective self-care that I've taken for months.
[1] Used copy was under $5 on Amazon, so I ordered a replacement last night. I used it to draft my 1890's skirt and the first set of drawers. Thanks, Amazon for letting me know that it's... somewhere... in my stash. (Last purchased in 2016, they tell me.)
