Onward
to the last few pieces of my 1920's project; a simple slip and a pair
of elastic garters.
The
slip was the first piece I actually finished for my
#unmentionablesthroughthedecades project. I would like to formally
thank past Sarah from 2012 for saving so carefully this little bit of
gorgeous lace. It was originally purchased to sew a pattern test for
my first foray into historic costuming; Elizabeth Turner from the
first Pirates film. This length of lace was just the right color to
add to this slip. It is basically a tube with straps. It was very
easy to complete in afternoon. I started with an old self-drafting
tutorial from The American Duchess blog, and added a couple center
pleats, as I have seen on some period examples. This is just to pull
in the neckline a little bit and adds a bit of interest. But the lace
covers the pleats, so they aren't seen anyway. C'est le vie. You live
and learn.
One
item that could and perhaps should have been included in this set is
a garter belt. It would have deemed incredibly unseemly and shocking
for a young lady to go bare legged. Stockings in the 1920's didn't
stretch, so they had to be held up. They would have been made of silk
(or later, rayon). These would have been expensive, so great care was
taken when putting on, wearing, or taking off stockings. I have even
heard of gloves being worn to protect the stocking from nails when
stockings were being put on the body. Very clever.
A
pair of elastic garters were a reasonable substitution for a garter
belt and much faster to sew, so that's what I did. Funny story about
the lace. I had spent the whole morning ironing and sewing the hem on
the tap pants from my last blog. I had to grab some buttons to finish
them off, so I hopped in to Hobby Lobby. Lace and trim happened to be
on sale, so I browsed the selection. Right there in front of me was
the perfect lace. It was beautiful. It would have been PERFECT to hem
the tap pants. The hem that I had literally finished 15 minutes
previously. I was a little mad that I hadn't checked their stock of
lace before hemming. I didn't buy it at the time. But I couldn't get
that sweet lace out of my head. On Monday, (yesterday), I went back
to Hobby Lobby, bought the lace, and made these garters. I just kinda
made it up as I went along. I love the finished look, and the way the
little bows on the lace echo the bows on the previous pieces.
I
have concluded that while I do have the boyish body shape so desired
at this time (flat chest, little waist definition, and no hips or
butt), to my modern eyes, it doesn't flatter me at all. Fashion to me
is all about confidence. And this style doesn't give me confidence at
all. It's not about how others see you, but about how you view
yourself and putting what you view as your best features forward. I
do love the fashion of the 1920s. I will continue to save and enjoy
viewing period patterns and photographs, but I probably won't spend
too much of my sewing time in the 1920's in the future.
Thanks
for reading!
Yours
in hard work, creativity, and a dash of pixie dust,
Sarah
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