aylwengg
Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory
Short paragraph about yourself
Aylwen is an events coordinator and self-stitched costume historian, seamstress and dancer. She is the Costume Director, Office Manager & Events Co-Ordinator for the Earthly Delights Historic Dance Academy and the Director of Jane Austen Festival Australia. In 2009 & 2011 she travelled overseas to study historical clothing construction and attend historical costume conferences in the UK, US and Denmark. She travelled to Switzerland, Italy and Germany in June 2012 for further study in historical costume and dance and will be visiting the UK again in September 2012 for further study.
Short description of your proposed outfit/s
Reproduction of the "Killerton Dress"
The "Killerton" dress's matching spencer
Three men's waistcoats
Child's waistcoat
Child's tailcoat
Red Embroidered Kyoto Dress
Far left, white muslin gown with v-neck and embroidered hemline
Silk gown at Killerton House, UK (the dress is a teal colour in real life)
Red embroidered dress in the Kyoto Collection
29 June 2012
I was distracted by some yellow wool at Spotlight last week so have chosen to make a spencer I have long admired in Fashioning Fashion, European Dress in Detail 1700-1915.
For some reason I cannot bring myself to sew it with a machine and started sewing by hand last night. I'm using a small backstitch, with a single strand thread. If I have time I'd like to make the skirt as well.
April/ May 2012
I will be travelling to a Jane Austen Weekend in Lucca, Italy in late May 2012, so my first regency project will be a 1812 French day dress. I am using a print from Reproduction Fabrics.
to make a version of this 1812 gown. I realised at JAFA 2012 that all my day dresses have short sleeves, so this will be my first long-sleeved gown. I'm not sure if I will duplicate the hem treatment or simply add two rows of ruffles.
Update 2 May 2012:
I have decided to include my stays and an 18th century gown that I need for a ball in Germany in June, and that I can use for the Fashion Parade at the 2013 Jane Austen Festival Australia.
My stays will be based on a pattern in Diderot's Encyclopedie, which can be found in Nora Waugh's Corsets and Crinolines (1954, reprinted in 2000).
My gown is to be one that can be made in a hurry - I do not have long to sew, so a gown with trim is off the list. I need to find a simple style that I can wear dancing.
Monday 7 May
Here is a quick shot of one side of my stays showing the horizontal cane boning. The other side has all the other vertical channels.
Tuesday 8 May
I have just completed four regency gowns for a wedding commission. At last I can concentrate on some of my own sewing without feeling guilty!
Friday 11 May
I've chosen the coat and waistcoat I'll be making for John - at long last! This will be a long-term challenge to myself - but my aim is to have it finished by the end of the year.
