DFWCG Winter Magazine 2020 by DFWCG Magazine

DFWCG

Winter 2020

Magazine DFWCG.ORG

Contents

05 07

Trend Tracker

A Stroll in Monet’s Gardens

Get a look at the current and upcoming trends in historical costuming styles and accessories.

We donned our Edwardian best and headed to the Kimbell’s Monet exhibit.

An Addams Family Outing

1830s Foundations: Resources, Tips, and Cheats to Start Your Romantic Era Wardrobe

The 11th Annual Georgian Picnic

Winter blues getting you down? Check out these sunny ensembles for a touch of summer!

1830s fashion enjoyed a huge surge in popularity in 2019. Read all about the foundations required to support those fluffy looks, including patterns, recommended tutorials, and wardrobe cheats.

Beyond the Festival Gates: Dickens Beyond the Strand Dickens on the Strand in Galveston offers a plethora of costumed events beyond just the festival itself. Our insider’s guide will help you decided what are your must-sees and which ones you can postpone until next year.

We’re mysterious and spooky! The Guild enjoyed a night of kooky fun with the Addams Family Musical and themed dinner.

The Georgian Picnic has become the Guild’s signature event. Read all about this year’s picnic!

Inspiration: Orange

Little Black Dress: A Look at Victorian Mourning Fashion A black dress does not Victorian Mourning make. Learn about the strict rules observed during mourning, the different stages of mourning, and who wore what.

Inspiration: Green Spring is just around the corner. From chartreuse to emerald, get inspired for your next event with these fresh greens looks.

Lunch and Gingerbread: A Victorian Christmas Outing December is packed full of Victorian Christmas events! A couple of our members share their trip to Waxahachie for a Victorian luncheon and tour of historic homes.

An 18th Century Recipe for Queen Cakes Add a historical touch to your dessert menu with this 18th century recipe for these delicious, fruity cakes.

Calendar of Events Missed out on the events highlighted in this issue? Check out our calendar and join us for an upcoming event!

On the Cover Jen Thompson and Christy Lee enjoy some sweets and drinks at our annual Georgian Picnic, which celebrated Marie Antoinette’s birthday this year. Our annual picnic is usually the second weekend in November. Be sure to check the website for the dates and details of this year’s picnic so you don’t miss out on the fun!

H.C.T.

Historical Knits Knitwear has long been overlooked by historical costumers, but a new generation of historical knitters is breaking onto the scene. From knitted 18th century pinballs to Edwardian sweaters, historical costumers are experiencing a new appreciation for the knitwear of the past.

Historical Costuming Trends Historical costuming sees trends come and go just like modern fashion. From sewing tools to fashion looks, we rounded up all our favorite trends from this past year and made a few predictions about what might take the stage in 2020.

1790s gowns Embroidery Thanks to a new wave of costumers employing their embroidery machines, this favorite embellishment is enjoying new popularity. From elaborately embroidered 18th century suits to smaller embroidered accessories, this trend is providing new eye candy in every period possible.

Thanks to the new American Duchess pattern, 1790s fashions have seen a surge in popularity. Open robes, in particular, are extremely popular right now, with fitted backs shaped by elegant seam lines or an array of tiny pleats.

Renaissance Dagger Scissors After Bernadette Banner showcased these fabulously extra scissors on her sewing vlog, historical costumers everywhere hit Amazon to add them to their sewing armory. These fun shears are great for cutting out pattern pieces or for use with lighter fabrics, but you’ll probably want to use your regular fabric shears for heavier stuff.

OTT Gowns & Jewelry Modern fashion trends have declared an end to minimalism, with the industry crying out “more is more!” We’ve seen this trend start to play out in historical costuming, too, with elaborate gowns, intricate embroidery, and piles of jewelry and accessories popping up more frequently in costume groups everywhere.

Collet Necklaces

1830s Fashion

The popularity of collet necklaces, both in historical costuming and in modern fashion, is nothing new. This trend shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, and with several Etsy shops catering to this style, there are plenty of shops and styles to choose from.

1920s Fashion

Mourning Fashion Fashions took a spooky turn this past fall, as costumers across the country embraced the dark side of Victorian Fashion. Gothy mourning clothes were de rigueur throughout the costuming community.

The dawn of a new decade is bringing with it a ton of ‘20s themed parties, even outside of the historical costuming community. From Gatsby-themed New Years parties to costumed teas and outings, the 1920s promises to feature in a huge way in the next year.

Robes a la Française Française gowns never really go out of fashion in the costuming community, but we’ve seen a big resurgence of this style in the past year, thanks in large part to the American Duchess Simplicity patterns. Several high profile costumers, such as Angela Clayton, have also completed elaborate gown projects, which helped to bring this style back into the spotlight.

Long overlooked and suddenly embraced, 1830s fashions are everywhere right now. Thanks to shows like Gentleman Jack and vlogs from American Duchess, Lee-am, and others, 1830s fashions have made it big, with Romantic era themed events popping up all across the states.

Cameo Jewelry This trend is just now starting to gain steam, but we’ve noticed an increasing number of costumers adding cameo jewelry into their ensembles. Cameos fell out of popularity a few years ago, but they seem to be making a comeback. We predict that we’ll see more of this unique style over the next few seasons.

Worth Gowns At least a half-dozen costume vloggers are on the Worth gown bandwagon already, and more are sure to follow. This is shaping up to be the hot trend for the beginning of 2020.

A Stroll in Monet’s Gardens A Teens-era outing to the Kimbell Toward the end of his life, with failing eyesight and the threat of war on his doorstep, Monet preferred to stay at his home at Giverney and paint his gardens. As his style moved away from Impressionism toward abstraction, he experimented with mural works and easel painting, leaving us an extraordinary body of late works.

s a rule, whenever there is an exhibit at the Kimbell Art Museum of historical works, especially those of the Victorian or Georgian period, the Guild is definitely going to make an event out of it. Impressionism always tends to draw costumers from all over the metroplex, and this time was no exception. The plan was to meet in the morning, tour the exhibit, and have our customary lunch at La Madeleine afterward. What happened instead is that a good chunk of the group ran late, parking was a nightmare, the lines for the exhibit were wrapped around the building, and it was nearly an hour after our intended start time before we actually entered the exhibit together. The exhibit was set to close the following weekend, so the museum was packed with last-minute visitors scrambling to see the paintings before they left town. The crowds were densely packed in the exhibit halls, and the layout didn’t help – there were several small corners where people were squashed together to get a look at a 6

painting, and bottlenecks where audio-tour wielding groups lingered to hear a tidbit about the works in that corner. There were two large rooms where it wasn’t as difficult to spend time with the art, one featuring the famous Water Lily paintings, and the others built around the Japanese bridge paintings. There was a small room tucked away at the back of the second space that was running restored footage of Monet enjoying his garden, a fascinating look at the painter in his natural habitat.

Lunch at La Madeleine Another Guild outing tradition is to head to La Madeleine after the museum to grab a bite to eat, some tea or coffee, and to have time to socialize away from the museum crowds and curious onlookers. For some, it’s their favorite part of the event, as we get a chance to catch up with friends we don’t have the chance to see outside of events. Everyone had moved through the exhibit at a different pace, so we all arrived at lunch at different times. But, with the chaos of the museum behind us, we finally had a chance to relax, enjoy a bite to eat, and catch up.

MISSED THE KIMBELL? We’re heading there again! We’ll be heading to the Kimbell again in the fall to see the exhibit Nefertari’s Egypt. 19-teens and 1920s dress is encouraged but not required. Date TBA. When our outing date is announced, we encourage you to purchase your tickets online through the Kimbell’s website ahead of time, as lines at the museum can often be long. After the exhibit, we’ll be heading to La Madeleine on Camp Bowie for some lunch and socializing. Read more about the event at dfwcg.org.

Little Black Dress

A Look at Victorian Mourning Fashion

There’s a tendency, when it comes to Victorian clothing, to label any black gown, no matter how elaborate as “mourning”. But the etiquette and fashions prescribed during mourning were rigid and precise, and woe to those that strayed from these established rituals. It was Queen Victoria who brought us the strictest rules for mourning. In the decades before her reign, standards for mourning were much less rigid, with only the royal court and household observing most formal of etiquette. With the death of Prince Albert, Victoria brought mourning rituals to the forefront of royal fashion – she wore black in his honor for the rest of her life. Classes high and low sought to emulate court fashion, and the standards for mourning once observed by the elite were

adopted by everyone. With the Victorian period’s high mortality rate, the advances in dying technology making widespread production of black fabric readily available, and a growing middle-class taking advantage of a burgeoning retail and ready-made clothing industry, mourning fashions became easily accessible by all levels of society. The ritualized mourning of the Victorian era was broken into several distinct and defined periods – Deep Mourning, the few weeks immediately after the death of the loved one, was a time of seclusion, when family members would write letters announcing the death, and eschew all social events. 9

The First Mourning period lasted for a year and day, and was the most restrictive in dress and etiquette. Widows were expected to wear dresses of paramatta, a silkcotton blend in a twill weave, or bombazine, a silk-wool ribbed fabric. Crape, a coarse, dull silk gauze crimped with rollers and stiffened with gums or starch, was made into gowns, veils, and bonnets, and a widow was always expected to be behind a heavy crape veil whenever she left the house. Despite being practically mandatory for mourning attire, crape was widely disliked for being expensive, ugly, for shedding dye whenever wet, and for being scratchy and causing rashes. Colored gemstones were frowned up, but jewelry made from jet, a type of hard coal, was permitted. Jet was fashioned into earrings, necklaces, bracelets, hair combs, and more. By the 1880s, jet shortages saw the introduction of vulcanite, a type of early plastic, and “French jet” made from glass and jet waste that was rubberized and made moldable. Lower and working classes often used jewelry made of stained horn or Irish bog oak. In the second stage of mourning, which lasted nine months, widows were allowed to shed some, but not all, of their crape. While bonnets, capes, and trimmings were still expected to be made of crape, gowns could be made of alternative black fabrics. Crape could finally be abandoned completely in the third stage of mourning. While earlier stages of mourning forbid fabrics with luster or sheen, a lady could finally wear these again during the third stage or “ordinary mourning.” For these three months, ribbons, lace, and embroidery could be reintroduced into the wardrobe. For jewelry, black onyx and enamel, pearls, cut steel, and ivory could be worn. Half-mourning, the final stage of the cycle, lasted at least six months, but could last indefinitely, especially if the lady never remarried. A lady could once again follow fashion trends, but in colors such as white, grey, mauve, and lighter shades of purple. Amethysts were popular during half mourning, as were pearls and diamonds. Black pearls featured heavily in the jewelry the Queen Victoria commissioned as gifts to her family after Albert’s death. Other popular mourning jewelry included lockets, either carved from onyx or jet, or decorated with black enamel, containing portraits of the deceased or a lock of their hair. Brooches, pins, and pendants set with diamonds or pearls were also popular. 10

While a widow was expected to don mourning attire for upwards of two years, mourning rules for other family members was less restrictive. Mourning for parents or children lasted a year, with crape worn only for the first six months. For grandparents, six months was prescribed, with two months in crape, two in black, and two in half-mourning. Siblings were also mourned for six months, three in crepe, two in black, and one in half. Great uncles and aunts were mourned for six weeks, no crape, and cousins for three or four weeks depending on the closeness of the relation. Relations by marriage didn’t require crape, but mourning was observed for the same length of time. Advancements in technology made mourning an industry in England. “Mourning Warehouses” sprung up all over London, catering to all classes and types. They provided convenient shopping for fabrics, accessories, and other mourning paraphernalia, as well as providing mourning clothing in the latest fashions. Many offered home delivery, and for those living outside the city, printed catalogs were available for mail-order purchases. Despite the widespread following of these mourning customs, they were not without criticism. The sincerity of the mourners was brought into question, and accusations of one-upmanship and excess were lobbied by the harshest critics. Following mourning rituals could also be prohibitively expensive, with families going into debt to provide not only the funerals, but the wardrobes, memorial objects, and other necessities of the mourning cycle. By the 1890s people began gradually scaling back on formal mourning traditions. Even members of the Royal family began abandoning crape, wearing it only during the funerals. Edward even declared that Court Mourning would last for only three months, and consist of “decent” mourning instead of “deep” mourning. The advent of WWI saw a further trend away from mourning customs. It was seen as a matter of morale, not only for the men but for those at home, not to constantly see those around them shrouded in crape. Many women were also involved with the war effort, working in hospitals and factories, where the trappings of mourning fashion would have been impractical. Fabric shortages during the war, and the expense of a full mourning wardrobe, hastened the decline of the custom.

Black was becoming more fashionable for daily wear, as well. Black was seen as a practical and elegant color, and was often a color of the uniforms women wore while working. Alternatives to full mourning were widely adopted, such as armbands, sashes, pins, and badges. After the war, many women remained in the work force, where mourning attire would have been impractical. By the 1920s, it was acceptable to just wear black for the funeral, and perhaps for a few weeks afterward. Magazines such as Vogue in 1922, still cited the older rules that widows must mourn for at least 2 years, but with 6 months of deep mourning being deemed sufficient. They do allow, though, that mourning is more often dictated by the personal feelings of the individual.

OUR

MEMBERS HEADED DOWN TO GRANBURY IN

OCTOBER TO SEE THE ADDAMS FAMILY MUSICAL, ON STAGE IN THE 1886 GRANBURY OPERA HOUSE, HAVE A THEMED DINNER AT KETZLER’S SCHNITZEL HAUS, AND ENJOY THE HARVEST MOON ART FESTIVAL HAPPENING AT THE GRANBURY SQUARE.

There aren’t many of the old Victorian Opera Houses left in Texas. With a few notable exceptions, such as the grand opera houses of Uvalde, the oldest in the state, the 1891 Opera House in Galveston, which survived the hurricane of 1900, and the Millet Opera House in Austin, most were converted or demolished with the advent of the movie theater. But once upon a time, nearly every small town in Texas boasted a vibrant opera house. It was seen as the mark of a civilized town, and one of the only places in town to see regular entertainment. They would play host to a wide variety of acts, from traveling minstrel shows, to acrobats, plays, and boxing matches. The Granbury Opera House is one of the few original Victorian opera houses still standing, and still in use. After closing in 1911 the building underwent several lives, including as a grocery store, saloon, and bowling alley, until 1978, when it was renovated and reopened as a playhouse again. A 3-million-dollar makeover in 2003 modernized the backstage areas and upgraded the theater seating. This was the Guild’s first trip to the opera house, to see their October production of the Addams Family Musical. We arrived in the nick of time, just before the start of the show, and were lucky to find parking around the bustling town square – there was an art festival in full swing that we hadn’t been aware of! The show was fun and silly, and the cast did an excellent job with the material. The actor playing Gomez was particularly fabulous, as was the surprisingly large chorus, who played the ever-present dead ancestors of the Addams clan.

The theatre emptied quickly once the show was over, so we took the opportunity to snap some photos, before we headed out to the town square. We did a quick tour of the art festival before heading the Ketzlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Schnitzel Haus for dinner. The restaurant was lively and busy, but they had our table waiting for us, and they delivered our food quickly. Because we had caught the matinee performance, we were able to sit and enjoy our meal and each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s company for as long as we wanted, without having to hurry off to catch the beginning of a performance. The group was relaxed and jovial, and we spent a good amount of time chatting before we decided to make another round through the festival. By this time, the sun was setting, and we took advantage of the golden light to take some pictures on the courthouse steps. We then did a quick walk around the square, in search of a shop that once had reproductions of historical cotton prints. The shop still existed, but the fabric did not. We parted ways before the sun was down and were back home in time to enjoy a relaxing evening at home. While there were a few hitches in the evening, such as trying to find parking during a packed festival, one particularly crabby theater patron that complained about the height of our hair feathers, and an overly warm theater, the entirety of the event was immensely enjoyable. It was fun to explore a new venue and town.

THE 2019 GEORGIAN PICNIC Happy 264th Birthday, Marie Antoinette!

Our 11th annual Georgian Picnic was a wonderful success this year with lovely costumes, charming people, gorgeous weather, and a selection of sweets worthy of a queen’s birthday! We once again made use of the open, grassy meadow at the very north end of River Legacy Park in Arlington. The forecast had predicted cold weather for weeks before and many of the attendees came prepared with mitts and capes. However, the day itself, while cool, proved to be much more pleasant, sunny, and warm than predicted. Picnic guests this year included founding members, returning attendees, and a few fresh faces. Folks arrived steadily, providing curious onlookers with a parade of 18th and early 19th century fashions. There were handsome jackets, elegant robes à l ‘anglaise, airy chemises a la reine, spritely Regency gowns, and more! 17801810 proved to be the most popular dress decades this year, almost all in delicate shades of blue and pink. 18

This year, the picnic was scheduled on Marie Antoinette’s birthday, November 2 nd, so of course there had to be cake—and what a variety there was! We all shared plates of spice cake, macaroons, cookies, and baklava. Even our two Revolutionaries had a wonderful time at the Queen’s birthday picnic. The DFW Costumers Guild hold Georgian Picnic every year during November. It is one of our most popular events and is open to anyone who wishes to attend! Attendance is free and casual— Guild membership is not required and there are no stringent accuracy guidelines. Attendees are encouraged to bring picnic snacks to share and wear costumes from the 18th and early 19th centuries, but we often have guests in modern clothes join in since it’s a generally pleasant outing outdoors with good company. Georgian Picnic is family and pet friendly as well. If you’re new to the area or to historical costuming, this is a great first event to try!

inspiration} ORANGE

Orange Dreams IN THE DEPTHS OF WINTER, WE LOVE

girandole pendant and earrings,

A BOLD COLOR WITH A BRIGHT

Bonham’s

CONTRAST. WE’VE PICKED SOME OF OUR FAVORITE HISTORICAL ORANGE LOOKS TO BRING IN A BIT OF SUMMER.

House of worth silk Evening

Dress c. 186567, Kent State Museum

Silk and Jet hat, c. 1880, Met Museum

Viennese evening boots c. 1895, Antique Dress

Coral Cameo Parure, Bonham’s

18th century

French Parasol c. 1860, Met Museum

Topaz, diamond, and platinum brooch, c. 1900, Ruby Lane

Portrait of Emilia WĹ&#x201A;odkowska by Jozef Simmler, 1864

18th Century silver, agate, and paste buttons, c. 1770-80.

Reticule Purse c. 1880, Ruby Lane Silk damask wedding shoes of Elizabeth Rockwood Farnsworth, c. April 28, 1754

Bodice, Silk, trimmed with machine lace, mid-1890s, John Bright Collection

1830S FOUNDATIONS

Resources, Tips, and Cheats to Start Your Romantic Era Wardrobe

There’s something wonderfully charming about extreme fashions, whether it’s the insanely wide panniers of the 1750s, the enormous sleeves of the 1890s, or any of a dozen other fashion trends we’ve seen through the ages. The 1830s is one of those extreme fashion decades – it was the era of Sleeves of Great Enormity. The silhouette of the 1830s is very distinct – wide necklines, even for daywear, large pelerines to cover the shoulders, wide bell-shaped skirts that end at the ankle, and, iconicly, the sleeves. The 1830s had two sleeve eras. During the first half of the decade, sleeves grew to enormous proportions, sometimes even eclipsing the legendary sleeves of the 1890s. Then, in 1836, sleeves suffered a sudden collapse, with rows of pleats, gathers, and smocking taming the volume of the once wild sleeves. To support those sleeves of the early 1830s, they needed their own structure underneath, the same way the skirts needed their own support. But that was just one of the structures underneath these fashions that was helping to keep everything aloft.

The definitive resource when tackling 1830s fashions is A Workwoman’s Guide by A Lady. This anonymous book was written in 1838 and includes instructions on making everything from christening gowns to travel furniture. The first half of the book is dedicated to the wardrobe, and includes instructions, diagrams, and measurements for nearly every garment a person could need, inside and out, top to bottom. This fantastic primary source is not only full of detailed information, it’s also free and easy to find. Some kind soul digitized and uploaded the entire volume to Google Books, where it can be downloaded and saved for future reference. If you want a hard copy, it’s also available for purchase through Amazon. With the sudden popularity of 1830s in the past year, a number of new patterns and tutorials have emerged online. They include everything from blog posts to indie patterns, and they have added greatly to the arsenal of the historical costumer who wishes to recreate these looks.

When tackling any new era, it’s important to start from the ground up, or in this case, the skin-out. Creating the proper undergarments first will ensure that your gown and outwear fit properly, and that you have the correct silhouette nailed down before you even begin to cut out your gown fabric. Thankfully, there are a few cheats available – Regency long stays can be used for 1830s stays. Civil War drawers can be used for 1830s drawers. Chemises were relatively unchanged from the end of the 18th century up through the 1850s, with only variations in sleeve lengths. If you have a Regency chemise, or a Civil War chemise, you’re good to go. A small bustle pad or a Tudor bumroll can double for an 1830s bustle. The essential elements are the corded petticoat, which gives the skirt its shape, and the sleeve puffers, which help support the voluminous sleeves of the era. We’ll take a look at each element of 1830s undergarments, and give you pattern recommendations, online tutorials, and other resources for your own journey into 1830s costuming. 23

CHEMISE

DRAWERS

STAYS

The chemise during the 1830s was fairly unchanged from the previous decades. The Workwoman’s Guide gives great illustrations and instructions on how to construct a chemise and recommends fine Irish linen or calico for the fabric. There are also plenty of online tutorials that take you through making a Regency shift stepby-step, and the pattern for Regency and 1830s shifts is pretty much identical.

Drawers were just coming into fashion during the 1830s and hadn’t really been embraced by everyone. Workwoman’s Guide includes instructions to draft and sew your own and recommends calico or cambric muslin fabrics.

Stays in the 1830s were in a sort of transitional phase – they were similar in style to earlier Regency stays, with the soft body supported mainly by cording, wooden busk, gusseted bust, and shoulder straps – but they were moving toward a curvier figure, with more defined hips that we see in later eras. The Workwoman’s Guide is of little help to us in the stays department, saying that they must be tailored to the individual, and therefore there’s no good way to give instructions on how to make them. Thankfully, we’ve dug up some resources on how to make your own.

MAKE IT: Riennyn on Livejournal has a great post on how to make a Regency chemise. The layout is nearly identical to that in Workwoman’s Guide. (http://riennynn.livejournal.com/14328.html)

Past Patterns has an 1830s chemise packet. It’s pattern number #002, and includes two styles. Simplicity 1139, while designed for Civil War styles, includes a chemise that is similar in style to some extant 1830s shifts. It makes up quick and easy, too, so it’s author recommended.

EASY CHEATS: A mid-Victorian chemise or a Regency shift can be used if you don’t want to make an entirely new chemise.

Interestingly, drawers could be made with just waist-down portion, or they could be made with shoulder straps (especially recommended for children) or a little bodice.

MAKE IT: MAKE IT: The drawers in Simplicity 1139 go together quickly and easily and are very similar to the 1830s pair pictured above.

EASY CHEATS: 1830s drawers are very similar to those in later periods. If you have a pair of drawers for later Victorian looks, they can easily pull double duty for 1830s.

Patterns: -Past Patterns #001 -Laughing Moon #115 -Black Snail Patterns 1830s Underwear -Redthreaded Regency Long Stays -The Mantua Maker 1800-1820 Regency Corset -Katherine of Koshka-the-Cat has a free pattern on her website, taken from an extant pair of stays in her collection.

BUY IT: Don’t feel like tackling the stays yourself? Redthreaded offers custom-made 1830s stays that have received rave reviews from other costumers.

EASY CHEATS: If you already have a set of Regency long stays, you’re good to go!

SLEEVE SUPPORTS

CORDED PETTICOAT

STARCHED PETTICOAT

The ginormous sleeves of the early 1830s would not have risen to such great volume without the sleeve puffer. These little supports could be either stuffed with down, like the example above, or boned. They tied to either the gown or the stays and helped keep those fabulously full sleeves from deflating.

The corded petticoat is essential to getting that rounded skirt pouf that is so iconic of 1830s looks. Besides the stays, this is handsdown going to be the most labor-intensive part of making your undergarments. Thankfully, there are several online resources to help with the process. Don’t forget to starch the living daylights out of it to get the proper volume!

Adding a simple starched petticoat over your corded petti can greatly increase your skirt volume. The petticoat doesn’t need to be elaborate – just 2 to 2.5 panels of 45”-wide fabric, sewn into a waistband. If you want a bit more support for the hem, add in a few tucks to help it stand out a bit more.

American Duchess has a YouTube series called “Sewing is Hard.” Their 1830s videos include an episode on making sleeve puffers.

MAKE IT:

EASY CHEATS:

“Historical Sewing” has a workbook available online for making corded petticoats.

Simple petticoats are easy to whip up, and you probably already have some on hand. Throw one on over your corded petticoat and call it a day!

The “Fresh Fripperies” blog has an entire post on how to make sleeve puffers.

American Duchess’s “Sewing is Hard” vlog has an episode on making corded petticoats.

“The Quintessential Clothes Pen” blog also has a tutorial on how to make sleeve supports.

Prior Attire’s book The Victorian Dressmaker includes instructions on how to make a corded petticoat.

MAKE IT:

Photo via Gina of Beauty from Ashes

BUSTLE

POCKETS

When they hear the word “bustle”, most people think of the boned supports of the 1870s and ‘80s. But A Workwoman’s Guide specifically mentions adding volume to the back of the skirt by means of a bustle – either a small padded crescent, or a layered and starched flounced supported by cording. This small detail makes a huge difference in the silhouette of the dress and helps to achieve that bell-shape that we’re all after.

Ladies everywhere, rejoice! The 1830s gave us back our pockets! We lost our pockets to the slim skirts of the Regency period, but the 1830s reclaimed them. In style, they are incredibly similar to 18th century pockets, so if you already have a pocket pattern that you like, or a pair of finished 18th century pockets, then use them!

MAKE IT: American Duchess’s “Sewing is Hard” vlog series includes an episode on making 1830s bustles. A Workwoman’s Guide offers several diagrams and instructions on how to make various styles of bustles. You’d be hard pressed to find a better resource than this book.

EASY CHEATS: If you already have a crescent-shaped bumroll for your Ren Faire looks, or a small padded bustle, you can easily use these in place of making an entirely new piece for 1830s.

One trend I noticed when researching 1830s pockets was a fashion for patchwork pockets. This would be a great way to use up some old scrap fabrics and still get something useful out of it.

MAKE IT: A Workwoman’s Guide includes instructions and diagrams for making pockets. The V&A Museum has a page on How to Make Your Own Pockets, which uses the pattern from WWG. (http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/m/make-your-ownpocket)

Kannick’s Corner offers a “Stockings, Mitts, and Pockets” pattern, #KK-6001. Butterick B4484 (now out of print) offers a simple pocket pattern. Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion vol. 1 includes a pocket pattern.

EASY CHEATS: If you already have a pair of 18th century pockets, you’re good to go!

If this is your first foray into the world of 1830s costuming, don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. While it may seem like there are a lot of layers that you need to make new, it’s more than likely that you have other items in your costume closet that can pull double duty for the items on this list. Other items, like the bustle, sleeve puffers, and plain petticoats, are easy to make in a single afternoon. We recommend focusing on making your stays and your corded petticoat first. These two items are essential for the silhouette and are going to take

the longest amount of time to complete. If you don’t want to make these items yourself, we’ve seen a wave of Etsy shops pop up in the last year offering corded petticoats for sale. Ready-made corsets from Redthreaded and others can also cut down on your sewing time, if you want to avoid making a new pair of stays. With a little bit of planning (and maybe a cheat here or there) you can quickly build your 1830s undies wardrobe up in preparation for making your gown. Take advantage of all the fabulous online resources

that have become available and have fun in your new sewing adventure!

Join us on March 21,2020 for our Romantic Era Picnic in Farmer’s Branch and show off your new 1830s ensembles! Read all about our event on dfwcg.org

Beyond the Festival Gates Dickens Beyond the Strand Dickens on the Strand has become much more than just a holiday festival. The event has grown beyond the Gates, and now includes a huge variety of official, semi-official, and private events. We’ll take a look at some of the bigger events on the schedule, as well as a few new offerings included in the two additional days the festival added on this year.

What started as a quirky city festival has exploded into a huge destination event. Having revolved for years around a truncated weekend schedule, the festival has now expanded to four full days, with additional events now scheduled on Thursday, Friday morning, and Sunday. This allows not only for more revenue for the festival, but for more revelry for the attendees.

We made our first trip to Dickens in 2018, where we quickly discovered that they were trying to squeeze too much into too little time. The thing you had to accept about Dickens was that you couldn’t do it all. The festival has grown so much that now both official and private events overlap constantly, falling not only on the same night but on the same

hour. Friday night has become especially difficult, as there are two overlapping official events, and two private events, all beginning within a half hour of each other, meaning you must choose which you’ll attend, and which you’ll postpone until next year, or even the year after. Saturday is becoming equally problematic, as its events tend to run long and eventually overlap in the overtime.

The first year we attended Dickens, we wanted to do it all. It was the inaugural year of the Dickens Soiree, and they were promising a spectacular evening that couldn’t be missed. But, it overlapped with not one, but three other events, hosted by both the festival and private groups in the area. We tried to do two events that evening, the Soiree and the Hand Bell concert, but the Soiree ended half an hour after the concert started on the other side of town. It just couldn’t be done. In 2019, the festival expanded from two to four days, adding events to Thursday and Sunday. Where before they were squeezing everything onto Friday night and Saturday morning, now they were free to spread those events out onto their additional days. We were hopeful that we’d be able to attend more of the events that we’d missed before while still attending the ones we’d enjoyed the previous year. What happened instead was that the festival created new events and scheduled them for the additional days, leaving their established events in the time slots they already occupied. Likewise, the private groups that scheduled their Christmas events around the festival, like the Houston Historical Costumers, expanded their range of events, which inevitably caused overlap with the new festival schedule. What we ended up with was a broader range of events to choose from, but occuring during the same few evening hours each day. We get it, it’s a way to make sure that people plan to come back in the following years so they can make it to the events they missed the first time. It’s a marketing ploy, those sneaky festival people! If you’re going to Dickens, you just have to accept that you can’t do it all. Our members have given their imput on their favorite events, which ones are worth skipping, and which ones they wish they’d tried instead. We’ve compiled a list for future festival goers so they can decide which parties are worth splurging on, and which can be put off until next year. 29

Friday

WHAT WE MISSED

THE GINGERBREAD BALL Held in the Tremont Hotel, the ball itself is privately run and invitation only, so you have to Know Someone to be able to purchase a ticket. We’ve always heard good things about this event but have yet to make it through the doors.

WHAT WE DID: THE DICKENS SOIREE The Dickens Soiree, held in the historic Bishop’s Mansion, was brand new the first year we went, and it promised all sorts of wonderful things – Victorian acrobats, string quartets, readings by Dickens descendants, bottomless champagne, and unlimited access to the historical mansion. And it absolutely delivered! For the ticket price, which was around $70, we had unlimited access to multiple buffets and drink stations, which alone makes it worth the price, plus we had various forms of entertainment going throughout the night. We also had unrestricted access to the mansion, which allowed us to roam all over and take pictures. This is a costumed event, but it doesn’t cater to historical costumers like the private events do, so the standards for accuracy are very relaxed. Some attendees go all out and make elaborate historical gowns, while others are content with Halloween-esque hooped dresses. The only requirement to get through the door is to be in costume. 30

THE HOLIDAY HAND BELL CONCERT Held in a historic church known for its stellar acoustics, there are three concerts on Friday night, all of them conflicting with other events. If you attend early, you’ll be late for the Soiree or Ball, but if you want to catch the late concert, you’ll have to leave those events early.

THE HOUSTON HISTORICAL COSTUMERS VICTORIAN POTLUCK As a prelude to their Saturday Dickens Tea, the HHC hosts a casual potluck dinner which includes Dickens readings, parlor games, and a bowl of Dickens favorite rum punch.

Saturday

WHAT WE MISSED

MORNING TEA WITH THE CAPTAIN’S WIFE One of the least expensive events at Dickens (only $20), so great for budget travelers. You’ll have tea and cookies with the Captain’s wife, while the crew maneuvers the ship into port.

SALUTE TO THE SUNSET ON THE 1877 ELISSA The ship hosts another event as you step onboard for cocktails, heavy appetizers, and a cannon salute to the WHAT WE DID: THE DICKENS TEA This was the only privately hosted event that we were sunset, all leading up to the lanternlight parade on able to attend during the festival, but it was definitely Saturday night. worth it. Hosted by a couple of ladies from the Houston Historical Costumers, the tea started at 2:30 and ran for the entirety of the day. It included a champagne reception, multi-course tea service, and special teas picked for their unusual qualities, like a color-changing tea. We even had a taste of Dickens’ favorite punch, which packed quite a wallop! This was a very relaxed event, with one portion of the afternoon flowing into another. The event was held in a historic house near the Bishop’s Palace, which also acts as a Bed & Breakfast, and where most of the Houston costumers stayed. The evening ended with everyone relaxing in the parlor, taking pictures around the house, and enjoying conversation with fellow attendees. By the time we left, it was dark outside, but the party was still going strong inside.

DICKENS AFTER DARK 2018 was the first year for this event, and they were very secretive about what exactly it was. The description promised performances, drink, and revelry inside a historic bank building. 31

Other Events There were several other events happening during the festival weekend that we didn’t have a chance to attend, either because they were budget busters for us, or they fell on a day when we were traveling. Here are the other events happening during Dickens weekend.

DICKENS CHAMPAGNE RECEPTION Happening on Thursday evening, this is the first of the weekend’s events. It features readings from Dickens descendants, meet-and-greets, and unlimited wine, champagne, and hors d’oeuvres. It’s held in the Bishop Palace, just like the Soiree, but has a lower ticket price at around $50. We traveled down on Friday morning, so we didn’t get a chance to check this event out.

BREAKFAST WITH DICKENS Another event that interfered with both other events, and with travel time, this one is held on two mornings – Saturday at 8:30, and Sunday at 10:30. Saturday we were getting ready for the HHC Dickens Tea, and Sunday we were traveling, so we missed both opportunities to go. It’s held in the 1859 Ashton Villa, and includes a book signing with a Dickens descendant, a performance by the Houston Children’s Choir, a keepsake ornament, and pictures with Father Christmas. Tickets run $80-95.

ST. ARNOLD’S STRAND WALKING TOUR There are several opportunities to take part in what is essential a festival pub crawl, but they all occur in the middle of the day, and conflict with several other events. If you’re looking for something that won’t break the budget, this may be for you, as tickets are $35, which is considerably less than most other official Dickens events.

THE QUEEN’S FEAST This event is new for 2019, so we didn’t have the chance to attend when we went in 2018. It includes a fourcourse plated meal, readings by a Dickens descendant, and complimentary champagne. They promise “AND MORE” on the website, so we suspect there will be live music and other entertainments, as well. This is by far the most expensive of the Dickens events, with tickets costing a whopping $125.

Dickens on the Strand 2020 is expected to fall on the weekend of December 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6. Tickets for special events usually are available for sale starting in September.

inspiration}

G REEN

Serene Green FROM THE DEADLY ARSENIC GOWNS OF THE VICTORIAN PERIOD, TO STUNNING MALACHITE PARURES, WE LOVE GREEN FOR OUR WARDROBES

Emerald & Diamond Necklace

AND ACCESSORIES.

Victorian

Emerald & Diamond Tiara, Cartier

18th Century Round Gown, Met Museum

Beetle wing embroidery fragment India, 19th Century

Poke Bonnet, American, c. 1830 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Empress Josephineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malachite Cameo Parure c.1810

18th Century Shoes Bata Shoe Museum

Silk knit reticule with

glass beads, metal chain and clasp, 1810-1820

Emerald & Diamond Necklace Victorian

Silk bodice with lace c. 1905, Antique Dress

The Green Parasol by E. Phillip Fox, 1912

Hunting Cameo Emerald Bracelet c. 1910

Green Silk Dress c.1870

Clocked Stockings c.1750 Colonial Williamsburg

Parasol, 1915 Met Museum

Lunch & Gingerbreadď&#x20AC; A Victorian Christmas outing

December in DFW brings us a lot of Victorian-themed Christmas events. After having experienced Dickens on the Strand last year, and finding ourselves unable to attend this year, Liz and I were looking for something Christmas-related to do locally that would fill our desire for holiday-themed costume goodness, while not denting our wallets the way an out-of-town blowout bonanza like Dickens would. Just in time, we learned about another DFW group that was getting together for a Victorian lunch at the Catfish Plantation in Waxahachie, before going on the Gingerbread Tour of Historic Homes. We jumped on it right away, and started work on our Christmas outfits, which we both managed to squeak out right at the finish line, 3AM the night before the event. The Catfish Plantation is a southern comfort food style of restaurant, housed in a vintage 1890s home. The group included members of the other costume club, as well as a number of other DFWCG members. It was a very lively gathering, with lots of stories, jokes, and laughter, as well as good food. We had some time to kill before the tour of homes officially started, so we walked around the old town square and had dessert in the vintage ice cream parlor, where they served old-fashioned treats like cherry phosphates and chocolate malts. The tour kicked off in the 1890s courthouse, which had just undergone a major restoration. There were a lot of little easter eggs to find in the building â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a bullet hole in a door left from a 1920s shootout, vintage signs painted on the basement walls from old businesses, an old elevator shaft removed to reveal the original iron stair railing. The building was full of fun surprises.

Other houses on the tour included a c.1900 house filled with Japanese antiques, collected while the owners had lived in Okinawa, a 1915 bungalow, and my personal favorite, a colonial revival home that had undergone several different lives – first as a four-room house built in the 1850s, which was then renovated in the 1870s into an Italianate mansion, before being renovated again in 1903 to the current iteration. It had wonderful curly pine fretwork and paneling, tons of original details, and the rooms were dressed in traditional Victorian Christmas decorations. I particularly liked the table setting in the dining room, which was strewn with

presents and ribbons – each guest would follow the ribbon tied to their napkin to find which present on the table was theirs. There’s a much flashier version of this tradition in Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and I had wondered if it had a basis in real tradition. Turns out, it did! This really was a wonderful event, with delicious food, beautiful homes, and fantastic company. I’m looking forward to attending again during the next Christmas season!

Robert Smith’s Queen Cakes No, not the Robert Smith of The Cure. This Robert Smith is the author of the earliest known recipe for “Queen Cakes”, publishing his recipe in his 1724 book, Court Cookery: or the Compleat English Cook. The original recipe looks like this: “Take a Pound of dry’d Flower, a Pound of refin’d Sugar sifted, and a Pound of Currans wash’d, pick’d, and rubb’d clean, and a Pound of Butter wash’d very well, and rub it into the Flower and Sugar, with a little beaten Mace, and a little Orange-Flower Water; beat ten Eggs, but half the Whites, work it all well together with your Hands, and put in the Currans; sift over it double-refin’d Sugar, and put them immediately into a gentle Oven to bake.”

For most Americans, the word currant refers to those tiny raisins used mostly in Christmas baking for things like The Dreaded Fruit Cake. In a historical or modern European context, currants are little red berries that are delicately sweet and somewhat tart. They are next to impossible to find in the States thanks to, of all things, the logging industry. It seems that the currant bush was susceptible to a disease that effected valuable timber trees, and the disease could be spread from the currant bushes to the trees, so currant bushes were banned. While it’s not illegal anymore to own your own currant bush, the fruit just never caught on in American after it was vilified, so they are next to impossible to find. Some online stores offer frozen currants that they ship directly to you, but they can be a bit expensive. If you can’t find them, I would suggest substituting gooseberries (also somewhat hard to find) or raspberries to get a similar flavour, but American currants are an acceptable, easy to find substitute. If you find the recipe to be too sweet, you can cut the amount of sugar in half. Later Victorian versions of the recipe sometimes have this modification. You can also cut the amount of currants in half if it seems like too much, and you’ll still have plenty of them in your cakes. Robert Smith suggests mixing everything with your hands, and that does make things easier when working with the currants. It’s easiest to use a small blunt butter knife to spread the cake batter into the tins. The original tins used in the 18th Century were made in various shapes and often didn’t have a bottom. You can use cookie cutters on top of buttered and floured baking parchment to replicate this, or you can use a muffin tin or small shaped cake tins. The recipe calls for the spice “mace”, which is simply the husk around nutmeg. Using the pre-ground mace that you can buy from the store produces a different result from using fresh-ground, so I suggest buying whole mace blades and crushing them with a mortar and pestle for the best results. If you cannot find any ground mace or mace blades, you can substitute with a pinch of nutmeg. Finally, this does produce a bit of a heavy cake, so if you want it a bit fluffier, you can use self-rising flour to give it a bit of lightness.

Queen Cakes Modern Adaptation Makes 20 – 22 Cakes

PREPARATION TIME 20-25 Minutes

COOK TIME

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Prepare your cake tins by buttering them and dusting them with flour. If you are using cookie cutters, line a cookie sheet with a piece of baking parchment, butter and dust your cookie cutters, and place them on top of the parchment paper. Cream together your butter and sugar.

30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS ½ pound flour ½ pound softened butter ½ pound sugar ½ pound currants 4 eggs, separated, one white discarded 2 tsp orange flower water ½ tsp ground mace or nutmeg

Crush your mace with a mortar and pestle. Two blades should be enough for the entire recipe. Add the mace and orange flower water to your butter-sugar mixture. Add in the egg yolks one at a time. Sift the flour and mix into the batter well. The batter will appear rather dry, so don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t look like regular cake batter. Once the flour has been thoroughly incorporated, add your currants. Mix them in by hand to keep from breaking the berries. Whisk your egg whites until stiff, and fold into the batter with a spatula. Using a blunt butter knife or a palette knife, spread the batter evenly into the cake tins. Place the tins in the middle of your preheated oven, and bake until golden-brown, about 30 minutes. A little dome will form on the top. If they are still flat, they will be tough. Remove from the oven and let cool for several minutes before removing from the tins. Allow them to finish cooling on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

DFW COSTUMERS GUILD UPCOMING EVENTS 44

EMMA MOVIE OUTING When: February 29, 2020 Where: Angelika Theatre Dress: Regency Wear your favorite Regency outfit and meet us at the Angelika to see the newest big screen version of Emma. Ticket information is not yet available at this time, so check our website for updates on showing time.

NAPOLEON & JOSEPHINE VALENTINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TEA When: February 8, 2020, 1:00PM Where: Storybook Cottage Dress: Regency DFWCG member Laura Ingalls Gunn invites you to her home at Storybook Cottage for a Napoleon & Josephine Valentine's tea! Events will include a historic button showcase, fabric and pattern swap, food, and drink. Be sure to RSVP through the Evite link on the DFWCG website, as space is limited and there is a cap on attendance.

THE ROMANTIC PICNIC When: March 21, 2020, 10:30AM Where: Farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Branch Historical Park Dress: Romantic Period Clothing 18251840 Starch your corded petticoat and fluff up those sleeve plumpers, DFWCG is going 1830s! Join us for an afternoon of food, games, and socializing in the Farmers Branch Historic Park and Rose Garden. Bring a dish for your party or to share, and a blanket to sit on. We'll picnic until about 1:30, and then explore the rest of the park and rose gardens.

VINTAGE EGYPT When: TBD Where: Kimbell Art Museum Dress: 1910s-1920s

OUR EVENTS This list of events is current as of the publication date of this issue. Other events and updates may have been added since release. For the most updated list of upcoming events, visit our website at DFWCG.org.

Details for this event are still being finalized. Please check our website for the latest information. 45

We are always seeking contributors to our magazine! Have you been to a costume event you want to tell us about? Did you do some research for a project that you’d like to share? Have an opinion about the current happenings in the costuming community? Just want to show off your latest costume? Email us! We’d love to include your article in an upcoming addition of the magazine! Please be sure to include a couple of photos with your article. We welcome any costume related content, and can’t wait to hear from you!

We would like to thank all of our readers for their support We look forward to bringing you our Summer issue in July Contributors

Megan Martin Liz Kearns Jen Thompson (photos) Laura Ingalls Gunn (photos)

Online Presence groups/dfwcg dfwcg @dfwcosguild @dfwcosguild dfwcg.org

Events Events are added to our calendar as we learn of them, and so the list in DFWCG magazine may not reflect the entire list of upcoming events for the DFW area. If you are hosting or know of an event that you would like to see listed in our Upcoming Events calendar, please email dfwcgmagazine@gmail.com. For the most up to date information on Guild events, and other costume events in DFW, please visit our website at DFWCG.org. Contributing to DFWCG Magazine We are always seeking contributors to our magazine! If you have a sewing or costuming tutorial, an event report, a costuming research article, costume movie review, or any other costume related content that you would like to see included in an upcoming issue of the magazine, please email us! Submissions can be sent as Microsoft Word documents or PDF files, and will be formatted to best fit into the magazine. For tutorials, please include a clear color photo of each step that you have written in your article.

DFWCG

Magazine DFWCG.ORG

Dallas-Fort Worth Costumers Guild Magazine 48