# The Saga of the 1830's Dress



## SvenskaFlicka

I am making a complete ensemble from the 1830's, and I decided to just start one thread to post the different parts of this costume, since there will be a lot of them, and I will be making the pieces one at a time over several weeks, obviously.

I am going to make this pattern, from Past Patterns, with this material. It is a nice calico in a pattern similar to those from the 1830's. I am doing the view with the sleeves that are narrow at the top.

Of course, if you are going to make a historical costume, it's best if you make all of the undergarments first, especially the corset, so you can fit the dress properly. I made the chemise first, to get into the rhythm for it. The chemise is made of white cotton muslin, with a Simplicity Civil War Pattern. I used that pattern because I found an original chemise from the late 1830's that was cut almost the same. It took me almost 6 hours to sew-- the most a chemise has ever taken me, and I cheated and used a machine to sew the long straight seams. (I did hem it by hand, though. And I sewed the facings by hand too.)

Next, I will be finishing up the corset, which is almost done. Then it's on to the many petticoats!


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## WJMartin

This will be an interesting thread, pun intended. Is this for your own enjoyment or for a customer?


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## sherry in Maine

I am looking forward to this thread....seeing what you make will be interesting.


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## RebelDigger

The Lowell Mill dress is on my bucket list. Let us know how the pattern acts for you please. Good job on the chemise, I am working on a new one now, using Past Patterns 707, doing View B with the tucks, doing a mix of machine and hand sewing (my era is Civil War so yeah, they did have sewing machines and I can get away with using one.)


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## SvenskaFlicka

I will definitely let you know how the pattern works for me! I am actually going to be starting a blog series of pattern reviews of historical patterns, so I'll post links to the blog entries as I write them here on the sewing forum. All reviews will be complete with a picture of the completed item.  

Am I the only one who gets the body of a chemise sewn, pre-gathering/tucking/finishing, and thinks, "Is this much material _really_ necessary?" lol!


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## Bret

WJMartin said:


> This will be an interesting thread, pun intended. Is this for your own enjoyment or for a customer?


I cannot sew. Nor can I pass up a good pun or not recognize with a grin when someone sees it first and fast. Good work.


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## SvenskaFlicka

Well, I am almost 100% finished with the corset! I just need to finish knitting the lacing cord for it, then it will be officially done! (In the meantime, I'm using a plain 1/4" satin ribbon.) 

I also started the corded petticoat tonight. I'm using the sandwich method, in which you sew your cording between two layers, and I'm definitely cheating and using a sewing machine. Also, I'm using organdy, to help it in its stiffness. 

Sometimes I feel like I'm sewing in circles! lol!


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## TJN66

Amazing work!!!


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## CJ

What a great thread! I look forward to watching your progress. I can't imagine wearing all those layers! I am fascinated by historic clothing, and love lots of it, but if I were going to pick a time period to reproduce for myself, I'd choose one that looked comfy!


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## Gretchen Ann

Very pretty! Your sewing skills are excellent. I used to enjoy sewing clothes but just don't anymore.

Thanks for the pictures. I'm looking forward to seeing the process.


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## Rockytopsis

Interesting thread.
Nancy


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## hmsteader71

I stand in amazement of how talented you are. I am so looking forward to watching this thread as it progresses.


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## housewife

Wow! It looks so very wonderful. Love the pics


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## Mid Tn Mama

Wow! I sew and salute you! Very interesting stuff. I look forward to your blog posts. I suspect you know a lot and would love knowing what you studied and learned in Sweden. Have you been to little Norway in Wisconsin?


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## Maura

Isn't the lace on a corset supposed to criss cross so the two ends end up at the bottom? Like a tied shoe?

It's all very pretty. I wish I had the figure for one of those dresses. Can't wait to see the petticoat!


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## calliemoonbeam

Lovely, lovely work! I'm surprised that metal grommets were available that long ago, though. Learn something new every day.  But then I've never done anything from that period, mostly Renaissance and Victorian stuff. 

The stitching is wonderful, and I love the fabric for the corset! I can hardly wait to see more, thanks for sharing!


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## ErinP

> and I love the fabric for the corset


Me too. 
I can't help but think it's too bad it won't be seen!


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## SvenskaFlicka

Mid Tn Mama: No, I have not been to little Norway, though I am a bit surprised. I am married to a Norwegian man, after all! 

Maura: Later corsets almost always do lace up with a criss-cross, you're right. However, corsets that lace criss-cross take forever to lace up if you have to start from scratch, like this one. Around the mid-1840's the opening corset busk was invented. It's a set of metal corset bones with a loop and stud closure system that closes the front of a corset tightly. Then you can lace the back of the corset criss-cross, which makes tightening it MUCH easier, but still be able to just loosen the laces like a shoe to get it on and off by unhooking the busk.

Prior to the opening metal busk, corsets had a closed front with a wooden piece down the front, also called a busk. Since you couldn't open the front, you had to start from scratch lacing up the corset each time it was worn. Since you only have one lace that spirals around, spiral lacing was the way to go. It is much faster to lace up! However, it does not easily lend itself to super-tight lacing. (Which is okay with me!) Almost all corsets made prior to the 1840's have spiral lacing, though some you see in museums have spiral lacing eyes laced up criss-cross, which makes the corset sit crookedly on the body. :nono: Sometimes the museum people don't know as much as they should, or volunteers put things on display, etc. There's actually a special way to put in the eyelets for spiral lacing, which many people say is difficult, but I didn't have a problem. I just marked where my eyelets should go, and put them in! 

Calliemoonbeam, metal corset eyelets were invented in 1828. (Had to look up the year.) Prior to that, eyelets were sewn. Bone eyelets also show up from time to time. (I will freely admit here that I still used metal eyelets in my 1750's corset because I didn't want to sew 30-some eyelets through 5 layers of material! Now I can sew eyelets, and have done so medieval things, but... that was before I ever sewed eyelets.)

And yes, I love the corset fabric too. And I get to see it, and my hubby gets to see it, and I may do a photo shoot in just the undies for this dress, since they will be rather covering.  The corset fabric is special stuff called coutil, and it's specially made for corsets in Germany. It used to be really rare and expensive, but with the upsurge in historical costuming, the price has come down a bit and there are also new colors available too!

I got another row of cording for the petticoat done last night. I'm just going to keep doing rows of four cords four inches apart until I run out of the heavy cording, then rows of the finer cording an inch wide four inches apart until I get it done!


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## DW

that corset alone is beautiful...I can't wait to see the rest...very cool!


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## SeaGoat

Very nice!


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## AngieM2

wow, and I love your explaining as you go.


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## Ann-NWIowa

I've done a lot of sewing and think I could make the dress without too much problem, but the corset and other under garments I would have a big problem managing. 

My dh spends his life watching old westerns on TV. It amazes me that most of the women's dresses have zippers!!!!!!!!


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## SeaGoat

Are corsets hard?
After a good few more projects I was planning on making a few


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## SvenskaFlicka

No, corsets are not hard. I really recommend the Dore or Silverado patterns from Laughing Moon: Laughing Moon Corset Pattern.
Farthingales in Canada has all of the supplies you may want or need for corsets, including that nice coutil. (Which is really important for a long-lasting corset.) Farthingales.

I'll be posting a little later with pictures of my corded petticoat.


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## SvenskaFlicka

Okay, picture time! 

Here is the finished corded petticoat, worn along with the chemise and corset. My dear husband both learned how to lace a corset properly today and was nice enough to take a break from his woodcarving to take some pictures.


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## Ann-NWIowa

Very nice. You really do beautiful work.

I can recall my grandmother wearing a corset and when she hugged me it was like being smashed against a solid wall. That was in the mid 1940's and I think most women had abandoned corsets by that time.


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## SeaGoat

Very nice!


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## Goatsandsheep

You do beautiful work. Just thinking about wearing all those layers makes me wonder how those poor ladies survived hot flash?


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## SeaGoat

Goatsandsheep said:


> You do beautiful work. Just thinking about wearing all those layers makes me wonder how those poor ladies survived hot flash?


Its probably where southern ladies got their passive aggressive demeanors from


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## Becka03

Love it- absolutely gorgeous!


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## SvenskaFlicka

Well, so far this dress is going to be all different varieties of cotton. Organdy, muslin, coutil, cotton crinoline, calico... I'll let you know how hot it is once it's all done and tried on together! 

(Though I have found with my Viking things that I can even comfortably wear wool in 90+ heat as long as I put it on first thing in the morning while it is still cool out, and wear a nice layer of linen between it and my skin. Also, long sleeves can actually help you in heat, by reflecting sunlight away from your skin.)


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## Goatsandsheep

> (Though I have found with my Viking things that I can even comfortably wear wool in 90+ heat as long as I put it on first thing in the morning while it is still cool out, and wear a nice layer of linen between it and my skin. Also, long sleeves can actually help you in heat, by reflecting sunlight away from your skin.)


It's the heat coming from my body trying to get out of all those layers, not the heat from the sun. lol


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## sand flea

Very nice work!! Can't wait to get my sewing room set up again...


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## SvenskaFlicka

Here's the first blog post on this dress: "The Beginnings of an 1830's Dress".

I only got as far as explaining the corset and chemise in that post, though.


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## ErinP

SvenskaFlicka said:


> Also, long sleeves can actually help you in heat, by reflecting sunlight away from your skin.)


I agree. 
I know a lot of guys who will work out in 90Âº+ heat with long sleeves on, my DH included. Afterall, this is the basic principle behind the Bedouins wearing long sleeves in the heat of the desert...

I've never been able to do it, personally, though.


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## AngieM2

This is incredibly good and you're so pretty in the garments.

Thank you for sharing. And I love watching the progress.


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## sidepasser

That is an incredibly beautiful piece of work. I love costumes and especially anything from 1860 - 1910. I did research on whalebone corsets when looking for mine for my steampunk costumes. It was interesting to find out how corsets were originally made. You do some lovely work!!


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## Wildfire_Jewel

I was educated by the Renn performers that the way the clothing was laced indicated how "rich" you were - if things required a second person to help you close up the garment, you had the money needed to hire a dresser. Most of the "lower class" persons had clothing that laced closed in the front which you could do for yourself.
Is this correct?


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## RebelDigger

Beautiful work! Just one thought, you might want to take in the yoke of the chemise a bit, it should be sitting right at the point of the shoulder and not so far down, it is letting the sleeves drop a bit low. When you get the dress on, that might cause an issue with the chemise sleeves binding in the dropped armscye of the dress. How do I know, let's just say I have been there and done that LOL.


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## Wildfire_Jewel

SvenskaFlicka said:


> Maura: Later corsets almost always do lace up with a criss-cross, you're right. However, corsets that lace criss-cross take forever to lace up if you have to start from scratch, like this one. Around the mid-1840's the opening corset busk was invented. It's a set of metal corset bones with a loop and stud closure system that closes the front of a corset tightly. Then you can lace the back of the corset criss-cross, which makes tightening it MUCH easier, but still be able to just loosen the laces like a shoe to get it on and off by unhooking the busk.


 
OHOHOH - I have one of these! It was (best guess) either my great grandmothers or great aunt (her daughter) It has to be an early 1900 as it is a commercial one (very faint name is printed on it) and it appears to be all be machine stitched. The quality is incredible and it is beautiful as well with all the pin tucks. I am planning on building a shadow box to display it and some fancy collars and buttons from the same time period.


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## SvenskaFlicka

Wildfire: I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see pictures of it! In fact, between me and Rebeldigger, I bet we could get you a pretty accurate guess on when it was made. 

Rebel Digger: Oh phooey, I just this evening finished sewing lace onto the yoke. Like half an hour ago. :teehee: We'll see how things go when I get my dress sewn and see if this chemise gets relegated to nightgown duty and a new one is made in a smaller size? It sits just fine though, _until_ I get the corset on. Then it's slippy slidey all over the place. Then again, I haven't had a single chemise yet that didn't do that-- to the point that I have A) wondered if all chemises did that back then, and B) considered making some spaghetti strap thing to wear instead. Am I missing some great secret to making chemises? My usual solution is to pull the chemise up properly once I get the dress on and count on friction to keep it where it's supposed to be. That worked on all of my dresses but the 1750's one, LOL. 

Hmmm... I bet if I pulled my chemise down more in the front it might pull the yoke up around the shoulders... Maybe.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl

Searched on "1830s working class women's dress" and came up with lots of interesting stuff, including this: http://www.connerprairie.org/learn-...merica-1800-1860/clothing-of-the-1830s.aspxi/ All the 19th century chemises I've seen had drawstrings to adjust the yoke.


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## SvenskaFlicka

I put a drawstring in the neckline of my 1840's chemise, but it still slips around.  

That is an interesting article, RedDirt Cowgirl-- though I do have to point out that, contrary to what that article says, women did wear bloomers or underdrawers in the 1830's-- they were just open in the crotch!


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## Wildfire_Jewel

SvenskaFlicka said:


> Wildfire: I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see pictures of it! In fact, between me and Rebeldigger, I bet we could get you a pretty accurate guess on when it was made.


 
I will have to dig it out and see if I can figure out how to post a photo. I'd love to have a better idea of when it was worn.
Thanks!


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## SvenskaFlicka

Lace is on the chemise, bloomers are done, and I made a bum roll!

The bum roll was stuffed with carded Suffolk wool, as I've heard that doesn't felt, and it really does a lot for supporting the corded petticoat and raising the waistline to where it is supposed to be. I am a fan. (Though it may be the weirdest thing I have made to date.)

Now, at least one more petticoat will be made, then on to the actual dress! Finally!

(P.S. If anyone has any really good ideas for keeping a bulletin board on the wall so it doesn't keep jumping off, I'm all ears.)

Pictures below:


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## AngieM2

It's beautiful.
Maybe velcro on the bboard and wall.

And while beautiful, I'm glad it's now a costume and not everyday wear.


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## digApony

Is that Pinch Pleating you have on the skirt? And I see you did it on the machine. I pinch pleat by hand and I am wondering how you did it on the machine and what type of foot you used if it is anything other than the regular foot.
I think the tutorial video on my Viking shows how to do pinch pleating by machine, but I am wondering if you could explain how you did it. Tutorials are not always easy to follow.  Thanks!
Beautiful dress by the way! Beautiful work! Good job!


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## SvenskaFlicka

No, it's just a basic ruffle/gather. I ran two running stitches by hand along the top of the skirt, then pulled the threads til the skirt fit the waistband. 

I do have a ruffler foot I love dearly for applied ruffles, though, and it makes beautiful even pleats!


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## SvenskaFlicka

Okay, I am _finally_ sewing together the dress itself! (My dear husband so graciously waited to leave for blacksmithing for an extra half an hour so I could have him help me fit the bodice.) I think someone told me that Past Patterns tend to run a bit small, but if anything, this one is a bit large! The front half of the bodice fit me perfectly, but we had to take in 3 inches per side on the back opening at the waist-- and I sewed the darts exactly the right size and used the pattern for exactly my corset measurements! 

I cut out the dress itself, though, as the front was just right and adjusting the back is easy, and it only took 4 yards to cut out the whole dress! (Including cutting out lots of bias tape.) This is amazing, considering the pattern called for 7. I was very happy, though, considering I bought only 5 yards by accident! I did have a smaller size, though, and was careful with cutting out the skirt. 
The original 1830's dress this pattern was drafted from was made from 24" wide cotton, so all of the skirt panels were 24". The reason they were originally cut the width of the fabric was to save work by just using the selvedge instead of having to finish all of the long skirt edges. So, I cut my fabric out to be the same width around, but my fabric was 45" wide, so I only needed two panels. 

I only have two pictures to show right now of the construction process. The first is of the sleeves, which have more fabric in them than the whole rest of the bodice, and the second is of my very first ever piped seam, in the back of the bodice. The pattern didn't call specifically for a piped seam there, but a lot of other dresses from the 1830's have piping there, and I thought it would be a nice touch.


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## Gretchen Ann

Can't wait to see the completed dress! Love the piping in the bodice and your choice of fabric.


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## ohiogoatgirl

Just found this thread and was wondering if there was an update


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## cc

Have you seen the http://historicalsewing.com/ website? She does clothing for almost any era you can imagine and gives hints, sewing recommendations and beautiful pictures of her costumes.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl

This is a great resource that didn't turn up for me snurfing the web - it's got everything! :goodjob:


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## SvenskaFlicka

I LOVE the Historical Sewing website! Her Facebook page has daily inspiration as well!
I haven't gotten any further with the dress. I still need to cut out a new bodice that is longer.


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## RebelDigger

The key to getting a chemise yoke to sit properly on the point of the shoulders is to tie a string around your shoulders sitting in the proper position then measure the string. Then, deduct an inch from that measurement. For example, my measurement with the string is 42" so I cut the actual yoke to be 41" plus seam allowances. This way, the yoke is just a bit snug so that when you pull down on the chemise to straighten it before tightening your corset laces, it snugs down on the very top of your upper arms. Keep in mind too, the chemise also works with the corset to keep the girls in place since mid century corsets are made to be level with the mid point of the bust. The chemise being snug in that area is what keeps the girls from popping up out of the corset in an uncomfortable manner, so it needs to be snug and stay in place on it's own.


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## Kasota

You are so talented! Simply lovely!!


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## SvenskaFlicka

UPDATE: I finally got some ambition to cut out a new bodice and redo the piping on the curved seam, so I'm back in business! Tonight I got the bodice fitted to the lining and basted on... then promptly discovered that I had sewn them right side of lining to wrong side of bodice, instead of wrong side to wrong side. So rather than taking everything apart, I am going to bind the seams with bias tape on the inside. It will take as long to fix it either way. :grumble:

So now I get to sew the side seams on the bodice layer, and the shoulder seams. I'll try to get some pics tomorrow when there is nice daylight. Next up: Piping on the neckline and armholes, and GINORMOUS sleeves!


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## SvenskaFlicka

My dress is all done! I'll post some pictures of the whole thing later, but for now, here are the shoes I made to go with it! 










And here is the blog post to go with it! "The Making of a Pair of 1830's Shoes".


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## DW

I read thru the whole blog on the shoes...I am impressed. I can't wait to see the dress.


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## AngieM2

I'm impresed again, that you made those shoes.

Can you tell a little bit about making them?


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## SvenskaFlicka

Would you mind terribly if I just copied and pasted the text about making the shoes from my blog? I kinda don't want to type it all again.


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## Molly Mckee

Good idea!


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## SvenskaFlicka

Okay, so here's the blog post I wrote about the process.  

You canât have a full historical costume without shoes, and quite frankly, 1830&#8242;s shoes are really darn hard to find. I looked high and low for some shoes that would work, but all the flats available right now are either pointy-toed or extremely expensive for a shoe that still isnât what Iâm looking for. So, last fall, I got some lightweight dark brown lambskin, since I couldnât find kid leather at my local Tandy Leather. It sat in my sewing room, with my fabric stash, for many months, because I just wasnât quite brave enough to cut into it, and didnât have a pattern.

Enter this wonderful little book:









Every Lady Her Own Shoemaker

âEvery Lady Her Own Shoemakerâ was written in 1856 by an anonymous lady, and details how to make your own shoes. It contains several different stylesâ high boots, gaiters, and low cloth shoes. None of them have heels, and all are made as âturn shoesâ, or shoes that are sewn together inside out and turned right side outâ rather like medieval shoes. I had made a couple of pairs of Viking Shoes before, so I thought, âHow hard can this be?â

The first step was to fit the pattern to my foot. Yes, the book has a variety of sizes of patterns, but none were exactly the right size for me.

The first attempt fit, kinda, but had a few issues. The sole was too narrow, and the upper had to be folded into pleats at the toe to fit.









Second Shoe Pattern Attempt

The second one, the upper was still just a bit too large (apparently a 1/4&#8243; seam allowance is given in the patterns in the book), but the sole was the right side, and there was no need to gather in the toe. Yay! I had a workable pattern!

So it was on to cutting the lining!









The Lining is Cut Out

I cut the lining out of teal linen, and the interlining out of unbleached linen canvas. I treated them as one layer when sewing them together. So far, so good!









The Uppers Are Cut Out

I then cut the lambskin uppers out. The leather was a bit wrinkly and wavyâ so it was difficult to cut out nice pieces without being wasteful. But I did it!









Uppers Together

I then stitched the uppers together (with my sewing machine and a leather needle), and bound the top edges with a grosgrain ribbon. The book asks for galloon, but quite frankly, I donât know what that is. The dictionary describes it as a type of woven trim or edging, but isnât specific. I suppose grosgrain counts as a woven edge and trim? As a side note, you will need at least 1/2&#8243; grosgrain for this. 3/8&#8243; simply will not do. Also, if I had to do it over, I would definitely take the time to handstitch the grosgrain all around, as the machine stitching was messy, and it was difficult to keep all the layers corralled and lined up correctly. Donât make my mistakes!









Soles and Heel Stiffening Cut Out!

The next step was to cut out the sole. I used some lightweight veggie tanned leather, but it beats me what weight it was. My dear husband got it for me at Tandy while I was working on the uppers. (Then he came home and made me Swedish Pancakes for brunch! Best Saturday EVER!) Itâs sturdy enough it will work for my soles, but not so stiff it would be impossible to work with. These are not left or right specific soles. Lefts and rights were known by the time this book was written in the 1830&#8242;s, but because of the way lasts were made in the 1830&#8242;s, shoes were non-specific to left or right. However, because leather stretches, shoes would become left and right specific after they were worn. In addition, some shoes had lacing or other decoration on one side or another, they would of course be made symmetrically and thus be specific left-rights. Confused yet? Good.

After all that, I was ready to punch all the holes for sewing the soles to the uppers! But wait! My dear husband actually punch all those tiny little holes for me with my awl, because I was helping a friend of his to cut out a Viking tunic. Win-win. Basically, I wet each sole down, and scored a line where I wanted the holes punched on the flesh side of the leather, then Philip laid the soles on an old board punched all the holes for me! With a hammer! Yay! I also took a skiver to the edges of the heel stiffenings, so I wouldnât have ridges that might rub against my foot. That part wasnât called for in the book, but it was mentioned in another shoe tutorial I read, and seemed like a good idea.









Sewing the Sole to the Upper

The next step was to sew the soles to the uppers. Really, this was a lot bigger ordeal than I anticipated. It easily took me two hours per shoe, and I could only do one shoe at a time. I sew a lot. I had the right gloverâs needles with the sharp points that prick right through leather. I had pre-punched holes. It still took a lot of oomph and a lot of time. Oh, what I wouldnât do for my leather sewing machine to be in the same place as I am! (I can sew through kid, lamb, or buckskin with my regular sewing machine, but not through sole leather!)

I do have to say, thoughâ these little clips were just the thing for sewing leather. I was able to completely match up the shoe all around, at least once I had stitched the back with the heel stiffening, and make sure I didnât end up with a crooked shoe or anything weird like that. I couldnât use these clips in the back by the heel stiffener, but I treated that like a collar, and matched up the center, then sewed from the center out on both sides. Easy as pie.

This was also about the point I realized that my lining seemed to have grown, and was larger than the lamb! No fix for that nowâ onwards and upwards!


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## SvenskaFlicka

Itâs Together!

Now the next step, I donât have any pictures of. I just donât trust myself with Philipâs camera near water. His camera costs much more than my first car. Basically, you have to wet down the sole, and then turn the shoe right side out. Itâs important to get the leather wet, or it can crack as you turn it. So I took a sponge, and started to paint water on with my sponge until my hand inside the shoe was wet. Then it was turning time!









Hammering the Seam Flat

But wait! First, you should hammer the seam flat, all around, in the direction the seam will be folded when the shoe is turned. This is best done wet, and makes the shoe a lot more comfortable.









Itâs a Finished Shoe! âAlmost.

Here you see my first shoe, which later became my right shoe, all turned right side out. But it is not done yet! First, I had to repeat that whole sewing and turning process with the second sole. Then I fixed the grosgrain ribbon around the top edge, and sewed on two little ties at the little front slit. It looked weird just open, and didnât fit as well as with it closed. I also glued in an insole of the same teal linen with rubber cementâ such insoles are important according to the shoemaking book to prevent the sweat and oils of your foot from showing through to the outside of your sole!









Finished Shoes!

This picture was taken by my husband. Here we have my 1830&#8242;s shoes, next to my little Swedish girl and my husbandâs York Viking Chess Piece. Iâm really not sure why they were included, but it looks like they are considering conquering my shoes.

The little shoemaking book recommends blacking the edges of your soles with ink, which I may do. It would make a nicer appearance and not show the edges of the sole. However, I donât have any black ink right now, and Iâm a little worried about it bleeding and coming off on things in damp weather.

In conclusion, by the time I bought all the materials and book and spent 10 hours making a pair of shoes, I donât think I saved any money at all over, say, buying a pair of shoes from American Duchess. However, I still have enough material for aboutâ¦ 6 more pairs of shoes. At least. Especially if I make the uppers of different materials. (They can be made of silk and heavy canvas, or linen, or cotton, or all sorts of things, and sewn to a leather sole!) Also, I got to make them all by myself, all for myself, and being as I am, all about the process, I greatly enjoyed it.

You can find more pictures and info at my blog, here:The Making of a Pair of 1830's Shoes Apparently there are limits to the number of photos one can put in a single post here.


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## mrs whodunit

How fascinating... Thank for taking the time to share with us


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## Molly Mckee

Good job! It must be so satisfying, every time you look at them!


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## Kasota

Wow! What a great project!


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## Belldandy

I am in awe!


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## Maura

It&#8217;s hard to find shoes that fit me, so I must look for that book. Great job, by the way!


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## SvenskaFlicka

Here is the picture of the whole dress as it was worn the other night for the Danish performance at the Festival of Nations.


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## Ann-NWIowa

That turned out fantastic. You are so talented.


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## where I want to

Every bit of it is beautiful. And unbelievably complicated.


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## Pearl B

Svenska,

You have such an amazing talent!!!
Its exceptionally beautiful, as are all your work(s)!!! :bow:


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## housewife

Wow everything looks just amazing!!


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