FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Handsewn Shift
(click images to to enlarge)
Other Credits
Model was self, photographer was Mom
Outline the story …
Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey was my inspiration for this year’s theme for “Once Upon A Time…”. Lackey’s Elemental Masters series is a retelling of fairy tales set in Early 20th Century England--but with a twist. There is magic in the air (and the water, the fire, and the earth). At 20, barely trained Earth Master Suzanne Whitestone has been raised by the servants in her Yorkshire home, when her reclusive Earth Master father turned Necromancer decides to sacrifice Suzanne to bring his dead wife back to him. Susanne is plucked from her life as an unpaid servant and expected to learn how to dress as a young country debutante should. I thought that, in creating Susanne’s new clothing, I should start from the inside out, starting with her shift (far finer than she has worn before). The next step will be the stays--an article she absolutely detests.
Outline the construction…
The materials I used for this project were a cotton/polyester blend fabric and white polyester thread from Guterman. I used a size 10 Sharp needle from Dritz, beeswax also from Dritz (I think), and a blue plastic/rubber type thimble. One of my main challenges with this project is that I had never hand sewn anything this large before. I had hand sewn a silk dress for a child before (I forgot to pre-shrink the silk before cutting it), but nothing this big or time consuming. Since I sew for a living, I had to work this project around everything else I was sewing last year and this year, as well, since it took me all of 2020 and all of January 2021 to finish the shift.I think the resources that helped me the most were the “how to hand sew” videos that Bernadette Banner put out on YouTube. I could constantly go back to check my technique against what she was saying and doing, though as a lefty I was always doing it backwards. The Burnley and Trowbridge “how to” videos helped, as well.
Well done!
Nicely done on the underarm gussets! That is a lot of time and effort… I have made a two bunad shirts with underarm gussets and one Viking style shift for a neighbor’s Halloween costume and I think they are challenging. Mine were all done on a machine and the last I did do French seams… so I have some idea of the work you put into this. And truly, I am applauding you! I dream of handsewing a shift, and it has not happened yet, so kudos to you…and inspiring for me.
Thank you for the compliments, and I’m glad I could inspire you.
Great neckline with the cute ribbon ties! Your gussets turned out lovely
I like the neckline! The shape is really nice and I love that it’s adjustable with a pretty ribbon.
I’ve been practicing a bit of handsewing with Bernadette’s videos as well. It takes quite a lot of time and perseverance to do a big piece like this. Kudos to you for sticking with it and doing a great job!
Very nice work, also love the inspiration behind your work
Well done. Gussets can be a pain, but you did very well. That series is lovely, and one of my favourites.
Nice work and you definitely put a lot of love and attention into this garment 🙂
Wow, you really stepped it up! That is also a perfect length of sleeve.
Good job hand sewing the whole thing! 👏 It looks great