FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Librarian Lireal
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
My design is based on the character Lirael, from the novel Lireal by Garth Nix. Lirael is a young woman who has never quite fit in with the rest of her extensive family. Everyone else starts seeing pieces of the future in their teens, and Lirael still does not get these visions. When some of her family tries to help fill her time, Lirael asks for a job in the library. The library gives Lirael a place where she can belong and has a purpose.
The librarian uniform includes a silk waistcoat, backed in canvas for strength, and containing several pockets for useful items. The first waistcoat she gets is yellow, but when she gets promoted to 2nd assistant librarian, she gets a red waistcoat to go with. I looked at time periods where women’s waistcoats were popular, and the 1890’s jumped out at me. The novel is set in an alternative time and world, but the technology is around WWI. Since Lirael and her family are fairly isolated, it made sense to me that their outfits were a little old fashioned.
To go with the waistcoat, I added a skirt that was a little shorter, more bicycle skirt length for the adventures Lireal embarks on. To that, I added a shirtwaist for under the vest. I used multiple fashion plates and pictures from the time to draw inspiration on the details in the outfit.
Outline the construction…
I began with the waistcoat and skirt patterns in Keystone Jacket and Dress Cutters Guide, and for the blouse I modified the top in McCalls M7732 by removing the bow at the neck and by adding sleeves. I had made the skirt earlier in the year, but this was my first time drafting anything more complicated than a skirt. The instructions for the waistcoat were not the clearest, and it took a couple of mockups to get the fit right.
The skirt is a wool suiting lined with cotton broadcloth. The waistcoat is silk taffeta interlined with hair canvas and lined with cotton broadcloth. The shirt was a cotton shirting from my stash.
Overall, what I had the most trouble with were the tailoring techniques and how to best back the silk for the waistcoat. I used hair canvas and followed Thomas von Nordheim’s Vintage Couture Tailoring to help. The hair canvas was shaped by putting in the darts and then I used twill tape around the edge to secure it to the silk. I did bag line the cotton to the silk for the waistcoat since that was the method I was more familiar with, and I was running out of time to finish the seams.
I also used multiple articles on Foundations Revealed, especially the welt pocket instructions and hand buttonhole articles. These were the first hand buttonholes I have done, and I do now prefer to hand sew buttonholes.
Cute outfit. I long for an 1890s vest too!
Oh that is so perfect!! I totally see Lireal in that!
Love the colors ! And the details look very neat, good job♡
It looks so proper and the lines are so clean! I love it!
I like the shape of your sleeves, and the whole outfit seems like a well thought out interpretation of your character. Such a cheery outfit!