18th century Dress Diary- Getting Started

So I think I have found a purpose for this blog for now..
A dress diary for my latest project, the recreation of this 18th century outfit:
http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=5280886

The inspiration for creating it came from a Historical Costuming Website I joined called Your Wardrobe Unlocked (http://yourwardrobeunlockd.com/) which has a yearly contest to create something inspired by a particular time period in history. This year was the era of 1770-1789 or the Natural Form era of the Victorian period. As previously the website had sent out a link to the Christie's auction below, and I had fallen in love with the green jacket and lovely embroidered skirt, I decided this is what I wanted to do. Charles also has a partially completed British General's outfit from the Revolutionary period he wants me to complete, so it all works out to have my research for the year be the same era.

I decided to begin with the skirt, as this will take the most time with all the embroidery work, but the pattern is less complicated and not hard to learn (two rectangles pleated at the top with a waist band that wraps and ties).

First step the fabric:In looking at online research as well as some books on the subject (Janet Arnold's Pattern's of Fashion, Seventeenth and Eighteenth- Century Fashion in Detail, and 18th Century Embroidery Techniques) it seems that the skirt was most likely made up of an Indian Muslin which was all the rage for European women at the time. So I found my fabric here: http://www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk/Product.aspx/Cottons!4104W

This fabric is soft, airy and beautiful, but still a tight enough weave for embroidery work. Perfect! It will require a lining layer, and an under petticoat to not be see-through but that would be appropriate anyway.

Next the embroidery. Silk thread if I am to consider the time and silk jacket paired with it, seemed to be the right choice. After looking at a couple different choices I went with Eterna http://www.eternasilk.com/stranded.htm
I tried matching colors as best I could with only the zoomed image from the Christie's auction to guide me and ordered the following:They are shiny and soft and lovely to work with, only concern is that it may have been better to go with the twisted version as the stranded does tangle a bit if I am not careful with it.

In reading 18th Century Embroidery Techniques I found that for this skirt it was most likly done using a tabour stitching technique or a chain-stitch. With guidance from the book saying that one way to tell the difference is that chainstich would have more breaks as tabour is more a flowing style I decided this skirt is probably chainstitch based on the pattern. This is also easiest for me because I can do a chainstitch anywhere with just a hoop, easier to travel with.

So I moved on to starting my pattern by using a washable fabric marker, I laid out the pattern of the looping stitch along the hem to start with and choosing my darkest green thread.Here is where I am at so far.
Nice start, but a long way to go. I will try and update as I get the chance.

-Z