I mean, sure, I did all of the other stitching by machine, but these eyelets turned out really nice and I'm really happy with the overall effect. Also, the stays fit perfectly! Wahoo!
Without further ado, pictures!
Center front eyelets. Note how they are offset by one inch except for the two at the very top and very bottom. These are laced the same way in front and back. One ribbon starts at the bottom and travels up in a spiral, rather than starting with the middle of the lace at the bottom and crossing the two over each other like a shoelace.
Back eyelets, same spiral layout. Go ahead, click on the pictures and look at them really close up. I'm damn proud of these eyelets.
Note that when these are laced up, the edges won't actually be right up against each other like this. There will be a gap of maybe 1-2" in the back. The front will wind up more pointed, with the edges forming a "v" rather than lining up to each other. Once I get the lacing in the back so that it's comfortable, I'll just tie it in place and leave it in, and get the stays on by doing up the front lace myself.
Here are the shoulder strap and bust peak eyelets. A shorter ribbon connects these two.
Now I have a question to pose to my esteemed readers. The question is regarding what color the lacing ribbon should be. I have seen period and reproduction examples of contrasting ribbons in quite bright colors, as well as plain white or off-white tapes or ribbons. The reason I am asking is that it is likely that the stays will be seen, if we do in fact go ahead with a "Dressing Abigail Adams" presentation. There is the argument to be made that sometimes what is most authentic does not actually register as such to the modern eye, so my ideal would be
I have a grosgrain ribbon in a perfect matching green, but currently not enough of it to lace the whole thing (and my local JoAnn doesn't seem to carry this particular ribbon in this shade). Here are a few rows of lacing with the green:
I quite like this, although I do think something with more contrast would help visually distinguish it from the stays, and make it easier for people to see the spiral lacing But it's moot because I don't have enough of it :-(
This is what I'm calling the "homespun" ribbon that I was so excited about, with the little green accents, but...meh, it just doesn't have the same impact I thought it would have.
Like, right up close you can see that it has some texture and the little green ribbon accents, but from far away...all I see is shoelaces!! I'm really disappointed. Guys, am I wrong???
Here's what I mean about contrast. The ribbon is distinct from the stays and you can really clearly see how spiral lacing is different from cross lacing. Eamon says this is the wrong shade of purple (it's a bit darker and more vivid than how it looks in the picture). He says it takes it into "Renaissance faire" territory. I get what he's saying. There are period examples with color combinations like this! But okay, yeah, maybe Abigail wouldn't be quite so flashy. Ideally, I'd like to find something complementary but not in-your-face. Something more muted, but still elegant, like a lighter purple, or kind of a stone blue?? JoAnn's selection is just really not that great.
Side note: that long metal thing is a great little tool called a "bodkin." It's kind of like an oversized needle - it has an "eye" that you can thread with the ribbon, and the end is just a little ball that pokes through the eyelets. These eyelets turned out a tad smaller than intended, and this little tool gets through them just fine.
And then there's this. Plain off-white cord. I would need to figure out some way to keep the ends from fraying, but it's certainly a period-appropriate choice. It just...it lacks oomph. The stays are such a nice brocade I want to do something that has a little pizzazz.
Anyway, here's a little Eyelet 101. There's a tool that inserts grommets with what is essentially a hole-puncher for fabric, but that tears the fibers and creates a weak point in the weave. Instead, you use an awl to gently open a hole between the fibers, stretching them apart. This maintains the integrity of the fabric, keeping it stronger. Then you do a first pass of regular stitches with a needle and embroidery thread to start opening up the hole.
I highly doubt that I'm the first to discover this, but I figured out a neat trick that kind of reinforces the edge of the hole while doing the first pass of stitches. If you keep the "tail" of the embroidery thread an inch or two long, you can hold it off to the left and catch it in the stitches as you go.
This is the first pass completed, and you can see how I've gone all the way around the hole enclosing the "tail" in each stitch. After this, you poke through the hole again with the awl to stretch it out and set the stitches. Then you do a buttonhole stitch all the way around by wrapping the needle with the long thread before pulling it taut.
I did make a few other accessories today, so that's some more to-dos off the list. These are structural as well as practical, and I needed them to be done before I could really dive in to making the dress.
This is a hip pad, which is a pretty self-explanatory name. It looks just a throw pillow for your bum that helps flare out the skirt and give it shape (it creates a less exaggerated silhouette than hoops and paniers). Sometimes it would be just sort of a crescent shape, but I actually like that this one has sections so that the padding doesn't shift around too much. The pattern (which came as part of the dress pattern) didn't call for any embellishment, but I was pretty sure I remembered having this length of narrow lace in my stash, and it turned out to be exactly the right amount. To within eighths of an inch! I had to pin it several times to get it matched up just so. It adds a lot, I think.
Big honkin' pocket, right?? It wasn't until last century that pockets became incorporated into pants and dresses and skirts for women. It used to be a separate piece that tied around the waist, and was accessed through pocket slits in the petticoat(s) and skirt of the dress. For modern day re-enactors, it's a great place to stash anachronistic items like cell phones and keys!
It is truly taking a village to get this ensemble together. Next post will be all of the wonderful things that folks have made, loaned, or given to me to help me save the time!
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