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Companion YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/66gM278eeHk
Holiday Barbie Complete YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSKRJ01xNNbn1mwIov4yDd6uR0Op1D-IH
Inspired by an historical or vintage-attired Holiday Barbie and creating the fashion in wearable size has become a tradition. This will be my fifth year and the Hallmark Special Edition Yuletide Romance Barbie is my inspiration. She wears a Victorian era costume in hues of green with gold accents. She carries a beautiful coordinating reticule for her precious things.
This past summer I had the fortunate experience to travel with my friend Amy and to shop from her personal fabric stash. The most beautiful fabrics came home with me including a green moire brocade and an emerald green silk velvet. There isn't enough of the velvet to sew the entire jacket or even the sleeves, but with some creative designing I will have enough for accents on the jacket and skirt and what I hope will be a beautiful coordinating reticule.
Most of my reticule patterns are of an average size which can, of course, be enlarged, but I've had a pattern from Vintage Pattern Lending Library for a 1912 Beaded Handbag. The pattern is available in downloadable format on Etsy. I'll supply a link.
It is pattern originally available in the Ladies Home Journal and is of a very generous size.
I had purchased my pattern several years ago and it was in paper format.
The Holiday Barbie jacket and skirt will be embellished with the silk velvet and a gold trim. After asking other costumers what kind of trim they might use it was unanimous that soutache would be perfect. An Etsy seller offered three shades of gold in a size that would work for this project and with the sale and free shipping I purchased all I would need.
The soutache arrives and I'm pleased with the color, the quality, and the curveability (is that really a word?).
And as I'm still in the planning stages of this project it is amazing when these beautiful gold and green tassels show up in a costumers' destash group. Victorians loved their trims and tassels and whatnots and the more the merrier!
Four pieces cut for the lining from the moire brocade.
Four pieces cut from the silk velvet and a lightweight sew-in interfacing basted at all edges.
Using an awl to create small holes, I transfer my pattern to the interfacing on each of the four velvet panels. I tried several different colors of marker to test which will be most visible on the dark velvet fabric.
With the soutache pattern transferred to the interfacing I baste through the interfacing and velvet using a white thread. This gives me a very clear mark to follow when applying the soutache, can be removed if necessary, and holds the layers together while applying the soutache.
Time for the soutache. After a few trials I found a method that worked for me. The first step is to bring the needle from the back to the front along the basted line and through the center of the soutache.
I took a very small stitch forward in the center of the soutache and then back through the pattern line through the velvet.
Then a longer stitch is taken at the back of the velvet and up through the velvet and pattern line.
Now the thread can be pulled through the stitch in the soutache and the velvet bringing the soutache close to the velvet but not so tight as to crush the nap.
Then I repeat by bringing the needle up through the center of the soutache at the point where the needle and thread come through the velvet.
To follow a tighter curve I would gently preform the soutache following the pattern line and pin the soutache in place while I stitched the soutache to the velvet at the pattern line.
It took some time to hand sew the soutache being mindful of the velvet nap, but I'm pleased with my attempt at this kind of embellishment.
The four velvet panels are sewn right sides together along the side and lower edges leaving openings as indicated on the pattern in all four seams for the drawstrings.
The stitching line for the drawstring casing is marked on the right side of each lining panel.
Then the lining panels are sewn right sides together along the side and lower edges leaving an opening in one lower edge to turn the finished reticule right side out.
Now the sewn lining and velvet panels can be positioned right sides together and the four points sewn at the upper edge. I sewed from the peak to within 1/2" of each seam at the lowest point to allow for any minor adjustment after turning inside out.
The seam allowances at the peaks are trimmed to allow for a more precise point and then the velvet layer pulled through the opening in the lining.
The opening in the lining can now be sewn closed and the lining placed inside the retucule.
The upper edge receives final adjustments, is pinned, and slipstitched closed.
The velvet and lining are smoothed together and pinned at the drawstring casing stitch lines and machine stitched completely around the reticule.
The tassels are sewn to each of the four corners with two tassels sewn to create a longer center tassel.
I was hoping to use a 6 mm twist cord for the drawstrings but the color appeared more brown than gold. My other option was a gold chain. The color and shine contrasted beautifully with the velvet and soutache.
Since this is a four-sided reticule with four seams, I've decided to thread the chain through the opening so that it will be inside the casing on the front and back panels, but will lay on the velvet on both sides. One chain is threaded from one direction completely around the reticule, and a second from the opposite direction. Each chain is then then attached to itself at the ends and when pulled gathers the reticule completely closed.
The Finished Velvet Victorian Reticule
The velvet color is so luscious and photographs don't really show how elegant this reticule truly is. So here are photographs (and video if you watch the companion video) in different lighting both indoors and outdoors.
Thank you for sharing the reticule creation with me!
Love,
Jeanette
Historical Sew Monthly 2024
The Challenge: September: New Stitch in Town: Make something that uses a new-to-you stitch! It could be pad-stitching a waistcoat, using a mantua-maker's seam on a gown, trying a new knitting/crochet stitch pattern, experimenting with your first embroidery... Challenge yourself and learn something new!
What the item is: Victorian Era Reticule
How it fits the Challenge: Soutache was a popular embellishment in the Victorian period and because of the nap of the velvet, hand stitching was necessary and a technique that I had to teach myself to create this piece.
Material: Silk velvet and brocade.
Pattern: Vintage Pattern Lending Library #14794 Beaded Handbag
Year: 1912 Pattern but appropriate for multiple decades of fashion use.
Notions: Soutache, interfacing, thread, tassels.
How historically accurate is it? The style spans many eras and the embellishment is period appropriate.
First worn: Sewn for a holiday costume currently being made.
Total cost: The fabric was gifted, the soutache a small portion of what was acquired for the coordinating suit, but the tassels and pattern were purchased. If all purchased I would estimate $75.
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