Napoleonic Bee Muff and Sewing Kit 'Housewife' - September 'Historicism' HSM Challenge

Double entry: Late 18th or early 19th century Napoloenic Bee silk muff and sewing kit 'housewife' - posted late but finished both in September! 

For September's 'Historicism' challenge I made a late 18th or early 19th century Napoleonic Bee muff and a 'housewife' (sewing kit) in a deep burgundy red with embroidered gold bees, finished with gold silk ribbon ties, out of leftover fabric from my earlier 'Bees, Bees, Bees' Napoleonic Bee Regency court robe:

Napoleonic Bee muff in deep burgundy red with
embroidered gold bees & gold silk ribbon ties

Napoleonic Bee silk sewing kit 'housewife'

            Historical Sew Monthly 
           SEPTEMBER challenge:

http://thedreamstress.com/the-historical-sew-monthly-2016/

The Challenge: Historicism – Make a historical garment that was itself inspired by the fashions of another historical period.

The bee has been around for centuries, and was used in decoration and fashion going all the way back to ancient Egypt. During the Regency era, Napoleon chose the bee as a symbol of royalty, his reign as emperor and of his power. But Napoleon himself borrowed this symbol from earlier use, inspired by the fashions of earlier historical periods. 

Material: Muff and 'housewife': Burgundy silk brocade embroidered with gold bees, mustard yellow silk taffeta (lining of bee muff and binding on 'housewife' sewing kit), gold yellow quilted silk (sewing kit), and sewing kit scraps: coutil, quilted silk, silk taffeta binding, silk taffeta pocket, and more.

Pattern: TheLadyDetalle muff pattern and TheLadyDetalle housewife pattern

Year: late 18th century to early 19th century

Notions: antique gold silk satin ribbon ties (muff) and gold silk ribbon ties (sewing kit)

How historically accurate is it? Very. Both items are 100% hand sewn, fabrics are period appropriate, and muff is an appropriate size, shape and material for the time. Sewing kit 'housewife' is period appropriate to ones from the late 18th century.

Hours to complete: Muff: a few hours to sew finished edges, binding and finish. 'Housewife' Sewing kit: a few hours to cut everything out and make binding then sew binding onto fashion and lining, then sew the needle holder, pin holder, thread holder, and pockets inside, probably 6-8 hours total.

First worn: Neither have been used yet, muff is planned for use this winter.

Total cost: Minimal. Remnants and leftover silk scraps used to put this together, other than the 100% white goose down muff pillow inside and the silk ribbon ties. Probably about $15 in material total plus the cost of the luxury high end down.

Finished Napoleonic Bee muff

Finished Napoleonic Bee Sewing Kit 'Housewife'

Sewing kit or 'housewife' FUN with kits - Embroidered Bees and More

Late 18th and early 19th century Sewing Kits or 'Housewives' were made for women or men to carry both sewing supplies (to fix on the go) and also to carry jewelry or money. Here is an example extant version from Winterthur.

Inspired by lovely extant examples and the great use of something like this for someone like me who loves to bring a small sewing bag with me for getting a bit of sewing done 'on the go,' I decided to make one of these last year.

I recently finished another Sewing Kit or 'Housewife' a la 18th/19th century, burgundy silk brocade with embroidered gold bees, trimmed with mustard and gold silk. I used leftovers from my recent court robe, made bias binding for the kit and then hand sewed it all together: it was a lot of fun! I can't wait to use this to store needles, pins, scissors, thread and more!

Embroidered Bees Silk 'Housewife' by TheLadyDetalle

Finished Insides of Sewing Kit

Finished Sewing Kit or 'Housewife' Example

Sample SEWING KIT 'Housewife' by TheLadyDetalle

Here's a link to the original Sewing Kit 'Housewife' I made last year. It was a fun and quick hand sewing project, and I use it ALL the time when I bring sewing with me, so I decided to make myself another one or two (*smile*).

Then I thought, 'hey, maybe others would be interested in a pattern for one." and "hey, I have some great fabrics on hand that I can make up some lovely and unique kits with", so I created 20 kits with pattern instructions so folks can sew their own 18th/19th century Sewing Kit 'Housewife'. I have to admit, I enjoyed cutting it all out, coordinating fabrics and colors, being creative and putting the kits together and making all the binding.

KITS for making up your own Sewing Kits and Pattern Instructions are available now on Etsy, as well as Sewing Kit 'Housewife' Pattern instructions on Etsy available as a digital download.

I hope you are inspired to make your own 18th/19th century sewing kit or have already made one!
Comment here to share your plans or questions.

Happy SEWING!