Update on the folk costume page

 The page about my folk costume has now been updated with info about, and photos of, the new bodice, and some new photos of the older pieces.

A short visit to the 1830s

 My sister Lena (her blog, which is mainly about food) has decided that her husband's 45th birthday party should be a 19th century dinner party. Only people insane enough to want to make outfits were invited. And of course I was one of them.

We could go for any part of the 19th century, so I could have worn my 1810s ball gown, which I haven't worn to any event yet. But making something new is more fun, so I ended up making an 1830s evening gown.

The fabric is cotton, and a gift from my friend Amanda, who was clearing out her grandmother's stash. It is trimmed with new velvet ribbon, new satin ribbon, and vintage cream lace that I have bought at charity shops. 

In addition to the dress I made a new pair of 1830s stays, a new corded petticoat, a petticoat with a ruffle at the botoom, and some padding to wear over my hips and bum.

You can see some of them here: the petticoat, the pads and the stays, and me making a toile for the bodice.

The two big cheats in this project are that I used the sewing machine for all the construction of the dress, stays and and pads, with hand hemming, lacing holes, trimming  etc. and that instead of making arm crienolines to keep the puff sleeves out I went for the theatrical solution of stiff tulle inside.

The corded petticoat is, on the other hand, entirely hand sewn.

For the hair I also used modern methods: I put more hair gel in my hair than I have since the 1980s. The decoration is made from scraps from the dress and artificial flowers intended to put around a candle, also thrifted. I was shoprt on time with both the hair and getting dressed, because I accidentally played computer games too long, and had to really rush it to catch the tram. In all I had 40 minutes to do my hair an dget dressed and I think it turned out rather well. 

And that gel was firm .- this photo is taken on the way home, after a dinner party and some rather brisk walking outdoors for 1,5 kilometres to get to the tram home. 

Actually, all the photos are from after the party, this one is the only one I managed to take before running to the tram.

The petticoat is too long, I have already removed the waistband to make it shorter. It is made from a decorative bottom sheet with a valance that I got at a charity shiop, like so many of my things.

Small updates

 I have done some small updates to the page for my folk costume - added soem new garments and photos. It's here.

A white dress is very useful

A plain white muslin dress is very useful for c. 1800 costuming - you can wear it is as it is, and you can use many different accessories.

I already had a 1790s white muslin dress, but it has coral pink ribbon trim, and a train, which isn't always practical (well, it's never practical, but even less practical). I was much thinner then, but it still fits, thanks to the construction which is adaptable with drawstrings.

But I still wanted one that was just plain white, so I made a new one. I like hand sewing muslin too, it just feels nice.

With a new lace cap, from some broderie anglaise pieces of unclear intended use that I picked up at a thrift store, and a canezou, a kind of over blouse, that I made from striped linen curtains that I got from one of our neighbours.

With the little reversible bodice that I made for my ball gown.

And with a teal velvet bodice that I made two years ago, but never could decide on the closure. Which was just as well, as it is now so tight that a brooch is the best way to close it.

My folk costume

 I have made a new apron for my folk costume, and I have updated the page for it so much that it is virtually a whole new page. Now it also has lots of preserved garments which I could/will add to my costume eventually.

All I need now is an early 19th century ball

I finished this 1810s gown already in December, but then I "had" to make a silk petticoat to wear under it, and I wanted a matching spencer, which I finished ten days ago, and a turban, which I finished last week.

Then I was busy with my fantasy photo shoot, but yesterday Rickard and I got around to taking photos before he had to be at work at noon. The background is my living room, I hope to use this one at a ball some time, to get photos in a proper setting.

Anyway, I did make a page for it, where you will find more info and photos, it is here.

A checked muslin dress from the 1810s

The gown has been finished for a couple of weeks, and the chemisette for abotu a week, and today I had the energy to get dressed and take photos with my phone and a tripod outside a local manor house from the 1840s.
It was cold and overcast, with some drops of rain too, so the curls that I had worked on just disappeared. But I really like the photos. The house is an office now, but because of the pandemic there didn't seem to be anyone there, which of course is just as well when you're taking photos of yourself in funny clothes just outside their house.

Here is a page about it, with more photos and info, some inspiration fashion plates etc.

Ice skating Regency style

I've wanted to do this ever since I started making Regency clothes again two-three years ago. But Gothenburg doesn't have very cold winter so most ice rinks are indoors, and not very pretty or historical. And of course they are closed now due to the pandemic. Even the one outdoor rink is closed, which I think is rather silly.

Luckily we have a cold snap right now, around - 6 C, and for the first time I tried skating on the pond by the University. Since there are so many plants in it I thought the ice would be full of debris and very uneven, but it was actually rather good, some arts even enough to make som more advanced things on skates, like standing on one leg with the other one lifted. Not advanced for a real skater, but for someone who is over 50 and hasn't skated regularly since the early 1980s.

I did some skating last evening, since I had noticed people walking on the ice when I was out hunting Pokemon during the day and thus knew that it was thick enough to hold. I haven't done much skating on nature ice, so I am a little cautious.

Since these cold snaps usually don't last long, it's supposed to rain on Tuesday, I decided to make to best of it and asked hubby to accompany me to the pond and take photos. And I can't really choose, so you'll get lots of them. I'm wearing shift, stays, petticoat, chemisette and my checked cotton gown under the redingote. And of course a small line cap under the bonnet.

I had planned to wear a "nicer" dress, with long sleeves. But then I realized that it was only 2,4 metres wide at the hem, which is a bit narrow if you want to do some more vigorous skating ;) 

Which I did.

This is how happy I get from skating.

After the photos were taken I took off the bonnet and put on a knitted cap and changed the redingote for a knitted cardigan, giving me a  sort of 1910s look.

But now I have rather sore thigh muscles after skating two days in a row after not skating for a year. I hope there will be more cold days however, I want to skate MORE!

Costuming and sewing year in review

 Well, as we all know there weren't any costumed events after the beginning of March, except a few picnics, and online SCA events, but I did sew and make new costumes, and also plenty of clothing more for every day wear.
I am still recovering from exhaustion, and the first months of the year I mostly spent watching "Bones" or walking in the forest. Walking in the forest, and biking continued to be my favourite activites throughout the year. Since I am immunocompromised I can't go on public transport, so if I wanted to get somewhere it was on my bike or on my feet.

But, on to the costumes/clothing - there are five main categories this year:

*SCA period - medieval and 16th century

* Directorie and empire/Regency

* Fantasy costumes

* Dirndls

* Modern clothing, mostly from jersey

So, here we go:

SCA period

In April I started on my first medieval costume of the year: a green wool 12th century gown with embroidered trim in silk. It is all hand sewn, and has a hand sewn undergown from linen. It was finished in the beginning of June, but then it got too warm for me to consider a photoshoot. And hubby was working so we had to count that in too. So it wasn't photographed until early July. More photos and lots of information can be found here. The belt is from Svetlonoska weaving.

In June I re-made an 18 year old dress from c. 1300 to make it fit me better. You can read that story here.

In August I hand sewed a late 16th century kirtle from linsey-wolsey. Info here.

Directoire and empire/Regency

Between January and March I worked on a riding habit, mostly based on the one in Patterns of Fashion, you can read more about it here. There's even a video of me riding Casey. I really should have had a saddle, but I am just happy that I didn't fall off.

In November I hand sewed a new pair of regency stays from cotton and made a new linen shift, also by hand.

I also made a checked cotton dress, from thrifted fabric, a new cap, and a two new aprons. One from new grey cotton, one from the same thrifted curtains that I used for my late 18th century open robe. Like the rest of my Regency wardrobe everything is hand sewn.

Old caps in these three photos.

New cap, from a thrift store find of home made lace, and cotton fabric an old dress that used to belong to my best friend's daughter.

I also made a winter bonnet from an old plastic "straw" hat and some fabric remnants and thrifted trimmings.

In December I made a regency ball gown from sheer cotton with a silver thread woven in, trimmed wioth silver fringe and glass beads. I am now waiting for silk to arrive so that I can make a a sleeveless petticoat for it, I can't wear the same petticoat with everything.

Fantasy costumes

In March I made a 16th century corset, using my effigy corset pattern, and added lots of fabric leaves to it. I then dragged my husband to the forest to take some photos.
The skirt is bought.

In April I put fabric leaves, made by me, on my 16th century Venetian gown and made a peasant blouse for it from a cotton scarf from a thrift store and lace which I applied and sewed beads to.

Original:

Fantasy version:

I also made a capelet all covered in leaves and some flowers.

More photos and info here.

In September I made a 1930s bias cut gown, which I used for a set of fantasy photos. I had by then started making wire crowns, and wanted to make one for each of the elements. We made a really succesful photoshoot of me as a Water Elf by lake Vänern, more photos here.

I also made a Fire Elf costume in October, from an old sunbleached saree for the undergown and two brocade table cloths that I found at a thrift store, pluts some velvet remnants. The overgown is heavily influenced by the works of Mariano Fortuny, as you probably all can see. The crown is made by me.

We did a photo shoot with my air crown too in October, but I am not very happy with it and I didn't make any new clothes for it.

Dirndls

My dirndls, and dirndl-inspired dresses fall somewhere between costume and mundane clothing. They are neither modern, nor normal, but I do wear them for everyday wear.

I started with a green one in April, and then went sort of crazy.

That dress quickly became my standard hiking clothing throughout late spring, summer and early autumn. It has as apron, but I don't seem to have any photos of me wearing it.

The next one was made from unused cotton fabric from a thrift store. Here I tried Froschgoscherl (info here) as trim for the first time.

 

Both these are worn with a bra under, but for the next one I made the bodice supportive, with a few bones in front. Unlike the first one which was made with hook and eye tape and the second which has buttons this one is laced. It has Herzrüche around the neck, and the apron was actually made for the blue dress. It is an old sheet from a thrift store. This dress is otherwise made from new material, both cotton.

I re-made a courduroy skirt that I made last winter into a winter dirndl with a velvet bodice. Horrible photo, and I have curlers under that cap ;)

I made another more winter-y dirndl, from the same pattern as the light blue one, from a vintage cotton fabric in green with pink roses.

And finally, as you have seen: the christmas one, from christmas patterend quilting cotton sold at half prize in February this year. With real lacing rings, supportive with a few bones, and closed with hook and eye tape under the lacing. I wonder when I bought that hook and eye tape - it can't have been this millenium.

And it has TWO aprons, one from the old lining of my first medieval wool cloak from 1993, and one from cotton bought at another thrift store this summer. The trim is also from thrift stores, love vintage ribbons.

Modern clothing, mostly from jersey

As mentioned above I made a 1930s bias cut gown from viscose satin.

But mostly I made insanely colourful dresses, and a pair of tights and a hoodie.

I have actually made a few more, plus a jumper for Rickard, but I don't have any photos.

My projects for next years is more Regency, a late 16th century silk damask doublet, and 13th century Spanish. Plus continue to embroider on my silk cloak.