Powder Blue Parasol, Part 1

I've been embroidering again. This design is for the parasol I mocked up in this earlier post. One of two, actually, since I'm going to do two versions of this parasol.

Oh right: that's what the umbrellas are all about. The frames are pretty darn good for converting into Edwardian-era parasols.

This design actually has a cutwork component, but I've enlarged it so much that I don't trust the cutwork area (the wedge shapes) to be stable.

Here are all the panels, stacked up and ready to sew...but that'll have to wait for later.

I'm following the philosophy of: if you can find  half hour to do a little sewing (or blogging!) DO.

So, about those umbrellas....

Getting back to those umbrellas: here's one. It's flat, black, boring and very umbrella-like.

"Rainkist" branded umbrella. Sold to me as a
"Leighton Fashion Stick" No idea if they're
the same, but it doesn't matter, the umbrella
I got had these essential features:
manual open, a wooden stick and handle,
and sew-able rib tips. The slider is still
plastic, but I can live with that.

The ribs on this umbrella are quite long, and have some room to flex. So, after a little manipulation of the original canopy, we have this:

Same umbrella, after manipulating the canopy with some pins.

Here's what the result after drawing a new pattern and mocking it up:

Mock-up of the redrafted canopy.

Are we looking more Edwardian-ish yet?

New Hat Pins

I've added some new hat pins in my etsy shop, and relisted a bunch. I have a large batch that still needs photographing, including a handful that lean decidedly more steampunk-ish. I have no idea when I'll get around to listing those...hopefully soon.

Here are the ones that went online today. The ones that are made from antique buttons look marvelously close to originals.

Rhinestone Snowflake, 12"

Yellow Pearls and Sparkles, 12"

Aurora Borealis Rhinestones, 12"

Autumn in the Vineyard Pair, 10"

Autumn in the Vineyard, Large Medallion, 12"

Here are a couple more that I haven't listed, because I'm keeping them (for now).

Large green dome.

Small green dome.

Art Nouveau pair.

Large Art Nouveau Medallion

Why does she have so many umbrellas?

I'm almost back! As you can see from the gaps in my posts, I have to take long hiatuses every so often. It's painful to be away from costuming so long, but at least it's temporary.

I'm not quite free to come back yet, but I had a delivery yesterday so I thought I'd post a preview of what's coming up.





Yup, that's over a dozen umbrellas. More to come soon.

Cutwork and Soutache Bodice, circa ? (date this bodice!) Part 2

Ok, now it's time to help me date this bodice!

My first inclination is that it's from the 1870s. I'm looking at the shoulders, primarily: the sleeve heads are very fitted, and have no hint of puff that makes me think of the 1880s. But is it meant to sit over a bustle? Here are some comparison shots. Tell me what you think.

Mid-1870s bustle.

Over a mid-1870s bustle, side view.

Over a mid-1870s bustle, front view.

Over a mid-1870s bustle, back view.

My conclusion: this bustle really shows off the tail, but the bodice bunches up at the front waist.

Small back pad.

Over a small pad, side view.

Over a small pad, front view.

Over a small pad, back view.

My conclusion: the back waist is starting to creep away from the mannequin's back. That will probably be mostly fixed when I've relined the whole thing. The front still bunches a bit at the waist.

No padding.

No padding, side view.

No padding, front view.

No padding, back view.

My conclusion: the back waist really stands away from the mannequin now (though I really think that will be fixed when the whole thing is lined). The front waist hangs naturally and with little wrinkling, while the tail has acquired a fold on each side.

The final word: I think I'm going to have to repair the lining before I can really get an idea how this bodice is supposed to sit. The mesh that makes up the exterior stretches, even though it's so heavily covered. In the meantime, though, all you Victorian mavens out there, drop me comment and tell me what you think!

Cutwork and Soutache Bodice, circa ? (date this bodice!) Part 1

Before I dive in, first a personal note: those of you who stop by regularly (hi mom) may have noticed the looong periods of silence. I'm afraid I go through bouts of the-rest-of-my-life-taking-over, during which no costuming happens. I know you know what it's like, and thank you for coming back whenever I manage to find something to post about. :)

Tonight I'm taking a break from rest-of-life because I just acquired something AMAZING.

This is a vintage bodice that I bought earlier this week from Via's Vintage in Minneapolis, from her etsy shop (Kellie, the shop owner, is super nice!) I usually stay away from vintage garments that are this old, mostly because I want garments I want to be able to wear, and I worry about 100+-year-old clothes being too fragile. The other reason I stay away, is that I'm simply NOT shaped like a Victorian, and vintage garments from that time from just won't fit me.

This one, however, DOES. In fact, it's even a tad large.

This bodice is composed of a great deal of soutache and cutwork silk applique on mesh (probably cotton), lined with silk.

The exterior is in remarkably good shape.The silk cutwork is shattering in some spots, and bits of the soutache are coming off here and there, but all of the work is almost entirely intact. The lining is another story, and I'll explore the interior in another post.

The sleeves are a little extra long, and end in these wonderful peaked cuffs that extend over the back of the hand.

This is the fun part. The bodice has a long tail, also covered in cutwork and soutache. It was probably also lined once, but as you can see the lining stops short of the waist.

In this batch of photos I have the bodice on over a mid 1870s bustle and an unfinished petticoat I had laying around (yes, I have a lot of random, unfinished bits laying around). In the next post I'll show you what it looks like over other shapes, and I will solicit your opinion on the probable date of this bodice. In the meantime, here are a bunch of gratuitous close ups!

Back.

Side front of the bodice, featuring what looks
like tatted knotwork, but is really a couched
boullion type of thing (I'll have to look it up)

Side of the collar, which features a patch
decorated with chain stitch embroidery. There's a
matching patch on the other side.

Back of the collar.

Outer sleeve.

Close up of the upper sleeve. Both sleeves are
frayed the same way, and I think this spot is
where the soutache joined.

Back waistline, with more of the couched "bullion."

The unlined tail.

Yet Another Cockade Tutorial (Part 2)

In this post I'm going to show you a few things you can do with the technique you learned in Part 1 of this series. These photos are imperfectly categorized, but as you read along you should get the idea.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas so that you can go and make your own unique cockades!

1. Tail variations.

In Part 1 I chose to tuck the tails of the ribbon into a loop so that they don't show. Here are a few cockades where I left the tails dangling out.

Two cockades with their tails left out. Both ribbons are
1 inch wide, and the loops are 2 inches long.

Closer view. I like the tails to separate, and they tend to
want to stay stacked on top of each other (which is
another look worth trying).

This one has the tails left out and every third loop is extra
long. 1 inch wide ribbon with 2 inch long loops.

2. Ribbon width variation.

In this variation I've used a wider ribbon, but the length of the loops are the same: two times the ribbon width. A wider ribbon, of course, results in a larger cockade.

An unfinished cockade made from 1 and 1/2 inch wide
ribbon, with loops 2 times the ribbon width. This is a very
large cockade, measuring almost 6.5" across. The cockade
from the Part 1 tutorial is pictured for comparison.

3. Loop length variation.

In this variation I changed the loop length to one times the ribbon width. With the one inch ribbon, this made a wonderfully springy little cockade.

The loops on this cockade are 1 times the ribbon width (so,
1 inch here). It's finished with two brass beads stacked on
top of each other.

This one looks great from the back, and would have worked
equally well with the back as the front.

4. Stacking variations.

I made another cockade with a one inch ribbon, with two inch loops, but instead of attaching it to the felt, I stitched the loops to each other.

Don't cut the thread after making the loops. Instead of
stitching the loops directly to the felt, after pinning them
to each other (Step 5 in Part 1) stitch the loops to each other.

I made another cockade from a much wider ribbon (two and a quarter inches wide).

This cockade is made from a massive 2 and 1/4 inch wide
ribbon. The loops are 3 inches long (yeah, that's not really
a multiple of the ribbon width, but it worked for the look
I was after).

The back side of this one also looks really great.

I then stacked one on top of the other, and stitched the back sides of the top cockade to the bottom cockade.

I stitched the smaller cockade on top of the bigger one and
finished it with a brass button.

This one also has a lot of potential on the back side (sorry,
photo came out a bit dark).

Here are a couple where I added a ruffle instead of stacking multiple cockades.

The unfinished cockade here is a 1 and 5/8 inch ribbon with
1 inch loops (ok, I'm ignoring the proportions again). To the
back of it I've stitched a simple knife-pleated ruffle.

This cockade is made from 1 and 1/2 inch ribbon with
1 and 1/2 inch loops. The lower layer is loops cut and sewn
individually to the back, a total cheat to save ribbon.
I also attached the tails separately. It's finished with a
brass button.

And that covers all the cockades I've made in experimenting with this technique. There are a few other variations I want to try, so stay tuned for future pics.And please share any cockades that you've made! I love to see other people's creativity.