Flat silk floss in Sweden?

I’ve been thinking more organized thoughts about the decoration of my pet-en-l’air and I’m really curious about that fly fringe! The only problem is: Where the heck do I get hold of that flat silk floss stuff in Sweden – and what is it called in Swedish? The boutiques in town seem to have nothing like it… =( I’ve been searching the net – but it’s hard when you don’t know the Swedish name.) I wanted to try and avoid ordering from outside the country – but maybe I’ll have to…

I have stubmbled upon a floss that might be an alternative. You know fly fishing? Well they mostly bind their own flies and use a kind of floss for that. Via a Swedish site I found a floss called Danville Rayon Floss – you think I can use that? In that case I’ve also found the stuff on a Swedish auction site! =D Wait, as I’m writing this I’m finding more stuff – Pearsall’s silk floss – that seems to be used both for fly binding and embroidery, huh! (Apparently not in Sweden though, hehe…) Hmmm, maybe I can just go to a fishing store and see what they have… =D

War and peace

Just a quick note that SVT has done it again! Right now they’re airing Tolstoj’s War and peace in a 4 part miniseries, I’m watching it @ SVT Play though. It’s extremely silly, not even in a good way – but I want to see how it turns out! ^^ It starts in 1805, but I guess there’s a lot of costume drama fans out there, so…

(Wow, this blog turned out not just being about the project, hehe ^^;)

Related

On thursday me and Robbie celebrated 4 years together, we don’t make a very big deal of it, so we had nothing planned. ^^; We spent the day cleaning out some more of his grandmother’s stuff instead. By lunch all the tables in my parents-in-law’s house were filled with porcelain and glass! We were starved but no one had the strength to clean up the tables and cook food – so we went to Askersund to eat.
   After lunch we went to a café for some tea (love a cup of tea after a big meal!). The café Kristina took us to was called Café Tutingen and apparently at least the house has been around since 1784. It was so darn cute I didn’t know what to do with myself; they had furnished the place with second hand chairs and tables of 18th century style, probably newer versions and reproduced stuff – but it still was awesome! =D

Café Tutingen, Askersund, Anno 1784

On another matter I have spent this weekend sorting trough my favourites on my jewellry account on deviantART, they do collections now so I had to set up some. Of course I had to have an 18th century related category! It’s called 18th century in interest and it’s a pretty wide collection I guess, I’ve filled it with stuff I think people interested in 18th century fashion might like, hehe ^^; So go see if you’d like some inspiration!
   I’ve also set up a collection called NOMS – I think it’s safe to say that many of you, my fellow rococophiles, might like that one too – i’t filled with cake and pastry related stuff! ;D
   Oh, and this is just jewellry and other artisan stuff…

Started

Today I started the part project with the pocket hoops. As I’ve mentioned, I have a light brown cotton fabric I’m using for that – it’s a really horrible color, it looks like… the tummy flu or something, haha! XD But I didn’t choose, I just took what I had home and that’s what I had.
   This time I’m not making a pettern of my own actually, I’m using the pattern from Norah Waugh’s Corsets and Crinolines. The pattern is quite small and since I don’t have a ruler with inches marked, I had to convert every measurement to centimeters, that took quite some time, hehe…
   I’ve started sewing the pieces together, and yet I have not tired and resorted to my pretty new and shiny machine (who’s glaring at me with watery eyes from under my desk). Right now I’m reading for an exam on Swedish education history, so it’s a perfect pause in the reading to sew a new seam. It’s frustrating to know that I could be done much sooner if I wouldn’t have to read though!
   Well, hope to be back soon with pictures of my progress!

Nite nite!

Boning for pocket hoops, check!

Today I went on a scavanger hunt, for a fitting material for my pocket hoops. I went to the Swedish hardware store chain Clas Ohlson just to have a look around. Just when I got in I remembered that Adam, a fellow historical costume maker, tipped me about sewer cord (“rensband” in Swedish) – he had used it for stays before. It’s a spring steel tape and it’s commonly used to clear drains and sewers (haha, I know how it sounds… XD). I thought I’d look it up and when I saw it I just thought it was perfect! I had the feeling it would be a bit wide and stiffer and therefor not very suitable, but it looks great! And the very best thing was: it only cost me 39 SEK, which is like about 4.97 USD or 3.25 GBP, and that’s for 7.5 meters. Yays – pocket hoops next!

Nasone from Venice

My mother and my kid sister went to Venice a couple of weeks ago… I promised not to sulk and ABSOLUTELY RAGE OF JEALOUSY if they brought a nasone mask back home to me… And look what they brought me!!! *FAINT* <3<3<3

It matches my tricorne perfectly (as you might have noticed in the picture of me in the stays)! I was so happy! Isn’t it beautiful!? I can’t say I’m NOT still insanely jealous of them going to FRICKN VENICE! But I love them for knowing me and my taste so well (they had never seen the tricorne actually) and picking out this gorgeous piece of art and bringing it home to poor me! =D

FINISHED STAYS WORN – PHOTOS!

I know a lot of you have been waiting for this day, almost as long as I have, hehe ;P Today Robbie got 2 secs off WOW and helped me lace the stays – and I took measurements – and PICTURES!!! *Yay for me*
   First of all I want to show a few pics of the stays (and Sol) when not worn, just a tease:

And a detail:

Likie? Then I think you’ll like the following pictures of me wearing it!

Quickie…

… before I get in to the real business! ;P

Seen this?

 

It’s from a site I just discovered – The Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), they don’t have a lot of 18th century stuff, but it’s a nice site, go there! Here’s the 18th century stuff.

Findings

Just before christmas, my better half’s grandmother passed away – may she rest in peace. Nobody’s exactly been looking forward to taking care of her belongings, but a couple of weeks ago, they started looking through her linen cabinets, with table cloths and curtains stuff (a loooooot of stuff). And what the family didn’t want to keep, I was lucky to get a chance to look through. They’re all so kind, me and Robbie have “only” been together for 4 years, I’m not even related by blood in any way – and still they allways think of me if they have stuff they want to get rid of. =D
   Anyhow, I found some quite beautiful things! =) I found two smaller white embroidery table cloths – I thought they might do cute engageantes, some useable lenghts of lace – of which one length is perfect for the shifts and a few curtain tufts (4 brown and 2 bone white) that might make cute details for something somethime, hehe. ^^;

But I also found what has to have been a kind of mattress covering once, it’s a very soft and a little shiny cotton material in blue stripes with narrow yellow stripes in between:

My first thought was that it’d make a perfect mock-up fabric for my pet-en-l’air, but now I’m thinking it’s too cute for that… Now I’m thinking robe á la turque/cutaway gown of some kind. ;D Maybe…? But I need a mock up fabric and I really don’t feel like buying one. =/
   Oh right, Kristina (Robbie’s mom) knew I had been admiring a pair of her mother-in-law’s draperies, so she had asked all the other involved if they wanted them or if I could have them. The draperies aren’t exactly in-fashion right now, so nobody really wanted them and Kristina said I could have them! I was sooooo excited, cuz they’re really beautiful and could absolutely pass as an 18th century fabric (I think). Just look at it!!!

Yaaay!
I have more to blog, I’ll just take lunch now and bbl! ;D

Gazue?

So was gazue-type fabrics used for shifts? I’ve found pretty thin linen fabrics, but I still feel they’re too thick to wear under all that clothing in the summer. I’ve found a linen gazue – is that a good idea to use?
   Here’s a linen gazue recommended for different elements in clothing, from flounce to underskirts (from a site not related to anything 18th century):