Teeze and curl – all you need to know for faking 18th century style hair

Stacey Black, the writer of the blog Aestethic Contradiction, also the woman behind Eustratia (mentioned here) – just put up a very simple tutorial for making “Marie Antoinette inspired hair“. If you know how to teeze/backcomb and how to curl your hair – there’s nothing to it! Ofc long hair is recommended. And it would be super cool to have that hair color of hers – but for us who dare not bleach it for one or the other reason (bleaching my hair from black would kill it) – there’s always powder, right!? ;D Or why not buy a wig to style in this matter?

 

Stomacher – basicly done! (Photoooos!)

Well well well, I actually pull through sometimes! ;P These past days have been very productive indeed!
First – I promised you fail-pics of the first button I covered and I’m just gonna go ahead and get it over with. Don’t ask me how I did this or why, let’s just leave it at this, k?

I managed to find some old flat buttons from here and there that were roughly the same size:

And use this method I mentioned in a previous post, to make these li’l cuties (*proud button mommy*):

And then, I sew them on, and the trim aswell… ;D

In this photo, it’s not quite finished, but you get the idea. ;D The only thing I’ve got left to do with the ctual pet-en-l’air is finishing the back piece of the stomacher and finishing the trim at the bottom of it (still boooooooooooooooooooringgggg)! I’m actually staring to see an end to this! ^^;
I am sooo glad I chose to go with the buttons, Doesn’t it look awesome!? (I know some of the buttons look off center, but they’re not…)
So yeah, soon – pics of the finished outfit! ;D

Plus!

Have you seen the FREE 18th century patterns LACMA has published on the site? Among other patterns, you can find one for this waistcoat:

Man's waistcoat at LACMA

A little over representation of male garments maybe, but still! ;P

Starting a new piece

So, now I’ve got a serious case of pms-mood… I feel like sewing, but I’m sooo tired of pinning the trim, or emroidering buttons… Gotta start something new!
   I started looking trough my stuff and said to myself – why not start with the petticoat!? I’m gonna use this method, kindy described by Katherine (Thank you!).

I’m thinking I shouldn’t start with the one I’m actually gonna use for the pet-en-l’air. So I’m starting with a fabric I’m not too careful of, but still can use as an under petticoat or simple womans petticoat – like the old light green linen sheet I used for the lining of the pet-en-l’air. There’s still enough for a petticoat see. ;D
   Shouldn’t be too hard, right? ;P
   Totally making this one by machine btw! It’s just a kind of toille that I might wear later anyway so… ;P

Food

We went to visit Stjernsunds castle today (more later), and now I really feel like sewing! But I’m at Robbie’s parents’ and I didn’t bring my sewing bag, so I’m feeding myself stuff like this. ;D

Bum-bi-bum…

I confess – I am a period seamstress, in the meaning “woman who sews in periods”. XD The other day I entered a new sewing period, I might actually finish the actual jacket of the pet-en-l’air this week! I’m hemming and hemming and hemming right now, then there’s just the trimming! The stomacher might take some time…
   Anywhooo, the jacket looks a lot shorter than I anticipated, so now It looks quite a lot like my favourite pet-en-l’air:

Pet-en-l'air @ Manchester Art Gallery

When I started this project I wanted to use pocket hoops, so I started making a pair. My previous apprehension is now reality though; with the length it’s at now – it will not look very good with those big pocket hoops. So now I’m considering models for a bum/hip roll. I came across this some time ago, maybe a way to put that problem off a little… ;D

Oh, and we got a C on the thesis. ^^

Crochet craze!

I haven’t done chrochet since 4th grade, I made a pouch in black, purple, yellow and pink and since then I haven’t done any crochet at all! This christmas my sister Jennie gave me this book “Virka Amigurumi” (Crochet Amigurumi).

At first I had my doubts, would I be able to learn this fine complicated art again? But since I’m a total japanophile I had to give it a try… Turns out it actually isn’t very complicated at all and now I’m hooked! I’m not just making cute little japanese plushies – I’m making cupcakes and wrist warmers with all kinds of decorations. Now I see myself making simple lace, caps, shawls and fichus in the future!
   Today I went through Jane of all trades… to see what I had missed during my dark ages of ignorance. Remember that reference book Encyclopedia of Needlework, by Thérèse Dillmont? The online version…? (Which now contains tutorial videos on YouTube, btw…) Well Clare of  Jane of All Trades… found an online version of a book of the same character, namely Beeton’s Book of Needlework, by Isabella Beeton. And as far as I can see it’s even better than the Encyclopedia of Needlework!

I have tried to see what crochet work was made during the 18th century, I had a hard time finding anything and then I found this:

Both crochet and tatting are 19th century techniques. There are a few books around that talk about crochet and tatting dating back to the 15th century or earlier, but so far, those who have looked for or looked at the textiles in question either find that they’re nonexistent or are mislabled needle lace or knotting (which are not the same as tatting), or nalbinding (which can look a little like crochet but is really not the same thing). (http://www.marariley.net/knitting/knitting.htm)

Darn it… Oh well – I might cheat on that matter… ;P

Hat quest may soon be over!

I have come to peace with the thought that my tricorne may not be suitable for all 18th century occasions. This though, has resulted in a problem that has been haunting the back of the 18th-century-clothes-making-part of my mind ever since… How to get hold of more accurate hat without spending more than I can (need). – Wow, this has really become a quest for the cheapest way to make an as accurate as possible 18th century outfit, hehe ;P I’ll have to try and write down exactly how little I actually have spent on this project! =D The shoes cost no more than 50 SEK btw – about $5 I should think. ;D
   Anywhooo! My favourite fellow Swedish rococophile Madame Berg just put up a super awesome tutorial on how she made her hat out of round place mats! I am sooo going out right now to look for round place mats!

She allways make everything look so easy – and you don’t even have to make the crown as high as hers. I rather want something smaller and lower, I’m betting that’s even easier! =D

Report

Today I’ve finished and fitted the mock-up for the pet-en-l’air! And if I didn’t say so earlier, I’m using the pattern for a Robe à la Francaise  La Couturière Parisienne provides on their site – the measurements fits me perfectly, how lucky is that!?

Actually I basicly could start cutting the actual pieces right now – but my back and knees are hurting like hell from kneeling on the floor half the day… XD Some one please buy me a mansion with an atelier and a cutting table!!!

Ribbon flowers – it’s THAT easy!

Hehe, yeah – right now I’m kinda trying to work up energy to post pictures of my progress and stuff.
   I’ve been trying to figure out how to make nice fabric flowers and it just hit me that I could just google tutorials, hehe ;P Yeah, I am that slow sometimes! XD
   So I found at least two super great tutorials on making two different kinds of ribbon roses. The first one looks like the easiest to me:

The second one is great too though:

And the best thing with this second one is that I found tons of more tutorials from the same user – Di van Niekerk, on making ribbon embroidery and stuff! =D
   Now all I have to do is find some hand painted silk ribbon, or make it myself… *SIGH*