Death to My Mourning Bonnet
November 20th, 2011
A few years ago, I made a dress to wear to the faux 19th-century funerals that I host (does one host a funeral?) every year for the museum where I work. I spent weeks on the dress, crape-trimmed undersleeves, and crape-trimmed chemisette. But I didn’t think of making a bonnet until the night before the funeral. With no millinery supplies on hand, and just an hour or two until showtime, I scrounged around and made do.
Not bad, considering it’s made on a frame of…wait for it…two hanging file folders and packing tape.
It made crinkling sounds whenever I put it on, but no one ever discovered my secret. Unless I told them of course…which I did with great pride in my own ingenuity.
So tonight, realizing that I would never again run a faux funeral (yeah, yeah, never say never — but at least not for a while), I decided to kill my bonnet in a symbolic gesture. First I took off the ribbon though, which actually belongs to my Elvira Madigan dress (that’s what my husband calls it). Then I took up my sacrificial blade.
It was surprisingly satisfying to tear apart my work.
So, it is with a sombre, yet satisfied, heart that I bid adieu to my make-shift mourning bonnet.
R.I.P.
Stays, and Stays
October 27th, 2011
I think, fingers crossed, I’ve finally done it. I lost count long ago of how many iterations I’ve made of this pattern for stays (originally from Peterson’s, 1855). At least six. And here are the last two.
The one at the top fits perfectly — or comes very close to doing so. There are still some persistent wrinkles around the waist, but I think I’ve reduced them as much as I can with redrafting. The rest will be done with boning. It’s actually a rather dreadful pattern for stays. I’ve seen extent stays from the 1840s and from the 1860s that deal with the hip curve (raison des plis) in a much better way — either with a deep gore that wraps all the way around the side of the hip, or with a separate curved hip piece. Maybe this pattern was meant to be more like the deep side gore, circa 1840, but the picture and directions from Peterson’s led me back time and again to these smallish front slanting gores.
Now to make them in some nice fabric for a change!
Twill Tape!
October 26th, 2011
Am I strange to become so excited by a roll of twill tape? 72 whole yards?
Just think how much corset boning this will hold in! And it’s good for binding stays too, if you don’t care about strict period accuracy…
Crinoline!
September 1st, 2011
While I was stitching away on my petticoat seams tonight (they’re all done, and the hem — which is masquerading as the first tuck — is pinned in), I found this picture in the Met Museum’s collection database.
It’s dated 1840s, and boy is it a beauty! As I prepare to put my new cage crinoline together, I’m also eager to make a recreation cloth crinoline. Sadly, real crinoline — from the French word crin, a reference to the horsehair that provides its characteristic stiffness — is no longer available. But I am always on the hunt for a reasonable substitute.
Now at least I know what the finished product should look like.
It’s Here!
August 2nd, 2011
The mail on Monday brought a grand surprise — well, not exactly a surprise since I placed the order myself last Thursday. But that didn’t diminish the thrill with which I tore open the box!
Yes, it’s the Wooded Hamlet cage crinoline kit. I am terrified to assemble it, but also eager to get my hands on those deliciously slender watch-spring steels. They’ve really done an admirable job reproducing the materials — from the steel to the pocketed tapes to the tiny metal findings that hold it all together. I have an original early 1860s cage that I purchased on Ebay for a song a few years back (they had it listed as something else entirely) so have been able to make up close comparisons. That reminds me…I should bring my original cage home from where it’s stashed and take some detailed photos to share with you.
Until then, you’ll find me with the 9 inch pliers, assembling my new cage crinoline. Advice from anyone who has already done this very much appreciated! And to my dear friend who may get one too — do it! And we’ll assemble them together.
Last but not least, a hearty vote of thanks to mater and pater, who provided the funds for this extravagance on the occasion of my last birthday.
« Newer Posts — Older Posts »