Condensed Collar
August 23rd, 2012
Last month, a young friend admired my crocheted lace collars, so I made one in her size.
Here it is, all pressed and ready to go. Only she did ask for a rainbow colored collar…which I haven’t quite figured out how to pull off. Any ideas?
Missing, Again
August 11th, 2012
Oh boy, I’ve done it again. Abandoned my poor blog in a fit of over commitment to the “real” world. So what’s my excuse this time? Don’t worry, I’ve got lots of them.
But for the moment at least, I shan’t bother you with messy details. Instead, here are some snapshots of my environs…
Scholarship Surfaces
July 25th, 2012
Remember that “shocking” finding at Innsbruck I wrote about last week that seemed to disprove everything anyone had ever believed about Medieval underwear? BBC History Magazine has posted a non-sensationalized article about it, complete with comments by the costume historian who is researching the finds. Well done! And well done Katy of “The Fashion Historian” for sharing it with the rest of us.
Here is a link to the new article.
I had plans to create another post featuring the second picture that’s been going around, explaining how this “string-bikini bottom” might very well be similar to garments described by 19th-century health manuals, to be worn by menstruating women, but that is well covered by Ms. Nutz, the textile historian quoted in the above article. So I will desist.
Kestos-esque: Version II
July 24th, 2012
Last night I finished sewing the straps onto my latest 1930s-style brassiere. It’s made from another reclaimed sheet, this one with a slightly looser, textured weave. I had just enough purple bias left to eke out binding and shoulder straps. And of course, it features the embroidered motifs I showed you last week.
This iteration includes a few modifications from the initial version. I shifted the triangle shape ever so slightly to eliminate wrinkling under the arms. That area does lay much more flatly now, however the pattern shift also removed some of the garment’s width around the bottom, changing where the shoulder strap attaches in back. It still fits, but barely. So I’ve made a third pattern with some of the width, but not the wrinkles, added back in.
Other changes include bringing the bust points slightly closer together (another factor which reduced the overall width) and eliminating the button tabs, simply sewing the buttons onto the bottom of each cup.
Version III coming up…
Over the Bridge
July 20th, 2012
Forgive the lack of sewing updates — I’ve been working, but nothing quite ready to show off yet — and my excuse this week is Bridge. In addition to my regular two games, I’m sitting in on a third this afternoon.
I only wish Ansel Adams (who took this marvelous photograph at a California recreation center in 1943) was going to be there today. Actually, I’ve heard that Adams was a frequent visitor to this area back in the 1930s, when he’d tramp around the dunes looking for things to shoot.
Looking more closely at the picture, I hope their bid wasn’t too high. They’ve only won 7 tricks, with two left to go. And the lady who has just led looks rather pleased with herself…
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