New Horizons
April 8th, 2012
I’m back.
We’ve been in our cottage, pictured below, for a little more than a month now. And though we’re far from settled (the floor is still being laid in the bedroom and I haven’t found the can opener yet), I feel it is time to take up the threads of my life again.
If this is not your first time here, you’ve probably noticed that the site has a new “theme,” as it were. I admit to borrowing shamelessly from Mucha and Beardsley, but you know they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Why go nouveau? It’s always been an appealing aesthetic, and now that I find myself living in an early 20th century bungalow it’s also rather appropriate. And I can’t think of a better way to express my expanding eras. Besides, who doesn’t love peacocks?
Those horizons I mentioned in the post title are broad indeed. Physically, on the California coastline, and metaphorically, as I ponder what I should do with the rest of my life.
More soon.
An Update of Sorts
March 18th, 2012
I’m alive! Very much so in fact. But also very busy, finally moving into our new home. If you’re curious, visit Bungalowing on Tumblr for daily pictures of our progress.
Yes, I have been hammering in a ballgown. Why not?
Among other changes in my life, I am also broadening my horizons beyond the 1850s. Those of you who pay attention to your address bar may have noticed that this blog is now located at evaulz.com/circa. The “theme” of the site will very soon be updated to match my burgeoning aesthetic as well.
More soon!
Embroidery Machine
December 17th, 2011
If you’re wondering why it’s been (gasp) more than two whole weeks since my last update, it’s because I am preparing to move 3,000 miles across the country. I’ve been packing madly, and growing more and more astonished at how much stuff we managed to store in our little Greenwich Village garret. Here’s one of the treasures I uncovered.
It came in a cardboard box that promptly disintegrated as soon as I opened it. The instructions were crumpled up, in nearly as poor shape. There was no way to save the box, alas, so I made the instructions my priority.
The paper was torn into three pieces, each one folded up like an accordion. And it was VERY dry. Lacking proper humidification tools, I broke out the steam iron and got to work, gently puffing steam at the paper until it relaxed enough to lay flat.
After a week or so resting between sheets of acid free paper under a heavy book, I was able to piece it together well enough to take this picture (edited a bit to take out the worst of the rips and flaws).
The embroidery machine belonged to one of my forebearers. I wonder what she made with it. I wonder what I’ll make with it…
Pumpkin Scones
November 28th, 2011
Remember that leftover pumpkin from my Thanksgiving pie? I mixed it into a batch of scones this morning.
Here they are, ready for the oven, brushed with milk and sprinkled with demerara sugar. I also threw in some golden raisins and traditional pumpkin pie spices. The scent wafting through my apartment as they baked was maddeningly delicious. With plenty of spice already in the scones, I’d probably serve these with a strong, straightforward tea — something smoky, perhaps Irish, with a drop of cream.
Grecian Pattern Collar
November 27th, 2011
I’ve finished another one. Also from Cornelia Mee’s 1846, this is the “Grecian Pattern” collar. This is definitely better looking overall than the last — though I think I might like the first collar a tiny bit better if it were executed sans edging.
I love the way the front corners are worked on the diagonal. They look so “finished!” I redid this collar three times, and still didn’t get some of the details quite right. The directions aren’t terribly clear, and sometimes have to be tried out a few different ways. And the number of stitches NEVER comes out correctly. I begin to think it’s going to be trickier than I realized to translate these patterns for modern use.
In the meantime, I am having a blast working through the originals, if only to see what they look like! I’m already well into the third collar pattern, imitating point lace. Each is a surprise, and I am in awe of the clever methods of forming the corners — which are, after all, the focal points of the collar once it’s sewn onto your dress.
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