Mad about millinery

Well, the school's started, even if it hardly felt like it in the first couple of weeks and we're slowly getting started with our projects for the beginning of the year. The Victorian dress project is at a stand still and may stay that way for a while, but that doesn't mean I haven been keeping busy. I finished my first wedding project, a lace bolero and alterations of a ready-to-wear gown and have been working on another commission as well. Here's what I've been doing now and then  to calm my nerves for a couple of weeks now:

I started my first wire frame hat project :). It's slightly influenced by the great hats of the Edwardian and late rococo eras, but not a reproduction of anything in particular. I couldn't bring myself to wait for an order of millinery wire to arrive from abroad, so I just made it out of regular wire, following instructions from millinery handbooks from early 20th century.

The frame is pretty basic, an oval crown with a round brim. I turned one side of the brim up and the other one down to add a bit of interest to the shape. The crown and the brim are made in one piece with three wires around the crown and another three for the brim.

Here's the crown covered in ivory tulle and the rest of it draped to give an idea of what the brim would look like covered. Since this picture was taken, I've already sewn the tulle in place a bit more neatly. I wanted this hat to have a kind of an etherial look and I think the tulle works quite nicely for that.

Here's a peek at the lace I'm planning to use to cover at least part of the brim. This was also the initial inspiration for the project as I was trying to think of ways to use this lace without it looking too bridal.

I'll also be trimming the hat with some wide black and ivory satin ribbon, a transparent ribbon (that's used to stiffen curtains and looks kind of like crinoline but isn't), black and white ostrich plumes and a bunch of white fabric roses. As this won't be a modest everyday-wear hat in any case, I'm going for an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of look with the trims.

Book worming

I started last week with a visit to the city library in hopes of finding some of the books that were recommended on a historical sewing blog. Either the American Dutchess or Historical Sewing, I'm not entirely sure, but they're both wonderful resources. Anyway, I toted home about 8 kilograms worth of costuming knowledge.

Ateljeepukujen eleganssia - A touch of Elegance: the Art of Couture Clothing by Tanja Rovio

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Costume in Detail by Nancy Bradfield

Costume in Detail is a wonderful source book with drawings of dresses from the period 1730-1930.

A Touch of Elegance details the history of couture dresses in Finland from mid-19th century to 1970s.

Fashion Trims by Louise Turner

This one was kind of a let down. Most of the techniques were something I already knew or could have figured out easily on my own.

Two books on hats: Muodikkaita päähineitä (Design & Make Fashion Hats) by Karen Henriksen

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Hattu - koriste ja tunnusmerkki (Hat, a decoration and a symbol, only available in Finnish) by Marja-Liisa Ripatti

Henriksen's book contains step by step instructions on how to make 14 kinds of hats. The styles didn't really capture my interest but the techniques will probably come in handy. It's kind of a shame the most interesting styles are only seen in pictures without instructions on how to achieve something similar.

The other hat book contains the history of hat making in Finland. I have to say I'm quite unimpressed with most of the styles pictured. If I do decide to pursue further aspirations in millinery, I'll probably turn to Lynn McMasters and other online sources instead of the library.

Underwear- Fashion in Detail by Eleri Lynn,

The Corset - A Cultural History by Valerie Steele

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The Basics of Corset Building by Linda Sparks

Lynn's book shows beautiful detail shots from the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum. My only problem with this one is that there's mostly only one photo per garment and most of the time I want to see more! The line drawings are quite helpful, though.

I haven't really read Steele's book yet but it seems to hold quite true to the title, a cultural history. Here pictured is a modern corset by Thierry Mugler.

Another picture from the same book. Most of the illustrations consist of period advertisements of corsets.

 

Sparks' book also holds true to the title. The instructions are clear and quite basic. I don't think I learned very much from reading through this one, but for someone who's never constructed a corset, it's probably a great help.

Over the last couple of days, I also discovered Original pre-1929 Historical Pattern Collection on Tumblr, which holds great many authentic patterns. Most of them don't have any instructions as those weren't needed in eras when everyone already knew how to construct a garment, but  most of them will still give a general idea of how to get started on a historical garment project.

Have any of you got any great literary aids or online sources to share?

Rosy shorts and some newly found treasures

Here are a couple of outfit pictures with one of my more recent sewing projects: a pair of pin-up inspired shorts.

Shirt: second hand
Shorts: yours truly
Tights: Transparenze, sold by Kisu Korsi & Stockmann
Shoes: Mekka/Tapas

I fell in love with this rose printed stretch cotton the minute I saw it. It was a little too sturdy for a skirt (to my liking) and a little too loud to my taste for a jacket and we'd just finished drafting our basic trouser block at school, so shorts it was. I love the high waisted styles of the 50s and the sailor flaps with two rows of buttons so this pair kind of designed itself. The fabric was quite costly at 26€/m, but I only needed about 60cm for these.

I wore this today for a day out visiting fabric stores to scout for potential materials for a bespoke piece, and to a second-hand store (Kontti). They were having a 50% off sale on all clothing items, but unfortunately, I couldn't find any that I liked. I never seem to do at that particular store. But I did have quite a bit of luck with other items:

The peacock feather fan with a wooden handle was a real bargain at 2€ :). Even if I were to strip it and use the feathers for other projects (which I won't!) it would've been worth at least 5 times that. It's even two sided with 46 eyes in total. The belt I bought mostly for the buckle. I really like the look of gun metal and jet, even if the belt itself is kind of an unflattering length on me. I might just re-use the buckle somewhere else.

The bag almost made me squeel aloud when I spotted it :). I used to have this bag in a bit larger size and it was my favourite for a really long time. I'd probably still use it if its handles hadn't broken from carrying too much stuff in it. It's made of wonderfully soft velvet with faux leather handles and decoration. One of the beads on the decoration has fallen off but I'll just pry one off my old bag and glue on it and it'll be good as new. I never had the heart to throw the old one away even though it's broken beyond repair...

I also found a nice old umbrella with a crooked handle for a couple of euros that I might strip of the fabric and use the frame to make myself another parasol later on. One of the fabric stores also still had a couple rolls of the cheap muslin that I've been using (it's kind of hard to find cotton for under 3€ here). So all in all, I had a really good day today :).

Rocogoth

I just realized I hadn't posted any pictures from the masquerade ball and our finished costumes. It was truly a  day and a night to remember, and I dearly hope that it will become an annual tradition in one way or another. Since other bloggers have covered the event earlier and better than I have, I don't think I'll babble on any longer. Here were Lady Caterina Auditore and Lord Melchioré Auditore from Monteriggioni:

The bodice is imitation dupion silk and organza for the sleeve ruffles, 100% polyester, that is, except for the red silk scraps that I used for decoration on the neckline and left hip. I flat-lined it with cotton muslin and wore it over my victorian ribbon underbust corset. The fit isn't quite rococo without the proper underpinnings, but with the budget restrictions I had, I went for the overall feel of the style rather than historical accuracy. There'll hopefully be time for that later. The skirt is supported by a tulle skirt and small hip pads that I made from muslin and pillow stuffing.

I added two rows of pleated satin ribbon trim and a chinese braid around the neckline, bodice hem and the sleeves. The two bunches of trim on the neckline and hip consisted of black coque feathers, bits of silk, some cut out lace and red seed beads. I wore my hair up in a 18th century poof style with real roses and 3 sets of 2 ostrich spads sewn together in the stems to give them a little more body. It's a shame I couldn't get the feathers fastened well enough to stop them from turning all over the place. And the thing about having 20 cm of hair poof between my head and the feathers, I didn't even notice they weren't the right way when we took these photos. The mask was also made by me, loosely following this tutorial and applied to the face using eye lash glue.

 My prince wore brown breeches with gold buttons, a white cotton shirt with huge sleeves, a black and gold brocade vest and a lacy neck ruffle. His mask was made using a cheap Spiderman mask ask a base and some creative painting and glueing of chinese braid, feathers and lace. These were close to being the first menswear pieces I've ever made and I'm quite proud of how he looked :). I used existing patterns which I altered to be more period accurate and for a better fit.

For more pictures from the event, visit Shadow Selves, Enchantment of Satin or Through the Looking Glass.


It was great getting to make something historically inspired again and I have to say I've got a pretty severe case of new gown fever at the moment... I've spent the past couple of days cleaning the apartment and reading through costuming blogs trying to do some research for a new project. Dozens upon dozens of posts later and I'm quite set on starting to make me a 1870s or 1880s bustle gown ensemble. I just listed the different pieces that I'd like to make for it and came up with a total of 10 :D. But before I get more in over my head, I think I'll start tomorrow with a trip to the library to get some literary references. After that, the first pieces will most likely be a lobster tail bustle and a mid-bust corset when I can afford to buy the materials for that.

What makes me giddy ^^

People usually don't share my enthusiasm over news on developing therapies or procedures that seek to extend the human life span far beyond natural, and I don't particularly excel at explaining why I find the idea of (near) eternal life so intriguing. Mostly it comes down to the fact that there is so much to see and figure out that I find it appalling that my time to experience it might be cut short at any time.

Like this little creature for example. Just an hour ago I didn't even know anything like it existed on the planet. He's a glaucus atlanticus and look at him! Totally looks like a real life pokémon :). And it's called a blue dragon! Even if it only grows to about 3cm in length... There is so much for the world to show me and teach me, 80, even 90 years, of which I've already spent over a quarter, seem very, very, lamentably short.

Here's one of the quotes from The Doctor that's really stuck with me and kind of explains how I feel about life, except, I don't have a TARDIS to take me to all those places:

I'm not running away, but this is one corner, of one country, on one continent, on one planet that's a corner of a galaxy that's a corner of a universe, that is forever growing and shrinking, and creating and destroying and never remaining the same for a single millisecond. And there is so much, so much to see, Amy. Because it goes so fast. I'm not running away from things, I am running to them before they flare and fade forever. But it's alright our lives won't stay the same, they can't. One day, soon maybe, you'll stop. I've known for a while...

Anticipation

This summer I've been fortunate enough to receive invitations to two weddings and an awesome sounding birthday masquerade ball, and I couldn't be more excited! The past couple of weeks have been filled with anxious plans on how to make awe inspiring costumes for myself and for my prince for the birthday celebration that's coming up in just under three weeks. So far I've nearly finished a vest for him and a tulle skirt for myself to support a skirt that I already have. It's what I wore to the closest thing to prom that we had when I was still in high school: vanhojentanssit, where in the February of the second year the soon-to-be-seniors have a ball where they dance the old ball room dances to celebrate becoming the eldest students at the school. The tradition used to be more about historical costumes and having a "princess day" when I had mine 8 years ago, but nowadays the fashions have changed and people tend to dress more modern. But at least it's still a formal event and a reason to really dolly up!

Here's how I looked back then:

I made the dress with some help from my mom. The pattern had been drafted after a dress that Sissi, the empress of Austria and Hungary once wore in the 19th century. It's a shame the top no longer fits me, but it's a blessing in disguise: I get to make a new one!

Rock 'n' Roses

Okay, time to break the silence again! Here are some pictures from Rock 'n' Roses, the fashion show I was proud to be part of a couple weeks back, and the main reason for the communication breakdown. It was my first proper fashion show ever and although not perfect, it was really quite a nice experience and taught me heaps. But boy, was it a lot of work! And still I wish I'd dedicated more time to it. Live and learn, I guess. At the very least, learn :). For if one doesn't, what use is any of it?

Without further ado, the pictures:

Lovely Susanna took the stage first with a combination of a dress and a corset. The corset was made as part of our combined math and fashion history course at school. I wanted to have a go at fan lacing and using swing hooks instead of a regular busk: not as complicated as I'd anticipated, it turns out. The dress was made with a pattern I'd used previously to make myself a velvet dress which turned out to be the comfiest garment ever(!), and for this collection I wanted to make one that wouldn't be quite as overdressed for everyday wear.

My second outfit was donned by the gorgeous Katarina.

Mary had a little lamb. HAD. Like, 10 of them, as that's how many it took to make this piece, 60-70 square feet or so. The leather coat was also made for a school course, an optional leatherworking course. I wanted something fabulously over the board, and got it. The cutwork on the collar alone took 7 hours to complete. Not bad for a first item made of leather, although there are, of course, things I could improve on in the future.

My third attire as presented by the elegant Tiina, and the last piece that was part of mandatory school work: the pants. I found a gorgeous linen blend that draped like a dream to make these palazzo pants. Alas, they don't fit her quite as well as they fit me, but that's one of the things to take to heart from this show: don't use pieces made for anyone else but the models. The jacket was made of crimson bridal satin and trimmed with decorative stitching and a collar and pocket flaps made of silk chiffon and leather. The headdress was made by Maarit Nieminen, one of the other designers at the show, and left on due to time restraints and because it fit the outfit quite nicely :).

The fourth outfit as presented by the wonderful Sara: a chain-trimmed dress and a ribbon corset. The dress is of the same fabric as the pants were and trimmed with a heavy weight chain that was hand-stiched on the hem, neckline and sleeves. Chanel customarily uses chain to weigh down the hems of their trademark jackets and skirts, but I thought the detail was too pretty to be hidden on the inside of the garment.
The corset took inspiration from the slightly less heavy weight corsets that were worn as night attire in the victorian era. I wanted to bring some edge to the collection and used a rougher material than the satin ribbon that would have been the norm.

The eerily beautiful Hannamari in my tricot top, belt and skirt. The top reflects the cut of  the previous dresses in a delicate stretch lace and an interlock knit. The belt showcases some of this gorgeous coque tail feather trim I managed to source at the recent craft expo and the skirt is trimmed with the same guipure lace as the first corset was. It's not obvious from the pictures, but the skirt has quite a bit of volume gathered in the back - also inspired by the victorian era- using hand-sewn cartridge pleating, a technique from the renaissance.

Mesmerizing Krista donned my penultimate dress, accentuated with a wearable shibari tie. The dress itself had clean lines, a mermaid silhouette and a small train. I wish I'd had a little more time to get the tie to fit her perfectly, but one has to make it work within the allotted time... This was one of my own favourites out of the collection but unfortunately it came a bit short in the show. Hopefully I'll have some better pictures to show of it soon, with enough time to dress it properly on the model.

I got the honour of presenting the final dress of the show and here it is: the Stormborn dress on the star of the show, Ida-Emilia. The cotton satin dress was hand dyed by yours truly to achieve the tie-dye effect at the hem. The bodice and the waist are over-laid with chiffon and the top is finished with asymmetric satin ribbon straps. Regretfully, I didn't have the time to instruct the lighting guy to dim the lights on this part, so one of the details on this one doesn't translate well into pictures: under the chiffon there are white LEDs the twinkle like stars in the night sky. I may have bitten off a bit more than I can chew with those, but hey, better late than never. We got the lights working only 30 minutes to go before the show...

All photos are courtesy of Tiina Salminen/Photogothic, who gracieously  managed to fit our show between shooting the gigs of some of the greatest bands in the world and the prettiest faces in Finland. Be sure to check her site!

Thanks for reading!