A Peacock in a Pear Tree

I thought I'd give a peek at some of the lovely things my family gave me for Christmas.  Some are here for fun and others pertain to costuming.  I was very happy to have "Fashion," from the Kyoto Costume Institute.  This is a new edition done in 2012 for Barnes and Noble.  The Photos are excellent and a full half of the book is time frames I work in, and the other half is fun too.  This is going to come in handy for my new year planning. 

I hope to go huckleberrying this year so a cookbook about huckleberries and a pie bird will be most handy. 

A pretty selection of machine embroidery thread for my best purchase of 2012 my Singer Futura 400XL. 

A darling lantern that will look lovely in any setting, period or not. 

The cute ornament is a plastic crystal with glitter frosted fake mistletoe on top.  We have tons of mistletoe on the oaks here about, however, I rarely bring it in the house as real mistletoe is so plain and it can be bug filled.  So I will enjoy this far prettier ornament.  It also came with a note that a rotary cutting machine is on it's way.  Yeah!  Now I can thing about getting that bias and piping machine.  Cutting strips and making piping is tedious but so essential to post 1800 sewing, particularly the 1830's and 1840's, one of my favorite time frames. 

A beautiful Shawl in peacock colors from my eldest daughter and a peacock pin from my youngest.  These clever girls didn't even plan to coordinate, they just have good taste!  The shawl and pin have inspired my main new year project.  Just a hint here, more to come on that subject! 

I received many lovely things and got to spend time with those I love, life can't offer better, I believe. 

 

The Ghost of Christmas Past

I have been ill for quite some time, and I won't bore you with details, as I found it incredibly boring to experience, so I know you don't want to hear.  I am going to put up some photos of the Christmas decorating I did get done before I got worse, then I will follow with some costume stuff and other posts. 



 

 

Here is my white themed tree.  I wanted a small treed this year and went with white for the first time ever as I thought it would look well against my pale spruce walls.  I chose only white, clear glass and gold from my stock of Christmas decorations for it.  Don't you think the little white cherubs beneath look sweet?  I found the prettiest new ornaments in Seattle when visiting my daughter at this lovely shop.  You have to get close to see they are snowflakes, they added an iridescent sparkle to the little tree.



 

On my shelves I went with my "North Pole Village" and a Santa collection.  I was hoping for a Victorian ephemera look.  Another new thing this year, was to frame some old Christmas cards in some simple white frames I got at Ikea last summer for the purpose.

Here is my needlepoint nativity that I bring out each year.  It is one of my favorite needleworks from a kit.  I scatter nativity scenes about the house, since that is what Christmas is all about.  I love my new bell jar and think the gold and snow frosted trees with the white figures went well with my white theme tree.

 


 Last of all are pictures of my lovely Matryoshka doll that I bought in Sitka, Alaska on my wonderful trip this year. ( Post to come of that.)  I had the luck to be there in September at the end of the season and was able to get her for half price, as I would never have been able to afford such a finely painted one otherwise.  I loved having her near my wonderful dry flower arrangement that I got in Pikes Market from Seattle.  I had quite the time making the ten hour drive home with luggage and passengers and what not and not getting the flowers crushed.  It made it very well in the box I had brought for the purpose.  Then there are a couple vignettes from my bedroom decor, you might even get a peek at my sweet daughters one Christmas when they were small. 

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

Can this Pet be saved?

No, this is not about an animal!  I was going to Costume College for the first time in 2009 and the theme was court of Marie Antoinette.  I needed to whip up a few items to wear and as usual when in a hurry, things don't turn out the way you planned.  I had this amazing fabric about four years before on clearance in a small shop in Springfield, Oregon and it was just shy of 4yards.  I didn't have a clear plan in mind, however, I think stripey Pets were in the back of my mind.  A few years after, I had purchased the Rocking Horse Farms Pet en l'air pattern and so I made it up.  I had hoped to find a black on black stripe to use as a petticoat with it, but couldn't locate any in time.  I loved the pink fabric of the petticoat in the first picture, but it didn't go so well with the Pet.  I had no idea what CoCo was like and didn't know how good the costumes should be.  I didn't even know how much costume was worn, and the gal I emailed during the registration process said a lot didn't even wear costume, so I only brought a couple things and didn't worry too much about making them nice.  Well, as those of you who have been there know, that isn't a good plan.  If I go again, I will know better.  So here is the Pet in it it's first incarnation:

I didn't like the way the bows pulled the bottom together and it didn't lie right over the small hip pad with hoop.  I really have to explore how to get a pannier look for the large woman that doesn't make me look like a frigate in full sail.

I added a stomacher with gold fabric covered buttons:

 

 

 

I needed to improve the drape of the pleats in the back, they were stitched down but still didn't have the right look.  I added lacing strips in the back to adjust the fit and ultimately they improved to the lie of the whole jacket.

 

So now the look is greatly improved with a petticoat of the perfect fabric.  I finally found it last year in Seattle at that fabric store that begins with a J.  I am much happier with it now and it looks much better on.  The darling stripey fabric deserved a second try.

I really love the box pleated ruffle at the hem.  I had thought about adding a little touch of gold at the hem or elsewhere.  I really don't like the idea of doo-dadding up the skirt.  So perhaps a touch at the sleeve, a ruffled cuff of gold peaking out.  Or some type of fichu that adds a little golden touch. 

 

So as to the pattern.  It was fairly easy to work with, the sizing seemed to run true. I used the Queen size 24-26.  It is designed to fit a bust up to 48", however, it is loose so fits larger busts.  The addition of the stomacher added greatly to the circumference, so the back lacing was needed to tame it.  It also improved the fit.  I might use the pattern again.  I did get satisfactory results without too much extra adjustment.  I think I might be even happier if I

draped my own. 

23 Skidoo Shoes

http://www.american-duchess.com/

 

 

That clever girl has done it again, fabulous shoes, and a darling photo shoot to launch them.  I must admit, I am seriously contemplating getting the all white and dying with some Navy color.  You see, several years back I went to Costume College in LA and bought bags, and bags, and bags, and....of fabric on the bus field trip to the garment/fashion district.  The local girls were laughing at me.  Well, how often do they think an Oregon girl is gonna get down there?  I had to buy a lot, you all understand, don't you?  So any way, I bought some pretty navy shantung fabric and in the vendors room, I purchased several of Decades of Style's 20's pattens in the vendor room.  The designer of these patterns, is a lovely gal, tall and svelte, and drafts patterns beautifully!  So now I should get some shoes to make it all work, shouldn't I?  So family take note, in case you are wondering what I would like for oh, Christmas, Birthday, Ground Hog Day, Any Day!  Pretty much anything in the Duchess's shop!



Curtain-along

I am going to join in the fun I have been reading on several of the costume blogs I follow; and join the curtain-along.  I was at Lowe's today and bought one of each colorway.  I have a striped black on black petticoat, and my quilted yellow petticoat which would be darling with a caraco jacket in black.  I will either make other jackets or petticoats out of the other two colors, I haven't decided yet.  It will be a bit before I can start on the projects.  I need to get moving on an outfit for the San Francisco Dickens Fair.  I suddenly found out day before yesterday, that I am going for the first weekend in December.  So look for posts about Victorian dress soon.  If you want to join in the fun, see Jen Thompson's blog:
 http://www.festiveattyre.com/

Frugal Finds

When I was a child, I abhorred thrift shops.  The odor made me want to toss cookies and there was such a stigma to shopping there, at least in the middle class California neighborhood I grew up in.  There was no cachet to second hand clothes, no vintage shops, it was all about new.  I even loathed hand me down clothes from friends of the family.  My poor mom would sometimes try to tempt me with high quality items from the children of friends of hers, she could rarely get me to wear them.  Hand-me-down was more common then, clothes were not quite at the throw away state they have now achieved.  Other than film and photo, how are people to know what we wore in the last couple decades as there will be few extant pieces left?  I shudder to think what they will look like in 50-150 years.  So even though I just shared my childhood prejudices, I have to say that I loved to dress up in my aunt's old clothes and gaze at outfits from the past that belonged to grannies, great aunties and such.  I wish I had some of those bouffant 50's petticoats and beaded sweater sets that I trashed playing in during my childhood in the 60's. 

Flash forward to now, it is a completely different picture.  I adore thrift store shopping.  Don't get me wrong, I still don't like the smell, but better thrift shops don't have such a musty-moldy scent.  Lo and behold, it is now cool to buy in thrift shops.  Second hand buys come with labels like "retro" and "vintage" and we ooh and ahh over people's clever buys. 

We have several local places, my favorite the the St Vincent de Paul.  I have found the most amazing stuff there.  I go on a regular basis to poke around.  Now each year in the fall they have their collectible sale weekend, each year I miss it because of work or out of town, and each year I swear I will go next year.  Based on the goodies I find in the store after that weekend, it must be great!  Well this year was no exception, I had to work and forgot it was time, however, the Monday following I was off work and drove to my mechanic's shop which is right after the store.  I saw the notice and thought, "darn, I missed it again."  Well, I had a little time so I went in and Score! 

I found three items I love in the china section.  One was a teapot in Price's "Cottage Ware."  For $9.  I think I paid more than that for the one I bought when I lived in England some 30 years ago.  That one has a broken lid, courtesy of many moves in my early years.  I had tried to repair it, very inexpertly I might add.  Well now I have an intact replacement.  I might just swap this one's lid with my original and then think of something else to do with the extra.  The next was a super cute English China milk jug for $9.  Have I mentioned that I have a positive weakness for china?  I especially love:  Tea pots, Tea cups, and Pitchers.  So to complete my happiness I found a tea cup for my collection.  A delicate white with silver trim, featuring white roses with a blush of pink, from Edelstein in Bavaria, Germany.  Here is a picture so you can enjoy them with me.

Then I found a mink fur capelet in excellent condition.  I believe style wise it probably dates from the early 60's, certainly no earlier than the late 50's.  I don't remember seeing women wear these in the late 60's or 70's.  Of course, by then it was very un "PC" to wear furs.  I remember coming out of the San Francisco Opera house around 1969-1970 with my mom and there was a lady in a sable fur coat.  An animal right activist was screaming at her and one of the things the activist screamed was, "how do you think the animal feels who's coat your wearing?"  To which Sable Coat Lady replied, "Why Darling, they don't feel a thing, they are absolutely dead."  She put a slight drawl into the word darling.  Sable Lady had a point, it was a pretty silly thing for activist lady to say.  I absolutely decline to go into the ethics of wearing furs, suffice it to say, once we have made a garment out of an animal, we best use it well and so I buy and recycle furs.  Often I will recut and salvage damaged pieces but this one will remain intact.  The fur is still silky soft and there is no damage anywhere.  The tag inside reads "The Harris Company" which I read on line was a well known maker of coats from Minnesota.  There is no sign of wear or stain, the fur is not hardened or suffering in any way.  It must have been stored properly.  I have got to make some padded hangers for this and the mint condition mink stole I bought last year, and muslin bags.  I don't need to worry about storage as my walk-in closet in my bedroom for some reason is always cool, even on 100+ degree days.  The capelet is design to fit over the shoulders with a little cut out on each side in from for your arms.  The shawl collar comes down to bottom edge in front creating little pockets that you can put your hands in to stay warm and keep it on your shoulders.  A simple, clever, lovely design. 

I need a couple dresses worthy of these furs.  I have been collecting the vintage patterns the big 5 have been re-issuing lately.  What style do you think with this fur?

Quilted Petticoat in an afternoon

Planning for an event this spring, I wanted to have something warm.  We were going to a rendezvous near Mount Shasta in California and I knew some days could be chilly.  I have long wanted a quilted petticoat and plan to make one the old-fashioned way some day.  I actually love quilting.  I find it restful.  Naturally I didn't have time for that this spring, so I decided to cheat.  I found a pretty twin size quilt in pale yellow at TJ Max for about $29.  I bought some bias binding in yellow and tootled on home from town to get started.  The quilting was acceptable for the period, tulip shapes and leaves.  I cut off the border from all sides as I didn't like the way that would look in the petticoat, it really would have screamed bed spread.  That still left a goodly portion and I liked the way there was cording in the edge at the top and bottom after the border was cut off, I felt it would weight the hem nicely.  So I cut a section out of the middle and then used the two remaining rectangles.  I flipped one piece around so that their patterns were running in the same direction and joined their sides together leaving an 8" section unsewn at the top for pocket slits.  After joining both sides, I flat felled the seams with twill tape so that no raw edges would be exposed with batting spilling out.  I bound the edge of the pocket slit with narrow double fold bias tape and the hem with wide double fold.  I wanted to control the bulk somewhat so I pleated down the waist leaving the center front flat for about 8".  To get the pleats to lie well, I topstitched them down about 3".  Then I bound the waist with wide double fold bias leaving it open at the ends for a casing.  I can then run a tape through the casing to tie the skirt on.  I prefer to run it through the front half of the waist and then bring each side through the back casing and around again to the front so I only have to tie once.  I find that is the best for me and feels comfortable and stays snug all day.  I find the tie twice skirts not so comfortable.  Either way is correct to period so I guess it is a personal choice and I am sure there were many other ways as well.  Here are photos showing some of the construction:

 

Here is a close view of some of the quilting design

 

 

 

 I was quite pleased with the resultant petticoat.  I was a little nervous that I might look like a walking bed.  When one is generously proportioned, one must be careful not to resemble furniture! 

 

I had some lovely fabric in my stash that I had picked up a while back in Portland.  I do most of my fabric shopping there.  We have nothing here locally but that store that starts with a J and there isn't much selection there.  My family have learned to plan a day without me when we are in Portland so that I can fabric shop in peace.  Some times my girls enjoy a fabric day, but even they don't have the longevity required for serious fabric shopping.  Only my little Amy understands, she is as much a fabraholic as I.  Amy is my oldest daughter's best friend, they have been together since grasshopper days.  We sewed all together when they were younger and I taught her some, she went on to be a design major at Oregon State and I am very proud of her.  Which is not to say I am not proud of my own two girls, I will brag endlessly about them I am sure in days to come.  Sufficient unto the day, as they say, is the brag thereof. 

 

Well, enough of this digression.  In my stash I had a lovely Indienne print in yellows, rusts and such that would compliment the pale yellow nicely.  I had recently purchased Period Impressions 1760-1770 Jacket patten and was dying to try it.  I cut size 28 which put it in the 3X size range.  I did find a flaw in the drafting of my pattern where the jacket front does not properly meet the jacket back at the neckline.  This was easily corrected by adding a slight curve out and extending the shoulder area somewhat.  I found this when I made my muslin, at first I thought you should ease the two together, however, they cannot do so and the neckline ends up wrong.  The pattern needed to be corrected.  If someone knows who makes these maybe you can let them know that the Queen pattern is not right.  I could only find vendors who sell the patterns, not who designs them on line.  I wish at the price you pay for these patterns they could be more careful.  The jacket went together easily, however, you need to correct the bottom edge after assembly, the pieces do lay properly when they are trimmed to an even curve.  I fastened the front with hooks and eyes, but wanted to add more for security's sake and interest.  I find that busty gals seem to have hooks and eyes part ways easily in the wearing.  If you have some tips for avoiding this problem, I'd love to hear them.  I have tried several, reversing the direction every other hook and such, nothing seems to work unless you have an additional fastening.  So I use the hooks and eyes now to take the main stress of closing and a light addition on top to help the hooks stay fastened, such as ties or lacing.  I did a decorative cross lacing on the front of this jacket, using a jewelry bail for pendants, to lace through-

I have been pleased over all with the results from this pattern and would make the jacket again.  They do have a couple of their other patterns in this size, I hope they will extend the range on more of their patterns.  In a couple afternoons, I had a comfortable and pretty new outfit.

 

 



 

 So what does a girl do with all the free time she ends up having by making things so easily?  Why add a hat to the ensemble, ofcourse!  I reworked a cheap hat from the dollar store to have a low crown and used the braid I took out to cover a wire in the brim so I could get a nice shape and put on some ribbon trim.

So go forth my children and quilt (kinda) yourself a petticoat in an afternoon!