All squared up and still now throw

When I was in the hospital my husband brought me my crochet stuff so I could continue to work on our Granny Square Christmas Throw (or Afghan). He knows that having to sit still drives me nuts, so having my crochet stuff there was really great.

I started working on the throw September 2015, when I knew we where going to move house. I liked the idea of working on something for the new house but couldn't do any big projects because I needed to start sorting and packing stuff. Those little squares are nice little and fast projects you can work on in between other things. Unfortunately I ran out of yarn and the colors I needed weren't being sold anymore.
Fast forward to a year later. I remember the throw and start looking on secondhand websites for the yarn and lo and behold I stumble on the right colors in the right amount of yarn!

Now I have enough to make a throw I start getting annoyed with the small size of my squares. If I have to make a whole blanket with them I will have to make an enormous amount of them to get the right size. So I decided to add another row of stitches.

before

after

Around the 10th of  November I had enough squares, a 170 of them to be exact. Then it was time to block them to get a nicer shape.

a granny square, after blocking, in the proces of being blocked and before blocking.

The difference is subtle but the blocked square does look neater.

I tried two methods of joining the squares together and decided to go with the bottom version.

But after making two pieces like this I decided the end result is too wonky. So I am all squared up but still now throw! (Bad pun I know but I can never resist one)

Yikes!

Ode to Dutch Fashion/Ode aan de Nederlandse Mode

Being thoroughly fed up with working on the house and not doing any costuming related things. I decided it was time for a treat and went to the Ode to Dutch Fashion exhibit in the Gemeentemuseum in Den Haag with a friend. Ode to Dutch Fashion features more than a hundred creations from the history of fashion in the Netherlands from 1900 to 2015 with some much older pieces. Although my main interest is historical fashion, which will become apparant when you see my pictures, I had a really great time.
I forgot to the photograph a lot of the information provided with the costumes. That is why it is missing under a lot of the pictures. Just enjoy and do a game of guess the era! ;-)

Silk dress 1826-1827

Silk dress 1850-1855

Female Jacket 

ca. 1770-1780

Chintz with linen lining

detail of quilted skirt.

 Corset, 18th century, silk, linen with boning

Skirt, 1750-1800, quilted silk

Jacket ca. 1800-1850

Wool damask, metal

Silk dress, Robe ajustée

ca. 1765-1775

Wool damask skirt 18th century

Dress and cape worn by Her Majesty Queen Maxima,

at the investiture of His Majesty King Willem Alexander,

30th of April 2013

(l) Silk cocktail ensemble by Maison Kuiper, Zeist, 1966

(r) Wool ensemble by Koos van den Akker, 1966

A very inspiring 1970's crochet dress.

Fun idea but I think I'll pass.

This is a contemporary design 

and I loved the Edwardian feel.

Looks good on me, doesn't it! ;-)

The museum also provided some costumes you could try on and ofcourse I couldn't resist a chance to play dress up.

It was a one size fits none dress and the bustle was way to low but trying it on was great fun.

And now for something completely different; Christmas Granny Squares

I had been working on a better set of sleeves for three days straight. Redrafting the pattern, cutting and sewing. When they were finished they turned out to be worse than the original sleeves and I had run out of fabric. I got so frustrated that I decided to put the coat aside for a couple of months, it doesn't have to be finished until next spring/early summer, and to do something simple. Something that I could almost do with my eyes closed. Doing crochet always calms my mind and I had some left over yarn. I have never been to fond of granny squares. Being from the 70's when they where very much in fashion. I always have the feeling that they are old fashioned and I really connect them to grannies doing crochet. On the other had I've being playing around with making something for christmas for a couple of years and our christmas decorations are always old fashioned, kitschy and corny. ;-)

You can find the pattern for the squares here: Granny Square Christmas Stocking by Maggie Weldon on Ravelry.

Twenty squares later I am out of yarn and the frustration has subsided. The store only has these particular colors of this yarn (Zeeman Sparkle) in stock during the winter so I can't continue. It doesn't really matter, it did the trick. If they become available again maybe I'll make more and make a plaid out of it. If not it will become the front of a pillow case. Either way I am feeling better and refreshed.

For now I'll stick to repairing or slightly altering the Victorian costumes I have. So that I (and two of my friends) at least have something to wear at the Dickensfestijn in Deventer. This year I have decided to wear a combination of two 1885's bustle costumes. I really love the black tail bodice I made last year but I don't want to wear all black. So I'll wear it with my red velvet bustle skirt and my new hat. It will almost be like wearing a new costume. Even better is the fact that my son thinks the color combination black-red is badass and that I look fierce in it!  If there is any time left I'll make a new costume piece for one of us. First I'll have to make sure we can wear anything at all!

Stuck in the 1860's

After making a 1860's winter hood  I am now working on two other projects dating to the same era. The first one is a crocheted sontag shawl from Peterson's magazine, March 1864. Available at Google Books.

I always find it hard to "read" antique crochet and sewing pattens. As they are quite minimalistic in their descriptions and expect are certain amount of basic knowledge of the technique from the reader. When I came across the shawl pattern I wanted to see if I could figure it out and maybe even write an adapted description.

I found the photographs below on pinterest, originally they are from Ebay. I think the finished shawl will look a lot like this.

Working with the pattern was not as hard as I had thought but still involved a lot of trial and error and some educated guesswork.

Currently I am adding the tassels to the edge, which takes up a lot of time and yarn. Usually I am not a big fan of tassels but in my opion this shawl actually looks better with them.

The other project that I am working is converting my 1860's dress to a 1840-1860 skirt and waist ensemble. I want to wear it over a quilted petticoat instead of over my crinoline cage. I have always felt huge and uncomfortable in it. The added bonus is that it will be easier to store away and lending it out to friends. Who didn't feel comfortable in the crinoline cage either. Maybe I'll make it into a smaller crinoline cage someday. 

I have detached the skirt from the waist and taken out two meters of fabric from the skirt. Still leaving it almost 3 meter in circumference. There are still some things to do, like making a waistband and attaching the skirt to it.

And when it is finished I'll finally do some modern sewing! Well 1950's that is...

Creative Christmas

My family by now knows that I can't sit still and that I am a much happier person when I am doing something. When I am forced to sit still for long periods of time I get grumpy, bored, or sleepy.

So I made these...

  Christmas Eve

This was a felt diy kit given to me by a friend.

It is easy to do but I am not used to working with a glue gun.

Finished these on Christmas Day

These two broomstick lace neckwarmer had been

lying around nearly finished for quite some time.

Christmas Day and Boxing Day

I had bought the yarn and the crochet circle vest pattern 

to make myself a vest for fall.

I never got around to it....

Small projects

I have a lot of small projects of projects that need finishing. Here are some of the things I've done.

This broomstick lace scarf has been finished and blocked for quite a while now, I just hadn't gotten around to making a picture.

And I finally made a black velvet belt to with my antique silver plated belt buckle. I am quite happy with the end result.

It will be a nice finishing touch when I wear it with my 1840's -1860's wrapper I made last year.

Here are some examples of victorian ladies with belts over there dresses.

I am sure the dress in the first picture is a wrapper. 

I am not about the dress in the second picture.

I found these pictures on pinterest and

couldn't trace the source.

Zeeland Seashore Shawl

"She sells sea-shells by the sea-shore.
The shells she sells are sea-shells, I'm sure.
For if she sells sea-shells on the sea-shore
Then I'm sure she sells sea-shore shells."

We are home for one day from our vacation at the Dutch coast and already I miss the sea...

I found this lovely woollen yarn with blue and brown colors while on vacation in Zeeland. As it reminded me of the colors of the beach and seashore I decided to buy it.

When I got home I immediately started on a broomstick lace triangular shawl.