Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Dickens Festijn, Deventer

These days there are a lot of Dickensian themed Christmas events but the biggest is still Dickens festijn at the old town centre of Deventer.

This event is for me the start of my Christmas season. The pictures were made after closing time when most visitors had left. 

Every visitor had could have there picture taken with the headline Best Act of the Days. 

Full Circle (part 4)

2006

2017

This year I not only decided to make a new version of my first Victorian dress but also updated the old version. 

I used Simplicity #4400, Misses Civil War Costume by Martha McCain The Fashion Historian. 

Both have the sleeves from the larger picture but in the first version I left out the poufs. The biggest difference in both outfits are not in the bodice and skirt but in the crinoline beneath it. I re-made my old Truly Victorian # 141, 1858 Round Cage Crinoline into a Truly Victorian #142, 1856 Walking Cage Crinoline and because I am quite short I made it an even smaller size than the 110" inch circumference from the pattern.

The first time around making this pattern I left out the bust padding and boning because of time and money constraints and not understanding how important these elements are for the period correct silhouet. As my old costume is still worn by me and a friend I not only added bust padding to the new costume but also to the old. As well as a internal waist band in to the bodice and skirt hooks and eyes. The latter keeps the bodice in place and the chemise out of skirt while moving your arms. 

Sewing in the boning

Making the bust pads.

Ofcourse nothing would even be done without the invaluable 

help of my cat!

Working on three projects since September, no wonder I didn't have time

to blog! The Victorian brimless hat was finished only three days before the event!

 The yellow vest is my son his first real sewing project. 

More on that and the hat later... 

To read more about my husbands Chesterfield Top Coat read my back(b)log here.

To read more about my son his Fantastic beast vest read my back(b)log here and to see the entire costume here.

To read more about the Victorian Brimless hat read my back(b)log here.

The Street of Queen Emma ('t Straatje van Emma), A Christmas in the 19th century.

Wow, it has been a very long time since I have been able to write a blog. Time really flies when you're having fun (or extremely busy).

I saw that my last blog post was in September this year. A lot has happend since then and a lot has been made by me since then but first let me share pictures of last Saturday Victorian themed event.

In the garden of the house we called "home" for the day.

Our favourite couple drinking tea. 

Our artist

Two fine gentlemen having a chat.

(And look the Chesterfield coat got finished in time!)

One of the other artists entertaining the childeren.

Doing some sewing and having a nice chat.

Christmas gifts

Bringing around the Christmas gifts.

The hat was made in the week before the event!

It's a brimless victorian hat aka a pillbox or pork pie hat 

made with this pattern by Lynn McMasters

This is all I have time for right now. Hopefully I'll have to time again, to tell you all the other things I have done in the last months, soon. 

Back(b)log; Victorian brimless hat

As I am not a big fan bonnet I currently have I decided it was easier to make a new Victorian style hat than updating the bonnet. Starting fresh in my opinion is always easier and quicker than correcting a mistake or updating a project.

source: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003654030/

As the coat I am planning to wear on Saturday is inspired by this Winter image dating to 1874. The choice for a brimless hat aka pork pie or pillbox was easy. Especially when I found Lynn McMasters pattern on https://outofaportrait.com/.

I had been meaning to make this hat for a while, so I had already purchased the pattern. I had also some scraps red wool fabric and some fake fur from the coat left. And a piece of buckram from another hat project some years ago. So I was good to go! I traced the pattern, cut the pieces of fabric, lining etc. but found out that I didn't have enough strength in my hands to sew the buckram. Luckily enough my husband was sweet enough to help me out.

The buckram hat frame taking shape.

the buckram frame covered with mull and fabric.

Gathering my stuff. 

The finished hat with (most) of the costume.

Now where is my corset!

The choice for the brimless hat wasn't just inspired by the image from 1874. This style of hat was actually quite popular a little earlier in the Victorian era and had a very famous fan, Empress Elisabeth of Austria aka Sissi or Sisi.

Back(b)log; Fantastic Beasts Newt Scamander Cosplay

I am finally able to show you my son his complete Newt Scamander outfit which he wore to the Dutch Comic Con yesterday.

Still at home.

At Dutch Comic Con.

He had to share the spotlight

with the Pickett he dad made for him

but they both didn't seem to mind.

These wonderful photo's where made at Dutch Comic Con

by Anubite Crafts.

Back(b)log; Fantastic Beasts Vest

In August I gave one of my younger sister two sewing lessons. It was my first time trying to trach some else how to sew. We both had a lot of fun and she really got the hang of it quickly and got addicted to sewing to boot! Finally someone in the family who understands my love of sewing!

Ever since I made my son a blue Victorian top coat inspired by the blue coat worn by Newt Scamander in Fantastic beasts last year. He's been asking for the matching vest. As I have less time to sew since I have been fortunately enough to find I job. I told him if he wanted it he would have to make it himself or at least help me out with it (a lot!). After seeing my sisters succesful sewing lessons he decided to take me up on it! I really didn't expect that! So this autumn break we got to work on it.

He has been working really hard and I am very proud of him! 

This was the stage when the project became to

life for him. All the work before this was kind a stupid and boring

but after this stage he really started to enjoy himself.

He really did most of the work himself, I only did some finishing touches. As this project was a kind of spur of the moment thing and I didn't want to risk my son losing his interest. We used fabrics, notions and buttons we already had, most of them I inherited from his great grandmother for his fathers side. This did mean we couldn't match the look of the original as closely as we would have wanted to.

The following pictures I have found on the internet. Unfortunately I can't find the original source anymore. I will add them as soon as I find them.

All things considering I think we did a decent job though!

It might be worth to mention that we used Butterick's B6502 pattern for the vest, with some modifications. 

Back(b)log; Victorian Chesterfield Coat, part 2

My husband will wear the coat with reenacment events set roughly between 1840-1910. With more epmhasis on the early years 1840-1890.  So we'd like his to reflect that era, so it will need to have the follow elements, small velvet collar, no waist seam but with a slightly fitted waist. Although the coats where mostly black or grey in colour. We choose to make his a dark bottle green. In style with the time of year it will be mostly worn in, around Christmas!

And bcause I can't get enough of pictures of the originals worn. Here a carte-de-visite portrait of the Prince of Wales (right) with Prince Louis of Hesse (Grand Duke Ludwig IV) made in 1862.

source: https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/

I thought both of them where wearing Chesterfield coat but closer inspection revealed a waist seam on the Prince of Wales his coat. The overcoat on the right is a fine example of a single breasted fly front Chesterfield coat.

source: http://www.oslobilder.no/

In this portrait from around 1899 the gentleman on the left is wearing a double breasted Chesterfield coat.

I will not subject you to my love of vintage photography for any longer but I do feel the need to share this image.

Can you guess what Watson is wearing?!

There are not many Victorian mens clothing patterns around so our choice was limited.
Reconstructing History's #937, Gentleman’s Victorian Chesterfield Top Coat was the best if not the only choice.

Because I wanted to start quickly and to save money I decided to go with the download version. The pictures in the description turned out to be of a generic coat, a lot of pattern pieces weren't on the pattern. Most of them where pretty straight forward, so quite easily to draw yourself with the measurements in the description but some of them where harder like the (partial) lining piece. The things that really gave me a lot of trouble where; markings on the body of the coat but not on the sleeves, or vice versa,  I blocked out working with pattern. Ever set in sleeves without knowing how to set them! I had to pin and sew them six times to get it right!  No button placement indication, no breast pocket placement indication (for inside or out!), no measurement for the breast pocket pattern piece. No mention in the description of lining the collar or collar lining piece. No real description how to turn the coat into a double breasted version. I seriously don't remember if the list ends here or if there is more....

I love the combination of the black cotton velvet

and the pine green wool.