Edwardian costume mock-up

Yesterday I tried on, my mock-up version, for the 1909's Edwardian costume, for the very first time. The waistband on my skirt is to big, especially with my corset on, so it has to be taken in.
If I get these mock-up versions to fit neatly, they will probably end up as my Edwardian summer costume, as I hate to waste good fabric. But I must admit that I am not complety happy with how I look in this version of the costume. I feel like an Edwardian schoolmistress, instead of a lady. Hopefully I will feel better in the plum colored skirt and coat, and with the more elegant creme colored and decorated with lace blouse. But it is a bit of a gamble...



The pattern I used for the skirt is the 7-gore skirt with inverted pleat,from the 1909 Ladies Coat Suit Pattern. The blouse is made with 1909 “Beatrix” Shirtwaist Pattern from Sense and Sensibility patterns.After altering the waistband the skirt needs to be hemmed and than it will be finished. The shirtwaist still needs a lot of work.

A Vikingday at the Archeon

The weather was fine, the company was great. Our first re-enactment day of this year was wonderfull. I didn't get much nalebinding done. I was to busy enjoying the company and the sun. But I did go home happy and relaxed.

Buttons, buttons, buttons!

Last Saturday I went to the Verzamelaarsbeurs (a collectorsfair) in Utrecht. There where several really nice Victorian and Edwardian textiles for sale, sadly all out of my budget range. But the thing I like best is that you can see and touch period costumes. I enjoy seeing how they where made.

I did buy some period reproduction buttons, they are all brand new, but made with authentic molds and materials. And at prices I can't even buy modern buttons for!



The Edwardian walking skirt is nearly finished, is still needs to be hemmed and the hook and eye closure needs to be sewn in. As I, as always, have problems getting the skirt to close, neatly without a gap, with hooks and eyes. I have hung aside the skirt, for awhile, and started working on the mock-up for my Edwardian style blouse.

Here are the notions I intend to use for the final blouse. Creme colored batist cotton fabric, glass pearl buttons and antique lace.

Pini Dye Job

Last fall I promised my friend Arda Sigibertsdottr from Girbeson Living History that I would overdye her purple pini in a slightly more appropriate color, we decided on red. Normally I would dye with natural dyes as was done in the viking era. But I didn't think it would work well on the purple color it had already and I didn't want to strip the paint because it is quite harsh on the fabric.


But after re-thinking the whole idea through the winter, I decided to strip the paint to a more neutral color in order to get a nice red. First I tried washing it warm with soda, it did remove some of the color but not enough. Then I stripped the dye with dylon dye remover, this its how it looked afterwards.


Then dyed it with Ashford wool dyes, color red. This is how it came out.


I am satisfeid with the color, it looks a lot like madderdyed fabric. But the pini has shrunk, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will still fit. Luckily she can always make something nice for her daughter Runa out of the fabic.

Fabric for 1909 ladies coat costume

I have been searching all winter for fabric to make my ladies coat costume from. But everything here seems to be grey, black and dark blue. Which is not what I am looking for. While browsing Ebay, I found this lovely medium weight plum (dark purple) colored wool fabric.



Which I bought, eventhough I am broke at this moment, it was just too perfect! Ofcourse it will take a while before it's here, probably about 6-8 weeks, enough time to make a mock-up version of the skirt and maybe do some viking or medieval costuming. The 17th of april will be our first viking re-enactment day in the Archeon, we will be guests of the Girbeson family

Progress on the 1909 Ladies Coat

After whipstitching the sleeves in place, by hand. I have dediced that this blue wool version, of the 1909 Ladies Coat, will have to serve as the mock-up model. The wool fabric that I have used, is simply to stiff and thick to ever work as a coat. The good news is that I don't think it's that bad of a solution as the fabric cost be something around €3,- in a thrift shop.
On the other hand the bad news is that I will have to look for a new wool fabric, and everything that is available at the moment is grey or black. While I am looking for purple, red or royal blue.

Spring is here

Finally spring is here and all of a sudden I have started things up again! Most of it is behind the scenes, at least for now. I have decided that I want to change my Re-enactors Household website drastically. It is in desperate need of updating and trimming down. I have several website, too many websites if I am honest, and they all need to be streamlined, in order for me to be able to maintain them. Also I want a totally different look for the Re-enactors Household Website.

My husband pinned the sleeves of my 1909 coat in yesterday and hopefully I will have the time to sew them in today! So there is also a little progress in that project!