Adventures in hat making: Edwardian hat, part 5

I haven't touched this project since the beginning of december, but I'd never gotten round to showing the progress I had made with it. So here it is.



The buckram base of the brim. Instead of having sharp creases it's now turned bubbly. I guess I don't have to tell you that this is bad.

BTW the diameter of the hat is a stunning 63 cm.



The top of the hat has turned out nicely. This is the buckram and wire base with mull.The next step will be covering it with black wool felt fabric.



I've got feathers to decorate my hat! And I am extremely happy with that! I was searching on the internet for a while and couldn't find anything affordable. When I found these in a local shop. There a three clusters of black feathers and one of purple feathers. These are more purple then they appear on the photograph, and the difference between the black and purple feathers is much less visible. Which is a good thing as I am not completly happy with how they look with the plum silk fabric I have for the bow and other hat decorations.

The brim is turning out to being quite a nightmare. I have ironed it flat with a hot steam iron and stuck it between two wooden boards. Hopefully it will be flat when it's dry.

1940's Glamour Girl Dress

When my husbands grandmother, a former seamstress herself, gave me this lovely silky pink fabric. I immediately thought of the Folkwear #233 Glamour Girl dress pattern, which is a 1940's evening gown, that I had.

I wore this dress New Years Eve, but although I love it, the color and style are amazing. I felt like a little girl who borrowed her mums best dress. So it will have to wait in my closet until I feel I have grown into it.

Happy New Year Everyone!

50's style Snowflake dress

Here is a picture of my 50's style dress in blue chinese "silk" with white and violet snowflakes.



Better picture of the dress but a lot less christmassy...


The pattern I used was M5292 by McCall's.



detail of fabric.



My favorite picture of this christmas, is by far this one, of my son and me.

The Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;...

Well actually I am working on finishing my dress for Christmas!
Luckily, it's not christmas eve yet.
And hopefully it will be finished before dinner.

I couldn't find a dress that I liked, and could afford, in the stores.
And complained to my husband about having nothing to wear. He then pointed to my fabric stash and my clothing patterns. So I decided to make something myself.
It a 50's style dress in blue chinese "silk" with white snowflakes.
Pictures of the dress will follow on December the 27th.


Merry Christmas everyone!

Anton Pieck Parade 2010

Last Saturday we attended, one of our favorite events, de Anton Pieck Parade, a small victorian/edwardian event, in Haarlem. Here are some images.



They make for good christmas cards! So I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all: A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Our crafts for this day where...


Drawing.



Sewing.
I actually nearly finished the inside of my long woollen victorian coat.


















Anton Pieck Parade on You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFalSNbnCck

Saint Nicolas is almost gone...

With my sons birthdaypartymarathon, we always seem to end up celebrating it about three or four times. And with Saint Nicolas almost gone, it is high time to start working on the final preprations for the Anton Pieck Parade on the 11th of December in Haarlem.

The Anton Pieck Parade is a Victorian/Edwardian event, much like the better known Dickensevents, but not based upon the stories by Dickens but on the drawings of Anton Pieck. Who lived and worked in Haarlem, the Netherlands. As he also made the illustrations for, a version of, A Christmas Carol well known and popular Dickens characters, like Scrooge, also attend the event.

In a week's time I have to make:

* my husband a new silk tie, and when I am on it, a spiffy silk Edwardian tie for myself as well.
* Finally(!), finish the inside of the long black wool victorian coat I made and wore last year. Which means covering the seams with bias band, the bais bands have to be sewn in by hand. Next year I intend to wear my purple Edwardian ouft, so knowing me, if I don't finish the coat this year it will never be finished...
* (re-)braid my fake hairbun. A job that I really hate, because I am really bad at it. Last time a friend did it for me.
* sew a few small roses on my overskirt
and
* re-decorate my top hat.

So my current project, my Edwardian hat, has to wait, at least, untill next week! I had made some pictures of the various stages the buckram hatbase has gone to up untill now, but I seem to have deleted them from my computer. And I have already erased them from my photocamera. So you will have to wait a little bit longer for pictures.

We celebrated Sint Nicolaseve yesterday, instead of today, with three small childeren in the family we didn't feel we had a choice. And I got this really magnificent book Men's Clothing & Fabrics, in the 1890's.




Thank you, Saint Nicolas!

Adventures in hat making: Edwardian hat, part 4, Fantasy vs Authenticity

First of all the ironing and flat drying of the buckram didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. The buckram has large bubbles now, instead of sharp folds. Needless to say that I am not really happy.

My design idea for my hat was; black wool crown and upperside of the brim and a purple silk underside of the brim. Maybe with a black lace overlay over the purple silk. And the top of the hat decorated with purple and black details.

Much like the Edwardian theatrical reproduction hat here.



I really love the way it looks! But I have been unable to find periode examples with a two different colors/materials fabric on the brim. Usually the brim (upper- and underside) and crown was made from the same material, often velvet or fur for winterhats. A wool hat was far more less common that I had expected.

The overall look of the reproduction hat that I liked so much, is that of an early clouche hat. Which was worn around 1918, too late to be suitable to be worn with my 1909's costume.

This leaves me deliberating my options, it all boils down to my fantasy vs authenticity.

Some images of authentic Edwardian hats for inspiration:


Mata Hari





Actress Lily Elsie in the role of the Merry Widow.