Red.

 

I have missed red..the colour red. It's my favourite, but with my previous hair colour wearing red seemed kind of tacky. (I didn't feel the need to seem more like a prostitute..if you know what I mean.) Now in my new ginger hair I'm back to red again!

Right now I'm trying to do some embroidery on my freshly squeezed red corset..I do mean now,just stopped like 2 minutes ago,still have sore fingers because I forgot my thimble again. Sooo..turns out symmetry is not my forte. But it's gonna have to do! I'm telling my self the vintage lace and such will draw the attention away and no one will notice. but here it is..in detail.

..and I DID feel so authentic and cooled out about it that I had to sepia-tint my self sewing at 4 in the morning. (that's my new chemise that I'm wearing by the way..made it yesterday to have with my new corset) 

And it's not weird...it's eccentric.

A tiny adventure into "the romantic era".

 

..it's my 3rd time actually. The soft, demure and innocent style of the era rarely floats my boat, but there is one thing about it that always kind of cools me out. Their hats. Or bonnets actually..

So what I'm trying to say is that I finished the first hat from the gun-picture. Here's my late 1840's to early 50's bonnet. It's so cute!

 

Frankly though, the "romantic era" doesn't really feel that romantic to me...Not only is the corset back and layers of skirts twisting around your legs and every time you go out  you have to wear some sort of face-prison ( fancy fact: it was called a "kiss me if you can"-hat because..yeah.), you're also considered more beautiful the sader and sicklier you look! But the again..it was probably not named from a woman point of view...

And to be fair, I'm really on the edge here with my bonnet of 1848-1851..tipping over to Victorian.

fashion plate 1850

As I said...3rd time. The first one was during a theatre production of "a Christmas carol"..I got to do the bonnets. That is also the time I first knew I wanted to work in theatre costuming..because it's seriously amazing. 

That would be me, posing as Victorian working-class,  3 years ago

Then about a year later I made some dolls inspired by it..mostly to get to do the bonnets and poor people( which is a lot more fun)! 

Sadly..some of the awesomeness gets lost in the crappyness of the picture.

The art of staying focused..

..is something I'm totally not mastering even a little bit when it comes to creativity..I think I'm suffering from creative tourettes. My latest spasm is "this basket looks kind of like one of those 1870's/-80's style hats!"...and later that day, thadaaa! hat. Fortunately I do need some kind of accessory to my soon-to-be-outfit of the same era.. so hahaa! go shit yourself tourettes! (you know..because this time it wasn't something totally dislocated from everything else). But actually kind of logical. There's nothing quite like being so fascinated by something that you see it in everything around you.

And if nothing else..the hat will cover up my ridiculously bright hair until I get it coloured in an actual colour!

Tomorrow I might find my way back..or away..? it's really hard to tell...But if I do need to think about it, I'll do what I did on late summer nights in the art-garden as a 12 year old...lay down and listen to Gloomy Sunday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOC6-hZPUw0

¤

Creative floatyness..

I'm gonna sum up this late evening in one picture

..and there it was. The paper ball is (I hope) the continued study of Victorian bonnets..I went with urine colored because..you know. No actually I think it could look kind of cool and also it's the closest look to straw.  Then there's my book that I'll be reading (when my arms fall of from too much sewing and not a lot of streching), Georgiana of Devonshire..as in the movie (but seriously totallt different). And to all our disappointments, the green liquid is not absinthe..it's pear juice. 

Oh, and also! the newly baked gun I made with my son today..he wanted a gun just like he's dads (there's a sentence one doesn't get to say every day) so we made one out of clay. 

Goodnight.

4 am feel good

..having a manic-depressive life really does feel worth it at the top..the lower the lows the higher the highs. 

So, for no reason at all, my favourite series and inspiration.."the devils whore" :

WARNING: should be watched with like minded people..or the situation might get kind of murdery.

..because maybe..things could seem easier if one was a little less misplaced.

Curious things..

I googled it all by my self!

Now that my mind is free to create it's gone crazy over it! Everything is just so freakin' exiting! But to be more specific, I've kind of picked up where I sidetracked during the wedding dress. So sitting here, in my green striped and slightly too short late 1800's skirt, I'm trying to create something of a way less fancy  spin-off to this---->

I'm being unspecific because that is, so far, my vision. Unspecific.

Mostly I'm wanting to be as historically accurate as possible while I'm doing what we talk about every now and then, my friend Skrutti (yeah u know who u are!) and I. To have the courage to wear your personality on the outside.

all so far..

Anyway. I'm a favour a somewhat inappropriate late Victorian style as my most eccentric, so that's what it will be.. less dramatic than it sounds though.

Already have the petticoats, the corset, the corsetcover and now my green overskirt. So all I need is the bodice..or 2 of them? I haven't decided. And then all the small things that make it look real.

Other than that I also found something fun when unpacking some things. I made this bonnet years ago after having helped make bonnets for a Dickens play..they were just sooo cute! 

my Lus trying it on

 As a last thin, I just want to say...I love oil lamps. 

God night..and happy midsummer!

The W.D. of 2011

 After 6 months of planning..3 months of casual dressmaking..and 3 weeks of intensive fucking stressmaking..it is now done. The wedding dress of 2011. 

(Considerably more work than with my own weddingdress!)

So 6 moths ago we started planning, the bride and I. Since that there has been some changes back and forth but the idea has pretty much been the same: The snow white, lace covered, full skirted princess dress.

 First came the underskirt. One layer white cotton with "crinoline-style" tulle netting in 7 rows and finally a thin cotton layer on top. Then the dress. White flowery lace on satin with satin ribbons around the edges and on the short lace sleeves. And to finish it up, a sea-green ribbon to lace up the back!

It was really hard work..but she really looked amazing on her wedding day..and I'm proud to be a part of it!

I must say tough that the stress of a project like this really gets under your skin..everything needs to fit perfectly, nothing can be forgotten and most of all the actual physical strength that goes into holding up, carrying and sewing such a multi layered dress. 

I've sometimes felt like that girl with the hay...in the Rumpelstiltskin story.

 Next time I'll be planning more detailed and get a lot more information beforehand!