So, appropriately after my Hoarding-post, I will unveil my projects for October.
1. A brooch depicting Margaret of Prussia with german tricolori-ribbons.
The 100 years of independence in Finland is due next year. In honor of it I decided to make a brooch honoring our would be-queen Margaret! Her husband was supposed to rule Finland as King Väino the First but Germany losing WW1 caused him to abdicate before even entering the throne. I always loved the way Margaret and her sister Viktoria Luise dressed! The edges of the brooch are still bit ugly so i am still framing it with gold pencil. But otherwise I am VERY happy with my brooch. It kinda combines two challenges: heroes and secret messages. Well, the pro-german ribbons are not so secret really.
The Challenge: Heroes and Sewing secrets mash-up
Material: Brooch, some ribbons, a printed picture
Pattern: none
Year: WW1-era, late 1910s
Notions: ribbons, gem-glue
How historically accurate is it? Somewhat.
Hours to complete: 20 minutes
First worn: not yet
Total cost: almost nothing
2. Also, a clockpunk-mask
I bought some masks from Sinooperi from Halloween-sales as they were shaped like classical 18th century masks. This one I made with gold and silver paint first, then I started to add details: gears, golden guipure-lace, glass cabochons with golden backing, some holographic sequins as tears, a paper butterfly, dashes of glitter. I used Artemis from “Spellbinder 2, land of Dragonlord” as my inspiration.
The Challenge: Alternate history
Material: a mask, findings
Pattern: none
Year: alternate 18th century or Clockpunk
Notions: gem-glue
How historically accurate is it? Well, it’s alternate history. And Clockpunk. So not much.
Hours to complete: one hour
First worn: not yet
Total cost: less than 2 euros.
3. A Kriegskrinolin
This challenge broke me a bit. I had a good idea but it didn’t work out. I had yarn that had mixed together and i just cut it and used it like horsehair to do a crinoline. I cut it and shaped the yarn-mess and then used tape to make it into a tube. That I sew into an old hippie-style summerskirt I had. These pics are crappy but so is the outcome!
I couldn’t find the poem in english: paraphrasing it goes like this: “Grandmother was seventeen, her friend was same age: in their skirts the crinolines both now could sew. Blue roses in a muslin, big crinoline gathers in sections, thinner in front and back, is the waspwaist of crinoline.”
I attempted to do a warcrinoline’s underpetticoat. My inspiration was an italian poem by Guido Gozzano I found on Kaari Utrio’s non-fiction book on historical female’s fashions and body ideals. It’s a poem by who writes that his teenage grandmother sewed her crinoline to her skirts with her friend. This poet was famous for depicting clothing in his poems. I just happened to remember this poem when thinking about poem with clothing mentioned. I did not want to do a 1860s crinoline because I don’t plan on wearing costume from that period. I did need a Kriegskrinolin for my Finland 100 years-outfit so I thought about making a warcrinoline-petticoat inspired by the poem. I did have a muslin skirt (not with blue roses-pattern though) but I will dismantle the crinoline from it and use the skirt as a plain petticoat. Sometimes projects fail. That’s how you learn.
The Challenge: Poetry in motion
Material: old white muslin-petticoat, yarn and tape
Pattern: none
Year: late 1910s
Notions: needle and thread
How historically accurate is it? It is not.
Hours to complete: hour
First worn: never.
Total cost: almost nothing.
4. The 18th century frilly cap from blogger Gouvernante Astrid.
Her HSF-challenge was a “chocolate maid-cap” from this swedish site with patterns I printed to make my cap. This was fun to make actually. I plan on making a pink version for my copy of chocolate maid’s uniform. But for this I used a delicious caramel-colored sateen I had used for my 18th century stays previously. I used an old cotton-lace my mother had and some cheap broderie anglaise I had in my hoard. I used few pins to wrap it around my bun. Very comfortable and practical actually. I can see why women loved to wear them.
The Challenge: Another blogger’s HSF-challenge
Material: caramel-colored sateen, old cotton lace and broderie anglaise-lace.
Pattern: Taken from
Year: 18th century
Notions: needle and thread.
How historically accurate is it? somewhat? The fabric and lace might not be very accurate.
Hours to complete: 2 hours
First worn: around home
Total cost: almost nothing
Some images are BAD, sorry. My cellphone camera is not so good, also I took the pics of me wearing it while using toilet cabinet mirrors. But i hope it gives the good idea of it. I WILL practice taking better pics, I swear.
5. An 18th century summer-mask.
I read they used green half-masks in summer to keep their faces white. I got this halloween-mask base I got with the other mask bases I bought recently (so much for my pledge not to buy anything….). I painted the base, glued green glitter on it for structure and then added dull green paint on it. The effect is grainy and pleasing. I also added green sequin-trim I had in my stash to frame it.
The Challenge: Green
Material: mask, glitter, paint
Pattern: none
Year: 18th century
Notions: gem-glue
How historically accurate is it? Not much, its mostly plastic. The original summer half-masks were done in green silk.
Hours to complete: an hour
First worn: not yet
Total cost: 2 euros
6. 18th century fingerless mittens
I was in town and I had forgotten mittens at home. It was already freezing here so I went inside local Tiger (danish cheap chinese stuff-shop) to gte some discount mittens. I noticed a nice model with militaristic golden buttons. I thought what it would look as a fingerless mitten. I liked the idea so much I bought them. They look like they would look good with redingotes! So I chopped off the fingertips and glued the fray and fortified it with red thread. I have already used them around the house as I have circulatory issues and suffer from cold hands.
The Challenge: Outerwear
Material: bought mittens from Tiger
Pattern: none
Year: 18th century
Notions: glue, needle and thread
How historically accurate is it? Too thick yarn for it.
Hours to complete: less than half an hour
First worn: at home
Total cost: around 2 euros
7. 18th century masquarade-mask
I used original paintings as inspiration for this. It has fake face with black mask. I used watrecolors to achieve an old faded look on it. The black mask-part look almost velvety. The lips I tried to make as 3D as possible with various reds. This mask was SO much fun to make!
The Challenge: Masquarade
Material: mask from Sinooperi
Pattern: none
Year: 18th century
Notions: paint
How historically accurate is it? It could be my most accurate one to date.
Hours to complete: few hours.
First worn: not yet
Total cost: 3 euros (on sale because its backtie was broken).