Eva's journal

I've been a busy sempstress yesterday and today. Yesterday I cut out a high necked 16th century smock and I've been sewing on it on and off since then (hand swing really isn't good for my hands, especially not now when some of the finger joints already are inflamed) and it's at least half done. I also cut out and assembled a new gown for Maja from the remnants from this gown, which I already had cut a gown for her from two years ago. But now there are only tiny scraps left and she ended up with short sleeves due to lack of fabric. I will fell all the seams by hand tomorrow when Maja and I go and visit some acquaintances. I will bring the smock too since I think that there will be plenty of time for hand sewing while the children play.

But, to save some hand sewing for tomorrow and to save my hands from too much of it tonight I treated myself to making a "modern" peice of clothing: a reversible 50s jacket. I have a skirt from the same turquoise fabric and the pink one is of course the same as in the dress I'm wearing in my userpic, so it matches these two. I also plan to make a sleeveless blouse from the dotted fabric to wear with the skirt.

Yesterday I started on a new wool skirt, checked in grey and burgundy, with a sort of 30s-shape - long and wider at the hem than at the knees. Unfortunately I have neither lining nor zipper at home, so that will have to wait until Monday. I also started hand sewing a Sture shirt and it's coming along nicely, though the sleeve are a little on the tight side.
Since I'm thrilled to have my sewing machine back and recently bought some 60s-70s fabric from a swedish auction site I also started on another house dress; this time wrapped over in front. I don't think that it would like nice with bias tape like my other house dresses so I'm hand hemming all of it; all around the circle skirt and front sides and neck. I wonder when it will be finished, but I'm hemming while watching the olympics tonight. Tomorrow I will add ties and pockets.

( This is, however, a preview )

And I'm never going to wear it with a white bra in public ;)

It took less than one day, including making a whole new and different bodice pattern and hand-hemming full circle skirt.







The inspiration comes from several 50s sewing patterns of dresses.

Visby medieval week isn't for another two weeks and a couple of days, but because the people who are pulling the trailer aren't leaving from Gothenburg, but from their summer house 100 kilometres from here I packed all my stuff yesterday and today and at 1 pm today they picked it all up. This means that either things had to be finished, or I will have to bring them in my carry-on luggage when I fly there on Sunday the second of August. This was one reason for my decision not to make any new clothes for Visby. Another was that I have enough garb already and the last, and most important, was that I'm more inspired by clothes from the 1940s and 1950s now; clothes that I can wear in my mundane life. Maja also wants me to make some clothes for her - like this dress:




It was included in a packet of vintage patterns I bought from Tradera, a swedish auction site, and as soon as Maja laid eyes on it she demanded to have one. That was ca 2 years ago, but finally I found some of the striped fabric from my father (the same as in the pink "candy dress"). As a bonus she has grown so much that I don't have to resize the pattern.

On Monday I will go downtown to get 9 metres of red bias tape and two large red buttons.

I'm taking a break from sewing a late 13th/early 14th tunic for Rickard and is currently making a 50s style shirtwaist dress. In one of the loudest patterned fabrics made in the 50s (of course nothing compared to the 70s, but for eeh 50s it's pretty loud); probably intended for kitchen curtains or something.
What remains to do is a collar, binding the sleeve holes (it's sleeveless) with bias tape, hemming the skirt and buttons and buttonholes. It actually opens in the side with a hidden zipper, but it will have functional buttons on the bodice. It sounds like most of the work is left, but since I drafted a new pattern for this and it took some fiddling to get it right I feel that there are only small things left.

I am about to expose my own lack of pop cultural knowledge, by saying that I had never seen Gentlemen prefer blondes until yesterday (OK, knowledge isn't the right word, since I knew all about, but I hadn't seen it). I had no idea it was such a great film. But, in any case, what really surprised me was this homo erotic dance number. In 1953? Hollywood?



I adore Jane Russell in this film.

I found some black buttons that will do in my grandmother's button box. It's actually at least four different types, but you can only see that on the back side of the buttons.

Some photos of my finished outfit for amonik's wedding party - this time with pink shoes. And of the beautiful bride herself.

( Photos this way! )

We had a lovely time, much thanks to bippimalin helping out with Maja (who adores her), but had to leave early because Maja got too bored. Besides, Rickard works 9 am to 8.30 pm tomorrow.