Eva's journal

Some more fairy photos from last weekend

2021-05-28T06:48:30Z

When we took these the sun had come out, and after we had had lunch we went to a very beautiful, small nature reserve, enjoying blooming meadows, a water fall, the view over the lake, and sunny weather.

This was the first time I wore my new Regency spencer, and it definitely looks better when you have the right type of underwear. But still, if you take many photos some are bound to come out good.

( Some more... )
On Wednesday before Rickard went to work I also got some phots of me wearign the spencer the way it was intended to: over my Regency ballgown, that I made in December last year.

The curls are fake clip-on bangs from eBay - I love them.

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Photos of me in my riding habit

2020-05-09T21:10:00Z

Many photos and some more explanation about the outfit can be found on my costuming blog, here.

But here's a video, you need to click on it:

I haven't been on a horse for 15 years, and it is over 30 years since I last did any actual riding. But I didn't slide off, despite having no saddle and sitting with both legs on one side of the horse.

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Me and a horse

2020-05-09T07:37:34Z

Last Saturday Vendela (younger twin) was going to go to the horse that she takes care of and take photos of me in my regency riding outfit. But the weather forecast said rain all day. It actually didn't rain all day, but we didn't know that beforehand.

But today we are finally going, so now I am going to dig out my clothes and get dressed. I also need to pack normal clothes, because I am walking home the 5 kilometres from her place to where we live afterwards. She's picking me up by car though, so that I can get dressed at home.

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Better photos of my grey regency gown

2018-08-22T20:14:17Z

And a new cap that I made on Monday when I had some friends over. Still not the perfect underwear, since I'm using my 1790s-1800 stays and not my 1810-20s stays. They, however, are laced in the back and now I needed to be able to dress myself.

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Foot update

2018-08-14T20:34:23Z

The hallux valgus surgery went well. I had a horrible first night, but since then it has been going very well. I am tired and sleep a lot and don't have the energy to work from home, which I thought that I would be able to do. Hopefully I will get better soon. And until then I mostly sit and hand sew and watch movies or listen to audio books and receive visits from friends
Two days ago I started on a regency day dress which ought to be finished tomorrow.

I can't really sit in front of the computer much, sine I need my foot elevated and i couldn't get EllJay to work ion my tablet, so I'm not updating or reading much.

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Another visit to Gunnebo House

2018-08-05T21:04:51Z

Anna and I had decided to make another late 18th-early 19th century outing to Gunnebo House. We invited other local empire style enthusiasts, but unfortunately no-one could make it this time. I had bought a cheap croquet set and made a bag for it to make it easier to carry on the bus.

We had a good time, though none of us turned out to be very good at croquet - Annas was definitely best of us two

The other visitors were very entertained by us and I'm sure we are in many people's cameras now. I got one of the persons who talked to us to take a photo of both of us in action:

After playing a few rounds we went to the cafe for tea and cake. It was very full, because they have open air theatre from Thursday to Sunday every week and lots of people order a meal before or after the show.

Having done this three times now we think that two hours is about as long as you want to hang out in the gardens and that we should plan our events accordingly. And include a swim in the nearby lake afterwards - it was lovely this time too.

More photos over here.

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Dressing in regency clothes for my job

2018-03-06T18:34:46Z

Today the various university departments here in Gothenburg had a chance to present themselves to high school students and I had been asked my my department, the Department of Historical Studies, to represent history - and to dress up for it. Since the archaeologist showed a 12th century skull we decided that it was better with another time period than medieval. So I put on one of my regency outfits. It was a bit tricky, since hubby wasn't at home to help me with the ties in the back of the gown. I managed, but couldn't really hide the ties properly by myself. Luckily I ran into hubby downtown who not only took a photo of me, but also helped my with the ties.

On my way out, channeling my inner Mrs Bennet.

Selfie outside our house, on my way to the tram.

The photo Rickard took outside a part of the university library.

After the presentation I met Valeria and when we got home I made hummus and then went to the gym for 45 minutes before getting back and making the rest of our dinner consisting of salad, hummus, bread and falafel.

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Redingote photo shoot

2017-12-04T10:53:20Z

Taking advantage of working from home I got dressed and dragged Rickard outside to get some photos of my redingote and bonnet for my costuming blog.

Interesting colours provided by the strong winter sun.

More photos here.

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I have a bonnet

2017-12-03T20:13:52Z

My friend katarian came over for tea and sewign and since I didn't have any othre project to work on I cut out, and actually finished, a bonnet to wear with my wool redingote.

I hope that I will be able to get some photos of me wearing them together this week, With better light, this is really harsh.

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A little sewing

2017-12-02T23:07:00Z

Today i actually was well enough in my foot to take the tram downtown after I had been to the hospital, to get some sewing supplies for my redingote and the bonnet to go with it. I spent LOTS of money on various haberdashery, but I could do that since I got money from my mum as a birthday present.

The afternoon was spent making buttonholes by hand while watching Star Trek Next Generation, and making hummus and tabbouleh for dinner (we buy our falafels ready made). The redingote is now finished and as soon as the bonnet is made I will pose in it for my costuming blog.
I have not yet decided how it should look, but in the process of it I made two blog posts about winter bonnets, one for the period 1800-1809 and one 1810-1819.

I did start on my stretch velour skater style dress, but realized that I had too little fabric. Valeria goes to university close to the shop where I bought the fabric, so I have given her a sample so she can buy more for me next time she's there, on Wednesday.

So In continued with the regency chemisette I started on when Anna was over the other day, hemmed it, cut a collar, hemmed that, and made a small embroider on the collar tips. I have also started attaching it to the body of the chemisette, but since it's midnight now I'll go to bed, and continue tomorrow.

The dolls are now sitting in the kitchen window and they are so adorable that I had to share another photo.

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At work

2017-11-29T12:53:34Z

My ankle still hurts a lot if I walk on it too much, so I am using my crutches more again. Today I had to get to the university since I teach a class, but I relaxed at home before lunch, working on my soon finished regency redingote, and listening to an audio book together with Rickard.

I look forward to going home and finish the very last hand sewing. Or at least the hand sewing that I can finish, I need to get either buttons or some other closure for it, but my foot is not well enough to get me down town to buy supplies.

So, next project ought to be one of these:

* Santa skater dress from stretch velour for me

* regency dresses for the dolls

* Winter bonnet to match the redingote. This will require some notions to finish, but I think that I could start it with what I have at home.

A group that I've never met has this meet up in 19th century clothing to go to the Christmas market at the nearby (extremely nearby, I see it from my kitchen window) amusement park on Sunday the 10th, and I'm hoping that I will be well enough for that by then, but then I would like to have a bonnet. And actually I wouldn't mind having a wool dress to wear under the redingote too, though so many layers of linen and cotton (shift, stays, petticoat, gown) may be warm enough.

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I have blogged about the new Regency gown

2017-11-27T07:10:28Z

It can be found here, with lots more photos.

I love this photo, but I'm very pretty in many of them, very good for my self esteem.

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Doll petticoats

2017-11-26T20:56:00Z

I started on them yesterday, and finished them today, after Anna and Mattias had left. Anna was beign wonderful, helping Mattias with his bliaut, while I sat and rested, sewed a little on these, and finished a scroll that I have to mail to the princess of Nordmark tomorrow. The evening was spent watching "Thin Blue Line" on DVD with hubby and finishing the petticoats. They close with tiny metal snaps, because I couldn't find any velcro at home. I have to get that later this week, since I plan for velcro closure with ornamental buttons only, on the actual dresses. Not tomorrow, since I think getting to work and being there is about all that I should ask of my injured foot.

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Photos of muslin regency gown

2017-11-26T12:18:01Z

I will write a page about in my costuming blog, but not right now, because I am very tired and don't have the energy to sit much by the computer. I also have visitors, and I've already spent too much time beign distracted by the computer.

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Better, and doll shifts

2017-11-25T18:08:51Z

My ankle is better now, I have even tried taking a few steps without crutches, and can careful put some weight on my right foot. Still better and easier with crutches though, so I try to remember to use them. I am very tired however, probably due to sleeping badly, with my foot elevated, but I hope that that will get better too.

I thought that I was going to be really excited about making things for the doll when they came, and I am, but I realize that I would even more like to have all the things made, than actually making them ;) I also had a hard time deciding which period they should wear. But I decided to start with regency. So yesterday I made shifts for them, and I have now started to cut out petticoats (with bodices) for them and will hopefully have the energy to start on those tonight.

My girls. I am going to re-paint the faces, but I need to have daylight, and a clearer head for that.

On the other hand I want to make myself a regency wool pelisse/redingote too.

Not to mention that I wanted to be able to go out and catch pokémon and raid this weekend, but that is of course out of the question with my foot.

Tomorrow Mattias, a new guy from the medieval group will come over and Anna and I will help him with his orange silk bliaut, lined in pink. I will also try to finish a scroll that needs to be sent to their highnesses for a n event that takes place next weekend.

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The empire picnic

2017-09-02T20:06:07Z

Anna had to sew all the night before (she stopped at 5 am, slept three hours and continued sewing), but her dress got finished except for trimming. I made small chicken pies and bought fruit and almond biscuits for uss, which was very nice to eat on the lawn outside the beautiful 1796 summer house of Gunnebo.

I've put lots of photos over at my costuming blog, including a photo of me not wearing anything ;) After the picnic Anna and I walked through a lake and had a swim before going home.

I won't clog up this post with lots of photos, since you can find them here, but here's two.

Tomorrow I will re-make another modern skirt, so that I have something to wear to work now that term has started again.

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I made another hat

2017-09-01T05:36:38Z

It needs ties and trimming, but otherwise it's pretty nice and will work well with my velvet spencer I think. It's from raspberry pink silk shantung. I had hoped that there would be enough velvet for a hat, but there was only small scraps left when I had finsihed the new collar.

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Regency update

2017-08-31T06:15:16Z

I finished the velvet spencer on Tuesday, but I was not happy with how the collar looked. I had scooped out the neck too much in the back. So yesterday I ripped off the collar and started on a new version. It won't solve the whole issue, but hopefully it will look better. It is now past 8 am, so I think that I can safely start sewing it. And then work, of course, but since I only work part time I can arrive rather late at work.

Anna has finished her transitional stays and they look amazing on her, and yesterday we worked on a toile for the bodice of her gown, which means that she will be finished with her outfit for the picnic on Saturday. I will make the picnic food for both of us, so that she can sew the whole Saturday morning too.

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How I hate velvet

2017-08-29T05:45:02Z

Well, actually I love velvet, but not sewing it, my entire kitchen is covered with raspberry pink lint.

Apart from making lint I am going to make a spencer for Saturday's picnic. Just to ensure that the weather stays nice and warm.

I really want to start on it now, but since I'm using the sewing machine for htis and live in a flat I think I ought to wait until after 8 am.

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No surprises there

2017-08-28T05:55:55Z

Well, it appears that this is by far my most popular post on my costuming blog - can't see why ;)

In other news I started on a spencer from velvet remnants yesterday. I was disappointed to find that there wasn't enough for long sleeves, but accepted this as you must accept what can't be changed.
The I found some more scraps of the same velvet and now I have to decide whether I should piece the sleeves at elbow length to make them full length or not.

That decision will probably be postponed to this evening though, since I have my first lecture this semester today and has stuff to do at work before that. Yesterday I suffered from quite a lot of anxiety about this, but now I feel much better, despite the fact that the department just moved and I don't exactly know where I am to teach.

Oh, and Anna loved her blue silk bonnet.

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It is good to know that the levels of insanity are constant

2017-08-26T09:42:56Z

Yeah, you all know me: I have a tendency to get very enthusiastic about new things, so what I did yesterday is not so strange: I started on a pair of late 18th century transitional stays.

Anna has chosen the very late 18th century as her period for our upcoming regency picnic which of course fueled my enthusiasm. Since I had already bought white thin cotton to make a round gown to be worn either separately or with an open gown, the idea was there already. It was mainly the timing that was affected, since I had thought about making this later in the autumn.

Well, that was not to be: having run out of hand sewing projects that I could work on in the evenings - the embroidered smock I am making for Valeria requires good lighting and eyes that are not tired - I needed another project. I started with the skirt for the round gown, which will have two rows of very pretty coral pink silk tabby ribbon around the hem. I could not, however start on the bodice before I had decided whether to wear it with my slightly later regency stays, or make a new, late 18th century pair.

And yesterday I decided to go for it. I dug out some strong linen for the stays, my just a little bit too large effigy stays to have some idea of size, and an extremly sturdy polycotton twill that I use for mock-ups for stays.

I also looked around on the internet and found several useful blog posts to help me figure out what I wanted to do.

These were the ones I looked at the most, two of my old friends here in the costuming world, and a new for me blog.

Festive Attyre

Katherine's dress site

Rococo Atelier

Most of these mentioned the book Corsets by Jill Salen, and I have ordered it on ILL, but of course I couldn't wait for that to arrive. So by studying the pictures on Rococo Atelier, which showed both her version with cups, and the original pattern with a gusset I came up with a pattern that I tried with enough success to go on to cutting the linen.

I got as far as making all the lacing holes on one front piece yesterday, and the rest this morning, and I have now also sewn all the boning channels on machine. Yesterday I was sorely tempted to make it all by hand, but sense prevailed, I have lots of real life work and many other projects to work on.

Since I don't have any white bias tape at home, and I'm not that interested in making some I am going to take a walk downtown and get it, as well as catch some pokemon.

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Anna's jockey cap

2017-08-24T12:32:13Z

It's finished.

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Sneaky sempstress

2017-08-22T20:58:12Z

Yesterday I came up with and idea for Anna's birthday present - she doesn't expect one, but she's one of my best friends so of course she should get one. Since she earns about double as much as I do buying stuff seemed pointless, so I decided to make her a bonnet for the Regency picnic. Then she won't have to worry about that.
Her dress is c. 1800 and will be made from yellow silk with blue ribbons to trim it, so I dug through my plastic tub with silk, and found some scraps from a lovely blue habotai that is now, with the help of some linen and fusible interlining (for the brim) a soon finished very pretty bonnet. All it needs is ties, and I will make those tomorrow.

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Not thinking is a bad idea when sewing

2017-08-21T06:18:21Z

I started working on taking in two of my many too large skirts on Saturday night. Unfortunately I was rather tired and stupid, so while I removed the right amount in the side of one skirt, I removed the same amount on both sides of the other one!
I can close it, but it's not comfortable, so I will have to add small gussets at the sides. Very irritating. But at least I know that I am the kind of person who will actually do it, and soon (probably this afternoon), not just put the skirt away.

The semester starts in a week and I need to have some more professional looking clothes to wear.

In other news I've re-made my net and lace regency cap cap, made a triangular fichu from spotted net with a lace edge, started the embroidery on Valeria's new 16th century smock and also sewn the skirt of a white muslin 1790s round gown.

Add to this that I have had family over to celebrate the twins' birthday, been to a football game, and to a manifestation for Afghan refugees - I think we can without doubt say that my weekend has been productive.

Now I just have to be productive at work too. Today the plan is to finish my presentation for the Dressing the Early Modern Network conference in Berlin on the 15th of September, and to unpack books at my new work place. Tomorrow I will have to start on a new class on written sources to dress history that I'm giving on the 5th of September.

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Hats!

2017-08-17T21:35:45Z

Apparently hats was the theme of the day. First I made a sort of bonnet with a fabric crown.

( Another photo )Then I lined my straw bonnet.

Takign selfies while trying to show off the bonnet is NOT easy.

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