Now off to my fabric stashes to see what may strike my fancy.
No not short tempered, although with the horrible experience Wicked has had trying to buy a new desktop from HP, it would be well within my rights. NO TODAY I have my mind on corsets!! I have needed a new one for quite some time and am very excited that Monday I will have a friend out and we will both construct a corset. WOO HOO- no more pinchy broken down stays! AND I get a "girls day" to boot. Wicked is browsing sites to find the best antique corsets out there and trying to make decisions on how hers will look. So far I have browsed the VA Museum the Met, Lara's Corsets, a very cool article on a plus sized corset and the antique corset gallery
Now off to my fabric stashes to see what may strike my fancy.
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Wicked recently learned to knit- or rather "re-learned" to knit. When she was a small girl she thought she would learn the feminine art of knitting. Unfortunately the knitting instructor chose a rather ugly/grannyish set of house shoes as a first project. First rule of crafting comes into play at this point. IF you do not love what you are making, it is NOT going to get finished. Really, I can procrastinate with the best of them. Fortunately Wicked has a dear friend, who encourages her little whims and when I announced I wanted to knit long arm-warmers, she first knit me a set and then told me I was capable of knitting these as well. So I did, I then proceeded to pilfer aforementioned friend's brand new book on knitting mobius baskets, and knitted a bevy of those. Which brings me to todays project- a bottle cozy. Now Wicked will admit, The Anti-craft will not be everyone's cup of tea, but they have some very edgy ideas for knitting. I decided to decorate my stylish black bottle sweater with a needlefelted skull and crossbones, because I like to needlefelt and I'm too darn lazy to do the duplicate stitch. I could see these being a great father's day gift, but Wicked believe she'll keep this one for herself.
Wicked loves lace, I mean I really do adore it. BUT with a caveat- I want the real stuff- vintage stuff, cotton or silk, heirloom quality, BUT NOT the NEW SYNTHETICS! Nothing can make something look cheep and tawdry faster than a profusion of polyester lace. This week during sewing room re-organization I re-discovered many of my favorite pieces in my stash. One piece stood out to me- golden ivory in color with metal detail that had tarnished. It wasn't long enough to use on a dress, and a bit too tattered to make a neckpiece. It longed for a bonnet so Wicked fulfilled its wish. All the tiny flaws are hidden in the frothy beauty of this 1880's treasure. So if you don't have access to the quiet dignity of antique lace and can't afford the heirloom sites? Try looking at cheeptrims.com in some of their net laces. Or HomeSew at their Cotton or Venice laces to get the vintage feel with a price that won't damage your pocket book.
Wicked knows your mind will want to discover much more about lace now, so why not make a visit to the Powerhouse Museum's Lace Study Center. I know you will enjoy your time there. Black does not equal mourning. The Victorians realized that a “little black dress” was the essential piece of a complete fashion wardrobe as well as the modern lady. It’s great for everything from an evening affair to church, and what’s more its slimming! (Ha haa- Wicked thinks that is funny because by the time you put on a corset and a bustle your waist HAS to look smaller than it originally did.)
Really, it does seem incredible to have so much stuff labeled “mourning” when you browse through Ebay. One of these days some seller is going to realize mauve and grey are “half-mourning” colors and we are going to have a whole new flood of “mourning wear.” So what is the difference between black and truly deep mourning? Real mourning is plain, and drab- for example http://antiquedress.com/item4858.htm is an Edwardian gown covered in crepe, no jet, no beads, no froths of lace. In other words this is a dress that conveys sadness, despite its stylish cut. This on the the other hand http://antiquedress.com/item1660.htm is a “little black dress” of the same era. This is a mourning hat http://antiquedress.com/item6507.htm notice how the only “decoration” on it is not faceted or twinkly. This is also mourning but is “second mourning” http://antiquedress.com/item6386.htm and would be worn after the first heavy mourning period. Notice the crepe (the crinkly silk on it). This bonnet is probably NOT mourning http://www.bobbydene.com/images/ht2062.jpg but simply a “little black hat” I just completed the creation of an 1880's mourning bonnet. Mourning is something Wicked seems to have gotten a lot of practice in lately, you might say there is a piece of my heart in this particular hat, but then again Wicked's family has always adored a good hat! I admit that it is now July and that these aren't real flowers. But all the rain we've been having has Wicked stuck in her Keep. This has lead to a major reorganization, which has led to the discovery of many wonderful scraps of dresses gone by. These are perfect for hats and their trimmings. And today I'm going to share with you how to make velvet pansies! I hope you have fun!
Pet peeve, Historically based movies with modern hair or costuming. Really, it drives Wicked quite batty! What is up with the side bangs here? It really disturbs the immersion in the time frame for me. Admittedly, this is from new version of Sherlock Holmes. But when you go to time and expense of giving the clothes the right look- why stop with the hair. Do you see ANY hairstyle remotely close to this here?
Does NO ONE do any RESEARCH any more? *sigh* Add this to fishnet stockings on saloon girls in old west movies (check it out for yourself , they are strictly turn of the century- not 1880's) and it makes it very hard for Wicked's family to watch movies with her. (You should see her at a reenactments dealing with polyester lace.) What it boils down to is that so many people/kids in this time and age may only bother to get their history through multi-media forms. We DON"T do research, we want the quick and easy gratification. We want to be entertained. So is there anything wrong with being entertained so we actually receive some good info? My momma told me anything worth doing was worth doing well. I'll continue my fight to present a correct historical image. I can only hope I inspire at least one more person to do their research. Ah the life of a stay at home mom. Sometimes it puts Wicked in a decidedly, well, wicked mood. Today the goal is trying to tame the lair (i.e. organize the fabric stash and sewing room) and take a step toward making the purse not quite so limp and light. (Darn it- King of the Castle says BUDGETS!) I hope to populate this blog with herbal recipes, sewing project, and other things from my domain.
OH yes, why compendium? Etymology: Medieval Latin, from Latin, saving, shortcut, from compendere to weigh together, from com- + pendere to weigh 1 : a brief summary of a larger work or of a field of knowledge 2 a : a list of a number of items |
AuthorWickedStepmother spends most of her time in her castle, and trying to control her minions, to little avail. Archives
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