More museum objects online...

..and while I'm still on the subject of Nordiska Museet:

They have a database with items from the textiles collection where you can find a few goodies but the search engine and interface is not exactly user friendly.

I'm not able to link to the results so I'll hold your hand while you explore the collections on your own.

Go to the search page of Textilgalleriet and switch to English in the top left if you prefer it that way.

I haven't explored the collection very extensively but you'll get some nice search results if you just enter "18th".

The search result will bring you 17th, 18th and some 19th century items. Don't expect actual costumes, but some highlights are many fine examples of embroidery (don't miss the adorable lion!), block printed 18thc fabric, lace and a fragment of a jacket in matelassé technique.

Big Plus: The "magnifying glass" feature lets you examine the objects very closely
Many objects have additional images

Big Minus: The programming is very confusing! Whatever you do - don't press the "back-button" in your browser when you wish to get back to the search results! It will only take you to the front page and you lose all your results.

Instead, when you're done viewing an object, you click "New Search" in the bar above the object. I know - it doesn't make sense, but it takes you back to the search results nevertheless.

There's also information about different textile techniques in the "Techniques" tab, unfortunately in Swedish only, except for an article on Swedish embroidery.

Overall - definitely a step in the right direction! And maybe, one day, Nordiska Museet put all of their costume collection online.

The new exhibition at Nordiska Museet approaches

Nordiska Museet in Stockholm hasn't had a permanent exhibition with their extant costumes for over a year (or is it two?).

I knew that one is to open in 2010 but since it felt so very, very distant I never bothered to look for information or news about it.

Then tonight, it hit me: "Hey, 2010 isn't very far away by now!" so I went to their website to see what information they shared.

The name of the exhibition, that is going to be permanent! - is "Modemakt - 300 år av kläder", or "The power of fashion - 300 years of clothing".

Of course I'm mostly interested in how much of the exhibition that will be dedicated to the 18th century! I have seen some of the museum's 18th c clothes in person but some only pictured, like these, and I tried to sleuth a little by looking at "behind the scenes"-pictures they've published:

I think this is a part of the new exhibition rooms. It looks huge compared to the old one, which felt more like a crammed corridor!

Jeans shorts? Purple baseball jacket? Please - not too much contemporary stuff! Who goes to a museum to look at things they may have in their own closet?

Here dancers pose as mannequins to determine how the latter are going to be displayed. Ironic, isn't it?

Aha! They have written "1780's" on a note on the white board with a lot of pictures surrounding it...

Now this looks promising!

So does this...

The opening date will be February 27, 2010, with reservations for changes.

Seems Christmas will come very, very early in 2010...

Making a straw hat - the easy (and cheap) way

I mentioned on the forum that I once made a decent low-crowned straw hat out of three place mats hat and was asked how I did it.

Well, I'll tell you, as well as I'm able to, and show with my own fool-proof Photoshop illustrations spiced up with various clip-art images stolen from around the web. Even mad PS skillz like mine need a little extra help sometimes.

OK, here we go:



Hello! In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a basic low-crowned straw hat out of three place mats!

It won't be the kind of hat that a milliner would be proud of, but it's a cheap and fun way to experiment with different styles and trims and colours with little effort.

Note: I have used this method only once (and should have taken pictures...) and was very pleased with the result, but as always: use at own risk! And don't sue. This is a hat that is supposed to be pimped with trims and goodies, so that any unavoidable flaws won't be noticed.

Let's go: Buy three place mats of a size you think suitable in a store of your choice. I got four for ca 10 EURO, they looked like this (I used the purple - the result can be seen here). Make sure they're made from some kind of natural straw; synthetics may very well work but I haven't tried it so we don't want to risk anything.



Step 1: Glue two of the place mats together (skip this if your type of place mat is very stiff. I did this because the brim would be too floppy otherwise).

Don't use a glue that is too runny - it may bleed through to whatever surface you put the place mats on and leave marks on the hat - but it's better be strong. Remember to open a window if your glue is very strong, or you may experience a conga line of psychedelic animals or worse. Cover the place mats with heavy books and leave them for now.



Step 2: Soak your third place mat with water!


Step 3: Find an object in your home that is shaped just as you want the crown of your hat to look. I found an ugly, purple flower pot that had made no one happy until now. It was cylindrical and turned upside down it proved to be the perfect hat shape.
Put your soaked place mat on top of the object and gently but determinedly shape the place mat around it - remember, you're the boss around here! Try to get it as smooth and even as possible. Use a little violence if necessary but be careful not too make the soaked material rip or tear.



Step 4: (And here comes my pièce de résistance!) Tie a piece of fabric or a ribbon, or whatever you have, around the newly shaped brim (a helper may come in handy here).
Let it dry overnight or longer (I let mine dry for 24 hours but that may not be needed).




Step 5: Your hat crown should now be dry and ready to be removed from the shape. Trim away all surplus until you have only the crown plus an extra centimeter or so.
If you leave too much, you can always trim it down later but not the other way around! Put the crown back onto the shape used.




Step 6: Let's get back to the brim which should also have dried by now.
Check the diameter of the crown and mark on the brim where it will sit, but subtract 1,5 centimeters from the radius and cut out a circle, that consequently is somewhat smaller than the diameter of the brim.



Step 7: From the center of the brim (which is actually a hole), cut small cuts outwards, all way around the cut-out.
As always, it's better to cut too little than too much.



Step 8: Go back to the crown that sits on the shape and firmly press the brim down onto it.
If it won't fit, cut a little more as in step 7.




Step 9: Now the crown is surrounded by little tabs that will secure the brim to it.
Help them by gluing and perhaps sew a few stitches around the crown as you see fit.

When the glue has dried, check that it looks OK on the wrong side. You may have to trim down the bottom of the crown if it peeks out too much.



Your hat is now ready to launch. You can experiment by shaping the brim into any style you like, pretty much like you shaped the crown - soaking and some kind of outer force.

And now you're on your own, because I won't tell you how to doll up your brand new hat - I'm sure you will manage that perfectly. The possibilities are endless:

You can have a very pretty, simple hat...

like so...

Or something fancier and froufier...

...like so! Have fun!

Hope this was of any help to you. This will probably be the only tutorial you get from me since I'm usually the one who gets tutored rather than the other way around.

But I DEMAND to see what you make! You know where to find me...

All the best,

Madame B

AAFTAE

Sorry, I should have done this a long time ago.

As things turned out, I received one Amadeus award from both The Dreamstress and American Duchess, and as one should nominate five blogs in return, I'm going to interpret this as if I'm therefore allowed to give away 5x2=10 awards! It made the hard decisions much easier, plus I can give the award to someone who gave it to me. Ain't I clever.

So, in strict alphabetical order, I proudly present my nominees for the
Amadeus Award For Taste And Excellence (AAFTAE):

18th century baby - because she's got one heck of an eye for detail

American Duchess - because she has some mad skillz, and because not all duchesses can be European

Anna Skomakare - because she makes OMG shoes! (and pretty costumes, too!)

Augusta Fredrika - because she she's such a sucker for Swedish 18th century as myself

Fuchsia's 18th century dress - because I think she could do anything

Gillray's Printshop - because history+humour=EPIC WIN!

Isis Wardrobe - because she's smart, nice, handsome and helpful

Lithia Black - because she's creative and fun

Swillwill's 18th century - because maybe this will make him update more...

The Dreamstress - because she has ambition, skills, a great sense of humour and rocks

Never stop blogging, please? You all brighten up my day.

Pockets finished - finally!

I finished a pair of pockets made from the embroidered fabric mentioned here a few minutes ago.


It's not quite the same as if the embroidery had been designed for the pockets but nevertheless, I think they're very cute if I may say so myself.


The tape is made from scraps from the same fabric I used for my pink-stripe polonaise. Hand-sewn. It only took a few "Monkees" episodes and the first 3½ parts of "Aristocrats". I have a very varied taste.

To think that it has taken me so long to get y first pockets - for shame!

Now, back to the regency gown.

To My Cat Börjesson, On His Third Birthday

And everyone said: FINALLY a cat post!

Congratulations, our darling cat Börjesson! Today we celebrate your third birthday as a member the head of this household.

We've had good times, we've had bad times.

There has been scratching (and puking) on rugs, on walls, on internet cables and Lord knows whatnot.

There have been bathing (you didn't like it), spray-bottlings, trips to the vet (that's why you can't have kids, BTW) and days without tuna and shedding that could've made hundreds of Donald Trump-toupées.

But there has also been endless cuddle sessions, hilarious play, snoozing on every available piece of furniture, birds on the balcony and days with all the tuna you could eat.

We love you in spite of all your faults, and you mostly accept us in spite of ours.

We're happy to have the privilege of living in your apartment, and here's to many more birthdays to come!

To Börjesson!

To Börjesson!

Three years of photage finally available to the public!

Evening gloves fail

I need evening gloves for the upcoming 1809 ball and went shopping for a pair about one week ago.

A pair of white kid leather gloves were of course on the top of my wish list, but even though one often comes across vintage 20th century gloves, I'm yet to find a pair that fits me. Fits me like a glove. Ha ha. Don't know what's up with that - I don't think my hands are extremely big but I reckon women with hands larger than those of a twelve year-old were simple shunned by society back then (I did buy a pair from a Swedish auction site and they did of course not fit me, but they did fit miss Ellinor so all was well).

So I accepted that I had to but a pair of new, stretchy synthetic gloves and went to this bridal shop who had a whole basket full of gloves on sale. Probably because they all were more or less dirty, but I was assured that they could be machine washed. I found a pair that fitted almost perfectly and they had a matte finish and not that hideous glossy faux-satin look that I detest, so I happily purchased them.

Today, I washed them in machine, and guess what? Fail.

Here's how they looked pre washing...

...and after.

Hairy glove. That's a whole new level of freaky.

The funniest think is, that this only happened to one of the gloves. So now I have one very nice glove and one useless. The quest continues...