For their thirtieth wedding anniversary, my grandmother’s had a wrap skirt and matching top sewn in Greece. I have had this beautiful ensemble lying in my stash for years, not knowing how to ajust it for myself, as she was several numbers bigger than myself. This summer I needed something new to wear at our annual concert and this finally inspired me to cut the pieces.
Mormor fick en dräkt uppsydd i Grekland till sin 30-åriga bröllopsdag, bestående av en omlottkjol och ett bredaxlat linne i tunn bomull med invävt guldmönster. Den här vackra dräkten har legat i mina gömmor i flera år, eftersom jag inte kunde lista ut hur jag skulle anpassa den efter mina mindre mått. Denna sommar behövde jag någon nytt att ha på vår årliga konsert och äntligen fick jag inspiration till att klippa och börja sy om.
Screenshot
I loved the golden V-shape in the back of the skirt, so I turned this to the front and converted the 70s wrapskirt into an Edwardian looking skirt with a thrifted zipper in the back. I cut the top into a smaller tank top (with just enough space to wriggle into it before adding a brah 😬) with the tiniest shoulder straps, made from the excess fabric..
Jag gillade den gyllene V-formen på baksidan av kjolen, så jag vände kjolen bak och fram och ändrade därmed 70-tals-omlottkjolen till en Edwardiansk-liknande kjol med en återbrukad dragkedja mitt bak. Toppen klipptes till ett mindre linne, precis lagom stort för att kunna åla sig in i innan man tar på BHn. Utav spilltyg sydde jag supersmala axelband.
As I went through the fabric stash, I also found enough fabric for T-shirts for my sons too.
När jag gick igenom tyggömmorna hittade jag även tillräckligt med tyg för att sy T-shirts till mina söner.
We had a photo shoot from the boat, together with the kids. All cred to my patient husband and photographer!
Min tålmodige man lyckades fota från båten, tillsammans med barnen. En stor eloge till honom!
Here are a pair of our songs from the concert at Kröngården. How I love to sing with these wonderful musicians – Martin Carlsson, Hanna Karlsson and Frida Fredriksson!
Jag anpassade texten på Sakta gå hem genom stan till Vimmerby.
I had long promised my sewing niece to help out making a dress of her choice. When my mum brought home a beautiful silk brocade from India, suggesting it suitable for her prom, it was decided.
För ett tag sedan lovade jag min syende systerdotter att hjälpa henne i skapandet av någon klänning. När mamma tog med en vacker sidenbrokad från Indien och föreslog att det skulle passa till studentbalen, var valet självklart.
My niece made a Pinterest mood board before our meeting in the September 2024. Together we made our own design, drawing inspiration from both the thirties and modern elements.
Min systerdotter gjorde en fin inspirationssida på Pinterest inför vårt möte i September 2024. Med inspiration från både 1930-tal och moderna element och hennes egen goda smak, landade vi i denna design.
I was uncertain about the use of the same brocade for the draping. As I was biding my time at the Hospital in October, I had time for consulting both the dear staff at the Intensive Care Unite and the my heroes at Foundations Revealed 😍. They were agreed upon that the draping ought to be a different fabric.
Jag var osäker på om det verkligen skulle fungera att använda samma brokad till draperingen också. När jag låg overksam på sjukhuset i oktober, tog jag tillfället i akt att konsultera både den underbara personalen på IVA och mina hjältar på Foundations Revealed 😍. Alla var eniga om att brokaden skulle bli för klumpig för draperingen.
By December the female part of the clan went to Stockholm, for a visit at the Royal Opera. Such stunning dancing performance, costumes, scenography and music! And so satisfying that my sister wore the dress I made for her, my mother wore pants that I had made for her and I wore my favourite design. 😁 We also made a visit to the fabulous Tygverket and found the perfect match – a dark blue duchesse, perfect for draping.
I december åkte den kvinnliga delen av klanen till Stockholm för att avnjuta en kväll på Kungliga Operan 🤩 Vilka fantastiska balettdansöser, kostymer, scenografi och musik. Så tillfredsställande också att tre av oss bar kläder som jag sytt, varav två egen desig. 😁 Vi besökte också Tygverket och hittade det perfekta tyget för draperingen – ett djupblått duchesse.
Then the long journey of the toille making started, with little spare time in between work and time with the family. This was my very first shaky attempt, thrown together by the 3rd of January.
Sedan började den långa toille-makar-resan. Det fanns så lite tid över för detta, mellan jobb och familjetid. Detta första förök rafsades ihop 3e januari.
At the first fitting a few days later, my seven year old boy took the responsibility as a fashion photographer and took this great photo!
Vid första provningen, några dagar senare, axlade min sjuåring självmant rollen som modefotograf. Han tog denna häftiga bild!
It was impossible to eliminate the wrinkles at the bust and waist with one front panel and two back panels. At last changed the inserts into side panels and the two back panels became four. After the second fitting, we had a almost finished pattern.
Det var omöjligt att eliminera rynkorna kring byst och midja med en panel fram och två bak. Till slut ändrade jag till tre paneler fram och fyra bak. Efter andra provningen var mönstret typ färdigt.
After the third fitting, it was time for cutting the beautiful fabric. 😬
Efter tredje provningen satt allt perfekt och jag var redo att klippa i det vackra tyget. 😬
In order not to damage the moody fabric and keep the markings throughout the whole process, I tacked everything except for the lide seams of the skirt.
För att undnvika att förstöra tyget och för att inte markeringarna skulle försvinna under processen, använde jag mig av “tacking” (markera med sömmar, typ).
There was need for some more adjustments after basting the parts together, but it was perfect by the second fitting. Then there was another problem – when I made a test seam on my sewing machine I found out that the needle catched the metal threads of the brocade, then pulled them until they broke, even using my finest newly purchased needle. With help from the stichlings at Foundations Revealed, I learnt about Microtex needles, that actually was in stock at the local fabric store. Thank goodness! 😅 It was so easy to sew with these needles! This Sunday I realised that we hadn’t tested whether she would be able to sit. Thankfully, she could. And today, at the prom, she looked absolutely radiant! 🌟
Det behövdes några fler justeringar efter att jag tråcklat ihop delarna, med vid nästa provning satt klänningen perfekt. Sedan uppstod ett nytt problem – när jag provade maskinsömmar på en testbit upptäckte jag att nålen fastnade i brokadens metalltrådar och drog med dem tills de gick av, trots att jag använde helt nyinköpta, supertunna nålar. Tack vare folket på Foundations Revealed fick jag tips om Microtex-nålar, som faktiskt fanns inne hos SyIngrid! Vilken lättnad. 😅 Det var så enkelt att sy sömmarna med dessa nålar. I söndags insåg jag att det var länge sedan vi trstat om hon faktiskt kunde sätta sig ner i klänningen. Tack och lov kunde hon det. Och på studentbalen idag såg hon alldeles strålande ut! 🌟
Her chevalier is dashing too!
Thank you, dear Neema, for letting me sew your ball gown! You look like a queen. 🤗 You are such a wonderful person, clever and good. I wish you all luck henceforth! ❤️
Tack, finaste Neema, för att jag fick äran att sy din balklänning! Du ser ut som en drottning. 🤗 Du är en så underbar person, smart och godhjärtad. Jag önskar dig all lycka framöver! ❤️
At the local newspaper webpage, Dagens Vimmerby, you can see her and her other companions at the public part of the prom.
På den lokala nyhetssidan, Dagens Vimmerby, flera videoklipp från dansuppvisningen.
So much water has passed under the bridge since the last post… The week after making that last photo shoot, I went for a two week long stay at the hospital. The upside was that I had much time for devouring huge amounts of books and producing sketches.
I don’t know what to call these combatants in the depths – coats or borskar?
I was hospitalised during my internship at the Eye Clinic, so this was my way of excusing myself for not showing up.
I was well enough for taking strolls outside. I felt like a madman on the run, in the hospital clothing and carrying my little lifesavig machine around.
I lost count on the number of rooms I slept in. In Linköping I had my bed beside a window, where I enjoyed the view over a rowan tree, with a pair of busy geat tits.
There was much time for contemplating over how the world is developing – the horrid war in Gaza and Ukraine (for example), the crazy politics that speeds our exploitation of the resources, resulting in climate change with drouts, floodings and other catastrophes.
This was my little thank-you-card, to all the fantastic staff that I met at Västerviks skukhus and Linköpings universitetssjukhus.
During my convalescence, I finally finished a watercolour picture, designed for the operation theatre (more of a tiny room though 😅) of Vimmerby Health Central, to give scared children something else to look at while the surgical equipment is being prepared and used.
🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎵🎵🎵🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
One month later, I was well enough to sing again. I sang a few songs at a concert together with Lars-Erik Olofsgård and Lina Hultgren.
After that we have all passed our different colds and gastroenteritis between each other in the family. I managed to sew a new shirt for my son in time for Christmas. Made from an old curtain and recycled buttons. He chose the embroidery.
There were some very slippery winter days, inspiring this ink sketch.
My son has asked for an analogue clock. I found this at Erikshjälpen and used the pretty Sissi-handkerchiefs.
This summer I was given a wonderful 120 cm long fabric, by an even more lovely lady, who had no use for it. It is actually a furniture fabric, but I knew directly that this would be a pretty dress. I draped the dress on the mannequin.
Then I fitted it MAAANY times, as this was my first time designing a tight skirt.
And I think it turned out pretty good. What do you think?
I’m so happy that the weather stayed summery long enough to make the photoshoot.
I have been asked to design and sew a dress and a jacket, out of a beautiful silk fabric. I have some ideas of what to do, but the design might become a new hundred hour project and maybe need more fabric than we have.
Jag har fått i uppdrag att sy en dräkt med klänning och jacka i ett fantastiskt sidentyg. Jag har några idéer, men designen riskerar att bli ett hundratimmarsprojekt och tyget kanske inte räcker till.
Therefore I start by making a toille. Here comes a tutorial of the basic steps of draping a toille on the mannequin, that I’ve learnt through the years.
Därför börjar jag med att göra en toille. Här kommer en basal instruktion för hur man draperar ett mönster på en provdocka.
Cut a rectangle for the front and back, that is broader than the broadest part of your planned garment. This particular design has a yoke (?), and therefore I do not care about the shoulders at this part of the process. Otherwise I would have started out with a longer rectangle, with a hole for the neck, hanging the fabric straight from there.
Klipp ut två stora rektanglar för fram- och baksida, som båda är bredare än det vidaste måttet på plagget. Just denna design har en bred bård upptill och därför avstår jag från att drapera över skuldrorna på denna toille. Annars skulle jag ha tagit längre rektanglar ä, med hål utklippta för halsen och börja med att hänga tygstyckena symmetriskt från skuldrorna.
Mark the middle of the fabric vertically and hang the fabric evenly on the mannequin. Secure the right angle by putting needles under the bust and at the waist. At each step, make sure that the fabric lays smoothly, without making any unintentional creases.
Märk ut mitten av tyget vertikalt och se till att fästa tyget symmetriskt över provdockan. Fäst nålar under bysten och i midjan för säkra att tyget sitter symmetrisk och att tyget inte drar sig ojämt senare.Vid varje steg ser du till att tyget ligger slätt, utan några extra veck.
Lift the fabric at the side of the bust until the weave hangs straight. Pin the fold of fabric that you have created, turning it into a side dart that ends a few centimetres from the apex of the bust. Place some needles down the sides (so that the fabric won’t be pulled askew) in the next steps. Then pull fabric together along two vertical darts, from the apex of the bust and down to the widest part of the hips (perhaps a little slanting towards the middle, as this makes the waist look smaller).
Lyft tyget utanför bysten tills väven hänger rakt. Nåla fast vecket som du skapat på detta vis, så att det blir ett insnitt som slutar någon centimeter från bystens apex (yttersta punkt/bröstvårtan). Nåla fast tyget på flera nivåer i sidorna, för att hindra att tyget dras snett i kommande steg. Dra sedan samman i två nya vertikala insnitt nedanför bystens apex och ned till den vidaste punkten över stuss/höfter. Beroende på vilken vinkel man ger dessa insnitt kan man betona midjan mer eller mindre.
In the back there is only the two vertical darts to think of (which might be rounded convexly towards the waist).
bj. I ryggen räcker det med två vertkala insnitt. Även dessa kan variera vinkel för att framhäva kurvor.
When the front and back have their darts in place, pin the parts together, making sure the fabric still lays smoothly over the mannequin.
När framsidan och baksidan har sina insnitt på plats, är det dags att nåla samman fram- och baksida. Var noggrannmed att hela tiden ha tyget slätt över provdockan, utan att skapa nya veck.
After adding the yoke (?) to the toille, my client had time to test it (before I had taken pictures).
Efter att jag satt fast bården i halslinningen hade min uppdragsgivare plötsligt tid att testa toille och jag hann inte fotografera.
Revising the design
When testing the toille on my client, I discovered that my measurements must have been slightly off, so I redraped it on her, padded the mannequin and made a new revised toille for her, with two more panels and princess seams instead of darts.
. När jag testade toillen på min uppdragsgivare insåg jag att måtten måste ha varit en aning fel. Jag draperade snabbt om direkt på henne. Sedan vadderade jag provdockan till rätt mått och gjorde en omarbetad toille med två extra paneler med vertikala insnitt i sidorna och prinsessömmar istället för insnitt fram och bak.
Here is the new pattern.
Detta är det nya mönstret, som tagits fram genom drapering.
After testing the new toille, I could finally move on to cutting the fashion fabric and start sewing.
. Efter att ha testat toillen kunde jag äntligen gå vidare till att klippa sidentyget och börja sy!
Isn’t it a wonderful fabric? 🌟
Visst är det ett underbart tyg?
I got insiration for the yoke from Clothes Tips on Facebook. There is a really good tutorial.
. Jag fick inspiration till bården i halslinningen från Clothes Tips på Facebook. Här är deras pedagogiska instruktionsvideo.
Due to a late invitation to participate in one more concert in the last minute, I had less time for sewing than I had initially planned. But I succeeded. ✌️
. På grund av en sen inbjudan att delta i ytterligare en konsert, hade jag plötsligt mindre tid att sy än vad jag trott i början av semestern. Men jag hann, trots allt .
The Jacket
When the dress was finished, after a lot of hand stitching, I moved in to the jacket. Because of time restraint, I had to make some design ajustments, discarding the decorative border along the neckline and hems. 😭 As the fabric it self is so beautiful, it doesn’t matter so much, though. In fact I think it would have been too busy with the initial design.
När klänningen var klar, efter mycket handsömnad, gick jag vidare med jackan. På grund av en tight deadline, behövde jag göra några förändringar i designen – jag fick avstå de dekorativa bårderna längs kanterna, men behöll bårderna på ärmarna, för att komplettera mot klänningens bård i halslinningen. Jag tror faktiskt att detta optimerade designen eftersom det skulle ha blivit för många detaljer utöver det vackra tyget.
As I have mostly made clothes that are close fitting, I had to make three toilles with different depth and angles for the side darts before I found the perfect fit.
Jag har hittills mest sytt ganska åtsittande kläder, så det krävdes provning av tre olika toiller innan jag hade hittat rätt lutning och djup på insnitten.
I stitched the pieces of the bodice together, quickly the night before my course in leadership.
Jag sydde samman bitarna kvällen innan jag skulle iväg på ledarskapskurs.
I brought the pieces with me to the hotel and was so lucky, that I got a room with a view! Instead of relaxing at the spa, I enjoyed the beautiful sunset while I set the arms and handstitched them in place. 🤩
Jag tog med mig projektet till hotellet. Jag hade en sådan tur att jag fick ett rummed utsikt! I stället för att softa i spaet, njöt jag av solnedgången medan jag sydde fast ärmarna för hand.
The following weekend I was able to finish the last details – adding the decorative borders to the arms, hemming the inside of the armhole and handstitching the bottom hemline with invisible stitches.
Följande helg kunde jag dixa de sista detaljerna – sy den dekorativa bården på ärmarna, fålla insidan av armhålen och sy den nedre fållen för hand, med osynliga stygn.
And I was able to send the jacket to my client, just in time for the big event! 😊
Och jag kunde faktisktskicka med jackan till min uppdragsgivare, precis i tid för det stora evenemanget.
Now I have got some pictures of this dazzling lady, at the opening ceremony of the parliament. 🤩
Nu har jag fått några bilder av denna vackra dam, vid Riksdagens öppnande!
Big thanks to Emilia Engstrand for this lovely picture!
Stort tack, Emilia Engstrand, för att jag får använda denna fina bild!
And thank you, Gudrun Brunegård, for giving me the honour of sewing for this great wvent and lending me your own photos! You’re looking gorgeous! 🤩
Och tack, Gudrun Brunegård, för den stora äran att få sy till denna högtid och att du låter mig använda dina bilder! Du är så vacker!
This summer it feels as if all musical events of a whole year are being crammed into these next two weeks. I am very excited, as I will have the honour of singing with very skilled musicians!
1/8 kl 15 – Tuna kyrka – with Lina Hultgren and Lars-Erik Olofsgård
3/8 kl 19 – Kröngården- with Hanna Karlsson, Martin Carlsson, Frida Fredriksson and Malin Karlsson
10/8 kl 18 – Nyllinge – with Kalle Sellbrink and many more artists
17/8 kl 18 Målilla kyrka – with Lina Hultgren and Lars-Erik Olofsgård
25/8 kl 10 – sunday service at Kröngården, with Frida Fredriksson at the piano
It was so wonderful to have a summer filled with music! I will share a few YouTube videos. Unfortunately I have no good recording from Nyllinge, where I sang Star of the County Down and Eye of the Tiger.
Beginning To See The Light, at Tuna Kyrka, together with Lina Hultgren and Lars-Erik Olofsgård
You Say, at Kröngården, together with Martin Carlsson
Monicas vals, at Målilla kyrka, together with Lars-Erik Olofsgård and Lina Hultgren
I couldn’t resist making a hat out of the last fabric scraps from my two piece suit project. I made a pattern out of paper.
When I had got the shape I wanted, I stabilised the fabric with “Guterman extra stable”. I have no idea if milliners do it this way. 🤪
Then I stitched the pieces of crown and the pieces of the brim together.
After handstitching the top to the crown, I hand stitched the brim in place. Then I added some trim that I found in my stash.
The hat turned out pretty much as I had hoped. Afterwards, I wonder, though, if I should have used stabiliser on both layers of the brim, as it quickly looses the rounded shape on the backside.
Today we went to the wonderful Astrid Lindgrens Värld, to take pictures in Törnrosdalen. We went there several hours before the first show, but there were already other visitors there, enjoying the beautiful scenography. As you might see, I am quite awkward when posing among people. Therefore there is no portrait with the hat.
When I had finished my 11th century bliaut, there were pretty big scraps left of the fine woollen fabric.
This was years ago, and I have had so many different plans for the scraps. I have seen such pretty vests, sewn by other history bounding gurus, and now I wanted one for myself. I starred by draping a toille.
I used a checked fabric from the thrift store for flatlining.
Much was sew on machine, but most was actually hand stitched – as every fell stitched seam, hemline and button hole.
Luckily I had some wonderful tiny buttons saved from a beloved but demolished blouse, perfect for this project.
There was still some fabric left after finishing the vest, so I decided to use it for a skirt. The leftovers had such strange shapes that I wisely chose to cut out the same shapes from old bed sheets in order to find out what could be done from what I had at hand. After some days of pondering, a sleepless night gave me the courage to just cut the fabric on feeling, as I usually do with easy models. Without using the toille fabric … 😖 Suddenly the skirt was to short. At last I came up with a way of saving the skirt, using another scrap for the upper part. The tucking of the inserts took some time and it is not quite symmetrical, but it looks quite pretty. On this picture, though, it looks like a catastrophe, as I have obviously pulled the fabric unevenly on the mannequin. 😅
This is what it looks like together with the vest.
I have longed for a fancy blouse, to combine with pants or skirts, using for modern wear or history bounding. At last I decided on a model. The silk fabric was bought several years ago, from a website, when I planned to use it for regency fallfront breaches, but was stoved away when I realised it was quite see-through 🙈.
Jag har länge suktat efter en fin blus, som jag kan använda med byxor eller kjol, som modern eller history bounding. Till sist bestämde jag mig för en design. Jag skulle använda mig av sidentyget som jag köpt för många år sedan, för att sy empirbyxor, men fick lägga undan det när jag insåg att det var genomskinligt. 🙈
It was a pleasure making the mockup (unfortunately the pictures were lost with the passing of my phone). Then came the chock; the fabric was shorter and more narrow than I had remembered. I had to make some adjustments concerning the construction and design. Then I had to measure everything very carefully, before cutting the precious fabric. Sewing this slippery fabric was also a challenge, especially the button holes, but after fifteen test holes, I found a good technique. There was not enough fabric left for the cravat, so I used some cheap polyester lining fabric, which I dyed in tea.
Att göra toillen var ett rent nöje (tyvärrförsvannbilderna när min mobil dog). Sedan kom kallduschen; tyget var kortare och smalare än jag mindes. Jag behövde justera både konstruktion och design för att få det att räcka. Sedan mätte jag noga innan jag vågade klippa tyget. Det var även en utmaning för mig att sy det hala tyget, särskilt knapphålen. Efter femton testhål hade jag äntligen hittat en bra teknik. Tyget räckte inte till kravatten, så jag fick använda fodertyg i polyester och färga i te.
I’m so happy with how it turned out. It is versatile, even though it wrinkles just by looking at it. I’m very relieved that I did not make pants out of this fabric. 😅
– where you can see what I do – designing, sewing, singing, creating etc.
