Tag Archives: your wardrobe unlock’d

Clothes, Fantasy, Från idé till färdigt plagg, In English, Kläder, Uncategorised

The Serpent Witch – Photo Shoot

4th January 2021 Susanna Art Leave a comment

Now the Snake Witch garment is finally finished!

So, for those of you who have not followed this project from the beginning, I want to introduce the Lady of the Green Kirtle, the Queen of the Underland or the Green Witch, from The Silver Chair, in the book series of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. She is perceived as a lovely, beautiful creature by those who meet her, but the story shows that she is a ruthless ruler and a witch who sometimes transforms herself into a serpent. She is described as tall, slender, with glimmering skin and wearing a flowy green gown.
My pretty silk is woven by green and red thred and looked very green laying flat. Along the way I understood that my Green Lady would have to accept the more purple tone, which became even more dominant with the pinkish arms. I am very pleased with how she turned out. Here she is!

För er som inte har följt mitt projekt från start, vill jag presentera Gröna damen, Drottningen av Underjorden och Ormhäxan, från C.S. Lewis ”Silvertronen”, i Narnia-serien. De som möter henne uppfattar henne som en älskvärd, vacker kvinna, men genom berättelsen framgår det att hon är en hänsynslös härskare och en häxa som ibland förvandlas till orm. Hon beskrivs som lång och smal, med skimrande hy och med en grön böljande klänning.

Mitt vackra siden är vävt i grönt och rött och såg väldigt grönt ut när det låg ner. Under konstruktionens gång har jag insett att min Gröna Dam måste acceptera en mer lila ton, vilken blivet ännu mer framträdande med de rosaaktiga ärmarna. Jag är väldigt nöjd hur hon blev. Hoppas att ni ska gilla henne!

The corset is by no means perfect, but it is far better than any corset I have made before. I made 4,5 mockups and learnt new techiques, as rollpinning, stitching in the ditch, using fray check etc. This is thanks to the Stitchlings’ community and the fantastic mentors of Foundations Revealed.

Korsetten är inte i närheten av perfekt, men den är så mycket bättre än de korsetter jag tidigare har sytt. Jag har använt nya tekniker, som roll pinning, stitching in the ditch, använt “fray check” mm.. Detta är tack vare Stitchlings’ community och de fantastiska metorerna på Foundations Revealed. Allt korsettmaterial och en del klänningsdetaljer är köpt på Vena Cava Design.

I am so pleased with how the dress turned out and so glad that I made the corset for it – it really gives the dress a more regal silhouette. For the dress I started with making the foundation piece in lightweight cotton and polyester for the skirt, with tulle attached for giving the skirt the right silhouette. I used 9,5 metres of silk for the dress. All hems are hand stitched. The hem of the skirt is lined with horsehair. The arms are detachable, so that I can use it as a modern ball gown, would such an opportunity ever appear. The belt is made from four twisted strands of steel wire.

My dear friend Josefine Antonsson shot these beautiful pictures yesterday, when we had finally been blessed with a thin snow powder on the naked ground. Thank you so much!

You can follow the whole journey from idea to sewing the different parts here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Jag är så nöjd med hur klänningen blev och så glad för att jag valde att göra korsetten till den – korsetten ger klänningen en mer kunglig silhuett. Jag började med ett undre lager med tunnt bomullstyg i livet och polyesterfoder för underkjolen. Längst ner fäste jag tyll för att få rätt silhuett. Jag använde 9,5 meter siden till själva klänningen. Alla fållar är handsydda. Kjolfållen är dessutom fållad med “hästhår”. Ärmarna är avtagbara, så att jag kan använda klänningen som modern balklänning, om det någonsin skulle dyka upp ett sådant tillfälle. Bältet gjorde jag genom att fläta fyra stråltrådar.

Min vän Josefine Antonsson tog dessa magiska bilder igår, när vi äntligen välsignats med ett tunnt vitt snöpuder över den nakna marken. Tack så mycket!

Du kan följa hela processen från idé till sömnad av de olika delarna här: Del 1 och Del 2 och Del 3.

Clothes, Edwardian, Edwardianskt, Historiskt, In English, Kläder, Period clothing, Saker

YWU Competition Entry – 1903 Summer Lady

1st February 2016 Susanna Art Leave a comment

This summer, I had the opportunity to join my first event with the Swedish 19th Century Society. We were meant to show clothes that could have been worn by the people who did not have to emigrate from Sweden, during the famines of the 19th and early 20th century. I wanted to bring a friend, so my beloved edwardian Sunday look was reserved for her. My budget and time was extremely limited, so my bigger projects were discarded. Instead, I decided to take the opportunity to just have fun, making something I would never wear otherwise – a look for a wealthy lady, in 1903.

By the stream in Kisa, at 19th century event. Photo: Josefine Antonsson — By the stream in Kisa, at 19th century event.
Photo: Josefine Antonsson

For me, the first years of the Edwardian era, represents an unloved fashion, as its’ over-the-top garments, with pigeon breast and flowery decorations, contrast so much with the later, more refined fashions.

Because I had to make the whole look in between exams and work, most of the sewing was done either in the company of my family, in front of the TV, or out in the sun with my relaxing friends. My small budget only allowed me to use plastic table tablets and IKEA-roses for the hat, an old curtain for the skirt and a cotton fabric for the shirtwaist. The most expensive and time consuming part, was buying and making the whitework machine embroidery, before I left my own sewing machine for the summer.

I basically followed patterns found in Janet Arnold’s “Patterns of Fashion 2” and was inspired by pictures found at Pinterest. I had great fun making the overly decorated hat, and my little niece enthusiastically gasped: “This is the biggest and most beautiful hat I have ever seen”. Alas, I had neither time, nor material for putting the finishing ribbons onto the skirt. At the event I felt like a cheap, walking flower garden, but to my great surprise I got many compliments for this look. Maybe it is not such an unloved fashion after all?

At least, this is obivously not a fashion unloved by my cat. Photo: Christian Antonsson — At least, this is obivously not a fashion unloved by my cat.
Photo: Christian Antonsson

Clothes, Edwardian, Historiskt, Lärarinna 1914, Saker

Tvåa i dräkttävlingen!

24th March 2015 Susanna Art Leave a comment

Ni som har följt mitt lärarinneprojekt, kanske gläds med mig, när ni får höra att jag kom tvåa i min kategori, i Your Wardrobe Unlockd’s dräkttävling. Det kryllade av häftiga bidrag, som ni kan se här. Det känns fantastiskt att folk med erfarenhet inom historisk sömnad valde att rösta på lilla mig! Kronan på verket var det fina personliga meddelandet jag fick från YWU (nedanför). Jag är jätteglad!

“Your entry, A Swedish Edwardian Teacher, was beautiful and very striking. Although simple in style, it was exquisitely made, and you really did look like you had just stepped out of an old sepia photograph. We loved the fact that you’d done the whole outfit from the underwear out – the care you took with the undergarments meant the finished outfit hung and fitted perfectly. We also thought your recykling of older fabric and garments, and combining that with new techniques, gave the whole outfit a fascinating back-story. This entry is a great credit to your craftsmanship and innovation. Well done!“

Ha en bra dag!

Clothes, Edwardian, Edwardianskt, Historiskt, In English, Kläder, Lärarinna 1914, Period clothing

YWU Competition Entry – Edwardian Teacher

1st February 2015 Susanna Art 2 Comments

Last year, I received some vintage underpinnings that my parents had found in an old clothes chest, stored in the attic of the family farmhouse. Amongst these clothes, there were a corset, drawers and a petticoat. The same summer, I also got a vintage sewing machine, of the same age, but from my husbands family.

When the theme for this competition was announced, I decided to sew clothes matching my heirloom, on my vintage machine. I wanted to create something that might actually have been worn by my relative, who owned these clothes, if she would have had my taste and interests. Further, I wanted to find an occupation for this fictional Edwardian self, where my eagerness to learn could be matched with staying on the farm. After some research, I decided to go for a country teacher (I have teachers on both of my parents sides of the family), as this was the primary occupation for ambitious Swedish women of the time, who wanted to study and work. As education is the most powerful weapon against war, I consider this as my contribution against the Great War!

The original corset, that my parents found in a chest, which had been locked for at least sixty years. Dated to about 1908.

I had already sewn a Victorian chemise and drawers, so now I wanted to make something else and decided upon a combination of chemise and drawers (1913). I translated the lovely, expensive versions I had seen at museum pages, into something affordable for a farmer’s daughter. Except for the green ribbon, I solely used inherited materials, from bed sheet and laces removed from pillow cases, down to the thread and buttons.

Combination of chemise and drawers – closes with buttons, otherwise open up to the back.

When I reconstructed the corset, I used coutil and other material from VenaCavaDesign. The lace reminds of the lace on my vintage drawers. The suspender end grips was a gift from a friend.

After having finished the corset and combination, I had no inspiration left for the corset cover and petticoat. Therefore, I made a simple combined corset cover and chemise (1910-12). In the picture, I wear the corset cover under my inherited petticoat.

Combination of corset cover and chemise. To the right, worn together with my vintage petticoat, from the same clothes chest.

Hilda, the owner of the under-pinnings, was born in 1894. At this photo, from 1915, she stands at the left, together with her older sister and mother Matilda.

The income of country teachers was modest. Swedish literature from this time praises the woman who knows how to dress beautifully without following the fashion too anxiously, and who knows how to keep her clothes in a fine condition. Thus, I can confidently argue for combining the differently dated parts of the costume with each other.

Unfortunately, I was not able to move the sewing machine to my Danish home, so intsead of historically accurate techniques, I used my modern machine and all its advantages. My first project was to recreate the corset, which is supposedly dated to 1908. I ordered the materials needed from England, but forgot the suspender end grips. Last week I received this from a friend, who had inherited them from an old relative.

For Sunday wear, my fictional self would wear my previously sewn woollen skirt and machine embroidered cotton blouse (about 1910).

This costume (1910) I sew two years ago, but now it was finally complete, with all the right underwear and the beautiful belt, which clasps I also got from a friend.

The blouse is made of cotton, with machine embroideries. In the back, the skirt closes with hooks and sewn eyes.

The fun part was creating the clothes that the teacher would wear for work. She should look neat and respectable, at the same time as the clothes should be practical and at least a bit modern. After some research, I decided to sew a shirtwaist with pin tucks (about 1910) to combine with a modern skirt (1914). Three days ago, I was worried that I had failed completely, as my husband looked sceptically at my half finished costume, but when the costume was finally finished, both he and I were pleased to see it was all I had planned for my costume to be.

Clothes, Empir, Från idé till färdigt plagg, Historiskt, In English, Kläder, Period clothing, Regency, Saker

YWU Competition – My Favourite Things – Regency Fashion

1st January 2014 Susanna Art Leave a comment

For long, I have adored Mr. Darcy and the characters from Jane Austen’s novels. As a fashion obsessed history nerd, I have also fallen in love with the fashion of their time.

The reason for my learning to sew was that I too wanted to wear as beautiful clothes as I saw in pictures and films. Because medieval clothes did not require advanced sewing skills, I started there. Then I went on to regency fashion, using “Recreating History” patterns. As an impatient, poor student, I chose to sew my regency underwear out of old bed sheets, on machine. In the corset I used plastic boning. Recently, I improved the chemise and corset.

The white muslin dress is the only part of the costume that I have bought fabric for. It is mostly hand sewn.In the hopes of making it my passport to a historic tailoring education, I made an effort to show my abilities, with correct materials, precise pleats and unnoticeable stitches. As I lacked experience within all other fields of tailoring, I was not accepted. I have enjoyed my dress at picnics though, feeling beautiful, but awfully cold. Two years ago, I made removable arms for it and a matching bonnet, out of an old sun hat and fabric leftovers.

Last year, I sew a regency outfit for my husband. For this, I used both bought and homemade patterns, to finally achieve a costume including a cotton shirt with cravat, fall front knee breeches in moleskin, a satin waist coat and a woolen frock coat. The shoes, stockings and hat were bought.

Researching men’s clothing awoke cravings for outdoor clothes for me, so after completing Christian’s outfit, I decided to set for a spencer and hat. I would use the velvet from our old sofa!

The regency fashion reflects contemporary events. The French revolution got rid of the “suppressors’” fashion and a new fashion was born. The Napoleonic war inspired military decorations. I suppose the popularity of the second Earl of Spencer explains why the accidentally created spencer became fashion.

My outdoor clothes are good representatives for my thesis; both the hat and the spencer are feminized (and off course) “unpracticalized” uniform pieces. The spencer is completely hand sewn. It closes with hooks and eyes, and a drawstring at the waist. I almost went mad when trying to attach the ribbon to the “long haired” velvet that constantly pushed the ribbon in the wrong direction. The inside of the spencer is lined with cotton leftovers. The hat gets its structure from cardboard from old notebooks. The pieces are hand sewn and glued together.

I have not made exact copies of historical cloth pieces, but translated my favourite things from the Regency Era to what might pass for contemporary and what suits me and my purse (and after I saw Vanity Fair, I could not refuse the stylish hat, even though it should go with the trainless dresses that came later). The outside is always prioritized before the inside, where I cheat as I like, when I sew for myself. This is a philosophy that actually seems to have been practiced even then. My primary aim, though, has always been to create something that I would want to wear, and I succeeded!

Susanna Art Blog