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I've slowly been making progress on my parure...
( Full photo so far... )
So far I finished the necklace, and have some matching earrings, but the set needs at least 3 pieces to be a full parure.I was originally thinking of making a aigrette which was a piece of jewelry worn in the hair popular in the 18th century since the design is based on that period, but since it would require a pretty impressive up do to pull off, maybe a tiara would be a better choice?
It's such an exciting project to be working on! I need to get back to the drawing board to figure out where to go next with it though.
( Full photo so far... )
So far I finished the necklace, and have some matching earrings, but the set needs at least 3 pieces to be a full parure.I was originally thinking of making a aigrette which was a piece of jewelry worn in the hair popular in the 18th century since the design is based on that period, but since it would require a pretty impressive up do to pull off, maybe a tiara would be a better choice?
It's such an exciting project to be working on! I need to get back to the drawing board to figure out where to go next with it though.
So my latest area of off time study brings together 3 loves! When I was a girl I wanted to make jewelry for a living, but lack of access to materials and equipment lead to that being a small part of my life. I also spent my college age years tracking down exciting vintage costume jewelry in Antique shops for thrills. My love of 18th century fashion also lead me to a big want of some "diamonds" fit for a Georgian lady!
So for a few months now I've been researching 18th century jewelry design, and teaching myself some jewelry making techniques to create a set of 18th century jewels fit for a Duchess!
( A few photos so far... )
I picked up some lovely Swarovski crystal and these neat vintage stones that change color in different lights! Rococo ladies loved their pastels and novelties so I thought that might be fun?
It's a long, long slow slow process apparently (a painful one too). My equipment runs out of steam after a relatively short time which has been a good thing, as it keeps me in the real world taking care of the things I need to take care of. I hope to make a full set, necklace, earrings, bracelet and maybe brooch and aigrette for the hair? It'll be a long road but hopefully one well worth it!
In the end I hope to have the jewelry I always dreamed of and a skill I can roll back into my labels.
So for a few months now I've been researching 18th century jewelry design, and teaching myself some jewelry making techniques to create a set of 18th century jewels fit for a Duchess!
( A few photos so far... )
I picked up some lovely Swarovski crystal and these neat vintage stones that change color in different lights! Rococo ladies loved their pastels and novelties so I thought that might be fun?
It's a long, long slow slow process apparently (a painful one too). My equipment runs out of steam after a relatively short time which has been a good thing, as it keeps me in the real world taking care of the things I need to take care of. I hope to make a full set, necklace, earrings, bracelet and maybe brooch and aigrette for the hair? It'll be a long road but hopefully one well worth it!
In the end I hope to have the jewelry I always dreamed of and a skill I can roll back into my labels.
I've been wanting to try some new things with jewelry making, it was kind of a first love of my growing up, and it's been fun trying new things with it all!
( More Photos!... )
Nothing too flash, just something I put together out of things I had laying around at home. I was going for a sort of updated 1780-90's look. The cameo is from an engraving of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and the young Dauphin by Augustin De St Aubin. It showed up a lot in items made for royalist supporters during the French revolution. I thought it might be fun to add it to the necklace since I was thinking about that time period.
Still got a lot of practicing to do, I kind of want to make a big matching set of "crown" jewels when I get better at it all!
( More Photos!... )
Nothing too flash, just something I put together out of things I had laying around at home. I was going for a sort of updated 1780-90's look. The cameo is from an engraving of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and the young Dauphin by Augustin De St Aubin. It showed up a lot in items made for royalist supporters during the French revolution. I thought it might be fun to add it to the necklace since I was thinking about that time period.
Still got a lot of practicing to do, I kind of want to make a big matching set of "crown" jewels when I get better at it all!
Sometimes it's amazing how busy things get, but it's much easier to jump into action now Spring is here!...
Louisiana Adventue
We went down to my husbands family farm in Louisiana for a few days last week. I love all the people we know down there and it was wonderful catching up and hanging out. We even painted a car port! (now if only we could find the same motivation with our own house?)
Some of the highlights was a vintage toy pig, who having lost his pepper shaker, now brings much laughter to the grown ups! baby owls!!!!!!! trampolining with Sage, a 12th century Buddha Statue, Family, Friends, CRAWFISH!!! and my kitten Fluffy One Point is all grown up! (he lost the top off his ear when he was very small somehow can you spot him?)
Sprout Watch
Last year I was excited to plant bulbs for the first time, and been on tenterhooks waiting for them to grow ever since. Now Spring's hit it's all about "Sprout Watch" at our house!!! I keep going out to see if they are getting any bigger every day. Right now we have some tulips in full bloom (as you can see), some hyacinths and daffodils just about ready to open, and a lot of other little ones keep popping up, though I don't really remember what's what any more?
( A few more photos... )
We don't have a huge garden, but what we have I love growing flowers in. on a sunny day it's nice to sit out by all my pretty flowers to read or sew etc.
Craft Sleuthing
Speaking of sewing! My on going knotting research might have turned up a few new finds! I think I might have unraveled once and for all the sugar plum knot! I really want to find a nice cheap chair along these lines to restore, and reupholsterr with some knotting embroidery as an homage to Mary Delany and her famous chair covers.
Working hard as always, it's been exciting lately which is always a treat. Looking forward to seeing the NoVa lolis for Cherry blossom tea this week as well. So that's me this last month, how've you been doing?
Louisiana Adventue
We went down to my husbands family farm in Louisiana for a few days last week. I love all the people we know down there and it was wonderful catching up and hanging out. We even painted a car port! (now if only we could find the same motivation with our own house?)
Some of the highlights was a vintage toy pig, who having lost his pepper shaker, now brings much laughter to the grown ups! baby owls!!!!!!! trampolining with Sage, a 12th century Buddha Statue, Family, Friends, CRAWFISH!!! and my kitten Fluffy One Point is all grown up! (he lost the top off his ear when he was very small somehow can you spot him?)
Sprout Watch
Last year I was excited to plant bulbs for the first time, and been on tenterhooks waiting for them to grow ever since. Now Spring's hit it's all about "Sprout Watch" at our house!!! I keep going out to see if they are getting any bigger every day. Right now we have some tulips in full bloom (as you can see), some hyacinths and daffodils just about ready to open, and a lot of other little ones keep popping up, though I don't really remember what's what any more?
( A few more photos... )
We don't have a huge garden, but what we have I love growing flowers in. on a sunny day it's nice to sit out by all my pretty flowers to read or sew etc.
Craft Sleuthing
Speaking of sewing! My on going knotting research might have turned up a few new finds! I think I might have unraveled once and for all the sugar plum knot! I really want to find a nice cheap chair along these lines to restore, and reupholsterr with some knotting embroidery as an homage to Mary Delany and her famous chair covers.
Working hard as always, it's been exciting lately which is always a treat. Looking forward to seeing the NoVa lolis for Cherry blossom tea this week as well. So that's me this last month, how've you been doing?
Over the weekend I put together a little tutorial on how to make 18th century style fly fringe (or fly braid). You can read it over at Fancy Girl! I'm going to try get some prettier pictures for it later on I think though.
I've made a good 3.5 yards of as pretty little fly braid, and now having a hard time working it into my current project. My original plan for it just doesn't seem to set off the silky tufts very well, it's seems sad for them to look anything less than splendid after all that work that went into it.
( I have photos!! )
I'm going to keep playing see what I can come up with, but I hope this info is useful to people!
I've made a good 3.5 yards of as pretty little fly braid, and now having a hard time working it into my current project. My original plan for it just doesn't seem to set off the silky tufts very well, it's seems sad for them to look anything less than splendid after all that work that went into it.
( I have photos!! )
I'm going to keep playing see what I can come up with, but I hope this info is useful to people!
My sweets Knotting shuttle is a little bit thick for my newest project, and I can't find my original one, so I made a new set of knotting accessories!
The shuttle is sturdier, and thinner than before. It has little cameos, roses, bows and tiny heart patches like ladies used to wear on their faces in it. I guess this one is a little saucier than the sweets!
( Photos under here... )
I got an embroidery machine at the end of last year, I thought this might be a good little project to test it out some more with. I'm quite happy with how the shuttles are turning out these days, I've improved my technique a bit and they seem to be handling pretty well these days! The brooch doesn't have much to do with the knotting, I just like accessories to match since it was as much about style as it was crafting!
The shuttle is sturdier, and thinner than before. It has little cameos, roses, bows and tiny heart patches like ladies used to wear on their faces in it. I guess this one is a little saucier than the sweets!
( Photos under here... )
I got an embroidery machine at the end of last year, I thought this might be a good little project to test it out some more with. I'm quite happy with how the shuttles are turning out these days, I've improved my technique a bit and they seem to be handling pretty well these days! The brooch doesn't have much to do with the knotting, I just like accessories to match since it was as much about style as it was crafting!
I had just finished Camilla when my new book arrived! Mrs Delany by R Brimley Johnson. It's an collection of letters and journals that form the autobiography of May Delany, a fascinating woman and famous crafter from the 18th century! I ran into this book whilst stalking (researching) knotting again.
An excerpt in which she talks of tufted knotting confirmed a link I had made between two subjects that had been bothering me for a while, the knotting of fringes mentioned in so many books after 1750, and Fly fringe a popular trim around that time. I'd come to the conclusion they were one and the same, but of course, there is no information on the technique to be found any where, soOo...I set too squinting at some photos of dresses from the MET and V&A museums, shuttle in hand, and finally unlocked the key to fly fringe! (my fellow rococophiles will know it, but it's a sort of tufty silk braid which looks a bit like tiny flowers, it was used to trim dresses etc)
I've been practicing with some rayon thread to get a better grasp of it, and with my silk floss that just arrived yesterday to try work out my big fly fringe project!
( Fringe Photos!... )
After having disappeared for about 200 years, it's exciting to breath some new life into this craft and bring it back from the dead! I'm planning to update Fancy girl with a feature on this new found knotting soon.
The book is for more than knotting quotes by the way, Mrs Delany seems to have lived quite the life! I'm only a few pages in and it's already rather exciting! This edition was printed in 1925, and it has that lovely old book feel to it as an added bonus!
An excerpt in which she talks of tufted knotting confirmed a link I had made between two subjects that had been bothering me for a while, the knotting of fringes mentioned in so many books after 1750, and Fly fringe a popular trim around that time. I'd come to the conclusion they were one and the same, but of course, there is no information on the technique to be found any where, soOo...I set too squinting at some photos of dresses from the MET and V&A museums, shuttle in hand, and finally unlocked the key to fly fringe! (my fellow rococophiles will know it, but it's a sort of tufty silk braid which looks a bit like tiny flowers, it was used to trim dresses etc)
I've been practicing with some rayon thread to get a better grasp of it, and with my silk floss that just arrived yesterday to try work out my big fly fringe project!
( Fringe Photos!... )
After having disappeared for about 200 years, it's exciting to breath some new life into this craft and bring it back from the dead! I'm planning to update Fancy girl with a feature on this new found knotting soon.
The book is for more than knotting quotes by the way, Mrs Delany seems to have lived quite the life! I'm only a few pages in and it's already rather exciting! This edition was printed in 1925, and it has that lovely old book feel to it as an added bonus!
I've been sewing a little here, and a there on this hat since I posted, and my feathers arrived at last yesterday, so I'm pleased to show off my new hat!
( More Photos... )I also was able to make a new set of rococo puffs. I love the big lolita hair styles, but never have enough time of hair to do much with my own hair, so I've started re-making lots of hair pieces to match mu new color, the first was these big curly pigtails! I love HUGE hair and lolita, it's just like the rococo, hair started small, then got bigger and bigger. I just hope it doesn't end with us all losing our heads
( Rococo Puffs!... )
.It seems my hair is a perfect 613 color, so I was able to just buy some human hair wefts and go to town. My head has never been so well dressed.
I'm going to run and finish getting my orders and house ready for my sister coming to stay with me tomorrow, and my husband has just made some apple butter and crumpets, so I'll catch you all later!
( More Photos... )I also was able to make a new set of rococo puffs. I love the big lolita hair styles, but never have enough time of hair to do much with my own hair, so I've started re-making lots of hair pieces to match mu new color, the first was these big curly pigtails! I love HUGE hair and lolita, it's just like the rococo, hair started small, then got bigger and bigger. I just hope it doesn't end with us all losing our heads
( Rococo Puffs!... )
.It seems my hair is a perfect 613 color, so I was able to just buy some human hair wefts and go to town. My head has never been so well dressed.
I'm going to run and finish getting my orders and house ready for my sister coming to stay with me tomorrow, and my husband has just made some apple butter and crumpets, so I'll catch you all later!
I normally just post my finished projects, but I thought since I post the progress in other places it might be fun to post it here too. I figured a few people here might be interested to see how things grow from junk in my craft stash to finished pieces.
Right now I'm working on another hat. I've always loved the more manly style of dress from the latter half of the 18th Century, especially in England, and these hats have been on my wish list for so long! Not quite ready for a full size one yet, so I'm making a lolita mini version! I want to make it to go with this dress I made a while ago.( My inspiration... )
So far I have drafted the pattern, made the buckram and wire foundation like in my half bonnet project, and covered it all in brown velvet. The binding is just ironed into a circle and loosely tacked at this point. The hat is a lot further from completion than it might look.
( Progress so far... )
It's pretty much all hand sewing so I hope to be able to work on this in the evenings. I'm excited to see how it turns out in the end.
Right now I'm working on another hat. I've always loved the more manly style of dress from the latter half of the 18th Century, especially in England, and these hats have been on my wish list for so long! Not quite ready for a full size one yet, so I'm making a lolita mini version! I want to make it to go with this dress I made a while ago.( My inspiration... )
So far I have drafted the pattern, made the buckram and wire foundation like in my half bonnet project, and covered it all in brown velvet. The binding is just ironed into a circle and loosely tacked at this point. The hat is a lot further from completion than it might look.
( Progress so far... )
It's pretty much all hand sewing so I hope to be able to work on this in the evenings. I'm excited to see how it turns out in the end.
Since I was a little girl I've had a love of Folding fans, I've always adored how these pretty sticks unfold to show off a hidden work of art, and how elegant a lady looks holding one.
I recently got it into my head that i would like some rather fancy fans to complete the more extravagant outfits i own, but didn't want to use antique fans for fear of destroying something that has barely survived for 100s of years. I figured the only solution was to start making my own!
( Follow me for photos!... )
This is my first attempt and I learned a lot from making it. I haven't painted in a long time so the artwork is rather crude to say the least, but I got a kick out of embroidering all the metal threads and sequins onto the silk to give it that candle light sparkle!
( Size comparison... )
For my first one I wanted to make an 18th century style fan which meant it needed to be significantly larger than a modern or Victorian fan (between 10" and 12" long compared to about 8" of 9") I did this by extending the guard sticks, and putting a stiff base under the silk to give it structure after the fan sticks ended. This worked really well for when it's opened, but when sadly it closes rather poorly because the leaf is too thick. I think this will be one for shows and display rather than to be carried as a fashion accessory sadly (next rococo fan I'll try making my own sticks)
Still I was rather happy with how it turned out! My next one is going to be a regular Victorian size, with an added bracket and tassel, I just need to figure out what to paint on it! The design on this one is a lady knotting, and 2 cats which were based on my own fluffy friends.
I'm kind of excited about experimenting more with folding fans!
I recently got it into my head that i would like some rather fancy fans to complete the more extravagant outfits i own, but didn't want to use antique fans for fear of destroying something that has barely survived for 100s of years. I figured the only solution was to start making my own!
( Follow me for photos!... )
This is my first attempt and I learned a lot from making it. I haven't painted in a long time so the artwork is rather crude to say the least, but I got a kick out of embroidering all the metal threads and sequins onto the silk to give it that candle light sparkle!
( Size comparison... )
For my first one I wanted to make an 18th century style fan which meant it needed to be significantly larger than a modern or Victorian fan (between 10" and 12" long compared to about 8" of 9") I did this by extending the guard sticks, and putting a stiff base under the silk to give it structure after the fan sticks ended. This worked really well for when it's opened, but when sadly it closes rather poorly because the leaf is too thick. I think this will be one for shows and display rather than to be carried as a fashion accessory sadly (next rococo fan I'll try making my own sticks)
Still I was rather happy with how it turned out! My next one is going to be a regular Victorian size, with an added bracket and tassel, I just need to figure out what to paint on it! The design on this one is a lady knotting, and 2 cats which were based on my own fluffy friends.
I'm kind of excited about experimenting more with folding fans!
