I've been pinning things...

...Not dress seams like I was supposed to do today... I've been "pinning" pictures. Photos from the 1840's-1860's. I know. I've been naughty. But wait till you see the photos. :)

I am utterly in love with these beautiful photos.
You can see the pictures of girls with dolls I pinned HERE. And the portraits HERE. They are all so amazing. I'm looking for ideas...

Hug.

Emaline

daydreaming...

 Thinking is more possible if attempted whilst upside down I've found. 

Unladylike posture? Yes, indeed. And that is why it is the most fun in my own room. 

And from that perspective, I can see mostly white walls in my room. 

So.. I've decided to remedy that.

See next post for more details...

♥Emaline

1840's Bonnet and Belt

Here are some pictures of the accessories I made for my Orange and Cream 1840's dress. I had completely forgotten to post them! I hope you like!

 I added new trimmings to my plain, linen bonnet. 

The bonnet, belt (and outfit) were partly inspired by this costume from Cranford worn by the hilarious Miss Pole.

 

The feathers are real Peacock feathers and Goose feathers that I cut down to size. 

 

The ties are organza ribbon and a loose-woven blue cotton seam tape. 

(I love mixing blue and orange! Have you noticed?) 

The medallion I made with organza ribbon, flat seam lace, and seed beads. I loved adding the beads! I hope to do more of this in the future!

 

I added a gathered organza ribbon around the inside of the brim and at the back of the neck. Everything is tacked in place with large stitches so that when I wish to change the trim, I can simply snip the thread and pull it off.

The belt is made of darker organza ribbon and the same blue cotton seam tape. The 'buckle' in the front is brown embroidery floss covering a plastic ring off of an old camisole. That back is secured with a snap. 

 

(I love snaps for doll clothes! And here's a little tid bit...  Snaps for clothing were invented by Heribert Bauer in 1885. Unfortunately, they would not have been around in the 1840's... However.. I am not too worried about ALL my accoutrements being so very accurate! And besides, snaps are so much easier to use AND easier to hide than hooks and eyes!)

Love to you all!
Emaline

Emaline's "Bosom Friend" - Finished!

ANNE: "My greatest wish, apart from staying at Green Gables, would be to have a bosom friend."
MARILLA: "A what kind of friend?"
ANNE: "A bosom friend; a really kindred spirit. I've dreamt of meeting her all my life."

   I love this quote from Anne of Green Gables. And Marilla's face when she says it! Oh, it's too precious!
 
 I have finished my Winter Accessory Craft-Along Project! Hooray! Hooray!
 I am quite tickled and pleased with how it turned out!

I did block it, but I only used 3 pins because it knitted so well into the right shape already.

Since I used a shawl pattern, I added braided ties and tassels (yay!), and then poked them through the holes in the middle, at the point and tied them in a bow to make it into a Heart Warmer. (Oh! I just can't decide what name I like the best! They're all so charming!)

I love this yarn so much! And now I have a "bosom friend" to be with me all the time! he he!

And speaking of bosom friends...  I have been reading the Anne of Green Gables series and I am absolutely in love with them!
Especially the first book. It is out of a dream!
 And... look what I found! My favorite part in Anne of Avonlea. Well, the whole movie is practically my favorite part, but you know how that goes... :)
Here it is... (watch from 2:58) Where Anne and Marilla are reunited. So wonderful! Makes me cry every time.

Well, I hope everyone has enjoyed this little craft along as much as I have. It certainly gave me a boost on some projects I've wanted to make for a long time!

We are certainly not done yet! There are still quite a few good days left in March, so if you haven't added your accessory yet, please do! We'd love to see them!

And now.... since March is departing and Winter is dwindling... I am thinking of what we should do next!

Does anyone have any ideas for our next blog party?

♥Emaline

1840 Day dress

Finished and complete. I'm very happy with the way this dress turned out, as I hope are you. It was a very fun dress to make with no major hiccups. :) The rouching, pleating, tucks, eyelets and lace took time to do, but they made the project so much fun! And it is so perfect for Spring! It makes me feel like Spring is not so far off after all. :)

{And don't forget about our Craft-Along starting on March 1st!}

 I love how this picture below turned out.

 

Before, I had said this dress was late 1840's but in fact it is closer to being a style from the late 1830's-1840. Like these two below.

This dress below is more like late 1840s. Longer waist and more fitted sleeves. Aren't these dresses gorgeous? I love seeing the real dresses from the eras don't you?

However, I hardly ever dress in the style that is the most current... It always takes me a couple years to get accustomed to a look before I start liking it. So, I suppose it all works out in the end. :)

I have also made a belt to wear with my dress and have made over my bonnet to match. I will be posting those in the near future.

I'm so excited about the Craft-Along!! I hope to see many of you join us for it! Please leave a comment to let us know if you'd like to join in the fun! It's never too early to make new friends!


Thank you, dear readers for all your kind words and thoughts! They are always so uplifting and ever so much appreciated.
All my Love,
Emaline

dress details...

 My 1840's dress is getting so close to being done!

Here are some of the details I've been very busy with.

 (I know it is very unladylike.. But I like to call the wrong side of the bodice, the guts of the dress. He he!)

Here is the skirt which is finished, except for the fastening.

 I added a hem guard because I just love them and they are very practical. I also added tucks for trim as well as for giving the skirt more volume. It stands out quite nicely, don't you think?

And here is a very sad story which I hope never "happens" to you.

I measured, I sewed, I ironed and hand sewed 5 tucks, I hemmed, I added the waistband, I tried the skirt on... THEN, I realized... I had forgotten to check the length before I finished it.

It was a good inch and a half TOO LONG. Which is a lot when you're only 18 inches tall. eheh, heh...

I had a slight conniption fit... 

and then I got ready to sew three more tucks in the skirt which corrected the length and gave the skirt more beauty and fullness. So, it all worked out for good in the end I'm glad to say.

But if I were you, I would go the less terrifying route and measure the length BEFORE you finish the skirt. :)

This has been

Sewing Room Catastrophes

with Emaline Rose

Good luck and Good morning.

More on this dress coming!

It is SO close!

Love,

Emaline

sewing, sewing...

Here's a peek at what I've been sewing...  I'm making a late 1840's afternoon dress.

I've had the fabric for a long time and I've always known exactly what I wanted to make with it... So, I finally started it. The skirt is finished. *sigh*... :)

Besides my love of this era of fashion, my inspiration came from a paper doll book I have.

(Which you can find here on Amazon.)

The dolls and dresses in it are the original drawings from the magazines and so completely historically wonderful!

I was also inspired by this dress from Cranford worn by the inimitable Miss Pole.

 And the dresses from Martin Chuzzlewit.

And because I couldn't resist this picture.. My two favorite characters in Martin Chuzzlewit. =]

Sarie Gamp and Betsy Prigg

Oh, so funny! Elizabeth Spriggs is one of my most favorite actresses in the world. (She's on the left -- you probably know her as Mrs. Jennings from Sense and Sensibility -- but might not recognize her with that "..'eavenly dispogition..." as she would say.)  She is so brilliantly funny!
And that Mr. Dickens.. I declare!

I am busily working on my dress and am happy to say it is coming along nicely. I can't wait to show it to you!

Please tell me...

What have you been sewing?  

or even... 

been wanting to sew? I'd love to know!

I hope you are all well and happy!

All my love,

Emaline

Doll Bonnet TutoriaL: Part II ~ decorated bonnet

 

Here are some pictures of my bonnet after I decorated it.

I decided I didn't like the green ribbon and exchanged it for a lovely blue one. I almost didn't  because I thought it might not match very many of my dresses. But then I remembered this bonnet!

And she wears it with orange gloves! And I figure that if Elizabeth Bennet can do it than so can I.

And so part of my inspiration for this choice was this bonnet that I love! 

The linen I used was a gift from my darling friend Cora and the ribbon is what she used to tie it up. Thank you Cora dear!

 And here it is on Alice. Doesn't she look charming?

 For the decoration I gathered the ribbon in the same way I did with the green (see Doll Bonnet Tutorial Part I), but this time I pinned it on with applique pins! You can find them at any fabric store I dare say. They're about 1/2" long so they work perfect for doll things. (And doll size pin cushions I might add!)

For the flowers I took these silk flowers off of the stems and pinned them all on separately.

Some time I'd like to add flowers on the inside of the brim and maybe add a ruffle (or what I believe is called a "curtain") at the back.

Here I am in my Sunday bonnet and shawl. (The shawl is in fact a lovely doily I found at a thrift store. It had a couple stains on one side so I just folded it in half! I am going to try to wash it though.)

I hope you enjoyed this bonnet tutorial! I had lots of fun with it. Please let me know what you think and if you try it, let me know if you have any questions! And now that it's finally done I can get to posting some other stuff that I've been wanting to do. Including some really fun photo shoots with me and some with Alice!

I hope you all have a fabulous day! 

Love, Emaline