The Pearls of Mary Lincoln

I've been working a bit lately on some jewelry lately inspired by a Pearl Demi-Parure (picture to the left). This is part of the The Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana at the Library of Congress. I'm mostly focused on the Necklace for right now.

I've also focused on another Tiffany Pearl Necklace that was made around the same time (picture to the right).

The picture with the green background on the left is my first attempt was to emulate the brooch in the right-hand picture. Since it's a test it's made from glass instead of real pearls. I will have to use smaller pearls for the 3-tier oval...but overall I'm happy with the first try. Overall the brooch ended up being being about 40 x 30 mm.

Learning from the mistakes of 1.0 I've recently completed several smaller 2.0 pieces (see picture to the right). The background is the printed picture of the first image used in today's blog post. I just ordered a bunch of Lacy Brass Bezel findings and some gorgeous flower connectors for version 3.0. I plan to order the Swarovski Crystal Pearls I need for this project next week.

New Steampunk Jewelry & Civil War Recap

I've not been posting much as of late. I managed to mess up my left shoulder on the Sunday of the Rockford Air Show and have been "hobbled" by it ever since. I begin physical therapy on October 20th and we will see how it goes. I thought I might post recaps for a couple of day to get back into the swing of things!

New Steampunk Jewelry
I do have to show off some of the new Jewelry I've been working on. My jewelry is available in my Etsy shop, and my Ebay Store. You can also Antina's Uniques and Costuming Jewelry @ Windy-Con in the Traditional Treasures booth. Also we will have some pieces at the Rock-Con Convention, October 22nd-24th, 2010.
both of these pieces will be available on Ebay by 10/21/2010








Civil War Reenactments
The 2010 Civil War season as draw to a close for Company C, 1st United States Sharpshooters. All of the tents and gear have been packed away for the winter and now it's on to winter projects. Here were the Reenactments we (as in Mike and I attended in 2010

Naper Settlement, Naperville, IL (May) (thanks to whoever got this picture for me)

Reclaiming Our Heritage, Milwaukee, WI (June)~see my fencing outfit for the Fashion Show in older postings....

Civil Wary Days @ Lakewood Forest Preserve, Wauconda, IL (July)~(where the truck broke down on the way home......)

We didn't do any Civil War in August due to my injury and a death in the family.

Lehmann House Civil War Event, Lake Villa, IL (September) (thanks to Michka Bailey for taking this picture for me!). We are brigaded with Company E/USS Carondelet.

Battle of Morseville, Stockton, IL (October). If you are wondering, Mike and I are drilling on the Stadia Sight after working on Skirmish Drill with the Iowa Battalion. (thanks to Kate Moan for the picture)



Our last event of the season was a Saturday Day trip to the Shadows of the Blue and Grey, in Princeton IL. (Thanks to Jamie Rott for the Photos)


~Antina

Fencing Outfit Completed!!!!!

Normally I've been posting a day by day account of my work, but over the holiday weekend I decided to wait until the outfit was finished. There were some nice breaks (such as a baby shower and the Southern Wisconsin Airshow).

In the picture research I've accumulated, it's hard to tell what lies under the Plastron. I've made some deductions based on some Late Victorian/Edwardian garments I have in my collection. Plus, since I also practice the Western Martial Art of Rapier, I've incorporated some of what I've learned in making Rapier Clothing.

I made the decision to construct a calf-length gored skirt with a double-width panel in front and 2 regular sized panels on each side, with the closure along the back seam. There is also an shorter, flounced petticoat under the skirt to give a little extra body and keep some of the material away from the legs.

For the shirt, I constructed a loose-fitting smock style shirt. I choose a smock style since I could close in all the seams, leaving less of a chance of a foil getting into places it should not. I cut the sleeve cuff on the bias to allow some stretch when pulling the garment over the knuckles, but still allowing the shirt to be tucked into my gloves.

All and all the project was an easy one for me. Sewing time for the skirt and shirt (including finished seams, and some handsewing) was just over 2 1/2 hours for each garment.

Since the project wasn't that intensive, I thought I would fix a sheer green plaid gathered bodice (Civil War) dress that I wore in England. The dress was pretty, but the bodice was much too big. So, removing the piping along the bottom edge, brought in the side seems and repleated/gathered. Now all I have left to finish tonight is the handwork-hand tacking the piping back in place.

Victorian Fencing Fashion.

I have to confess, I've been putting off my Late Victorian Fencing Costume. Now it's crunch time and I need to have the dress completed for the Reclaiming our Heritage at the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 5th and 6th. This event is a multi-timeline event and we are attending as part of our American Civil War unit, The 1st United States Sharpshooters, Company C.

My main goal is to complete my Late-Victorian Fencing Costume and perhaps one other dress (more on that later).

To start my project I wanted to duplicate a period plaston. According to The Sword Exercise Arranged for Military Instruction, by Henry C. Wayne and published by the US Government in 1850 (available on Google Books as a download)...

"A PLASTRON made of soft leather on the outside, of strong linen underneath, stuffed to the thickness of half and inch with hair, well quilted to keep it in place, but not so tight as to make it stiff and inflexible, for those who require more security that a jacket will afford. It should cover the breast from the throat to the waist, and be fastened by straps and buckles around the neck, back and waist."

I did some searching on the Internet and did find books and pictures/illustrations of Victorian Women in fencing attire. I drew up a pattern from these pictures.


Since I've not been able to find an original Victorian Era Plastron, I'm not sure how what weight the leather and linen are or what type of hair was used (I suspect it's horsehair). After hunting around in my fabric stash and doing some shopping I decided to use some white "Ultrasuede" I had on hand for the inside of the Plastron and machine quilted cotton fabric for the outside.


After cutting and a bit of fitting, the two parts of the garment were basted together (with the bottom left open), the shoulder straps were pinned, the basting stitch opened up and the straps inserted then restiched. Turning the garment right side out, I topstitched all of the basted seams (skipping the bottom again). The straps were tested (yes they fit without the need for buckles) and I moved on to the hip ties. Once those were attached, I set the garment on the dressform for a test run. I think the hip ties may have to go higher (to the waist), but right now they look to be in the correct position; according to my photos at least. Finally, I used some wide twill tape to sew the hem, leaving the ends open for an additional tie.

Now it's off to bed and tomorrow I will tackle the beige fencing skirt.

Some new Steampunk Jewelry!

Here is a tray of Steampunk Jewerly we sent with Traditional Treasures up to Wiscon this coming weekend. I'm still finding my way but I will have more exciting offerings this year @ the Cyphan Convention! Stay Tuned.

Steam Century Mystery Night Is Here!!!!
Mike and I had a great time this evening at the the Mystery. We listened to beautiful music, great storytelling, and made many new acquaintances! The HMA Badger were excellent hosts and we hope to be back for one of the future Mysteries. The next Mystery at Midway Village is set for July 17th. Information can be found on the SCM Page.
We also helped out Gallowglass Academy with the Bartitsu Demonstration this evening. Bartitsu is the martial art style possibly used by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's, Consulting Detective, Sherlock Holmes. Interested in more information? There happens to be a Bartitsu class going on April the 17th. If you are interested you can check out the class information

Mike and I left early, wearing a new corset while still dealing with a lingering cold is tiresome. However, we look forward to crossing into the realm of Steampunk again soon.

Besides getting my new Civil War Dresses done for Naper Settlement, I have my next Steampunk projects in the works.

I think I may put the Jacket aside and focus on something a bit more Edwardian. My mother-in-law gave me The Edwardian Modiste as a recent birthday present and I have picked a dress out of the book.

Or I will go with a dress I just love from Victorian Fashions and Costumes from Harper's Bazar, 1867-1898, the picture is dated 1889.
I also have a fencing outfit to complete....also from Harper's Bazaar and also from 1889.

Day 12 (Steam Century Mysteries is tomorrow)

Accessories make the dress, so pulled out a hat from my early reenacting days. I purchased the hat before I learned that I should be wearing bonnets, not brimmed hats (save for the swallowtail style and those for riding). So this hat has sat in it's hat box for 15 or more years. Now it has a purpose. I put together some Steampunk Style decoration and hat pins to bring it inline with the outfit I will be wearing on Saturday Evening.

The outfit still needs a few extras, such as googles, but I've not found something I like....I will post pictures of the outfits soon.

Day 11 (3 days from Steam Century Mysteries)

Ouch...okay sewing gremlins I get it! I officially give up on trying to finish my new Steampunk jacket after I drove a quilting pin almost 3/4 of an inch under the nail of my left middle finger. It's gross and I'm bleeding and it HURTS. So I just have to concede and wear one of my backup outfits. I will just have to premier the bustled jacket at Cyphan in June.


I have two backup outfits, one the bustle dress I wear for Bartisu Demonstrations with Gallowglass Academy and the other is a co-pilot costume that is more mid-1930's. Since my husband will also be doing a 1930's style costume I think we should match. I will be sure to post pictures of us on Saturday.


But for now I think I will put the sewing to the side. I leave to visit my little sister in California and I should pack and get ready for that too. This blog will go quiet for a few weeks until I get back and then it will be a race to next dresses finished up for the Naper Settlement Civil War Events. They include a burn out floral day dress and a couple of new calico work dresses.

Day 10 (4 days from Steam Century Mysteries)


It's done...It's done....It's done...It's done....The Corset is finished! There were some headaches and lots swearing along the way. But the corset is wearable. Honestly, I still need to cover my eyelets but that can be done later. Of course, now that this one is done I know where I need to change things to have the corset fit and look better; but that will be for version two. For now I am as happy as I can be.

As for the jacket the test fabric/lining will go together tomorrow. I really think I have a shot to finish as long as the basement stays dry!

Day 9 (5 days from Steam Century Mysteries)

The jacket pattern has been drafted, mostly from scratch and the paper has been clipped away. Tomorrow I will finish the corset and cut the lining/test jacket. We will see if we can finish this for Saturday......

Day 8 (6 days from Steam Century Mysteries)

What happened to Day 7 you ask? It was Easter Sunday was a day of rest, family and celebration. No new sewing to report. Not to mention my head cold sucked!

Today, I helped my friend Donna create her first garment for Civil War Reenacting. A work stay from Past Patterns. It's an easy item to make, requiring no busk or boning and will allow her to acclimate to the tight clothing of the period. When she left today she had the bias/cording and eyelets to put in. I am so very proud that I could help walk her through the process. I also loaned her one of my work dresses to try on.

As for my corset. Most of the fixes are in and I've started to work on the dress jacket. Right now with such a short window I have to consider this may not get done in time. With this in mind, Mike and I created a backup plan for me, just in case my cold and schedule get the best of me.

Day 6 (8 days to go before Steam Century Mysteries)

Well nothing much to report today. A Spring cold cracked me up side the head big time. Then, as I was about to put the boning in I noticed things were not right and I had to rip out several seams because a piece had been sewn in upside down. That has been fixed and tomorrow the boning and busk will go in!

Day 5 (9 days until Steam City Mysteries)

What's fun about making a corset....nothing. Now wearing a well-fitting corset is another matter. I really don't have too much to report today. I spent most of my time serging, sewing seams, casing steel boning (and the busk) before calling it quits. At least by the end of the day, my project had the basic shape of a corset. Tomorrow's goal is to sew in all the boning/busk I cased today. I wonder how many needles I will break.

Day 4 (10 days before the Steam Century Mysteries)

Today was a mixed bag in the goals department.

1. Embellish the buttons for the jacket-I have enough of some items, and not enough of others. I took the Pewter buttons (as purchased on the left) and washed them in a bit of Ultramarine Ink to match a bit more with the jacket material and then picked up some embellishment items. I didn't have enough of one of the components to make the buttons match, but that will be fixed tomorrow (completed button on the right).

2. Have my test corset fit @ SCA Practice. Lisa did the fitting for my modified Victorian Corset Pattern from Past Patterns. It went well, with only a few pins here and there. I am very pleased with the results. And the best news is I don't have to cut apart the test piece for pattern pieces!!!


3. Re-cut the corset pattern. I'm taking a break from cutting to update my blog, but the pieces will be cut before heading to bed tonight.


4. Boning and busk layout. I took my steel supplies with me to practice but didn't have the chance to layout the boning (I have too much fun practicing with Rapiers!). This will also be finished up before I head to bed.

My goals for Good Friday are simple...not. Corset Sewing and drafting the Jacket Pattern from the 1889 Garment Patterns book or seeing if I can make some major drafting changes to Simplicity's Civil War Pattern 2887.

Day 3, Part 2 (11 days before Steam Century Mysteries)

After a Birthday Dinner with friends and watching Sherlock Holmes with the husband; I got to work by first sewing on the internal lacing of my bustle. I still don't think I have the correct tension, but I know the lacing needs to stretch a bit.

After tying up the bustle, I went to work sewing the back pleats of the underskirt and giving them a spin on the dress form. Much better!! The final fitting and the waistband will have to wait for the corset and the petticoats layers.



The goals for Thursday (Day 4) will be:
1. Embellishing the 12 large pewter buttons I bought at the Kalamazoo Living History Show
2. The corset fitting @ SCA Practice.
3. Re-cut the corset in the proper material
4. Boning and Busk layout is correct.

On a final note, here is a sample of the fabric for the jacket and over-skirt of my bustle dress. Shown in this photo are the right and wrong sides. I am not sure yet, which is which!

Day 3 part 1 (11 days before Steam Century Mysteries)

Well, the lure of the the sewing table called me back. I put Sherlock Holmes followed by League of Extraordinary Gentlemen into the Laptop and got to work.

First, I cut the gored panels for my underskirt. At first the fabric and I did not see eye-to-eye but things settled down when the cloth conceded that I was right and we were doing it my way. While cutting the fabric I decided that I would need to alter my design a bit with the addition of another fabric for the double-breasted jacket pattern I will be drafting out of Garment Patterns of 1889.

After taking a break from pattern matching my panels, I did a test lacing of my bustle, and boy does it now have Junk in the Trunk!! I pinned the lacing in place and I'm letting it sit on the dress form until tonight when the lacing rings get sewn in.

Then it was back to the skirt panels. The fabric was still giving me trouble. Woven into the plaid design were stripes of heavier thread, almost fine cording so once cut the fabric began to fray madly at those stripes. I sent all the panels through my serger, hoping the pattern would not be stretched out too much. It was a wise move since it actually made matching up the plaid a bit easier...though not perfect. I put in my pleating, dropped it over the bustle and realized that I had applied the back pleats to the front of the dress. I'm going to be pulling them out this afternoon. To the right is a picture of the incorrect pleating.... more later.

Day 2 (12 Days until Steam Century Mysteries)

Well today was a good day. I've decided to use the Past Patterns number 213 for my corset. I'm a bit long in the torso so my first job after cutting out the pattern was to lengthen it a bit. After snipping and taping; I cut out the pattern, wondering why there were so many pieces...Well, I managed to cut all three of the cup styles (B, C and D). Dumb!!

Selecting the C cup I got to work and put the pieces together and gave the test corset a spin on the dress form. Not bad, but I will need a proper fitting on Thursday at SCA Practice. That's all for the day, since I have to see the dentist (did I mention I've already been to the Doctor's office today?), and then watch Sherlock Holmes and Justified tonight. Tomorrow I will start on the skirt. I will leave you with a preview of the fabric I think I'm going to use.

Day 1 (13 days until the Steam Century Mystery)

Well, I've finally begun work on my second Late Victorian outfit. I've been an American Civil War Reenactor for over 20 years and branched out 14 years ago to SCA and about 10 years ago to World War II.





I've always been interested in all things Victorian. As a grade-school student my mom and I read authors such as Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Sir A.C. Doyle and others. The Steampunk Universe seems like a perfect place for my childhood imagination to come out and play. And my creative side gets a chance to design and make clothing I most likely would not get to show off at a historical event. Originally I started making Steampunk Style jewelry (some pieces are available in my eBay store and soon Etsy.com) and then realized I needed to be a bit more covered to attend Steampunk Style Events!

What is Steampunk you ask?
Steampunk is bringing together the elements of a Steam Powered world (the Late Victorian & Edwardian period of history) and mixing in Fantasy and Science Fiction. There is also an important element of Steampunk that seeks to take the modern and reinvent it in the Steam genre. Computers, I-phones and other modern conveniences take on new guises in the Steampunk world.

There are two distinct sources of Science-Fiction for the Steampunk genre. Please note that both lists are not all-inclusive and there is a wealth of books, shorts stories and more that are on the Internet and in bookstores.

First there is the SF that was written and published by those who lived during the LV&E era such as H.G. Wells, Lewis Carroll, Robert Louis Stephenson and Jules Verne. Second, there are the modern authors such as Michael Moorcock (Nomad in the Time Streams series), James Playlock (Homunculus), graphic artists such as Alan Moore (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Phil and Kaja Foglio (Girl Genius), and anime/manga artists such as Hayao Miyazaki (Castle in the Sky, Howl's Moving Castle) and Koichi Chigira (Last Exile).
As for fashions, the Steampunk world pulls from many sources, some reaching back to the Age of Pirates, others firmly grounded in the time of King Edward II and all points in between. My needle casts in the Late-Victorian period for my clothing.
My first attempt (the blue dress to the right) was done a few years ago and is a nice bustle dress, but a bit early for use with Steampunk. My Second attempt will be pulled from the pages of Ladies Magazines from 1889, and will have a small bustle. I don't have a proper bustle so I will be making that undergarment first.. This is a confidence builder for me as I have lots of outfits to get ready for vending @ Cyphan at the end of June.

I started today (at around 4:00 PM) with some printed cotton satineen that will serve as the fabric for both my bustle and corset. I researched through my own library (over 200 printed sources and nearly 80 gigabytes of digital references) until I found enough pictures to make a rough pattern for a bustle. Including a break for dinner I was finished by about 8 PM. Overall, I think my first attempt isn't too bad. I didn't have any spare steel hoop boning so I substituted 3/8 inch half round reed. I will have to put in a bit of lacing to shape the bustle more but I wanted to give the reed and the fabric a couple of days to get used to each other. Tomorrow, between visits to the Doctor and the Dentist, I will be cutting and shaping my corset pattern. Ick.