All posts filed under: Miscellenia

2011: the year in review

Published by The Dreamstress

Another year over, another just begun. It’s interesting looking back at 2011.  It was quite a year.  It was a year of trips: the South Island, Australia, Tauranga, the Hawke’s Bay, Taupo.  It was a year of commissions: Carolyn’s wedding dress, Polly’s wedding dress, Judith’s Panniers, Kerry’s Steampunk Bustle, Shell’s wedding dress, the 1932 White Zombie gown for PorcelainToy.  It was a year of research and information: Queen Victoria’s wedding dress, Jeanne Samary, textile terms, Ninon d’Ecolet.  It was a year of finished projects: the 1660s Ninon dress, the 18th century gentleman’s ensemble, the 1770s silver stays, the 1890s black corded corset, the 1900 ribbon corset.  Most of all it was a year of people: Shell, my sister the Naiad, Steph in Australia, each and every one of you wonderful readers, and darling, much-missed Jo-Anne. Here are some images of the year.  Each of them should link to a post if you see something really exciting and want to know more. 🙂                           …

Finished project: Love at First Flight dress

Published by The Dreamstress

I’ve been sewing like mad for all sorts of clients, and I’ll show you images of those soon.  As a little treat for myself I took some time to whip up something for me. This is my Love at First Flight Dress: The inspiration for the dress was the amazing Echino fabric by Etsuko Furuya for Kokka. Steph took me to a fabric store while I was in Australia, and I saw this fabric and I had to have it.  It was love at first sight. How could I not?  It’s pink and blue and red and green and turquoise and mustard.  And it’s linen cotton.  And it looks like Christmas in the Antipodes: all sunshine and ocean and brilliant red pohutukawa flowers.  And it has birds on it!   Just look at the full width of it: And then I saw the Au$32 a metre price tag.  Ahem. I bought everything that was left on the bolt anyway: just about 3 metres.  Did I mention that it has birds on it? This is now …

A pair of picture hats

Published by The Dreamstress

Yesterday’s post on the history of picture hats reminded Lynne of two of her family photographs, and she has kindly let me show them to you. Here are Lynne’s Great Aunt Alice and Alice’s sister, her Grandmother Florence.  Florence immigrated to NZ before WWI as a children’s nursemaid. Based on advertisements I have seen, and numerous examples of women who came to NZ via this route, there was considerable demand for domestic help, and nursemaids and governesses in particular, in pre-WWI NZ.   It was an easy way for women without a lot of means to have their passage paid, but most quickly married or moved on to other positions once they arrived.  Early 20th century NZ society was much more democratic than its British counterpart, and the strict class system that characterised Britain did not hold here. But that’s an aside.  Today we are focusing on Alice and Florence.  I already love this pictures, first because they symbolise the sharing and knowledge that the blog world has fostered, and second, because of the similarities …