It's raining

It's raining and we've got a new coffee pot! When we just moved in here for 4 years ago, our coffee percolator broke down, we were looking everywhere to find a new, but it is hard to find a percolator you kan use on a wood stove. Most were they only on electricity. So therefor we made our coffee in a small saucepan, boil the water and add the coffee, cook for 5 min and enjoy! This worked very well but when you get visitors, it is not that nice that you also get a lot of coffee grounds in your cup.

I love the old fashioned enamel coffeepots and cups and now I have bought one. With a percolator piece in it. It looks lovely on the stove, don't you think? 

It becomes colder again, Sander (my husband) has need for some new warm winter clothing.

I bought corduroy for it.

For the pants I used a pattern that I bought some years ago.

‘Laughing Moon’, #106 California Pants

It was the fourth pair of trousers I made. Every time they got better. But this was the first time I did al the sewing on my treadle sewing machine.

 I bought this very beautiful machine for 2 years ago but there were some pieces dried out and broken down, so I could not use it. But one friend I have, find the broken piece in a old fashioned sewing shop in Germany and send it to me. Now the machine was fixed again I give it a try and I love it! I find it far more easy to sew on this one than on the modern machines I used before.

After drawing  and cutting the pattern, I did the sewing. I bought waxed cotton (quilting) tread, this worked very well on the machine. All the seams I whip stitched by hand to prevent fraying.

Next I made a jacket, also in corduroy (also on the old sewing machine J). I never made a jacket before, nor had I pattern I could use, but I had a old shirt my husband didn’t wear anymore. That I used some basic pattern and made some changing’s. I made two darts in the back panel and curved side seams.  I think, the jacket turned out very well. Of course are there thing’s I would do different next time but I’m happy how it turned out, and my husband also J.

Next I want to made a waistcoat in the same style and I need to make at least two new shirts.

WIP. Sewing a Victorian corset. Part 1

Now the summer have almost past away and the autumn is coming again. Slowly the green color is fading in the most wonderful colors of red, brown and yellow. The day’s become shorter, even on a clear day it is dark after 8 o’clock. When you woke early  in the morning, the mist hanging over the fields with a little sunlight trough the treetops. Yes, I love, to see the changes in the nature, knowing that the winter is on his way. But we hope it will be raining soon. It’s very dry the last few months and now we have only a few inches water left in the well...... 

Sewing a Victorian corset, Part 1

Almost a year I’m thinking about making a Victorian corset, to wear on daily basis. I did a lot of resource about a differed kind of corset and about how to make one.

Last year I made a Swiss waist with boning and everything, but a real corset is maybe not so easy to make. I will try….

 the inside of the Swiss waist, here you see the boning in the front, in the side seams and even in the back are to bones on either side.

 front

 wearing my Swiss waist the first time

For a week ago I did find a free corset pattern and decide to use it some basic pattern for mine. After drawing the pattern on the paper  I made some changes so it will fit me. I cut a mock-up in a cheap fabric. Only a few seams need to change. To be continued….

the pattern

the mock-up, on the left is ready, on the right the pieces

kilt-hoses and making shoes

You know already that we have a homestead, were we grow our own food, having livestock etc. but did you know that we also playing Celtic music? My husband plays the guitar very well but he also plays the bódhran, tin whistle and the recorder, I play the Celtic harp and love to sing. In our repertoire, we have most old Scottish and Irish Ballads but also other English, Irish and Scottish folksongs. For a couple of weeks ago, we did have a gig here in the neighborhood.  It was on a little fair, you know, the whole village is coming, you can buy homemade products, food and have a good time together. Just on that fair we did play!

But in my opinion you can't play Celtic music without the right clothing. So for my husband I made a kilt last year but we didn't find the right socks to it and also some nice looking (and cheap) gillies wasn't easy to find. But just a week for the fair I found some nice kilt-hoses on the internet, in Scotland of course:), a great shop, with a lot of great stuff, there I bought the socks and I hoped the delivery would be in time. And it was! So now he did have a kilt, a sporran, a shirt, kilt-hose but shoes....... were do I get these? Looking round the WorldWideWeb I did find a tutorial for making some medieval Celtic gillies, Yes! O, no.... I do need some leather, were do I get that..... Wait a minute, don't I have some old ranch work chaps? Maybe that will do and it did! First I made a pattern out of cupboard and made some changing here and there. Cut them out of the leather and did the sewing and I made my first pair of shoes! So everything was just done in time for the gig.

It was a pity that the weather was very bad that day. It was raining almost the hole time and everything was wet. We hope on better weather for the next time!

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