Stormy weather

 My skirt puffs up completely in the wind and the rain hits my face. The storm, named Laura, rages across the landscape. One of the trees along our path has snapped. In his fall he took another tree and the fence with him. The barn door is almost ripped out of my hands but I hold it and boom!, I close it behind me and put the hook on it. Pfff, out of the wind. The ponies doze in their stables and the cats have not gone out today either.

With the basket in my hands I climb up the steep ladder to the hayloft. I put the sweet scented hay in the basket to feed the ponies. It's been worth it, to make all the hay. We are already March and we still have almost half of the hay left. Long coarse stalks of grass, interspersed with all kinds of herbs and even some favorite of the ponies, thistles. Auts, my hands don't like those thistles! Carefully I remove the thorn from my finger, that something so small can feel so annoying! With the basket filled to the brim, I go down the ladder again. As soon as the ponies see me coming, they already stand on their feeding spot. . I lower myself onto a beam and listen to the ponies begin to nibble on their hay. Soon there are also 2 cats on our lap and we all enjoy the peace in the barn. With the next gust of wind, the windows ring in their frames and at the same time the light goes out. Yet another power outage this winter! I better get back inside soon before the weather gets even worse! Now! Before the next windpush! I quickly open the door and slip out. Sander has also waited until this moment and also rushes over with a basket of firewood. Fighting the wind, we make our way to the house.

The rest of the day we will stay inside. At the sewing machine, I lower myself into a chair and continue with the project I was working on. The sewing machine ticks away. Row after row, I sew the cords between the fabric. Life here takes its mundane way, no power outage can affect us. It's almost time to prepare dinner. From the stock I get some potatoes, carrots and onions. The last jar of pickles goes along and a jar of stewed pears. That will be great feast tonight!

Wheels of change, a victorian velocipede suit.

With the start of a new decade, we did take the time to look back on the past years. Are we on the right way, where are points we can make some modifications?
On the most are we content with how our lives goes on, though some small changes we want to make.

By living in the countryside, in these modern times, it´s completely understandable to drive the car to town to do the shopping. We do that also, nevertheless I do not take the slightest pleasure from it. Although I do have a drivers license and I can drive very well, it´s just not a thing that I can enjoy. However, what do you do? It´s more than 25km to the nearest town and it´s too far to cycle there, isn´t it?
Anyway, this tiny doubt that made us wonder... Maybe we can´t cycle there every time, but maybe it will go in the warmer months?... Maybe we could do that?
When I lived in the Netherlands, I did cycle a lot! I did cycle everywhere! Every day! But that´s 12 years ago, and unfortunately, I have to say, I have not cycled much since then.... I walked, worked in the garden, enjoy a very active life, but just cycling... That needs to be trained the coming time :).

This change makes a very good opportunity to make some new clothes ( who wouldn´t take that as an excuse to sew something new ;) ;))
After a bit of research, I came up with the following idea

On the homepage of bikes and bloomers http://bikesandbloomers.com/patterns/ I did find a pattern for bloomers and a cape/skirt thing.
To go with that, I´m going to make a black wool waistcoat, a pair of gaiters from either wool or leather (I haven´t decided yet), long stockings in red and cream, made on my vintage sock knitter, but more of that anon :)
So I hope you like to follow along!
Next time The Viktoria sock knitting machine

A Victorian winter paletot

I finished my new winter coat! 100% wool both in the outer fabric, which makes it waterproof, as wool in the lining and I quilted an interlining to the lining. This makes the coat really warm.

I found a free pattern from the Godey’s ladies magazine from 1858 for a fall paletot. I did enlarge the pattern and made a muslin, although it fitted it was not what I had expected. But I used this muslin to draft a completely new pattern. After some hours of refitting, I had made my final pattern.

 the orginal drawing in the magazine

quilting the lining

 the pattern pieces drawn on the fabric

 sewing on my singer treadle sewing machine

Made of brown wool felt with a detachable cape

The coat is closed with 8 metal buttons

and 2 button closed pockets.

Bound buttonholes and the blue-grey wool lining

Princes seams on the back

I realy like how it turned out and I love to wear it!

Redecorating the living room

Last weeks I have made some new curtains for the living room. That was the last step for the makeover in there. Except from cleaning and removing the old floor, we had done nothing to it after we moved in. The old windows were in great need for paint and repairing. One of the window glasses was broken when we bought the house. The rain had blown in trough there and did some damage to the window frames. 

After days of scraping off the old paint and sanding it then, I could finally apply the new paint. Now with the windows weathertight was it even worth that the floor received a new layer of paint.  The wallpaper did we not change. It is probably from the 50´s when they (the former owners) did redecorate the living room. Although it is discolored here and there and has some water damage underneath the windows and besides the chimney, I love the design and the color.

The house has old single-pane windows with handblown glasses which makes that there is often a cold draw when you sit in front of it. To make it more comfortable I took the decision to make floor length velour curtains. Because I don´t like when you see the stitching’s on the right-side, I sew all the seams by hand using a blind hem stich.  It took a bit longer than expected men after a while it was done! Still there are some things to do. 

I must buy some nice tie back ropes and when I order something in the shop where I bought the velour, I will buy some extra velour to make some nice curtain drapes, pleated onto the wooden frame. That looks nice and this will hide the curtain rods.

New dress

Nearly November. The days turn shorter again, certainly now after turning the clock. We worked with our little pony this afternoon but 5 o´clock it became to dark to do anything further. Speaking about the pony, he does it really well! We work him 3, 4 times a week and he is really steady. Drawing nicely and listing well to the commands. We both love to work with him.

Last summer made me realize that I´m badly prepared for hot sunny days.  All my dresses are dark blue, brown and black checked. Not really suitable colors when you’re doing the hay harvest in the sun with 35℃.  So now I have changed it and will be better prepared for next year! 

I made a lightweight and light-colored dress. Using a pattern this time. I like the dropping shoulder seams, but I never got clear how to make them nicely. Using the “laughing moon #111, Ladies early 1860´s day dress” pattern made it very easy to understand. The pattern came with 3 different sleeve patterns. I choose the coat sleeve, which is the most practical on the homestead. The dress itself is made of a lightweight checked cotton and I lined it with an unbleached cotton fabric.  

The skirt has knife pleats on the front, box pleats on the sides and cartridge pleats on the back, which gives it a very nice shape.  

The bodice is boned on the front and closed with buttons.

the linning and hemming of the skirt

 Of course, are the buttonholes handsewn, like most of the dress.  I like the shape of the skirt both over my starched petticoats, which I use most at home, and over my crinoline.

March, winter or spring?

It´s the 9^th of March and still lots of snow. Last year we did a lot of outside work in February and March but now we are still waiting on better weather to arrive. Last Tuesday we had some glimpse of spring. The sun was shining clearly, no wind and it was complete silent only the soft sound of chirping birds. We took our time to sit outside and enjoying a cup of tea. It was even warm enough without coat and scarf, I´m looking forward to more of these days. But for now it´s snowing again, so waiting for the next nice day to come…..

 laundry drying in the sun 

But in the meantime, there is lots of other work to do. We are still busy with the firewood making, but it´s in progress and hopefully done in two weeks… 

My lavender seeds seem to sprout, I hope the will grow! Of course, I´m still sewing on my new dress, I have finished the upper skirt, (the skirt consists of two parts, a shorter the upper skirt and the longer underskirt,) and I almost finished the day bodice, I only need to sew 7 buttonholes and two buttons. After that is only the underskirt, a ball bodice and the short cloak left to make :).  This will be a multifunctional dress but more over that later.

 working with our workpony to be, he ´s doing so well! 

garden and sewing

It´s the last of January today, so the first month of the year is already passed away. Last week we did some work in the garden and also this morning! But now the fine weather is over and it´s snow raining here.

 

But there is enough to do inside as well. I´m cooking a delicious stew. With potato´s, mushrooms, carrot and onion, this goes well to the nasty weather.
 I´m busy with making a new dress. A wool dress this time. I bought this very lovely checked fabric.

 My dress will be inspired by this dress.

 But first I made a new corset, with front and back lacing this time. Most is machine sewed but all the eyelets are done by hand. 12 front eyelets and 28 on the back. I made also a nice crochet lace on top. It turned out very well and I like the colors to.

glimpses of the spring

The first of may, the time is flying! April was very cold with snow fall and not that good weather for gardening. Last year I did sow a lot of seeds in April, but now it was still to cold.

27 april....

Today it was very fine weather, so I sowed som lettuce, radish and turnips. I hope the weather stays fine for some more days so I can plant my potatoes also this week. In the poly tunnel are the radish almost ready for eating and my strawberry plants are selling very well.

Yesterday we did eat our first rhubarb pie of this year, yummie!  

Last month we bought a pear tree. For years we talking about to buy one, but I don't know why but there never came one.... But now we have! Because we have many deer and rabbits around, we made a protecting cage around it. Until now it works very well....... I hope this tree will produce many pears and live a long and healthy life!

The best time to buy a fruit tree is 3 years ago.... and the next best time is NOW. 

and in the evening hours I finished my new coat. 

The pattern is original published 1858 a "spring paletot" and the fabric I used is hand woven by a friend. The fabric lay already for 2 years in my sewing basket. It was a very special fabric and I want to use it for something special. I think it fit very well to made into a coat.