red riding hood: selected scenes

a new garment

This  antique gown arrived a while ago. I think it’s Edwardian  but it was definitely reworked at some point  - it has fasteners and hardware and repairs that were added later. I guess it has had many lives.

antique lace gown

The peach silk is almost all shattered, it’s torn, stained and many of the seams have let go but the gauze, sheer silk lining and lace are still strong. First I’m making  a bird.

lace bird
Two really – one from each lace and tulle sleeve. And maybe later today a little boat with gauzy sails and little peach silk flags.

*update:

snowflake and ashton
Finished! snowflake and ashton

miss tulip gown

tulipgown_sm

This dress turned up here in brown pieces –  I’m not even sure how it really goes together. I soaked it for days and days and then had lots of  fun pinning it into a dress shape. The under and over skirts are weighted and the overskirt has a lovely tulip shaped hem.

tulipdetail_smI’m making some things from it now – I’ll show you next week. I’m also working on a new kind of little boat -they’ll be finished and in the shop next tuesday .

little boat work

treasures from sri

Stephen Szczepanek of Sri Threads sent over another surprise package of magnificent things. Exquisite, inspiring things, thoughtfully chosen and gathered and kept for me that  just  magically appear on my doorstep.  Here are  a few  highlights.

japanese garment fragments

There are fragments of garments with wonderful surprise linings.
lining

sri garment 2

And beautiful wear and eccentric mending.
 eccentric mending
I already have owls in progress and I’m thinking about using the blue silk bits below for spider bustles and some new flowers I’ll show you soon. Thanks you, thank you Mr. Szczepanek!

silkblue

velvet

I like velvet and have been on the lookout for it lately. This antique jacket came with the bonus of owly eye buttons. Lots of them. There are 6 on the back as well. You can click the image for a better look.

velvet jacket

It looks like it has come for a visit – lounging on the couch. My BRAND NEW couch that I will go on and on about later, it’s been a saga ( you can see a bit more of it here). I like the lining fabric too -  there  is some wonderful mending I will preserve  however I use it.

mending