This is my 1850s Limerick lace day cap which I embroidered by hand. I used unbleached cotton bobbinet tulle and non-mercerized white cotton thread which was so difficult to find: Almost all embroidery thread are mercerized today. Mercerization was invented in 1844. But antique Victorian Limerick lace is usually embroidered with non-mercerized thread. Continue reading 1850s Limerick Lace Day Cap
In the 1920s, boudoir caps were worn in the morning to hide the unkempt hair, as well as in the night to keep the set finger waves in place. Continue reading 1920s Boudoir Cap
A couple of years ago I embroidered an 1850s Carrickmacross lace day cap completely from scratch by hand! 😀 Continue reading 1850s Carrickmacross Lace Day Cap
This is my 18th century lappet cap. It’s suitable for a mid-18th century working woman. You can see working women wear lappet caps in these two paintings by Chardin and Hendriks. The lappets can also be pinned up like here. Continue reading 18th Century Lappet Cap
In the 1840s to 1850s, a lady would often twist her hair into a bun, while the front section of hair was sometimes curled (‘spaniel curls‘). This hairstyle could be worn during the day (here the ringlets can be seen under the bonnet of the visiting lady on the right) or as ball hairstyle. Here are three more photographs of ladies wearing this hairstyle during the day (1840s, 1840-50s). Continue reading 1850s Hairstyle For Day Or Evening
A couple of years ago I crocheted an Victorian Irish crochet lace bonnet. It’s a mid to late 1850s style bonnet, revealing more of the forehead than an 1840s bonnet. Continue reading 1850s Irish Crochet Lace Bonnet