All posts by Lina

18th Century Leather Stays

18th Century Linen Stays
18th Century Linen Stays

I was surprised to find out that leather stays were often worn by poor and working class women in the 18th century. I thought that leather would’ve been too expensive for lower class 18th century women. But leather stays were obviously the cheapest stays for 18th century working women. If other types of stays were too expensive, then leather stays were worn. Continue reading 18th Century Leather Stays

Edwardian Plaid Walking Skirt – From 1.5m Fabric

Edwardian Plaid Wool Walking Skirt Button Closure Tailor Stitching Velve Piping Petticoat Dust Ruffle Inverted Box Pleat

For my Edwardian plaid walking skirt I only had a limited amount of fabric: only 1.5 meter by 1.5 meters! For Edwardian skirts you usually need way more fabric! 4 meters of fabric are usually not enough for Edwardian skirts! 🤣 But I wanted to try if I could make a short Edwardian walking skirt out of this beautiful plaid wool fabric that I used as a Victorian wool shawl before. Continue reading Edwardian Plaid Walking Skirt – From 1.5m Fabric

How To: Modern To 1890s Sweater – Refashion Video Tutorial

If you love the look of late Victorian and Edwardian sweaters, but don’t want to knit a whole sweater with those big leg-o’-mutton sleeves: here’s my tutorial on how to turn a modern into an Edwardian-style sweater!

1890s Sweater Refashion Video Tutorial

My refashioned 1890s sweater is inspired by the famous 1890s cycling sweater at the MET museum! 😍 I’ve always wanted a sweater like this with those voluminous sleeves without having to knit the whole sweater! Continue reading How To: Modern To 1890s Sweater – Refashion Video Tutorial

Edwardian Lingerie Dress

Edwardian Lingerie Dress

‘Time to think of the cool, sweet mornings and their gowns of crisp figured lawn; time to think of the drowsy afternoons with their hammock dresses of voile taffeta, mull and batiste; time to think of the summer evenings and their veilings, their silvered chiffons, their wonderful tissues and their transparencies. Time to think of summer dress!’ (San Francisco Call, 1903)

I started my Edwardian lingerie dress about 10 years ago and I’m so glad that it’s finally finished! 😀 Despite the name, an Edwardian lingerie dress is a proper dress for summer wear: it was usually made of thin cotton or silk fabrics and was embellished with lots of lace inserts, pintucks and ruffles. In the 1900s, it was called “lingerie dress” because it was inspired by Edwardian lingerie with its lace, frills and sheer fabrics. A lingerie dress is the typical dress that you would wear to an afternoon garden party in the Edwardian era! Continue reading Edwardian Lingerie Dress

50 Tips On How To Darn & Mend Your Clothes – Historical Sewing

Learn how to darn and mend your clothes like in the Edwardian era! 50+ tips on how to darn, mend, patch and refashion your clothes.

How To Mend Your Clothes Historical Sewing Tutorial

In the Edwardian era, clothing and household items were repaired, mended, patched, darned or refashioned into something useful rather than being thrown away as is often done today. There were tutorials on how to fix everything: Learn how to fix a ripped seam, how to mend a tear and how to sew on a patch, how to darn a hole in sweaters and socks, how to reinforce areas of stress before you even wear your new clothes, and how to upcycle and refashion your torn and worn clothing. Continue reading 50 Tips On How To Darn & Mend Your Clothes – Historical Sewing

Staycation In The Edwardian Era

Staycation In The Edwardian Era Vacation History

‘In July, when all the world and his wife are supposed to be on holiday, there must always be a certain proportion of people who have to stay at home. When others are holidaying in quiet country lanes, taking part in the crowded life of the beach, or touring through the quaint old towns of Normandy, there are many hundreds of working men and women who see no prospect of going away from home.’ (Every Woman’s Encyclopaedia, 1910-2)
Continue reading Staycation In The Edwardian Era

The Edwardian Motoring Girl

The Edwardian Motoring Girl Duster Car Coat Face Mask Veil Automobile Dog Historical Fashion

‘This season’s auto girl is a bewitching creature. She has discarded the clumsy leather coat and disfiguring face mask and in their place for short rides she wears a fetching silken wrap and a filmy veil of shaded chiffon. […] she nowadays spends quite as much time selecting her motor headgear as she does her garden party hat. […]

If she is a very fashionable young person, her motor wardrobe is a large one. She has costumes for long tours, raincoats and dust coats, silken motor wraps to slip over fluffy organdie frocks, to say nothing of hats and caps and veils in great variety.’ (Los Angeles Herald, 1904) Continue reading The Edwardian Motoring Girl

Edwardian Braided Jacket

Edwardian Braided Jacket

I love braided jackets! A couple of years ago I made an Edwardian braided cycling jacket with DIY black fabric soutache. And now I’ve made another Edwardian braided jacket – this time with gold soutache!

Related: Edwardian Braided Cycling Jacket

Instead of new fabric, I cut up a modern wool coat and used this to make my Edwardian braided jacket. 😀 And for the faux fur collar & cuffs, I used leftover pieces of a vintage faux fur bolero from my grandma. Continue reading Edwardian Braided Jacket

Edwardian Blue Wool Coat With Faux Fur

Edwardian Blue Wool Coat With Faux Fur

My Edwardian wool coat aka the never-ending coat is finally, finally finished! I call it the never-ending coat because everything went wrong with this coat what could possibly go wrong! 😆 That’s why it took me almost 10 years from the planning stages to drafting the pattern to actually finishing the coat. Continue reading Edwardian Blue Wool Coat With Faux Fur