Victorian bustle

Haven´t had the time or the energy really to take another go at getting my bustle just the way I want it. When I have more knowledge I will make a guide on how to make your own.

But until then for you interested in bustles out there here´s a good link to check out:
http://americanduchess.blogspot.se/2013/01/v346-how-to-make-victorian-bustle.html

50s very simple top

Hittade just den här spännande toppen som verkar väldigt enkel att sy. Det verkar vara ett mycket enkelt projekt att göra, men som Casey säger, kanske inte lättast att ta på sig på morgonen. Om du är intresserad finns fler bilder och info om den på hennes blogg: http://blog.caseybrowndesigns.com/2012/01/two-seam-top/

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Just found this very simple to do top that I found intriguing. It seems to be a very simple project to do, but as Casey says, maybe not to easiest to put on in the morning. If your interested, check here blog about it out here: http://blog.caseybrowndesigns.com/2012/01/two-seam-top/

2012- looking back

(english follows below)

Så vad gjorde jag under 2012? Detta har varit en särskilt dåligt år för mig hobby och sömnadsmässigt. Det blir rätt uppenbart bara av att titta på antalet blogginlägg. Jag gick från 95 inlägg i 2011 till 18 inlägg i 2012.

Blå underbyst med stor midjereduktion

En del av detta är att skylla på arbete. Jag utexaminerades som miljövetare i januari och sen dess har mest tid lagts på att antingen försöka hitta ett jobb eller överleva ett jobb som kändes tråkigt eller utanför vad jagt vill göra. Det slutade med att jag gick tillbaka till skolan i november efter att ha varit på väg att förlora min tredje jobb på ett år p.g.a omfördelningar och uppsägningar på arbetsplatsen.

Men nu till mer trevliga saker. Vad gjorde jag egentligen 2012?

I början av året tacklades jag med två intressanta korsett projekt: en blå underbust med en ganska stor midjereduktion och en 1940-tals inspirerad och väldigt burleskig korsett med mycket detaljer.

Jag gjorde faktiskt också en pillarbox hatt som skulle matcha med korsetten. Den har aldrig har visats här på bloggen eftersom jag har inga bilder på den. Jag måste försöka fixa det. Jag sydde även ihop den stora blomman synlig i bilden med 40-tals korsetten.

Jag har fortsatt att arbeta med en toile för den viktorianska frackrocken som jag aldrig verkar bli nöjd med. Förhoppningsvis lyckas jag få till det nästa gång så jag kan börja arbeta på den riktiga rocken.

För en steampunk burlesk fest gjorde jag en krinolin, ett nytt projekt för mig som var spännande att pyssla ihop.

1940-tals inspirerade korsetten

Till Halloween gjorde jag en mantel för att se ut som rödluvan.

För en annan fest som jag råkade att inte hamna på trots allt sydde jag ihop en fuskpälskrage/sjal som jag inte heller har några bilder på :(

Sist men inte minst, något som inte heller finns på bloggen än, limmade jag ihop min första lyckade latexkjol. Det är en cirkelkjol i mörkblått som jag blev riktigt nöjd med. Jag uppdaterar med bilder och kanske t.o.m. en liten guide snart.

Jag önskar er alla ett lyckligt och kreativt 2013!


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So what did I do in 2012? This has been an especially bad year for me, hobby and sewing-wise. It´s quite clear just by looking at my blog posts. I went from 95 posts in 2011 to 18 posts in 2012. Part of this is to blame on work. I graduated as an environmental scientist in January but most time since then has been spent either on trying to find a job or on surviving a job that has little incentive for me. I ended up going back to school in november after being about to lose my third job in a year due to people being let go.

But to more pleasant news. What did I actually do 2012?


At the beginning of the year I tackled two interesting corset projects: one blue underbust with quite a big reduction and one 1940s inspired very burlesque corset with a lot of details.

I actually also did a pillarbox hat to go with the corset that has never been shown here at the blog since I have no pictures of it. I will have to try to fix that. I also did the big flower visable in the picture with the 40s corset.

I have continued to work with the toile for the Victorian frock coat that I never seem to be happy with. Hopefully the next time I get it right so I can start working on the real thing.

For a steampunk burlesque party I did a crinoline, a new project to me which was very interesting.

For Halloween I did a cloak to make me look like red riding hood.

For another event which I ended up didn´t attend I did a fake fur stole which I don´t have any pictures of either :(

Last but not least, also something not available on the blog yet, I glued together my first successful latex skirt. It's a circle skirt in dark blue that I am really happy with. I'll update with pictures and maybe even a small guide soon.

 I hope that you all will have a very happy and creative 2013!

How to sew a simple skirt (english)

This is a copy of my guide on how to sew a very simple skirt that I´ve written before in Swedish. Now here you have it in english, the perfect beginner project :) Good luck! (If your looking for the Swedish one- here it is)

I´m going to show you how to sew this skirt in two layers, one outer and one lining, but you could as well do your skirt in one layer if you want.

How to do it, short version:
- Sew fabric(s) together to form a tunnel(s)
- Sew together these tunnels, right sides facing each other
- Sew on an elastic ribbon with a zigzag seam
- Fold down and sew down the elastic with a straight seam
- Hem your skirt
- Done!

And now for the longer version with pictures:

1. What you need:
- One or two pieces of fabric, full width. The fuller the width the fuller the skirt will be. You want your piece of fabric to be equal to the length you want your skirt plus an extra 5-10 cm/2-4 inches.
- An elastic ribbon. To decide what length you need you can take your elastic, hold it around where you want your skirt to start and hold it as tight as you want it to be. Then measure this length.
- Matching thread and some needles.
- A sewing machine and an iron (to make it look prettier when done)

 2. Zigzag all your edges and run your iron over it to make it free from wrinkles. You know what they say- good preparations make a good result.

3. Sew your fabrics together with right sides facing each other so that they form two tubes. I used 1 cm/0,4 inch seam allowance. Press open your seams!

 4. (Jump to step 7 if your sewing the skirt with only one fabric)
Put your two tubes together with their wrong side facing each other. Make sure to line up the seams for a good looking result.

 5. Pin them together in the area that is going to be the upper part of the skirt (right now both parts look the same so it doesnt really matter which one you choose).

 6. Sew them togheter using a 1 cm/0,4 inch seam (or whatever seam allowance you prefer). Now you will have a neat looking inside and outside :)

 7. Sew your elastic together to form a circle.

8. Pin your elastic to your skirt on the inside of your skirt, a little bit down from the edge. The seam in your elastic should face the seam in the skirt.


Tip- another way to do it! If you want the elastic to be visible on the outside, pin it instead on the outside of the skirt, sew it near to your upper edge and then fold it up. This way the seam won´t show on the outside. If you do this- skip step 12.

 9. I have a little trick to make your fabric evenly distributed along the elastic. Hold your elastic so that two layers are facing each other as one length. That make half the length of the elastic, put a pin there. Then fold so that the pin is facing your elastic seam and put a pin there- that makes 1/4. If you continue doing this you have 1/8, 1/16 and so on. Do the same for the skirt. This way you don´t have to measure anything. To split it into 1/8 was enougth for me for this skirt.

10. Now that you have a needle for every 1/8 of your skirt and your elastic- just line up the needle on your elastic with the needle on the skirt. You will have more length on the skirt than on your elastic, that´s the way it should be to make a ruffled skirt, but you´ll see that soon enough.

 11. Sew a zigzag seam in the upper part of the elastic, the one facing the edge of your skirt. When your sewing make sure to stretch your elastic so that the elastic and the fabric are lying even against each other. Stretch it by holding on to the fabric behind the sewing machine (the last pin) with one hand and your next pin with the other. This way you always get the right stretch. When you stop to go on to the next pin, make sure that the needle of your sewing machine always is in the fabric, or else your might end up moving your work around.

12. When you have sewn all around you will see that you now have a nicely ruffled skirt. Now fold over the edge so that your elastic is on the inside between the layers of fabric. Now sew a straight seam on top of your earlier straight seam (step 6). Make sure you stretch out the fabric and the elastic as you go so you keep the elasticity in your elastic band, just like when you zigzaged it. This time you don´t need any guides, just make sure the fabric is flat when your sewing the elastic.

 13. Now your skirt is almost finished! This is what it looks like on the inside.

 14. And this is what it looks like on the outside.

15. Hem your skirt. If you, as I did, have two layers where one is seethrough, you can create an effect by letting your inner skirt or lining be shorter than the outer skirt.

I realised that with my organza outer fabric I didn´t need to hem my outer skirt, the zigzag made a nice finish. Test yourself and see what you like.

16. You are done! Admire your work and feel proud that you did something as pretty!

This is what the zigzag looked on my organza.

Order: new books

Igår beställde jag inte mindre än 3 olika böcker som kommer hjälpa mig att utvecklas symässigt:


Tailoring: The Classic Guide to Sewing the Perfect Jacket by Creative Publishing International. Jag tror att denna kommer att hjälpa mig med tekniker för att sy frackrocken jag jobbar på.

Shirtmaking: Developing Skills for Fine Sewing, by David Page Coffin.Jag verkar gilla att göra skjortor, de är trevliga och snabba att sy ihop och blir riktigt användbara vardagskläder. Förhoppningsvis kommer denna bok att förbättra min skjortmakar tekniker.

Vintage Lingerie: Historical Patterns and Techniques, by Jill Salen. Den här har jag kollat på ganska länge nu och nu trillade den äntligen i min varukorg. Jag har hört en hel del bra recensioner på denna och jag ser verkligen fram emot att arbeta mer med historisk underkläder, särskilt eftersom jag har fått större intresse för vintage och retro kläder.

När de har kommit på posten kommer jag posta ett litet inlägg om vad jag tycker om de.








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Yesterday I ordered no more than three books that will help me improve my sewing:


Tailoring: The Classic Guide to Sewing the Perfect Jacket by .I think this one will help me with techniques to sew the frock coat I´m working on.

Shirtmaking: Developing Skills for Fine Sewing, by David Page Coffin. I seem to like making shirts, they are a nice and fast to sew together and make really usable everyday clothing. Hopefully this book will improve my shirt-making techniques.

Vintage Lingerie: Historical Patterns and Techniques, by Jill Salen. This one I have been looking on for quite a while now and now it finally fell into my shopping basket. I heard a lot of good reviews on this one and I´m really looking forward to working more with historical underwear, especially since I have gained more interest in vintage and retro clothing.


When I have received them I will give a short review of what I think about them.

Pennkjol/Pencil skirt and introducing english

(For english -see below)

Insåg att jag inte lagt upp mina tankar och mönsterkonstruktionstips kring pennkjolar som jag pysslade lite med i somras. Blev aldrig riktigt att jag fick tiden till att pilla ihop en men ett mönster fick jag iaf ihop. En skiss på det får du nedan.

Mönstret är gjort i 1/4 skala och är för en pennkjol med hög midja. Mönstret kan användas för att göra en tajt kjol med slits eller en kjol som är mer löst sittande nedtill. Materialbehov för att sy upp kjolen beräknade jag till 60 cm (130 cm bredd). Storleken är ca 40-42.

För att skapa mönstret utgick jag ifrån denna länk: http://marmaladekiss.blogspot.se/2011/03/high-waisted-pencil-skirt-pattern.html

Och för er uppmärksamma som såg att jag skrivit på engelska överst så är det så att jag tänkt börja lägga upp de flesta inlägg på både svenska och engelska för att öka möjligheten för alla att få tips och idéer från mig. Några gamla guider kommer dyka upp i engelska versioner och taggar kommer nu dyka upp både på engelska och svenska. Långa guider kommer jag dela upp i två inlägg- en på svenska, en på engelska.

Oroa er inte- ni kan fortfarande kommentera och ställa frågor på svenska :)

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Realized that I haven´t posted my thoughts and pattern making tips on pencil skirts that I fiddled around with this summer. Never really got the time to put it together though, but I made up a pattern up anyway. A sketch of the skirtpattern is shown above.

The pattern is drawn in 1/4 scale and is for a high waisted pencil skirt. This pattern can be used to make a tight fitting skirt with a vent in the back or with more width at the sides for it to be able to move around in. I calculated how much fabric that will be needed to make this to 60 cm/24 inch on a 130 cm/52 inch width. The size is somewhere between 40-42 or UK 12-14

To create the pattern, I used this link: http://marmaladekiss.blogspot.se/2011/03/high-waisted-pencil-skirt-pattern.html

For you new readers in english (or maybe old ones who just looked at the pretty pictures, who knows?) I will now start writing most of my blog in both english and swedish to give the opportunity to more people to get tips and ideas from me.

I will start translating some of my old popular guides so look for new "old" guides in english. I will also tag all posts available in english with the tag "english" to make it easier for everyone. Tags will start appearing in both english and swedish.