Rest In Peace

For a short time this tiny light burned so very bright.
You will be missed most painfully,
We love you and will never forget
You filled a childless home with laughter
and a loving creatures bliss.

One of my closest companions has shed this mortal coil,
She is released this day May 25, 2012 from her fight with lung cancer
by that stinging needle filled with mercy and sweetest dreams.

She appears in my beading video here, this is why I mention her passing.


R.

FREE Victorian Era Patterns

I happened upon this site, it is a treasure trove of patterns and they are all free! The illustrations and the pattern are usually included on all items.

"Godey's Lady's Book" is filled with wonderful items to create

latest background image for download

reworked this old woodcut in Photoshop here is a copy for those who would like it: just right click on image and select 'save image as'

Steampunk Worlds Fair

Calling All VictoriAnna's and SteampunkSammy's! 

Come One Come All to have a Ball!

Dance or cajole you'll have your share...

At the one and only Steampunk Worlds Fair!

steampunkworldsfair.com

Excerpt from main page:

steampunkworldsfair.com

Dahlia scarf hoody and beaded bag

These prototypes are gifts for my friend Jen, another creative mastermind.

I used the tutorials found here for the dahlia and here for the scoody [scarf hoody]

She (BobWilson123) has a huge library of great tutorials for all levels.

free ebooks BEETONS BOOK OF NEEDLEWORK 1870

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15147

Speaking of Aesthetic Dress look at this!

They are restoring this dress worn by Ellen Terry [role of Lady Macbeth at London’s Lyceum Theatre in 1888] immortalized in this John Singer Sargent portrait , http://www.ecouterre.com/victorian-era-dress-made-from-1000-beetle-wings-restored-for-50000/

Pearl bracelet design

I recently made this as a gift for my stepmother for Xmas. Fresh water pearls and 24k clasp and 24k 3 tier bead.

I really dont think this design is Victorian per se, I was inspired by ancient Roman and Greek jewelry I have been looking at so perhaps this would appeal to an Victorian Aesthete instead.

SEED BEAD PURSE UPDATE

This technique is quite time consuming but well worth the result. It's really my first attempt with such tiny beads. So pretty though. This is with a 1.5 crochet needle, rocaille seed beads and cotton crochet thread.

The design I have in mind is not the 'miser coin purse' but more like a small hand bag with a draw string, we will see. I like to improvise as I go and let the project surprise me when I am done.


This was my inspiration,
http://www.somewhereintime.tv/antiques/miser.html

http://www.jewelscollectingdust.com/cutsteel.htm

http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/80095681



Still working at it! Here is the latest on feb 10th:

Victorian Microsoft Word Templates for a Menu & Exercise Journal

I just made these to keep track of menus and exercise information thought I would pass them out...

 http://www.mediafire.com/?znse0uu1nck7j26

http://www.mediafire.com/?mskpekjm77hy52k

Just click the link above to download free from Mediafiire

Victorian Ferndale, Ca

Went to Golden Gait Merchantile, they have a cute little museum and loads of affordable antiques and modern day items that are still made the same way today, ie lanterns, hats, candy etc...

Victorian beaded bags and purses

So I've decided to finally try doing a small purse in seed beads and crochet thread. I am sans a bead spinner for the present but wanted to get started any way.. it is ideal to thread seed beads this way but that's if you are working with finer fiber/thread.




http://www.nannysattik.net/vintagefashions.htm

http://www.carters.com.au/index.cfm/item/33441-victorian-beaded-misers-purse/ beaded miser coin purse on sale

http://andrewhopkinsart.blogspot.com/2010/11/todays-purchases.html metallic beaded purse

Apron & Skirt

 I designed this over skirt with apron attached.

 Here you can see that the skirt is attached to the waist and then covered with double fold bias tape. I use the extra wide tape for a bold characteristic in the trimming detail. I use a very simple A-line skirt pattern and discard the waistband in favor of the bias tape waistband you see here.

Here is the entire skirt front.

Here is the entire skirt back, the zipper is also hidden behind the bias tape which is added over all seams, a nod to my rivet head past ;)

Beading with Cat "n_n" , wide beaded collar

Just finished this tutorial with my cat "Pudding" the sleepy Kitty, LOL for a wide beaded collar

Extra long necklace design inspired by Victorian Mourning Jewelry

While some may not see this design as properly Victorian, if you study photos of Victorian Aesthetic fashion there are a few examples of incredibly long necklaces worn at the time. See this link http://doloresmonet.hubpages.com/hub/FashionsofTheAestheticMovementACultofBeautyandVictorianCounterculture

Beaded collar, easy beginners pattern

Just finished this easy to do beaded collar.

My tutorial is closed caption for the hearing impaired.

Visit this link to watch my tutorial on Youtube

Civil War Era Historian Blog

http://civilianwartime.wordpress.com/

TC Beads! & Seed bead bracelet and choker

 Have been pouring over TC Beads tutorials. She has really great ones. You can actually see what she is doing with these tiny little beads, unlike 60% of the rest of the tutes on you-tube, I find. ;)
This is the link to her channel: tsummerlee


I watched this video by TC Beads to make this bracelet:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo3AhvAMucs
This bracelet is two strips of chevron , without the fringe [is it still considered Chevron without fringe? reading..... yes, yes it is. ], connected together on the side with two beads on the arc rather than three on the arc.

Now working on a necklace for the bracelet, but I made a small alteration to the chevron by using three beads on both arcs so that is does not have a curvature on one side.

Here's my messy tutorial for this stitch ;) Click to enlarge:

This is the finished choker I made for the bracelet:

You can see how I attached the two strips of chevron stitches by adding one green bead between each of the middle beads on the arcs.

Victorian Era Handbags crochet thread and glass beads

I did not use a pattern I free-styled this handbag. It is very simple after learning a few key crochet stitches to make this.

I used crochet thread and the larger size glass seed beads that are commonly available at any Michael's or Walmart.

 click image then click once again for magnification

I used a peyote stitch for the strap clasp which is simply a small tube that you slide up the straps to keep the bag closed.

here you may see the detail I applied to the wrist straps... two rows of clustered beads as an accent

and the completed bag as seen here. Just big enough for a night out Ladies!!! "n_n"

Victorian Era Handbags

I was inspired by these Victorian Era handbags :

To create these beaded handbags, watch my new tutorial to learn how:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz3NjzEBczo

Free Victorian Books

 These are from the illustrated bible, from 1872,  it has over 300 engravings!
Download free from Google Books Here.


Just found this great dictionary free at this amazing site! Internet Archive, they have tons of free ancient books to download also, plus its free to have a membership.

Speaking of Victorian Nonsense, how about mourning etiquette

Click on image then click again to zoom in

From 1882 Colliers Cyclopedia