Weaving a Cozy Piece of History – A Finnish Folk Shawl from Start to Finish
I wove myself a traditional Finnish wool shawl. This was a garment that women used to wear when they went outside without a coat.
The Secrets of Bobbin lace
To make the laces for my national costume, I needed to learn bobbin lace. I also delved into the history of Finish lacemaking.
1840s Accessories: Cap, Bonnet, and Mantle
I made myself some warm 1840s winter accessories plus a lace cap that the ladies wore indoors. And then I went to a farmstead museum.
Tallukkaat – Finnish homemade winter boots
I made traditional Finnish winter boots called Tallukkaat and decorated them with folk embroidery.
I wove myself a camera strap with a double-slotted heddle
I wove myself a new camera strap using a double-slotted heddle and an old traditional Finnish pattern from Lemi.
The finished mourning dress
Mourning accessories turn this black Victorian dress into a mourning costume. I made a short cape, a hat and a veil plus some extra things.
How I carved my own corset busk
You can buy corset busks but making one yourself is actually easy and fun. All you need is a piece of wood and a Dremel tool and some paint and wood wax to decorate the results! I have made now two corset busks for my 1830s/1840s corset and I took inspiration from old Finnish and Karelian 19th-century embroidery patterns. This post contains affiliate links. The tools and materials I have had my Dremel tool for years and the kit I have resembles the one I linked down below. This set has a good amount of basic tips plus the flex-shaft attachment I used for my carving. However, you don’t necessarily…
Time-traveling to the Iron Age with my daughter
I made an Iron Age Finnish costume for my daughter so that we can take part in events together. Also, I did some leatherwork...
A Victorian lingerie dress
Lingerie dresses are those pretty frilly dresses that make the iconic Edwardian look with their lace inserts and pale colours. However, they first appeared in the 1890s. For a long time, I have wanted to make my own but sourcing that much lace was a problem. This kind of dress can use hundreds of euros worth of cotton lace which is way out of my budget. Then I had a stroke of luck and I found huge rolls of lace at the local Recycling centre. These rolls had hundreds of metres, some several kilometres worth of lace and they only cost about 15 to 20 euros each. Admittedly the lace…
Weaving my own fabrics for my folk costume!
I spent 2 months weaving myself fabrics for my folk skirt and vest. I was slow but I learned a lot in the process.
