A short wool Finnish folk jacket from the early 19th century
I have worn my national costume a lot but for the colder months, it needed some warmth. Askola’s costume doesn’t have a jacket from the same source where the rest of the pieces came from. However, there is one jacket that is from the nearby town of Porvoo. This jacket greatly resembles Spencer jackets that were fashionable during that era. It is much shorter than the vest/bodice worn underneath and shows that the commoners did pay some attention to the trends. The original jacket or “röijy” Here is the original jacket that is called “röijy” in Finnish. It is from Porvoo which is about 20 km south of Askola, However,…
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.
A folk vest and an apron from Askola, Finland
I made a Finnish folk vest and an apron from Askola village in Finland. These garments are based on museum items from early 19th century.
My Askola folk skirt
My Finnish folk costume progresses: I turned my hand-woven fabric into a folk skirt from Askola, Finland.
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.
A Finnish folk shirt from early 19th-century Askola village
I hand-sewed a Finnish 19th-century folk shirt from Askola. This shirt with it's intricate embroidery took me 2 months to finish!
A French hood in a Finnish folk style
I made a Finnish folk style hand-embroidered French hood for my Askola costume from paper, rye porridge and silk!
A folk-style pocket
I made a Finnish folk-style pocket out of fabric scraps using motifs and stitches common in Finnish folk-costumes.
Stripy Finnish folk fabrics – Kansanpukuraitoja
My mother says that even her grandmother used to weave fabrics for simple garments when she was younger. Handweaving used to be a skill that most women knew and valued. I haven’t ever woven fabric for garments, just pirtanauha-bands, and one table runner a long time ago. But the more I have studied Finnish folk costumes and textiles, the more I have come to love the simple stripy patterns that still have lots of variability in them. In fact, there is one thing that the canonized National costumes lack and that is the creativity in fabrics. In the 18th and 19th century, weavers could decide what patterns and colours pleased…
A Karelian dress for my daughter
I made my daughter a Karelian dress similar to my own. This also gave me a good chance to test my new ruffler.
