Category: costume
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The Kirsten Project | Kirsten Saves the Day
Grab your foraged berries, sit down and join me for the latest installment of The Kirsten Project. For this edition, we’re going into the woods to recreate Kirsten’s summertime ensemble based on her story Kirsten Saves the Day. For much of this book, Kirsten spends her time in the woods near her family farm, collecting…
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The Kirsten Project | Wide Brim Straw Hats
When I think of the 1850s and headwear, my first thoughts lean towards bonnets of all kinds – soft corded bonnets like I wore for my Meet Kirsten costume, or the straw or silk varieties seen in countless daguerrotypes or museums. Yet, when I looked hard enough I found plenty of examples of wide brim…
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Time Traveling | Edwardian Era circa 1903
I’ve fallen down another rabbit hole. I really didn’t intend to do any new eras this year, but somehow I landed right at the turn of the century in the Edwardian era. As I make my way through time and historical dress, I’ve come to appreciate silhouettes I was never initially drawn to. Regency didn’t…
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The Kirsten Project | Happy Birthday, Kirsten!
Spring has arrived! The chickens are laying a rainbow of colorful eggs, the redbuds have popped and the fruit trees are blooming! Warmer days lead us outside to play and prepare our gardens for the summer ahead! Between these moments, I’ve been sneaking away time here and there to finish my 1850s spring dress, based…
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The Kirsten Project | Kirsten’s Surprise
Night walks with a heavy stepRound yard and hearth,As the sun departs from earth,Shadows are brooding.There in our dark house,Walking with lit candles,Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia! Night walks grand, yet silent,Now hear its gentle wings,In every room so hushed,Whispering like wings.Look, at our threshold stands,White-clad with light in her hair,Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia! Darkness shall…
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The Kirsten Project | Hair and Hat Inspiration
Little Lie-A-Bed’s Sad Breakfast by carl larsson 1900 One of the most iconic parts of Kirsten’s character are her signature looped braids. My hair never got long enough to make it work as a kid, so I’m determined as ever to make it happen now. So why looped braids? I got my first answers to…
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The Kirsten Project | Förkläde (Apron)
One aspect of this project that I didn’t foresee finding a lot of inspiration was Kirsten’s red and white striped apron. However, once I started digging I uncovered that this particular item of clothing has a deep connection to the traditional clothing of the Dalarna region of Sweden and is still worn today as folk…
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The Kirsten Project | Dress Inspiration
dress, late 1830s, metropolitan museum of art, daguerrotypes of women and girls in mid 19th century dresses The real root of The Kirsten Project has been for me to try to untangle the mystery of how each aspect of Kirsten’s costume came together and to make my best guess on what Pleasant Company used as…
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Time Traveling | 18th Century Summertime at Old Fort Wayne
Just singing Hamilton on repeat, as we do. Over the weekend me and my kids jumped back in time while visiting the Old Fort Wayne in my hometown in Northern Indiana. I found the event by chance so this costume wasn’t the result of long planning but I just love we looked as a little…
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Introducing | The Kirsten Project
My pleasant company edition of meet kirsten (1986, when it was just her, samantha and molly!) from childhood plus original outfit. Over the course of the past year I’ve returned to one of my childhood passions with historic costumes. It was only after going to my first Jane Austen Festival did I remember how I…