Category: Kirsten Research
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The Kirsten Project | Revisiting the Art of Carl Larsson
Above: Ingrid E, Watercolor, 1908, Esbjörn, 1900 and Children of Carpenter Helberg 1906, Little Lie-A-Bed’s Sad Breakfast, 1900, (The date is confusing, but the museum holding this piece gives 1900 as the date. Based on his daughter’s ages, this was probably Brita or Kersti), Kersti’s Friend Comes Visiting, 1905 When I started The Kirsten Project…
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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 | Tiered Skirts of the 1850s
Fashion Plates from Top Left to Right: Le Bon Ton 1856, Les Parisienne 1859, Journal des Demoiselles 1854, Le Bon Ton 1856 In planning the style of dress to make with this edition of the Kirsten Project, I knew I wanted to do more than the standard drop shoulder, high neck, full skirt and sleeve…
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The Kirsten Project | 200 Years of Gingham
Allow me to zoom out from the 1850s for a moment to consider a fashion trend that has revived itself over and over again during the course of the past two hundred years. Thus far in The Kirsten Project, my research has shown me that a lot of what was popular in the 1980s (when…
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The Kirsten Project | Girls’ Dresses of the Mid 19th Century
In the late 1820s, women’s fashion shifted from the once high empire waistlines (think Jane Austen era) back down to the natural position. From then until the 1860s, details like sleeves and necklines morph and change, but not as drastically as before or after that time period. A small waist and a wide skirt are…
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The Kirsten Project | Think Pink for Mid 19th Century Fashion
Fashion plate from le bon ton, 1857 Throughout the mid 19th century (1840s-1860s), pink was a popular color for both women and girls. Here I’ve posted plates from as early as 1846 up through 1962. In Happy Birthday, Kirsten!, our main character wears a pink and white short sleeve dress, with a raised hemline, both…
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The Kirsten Project | Saint Lucia through the Ages
Kirsten’s holiday story Kirsten’s Surprise centers around her family’s tradition of celebrating Saint Lucia’s Day – a solstice celebration of light honoring Santka Lucia. The holiday took hold during Sweden’s Catholic period somewhere between 1000-1500 and is still honored today with parades and family celebrations on December 13th. If you’re thinking, wait! the winter solstice…
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The Kirsten Project | Selbuvotter
Now that we’ve seen some of the classic elements of Norwegian knitting from the Fana sweater, let’s have a look at Selbuvotter, or mittens from Selbu, Norway! I’ve found a couple different origin stories for this classic black and white mitten, but the one I like best is the story of Marit Gulsethbrua Emstad, a…
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The Kirsten Project | Fana Sweaters of Norway
Up next, another Norwegian influence (hint: all of Kirsten’s winter look is distinctively Norwegian!!): her woolen cardigan. This style of knit is called Fana and was very popular in the 1930s and, no surprise, the 1980s, when Kirsten’s collection was created. From a 1983 article by Ruth Robinson in the New York Times, “The Fana,…
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The Kirsten Project | Setesdalbunad
It’s time for another round of research for my next installment of The Kirsten Project: Winter Edition. I’ve always loved Kirsten’s winter look from afar and never had it for myself or my doll, but out of all of her outfits, I think this one has the most pieces that could transition to everyday modern…