Category: The Kirsten Project
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
The Kirsten Project | Happy Birthday, Kirsten!
It’s a new year and it’s time for another edition of The Kirsten Project! I’ve already recreated her looks from Meet Kirsten, Kirsten’s Surprise and Changes for Kirsten and for this version, I’m taking inspiration from Happy Birthday, Kirsten! LITTLE JESS around age 10, wearing a mom-made birthday dress and apron, a gift I received…
-
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…
-
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…