Exciting times at Midnight Heights

Whilst remaining acceptingly sceptical with a healthy dollop of nerves I am in the process of sending out my first Press Release and Wholesale Order information. It has taken several months of preparation, photos being taken then discarded and taken again, re-writes and editing however; finally I am more happy than I am not so I have decided ‘heck, lets just do this thing’!

All of this planning has put me in mind of all the Mini Top Hats I have sent off across the World, and I wanted to take a moment to thank all of the many people who follow me, help me and who have been supporting me in this endeavour as I take the next step.

If you are reading this as a proud owner of the Laura After Midnight Mini Top Hat Kit, please gain as much inspiration for decorating your creation as possible, as you can see sometimes a bow is enough!

This gorgeous little Black Silk Mini Top Hat was the first I ever made, and the first I sold! Taking inspiration for Victorian Riding Hats, I simply made an outsize silk bow to attach to the back, with a Birdcage Veil trimmed with some Organza Ribbon to finish the effect. It was bought by a photographer in L.A. who very kindly sent me the above photograph.

As you can see, it is super simple however; I just adore that! The next hat was a private commission and it was the first time I started to bring some more of my Costume knowledge in to the Mini Top Hats. Created with overlays of Cotton, Net and Lace, this little Hat looks like a slice of beautiful antique China.

 

It also has some stunning Vintage Button adornments, with a ruffly lace edge to offset and emphasize the Tricorn. Also my first Tricorn, I was very pleased with the result. So I made another…

The thing I love about making Tricorns’ is, you get to use more Buttons! Again however; this has some pretty simple decorations which help to make the Tricorn shape stand out. This little darling went to live in Georgia, USA.

 

Another Mini Top Hat destined for a Wedding ensemble was this gorgeous Silk and Pearl pure white Hat. I overlaid Antique Victorian Corset Lace around the Brim and added a Vintage Art Deco mother of pearl Button and Feather. Sent off in its little Hat Box to Germany, this Hat was worn for a Victorian Steampunk themed Wedding!

And a couple more…

  

  

 

I had no idea they’re were so many out there in the World! How glorious!! Remember you can purchase your own little bit of Midnight visit the Laura After Midnight Etsy store where you can find Hats, Kits and many more delights. 

Happy stitching!

Fabric Encyclopedia and Vintage Lingerie wonderment.

  

a selection of the wonderful Vintage Lingerie Patterns available from A Few Threads Loose, where there are also tutorials and how-tos to help you create stunning Vintage pieces. 

As you can see from my Vintage Sewing Techniques and Tutorials page, I follow a selection of Blogs about Sewing. One of them is the glorious A Few Threads Loose, and upon logging in to Bloglovin‘ I stumbled across her recent post entitled A Fabric Encyclopaedia.

In it she lists as many fabric terms as she has come across whilst sewing Vintage Patterns, with explanations of the fabric type. A lot of fabric which was popular even 50 years ago is not now in production, or has risen in cost and may not now be available to the home sewer because of this however; with this handy chart you will be able to find something similar. There is also a very handy Burn Test Chart, which is a technique to discover what sort of fabric fibers you may be sewing with: for example very loosely Acetates and Acrylics will burn and melt whilst Cottons, Linens and Silks will burn and char. There is of course many other distinguishing factors in the time and way they burn, the smell and melting/charring which help tell between different fabrics also.

A Few Threads Loose is inviting comments upon the subject so, if you have discovered some Vintage fabric or indeed a fabric reference which is puzzling you head on over. She’s lovely!

A Few of my favorite fabrics are (from The Fabric Encyclopaedia by A Few Threads Loose)

BATISTE: A very fine, lightweight cotton with a lustrous finish. Used for baby clothes, lingerie and blouses.

DIMITY: A crisp, sheer, plain-weave cotton with cord stripes or checks. Can be white, plain or printed. Used for dresses, blouses, lingerie, baby wear, and curtains.

FAILLE: A fairly soft, cross-ribbed fabric usually of rayon, silk or cotton. It has ribs but they are flatter than those of Bengaline. Used for dresses, suits and curtains.

MARQUISETTE: A sheer fabric in different weights made from cotton, rayon, nylon, silk and wool. Can be dyed, printed or with woven dots. Used in curtains and evening wear.

MERCERIZED: The process of treating fabric or threads with a caustic soda solution to produce a greater sheen, better dying capability, and more strength.

PIQUE: A medium to heavy weight  cotton, rayon or silk in several weaves. Pin-wale pique has very fine wales running lengthwise. Wide-wale has wider wales. Waffle pique has woven honeycomb check. Birdseye pique has a closely spaced diamond-shaped design. Used for baby clothes, blouses, dresses, summer suits and slacks.

PONGEE: Is similar to shantung but lighter in weight. It has an uneven, slubbed texture. Used for dresses, lingerie, blouses and children’s clothes.

SHANTUNG: A plain-weave fabric with nubby, crosswise yarns. It can be made from silk, rayon, nylon, cotton or poly-blends. It occasionally has a figured pattern woven in. Used for dresses, suits, blouses and curtains.

I am fairly swooning at such talk of the loveliest of fabrics! Oh for the budget for a sumptuous Cotton Batiste or a glorious shiny Silk Shantung!

Weaving processes, fabrics, finishes and fibers are also talked of, and on the whole this is a treasure trove of terms undoubtedly lovingly collected over several years. I strongly recommend a read!

Happy stitching!

Found!

These amazing Rings by Catbird…

 

Catbird have a wonderful eye for the unusual, bordering on piratical so I am a big fan however; be careful, they’re expensive!

Some gorgeous fabrics on Spoonflower…

  

I want dresses out of all of them!

And Cardiff’s amazing curly Shopping Arcade…

I can’t wait to visit!

Among six Historic Arcades in Cardiff, Morgan Arcade- dated 1896- is the best preserved. I just love the curly, curvy glass roof! Some of the windows are Venetian Glass, still intact which is truly remarkable. I just want to go soak up the atmosphere of this amazing place, have tea and cake somewhere lovely and imagine times past… I have heard rumour of some fantastic Vintage Shops amongst these Arcades too… eep!

Happy stitching!

Notions: Machine Button Holes

It’s confession time: I love, love, love Buttons & Button Holes! I am fortunate to have a Machine (aah Pfaff, you are wonderful!), which eats Button Holes for breakfast. Having worked on many Machines- new & old- which don’t do such great Button Holes I appreciate how wonderful this is.

I collect & use Vintage buttons where possible & here I have used some Vintage Linen Covered buttons, which I think are so beautifully utilitarian. This mini tutorial is from my Simple A-Line Skirt Tutorial however; I get asked how to make Button Holes all the time so thought I’d post this little snippet again.

My best advice when contemplating Button Holes is to do many practice runs. This is even a good idea when more experienced sewers as it highlights issues with the Machines tension, thickness of fabric- if the fabric is too thin some backing or interfacing may be required & even the sewer themselves as it is very tempting to pull the fabric when making a Button Hole which creates uneven stitches.

Firstly, Buttons need to be chosen (woop!), then Button Holes need to be marked & made.

Measure the chosen Button, & add .5cm for ease to calculate the measurement of the Button Hole. For mine, I stitched 2cm Button Holes

Place the Buttons on the garment to decide where the best placement is. If you have been using a commercial pattern, there will be a Button guide printed & included however; I like to have a bit of a play with this. If using small buttons sometimes they look nice grouped in twos  or threes’ for example. When you have decided use the Buttons to mark where the Button Holes will start- Button measurement + .5cm for ease- & end as below.

 

Above, left illustrates laying the Buttons out to arrange where they should be placed. Above, right illustrates the proper marking of a Button Hole with a line across & a line at each end showing where to stop stitching. 

Once the Button Holes are marked, the Button Hole Foot will need to be attached to the Sewing Machine. Without it Button Holes are worked by hand (which I shall cover in another post) or Rouleau Loops, Hooks & Eyes, Slide Bars or other fasteners can be used.

 

With the Button Hole Foot attached, follow the Sewing Machines instructions to stitch the Button Hole. Mine starts at the bottom, then stitches the left hand side backwards, goes across the top, then back towards me to finish the right. A few practices should be made so that, when the final Button Holes are attempted, they are as neat as possible. The markings on any Button Hole Foot can also be used, as well as the markings drawn on the fabric, to ensure the Button Hole is stitched to the correct length. 

Cut the Button Hole open- carefully!- with Snips, Small Scissors or a Quick Unpick. It will fray a little however; with use this will stop. Match up the Waistband at the top again, and pin together. Use a pencil to mark the right hand side of the Button Hole through to the bottom layer, un-pin & place pins over the markings to make sure they aren’t lost. Sew the Buttons on over the markings, a tutorial for this can be found here.

    

Illustrated above is the proper marking of the Buttons, highlighting the markings & the finished Buttons & Button Holes. 

There, easy peasy when you know how, right? Watch out for my next Zine which is all about Seams, and beginning to Sew and will have all sorts of interesting snippets of information for the beginner sewer!

Happy stitching!

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

Unknown artist. From Laura After Midnight on Pinterest.

Happy stitching!

Cutting it fine…

Well, another happy Friday has been spent in creating another lovely little Zine.

This one is all about the Vintage Sewing books I love, admire- and still use!- and think every Seamstress, or Seamster should acquire. It is also the last step in being able to sell my first Zine Understanding Vintage and Modern Patterns as it completes a little pack! I’m so excited!!

Final packaging for Understanding Vintage and Modern Patterns, with free HB Pencil and copy of Books We Like. 

I am so pleased with the way it has all come together. I chose Dove Grey for the front cover and I like the subtle contrast between that and the White of the interior, and black of the Washi Tape seal. Books We Like is my 2nd week Zine- so proud I am keeping this up!!- and although I shall be selling it separately I’ll also be including it in all of my current and future Zines because I think these Vintage Sewing Books are just great. I have hand illustrated the covers of the favorites from my Sewing Book library, and given a little review. Most handy if you would like to pick up some Retro pieces of sewing history but don’ know where to start!

 

Head on over to my Etsy store now to pick up your copy- only £3.25 with P&P. they will also both be available as a PDF soon…

Happy stitching!

Some stunning new Mini Top Hats.

New things have been listed (finally!) in the Laura After Midnight Etsy store, hooray!! I feel as if I am a whirlwind of activity at the moment, and had actually given myself today off. What do I find myself up to? Writing a new Zine, and excitedly photographing things for Etsy then listing! Oh well, I’ll sleep when I’m dead and all that!

  

In the spare time that I do have, I’ve been hand embellishing some Mini Top Hats I made a while back with all sorts of lace, spangles and adornments I have found in my stash, and I do have to say that I am mighty impressed with the results! I bought a Vintage Embroidery book a while back which was all about the results Chain Stitch can give you if you layer it up.  As you can see I have used it to make Flowers and mixed it in with Spangles for a very effective and highly embellished look.

 

Above are just two, there are more in the shop! Because my line of Spats have proven so very, very popular, I have been working towards make a new and slightly more colorful range. What do you think? I adore the Pirate Spats soo much!!

In other news: I am on target for my 2nd Zine! Eek!

I am furiously commanding Photoshop to do my bidding as we speak, scanning in illustrations and generally having a high old time. This one is actually going to be given away as a free little extra with any Zines I sell and is all about the Vintage Sewing Books I use, and find most helpful. As I think every Seamstress (or Seamster!!) should own a couple and I have hand illustrated the covers and written a small review for a teeny tiny yellow Zine.

Right, time for tea me thinks…

Happy stitching!