Hello lovelies, 

two weeks ago I finally visited Petit point Vienna for the first time in her studio. We had planned to do this much earlier but somehow our dates were never compatible. 

The studio is located near Schloss Schönbrunn and Johnstraße . It is not open to the public but for appointments only. If you want to visit the studio you can reserve your time slot on Facebook. 

And wow, the studio was amazing. The workroom was small as was the storage but every small space was utilized perfectly. There were boxes over boxes full of raw needlepoint material and finished goods. I was also very fascinated that the owner, Caroline, seemed to know exactly where everything was. 

The designs for Petit point are created with these plates, there are tiny squares that have been painted. Afterwards the thread is matched. It reminded me of a retro-excel sheet. 

There are different gauze, from 9 to 21 and each has a different amount of stitches per cm. It is illegal in Austria to use the 21 Gauze (bottom left) because it is too fine and would hurt the eyes of the embroiderer. But using it as a private person is fine, the rules just applies for people who want to sell them.

Here is another painted plate. Big pictures are only used for bags. 

Here is a work in progress, I think it was for a ring.

Caroline had so many boxes with finished embroidery, it was such a pleasure to look at. I really love how stunning the florals look because of all the designs are more than 100 years old. 

The picture below is a painted plate and two embroidered pictures with the same motif but with slightly different variations. The church is St. Stephan, the landmark of Vienna.

I love the bags so much, they are so pretty. The motif was so fine and the colours so vibrant, I would love to own a bag. The hue of the picture is a bit off, but it was late already and I did not have a flash on my camera.

 

All of the boxes infront of me and behind me are full with items. There are just so many items that also did not make it on the homepage like place card holders, lipstick holders, small mirrors, powder tins and cufflinks. I am looking at thimbles and I also want to get one next time.

This is the current work in project.

 If you are interesting in buying something, please go to her site at Vienna petit point or follow her on social media. 

all the best,

Auris Lothol

 

 

 

Hello lovelies, 

I wanted to make a nice cap after the Regency dress I finished but it was so hard to find surviving extants and pictures in general. I dove into museums and libraries that shared their collection for free online.

In the end I found a cap I especially liked from the Riksmuseum, located in the Netherlands. follow the link here to go there.

 It was published in the magazine "Magazine of Female Fashions of London and Paris, No.31.2, London Head Dresses" around 1800. This cap especially caught my eye:

I liked how the hair was not completely hidden underneath the cap and there was a kind of veil over the eyes.I immediately set to work and made about 5 different mock-ups before I found the pattern I liked.

 

Normally I only do one mock up and it fits, at least for modern or lolita clothing. But for historical clothing I always find myself doing mock-up after mock-up because it is not quite right. It stresses me because I have the feeling that I just can't do it properly. I remember also doing about 5 mock-ups of my Edwardian corset before it finally fit. But it cost me a lot of time and nerves. 

I bought a very fine cotton fabric at my favourite fabric store for the base. I still had see-through but stiff silk for the veil. I made the mock up with cotton and tulle, but felt the tulle didn't look good enough. 

And here is the finished look.

 

The full description plus a sewing pattern is available on my patreon for patrons from 5€+. So if this interests you, you can support me there: Patreon

All the best,

Auris Lothol

Hello lovelies,

it is July already, how did this happened? Every month feels like a century but they still passed away so quickly?
So when I stumbled upon that brooch I made in May, I almost couldn't remember I ever did this.

In December last year I bought a book on embroidery at the women's guild bazaar. In May, I found the  book again and decided to do a brooch from it, as I needed a break from a bigger project. It only took a few hours to make and it really relaxes me.

The book is called "better homey and gardens, Embroidery" and was first printed in 1978. I love old sewing and handicraft books and I already have a small collection.

When I was at the bazaar, I opened the book at precisely this page and decided that I not only need to have the book, but also do the embroidery. I love roses and brooches and this looked like a cute and fun project.



I cut off a bit of fabric from a longer roll and started with the embroidery. It was then when I already made half of it, that I found a mistake I made right at the beginning. Oh, well. I made it again when coming up on the right side so it kind of looks intentional now.


I am not sure how long it took, probably about 5-6 hours or more? I remember doing it in one go. 

To make the brooch, I measured out 1cm seam allowance and cut. 


I pulled the edges to the back and glued a piece of felt the raw edges. 


I didn't want to stuff the brooch as seen on the picture and therefore my brooch is very flat.


After this step I took a long break because I did not find my gold cord. I think I found the thread three weeks later and whip stitched it to the outline of the brooch.

And all that was left was to add a brooch pin and it was done.

I gave it to M. because I usually do not wear brooches, and he immediately wore it for the lolita picknick.
It fits him a lot better, especially in combination with the peppermint fox brooches.

I hope you all stay safe and healthy,
all the best,


Auris Lothol

Hello lovelies,

nap time is one of my favourite activities, especially after a mentally exhausting day at work. But also on weekends I tend to take a nap after lunch. To be honest, I can't wait to retire and just fill my days with long naps.
Usually I fall asleep very fast at night but during the day I sometimes need a sleeping mask to make my brain think it's dark. M. envies me on how fast I fall asleep at night and therefore I get quite grumpy if I do not fall asleep immediately after closing my eyes. I know, some wish to have this problem.

The mask I own has a unicorn on it and I bought it in Primark. The only problem is that the elastic is a bit tight on my head.
Last weekend I found a stash of scrap pink satin fabric and suddenly the idea formed, after a nap of course, to just make my own sleeping mask. And why not? 
The cotton for the lining also came from my scrap material, only the inner felt layer was from my big stash.

I can really recommend this project as it is super easy and also well suited for beginners. 
Download the mask pattern from my Dropbox. 

You will need:

• Outer and lining fabric of your choice, I recommend cotton and would stay clear of anything elastic like jersey.
• Felt Fabric
• Pins
• Sewing needle
• Thread
• Sewing Machine
• Scissor
• Elastics
• The paper pattern

Print out the mask pattern from my dropbox or create your own. 
It is my first project where I made the pattern on the computer and boy that was complicated. But I learned a lot and I hope to make a few more patterns in the future.

If you use the pattern, you can scale it up or down with your printer. Cut the paper pattern out with the seam allowance or cut it away and use your own length.

If you want any embroidery on your fabric, now is your time.
I went for a small ribbon, vines and a heart. It was a super quick embroidery project and I think that was the part I enjoyed the most. 


When this is done, you can start on the fabric.

Pin your paper pattern onto the fashion fabric and cut along. If you cut away the seam allowance, then draw your seam allowance.
Cut and do the same for the lining.



The felt fabric does not get any seam allowance, cut it along the pattern.

You have three pieces of fabric now. Place the felt material on the left side of the lining and go over it with a running stitch. This will now be one piece.

Pin the elastics to one side, then hold the fabric up to your face and go around the back of your head with it and pin it to the other side. Make sure it is not too loose or too tight.
Cut your elastics with 1cm sewing allowance.



Unpin the elastics, turn the mask over  and pin the elastics to the right side. Also pin the elastics to the middle so it doesn't get under the sewing machine by mistake.
We are almost there!


Pin the fashion fabric to the lining, right sides together and go over it with the sewing machine.



Cut into the fabric. Especially at the rounded part and the bottom middle part.

Now turn the mask inside out. Be careful of the needle that is still inside with the elastic.

Take your needle and a thread and close the open gap. Use a ladder or invisible stitch.

Get rid of the thread in the back and you are done!

The mask is now done.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. The Video will follow soon,

all the best,

Auris Lothol