Progress Report

I've been seriously bitten by the sewing bug these past few weeks. Usually I attempt to divide my free time between sewing and writing, but since seeing the film Testament of Youth, I have been inspired to create a 1910s autumn/ winter wardrobe for myself. I wrote a post on the Rag Trade Sisters blog about the excellent costuming done for that film.

I selected several patterns, most of which are from the excellent Wearing History. I chose a skirt pattern from The Fashion Archaeologist as well. 

The lovely patterns I selected - some of which I already had before this project seized me!

But before I could begin sewing any blouses or skirts, I had to begin with the proper corset, which I chose from Truly Victorian, who had recently added a 1910s corset to their collection. 

I was very surprised by how different this corset pattern is to the other corsets/ stays I have made. I have made Regency short stays, and 18th century stays, but I have never ventured with anything this modern. 

Pinning the pattern pieces.

I was able to sew several parts of the corset together, but had to break while waiting for the proper boning to come in the post. But I look forward to finishing this corset in the next week or two. 

A glimpse of how the corset might look when completed! 

1920s salads & yes, I am alive!

I realise that it's been over a month since I wrote a blog post. In my defence, July in my family is full of birthdays. There are nine July birthdays, to be exact, and then mine falls in the beginning of August. So it's always a crazy, busy time for my family. Thus writing posts for my blog goes by the wayside. 

I wanted to do a new recipe from my Modern Priscilla cookbook, even though the first of the month is long gone. I also thought it would be nice to try a savoury recipe, as I think I choose sweet things most of the time. 

So, last night I made dinner - a zucchini casserole, and, from my cookbook, Filled Tomatoes with Asparagus Tips. The recipe was a bit unusual, but I thought it sounded pretty good. 

The recipe: 

There were a few things I wasn't sure about, and I made a few changes, as I usually end up doing with these recipes. For one, I didn't peel the tomatoes. Part of me couldn't be bothered, but I was also afraid that they'd end up being too soft. They were pretty ripe to begin with. 

Also, the instructions didn't really seem that clear to me, so I used the tomato insides as part of the cucumber vinegar mixture. Also, I didn't have celery (actually, there was some in the fridge, but I didn't realise that till I was done) so I used a bit of celery salt for seasoning. I didn't drain the mixture, either, but put the whole thing in the hollowed out tomatoes. I also just put the asparagus (which I had steamed & allowed to cool) on the lettuce beside the tomato. I've never had asparagus cold in a salad, but it was really delicious. Also, the cucumber/tomato/vinegar salad was so delicious! 

It seems as though every salad recipe in my book calls for French dressing. I wonder if it was very popular, or if it's the only salad dressing that was readily available. Something I need to research! 

The final result: 

The salad & the casserole together

A close-up of the salad.