See the links below to find out more about the talma wrap and bonnet I made, as well as see more photos of them.
I finally have an update to share with you.
I originally intended to wear these items to a costuming event this weekend, but wasn’t feeling up to it. I did however want to get some photos and test how well they worked in cold weather.
I have to admit I had a little trouble with the new items. The first, is a Truly Victorian Talma Wrap. The pattern itself is just fine and was rather fun to work with. The problem came when the waist tape snapped off just before taking photos. The waist tape is a rather important piece, as it keeps the wrap against the back in a pleasing manner. I just have to sew it back on more securely. The rather amusing part of that is because I was only going a short distance for a few photos, I didn’t bother to bring my sewing kit. Doesn’t that just figure?
The other item is a small 1880s bonnet. I didn’t use any patterns, and figured things out as I went. I had a few frustrating moments trying to figure out how I should proceed, and almost gave up to make something else. It’s actually very comfortable to wear and quite fun! I did my hair a little differently than I should have though, and this made the bonnet sit back on my head instead of more forward. Ah well! You get the basic idea!
I also got a chance to use the muff with the new black cover! It was a cold morning and all these accessories worked just fine together to keep me warm. In fact, as the sun was coming up (it was a bright day as you can see from the photo on this page), I ended up a little too warm! I also carried a small black reticule with me.
I wore everything over the gray bustle gown, and I’m very happy that I fixed the puckering on the back hem! It’s a very simple skirt to wear, but it’s still rather fun when you layer accessories with it.
Please see the costume pages for more information and photos:
The Talma Wrap,
and
the Small 1880s Bonnet.
It was unfortunate that the waist tape snapped right at the beginning! Still, we got SOME good photos. I just hated that it was the perfect chilly morning and the awesomness that is the talma wrap wasn’t totally captured with the photos. We can always give it another go; just not sure we’ll get too many more cool mornings like yesterday. It was neat that you were able to see that it will keep you warm in almost freezing temperatures 🙂
@Christopher: It was a shame (also that I missed an event I usually love attending), but I’m hoping to wear it again in December. Let’s hope we’ll have some cool temps for that event at least! Sheesh! 🙂
Oh, my gosh, it’s beautiful! I love your fabric choices and the style-lines are lovely! And the details like the bonnet just complete the whole wonderful look. =)
Your outfit looks amazing despite the fact that it needs a little more stitching. (I hate it when I need a little sewing kit and I don’t have one. And you would think that by now I would carry one in my purse!) Thanks for sharing photos – I’ve been dying the see what it looked like from your tweets!
@Brooke: Thanks for the reply and for checking out the garments!
Yeah, I really was laughing at myself even through the disappointment and frustration at the time. Just the fact that I *finally* intended to bring my sewing kit with me to the event, but didn’t bring it to the photo shoot. I probably could have gone back home for it, but I was already feeling miserable about having to dress up due to not feeling that great… I guess I just wanted to hurry up and get it over with. That, and I didn’t know how much time before traffic started picking up. We had downtown to ourselves for the most part that morning. That was fun!
Oh, wow, they are so beautiful! Both the wrap and the bonnet look so good on you! What happened with the waist tape was unfortunate, but you couldn’t tell from the pictures. They came out so lovely!
@Merja: Thank you! I was SO happy to see some of the photos turned out okay. I had to pass on many of them because of the loose back flopping around. The belt is tacked on in two spots — the left and right back seams. The right side is the one that broke loose. It’s a shame, because I had this feeling at the time that I wasn’t tacking it down well enough. Ah well! I’ll be taking care of that soon, hopefully! 🙂