Fashion From War to War Part II: 1920s

I was never a huge fan of the 1920s.  Maybe it was being forced to read The Great Gatsby in high school, or maybe it was that so many women cut off all their long beautiful hair, or maybe it was those really strange disappearing waistlines.  I mean, sure it was a revolutionary decade, but did they really think the best way to go was shaping themselves like boxes?
 

Seriously, they look like they're wearing sacks.

Nonetheless, I've learned to hate the 1920s a lot less over the past few years, and I don't really know why.  It certainly wasn't from watching Downton Abbey, because I'd much rather see them go back to their lovely Edwardian clothing.  I certainly couldn't leave the decade out of this fashion history series, so here goes!
 
The 1920s were a complete revolution, especially for women.  By the beginning of the decade, most women in the Western world were now able to vote.  This was a huge step towards independence.  World War I had opened up new career choices for women, who could now work in industries that were once considered inappropriate for them.  Many chose to pursue both a career and a family.
 


Edith, from Downton Abbey, ran a newspaper!

 
 
New technology also drove the decade.  Automobiles replaced the horse and buggy.  Radios, gramophones, and telephones brought more connection, and the widespread adoption of electricity fueled them.
 

The Dowager Countess sums it up.

 
 
As in society, fashion changed too.  Hemlines went higher and higher, and the waistline dropped and dropped, sometimes disappearing altogether.  Make-up became popular, especially lipstick, for that iconic Cupid's bow mouth, and eyeliner.  The natural eyebrows of the previous era became long and thin, sloping down at the corners.

A hemline chart.

 

The WORST thing I saw on Downton Abbey.  I cringed when I saw it.

 

 

 

Bebe Daniels
 

But the biggest fashion change was hair.  Up to this point in time, long hair was the only option for women.  Short hair was for men, completely unheard of for women.  But in the 20s, women began 'bobbing' their hair, cutting it chin length and styling with finger waves (among other styles).  Some women were hesitant about making such a change, especially those in the upper classes.  But to keep up with the fashion, they styled their hair in a faux bob.  Ever heard of bobby pins?  Now you know where the name came from!
 

 

 

 

 

Even Lily Elsie cut her amazing hair off.

This ad is hilarious!

So because I'm not a huge fan of the 20s I don't have much in the way of clothing for that era.  I've done it a couple times to celebrate Downton Abbey, but I wasn't very pleased with the results.  However, I was fortunate enough to be gifted a 1920s style dress from a close friend of mine, Ms. Donna.  It was hers when she was younger, and she knows I like vintage stuff, so she gave it to me.  It even came with a necklace!  The best thing was that it fit me perfectly.  All I had to do was complete the look.

 

 

 

I had a different pair of shoes planned, but I found these Friday when I went thrifting with my mom.  I LOVE them!

 

This was the only picture of the purse, and it was blurry.  It was a gift from a family friend a LONG time ago.

 

Look at the fringe!

 

So much fringe...

 

 

These were the best two pictures of my faux bob.  I'm still figuring out how to make it a bit smoother.

 

I'm so bad at putting on lipstick.  For an artist I have such shaky hands, and I don't think I've quite mastered the Cupid's bow mouth yet. 

I had some trouble with my hair, and some trouble with my lipstick, but overall I think it was a success.  I just wish I could have done finger waves, but I couldn't figure it out short of finding and buying vintage finger wave clips on Ebay.  My make-up isn't quite right either, because I'm not good at that kind of thing and I can't wear eye make-up except water-proof mascara.  Still, I think the lipstick pulled it all together.

Join me next week for that weird in-between decade called the 1930s.  Longer hemlines, bias-cut skirts, more short hair, and...pants?

Fashion From War to War Part I: 1910s

I think I've always had a love for historical fashion.  When I was in middle and high school there was a book at the public library called What People Wore, and it was one of my favorite books to look at.  I checked it out almost every time we went to the library, so often that I never had to look it up.  I always knew exactly where it was.  It has images from the times of ancient Egypt all the way to the 1920s, and I would often look at it in tandem with my sketch book, using it as a reference for character sketches.

I finally got a copy of my own as a gift several years ago, around the time I fell in love with Downton Abbey, and around the time I started to build up my own historically inspired wardrobe.  Much of the clothes I find at thrift stores, and some I make myself, but I also shop very meticulously at mainstream stores, because if you look hard enough you can find an Edwardian-style skirt at a department store.

I've become way more brave in wearing historical and historical-inspired clothing over the past few years, and I often wear those kinds of outfits to church, but I thought it would be really cool to share my ensembles on here!  So this week starts a five week series of fashion history posts, an overview of Western fashion in the decades of the early 20th century, from about the time of World War I to around the time of the Korean War.

I've already mentioned Downton Abbey, so you can probably guess where we're going to start.  The 1910s of course!  This time period was at the end of the Edwardian era, and it was also during this time that World War I occurred and the Titanic sank.  At that time, dresses and skirts were fairly fitted, and the waistline started just under the bust in the beginning of the decade and lowered as the years went by.  Hats were a must when leaving the house, no matter your station, but if you were rich your hat might have really nice feathers, or other fancy decorations.  The suit was popular for travel.  During the war, fashion was less opulent and rigid, and this new freedom for women led to suffrage and the disappearing waist of the 1920s.

An overview of the decade.

My Downton Abbey ladies.

Look at those dresses!

An interesting fashion plate

Lily Elsie was a hair goddess.

Keeping all this in mind, I went through my wardrobe and put together a spring/summer inspired 1910s look, complete with a hairstyle that took me at least thirty minutes to do.  I got so many compliments at church, and one of my friends even said she needed to start an instagram dedicated to my hair.

I bought the shirt at Wet Seal when I was in high school, and the pleated skirt came from Kohl's.

I did my hair with no help from a lady's maid.

I bought my shoes from Ebay.

I think this is my favorite belt.  It came with a dress I bought several years ago.

My Grandma gave me this faux pearl necklace.

What do you think?  I loved it!  Come back next week for bobbed hair and independent women.  On to the 1920s!

My Literary Friends

At this point in my life, I couldn't imagine working anywhere else than at an elementary school.  It's been an amazing first year (well, part of a year), and I've grown SO much.  Seriously, you don't realize how much a daily dose of lunch duty will change you until you go from being scared of a handful of children to walking around shushing a room of a hundred.

One of the most fun things that went on this year was library appreciation week.  Anybody who knows me knows that I love books, so I was excited when our librarian announced a week full of events.  This included guessing teachers' favorite books, Literary Bingo, and trying to figure out how many jelly beans were in a jar.  My favorite thing was that she invited the teachers and staff to dress up as a book character and go on the morning announcements to talk about their book.

This time last year, I never would have been brave enough to do anything like that.  But this year?  I decided to dress up twice, of course.  I still can't believe I did it, and the kids loved it!

My first character was Nancy Drew.  When I went to Five Points, Nancy was my favorite.  I think I read every Nancy Drew book they had in the library, and even the ones at the public library.  The Nancy Drew series has been around since the 1930s, written by a myriad of people under the name Carolyn Keene.  Because I own an original 1945 copy of The Clue in the Crumbling Wall, I decided to go as 1940s Nancy drew.  I altered a 1960s skirt and practiced my victory rolls, and we can't forget a magnifying glass.

 

 

1940s hair is NOT EASY.  But it's SO pretty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We even got in some really weird, 40s inspired poses. (But what is the deal with my face?)

 

Another of my favorite books is Stargirl.  Stargirl is brave and zany.  She doesn't care what other people think about her, and she's not afraid to have ideas that go contrary with society.  She takes Mica High School by storm.  My favorite of her crazy outfits in the book is the prairie dress.  And it wouldn't be complete without her giant sunflower bag and ukulele.

And we can't forget her faithful pet rat, Cinnamon. He was a pain to make, but so worth it!

This dress is so flowy and I love it.

Look at it!

LOOK.

I even sang and played the ukulele on the announcements to people who had birthdays.  It was great!  And I wore these clothes the whole day, two different days, all over campus.  How many other jobs let you do that?

With school ending, I'm going to be posting again, and way more often!  In just a few days I'll be starting a fashion history series, and after that? Well, sewing, of course.  And writing. And other stuff.  Yep.

Sanctuaries

Here's the thing: I don't ever remember a time when my family didn't go to church.  I know, though, that when I was still tiny, before I would ever be able to remember things, we didn't go to church.  I was probably about three or four when my family started going to this small church that was still just getting started.  I still remember standing in the skeleton of what would be our sanctuary: grey cinder blocks against a cold blue sky.
 
There's something hard about growing up in a Christian home.  I know others who have said the same thing.  You know the truth, you've heard it a hundred times.  You live it out because it's what you think you're supposed to do, but in reality you're not living it out for God.  I did the same thing.  I accepted Jesus when I was seven years old, but after that it was like I was trying to ride on the coattails of my parents' faith.  I tried to be good, I tried to stay out of trouble.  I went to children's church on Sunday mornings and Missionettes on Wednesday nights.  I earned badges and won awards, but in the end I felt so hollow inside.  I was doing it out of fear and extreme belief that everyone around me was judging me.
 
I don't remember when my life started to slip out of my hands, but it did.  I became so consumed with what other people thought about me that I began living in fear.  I didn't talk to people unless I had to.  My group of friends slowly started to shrink.  I constantly put myself and the talents that God gave me down.  I struggled with sin.  I compared myself to others and always came up short.  In college I was exposed to a frightening world that I had to fight to keep myself separated from, and I constantly felt like I wasn't good enough, no matter what my teachers, my peers, or my family said.  I felt it in my heart that I was teetering on the edge of an abyss filled with darkness.  All the lights had gone out.  I had this unnamable fear that gripped my heart with fingers made of ice, and it was all masked by a façade that led everyone to believe I was okay, that I was a good Christian girl, perfect, nothing wrong.
 
When I graduated from college last year I moved back in with my parents, back to my hometown, and back to the church I grew up in.  Here, I think, God tried to start working himself on my heart.  I made myself go to church every week, and I tried to get something out of it.  Even when I fell back into sin and fear I found myself seeking God out each week.  But once Monday came around I started to slide back down my rope again.

I tried to make myself read a devotional every day, but sometimes I forgot, and a lot of times I wasn't really sure I was getting anything out of it.  I couldn't find a job and there were times when I felt like God had abandoned me.  Now I know that it was my own fears that were getting in the way.  I was so good at being positive for others that I had no positive left for myself.  But I kept trying.  No matter how close I got to the end of my rope, even if my fingers were only grasping at a single strand of His goodness, I held on.
 
Last month, though, something...happened.  It was a Wednesday night and our pastor was away, so our children's pastor, Pastor Matt, was preaching that night.  He talked about how God told him that His people were living with evil spirits that they could get rid of.  It immediately struck a cord with my irrational, unnamable fears, with everything I had been dealing with for my entire life.  He called people down to the altar to come and get rid of those spirits.  My fear glued me to my seat.  It was really like I couldn't move.  The altar?  That had never been for me.  What would people think if they knew I wasn't perfect?  After the first wave of people went Pastor Matt said to not leave without that issue being resolved.  And in that moment it hit me so quickly: I wasn't perfect, and it didn't matter.  Before I knew what I was doing I was down at the alter, a place I've never been before, barely able to tell the elder that I "was afraid of everything."
 
That night I had that spirit of fear cast out and I was baptized in the Holy Spirit.  I never intended to go down there for that last part but before I knew it I was freezing and burning at the same time, on my back and feeling like I had seen the face of God.  He's still working on my fear, because healing takes time, but I can tell you that every time I think about that day, every time I think that thought "I wasn't perfect and it didn't matter," I laugh with joy.  In fact, I've laughed countless times while I've been writing this.
 
It wasn't long at all before God decided to take it one step further, to test this new faith.  Our church was starting a young adult group, The Pursuit, and the first get together was a week and a half away.  I decided to go, but every time I thought about it my stomach would turn over.  I could hear the voice of Satan trying to make excuses for why I couldn't go, but every time I would verbally give that voice a good dose of 2 Timothy 1:7.
 
A few days before the group I woke up with a sore throat, and it wouldn't go away.  I've never had a sore throat that didn't develop into a cold so I knew that this was yet another attempt from Satan to keep me from going.  Saturday night I felt worse and I had a slight fever, but Sunday morning I went to church anyways.  During praise and worship I started feeling ill.  I broke out into a cold sweat and it completely threw me out of the presence of God.  I could have given in right then, but I started praying instead.  I prayed for healing, I told the sickness to leave, and immediately I stopped sweating.  I didn't feel sick and the pain in my throat dulled.
 
That night I went to Pursuit.  I hung out with a bunch of people I barely knew or didn't know at all.  I was nervous, sure, but I'm so glad I didn't miss it.  It was another step on my journey out of fear and into the heart of God.  It would take so much more space than this one blog post to hash out everything I've struggled with in my faith, but that's not the point.  The point is that I felt like I would burst if I didn't tell the world what He has done to me.  He has covered me in his blood.  He has taken the skeleton of my soul, cinder blocks against a cold blue sky, and made it into His sanctuary.  And it's beautiful.

 

All About the Poof

I think one of the most magical things a girl can have is a mom who sews.  How about custom doll clothes for your birthday?  Maybe a dress you saw in the store recreated to perfection?  Or even better: your sewing mom teaching you how to sew.

I was in elementary school when my mom first tried to teach me how to sew.  She believes everyone should have basic sewing knowledge, like sewing a button on a shirt, and she vowed that both I and my sister would have that basic knowledge.  I was actually kind of excited to learn how to sew, but once I started cutting, once I sat down at that machine, the magic faded.  It was like pulling teeth for my mom to get me to finish the 4-H project I had started.  For the kind of person I was, it was so very, very nerve-wracking.  For several years I gave it up, talking my mom into sewing something if I wanted it.

During college, and especially once I became a Mori girl/Lolita, my attitude towards sewing, and other such related things, changed.  It wasn't always easy to find things that I wanted in thrift stores, and some treasures I found needed altering.  So I took the plunge once again and recruited my mother to help me get back into sewing.  Since starting back my projects have been a dual effort.  There are times when I get so frustrated with something or when I dread sewing a certain thing and I just plain need help.

One of my most recent projects was set into motion by this set of pillowcases:

They're all beautiful vintage pillowcases we got from my brother-in-law's grandmother.  They kept staring at me and taunting me, telling me what a cute dress they would make.  I finally gave in and dug through my pattern stash for just the right dress and found it in this pattern here:

The length will be in between these two lengths.

Because I am my mother's daughter I decided a little bit of pattern altering was in order.  Basically, I kept the bodice and made my own skirt.  There were a myriad reasons why I didn't want to use the pattern, including the fact that it looked like whoever created it was trying to make it harder than it should be.  Another was that it didn't allow for the number of pillowcases I wanted to use.  I love the poof, and more pillowcases mean more poof.

Three yards of muslin

I used six pillowcases and three yards of muslin to line it (pillowcases are thin).  One pillowcase provided the sleeves, another provided the bodice, and the last four made up the skirt.  We had to do some finagling to get the bodice out of a single pillowcase, but it worked out.

Pinning the bodice.  That's the lining up in the left corner.

Every time I thought about setting in the sleeves I screamed internally.  I've only set sleeves in one time before and I only remembered that it was a nightmare.  My mom wasn't looking forward to it either because she knows how I get when I'm frustrated.  At the time I was appointed to do the sleeves she had to go outside and help my dad do something (I'm sure it was tree related.  We've been cutting down a lot of trees lately).  Instead of waiting for her to come back I pushed through and set the sleeves in, and she was quite surprised when she returned and I was finished.  It wasn't quite as vexing as I remember, but then some fabrics are more vexing than others.

So much skirt!

The skirt was far larger than I imagined it would be, because apparently four pillowcases have a lot more fabric than you'd think.  I used both sides of each case separately and sewed them together in a huge rectangle, which ended up being about 144 inches around, or about twice my height.  Hemming that much fabric was a sewing marathon.  The real challenge, though was gathering that much fabric.

Getting ready to gather!

Essentially, I was trying to fit 144 inches of fabric into about 40 inches of space.  I won't go into the details of gathering, just know it required me to sew around the skirt two more times and yank some thread until my fingers were blue.  When I was almost done I broke a thread, which is the nightmare of all nightmares.  Thankfully my mom swooped in and helped.  Then it was only a matter of pinning bodice and skirt together and making them one.  I'm quite pleased with the finished product.

I wore it to church today, belted, and I was even brave enough to wear my poofy petticoat.  Thanks to my mom who took the last pictures.  I'm happy to say that this is probably the project that I've come the closest to in doing by myself.  I did probably about 95% of the work.  What's next?  Well, there is quite a list of sewing projects...

How to Make You Own Hot Leaf Water

I was probably in middle school when I found out that people actually drank tea while it was hot.  Being from the south, where sweet tea is a staple, I thought the idea was ridiculous and strange.  I had never heard of such malarkey.  The first time I tried it I thought it was disgusting, but I tried it again in high school and I was hooked.  A mug of hot tea with another new favorite, oatmeal, was perfect on a cold Saturday morning, especially while sitting by the warm fire.

Over the years my tastes have evolved.  I drink tea every morning, timing the steep of every cup to perfection.  I love green tea and herbal tea, chai and matcha.  We have a tea collection in our home that's overflowing, because every time my mom and I see a new flavor on clearance we feel like we need it.  I only discovered loose leaf tea a couple years ago, but the real kicker was when I found out I could make my own tea.

My mom loves plants and gardening, so the consequence is that whenever we go to a place that sells plants, she will probably come home with one (this applies to frozen meat, too, but that's another story).  We have everything from marigolds to lime trees, but my favorite plants are the edible ones.  Rosemary, mint, lavender, lemon balm, basil, and recently we even acquired a stevia plant.  I think my favorite, though, is lemongrass.  It was the first plant I used to make my own tea.

Now we have a huge lemongrass in our front yard and I've started making up batches again, so I thought maybe other people might want to know how to make lemongrass tea.

First, find a lemongrass plant.  Buy your own or ask a friend, but don't go up in someone's yard and just steal their lemongrass.  It's rude.

Here's our lemongrass.

Next, cut lemongrass leaves close to where they come off the plant.  I use kitchen scissors, but regular scissors would probably work too.  I usually like to get a good handful of leaves, but the amount you get depends on the size of your plant.

Cut a length of string or twine.  I like to make mine long because I never think I'm going to have enough.

Make sure all the cut ends are fairly even with each other.  It doesn't have to be perfect.

Tie one end of the string as tightly as possible around the bundle of leaves, about 3 or four inches from the cut ends of the leaves.  Use a square knot so all your tying doesn't come undone (right over left, left over right).

Now comes the part I always find the hardest: find a dark, dry place and hang your lemongrass bundle there.  There aren't many dark places in our house where a bunch of leaves can fit, so I usually end up hanging mine off the end of a bookshelf in a corner of our library.

Now you wait.  I usually let my lemongrass dry for a week.  By then it's usually falling right out of the string because it doesn't matter how tight I tie them, they always slip because they shrink.  The leaves won't really be brown, just a faded green.  After all, you don't want them to crumble to nothing.

Now you're going to need those kitchen scissors again, and some kind of airtight container to hold your tea.  I chose this glass container.  It's one of a three piece set that sits in a caddy next to all our other teas, so I thought it would work well.

So, you're going to gather three or four leaves at a time, hold the ends into the container, and snip.  I snip my pieces about a quarter of an inch long, give or take.

Make sure to snip all the way to the end.  This process usually takes a while so pull up a chair and put on your favorite music or a show.  Today I snipped to Downton Abbey.  Sure, I've seen them all, but sometimes you just have to revel in Edwardian fashion.  My hand was a little sore by the end, but I'm a seasoned snipper.  Take a break and don't break your fingers.

And...Voila!

It only filled the container about halfway, but I've got plenty more where that came from.

Now, whenever you want a delicious cup of tea, just grab your favorite teacup or mug and a tea ball.  I usually fill my tea ball with two teaspoons of lemongrass, boil some water (in a kettle, not my teacup), and let the tea steep in the water for about five minutes.  I like to sweeten it with a bit of honey, or occasionally raw sugar.

If I hadn't been so hot from taking these pictures outside then I probably would have made myself a cup, but alas, I live in Florida.  Now I just need to finish my shelves to hold all my teacups, all seventy-something of them.  Yeah...