The Art of Hans Dahl

Alpine Landscape

by Hans Dahl

Returning From the Fields

by Hans Dahl

The Fjord

by Hans Dahl

Hans Dahl 1849-1937

Norway

The paintings of this man are amazing. I enjoy looking at the misty mountains in the backgrounds, and the delicate wildflowers in the foreground.  From his photograph he appears to be a dignified, stately, masculine sort of man, and his paintings of women show them in just the opposite light: feminine and soft. He captured an air of innocent happiness in their faces, kissed by the cooler northern temperatures into a sweet rosy glow.

The clothings is also interesting. From the hand-embroidered vests to the bright skirts and the billowing blouses. I look at paintings like this for sewing inspiration, too.  One reason for this is that these women are depicted doing rigorous outdoor work in that clothing, and so, it must not have hindered them in their daily lives, as moderns are inclined to believe. Indeed, some of the current styles hardly allow normal household movement, compared to the garments in the old paintings. There are patterns available today for making clothes like this, from major pattern catalogs and from Neue Mode, a German pattern company.

After a century, these paintings are still vivid and looking like new, as if the girls just came in from a brisk walk in the fresh summer air. 

Fabric in Paintings of the Victorian Era

The Ramparts, Walmer Castle

(Please click on the picture for a detailed view. I like the background scenery in this painting.)

(by Perugini, (1839-1918) Italian-born British painter of the Victorian Era

A few years ago I posted some sewing inspired by paintings of the Victorian era, (Painting-inspired dressing and painting-inspired sewing)  and I am looking again at paintings to get ideas of the fabrics and designs. Click on the pictures and get a closer view of the lovely fabrics, the ruffles, the trims, and also have a look at the hair styles. If you will click on the link and go to the painting, clicking it on again and then using the magnifier, it shows a pretty good up-close idea of what the ruffles and tucks and fabrics look like. 

Portrait of a Lady

(click on the picture for a closer view and then use the magnifer)

(and another scenic background)

Kate

(Click on the picture for a larger view.)

The fabric of this dress looks exactly like some that is sold in fabric stores today.

Victorian Outerwear

Mending Nets

by Eugene De Blass   1815-1894, Italian

With all the 19th century paintings that are surfacing and being shared on the web, I wonder that modern designers don't take a hint. Women love to look at the details of these clothes, with their drape and texture and color. Could not they be modified in designs for modern wear?

The aqua prints on the aqua and blue skirts in the painting look like some of the woven fabrics I've seen lately in the calico and quilting fabric sections of fabric stores.  I also like the red bandanna collar that the woman on the far right is wearing around her shoulders. Eugene De Blass painted this style many times.

A Helping Hand

by Eugene De Blass

 The vests and bandannas are so colorful, and the women's  shoes look quite stylish, even today. It was quite common even in the early 1990's to wear white or black stockings with dresses, and they were also available in pink, red, and other colors.  I know some young women who have developed a personal style using just long skirts which you can buy anywhere today, poets shirts, colorful vests which they sew, with these types of stockings and shoes. 

  I'm hoping to find time to make some sketches to go with these beautiful paintings, using modern patterns. You see the Victorians were not limited by their clothing to stiff, formal indoor events, and in this scene of mending nets, is portrayed a woman knitting, on the left. I'm still curious about their apron over-skirts, and remembered that back in the 1980's there were clothes like this from designers like Lanz of Salzburg, Laura Ashley and others. 

In the Orchard

by Ernest Walbourne,  British, 1872-1927

A Couple Playing Golf,

By M. Humphrey 

Most people immediately comment on the how the length of Victorian skirts "dragged on the ground" and although that may be so, I noticed in this video clip shows women catching trams and their dresses did not seem to hinder them at all, neither were they dragging in the mud.Certainly today, with updated sanitation and street sweepers, etc. a dress cannot get dirty now as it would have then.

. 

In a previous post, I shared how make a sewing planning sheet, and this is what one of my email friends sent me to share. She made these dresses for wearing at home.

You see where she has pasted a clip of her fabric on the planning sheet.

I have a new column on the sidebar called "Sewing" where I'm gathering the collection of sewing articles for easy reference.

Australian Woman and Her Daughter Strolling in a Garden of Australian Native Plants

by Percy Spence, Australian  (1868-1933)

Picking Flowers at a Water's Edge

by Ernest Walbourne

A lot of the country type clothing of the past was actually quite roomy, comfortable and colorful. I think it can be easily re-designed for today's wear and patterns made by Simplicity, McCalls, Burda, Vogue, and others. Here are some patterns that are similar in design, to the clothing of the paintings. All patterns can be altered to fit better, and I've put a link on the sewing section on the sidebar for an old fashioned and easy method of raising necklines and making facings. If you are familiar with sewing, you know that some of these costume-like designs could be modified for every day wear.

These are similar to my idea in a previous post about a dress with a jacket.

 Sleeves can also be added to any sleevless pattern,

Use my simple method for raising necklines, posted on the sewing section of the sidebar.

These patterns could be sewn in a current fabric found in your local fabric store.

View wedding patterns with an eye for casual clothing. It is the style that counts. This pattern would look good in calico, like a country-western type garment.

If you are going to make a neue mode pattern for the first time, you need to make a muslin sample first, just to see what the fit is like. 

You might also notice women and men freely mingling in this video clip from 1900 in England. The ladies are walking around in long skirts with apparent ease, and everyone is fully dressed,  even in good weather, yet they seem happy and comfortable.

This is a two piece garment I sewed yesterday, using this pattern for the top:

This is not a current pattern, so I do not know if it is available any more. It has a one-piece drop shoulder.

 The buttons are clear with a silver sparkle in them. To sew buttons quickly on the machine, do not clip the threads or remove the fabric after each button is sewn. Instead, lift the presser foot and pull the thread to the next button, and sew the next button. repeating until all buttons are sewn.  Then pull out your work and clip all the threads  joining the buttons.  The fabric is another "Fabric Traditions" brand from Wal-Mart but is also available at JoAnns, and is cotton. 

Franz Xavier Winterhalter (available from allposters) German painter, 1805-1873,

"Young Italian Woman at the Well"

This is an interesting garment from the 1800's, and the color is splendid. Many of the paintings of women in the past centuries are placed against exquisite natural backgrounds of flowers, rivers, skies and seas. Winterhalter was the artist hired by Queen Victoria's family, and his portraits are considered historical records. If you live in England, you might be able to find a gallery where his paintings are on display. They were in our country a few years ago, and many people who attended said they were just exquisite to behold up close. The photographs I use here are nothing, compared to the quality in reality.

These flowers from the garden have a similar color as the painting, above, and give me some good ideas for color combination in sewing. You can get inspiration all around you, and I believe that sewing your own clothing is 50 percent inspiration.

Here is a pattern in the costume section of the Butterick patterns, that shows the sleeve covers. These patterns will be going on sale soon, for $1.99 or 99c. I never buy a commercial pattern for more than that. I do buy speciality patterns made by private companies, like Sensibility or Smoke and Fire, or Wendy's at full price, but they are made of better paper and last much longer.

Sewing hint: Sew neat. As you cut out each piece, fold the pattern and put it away. I keep mine in a large zip lock plastic bag. Dispose of small scraps as you cut. Put larger scraps together and keep neatly near your machine. There is no need to clutter the entire home with a sewing project, if you neaten and clean as you sew. Each project should be small enough to put on a little folded table or tv tray near the sewing machine, or a basket, out of the way. Take a break after completing the cutting out portion of the project, to go to the main parts of the house and pick up clutter and straighten. Keeping surroundings orderly makes the sewing more relaxing.

Observe which sewn garments you tend to wear the most, and use that pattern often. This white one with the antique gathered cotton lace that a sweet friend sent me, seems to be the one I wear the most. It has the under dress; the slip with the sleeves, and it has no ties or waistline. I cannot recommend the slip, enough. Because of the slip with sleeves, the dress rarely needs to be laundered. That slip will prolong the life of all the dresses, and I would suggest you make one of them first, as a try-on model for a dress, from white muslin. That way, if it does not work out exactly as you like, you can still use it for a slip or night gown. The slip and pattern suggestion are on this post http://homeliving.blogspot.com/2009/07/alfred-augustus-glendening-1861-1903.htmlThis is the most comfortable dress, and does not stain easily. As long as it is, even with the added ruffle at the hem, it never touches the ground.

Do not duplicate photos anywhere. Copyright Lydia Sherman. All rights reserved

Do not duplicate these privately owned photos or place anywhere else on the web.

I have been reaching for this dress more than any other. It is made from Quilters Keepsake cotton; a flocked print with white hearts. Because the garment is fairly loose, it does not seem to wrinkle, and I have not had to iron it, so far. The under dress, or slip that I made to go with it, helps it to fit well.

I will be making more of these with different kinds of sleeves and necklines. I wore this dress to shop, to tea, and for a walk on the beach. I am enjoying the pattern, and would like to try different colors, sleeves and trims. This Keepsake Quilters flocked white fabric also can be dyed in whatever shade you like. Here I have tried a piece of it with a light rose fabric dye. It makes the print appear more distinctly.

Some viewers have inquired about lotions and creams for the face and hands. I recently sampled a product from a family business and would like to recommend it. I especially liked the spice scented hand lotion...mmmm. It smelled like cinnamon. It contains no mineral oils, no parabens, and no petroleum products. To order, go to http://www.countrylotions.com/ I also have used other products and scents from this line, to great satisfaction.



This is an "anonymous only" blog, so please do not post your identity or your blog name. It protects your privacy and eliminates online identity theft.