Friday Finds: Steampunk Knitting Patterns

Before I had ever used a sewing machine, I was a knitter.  I still knit, mostly from a positive compulsion to keep my hands busy at all times.  I've tried several times to add in pieces of my knitting to my steampunk outfits. I've just finished a new lightweight lace shawl to keep my shoulders warm when wearing my patch corset in air-conditioning.  To celebrate, I'm sharing some steamy knitting patterns.

First of all, I have to mention the book Needles and Artifice, an entire book of fantastic steampunk knitting patterns.  I reviewed it previously.  I've also posted about steampunk knitting before, back in the very early days of this blog.

His Lordship's Steampunk Mitts by Sweet P Designs - Free downloadable pattern for some nice men's fingerless gloves.  In case you haven't experienced them, fingerless gloves are great cold-weather gear for all those times you need your fingers, but your hands are still cold.  I wear them around the house in the winter, and my husband wears his in the office to type.

Well-Heeled Spatterdashers by Strange Hours Designs - There are actually a LOT of knitting patterns for spats and they all have pros and cons.  I've actually made this pattern for a friend.  The pattern is well-written, and more complex than it seems.  The stitch pattern is different and not at all boring.  Plus, I like the contrast edging.

9 Days to Departure by Jessika Lane - This sweater screams aviator, but also has a very nice feminine shape.   I've never seen anything else like it, which is always a plus.

Evening Spencer Jacket by Corrina Ferguson - This jacket from Jane Austin Knits would be great over a corset with a steampunk outfit.  Although the period of Jane Austen is a little early for steampunk, these modern takes on Regency styles work well for our purposes.  I made the diamond and cross reticule from one issue and am planning on making some above-the-elbow gloves from another.

Involute by Lana Holden - Finally, how about a giant gear to finish?  This full-circular cape/poncho is a giant gear.  I'm really tempted to make this even though I don't know when I'd wear it.  It's described as "challenging."  Hmm.

Recovering a Parasol

This is a project I have been working on since March 2012.  Don't ask me WHY.  It's just taken a long time.  And naturally I didn't take good, documenting photos of the whole process.  So this isn't a real tutorial, more a How I Did It.

I'd never considered that I needed to own an antique parasol until a friend found one and recovered it with her own fabric.  I was horribly jealous and I happened to find a nice one in an antique shop soon after.  The parasol I found had a very nice, long, wooden handle.  But the fabric was hideous.

So if you find yourself with a similar problem, the first thing you need to do is study your parasol and how it is constructed.  In this case the fabric was cut in panels which were stitched together and the edges serged together.  The tips of the spines had plastic ends with a hole through them and stitches through this hole held the fabric in place.

Next you're going to need some fabric to replace the fabric it came with.  This is trickier than you'd think.  You really want a fabric that will look good from above and below.  There are lots of great prints out there, but how many look good on the wrong side?  Not many.  So you really need a woven fabric where the pattern goes all the way through.  Or a solid.  I really wanted a pattern, preferably a stripe.   It took me a while to find any acceptable fabric.  I finally found some in a tiny fabric store in Old Town Spring, TX.  It doesn't really match any of my steampunk outfits, but I like all the colors (dark red, dark green, yellow, black) and was mostly relieved to find anything.

You can see the black piece I mean.
The edge is covered in braid

Next you have to take the parasol apart.  I couldn't figure out how to get the black ring on top of the fabric off of mine, so I  just took a scissors to the fabric and cut it off, leaving a circle of fabric around the post.  After I did that, I WAS able to remove the black piece holding the fabric in place.  You should be able to remove this piece.  Mine consisted of a black rubbery plastic piece that slide off the long wooden tip, a metal washer, and some fabric bits cushioning it.  I then cut one of the panels carefully from its neighbors and used this to draw my pattern, adding back seam allowance.  Since my fabric had a hole cut in the center, I simply extended the lines of the sides until they met at the tip of the mostly triangular piece.

Friday Finds: The Best Quick Steampunk Clothing Refashion Tutorials

Since most steampunks find at least part of their costumes at thrift stores, what could be more useful than tutorials for taking thrift store clothing and making it more steampunk?  These are also great for people putting together their first steampunk outfit.

Making Knickers from Thrift Store Pants by Sempstress  - This is a simple process of cutting and cuffing pants to make knickers.  What a great summer steampunk option!

Making a fake front fall on modern pants - Also by the brilliant Sempstress, this tutorial takes you through how to add a nice front fall to modern pants.  The look of a front fall really ups the steampunk level of your outfit.  Plus, according to my husband you can keep things in there.

Upcycled Hobbit Vest Tutorial by Autnott on Deviantart - This shows you how to make a vest from an old button-up shirt.  This is a good lightweight alternative to a heavier vest.

Cowboy Hat to Top Hat by All Things Crafty - This is one of my favorite tutorials I've found recently.  I have several old cowboy hats lying around that I've found at yard sales and this is a fantastic way to make them special.  Also, this blogger is a member of the Texas steampunk community and I had no idea she had such a great blog.

 DIY Steampunk Pocket Belt by Gail Carriger - Gail Carriger doesn't just write awesome steampunk books, she also makes great steampunk items like this pocket belt made from cargo shorts.




Anyone done any other notable thrift store clothing upgrades?  Know of any other tutorials?  Share in the comments!

Book Review: Whitechapel Gods by S.M. Peters

Whitechapel Gods by S.M. Peters

I took a break from reading steampunk fiction for a few months after losing the ability to tell steampunk books apart.  I probably could have read this months ago with no danger of mixing it up with other steampunk novels.

The set-up for this one is rather complicated.  At some point the area of Whitechapel in London was taken over by two god-like powers: Grandfather Clock and Mama Engine.  They took over all life in the area and built the area up into a huge structure that towers far above the original ground level.  Most of the residents are part man and part machine and serve the wishes of these gods.

The action mostly follows different members of a band of rebels seeking to overthrow the gods and return Whitechapel to England and Her Majesty.  The POV shifts very often between a fairly large cast as the reader sees the same events from different angles.  Each POV character has their own motivations, secrets, and backstory that are reveled over the course of the story.  Occasionally the switches of POV are jarring, but I never found myself actually confused.

The setting and plot are fairly bleak.  The world is harsh one in which life is cheap, when people are allowed to die.  The gods have ways of keeping people alive indefinitely which are demonstrated in fairly horrifying ways.  There's a lot of death and suffering and pain depicted in this book, so it's not a light romp at all.  In fact, that may have been one of the reasons I enjoyed it.  The tone is much darker than many recent steampunk novels which seem to focus on being fun adventure/pulp stories.  The book this reminded me of more than any other is The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers.  It has a similar tone and similar sense of horror, though the horror in this book is no where near of the intensity of Power's book.  Thankfully, because I'm pretty sure that one scarred me for life.

As for the steampunk elements, they are plentiful.  This world isn't so much Victorian, though it's set in the period, because of the extremity of the deviance from actual history.  This is a totalitarian state run on advanced steam and clockwork technology.  Any Victorian elements are really an afterthought.  But the technology is ubiquitous, from a disease that infects people with metal parts to wild and vicious clockwork animals, to huge steam-powered rifles.  I think the author did a good job of truly integrating this technology with his world.

Finally there is a lot of...mysticism (?) in this book.  There are a lot of sections of hallucinations, dreams, spirit journeys, and well, weirdness.  Some of them aren't really ever explained with any coherence, but to me they worked fairly well on an emotional level.  It's a world controlled by very powerful Gods that speak directly to people and act directly on the world, after all.

I was surprised looking at Goodreads and Amazon at the mixed reviews this book has received.  The chief complaint seems to be that it is either slow and difficult to get through.  I really didn't find it to be.  When I was reading it, I consistently found it difficult to stop.  As stated, I didn't find the shifts in POV to be confusing, as some did.  Mostly I think this book feels more like something written decades ago.   It's old-style steampunk fiction rather than new-style steampunk fiction.  It's more philosophical, complex, a bit antiquated in writing style, and less escapist.  I've been known to enjoy both of these groups, so I'm not making judgments.  But you should expect something denser, darker, and more challenging than many other steampunk books out there.

I enjoyed it and can say it's one of the best steampunk books I've read in a while.  I thought it was well-written and though I'd have liked some more explanations about certain things, I finished it feeling quite satisfied.

Mini-Project: Cannibalizing a Clock Movement for Parts

So I finally got my hands on a full-sized clock movement. I've taken apart two small vintage (broken) alarm clocks and some modern gear-powered alarm clocks, but this was my first time taking apart an antique clock movement.

 Before anyone tries this themselves, it's important to do your research because this can be dangerous. The springs can be under tension and are dangerous if you're not careful. Here's a video about safely taking apart a clock movement. Otherwise, general advice is to go slowly and be cautious.

 Here is the clock movement before I did anything to it.

I find taking clocks apart to be incredibly fun. My general strategy is to unscrew everything I can find and unbolt everything, one piece at a time. When something gets stuck, I move onto something else. And bit by little bit, I get the pieces off. Eventually you will resort to brute force to get some pieces apart, although it was mostly force applied by needlenose pliers and my weak-ass hands, so it wasn't A LOT of brute force. Again, just be careful. You can start the springs unwinding and the gears turning, which can cut you. Or in my case, eat the skirt I had on while I wasn't paying attention. A LOT of my skirt was eaten by the gears before I caught it and it was really difficult to get it out again.

 Here's what I had when I finally got everything apart. It took me a couple of hours of fiddling.

 The springs in this type of movement are in those large gold barrels. I was afraid to mess with them, though I believe they are mostly or completely unwound. Most of the gears are still on their pinions, which are really difficult to remove. But they limit the usefulness of your gears. So I was thrilled to find this video and learn that it's actually pretty simple to get the pinions out. It just takes the right base and some pounding with a hammer. It wasn't quite as easy as it appears in the video, and I wasn't able to do it myself. My husband did the actual hammering.

Here's the haul after removing the pinions.

I love my gorgeous gears! Seriously, this is steampunk porn. I have plans for at least some of them which I will probably be posting about soon.

I still intend to take the springs out of the barrels, but I only just found any instructions on how to safely do this.  The instructions I found were here.  If anyone has any more info about this, please share!

Finally, it seems like anytime a steampunk talks about taking a clock movement apart, someone feels the need to comment and tell them it's a sacrilege and a waste and people need those clock parts. First of all, if they were so in demand, we wouldn't be able to buy them from clock repairers and makers in the first place. And they wouldn't be affordable to take apart for use in art. Some clock movements ARE valuable and you should always do your research before damaging a clock. But those movements sell for a lot more than the ones we destroy. And finally, let's just not have that fight, ok? Value is in the eye of the beholder and these parts are GOLD to steampunks because they make such beautiful art.

Friday Finds: Steampunk Summer Shoes

Temperatures are soaring, at least they are here in Texas.  Wearing steampunk costume in the heat is always a trial, but if there's one item of costume that is the most annoying in summer it is steampunk footwear.  Steampunk footwear is almost always boots of some sort.  They look so cool!  But they won't keep your feet cool in 100 degree weather.

So what are some alternatives?  I've found a few for you.

One option is to go for a gladiator style sandal.  They even come in metallic colors that might work really well with your outfit. This one is the Ships Ahoy Sandal from ModCloth in rose-gold.

How about this sandal full of buckles?  I admit that white with pink soles isn't typical steampunk, but I adore the style.  Strap to It from ModCloth.

These In Shining Armour sandals will certainly draw attention.  The pastel blush color may blend with your skin, making the mirrored metal plates seem to float.  The zipper up the back is another industrial detail.

Say you need something a little more Victorian.  Check out these Cranberry Candy Flats.  They have boot styling, with Victorian-esque cutouts along the top.  If they came in black, I would have bought these months ago.  As it is, I'm still very tempted.

June Steampunk Blog Link Party!

I've had a couple of conversations lately about how isolated different parts of the online steampunk community are.  There isn't one central location for steampunk, at least not now.  It's possible to be an active steampunk online and have no idea about all the magnificent resources out there.  It's almost daily that I stumble across something and marvel at how I didn't find it before.

My particular desire is to see a connection among steampunk bloggers.  I often feel like I'm all alone out here, talking to the void, but I know other bloggers are out there.  I've recently been collecting links to steampunk blogs because I have an idea I want to implement.

I want to host a place for all steampunk bloggers to come together and share.  If I had the resources, both financial and technological skill, I would try to start some sort of website or blog network.  But as it is, I want to start with what I have, which is this blog.

So what I'm going to do is start hosting a Steampunk Blog Party (aka Linky Party, Link-up).  Once a month I will make a post here on this blog.  Anyone with a steampunk blog, or a blog related to steampunk can then add a link to their blog and it will show on this post.

In addition to posting a link and an image, I hope people will also comment to share their latest post that they would like to brag on.  Link to your favorite project, tutorial, rant, whatever.  This way we can all be more aware of each other and what is out there, and hopefully become a more connected community.

<a href="http://steamingenious.blogspot.com/2013/06/june-steampunk-blog-link-party.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Steam Ingenious Blog Link Party" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YWZXxJIQOpWyRIo-QD3Nsk490Ssa6SMrWQnYq3ITzAt_k12fMPMsiWwAF6OS30in9rJrJnaMadI7gZZ9Y7UtQkBmujo7qfopGHNmagplNvhEJK6WgI_GcPt2nphRUkqBCttPB-GguFjF/s144/bloglinkparty.jpg"/></a>

Some Quick Steampunk Home Decor Projects

So last weekend my husband and I added a couple of new steampunky decor elements to our living room.  These didn't cost us anything to do, and have added a lot to the increasing steampunk vibe to this room.

My husband and I are starting to do some serious furniture rearranging in our home.  I'm working on turning a desktop PC workspace that I never use into a sewing area.  To do this, we needed to shuffle some bookcases around.

We ended up moving a short bookcase from our guest room to the living room.  It's now right in front of our boarded up fireplace, sitting on the hearth.  The reason our fireplace is boarded up is that we were getting wasps in our house, coming through cracks in the chimney and through the vents in the glass fireplace screen.  There was no way to keep them out other than either duct tape or boarding it up.  So we've decided that a wasp-free house is more valuable to us than a fire a couple of times a year.

Which left us with something of a dead space where there is only a boarded up fireplace.  Since we always need more storage, I advocated for putting shelves in that area.  Moving this small bookshelf is the first step.  I'd like to add a couple more, but don't know if I can find matching ones.

But what to PUT on this bookshelf that is suddenly in a focal point of the living room?  It pretty much needed to be books because even though we took 2 large boxes of books to Half Price Books to resell, we still are desperate for book space.  So I decided to put all my prettiest and most decorative books on this shelf.

Luckily I inherited my father's (massive) book collection after his death and I kept all the gilt, leatherbound editions of books I had read and enjoyed.  Or ones I really intend to read.  Added to these were some of my own leather and pretty editions of things like The Lord of The Rings.  My Ultimate Sandmans went on the bottom shelf, along with the Annotated Sherlock Holmes, and some art books.  The middle shelf was tricky because I couldn't adjust the position.  The top shelf doesn't adjust and the bottom shelf couldn't go lower.  So by default, as the only books that would fit and look at all decent, the Harry Potter books went there.

I added a couple of steampunky art pieces I've recently framed to the top, and a sextant and compass to the shelves, and I'm pretty pleased with the overall effect.  It's a very pleasant thing to look at.





The second thing we did was to reframe a steampunk art print.  I am a huge fan of Brian Kesinger's art, especially his Otto and Victoria paintings.  I bought a poster of his print "Walkies" quiet a while ago from We Love Fine.  (I also have a T-shirt of one of his prints, and I adore it.)  I had it framed in a plain wooden frame I got for free at a yard sale and repainted.

But some of you may remember that I bought two framed and matted antique map prints for $1 each at a yard sale recently.  I realized that one of the fancy mats would be perfect for the "Walkies" print, so I took the map out (to maybe use later in another project) and put the print in.  I think it looks really good.  So I now have what appears to be an expensive, professionally matted and framed piece that cost me $1 to do.   This is a perfect reason to buy nicely framed art at yard sales when you can, even if you won't hang it up as is.

Pardon my poor photography.  Taking a decent picture of something under glass is a nightmare.  Also the books were difficult as well because all the gilt reflected light like crazy.  It was not a good photography day for me.  

So hopefully that gives some inspiration for adding small steamy touches to your home.

Friday Finds: Steampunk Before Steampunk

I love looking at old Victorian photographs, clothing, and fashion plates.  They are endlessly inspiring.  But occasionally I come across something that just SCREAMS Steampunk to me.  So I've collected some of them.  These were steampunk before steampunk existed.

 

This is one of my favorites.  These ladies are advertising a hardware store by wearing a bunch of stuff from the store on their dresses.  Check out the belt of keys and tell me this isn't an awesome steampunk outfit!  (Source)

This is Dolly Shepard, Edwardian parachutist, aerial performer, and balloonist.  This is the outfit she wore for parachuting, c. 1910.  I love this outfit.  Perfect for climbing ropes around balloons...or airships. (Source.)

There are lots of great photos of Victorian/ Edwardian women in versions of  military dress.  I chose this one because I love how feminine her outfit it, while also being very military.  Also she's really pretty.  This is actress Jean Aylwin in military inspired costume, possibly for 'The Girls of Gottenburg' c, 1907. (Source.)

This is a fashion plate for a fancy dress outfit.  The woman is portraying "A Dirigible."  Seriously, it's a dirigible costume.  My first reaction when I saw this was: "OMG, I might have to make this."  (Source.)

This is a photo of a Cantinière in the Crimean War in 1855. These women were usually wives of soldiers and they brought food and water to soldiers on the battlefield. I did a little research on their outfits. They did typically wear a feminized version of a uniform, usually with short skirt over trousers. I adore this particular one. (Source.)

This is a photo of a German ice skater from the 1910s.  I think it pretty much speaks for itself.  (Source.)

Finally we have one of my favorite mystery outfits.  I have no idea what this is, why this woman is posed with huge scissors, what that thing on her head is, or why she's dressed that way.  But I LOVE it.  Is this a fancy dress costume?  If so, what is she meant to represent?  A military barber?  Is this similar to the hardware store outfits at the top in that she is promoting a company?  Do they make scissors?  We will probably never know, but I'd love to hear your theories.  (Source.)

How to Be A Steampunk Vendor

At some point in a steampunk's development they will probably consider selling the things they make, often because people keep offering them money to make them things.  Some of us take the next step into setting up a table or booth at a convention and trying to make some money from our hobby (or at least make it a self-supporting hobby.)

My first time vending was about a year and a half ago, and though I'm still figuring things out every time I do it, I have been one of the more successful steampunk vendors at every event I've done.  So I thought I'd offer some tips, things that I think any steampunk vendor should consider.

Tips for Being A Successful Steampunk Vendor

1. Have a variety of items. - This is sometimes difficult when you are just starting out and are maybe known for making only one or two things.  You want to put out your best products, those you feel confident about.  That's understandable.  But if you only have one type of product, you are only appealing to one type of buyer.  Steampunk is already sometimes a niche market (depending on if you are at a steampunk specific con or a larger general con), try not to limit your audience further.  I like to think my booth has something that might interest anyone who likes steampunk: male or female, old or young, Victorian or Post-apocalyptic or RenPunk.

Constantly brainstorm ideas for new products.  What items do you not see other people selling?  For example I often wear some skirt hikes that I bought at a Renaissance festival with my steampunk outfit.  But no one was selling them at steampunk events.  And it was something easy to make with leather scraps and a few materials and within my skill set.  I'm constantly looking to the internet for new ideas, not only for products, but for ways to improve my ability to make products.

You can also carry items that might appeal to people who DON'T have any interest in steampunk.  I sell a LOT of both hand fans and buttons to non-steampunk passersby.  So consider anything to increase the percentage of people who stop at your table for a moment.

2. Have a variety of prices. - I absolutely understand that quality craftsmanship results in a product that has a high price tag.  I'm not arguing that you shouldn't ask a fair price for your work.  But I think an effective sales booth should have items that are easily affordable as well as pricier items.  Too often I see vendors with really nice stuff, but there's nothing on their table under, say $85-100.  Not everyone who comes to a con is prepared to make a major financial investment.  After all, they've just spent a lot of money to get in.  It's a lot easier to get someone to pay $10-30 than it is $110-130.

My cheapest item on the table at Comicpalooza was a button for $0.50. (My most expensive is $150.) I also had items for $3, $5, $7, $10, $15, and $20.  Do I even need to say that these were what I sold the most?  You may not think there's much point to making $1 profit on a small item, but that stuff seriously adds up.  Plus, it gets people to spend time at your table, rather than moving past quickly and writing you off as out of their range.  Many people expressed interest in buying something at a later date and took a card, but only bought a small item.  Plus selling a $3 fan every 30 minutes keeps me awake and happy during the slow times, rather than having long periods of making no money at all.

I also believe in keeping the prices for my larger items as low as possible.  I sympathize with people who can't afford to drop hundreds of dollars on a costume piece.  I specifically choose to make and sell things that I can afford to sell for reasonable prices.  I shop for deals on my materials and use what's available cheaply at the moment rather than whatever I feel like.  I'd rather sell three of something and make less profit on each than only sell one and make a little more on the item.

3. Look Fabulous.  - No, really.  If you are selling steampunk stuff, I think it is IMPERATIVE that you are dressed in steampunk clothing.  Preferably your best steampunk clothing.  And yet I see vendors in shorts and t-shirts all the time.

Announcing DIY Steampunk Goggle Kits Now for Sale

Hi everyone!  I'm very excited to officially announce a new product I have for sale.  I've been working on this for a while now and debuted it at Comicpalooza.  They are now for sale in my etsy shop: DIY Steampunk Goggle Kits!

Goggles are one of the most popular steampunk accessories.  Real leather and metal goggles can be exquisite works of art and they can also be outside an affordable price range for many people. They are also some of the most difficult to make yourself.  Especially if you want goggles made from real metal and leather, their construction can be intimidating for many people who aren't experienced with these materials.  You can find various tutorials online that will show you different methods of construction, but they require finding very specific materials and using heavy power tools.

So I had the idea to make it easier to construct your own goggles.  My kit comes with all the materials you need to make a pair of genuine leather and metal goggles.  The metal parts are constructed from chrome-plated brass plumbing couplers, which aren't the easiest thing to find, especially for a reasonable price.  More importantly, we've done the difficult work of cutting the couplers to shape to make angled eye cups, and pre-drilling all the necessary holes.   We've also cut and shaped the acrylic lenses to fit these pieces perfectly.

In addition to all the necessary materials, the kit includes detailed step-by-step instructions on their construction, with full-color photos of each step.  These are of similar quality to the instructions that come with my sewing patterns, which have received some very nice praise.

Every effort was made to make this kit as complete as possible, down to including a tube of E6000 glue with each one.  There are a few tools which are required or recommended to help with the construction and they are: scissors or utility knife or rotary cutter, pencil, ruler, and rotary punch or hole punch or awl.  A screwdriver may be useful in tightening the hardware fully.

As mentioned all the metal parts are chrome-plated.  Solid brass pieces are becoming more and more difficult to come by, and are at least three times more expensive than chrome ones, so I opted not to include them for cost reasons.  The brass colored goggles in the photos are very convincingly painted with Liquid Leaf paint in "Brass".

My hope with this kit is that it can function as an introduction to steampunk crafting for those a little wary of starting a project like this on their own.  I also hope people can personalize these goggles to their own taste by adding different paints, metal parts such as filigree or gears, accessories such as eye loops, and even stamped designs on the leather.   They can also be custom fitting to the wearers head size or hat.

I've been very excited to finally debut this idea that struck me one day a couple of months ago.  I'm looking forward to feedback and hopefully to seeing some finished goggles incorporated into your outfits!

The Steam Ingenious DIY Goggle Kit, available at my Etsy Shop.