Stirring Adventures and Mad Mods! Saving the world one questionable decision at a time.
Read more from Airship
To celebrate our 100th post we are going to visit Shenandoah Valley Steam’s Pageant of Steam this Saturday, July 24 in Berryville, Virginia.
We’ll be there in our steampunk finery from noonish to 4pm. Costumes encouraged, but if it’s too hot, or not your style, come by and say hello to us anyway, we’ll be easy to find. Parade at noon, horse pull at 6, great bluegrass band after that (sadly we can’t stay that long). Admission is $5 for adults, children under 12 free. The organizers promise a host of old-fashioned delights, and lots and lots of looking at tractors.
What say you? Ready for a day in the country?
Read more from Airship
I hardly know where to begin! My dear von Hedwig and I left our beloved and numerous offspring back on the airship with Nanny and Ulrik last weekend and attended the first Steampunk World’s Fair. We had a wonderful time! At every moment there were 3 things events we wanted to attend, and yet one of the most rewarding activities was doing nothing at all – just promenading about the buildings and grounds admiring all the other Steampunks.
What joy! Not a pair of baggy jeans or sweatpants to be seen in all the weekend. Dapper gentlemen, beautiful ladies, dapper ladies and beautiful gentlemen. And smiles! We were all delighted to be there, delighted to see each other, complimentary of one another’s sartorial and scientific efforts, and clogging the halls taking each other’s 
pictures non-stop. (Which Security was most gracious about, really.) I found my heart swelling with affection at the sight of my fellow Steampunks, which is, in general, not a sensation I achieve when awash with humanity.
We were inspired by our fellows’ gear, accoutrements, accessories, extraordinary facial hair, modified contraptions, hats, corsets, hats! So many Makers! ModVic Renovations! Tesla Coils! Firearms! Backpack devices! Robot arms! My dear von Hedwig locked himself in his Lab the minute we got back to the ship, as his head is so full of ideas!
We met Jake von Slatt, whose Steampunk Workshop inspired von Hedwig to take the plunge and mess about with metal. We met people we have admired over the aether and now know to be actual live humans. We met someone from our deep dark past, and his lovely and talented author wife. We met friends of friends (including Emilie Bush, author of Chenda and the Airship Brofman), imaginary friends (including folks from Brass Goggles and Silver Goggles), and made new friends (including Leanna Renee Hieber, 
who is intelligent and vivacious, and if her fiction is even a quarter as delightful as her conversation, I am in for a treat). We met writers and publishers and reporters.
We met Professor Elemental, and shot him with Gerhardt’s marshmallow crossbow. (He started it by telling me I had “the eyes of an angel, but the cheekbones of a murderer.”) He is even funnier in person than I expected, and my expectations were high. He is also capable of more powerful poetry than his usual hip hop hilarity, as I was lucky enough to discover at the Gaslamp Cabaret.
Speaking of the Professor, we entered the Mad Science Fair and he granted us the Honorable Mention Prize for Madness. Accolades, indeed! We were also honored by General Caled with a “Steampunk World’s Fair 2010 General Caled’s Epic Attire, Apparel and Modified Contraption, Thingamajig or Watchamacallit Competition Winner”
And the music! It wasn’t really a World’s Fair, it was a music festival with a thousand-strong Steampunk social attached. I was looking forward to Humanwine, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Unextraordinary Gentlemen, and the Clockwork Dolls (I had tea with them; they are charming!), and of course Professor Elemental, and was not disappointed. Even more exciting for me was hearing new (to me), amazing bands like Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys, What Time is it Mister Fox?, and The Emperor Norton Stationery Marching Band, which was both, and rocked the house late into the night, long after the constabulary had politely requested they withdraw. I was, unfortunately, unable to make the JM Renfield & HM show, but I must say that out of hundreds and hundreds of beautifully dressed people, these gentlemen always stood out.
In short, I can’t wait for next year, and desperately wish I could fuel up the ship and charge off to World Steam Expo and Seattle Steamcon to recreate all the fun. And remember, there’s nothing that can’t be done by a man in a top hat and an ape with a monocle!
This entry is part of a series, Voyage to Antafrica» In which Annabelle loses her composure.
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Adolphus attacked the control panel with hammer and pliers, looking for wire or cable sturdy enough to hold the weight of any of the children. Having been forced to admit that he could not rebuild the airship into a raft before they all drowned, he was working on harnessing himself and his siblings to one or two of the gas balloons that even now kept them from sinking into the underground river.
Mirabelle and Annabelle were helping him, but the younger two were struggling to keep the yeti’s head above the water seeping into their ship. The creature was huge and heavy, and showed no inclination to float.
“If Claire hadn’t taken all the line without a word to anyone,” Adolphus muttered, “we’d be flying out of this mess by now.”
Continue Reading…
By Madame vonHedwig on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
The Schöneluft boiler crew have (apparently) unionized. Why? Who knows! (None of us can speak their language, after all.) Nevertheless, a shipment of their Official Union shirts was waiting for us when we docked in Copenhagen last week. They’re rather charming, and if you would like to order one for yourself, you may do so at the Steampunk Family Zazzle Store!
the Camera case project
P.P. von Hedwig with Camera on Marscon '10 adventure
Some projects happen out of practicality, for example the need for a power supply with which to etch brass and copper. Others, come from the desire to make a cool piece of art, like the steampunk burlesque fans. Still others come from the desire for original and swank jank , as in decoder dials and Madam von Hedwig’s pouches. This project was motivated out of a mix of being too jaded by my digital SRL camera to use an Instamatic and being too vain to ruin fine steampunk outfits with gear so clearly of the wrong technology.
The first step was to find a lamp base that was large enough to work with my wide lens. The idea was to be able to house the lens in a faux brass lens and have it be wide enough to not clip the edges of the lens view mounted behind it. I used a jig saw for the rough cutting and then tin snips followed by emery cloth for more finished edges. Note how I cut bendable flanges for the mounting of this faux lens.
My aesthetic choice was to have the faux lens mounted in the center of the front. To decide where this would be and the dimension of the front was to measure from the screw mount for tri pod to longest side of the camera and add a half inch for room plus the thickness of the wood I was using to build the case. To keep the case as light as possible, but strong, luann was my preferred material. Luann is really to thin to fasten without finger joints, so I used scrap of ¾ stock to glue the top and side to one another. The height of the case was set by how much space my big hands require to access the controls of my camera.
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The camera itself is mounted on an aluminum scrap out of a neighbor’s trash. I drilled holes were every ½ inch on the center line front to back in order to give mounting options for different lenses. This in turn was screwed down to a “U” of ½ inch plywood. Conveniently the tri-pod mount on cameras is a standard screw size, so a 1 inch bolt with a nut and washer on it will hold the camera in place. The screw will only go in so far, the nut and washer let me tighten the camera down with out using a short bolt.
The tripod was fairly simple, but could be tricky without a bandsaw, because of the angles in my design. Keep in mind that the platform the camera case sits on should be large enough to be strong and keep the camera stable. I chose a hexagon because the math was easy to work out for a three-leg mounting area. While in the picture of the test fitting the legs are held on by nails, for the finished project I used brass brazing rod sections. The camera case is mounted to the tri pod with a bolt through the bottom of the case, a few washers between the case and tripod platform, with a nut and washer under that. The tri-pod itself has a carrying strap attacted to one leg, the tail of which can be used to tie the legs together.
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I cut thin copper into strips folded long wise into right angle channel and glued them onto the case with Goop to masked the edges. A simple canvas strap into homemade “D” rings fixed with scrap cooper and screws make it portable. A black cloth hood is held in place with strips of black painted cardboard and staples, which the hood covers. Then I mounted a brass handle to the left side so I could handhold the unit. Found and salvaged objects further decorate the case.
The only two drawbacks I have found so far is that my access to the controls are limited, and that I often find myself desiring a flash for indoor photography. Using a hardwired shutter remote helps by letting me shoot without having to reach in to the case. Maybe at some point a mark II camera case will address the controls issue, but before that I’ll be making a wired remote flash assembly. Have a plan, but need to wait until I can afford a fifty-dollar part.
Perhaps my next tri-pod will look like this one we saw at an American Colonial living history outing.
By Madame vonHedwig on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Here is my new utility belt in action, in the Peruvian jungle.
Hera von Hedwig, Botanist
By Madame vonHedwig on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
When on the track of an exciting botanical discovery, I cann0t be burdened with bags, nor do I generally wear the sort of outfit that includes pockets. (What’s in my bustle is the topic for another day, if ever.) Therefore, my dear vonHedwig has been kind enough to construct a series of belt pouches to hold everything I might need.
The top two hold tools and my observation notebook. The bottom, from left to right, hold communication device and visiting cards, digital daguerreotype device, tea, and various botanical substances I may require (including milk for the tea).
Here is a detail of the botanics: 
And me, ready for adventure!
By Madame vonHedwig on Saturday, February 6th, 2010
Update: Here is the very handsome cap of Mr. Kevin C Cooper Esq, made based on my instructions below. What a dashing fellow!
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This past Yule I made vonHedwig a smoking cap to match one of his smoking jackets. Here’s how I did it.
fabric – I started with 1/2 yard and had loads left over
stiff fabric – I just used a sheet of stiff felt
needle, thread, pins, and scissors
tassel – try the upholstery area of the fabric store. I couldn’t find a tassel significant enough for my husband, so I made my own.
To make your own tassel: yarn, piece of cardboard 2″ wide and as long as you want the tassel to be
1. measure the circumference of the wearer’s head mid- to high-forehead, wherever looks right, and measure or estimate how high you want the cap to be. I made mine 4″ high. It shouldn’t be too high, as it is a smoking cap, not a fez. (besides, a fez is traditionally felted.)
2. cut your stiff felt to those measurements, with 1/2″ or so overlap for seam allowance
3. cut your fabric so that it will entirely encase the brocade (leaving yourself seam allowances
4. connect the ends of your stiff felt and pin. Holding it in the shape of the final hat, lay it on the wrong side of the fabric and mark the top of the hat. Add seam allowance and cut it out.
5. fold the felt into the fabric cut to encase it and sew the wrong sides together along one long end.
6. Pin your fabric-covered felt into a circle, then pin right side of the hat top to the inside of the hat seam you just made, and sew it. 
7. Turn the cap right side out. Fold under the cut edge on one side of the fabric join and hand sew it shut (inside and outside of the hat), using stiches that don’t show.
8. Sew tassel on the top center, and an interesting button on top of that.
To make your own tassel:
Cut a piece of cardboard (just grab something out of the recycling) and cut it a quarter inch longer than you want your tassel and 2″ wide with indented ends.
Wrap yarn from end to end until it’s as fat as you want it.
Slip another length of yarn under one end and tie a knot around the bundle.
Slip your open scissors into the other end and cut the tassel open.
Take it off the cardboard form and return it to the recycling. Tie a second knot an inch or so down from the tied end to make a ball at the top. (you can even put a small ball inside to round it out)
This entry is part of a series, Construction of Custom Corsets» Part -1
Constrution Corset, square neck brown canvas corsets
Part 2
This is part three of a living document on making custom corsets. It will be edited, revised, and have new information and links added as readers post comments. So please post your comments, questions and tips so that other can learn from your experience as well as mine.
This is one of those projects in which precision is your friend. The more precise your work is, the easier the project will be. Deviation in this kind of project seems to multiply, causing more and more problems as you work. I over build corsets a bit, so I am going to show a heave duty method, that with one modification can be used to make a corset in which the boning sleeves don’t show on the outer layer. This one’s edge will be finished with homemade bias tape, but later I’ll try to show other edge finishing methods.
It’s time to choose boning to stiffen your corset. Traditionally, wood and whale bone where common, with upwards of a hundred staves in a single garment. Today’s cheap corset, bustier and merry widow have light wieght narrow plastic boning in them, often leading to structural failure, even with the first wearing. Perhaps if used in the hundred plus numbers still they might hold up, but in truth they’re a waste of petrochemicals. You can buy corset bones in a variety of lengths and thicknesses from companies like Farthingales. While they have nice round rubber end, their lenth selection is limited, usually comes in only half inch and they are kind of pricey.
What I normal use is steel lumber-packing band, free on the floor of the lumber yard near you. It is strong, flexible, and commonly comes in 5/8 and 1 ¼ inch width. Trim to length with metal shears, round the end and cover with a bit of electrical tape (perhaps some spray paint if you’re that kind of person) and there’s your custom boning. These days, more lumber is coming in plastic packing band, so this corset is a mix of the two weights of plastic packing band I from laying around, with a double stack of the heavy weight inside of the grommet area. The heavier weight was also used as the boning between the breast. So far so good. Thus an occasional hand washable corset.
Set aside the cover layer for a while, once your have sewn it to match the tailored backing layer.
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Measure the width of your boning, and add and 1/8th inch for sewing variance. (5/8’ for the boning + 1/8’ variance = ¾’ inch) Now starting on a straight edge of a single layer your backing fabric, working with your grain start marking out your boning sleeves. For example, 5/8’ inch seam allowance, the ¾” for the boning, 5/8’ inch seam allowance, repeat for each piece of boning that will be in the corset. I mark every six inches up the fabric for consistency until they are about four inches long than I think I will need them to be. I also draw the cutting lines as I connect the mark in a different color, then the sewing lines around the boning. On this particular corset there is double boning in the front center, so I made a double sleeve by skipping the center seam allowance. (figure 2)
figure 03
The boning inside the grommet, under the lacing, the back edge in this corset doesn’t really need a sleeve, but the extra sleeve you cut gets sewn in to the backing layer to re-enforce the grommets. In figure 03 you should be able to see the seam allowance markings, a space for the boning and then the grommet re-enforcement strip. The rest of the sleeves are laid out on the backing layer where the boning is desired, then pinned into place. If in doubt, look at other corsets, the picture of the corset yours is modeled after, or a pattern for inspiration. Most of the time the sleeves stop at an edge, but sometime one must make an educated guess as to where to end a bit of boning. For example, when does the desire for support end and a shoulder strap begin? On this corset the boning is in a slight fan on the front. On a simple corset, most follow the seams. I often zig-zag down the edges, for strength.
Basting helps on this step. Quick and broad hand stitches not only let the seamstress precisely align the sleeves, but also do a better job of keeping the layers’ seams aligned and maintaining the position of various pieces while machine sewing. Sadly one of my sewing weaknesses is a failure to baste when it’s optional, so I have no examples to show.
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Instead I just preceded to sew down the sides and top of each sleeve, leaving the bottom open. Better to make the sleeve a bit too wide than too narrow. With the right sides of the backing layer and outer layer the together, sew the grommet edges, then turn right side out. Be careful to push out this seam (with a pin or a ruler from the inside), and press, to prevent making a pocket. (figure 04) Sew down the edge about an 1/8” in from the edge. Then sew a parallel seam in from the width of your boning plus 1/8”, and a third parallel seam in from that based on the width of your grommets plus 1/8”.
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At this point the easiest thing to do is to line up and pin the seams of the outer and backing layer across the top and arm holes . Don’t finish the bottom yet. Sew the two layers together 5/8” from edge. (figure 05) Trim to a scant ¼ inch.
A design choice for this corset was to have boning stiching show on the front of the corset. When sewing though all layers it is important that they line up. At three points along each seam a pin was pushed straight though to check the alignment before they were pinned together. It is best that the layers’ seams are with in a 16th of an inch of each other. (figure 07) Once again basting would help.
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Because this is a waist-altering corset, the addition of an internal canvas belt was put in for support. (Ideally this would be between the top layer and outside of the boning for maximum effectiveness.) (figures 08 and 09) It is important the belt run from grommets to grommets, and preferably has at least two grommets in each end. This was pinned at each boning sleeve. On this corset, because one of the boning stays ends where a shoulder strap starts, the stopping point of the sleeve was double checked and marked on the backside. Sewing carefully and accurately, the boning sleeves were re-sewn, through all the layers, still leaving the bottom of each sleeve open. (figure 10)
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Now I made matching bias strips into matching tape, and sewed them onto the top and arm holes, in order to finish those edges. Now I marked 5/8” on the inside, from the bottom of the corset for each stay sleeve. Each boning stay should be a ¼ or an inch shorter then from the top of the sleeve to this mark. Once all your boning is in place, then it is time to sew shut the bottom, being careful to not sew over the boning. Safety glasses are not out of place during this last few steps. (That’s right, time to USE those goggles!) Trim down to a scant ¼ inch and finish with bias tape. (figures 11 , 12 and 13)
Grommet Time – but first a soapbox rant. The common fabric store grommets I have found to be an abomination. Most are light duty, made out of thin metal. Typically the two parts of these cheap grommets both have a notched barrow that fit one in another. (Good grommets – one side has a solid barrow and the other side is a washer.) They don’t fit tight, once set, so the force of the lacing is not defused and fraying is not checked. Sometimes their edges are even sharp and will cut the fabric as you put them in. After all the hard work you have put in so far, don’t start cutting corners now. If you are in a hurry, maybe your local hardware store has heavy-duty grommets. Better yet plan ahead and order some and the setting tools from a corset notions supplier.
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The grommets for this corset were set 1” on center and just about a 1/8” in from the first stay. Mark them in chalk, double check their alignment, then punch the holes for them. A hammered punch into a piece of hard wood works better for fabric than a hand punch. Set your grommet. Lace it up with ribbon, shoe laces or parachute cord (it comes in almost as many colors as thread from online sources) and its finally done. (
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figure 14)
Some other notes, for the curious:
A modesty panel is a 2-4” wide double sided strip of fabric running down the length of the corset behind the grommets and lacing. It is sewn only down one side. You can add a ¾” modesty panel behind the button side of a busk as well.
An alternative to re-enforced boning sleeves is to sew the back and front together to form a sleeve between the out and the backer later. This is a method I would only use for a limited wear corset, and it has to have a heavy outer layer.
Another way to finish the top and bottom edges is to sew the outer and backing layer faces together at all but the grommet lacing edge and turn the piece right-side out for hand sewing and grommeting. Topstitching will crisp the top and bottom edges, but be care about breaking needles when you sew over instead of around boning.
If people are interested, I’ll posted some examples of the other finishing variations, making you own boning, or making your own bias tape. Homemade bias tape is the bees knees, and isn’t hard to make.
Farthingales is a reliable but pricey source of corset making supplies.
Folkwear Patterns has the best pattern paper I have found.
By Madame vonHedwig on Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Ulrik in the lab
Ulrik is P. Phinneas vonHedwig’s current laboratory assistant. Ulrik had nearly finished his studies at the Academy, when his academic career was cut short with a bang. Herr vonHedwig heard about the bang, and found the cause of the explosion so creative and promising, that he took on its author as his apprentice. Though of a taciturn nature, Ulrik gets on well with the other inhabitants of the Schöneluft. In his more reflective moments, he wanders the envelope catwalks playing his violin. He and Philomena used to play duets together, before she left for the Academy, and remain great friends. Ulrik’s only unusual trait is that his hair is particularly sensitive to chemicals and energy waves, and frequently changes color due to his time in the laboratory.
