Anno Steampunk Bits & Pieces

My posts have been spotty at best, but I'm still continuing my year of steampunk immersion. I've been reading "Whitechapel Gods" by S. M. Peters, and am having a difficult time getting into it; it being very dense. Or maybe I'm the dense one... no matter. I'll give it a couple more chapters tonight. Perhaps that's my problem... reading it in bed, Maybe being tired and less alert is making the story's setting & situation more obscure to me. I'll bring the book to the breakfast table and see if that makes a difference. If not, I'll return the book to my niece and try it again later.

Confession- I already downloaded the e-book "Infernal Devices" by K. W. Jeeter. I read the sample and am already hooked. Did I mention how much I'm enjoying reading books on my phone? Never thought I'd say that!

Other spare time has been spent exploring my wardrobe possibilities, especially vests. Why vests are considered Steampunk attire for women isn't clear to me; as a rule Victorian ladies didn't wearing them. Maybe I'm wrong and will look at my ladies magazine collection from the era. But I LOVE vests and have a long history (decades, ok?) of making velvet & satin crazy quilt vest fronts with hand-stitched embellishments. I've been collecting silk ties to create a special vest for myself, though I already have more than enough fabric already stashed for my needs. 

Here's a picture of the Victorian skirt and jacket with a Steampunk vibe that I picked up while shopping for inventory for my eBay store, "RetroMonde". The outfit fits my mannequin like a modern size 8. Unfortunately, the silk is disintegrating, or "shattering" which is the proper way to describe the damage. When I'm finished admiring it, I'll sell it in my eBay store as a study piece. It would be great to use for drafting a pattern; I should do that myself. Hmmm.... another project.