An Edwardian Summer - Issue 12
- BbeautyDesigns
- Aug 7
- 2 min read
"How to make a Lace Parasol" Tutorial by Lemon Bay Doll Co Included in this issue.
I’ve saved a very special collection to close out Edwardian Summer, “Miss Anna Sews,” an honorary tribute to Anna Patterson Long, a teacher at the first high school and trade school for blacks in Southwest Virginia. As my daughter and I were driving around Christiansburg, Virgina several weeks ago, we came across a monument and placards near a tiny brick building that looked like a schoolhouse. Out of curiosity, we stopped to read the signs and learned we were standing on the site of the first high school and trade school for black women and men in Southwest Virginia, the Christiansburg Industrial Institute.
Always eager to explore women’s history, my daughters and I researched the school and a particular name we found listed on the memorial: Anna L. Long. Anna Long was a graduate of Tuskegee Institute, who came with her husband Edgar Long to teach at the Christiansburg Industrial Institute in 1898. She organized, supervised and taught a four year sewing curriculum to help black women move toward economic independence as entrepreneurs. Join me this coming week as I share more about this interesting woman’s life in an upcoming post.
“Miss Anna Sews,” is an Edwardian inspired collection featuring the simplified version of the Lemon Bay Doll Edwardian Frock pattern. With shortened sleeves and the omission of the collar, this streamlined version of the pattern makes it accessible to the confident beginner sewist. As you see, simplified need not mean less fancy! I’ve used a high end silk taffeta plaid fabric and a coordinating gold silk shantung fabric for the dress. I’ve embellished it with vintage and antique laces in a bertha, on the neckband and at the cuffs. Lace gloves, stockings and, of course, a pair of Edwardian Cut out Boots in Black by Bbeauty Dolls.
The dress’s gold plaid has a jade horizontal stripe which I’ve drawn out in silk ribbons of the same color tied at the cuff and waist and embellishing the hat’s brim. This strong palette of gold, green, black and cream is carried into the special accessories for this piece which include a silk lined black straw hat, an embroidered silk purse and a fully functional embroidered silk and lace parasol. I’ve put together a “making of” post showing the parasol’s construction and transformation from a cheap wedding table decoration into an exquisite heirloom doll accessory with meticulously constructed silk, lace and embroidered elements.
The parasol was inspired by an extant Edwardian black silk example with Chantilly lace and floral embroidery, Miss Anna Sews Collection c.1900.
Tutorial: "How to Make a Lace Parasol" can be viewed below by downloading the pdf file of step by step instructions by Lemon Bay Doll Co.
Please join me on Instagram as I share more history, information, and my inspiration for this collection set. Please also contact me if you wish to reserve any remaining outfits from my collection shown this week or to commission me to make something for you.
Michelle Weber, Lemon Bay Doll
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lemonbaydoll/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lemonbaydoll/
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