Pandora's hatbox

Pandora's Hatbox is surprisingly easy to make. You can follow the steps in the blog posts I've been making or, if it's easier for you, buy a fully illustrated step-by-step guide to doing it for just USD$5.00 at my etsy store. Don't forget to come back to the blog next week to see what my next project will be.

Every hatbox has a lining

I've sent you to Marinni's LiveJournal page before, for gorgeous vintage hat and hatbox images. That's where I got this inspirational pic for a hatbox lining. Mine will perhaps not be quite so fancy because I have to allow for the fitting of the lid on my papier mâché box.

For my lining, I'm going to recycle some crinkly silk-look fabric from an old favourite skirt whose seams have passed their use-by date. This will be applied to a cardboard insert cut to fit inside the lid and base of the box, as well as inside the barrel of the box. I'll use paper inside the rim of the lid, to save thickness and make sure that the lid still fits on the box!

Pandora's hatbox

To finish Pandora's Hatbox, I used gold thread to gather the top edge of the braid so it will sit flat. I had already drilled the holes for the split pins, so it was simply a matter of securing them. Now I only need to add the lining: check back in a couple of days to see how. If you want all the instructions, I'll have the pattern in my etsy store soon.

Goings-on

Last week I attended a book-themed fundraiser to aid research into Multiple Sclerosis. The evening was a lot of fun, and included a book swap where we were encouraged to offload our old books and purchase (very cheaply) those that others had donated. It was interesting to see which books people wanted to part with!

I thought myself lucky to have stumbled across a copy of The Not-so-very-nice Goings-on at Victoria Lodge (Faber & Faber, 2004), a humorous tale told with the aid of original illustrations from the nineteenth century "Girls Own Paper". Philip Ardagh's interpretation of the pen-and-ink sketches that once illustrated harmless stories about the lives of young ladies made me laugh!

Friday fashion: steampunk Gaultier

Tophats and tails! Have you seen Jean-Paul Gaultier's Autumn/Winter 2012/13 haute couture collection? Take particular note of the men's corset at around four minutes into the video. Or at 07.20: are those stretch velvet leggings? Bring back the codpiece, I say. Naturally, the collection finishes with an amazing wedding dress based on a white Victorian-style tailcoat worn backwards. Enjoy!

Pandora's hatbox in leather

The first stage in the decoration of Pandora's Hatbox is to cover it in the faux crocodile skin fabric I bought at the craft store. One tip to note when planning to use this type of vinyl fabric is that it can easily be marked by scratches in the store, and it will also develop creases if you fold it. I stored my fabric by hanging it from the clips of a skirt hanger until I was ready to use it, but you could also wrap it around a cardboard mailing tube.
After you've carefully measured the box you want to cover, you can mark the pieces on the back (fabric) side of the vinyl and cut them out. I used a spray-on craft glue to adhere the larger pieces to the hatbox (the top of the lid and around the barrel).
Before I added the strip around the edge of the lid, I used a craft knife to cut four slits evenly around the edge (you can see one in the picture); this was because the lid was a pretty tight fit even before I added the vinyl covering to the barrel and I needed to make room. The slits will be hidden by the vinyl strip. I also worked around the edge of the lid with a pair of fabric shears to trim off excess vinyl, although I didn't worry too much about getting an exact fit, as the edges will be covered by the trim eventually.
For the edge strip, I used a liquid craft glue which I spread over the back of the strip. I did this for two reasons: to ensure a stronger bond on a part of the box that will get a lot of wear and tear, and because it would have been a pain in the neck to protect the vinyl that was already applied to the lid while I was spraying adhesive.
At the same time, I covered the small cardboard suitcase with the same vinyl fabric. This was a little trickier than the hatbox because of the handle and catch, which couldn't be removed. The excess bits of vinyl in the picture are just there to protect the finish from being marked by the bulldog clips that are holding the vinyl in place while the glue dries. I won't go into details here, but if you want tips on how I cut the vinyl to fit around the fixtures, join my email list (use the box in the sidebar) and I'll let you know when the full pattern and instructions will be available.

More objects of desire

Looking for inspiration for the lining and cover of my Pandora's Hatbox, I came upon this blog. I can't read the Cyrillic captions, but the pictures are drool-worthy.

Object of desire

Got a spare five grand? If you have, why not spend it on this marvellous nineteenth century hatbox (from Yale R. Burge Antiques)? It would be perfect for storing your top hat or bowler, or just as useful to rest a delicate porcelain tea cup on. I'm so inspired by the brass details and studwork: I wonder how difficult it would be to recreate this piece in modern materials? I think a trip to the craft and hardware stores is in order...