Late 1820's stays

My most recent "me" garment is a pair of late 1820's stays from Corsets & Crinolines by The Goddess of Historic Fashion, Norah Waugh.

Since I didn't go camping over Labor Day weekend, I decided to park myself behind the sewing machine and skip on into the Regency & Romantic eras. (The next "me" garments will be Federal & Romantic day dresses).

Way to take a weekend off Gail!

The stays went together like a dream in less than two days, but are completely machine sewn. I figured none of my thread-counter friends will ever see this, and I wanted it fast.

I used 2 layers of very stiff, tight-weave cotton. The inside is mis-matched colors that we couldn't use for stock garments (slightly pink vs. slightly yellow). The outside has some staining, but the fabric is sound. Stitching is in a darker cream color, and the 1/4" wide bones are plastic. I sewed the channels at 1/2" and that seemed to work very well.

Materials:
1 1/2 yds tight-weave cotton
1 yd stiff linen or coutil (interlining, optional)
cotton thread
plastic boning (cane/reed/metal, etc).
3 yds double-fold cotton bias tape for binding
old yard stick / wooden busk
ribbon / cotton cording

Tools:
scissors
sewing machine
ruler
pencil or washable fabric pen
saw or utility knife & sand paper (if cutting yard stick for busk)
(I didn't use pins for this, you can if you want).

This pair is almost exactly like the ones in the book, the main difference is the 'quilting.' I used the presser foot as a guide and was rather sloppy with the inside decorative stitching (setting 13 on my machine, it's kinda triangles/zig-zag). It works well to stiffen up the fabric.

As there is no stress on the ties, I decided to use machine buttonholes. They seem to be working fine. I sewed them in vertically, so the stress is on many threads rather than a few, and poked the holes with an awl rather than slitting them. It's a pain to lace.

Basic Directions:
1. Transfer pattern from Goddess Norah Waugh book.
2. Re-size to fit you (4" smaller than bust, underbust, waist & hips... waist & underbust should be the same measurement in the stays, they will not close).
3. Cut 2 outside, 2 lining, 2 interlining.
4. Sew gussets in bust & sides.
5. Sew all pieces together, leaving back open.
6. Sew lining to fabric, turn & press.
7. Align seams & sew up either side of them for added stability (I've found this makes the stays/corsets last longer without pulling out... it doesn't always look great, but it works beautifully).
8. Mark boning channels & stitch.
9. Do decorative quilting / cording (optional).
10. Measure for front busk pocket, sew right sides together, turn & press. (this is not part of the original pattern, it's my own answer to the 'flap' problem).
11. Sew busk pocket in front & make button-holes or eyelets in flap.
12. Sew button holes or eyelets in back, spiral lacing.
12. Insert boning & cording.
13. Sew on binding.
14. Sew on ribbon for busk pocket.
15. Cut yard stick to length, sand & insert in busk pocket. Lace it closed & tie a pretty bow.
16. Lace up & wear!

This isn't as "flat" a shape as earlier Regency stays, and not nearly as curved as Romantic & early Victorian corsets. It does put my bust up around my chest when I sit, but I think it will look fine once I've got clothes over it.
Beware this pattern if you have larger than a C-cup... you can compensate by lowering the bust gores & slits, that should help quite a bit (I lowered from 3 1/2" to 4 1/2").

It's pretty comfortable. I've worn the stays for about 18 hours all told, but 8 hours seems to be the limit for a day. The main area that gets uncomfortable is the shoulders. If I ever make another pair for myself, I'll move the straps in about 1". Straps should be lengthened to sew them on the front, but it may be better to use ribbons like I did to make them adjustable.

And Mom's home!!!

I got an Amadeus Award!

http://lithiablack18thcentury.blogspot.com/ gave me an Amadeus Award!
How cool is that?

And how interesting is it that the ones she picked, I would pick too?

Quilted Petticoat cont... (2)

I'm posting about the quilted petticoat in numbers from here on out as I don't know how often I'll actually work on it. I think it's going to be my 'feeling blah' project.
Although today is a beautifully cloudy day, I'm feeling very blah. Perhaps it has to do with missing Mom, who is coming home tomorrow! singing & dancing the happy dance!

Anyway...
when we last left out intrepid quilting adventure, I had:
- cut the batting to shape. (the top is still to the top, not at the finished level... which will be below the pocket slits).
- finished the design.
- quit for the night.

The most recent progress was:
9/06/09
- making a "stencil" of the pattern.
- transferring the pattern to the silk (yay Prismacolor!)
9/07/09
- decided not to sew the back seam together right away as per the directions in Fitting & Proper and after examining several originals (via Google Image search).
- started quilting.



The stencil was pretty easy.
-I used card stock and transferred the design from the Frankenstein original by putting it on the window & tracing. (First grade art class to the rescue!)
-Then I put packaging tape over the design to make it a little more stable, as there are some very delicate areas.
-Cut it out with an exacto knife, leaving a few key places to hold everything together. (This was after the pin-hole fiasco...).








Transferring it was a bit tricky and not an exact science.
(The first thing I tried was the pin-hole & powder trick. It didn't work.
I tried cinnamon, mustard, cornstarch and paprika and they all made an ungodly mess. Though they smell wonderful individually, they don't smell that yummy mixed together with paper & silk.)
-I measured 5" up on the first panel and marked that, then 5 1/2" on the second, tapering to 5" as it nears the other side to make up for the difference in length.
-I marked the silk with a Prismacolor Pencil (peach) and then filled in the missing bits after moving the template. My friend Randy has assured me that Prismacolor washes off. He'd better be right. Had to sharpen the pencil after each tracing.
The repeat worked out pretty well, not perfect, but I'm too lazy to say "do-over," and it's only a few leaves off.
Shadow likes the quilt, but won't walk on it. This didn't prevent him from trying to climb it while Moon was sitting on it... on the work table... where she isn't supposed to be. But then I was working on HER quilt. She sat in the chair & watched the entire time.

Quilting is going OK.
I can't use the modern rocking stitch as it's too big for this design. Tried backstitching, which looked great on the silk side, but not so hot on the linen. I really want this to look good from both sides.
- Instead I'm using a 2 handed back & forth stitch, one stitch at a time. This way, I've got 8-10 stitches per inch vs. 4-6 the other.
- I am a bit confused on how to secure my thread at the end, but by the time this monster is done, I'll have it figured out.
- The first flower & the two small leaf-bit things took about 2 hours.
I may finish before the world ends in 2012... but more likely I'll stop watching t-v while working on this project and it'll go a lot faster... and perhaps my snarky mood will pass for more uplifting things!

9/9/09
Quilted more. Finished first repeat.

Quilted Petticoat

The new "Project" is a hand-quilted petticoat. It was a bit of a toss-up between an 1810 man's embroidered waistcoat, 1820-40 hand corded stays , and a quilted petticoat. I guess with the cool weather coming I wanted something a little warmer to work on, and honestly, I'm tired of embroidery right now. Maybe by spring I'll have it done! (yeah right, more like next year).

I'm using JoAnn's specials for this. I wish I could afford better materials, but at $30/yd, high quality silk is just not possible without an order. The silk is red dupioni. It was $4/yd on Red tag 50% off sale! Fortunately it's a low-texture dupioni.

I've lined it with brown linen ($7/yd on 60% off).

Cotton batting... which is getting harder & harder to find, so I bought many. Two baby blankets ($5 each when 50% off) work great for a quilted petticoat. The blankets tend to be a little too wide, so they have to be cut down after it's quilted. I'm not planning to cut them before it's completely basted and/or quilted... we'll see how dirty it gets.

Red cotton thread (yeah, it should be silk, but I'm cheep).

Materials:
2 1/2 yds 66" wide silk
3 yds 60" wide linen
2 cotton batting baby blanket(s)
pins
quilting needle(s)
machine sewing thread
hand quilting thread (green for basting) (red for quilting).
cotton cording?

Total cost: $50
$10 silk
$18 linen
$10 batting
$10 thread (guessing)

Moon is absolutely crazy about anything RED. And this was possibly the reddest thing she's ever seen. The cat will eat red roses, steal Christmas ornaments, my winter coat gets tackled whenever I leave it within reach. She just fell in love with this length of fabric. She actually fought me when I was laying it out, she didn't want to get off of it, or even let me touch it.
After I got it neatly laid out she raced in & slid into home base!
Then she watched me like a hawk while I was basting it.

I may add a row or 3 of cording at the bottom, but again, not sure yet. In the finished petticoat, the batting will not go all the way to the top, but for now it's basted in all-over... it may end at the bottom of the pocket slits.

I'm doing a lot of guess-work while making this garment, and it should be an interesting experience.

Rather than sewing the two sides separately I've sewn the panels together along one seam, so it'll be more like a full-size blanket while I'm basting it. (overlocked the edges of the silk to prevent fraying).
Aligned the top edge of the linen & silk, with some overlap of the batting. The bottom edge of the silk & batting match up... kinda.

Basting stitches are in rows, approximately 6" apart. This seems to be working well. (Green thread).
After it's basted & the design drawn on, I'll sew the panels together into the pre-petticoat tube. I may not finish the bottom until the quilting is done because I know just how funky that can get... we'll see what happens.
I'll turn over the bottom & stitch it to the lining, rather than binding the hem.
I'll worry about the pocket slits after it's sewn together.

The top will be turned over & sewn under so the length will be adjustable from the waistband rather than the hem. This is very historic & makes my life a lot easier.
The fabric is 44" long right now, so it should be tall enough to accommodate just about any height. There are 3 yds of fabric in the body (the width of 2 panels)... so a total 88" off the bolt.

Made the mistake of ripping the linen, the edges are very warped. I know better than to do this, but at 9:00 last night, my brain took a mini-vacation. So the lining may be a little wrinkly at the edges. Fortunately any distortions will be covered by hem & waistband (I hope).

While looking for directions on how to do this, I learned that I should sew the petticoat into a loop before quilting. http://www.jennylafleur.com/diary/quilt05.htm and http://brocadegoddess.wordpress.com/quilted-petticoat/ were both incredibly helpful. I'll just have to make sure that my pattern repeat will match up along the seam when I draw it on.

The tentative design plan is to make diamonds on the top half with a floral-ish border on the hem, and a rise in the front of the floral motif. Although I love the leaf pattern in Jenny's petticoat, the red screams "flowers!" so flowers it will be.
Like Jenny, I'm rather lazy when it comes to hand quilting, so I will be using the outline design rather than the fill-ins. I also really like the petticoat from mfa.org (see below), the medallions are great, and if I can do them in outline rather than fill-in, that'd be perfect. My friend Randy Cook is an excellent quilter and would sigh at me if he knew how incredibly lazy I'm being about this. (Randy is a former drawing & painting student of mine and he's very driven).

I have made quilted petticoats in the past, but they were all machine quilted and for working-class characters. (see the nice, simple diamond pattern in the blue one? This is lined with plaid flannel and is just about the warmest thing I've ever worn. I wore it winter camping at 5 degrees and it was perfect).

September 3, 2009
Cut & sewed panels together (flat).
1/4 of the length basted.

September 4, 2009
Did preliminary design from mfa.org petticoat. Just the main section, not the whole thing.
Finished basting the flat petticoat.
Cut off the excess batting.
Figured out 103" /9 = 11.5" pattern repeat.
This is my tentative design plan. Let's hear it for mechanical drafting and too many years of Art School! Look Mom, I can draw flowers with coffee cups & a ruler!
I may get rid of the center leaves on the 'ferns' and may make the little doo-hickeys on the top & bottom of the posies bigger. John & I have decided that rabbits, deer & flowers will work well as the center motifs rather than that strange acorn / pineapple thing. With 9 repeats I'll get 3 of each... or go for broke & do a different animal/flower in each space!
I had a killer headache all day, so did no 'real' work. This was therapeutic & I didn't have to deal with ruffles... or shirts... or ripping out loads of stuff.

For images of original quilted petticoats go here:
http://www.vintagetextile.com/new_page_492.htm
http://www.vintagetextile.com/new_page_572.htm
http://www.costumes.org/HISTORY/v&amuseum/1.jpg
http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Winter08/stuff.cfm
http://www.mfa.org/collections/search_art.asp?recview=true&id=117000 I like this one a lot.

Artwork update!

I realized that I don't have any of my artwork posted here... and as geocities is closing I guess I'd better post it somewhere other than Facebook.

So here's a bunch of paintings I've done over the years. As this is a public forum, with a wide range of social values, I will not post my nudes here... though they are beautiful & very proper I don't want to offend anyone.


Red Mermaid
Acrylic
2002?
This is a painting of Cori, my best friend. I did a whole series of her as a mermaid. Her favorite was the one where she had a shark's tail.

The best part of this was the "gown" she was wearing. Curtains & safety pins are often the mother of creativity.







Death & The Maiden
White charcoal on black paper
2007?
Cori & cousin Chad at a Halloween party. I finally gave it to them.










Jacob Never Sits Still
charcoal on paper
2007?
This little boy is beyond cute. When I fist did this portrait he was looking out at me like I was insane. I asked his mom if he had a problem with the photographer. She said he wasn't too crazy about her and thought she was silly (not in a good way). So I asked for a candid shot & got a great portrait. Any expression is always magnified in a painted / drawn portrait.





Orange Blossoms & Low Tea
both charcoal on paper
Both gone or destroyed. Glad I got the photos.

Orange Blossoms is pretty small, and was a study for a painting that never happened. I gave it to Trevor & Jen.

Low Tea was a still life for a class handout on texture. The composition is so-so. The textures were wonderful. I'm sad it got smeared.



Cosmo in Blue
oil on canvas
16x20?
2008
"Portrait" commission.
Just for future reference, a portrait is of a person, ie human. Not a 'pet portrait,' which is VERY different.
So don't pull that crap on artists. It's not funny, and even though I signed a contract before I knew it was a canine, I'm not a dog painter. So don't even ask. I don't have anything against dogs, but when you say "he's black, is that going to be a problem?" and I assume you think I'm racist, it gets things off on a bad foot... then when you send an image of a dog... well... it's just not good for the soul.

The following are acrylics on various surfaces. All plein air paintings (mostly). I think they fit the 80% rule (don't ask about that either).

Beaver Pond
Acrylic on Paper
2006-2007?
Hot, buggy day. It was lovely. I added the beaver, they were all sleeping.


Farmall M
Acrylic on canvas
2007?
Lovely, perfect summer day.
Only city folks don't like this one.
That tractor didn't move for years. Now it goes all over the place.
I don't like the frame it's in.







Letchworth, Lower Falls.
Acrylic on Canvas
2007?
I hiked down to the lower falls several times a week for this summer. Got to know the lady at the snack shack really well. I think I finished just after 4th of July.
My calves were killer.

I don't know if this one still exists.






Too Cold to Cut Corn
November 2006?
acrylic on panel
It was really cold & damp this day. The field was being cut as I painted. The title should have been "too wet to cut corn" because Joel got stuck in the lower field (you can see the ruts in the mud). He managed to finish that section before I did.

This got a judges choice award at a local show. The really nifty thing is that it changes with the light. Kinda like those portraits with eyes that follow you.



Glenice's Camp
oil on canvas
2005-06?
Don't remember when I did this. It was almost all done at once on site. There were only a few touch-ups from memory in the foreground & brightening the sky a little.

Glenice's real name is Janice, but somehow it got all switched around and stuck.




Bumpy Yellow Squash
watercolor on paper
2005?
This still life destroyed my favorite t-shirt. Worth the sacrifice.







Onions & Tomatoes
watercolor on paper
2004-05?
This is much better now. Someday I may re-photograph it. I painted it for a JoAnn's watercolor beginner level class. The class didn't run, but I got invited to teach in Italy because of it. The checkered cloth is a memory, replaced with a beautiful John Vesure vase.
Can't imagine why I didn't get any takers on that class...



Row of fruit
watercolor on paper
2006?
I made this for a class exercise. Fun... I should mention I was teaching, not taking the class... and the fruit was from someone's pear tree. Free still life, even better!

Last but not least, the Sculpy sculptures!

Dragon Bride Eating Groom
Sculpy clay, satin, tulle, thread, glue wire, tin foil, 1/2 Bratz Doll, fake flowers, acrylic paint, etc.
2004-2005?
This was a commission from Sara Berg & Eric Schuman for their wedding cake topper. It was their idea, not mine. Really.
But I laughed like crazy while I was making it. It still makes me giggle.
It was in a show called Humor in Art at the RIT gallery. They dropped it and didn't tell me. It's cracked all to pieces underneath. I glued it for Sara, but it's not the kind of thing you can handle much.



Purple Dragon
sculpy clay, wire, tin foil, acrylic paint.
2004?
This was a birthday present for my husband, who was not my husband then.
His wings are a little cracked from being taken to show & tells at various demonstrations, but other than that, it's all good.
He collects dust on the book case, but when we played D&D he was a great trick to set on the battle mat.



I haven't taken any photographs of my work in the last couple years. When I get to it I'll post. There are a few really great acrylics, and the occaional drawing that have been stunning, but nothing fabulous aside from clothes. I guess fabric designs have taken over that aspect.

Some of these are for sale, if you are curious, e-mail me.
Please don't take the images for your own profit, they are all copyrighted.
If you want one as wall paper, e-mail me and I'll send you a high-resolution version.

Covered Buttons Using Wooden Blanks

Everybody who sews knows how to use those little covered button kits that you get at fabric supply stores like JoAnn's etc. You know, those metal disks with the plastic plungers that you have to hammer down or press with a spool of thread, or hook on those little metal teeth... that never really work out right (maybe 3 out of 5 turn out correctly, at least for me)...
And they cost $3 a batch.
And sometimes your fabric is just too thick and won't go in (wool).
And you (I) end up crushing, losing, messing up a bazillion times?
And forget it if you want a directional button 'cuz your flower is going to tip to the side no matter what...
For historic clothes they work well as a quick fix. But for serious Thread Counters, it's like putting a zipper in a pair of 1720's breeches. Or (gasp!) metal grommets in a 1600's corset! You can't see it, but you know it's there. (BTW, I've been asked to do both of these things).

The solution to this is using wooden blanks covered with fabric, just like it was done back then!

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make this simple, easy & elegant button.
(Do I sound like DIY or what?)



1. Gather your materials.
Hand sewing thread (cotton, linen, silk) It must be thicker than regular thread as you are going to pull on it a lot.
Wooden blanks (you can get these at any craft supply store, they are really inexpensive. Look for them in the "wood" section).
Fabric
Scissors
Needle
Fray-check (optional)

2. Lay 2 of the disks side by side on the back of your fabric & create a square around them. This is the size of your fabric disk. Cut as many cloth circles as you need.*
Note: I always cut circles from squares. It helps me keep the size right, and things don't get lopsided... also write down how big your square is in case it's too big/small.
*Do one test first to make sure you've got the size right.
I always cut extras because I know I'll mess up at least 3 times.
If you are cutting silk, or some other fabric that likes to fray, draw your circles on, fray check, let dry, then cut... test it first!

3. Secure your thread about 1/8" in from the edge of the fabric circle and then make a running stitch all the way around. (See the picture above).

4. Place your (sanded & cleaned*) wooden blank in the center of the fabric circle, hold it down with your finger & slowly pull the thread to tighten the gathers around the blank.

note: if your fabric runs, you will have to lightly fray-check the edges before doing this... not all fabrics can handle this amount of stress without reinforcement.
*Don't be perfect. As long as it's not going to cut the fabric, it's OK.



5. Push the fabric down flat, making sure it's tight in front and not bunching up in back. It should meet in a nice star-burst pattern.

Note: if it's bunching up in back, the circle is too big. If it doesn't meet, the circle is too small. Re-cut your circles. Sometimes it's 1/16" off.









6. Carefully overcast stitch across the middle, catching each fold & pulling the thread tight. You should end up with something resembling the spokes of a wagon wheel.

Secure your thread. Do not cut!







7. When you know what direction your button holes are going, orient your button correctly and create the shank by passing the thread under some of the fabric & the threads in the center of the button. Do this a minimum of 5 times, 10 is better. Make sure your loops are even and not through the same hole every time. You want a secure shank, not something that will pull out.
Once you have all the loops finished, secure the thread again. DO NOT CUT.

Wrap the thread around the loop to create a single shank. You can tie knots periodically by looping the thread back through itself.
Finally, secure the thread at the other side of the shank, lose it in the fabric & cut.





Your final buttons will look something like these.








To sew them on...
Mark your button placement, secure your thread and stitch in the middle a few times.
Going from the center toward one edge, stitch the slack of the shank down.
Then go toward the other side to make the button sit evenly.
Leave a little bit of play so you have room for the fabric on the buttonhole side.
Secure your thread & cut.



The really nice thing about these buttons is that they are 100% historically correct (1500's - 1950's), long-lasting and very inexpensive. They take a little more time to make than the 'fold& press' covered buttons, but about the same amount of time as the 'hook on the metal teeth' covered buttons.

Washing:
You can't let these buttons sit in water. They are wood and will swell & crack.
If your garment needs washing, either spot treat, hand wash quickly (5 minutes max), or at the very least don't let it sit in the washing machine over night; dry it right away. On low.
Or you can seal the wood before sewing the buttons together. Thompson's Water Seal is great to dip these things in.

Variations:
Do a double cloth-covered button for a more plush look.
Add a bit of stuffing on top for a padded button (either before you sew it on, or carefully spread the fibers & stuff it, then re-arrange the fibers to close again.
For a domed look, use a rounded top wood blank.
Hand-embroider the button material prior to cutting for a truly custom look.



Note: This entry is totally DIY/FLN/Martha Stewart-ish. Will someone please slap me the next time I do something like this??? Seriously, it'll be good for me.

flower water & natural perfumes

Rose Water

Before the Northeastern I made rose water from the heirloom roses than grow around our house.

For years they have entangled themselves in the field-stone foundation of my parent's home, and they are nearly impossible to get rid of... though I can't think why anyone would want to be rid of them. They smell so sweet for the first two weeks of July and are the most perfect pink imaginable. Weeding is a bit tricky as the thorns are sharp and they grow close together, but the beauty and scent of the blooms are well worth the pain of caring for them. They are very pest & blight resistant and just love being cut back. They flourished after Dad mowed them down.

Since the blooms only last a day I didn't feel bad for picking the petals that were about to fall and using them for rose water.

Rose water can be used as a facial astringent, perfume, light facial/body wash mixed with water, or you can even cook with it. While I was camping I used it in the rinse water for my hair and it smelled delightful all day.

Be sure to pick the blooms in the morning and only use the petals, not the hips or leaves.
No pesticides!
It must be used within 2 weeks or it will go bad. Using it in time will not be a problem, believe me.
Distilled or spring water works best, but you can use tap water if you filter it through a Britta or let it stand overnight so the chlorine evaporates.

Pick a bunch of petals (just dead-head before they are completely wilted) and remove any bugs or green bits.
Rinse in cool water briefly to get rid of any dirt.
Add equal parts petals & water to a metal pan and slowly bring to a simmer. Don't let it boil until all the color has faded from the petals. You will have to watch it the entire time, so don't walk away. Do not allow it to actually boil; turn it off as soon as the first big bubbles come up. Boiling will destroy the scent.
Allow to cool naturally to room temperature.
Strain out the petals and squeeze the last bits of water from them.
Put the rose water in sealed, refrigerator-safe glass containers. Canning jars will do fine, but vinegar decanters look very nice too.

This is a fast & easy way of making seasonal scents for yourself, family & friends.
It doesn't take a lot of petals to make a large quantity of flower water, so you can get a big batch from relatively few flowers.
It's not something to keep, it's something to use and enjoy in the moment.

Alternative flowers: lilacs, lavender, orange blossoms, peonies, hibiscus, etc. Any edible flower with a nice fragrance will make good flower water.
You can find some wonderful cooking recipes on the internet that use flower water.
Caution: only use flower water that you KNOW is edible.




Natural Flower Perfume

The next thing I am making is natural floral perfumes. I'm roughly following the directions from here: http://www.ehow.com/how_4480818_make-perfume-using-flower.html

The nice thing about perfume is that it lasts for a year or two, rather than two weeks. The down-side is that you only get a little bit. You can use just about any non-toxic flower or herb with a pleasant scent.

It takes about 3 weeks before a perfume is usable, so plan ahead if you want to make this as a gift.

Gail's Variations & Directions:
I'm using rubbing alcohol instead of vodka. Vodka perfumes are illegal to sell without a liquor license in most of the US, and I don't want anyone trying to drink something made from potentially inedible flowers.

I'm figuring 1 part chopped blooms to 2 parts spring or distilled water. So if you've got 2 cups of chopped flowers, soak them in 4 cups of water. I've also cut the alcohol : flower water ratio. 1 part alcohol to 1 part flower water seems to work just fine. The down side to using rubbing alcohol is that you can't smell the perfume in the bottle. But once it's on your skin the natural scent takes over and it's divine.

Directions:
Pick blossoms in the early morning when scent is strongest. You can use fresh-fallen blossoms, but fresh is better.
De-bug & De-slug your petals and briefly rinse them in cool water.
Chop finely and put 1 part petals into 2 parts room temperature spring / distilled water.
Cover & allow to steep overnight. I used glass canning jars and they look very pretty.
I also put the mixture through the blender before the next step and let it soak another hour or so.

Strain out the petals, squeeze out the water & throw away the "pulp."
Slowly reduce the water in a sauce pan or deep frying pan over low heat. This will take an hour or more. Have patience and don't let it boil. Steam & simmer are OK, but boiling will destroy the scent.
You should reduce 1 cup to 1 tablespoon, approximately.
I used coffee filters to get the fine petal bits out of the water at about the 1/2 way point in reducing. Do not allow it to cool in between.

When you've got the right amount of liquid left remove from heat and allow to cool.
Add equal parts rubbing alcohol & floral water together in a stoppered bottle.
Shake gently and allow to sit for 3 days.
Test on your skin for scent & allergies.
If it's too strong, add 1 tbsp of water. Let sit for another 24 hours then test again. Add more water as needed, but allow it to rest between each addition.


The entire process is delightful, from picking the blossoms, to chopping, soaking, cooking and mixing. Once it's in the colored glass containers it will be absolutely lovely.

The phlox is the most delightful scent on my skin. It lasted about 4 hours strong, and is still lingering at 6 hours. I wanted to roll in it it smelled so good.
I made one batch of phlox, one of white rose and two batches of honeysuckle. After you get the hang of single-scent perfumes, try double and triple scents.

Alternative flowers: iris, tulips, violets, vanilla, jasmine, geranium, etc.
Avoid: foxglove, morning glories, lily-of-the-valley, wisteria, oleander and other potentially toxic plants. Leave these to the professionals. Please do some research before handling any of these plant materials, some plants can be dangerous or deadly, especially in concentrated forms.

Caution: some flowers may cause allergic reactions, so if you are unsure do a small test-patch on your arm and hope for the best. I make no promises on the safety of any of these perfumes, you are responsible for doing your own research on the plants you are using.


Some links for your enjoyment.
History of Perfume: a brief history of perfume.
Timeline of Perfumes
Another timeline of perfumes with people, styles, etc.