All kinds of weird

Yesterday Murphy tried jumping over the railing at the top of the stairs. That wasn't a good idea as he can't see where he's going. He knocked a lamp down (one that was hooked to the wall over a big mirror), the lightbulb exploded, but thankfully the cat is unharmed. *shakes head*
This morning I got a kind of weird email. I think someone confused me with someone else - but it still made me happy as it offered some information I'll be sure to keep in my head for someday, later. I have the feeling life is throwing lemons at me as a very unsubtle hint that I should make some lemonade. :) Lots of ideas about my business project(s), and I managed to get some structural work done on the website as well.
And now, I noticed I must have been on crack when I scanned the La Mode magazines, because I put them all together in the 1913 folder while more than half of them date from 1914. I need to correct that while I'm editing the nodes.
I started mocking up the sleeve for my 1895-6 blouse, happily using jenthompson's work as a starting point. It's not bad, but not perfect either. I need to research what the innards of those gigantic sleeves looked like. Right now my gigot is a bit floppy. The stiffer taffetas will help some, but I suspect they did have a few other tricks back then...

The innards, post one

Okay, I started really going through all the text parts in my books.
On the 26th of January, 1896, La Mode Illustrée, pp. 30-31, says sleeves entirely lined with a stiff fabric are now a rarity (so they DID entirely line the sleeves before !). Sleeves should now only use a 20cm deep, 60cm long horsehair ruffle attached on the sleeve lining (between the lining and the fashion fabric), a little below the armhole, on the upper side of the arm only, not on the underside.
By the way, the text also says skirts are made of heavy woolen fabrics that don't require a lining. Skirts of lightweight fabrics and silk should be lined with a stiff fabric like horsehair, at least for the three box pleats in the backs.
There are a LOT more information tidbits in those texts, covering fabric advice, tips on how to refurbish an old dress, collar and cuff shapes... I just have to sieve through this. I will probably end up gathering all of it into some... thing, for my own use for this 1890s project. I have to think about this more, as I'm pretty sure it could be of interest to other costumers. Suggestions are always welcome :)