Lederhosen Bags

Today I will disclose why I am in a Bavarian mood this week :) It all started two years ago, when I found two vintage kid's Lederhosen on a flea market. They were so cute ! I remembered my little brother wearing one in the sixties, although we were living in Holland, and not in Germany at all, quite apart from Bavaria. I think it was the fashion in those days :) I don't know if my brother liked it; next time I see him I will ask him if he remembers it ....

Well, I bought them, but without any idea what to do with it. So, I put them in my traditional costume collection (although only existing out of adult women clothing). But a few weeks later I suddenly thought that I could maybe use the leather for making leather bags, which I was longing to do already for quite some time. But then I would love to keep the cute pockets, and the stitched flap, and the beautiful special Lederhosen buttons....

So, I started to fiddle around and tried to sew it on my sewing machine. But my, otherwise splendid, sewing machine did not like it.... and simply refused to do it. OK, the leather is quite thick, I confess. Buying a special leather foot and leather sewing machine needles did not solve the problem. It wouldn't do the trick. Then I tried hand sewing, making holes and with special thick leather thread bought from a shoe maker on Ebay, I struggled on. My fingers became red, sore and with many pinholes after 60 cm of sewing, so I gave up. Till my hubby gave me some day an old sewing monster ! He had discovered an old man in a neighboring town who collected old sewing machines from the former GDR sewing industry and repaired them. And there he bought me this leather sewing monster.

I was pretty afraid for this monster to begin with; it made quite some noise and went at an enormous speed, with a giant needle through 3 cm thick layers.... And I was fearing for my fingers a bit :) So, it took quite a long time of practicing, and lots of fiddling around with machine parts by my hubby, to get it in a state that I could do my "thing". Three months ago, I finished my first Lederhosen bag, and started to wear it myself to see if everything was ok. Changed some bits and experienced this first bag as pretty practical, sturdy and stylish; got lovely comments on the streets too. 

So, I started to search for vintage Lederhosen on flea markets everywhere, on line and off line. I even found red and green ones ! And Lederhosen specially made for girls with little hearts on it. So, I was hooked. And this week I could finally start listing 5 Lederhosen bags in my P8 Accessories Etsy shop !!!! I invite you to go there and have a look how wonderfully variable and cool these bags have turned out.

So, this is the story of my Bavarian mood, and I am afraid it will hold on for some really long time too .....

My Flickr Favorites: Traditional Costume Terschelling, The Netherlands

Today we move back to the north, to the Wadden or Frisian islands. The islands had all their own costumes, but I only show you the ones of the island of Terschelling because it looks different from the rest of the Frisian costumes. Just as the rich costume of the Zaanstreek, the female costume has a kaper, but a plain back cotton one, and a bit smaller. It is worn over a knitted and crocheted white 'mutske' (bonnet) tightly fitting around the head.

For more flickr favourites see ArtMind's blog.

1. Terschellinger volksdansers., 2. 11 Terschelling- Jet Necklace, 3. Fokke en Sukke op Terschelling,, 4. Folk Dancing Terschelling


And two picture postcards from my own collection.

Traditional Costumes : Postage Stamps Spain

After the Basque costume stamps of Spain, we move even further northwest to La Rioja, Cantabria and Asturias. The typical costumes from these regions look in style like the ones we have seen in Catalonia, Aragon, Navarra and the Basque Country. They belong to the typical "northern" clothing category: costumes are inspired by a peasant way of life, with rather simple colors, to which elements such as characteristic shoes are added, fluffy petticoats, lace and stockings. The first stamp above is from a very large costume series issued from 1967 to 1971. The costume is typical for the city of Logroño in Rioja.


This next stamps is from the same large costume series (1967 to 1971) and shows the traditional costume of the city of Santander in Cantabria.


And from the same series, the regional costume of Oviedo in Asturias.


You can find La Rioja (light tan), Cantabria (dark tan) and Asturias (beige) on this map of Spain (in the north):

My Flickr Favorites : Traditional Costume Zaanstreek, The Netherlands

Today we move south from West Friesland to the Zaan district, staying within the province of North-Holland. This was a very rich area, and you can see that clearly in the traditional costumes. The dress was 6 meters wide and made of silk damask. The headdress existed of a black under cap, a white intermediate cap with embroidery, an upper cap of batiste with broad lace and a golden head-iron of 7 cm width with a large number of golden needles, sometimes decorated with diamonds. To protect this expensive headdress if you went outside, the "Zaanse kaper" was put on top of it. This broad over cap, mostly made of shot silk (dark outside, light inside), was stiffened by whale bones and cardboard. The lower part formed a small cape around the shoulders.

For more flickr favourites see ArtMind's blog.

1. april, 2. Doopsgezinden gemeenschap 29, 3. Optocht, 4. 306356


And two picture postcards from my own collection.

My Flickr Favorites : Traditional Costume West Friesland, The Netherlands

Today we move from the north of The Netherlands back to the west of The Netherlands, so we have almost made the total round tour of The Netherlands. We are back in the province of North-Holland, and look at the area which is called West Friesland. The costumes are similar to the ones in Friesland, but the lace cap and the head-iron are different. The women wear a rich costume (silk, wool, damask) and lots of jewelry. The lace cap has a small pleated and starched tail, and the head iron is partly visible.

For more flickr favourites see ArtMind's blog.
1. People of The Netherlands , about half a century ago ..., 2. Hand in hand, 3. part of a costume., 4. Nederland / The Netherlands


And two picture postcards from my own collection.

Traditional Costumes : Postage Stamps Spain

After the costume stamps of Aragon, we move now furher to the west to Navarre and Basque Country. Both Navarre and the Basque Country are autonomous communities in northern Spain. Basque is spoken in large parts of Navarre and in all three provinces of Basque Country: Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa. The traditional costume for the men is made up of a red sash and scarf (a pañuelico or pañuelo), worn with a pair of white pants and white shirt. Red was adopted as the official color because it is a festive color, but blue, green, black or checkered also exist. The white pants and shirt are adaptations of the simple, traditional clothing worn by farm workers and other laborers and is also adopted by pelota players in Navarra and the Basque country. The sash was the belt; the pañuelo was worn around the neck and used to wipe away the sweat of a hard days work. The shoes are espadrilles and the cap is the traditional Basque béret (boina) in either black or red. The women wear a red skirt, black petticoat, white blouse, white headscarf, black apron and on their feet laced leather sandals with woolen socks, or white espadrilles decorated with red ribbons. Only in some valleys of Navarre, there still exist some very different traditional costumes, more like the ones of Huesca in neighboring Aragon. The first stamp above shows such a beautiful antique costume of Valle del Roncal in Navarre. It is from a very large costume series issued from 1967 to 1971. All other stamps show the more usual red and white Basque costumes. The second stamp above celebrates the "running of the bulls" at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, the capital city of Navarre.


The next two stamps show the costumes of Álava and Gipuzkoa. Both stamps are again from the large costume series of 1967-1971.



The next two stamps show the costumes of Biscay. The first one is again from the large costume series of 1967-1971. The second one is from a series of Spanish Zarzuela's issued in 1983, with a scene from "El Caserio" from Basque composer Jesús Guridi Bidaola.


You can find Navarre (grey) and the Basque Country (purples) on this map of Spain (in the north):

Traditional Costumes : Postage Stamps Spain

After the Catalan costume stamps of Spain, we move now from Catalonia to the west to Aragon. Aragon is an autonomous community in Spain, once the medieval kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the region comprises three provinces from north to south: Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Aragon's northern province of Huesca borders France and is positioned in the middle of the Pyrenees. Within Spain, the region is flanked by Catalonia on the east, Valencia and Castile-La Mancha to the south, and Castile and León, La Rioja, and Navarre to the west. In north Aragon, the costumes have still very old elements, and is a bit similar to the costumes in neighboring Navarre. Most striking are the (mostly green colored) long skirt and the pleated linen puffy sleeves and high neck cuff. In the other parts of Aragon, the costumes have similarities with the Catalan costumes.
The stamps above show the beautiful antique costumes of Huesca in north Aragon. The first one is from a very large costume series issued from 1967 to 1971. The second stamp is from the "Popular Festivals" series, issued in 2003, for the the Day of the Costume Festival in Ansó.

The next two stamps show the costume of Zaragoza. The first one is again from the large costume series of 1967-1971, and the second one is from a series of Spanish Zarzuela's issued in 1982, with a scene from "Gigantes y Cabezudos" from Spanish composer Manuel Fernandez Caballero.

The next stamp shows the costume of Teruel, and is again from the large costume series of 1967-1971. The last stamp is of the yearly Europa Stamp series, which was about "Folklore and Feasts" in 1981, and shows people dancing the jota, a fast traditional dance from Aragon.


You can find Aragon on this map of Spain (the olive green areas in the north east of Spain):

My Flickr Favorites : Traditional Costume North Netherlands

Today we move from the east of The Netherlands to the north of The Netherlands, the provinces of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe. There are differences in the costumes between the various regions in this area, but they are very difficult to see for outsiders. That's why I combine them here in the mosaic. The women wear a rich costume (silk, wool, damask) with the characteristics of the crinoline fashion, namely a tailored upper part with a wide skirt and petticoats. Above it they wear a scarf and an apron made of embroidered lace. The most striking element however is the the broad gold casque, a goldcap that covers the entire head. Above the gold casque they wear a lace cap with a small pleated tail.

For more flickr favourites see ArtMind's blog.
1. People of The Netherlands , about half a century ago, 2. Lace headdress, 3. Ljouwerter Skotsploech-Folklore Dancing-Group, 4. Ringstekken Burgum


And two picture postcards from my own collection.

Traditional Costumes : Postage Stamps Spain

After the Catalan costume stamps from France and Andorra in the last weeks, we look this week at the Catalan costumes on stamps from Spain. Catalonia is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of the Kingdom of Spain. It comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and borders France and Andorra to the north, Aragon to the west, the Valencian Community to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the east.
The stamps above are from a very large costume series issued from 1967 to 1971. They show the Catalan costumes from Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, respectively.


The next stamp is from 1977 (series of Spanish celebrities) and shows the Catalan poet Jacinto Verdaguer (1845-1902) in the barretina (traditional Catalan hat).


You can find Catalonia on this map of Spain (the pink areas in the north east of Spain):

My Flickr Favorites : Traditional Costume East Netherlands

Today we move from the south-east province of Limburg further north to the east of The Netherlands, the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel. This part of the Netherlands is the Saxon part, where the people speak low Dutch Saxon and the traditional costumes are very similar. There are differences between the various regions (Achterhoek, Twente, Veluwe, etc.) in this area, but they are very difficult to see for outsiders. That's why I combine them here in the mosaic. The costume itself was an oldfashioned dark, mostly black, city dress. The cap for Sundays, holidays and special occasions was made from beautiful types of lace with a long tail at the back; it was called the "knipmuts". A poorer fashion of this cap was the same model but then crochetted. During weekdays smaller white caps in various forms were worn, but the most frequently seen one is the "plooimuts". The Dutch word "plooi" means "pleat", and this cap has a great number of beautiful large pleats all around.

For more flickr favourites see ArtMind's blog.
1. The lady who makes those beautiful bonnets - Oud Lunterse Dag - Village festival Lunteren, 2. People of The Netherlands , about half a century ago ..., 3. Traditional Dutch Costume Nr 2, 4. DSC05570 Volksdansen 18-04-2009


And two picture postcards from my own collection.