What Steampunk Means to Me – by Michelle Rauf

I have been interested in Steampunk since the early days of the Brass Goggles forum, and I can even remember John Naylor mentioning the great idea of Steampunks gathering together to celebrate their imagination and creativity – the great idea which turned into Weekend at the Asylum.

For one reason or another, I didn’t actually get to go to this now world-class annual event until its tenth year, but since then, Geoff and I have attended every Asylum event and have loved every minute of it, every year. The photo shown left, taken by photographer Carl Wilson, shows me and Geoff in front of Lincoln Cathedral at Weekend at the Asylum 2023.

When it comes to dressmaking and crafting, I would say that I’m a bit of a Jack-aline of all trades; mistress of none (lol) because I’ll give anything a go, just to see what I can make of it, so to speak. I don’t really have any fancy gadgets or skills, but I do have the three P’s: patience, perseverance and procrastination. Okay, the last one isn’t very helpful, but two out of three isn’t bad!

I design and construct mine and Geoff’s outfits in my spare time, mainly from old curtains and cheap fabrics and trims. Sometimes I re-purpose 'mugglewear' (everyday clothes), which I mainly purchase from eBay or Vinted. I joined the Steamstress Squadron Facebook Group and got a lot of help from the group's many knowledgeable members. I’m by no means a great seamstress but I am great at ‘winging it’ ...ha ha ha!

In recent years, I have really enjoyed entering the Great Exhibition and Let’s Steampunk Poundland challenges at Weekend at the Asylum. Shown below are a few of the entries I have submitted. Picture 1 (top-left) shows my Steampunk Air Balloon. Picture 2 (top-right) shows my miniature diorama, for which I was very honoured to be awarded The Pugin Award for Craftsmanship. Picture 3 (bottom-left) shows my hand-sewn Slow Stitch Book, which was awarded The Rosetti Award for Aesthetics. I love creating something from nothing, and now have endless numbers of ideas for future projects.

A couple of other items I’ve made recently are my steampunk blaster (bottom-right above), constructed from a Nintendo zapper, and a Steampunk backpack (see inset picture on right), made from a cardboard box, feathers from eBay, and a mask from HobbyCraft.

So, I am living proof that you don’t have to be highly skilled to make steampunk items and accessories, you just need the three P’s. Have a go. If you have a little imagination and can think outside the box, you can make some wondrous things that don’t have to cost too much if you look in charity shops or on eBay etc. To me, this is what Steampunk is all about.

Oh, and whatever you do, don’t take yourself too seriously!

– Michelle Rauf, February 2025