Above are the after, below is the before:
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Fixing the Stays -- Might as Well Do This Right
Well, thinking I would just get away with my first attempt at the stays with the too long arm straps I was just about to sew them together when I decided to do it right. I undid the binding and cut down the straps and then redid the binding...argh! In the end it worked well enough and now it is done right. You can see the pics in the initial stays entry and the pics below.
Above are the after, below is the before:
Above are the after, below is the before:
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
18th Century Clothing: Pocket Hoops or Panniers, and undergarments -- Mardi Gras Costume
02/28/11
I've now got most of this complete. I used a Simplicity pattern for the chemise, although I completely redid the sleeve because I didn't want this gathered poofy thing going on. The petticoat was draped without a pattern. I took a look at several blogs and "how to get dressed in the 18th century" blogs and figured I could do without a pattern, and it worked out fabulously.
I will admit that everything is built out of five yards of cotton that was used as a Thanksgiving tablecloth. I figured eventually I'd use it to flatline something or make undergarments. I managed to work around a stain left by the gravy boat being knocked over by an inebriated guest, and since I'm short there was plenty of yardage to work with. The fabric had been washed, spot treated so it no longer smelled like turkey, and dried to get it to shrink a bit.
The following pic is a quick dry run. An update on the stays: I was able to make the stays smaller by overlapping the back and lacking it shut like that -- not correct but without doing that the stays were too big and didn't really cinch me in. The shoulder straps are also way way too long, but for now I'm going to sew them together--I think rather than redo the whole darn thing....maybe....we'll see. I have a great mask to wear which I will photograph later.
02/21/11 Pocket hoops are done, but not without a great deal of modification. I used the pattern provided in the link below, however, there were no instructions regarding scaling. As a person who is on the line of petite/average I found the pattern to be too long. So in the end I cut off 8" of the width of the two pieces, and more than 6" on the length.
I've been told that the first time you wear panniers they seem unnatural and that bigger/wider is better, however, for my frame the original pattern sized seemed unreasonably large. This will do for now.
I used the industrial zip ties again, this time finding a better deal in the plumbing department (25/36" heavy ties for $10). These seemed to be a bit heavier than the ones in the electrical department and I doubled them up in each casing (used 12 total). I think I'm ok with the finished product, and since I'm going for historical feel rather than accuracy they will do.
First Post: I will be going to a Mardi Gras costumed/masked party soon and want to wear a historical costume rather than anything scary or too revealing. I don't have time to sew a dress but I have the stays and can whip up a petticoat and chemise. However, I need the pocket hoops. I found a DIY site that I will try to replicate the hoops. I will not use steel for this one but rather the industrial zip ties, but probably two in each channel. Here is the link:
http://www.ferdalump.com/panniers.html
I've now got most of this complete. I used a Simplicity pattern for the chemise, although I completely redid the sleeve because I didn't want this gathered poofy thing going on. The petticoat was draped without a pattern. I took a look at several blogs and "how to get dressed in the 18th century" blogs and figured I could do without a pattern, and it worked out fabulously.
I will admit that everything is built out of five yards of cotton that was used as a Thanksgiving tablecloth. I figured eventually I'd use it to flatline something or make undergarments. I managed to work around a stain left by the gravy boat being knocked over by an inebriated guest, and since I'm short there was plenty of yardage to work with. The fabric had been washed, spot treated so it no longer smelled like turkey, and dried to get it to shrink a bit.
The following pic is a quick dry run. An update on the stays: I was able to make the stays smaller by overlapping the back and lacking it shut like that -- not correct but without doing that the stays were too big and didn't really cinch me in. The shoulder straps are also way way too long, but for now I'm going to sew them together--I think rather than redo the whole darn thing....maybe....we'll see. I have a great mask to wear which I will photograph later.
02/21/11 Pocket hoops are done, but not without a great deal of modification. I used the pattern provided in the link below, however, there were no instructions regarding scaling. As a person who is on the line of petite/average I found the pattern to be too long. So in the end I cut off 8" of the width of the two pieces, and more than 6" on the length.
I've been told that the first time you wear panniers they seem unnatural and that bigger/wider is better, however, for my frame the original pattern sized seemed unreasonably large. This will do for now.
I used the industrial zip ties again, this time finding a better deal in the plumbing department (25/36" heavy ties for $10). These seemed to be a bit heavier than the ones in the electrical department and I doubled them up in each casing (used 12 total). I think I'm ok with the finished product, and since I'm going for historical feel rather than accuracy they will do.
First Post: I will be going to a Mardi Gras costumed/masked party soon and want to wear a historical costume rather than anything scary or too revealing. I don't have time to sew a dress but I have the stays and can whip up a petticoat and chemise. However, I need the pocket hoops. I found a DIY site that I will try to replicate the hoops. I will not use steel for this one but rather the industrial zip ties, but probably two in each channel. Here is the link:
http://www.ferdalump.com/panniers.html
Sunday, January 30, 2011
18th Century Stays - Take One
AND NOW FOR THE FINAL...KIND OF FINAL ANYWAY....PRODUCT:
Well....turns out that making this one size smaller wasn't small enough to get the cinched in look I like. The next time will require me to make a bit of cusom alterations to whittle my waist more, at least another 1.5 inches smaller, the goal is 26", but if I cut the pattern size for that goal of a waist size the bust will be unwearable. I hate having to do the scaling to fit, but now I wonder if I should build a dress around this corset or just give it to a friend.
I will have to make some adjustments to one armpit as well but that should involve only some hand stiching. All in all I'm not displeased for a first attempt. Although the next one may just have a zipper in the front (saw this today at the GBACG open house and it was BRILLIANT!). As long as it looks period overall I'm not above some costuming tricks for comfort and easy access.
I may also use a metal busk next time, just to get the ramrod straight front piece. I think I will do another one of these for a pirate costume...one to be worn out rather than hidden. This could not have been possible without the grommet press...way better than hammering in all those puppies....and these projects eat up so many grommets, I thought by buying a gross (144) at a time I'd be ahead....not a chance...
I seriously need some sun on my arms....ach....
and a whole lot of tricep curls....ach again....
01/01/11 The two sides are almost done. I misjudged the amount of bias tape I needed and ran out. Of course nobody has any of that colour in stock so I am left with special ordering it. Twice as expensive but it will come to the house and I can save a gallon of gas. Now I have to decide what to do about the grommets/eyelets. Will post photos soon.
This was a test run with the heavy duty boning and multiple layers of fabric on my super cheapie machine -- whoo hoo! seems to work. Machine sewed through all the layers and didn't explode.
Step one -- all the pieces sewn together, you can see the poor fit/match of the pattern on the sides.....bla. This is with the back side in the center.
Sewed and boned.
This is the front which didn't turn out too badly in terms of having things match.
THE MARKING PEN FIASCO:
After spending more than two hours marking my pattern pieces with a special marker that disappears when water is spritzed on it I realized that apparently the purple markings decided to evaporate into thin air! What??!! Only to be horrified later that when I remarked everything now the marks don't really want to come off at all. Good thing this is a test garment and it is worn UNDER clothing because I'm ticked off now. Not really sure why this is all happening. Please feel free to share why my water soluble marker is evaporating into thin air then becoming somewhat permanent after I do a second application (even thought the first is gone).
I have half the corset boned. The heavy duty zip ties are working well. I borrowed the candle idea to sear the ends, i snip them into a "u" shape then heat them to soften any hard points. Seems to work. It all seems that one package (15/36" zip ties) will work out just fine.
AND SO IT BEGINS....
Day one of the project and I'm already thinking that maybe I should just save for a year or two and buy one....but I trudge on.
* Washed and dried the canvas. Turns out it is some sort of extraterrestrial material and required some serious ironing which really didn't get all the dents out but will work well enough.
* I completely regret my fashion fabric choice. Spent way too much time trying to get the front and rear to look good (forget matching up). I cut the sides completely randomly. I should have gone with a yard of cheap Dupioni.
* The pattern seems to be missing marking s which almost doesn't matter since several reviews have stated that one should consider boning the pattern altogether differently. The blogs also suggest cutting it one size smaller if you want it to cinch.
* I noticed that the lacing holes are not for spiral lacings which is period correct.
* I am (gasp) not making a mock-up this time. I'm just going to wing it and see how it turns out. The investment is not large at this point -- $20 worth of fabric and pattern.
* Since this is a first run I did not spend the money on spring steel boning. For $7.99 at Lowes I found a package of 15 - 36" heavy duty zip ties. So that is eight bucks for fifteen yards of boning. I'll invest in the good stuff if this is worth repeating.
The evil fabrics...
...Butterick Patterns of History.....maybe next time I'll get the J.P. Ryan pattern.
Day two of the project resulted in all the pieces being cut out and basted to the canvas. I was worried that my cheap machine wouldn't sew through all the layers but doing a test bit found the results to be satisfactory. I also test sewed some channels and treaded the boning through them. Again, it looks like it will work ok for this first attempt.
I decided that I will add more bones to the pattern. Reading various reviews it was suggested not to bone every horizontal channel because you get an odd rolling to the bodice. I will probably add a channel or two and then do every other one.
Update: apparently I bought a two pack of marking pens -- one water disappearing ink the other air....guess which one I used and ended up with the headache above....bla!
Well....turns out that making this one size smaller wasn't small enough to get the cinched in look I like. The next time will require me to make a bit of cusom alterations to whittle my waist more, at least another 1.5 inches smaller, the goal is 26", but if I cut the pattern size for that goal of a waist size the bust will be unwearable. I hate having to do the scaling to fit, but now I wonder if I should build a dress around this corset or just give it to a friend.
I will have to make some adjustments to one armpit as well but that should involve only some hand stiching. All in all I'm not displeased for a first attempt. Although the next one may just have a zipper in the front (saw this today at the GBACG open house and it was BRILLIANT!). As long as it looks period overall I'm not above some costuming tricks for comfort and easy access.
I may also use a metal busk next time, just to get the ramrod straight front piece. I think I will do another one of these for a pirate costume...one to be worn out rather than hidden. This could not have been possible without the grommet press...way better than hammering in all those puppies....and these projects eat up so many grommets, I thought by buying a gross (144) at a time I'd be ahead....not a chance...
I seriously need some sun on my arms....ach....
and a whole lot of tricep curls....ach again....
01/01/11 The two sides are almost done. I misjudged the amount of bias tape I needed and ran out. Of course nobody has any of that colour in stock so I am left with special ordering it. Twice as expensive but it will come to the house and I can save a gallon of gas. Now I have to decide what to do about the grommets/eyelets. Will post photos soon.
This was a test run with the heavy duty boning and multiple layers of fabric on my super cheapie machine -- whoo hoo! seems to work. Machine sewed through all the layers and didn't explode.
Step one -- all the pieces sewn together, you can see the poor fit/match of the pattern on the sides.....bla. This is with the back side in the center.
Sewed and boned.
With the hand applied bias tape that I then ran out of.
This is the front which didn't turn out too badly in terms of having things match.THE MARKING PEN FIASCO:
After spending more than two hours marking my pattern pieces with a special marker that disappears when water is spritzed on it I realized that apparently the purple markings decided to evaporate into thin air! What??!! Only to be horrified later that when I remarked everything now the marks don't really want to come off at all. Good thing this is a test garment and it is worn UNDER clothing because I'm ticked off now. Not really sure why this is all happening. Please feel free to share why my water soluble marker is evaporating into thin air then becoming somewhat permanent after I do a second application (even thought the first is gone).
I have half the corset boned. The heavy duty zip ties are working well. I borrowed the candle idea to sear the ends, i snip them into a "u" shape then heat them to soften any hard points. Seems to work. It all seems that one package (15/36" zip ties) will work out just fine.
AND SO IT BEGINS....
Day one of the project and I'm already thinking that maybe I should just save for a year or two and buy one....but I trudge on.
* Washed and dried the canvas. Turns out it is some sort of extraterrestrial material and required some serious ironing which really didn't get all the dents out but will work well enough.
* I completely regret my fashion fabric choice. Spent way too much time trying to get the front and rear to look good (forget matching up). I cut the sides completely randomly. I should have gone with a yard of cheap Dupioni.
* The pattern seems to be missing marking s which almost doesn't matter since several reviews have stated that one should consider boning the pattern altogether differently. The blogs also suggest cutting it one size smaller if you want it to cinch.
* I noticed that the lacing holes are not for spiral lacings which is period correct.
* I am (gasp) not making a mock-up this time. I'm just going to wing it and see how it turns out. The investment is not large at this point -- $20 worth of fabric and pattern.
* Since this is a first run I did not spend the money on spring steel boning. For $7.99 at Lowes I found a package of 15 - 36" heavy duty zip ties. So that is eight bucks for fifteen yards of boning. I'll invest in the good stuff if this is worth repeating.
...Butterick Patterns of History.....maybe next time I'll get the J.P. Ryan pattern.
Day two of the project resulted in all the pieces being cut out and basted to the canvas. I was worried that my cheap machine wouldn't sew through all the layers but doing a test bit found the results to be satisfactory. I also test sewed some channels and treaded the boning through them. Again, it looks like it will work ok for this first attempt.
I decided that I will add more bones to the pattern. Reading various reviews it was suggested not to bone every horizontal channel because you get an odd rolling to the bodice. I will probably add a channel or two and then do every other one.
Update: apparently I bought a two pack of marking pens -- one water disappearing ink the other air....guess which one I used and ended up with the headache above....bla!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Steampunk -- A First Attempt
01/23/11 SUCCESS!
I can not explain what an amazing evening the Edwardian Ball was....it was a feast for the eyes at every turn. The sheer volume of creativity was astounding. Everything was just amazing!
I added to the Steampunk feel a few things:
- very delicate silk crochet gloves
- walking stick (world market find--it was broken so I got a great deal then screwed in a draw pull as a finial)
- a glass locket with a curl of hair hung from black ribbon (home made mourning jewelery--don't worry nobody died)
- a course silver rope necklace with a keyhole locket (from Michaels)
- a single "white out" contact to give a macabre look to the whole thing.
The evening got very warm so eventually I removed my jacket. I was very tightly laced into my Vollers corset so there was an abundance of cleavage -- but the setting was appropriate for such a display. I would not display such cleavage at a historically correct period function. Here are some pictures with some other of the costume goers.
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Getting ready to leave this shot shows the back bustle which although draped differently than my original plan still came out well enough. I was bothered that my hair-piece didn't look so great because I did not pomade my hair, but then again it was dark most of the evening so that was a detail that most likely wasn't too glaring. |
01/22/11 Tonight is the Ball.....here is the website if anyone is interested: http://edwardianball.com/ The outfit has come out well, right now I don't have photos of the finished project but will have those after the fact. Historically it is a disaster....a little bit of this and a little bit of that, a mishmash of 1880s - 1910. But Steampunk doesn't have to be correct. Getting the bustle right was a bit of a challenge and I'm not sure I really am thrilled about the finished product...it is different that the photos above...closer to the body with both soft and angular edges. I did like the boned gusset at the bottom. It definitely has a Cirque feel to it. Photos will be updated soon.
Going to the SF Edwardian Ball at the end of January, 2011, I wanted something darker to wear. I went years ago with a mock late 1890's ballgown which was just too cheery and bright. This year I decided not to recreate anything authentic but rather do something with a Steampunk/Goth kind of feel.
I knew that I would build this around my Vollers corset. I found a wonderful pair of lace up black "high button" looking boots, and fab stripped fabric. Sadly the suit I thought I'd sew wasn't meant to be because the bolt of fabric only had three yards. This was a stripped fabric with a black herringbone weave background and brown velvet stripes. It was a bit stiff but not too much so that I couldn't get some drape out of it.
I built the skirt from a contemporary evening skirt pattern. To get the inset to flare stiffly (and not in any way period correctly) I ran covered boning along the bottom. I then draped the over skirt and bustle. The pics are all in a pinned stage, we'll see what the final looks like.
The short jacket was a find on Ebay. It had some plain see-it-everywhere trim on it which I cut off and replaced with this wonderful upholstery fringe that has a great period look. Now all I have to do is get everything sewn in place.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Jane Austin Here I Come -- Regency Short Stays
I already loath this project with a passion. I have screwed up so many times I'm wondering if it is an omen. Normally I don't have so many projects going on at once but this one didn't seem so hard. I'm using a discontinued Simplicity pattern (love Ebay).
What I have discovered is that apparently I am a bit top heavy to get that really nice Regency look. The goal is a refined Regency look not Regency strumpet. I fit the canvas only to realize that even with the "D" bust gussets I am spilling out all over the place -- not good. Good if I was trying to be Pamela Anderson but not good if one is trying to emulate a lady like character from an early 19th century romance novel. I am going to finish this project from hell but most likely I will need to sew long stays to get the look, line, and support I want. The short stays will have a number of modifications:
What I have discovered is that apparently I am a bit top heavy to get that really nice Regency look. The goal is a refined Regency look not Regency strumpet. I fit the canvas only to realize that even with the "D" bust gussets I am spilling out all over the place -- not good. Good if I was trying to be Pamela Anderson but not good if one is trying to emulate a lady like character from an early 19th century romance novel. I am going to finish this project from hell but most likely I will need to sew long stays to get the look, line, and support I want. The short stays will have a number of modifications:* As suggested in other blogs I am not sewing the arm straps to the front part of the stay. I will use grommets and tighten and loosen as necessary.
* I will add boning to the front and sides, possibly back of stay to help hold the girls up.
* I will need to shorten the straps as I'm short in the upper body/torso and at the same time probably taper them in the front.
UPDATE: 01/09 -- I truly hate this project. This should have been a no-brainer project. I shortened the straps, added boning...all super easy. Then realized that like the 18th century stays I should have made these at least a size smaller. The dry run fittings seemed to go ok...it was just after I completely finished the things (minus the grommets) did I realize that this was just too big around the ribcage. Stays are supposed to be drawn tightly or at least snug. This was true to my regular measurements and instead of closing with at least an inch (should be more) space between the two ends, it fit end to end. I could have scrapped this and started again but didn't. Instead I cut the back in half, overlapped the center canvas and stitched it on the machine then started piecing everything together. UGLY UGLY UGLY, but then again no one will see this and I will put together a better set in the future.
On the upside it took me 25 minutes or so to put together a chemise to use. I opted for a sleeveless version so I could also use it for the 18th century stays and just be cooler under a costume while dancing.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
New Projects -- the Dreams of Things to Come
I have a huge list this next year of things to sew. Not sure how much I'll get done but with house repairs to my 110 year old crack house winding down it should free up some time.
18th century stays are the first project after the try at Steampunk for the Edwardian Ball in late January. Since this is a first try I decided not to break the bank fabric wise. I bought an embroidered faux silk (e.g. some mystery poly fabric), super strong canvas since I can't get coutille locally, and some cotton that I had already for the liner.
18th century stays are the first project after the try at Steampunk for the Edwardian Ball in late January. Since this is a first try I decided not to break the bank fabric wise. I bought an embroidered faux silk (e.g. some mystery poly fabric), super strong canvas since I can't get coutille locally, and some cotton that I had already for the liner.
I'm using a Butterick pattern and trying out one with a front lacing because I so often have to dress myself this just may be easier in the long run. I will also purchase a grommet setter and order corset grommets because I just love grommets so much. Actually it is because I'm lazy and don't want to do all the eyelets by hand.
I will order patterns from J.P. Ryan for the pocket hoops and for the dress, although I plan to use a silk wedding dress and redo it eventually. I may do a first attempt using a cheaper fabric.
* First attempt at Steampunk-ish outfit
* Regency stays.
* Regency dress (have a wonderful raw silk sari from India to use)
* 1870's outfit
Old Projects
Here are photos from past projects. All were worked from readily available commercial patterns. Some required a bit of tweeking, others required a complete redo -- but since I don't draft patterns they allowed me to have a base to work from. I also try to costume on a budget. I love the scoring a bolt of fabric for $2 or less a yard and turning into something really fun....although it is getting harder and harder to do that.
Please note that the gentleman is "borrowed" -- if he is yours and you wish him back let me know and I will remove the photo.
Fourth of July at the Rengstroff House in Mountain View.
This was high-tea at the Palace hotel in San Francisco. We were a large group and it was just an amazing experience.
This was PEERS Vampire ball (hence the eerie eyes and fangs). I changed the trim out deciding I hated the trim I had made previously. Some store bought trim in muted gold and black did the trick. The collar and cuffs are antique pieces i worked into the costume. When I retire this dress I will salvage them for another dress.
My only Ren Faire outfit has evolved over the years. The vest was a Simplicity pattern that I changed to have a double lacing in the front. Since I've retained quite a bit of post baby weight the vest doesn't really fit well but what the heck, its Ren Faire....a little bit of spillage never hurt anyone.
This costume was done on the cheap. The natural fabrics in the skirt were $1 - 3 a yard. The Celtic woven leather belt was (new) $1.99 at Goodwill, and I had a lot of the doodads I hung from the belt. I've remade the skirts once and still use the origional chemise. I tried my hand at a cap one year but didn't like it. Still, the rules are that you should cover your hair....which is why I attempted the braided scraps of skirt material.
All the Middle Eastern jewelery were things I already owned. I took the costume to a more Gypsy like direction so it all pulled together. Btw...I do not play the harp...I was asked to sit for the photo.
Many years ago I had a fang-master in NYC make me a custom set of fangs. This was before the Halloween super stores had decent fangs for $19.99. Sadly I when I started using the kind of toothpaste that whitens your teeth my super expensive scary fangs started to look mis-matched. My dentist is going to see what he can do about that. The other Vampire necessity is the scary contacts. Mine are both super creepy and prescription...lol...a must when driving to the party.
This is an outfit I designed and helped sew for a friend then borrowed back. It was like an evil wood sprite deal...I braided in a long hair piece (love wigs and press-on hair). Turned out pretty cool.
This outfit consisted of my first corset. I ordered it from England, again Ebay. They are now four times the price which is a bit of a bummer but it has held up well. It is patent leather looking. This was back when I could close it at 23" (days long gone).
The skirt was a crushed red velvet that I glued thousands of shimmery beads to to get this really cool Baroque look to it. I loved the bird -- as the night wore on people asked me how I had trained it to sit on my finger at the club...lol. Another note was that this old house was seriously haunted...it was a trip living there...but that is another story...
Ketchup.....really......it's only ketchup.......
This was a Rennaisance pattern that to say the least I changed up a bit. It was lined with red silk with a Chinese love poem embroidered on it (or at least that is what the lady at the silk shop told me). Lots and lots of grommets. Everything was held together by them. The black material was a stretch leather. The choke collar was made from curtain findings and the pendant was the Chinese symbol for "evil" which I made from craft clay that you can bake.
This costume upsets a lot of people. Sorry to the religious folks viewing this, no demonic intention intended.....I used the same Simplicity pattern as the outfit above. This had a red stretch jersey under black mesh. It had the same sleeves as above but they were all mesh. The choker is Hollywood prop barbed wire. I had to beg a costume shop in LA to sell me a yard of the stuff and ship it to me since nobody had it here and I had to have barb wire for the choker. The inverted cross is the letter "t" I got at Michaels.
This was the night in Vegas (yes people...it was Halloween) that I discovered that I AM the third wicked stepsister! These fab gentlemen were taking a pic and I just couldn't resist but ask...got to love a fantastic photo op.
The dress is a Vogue wedding dress pattern made out of black patent looking material. Never again will I sew with this stuff, I nearly lost my mind. This dress also had a lot of grommets and laced up the back giving it a corset like look. The horns were a new edition from a wonderful artist. They were a big splurge. She had a pair for sale that was discounted because they were not custom coloured. I painted them to my liking and presto....pure evil.
My basic 1860s day dress is a Simplicity pattern. The lace collar is antique and was purchased from the Sunnyvale lace museum. This was worn over a Victorian corset, late Victorian chemise, split bloomers (also Simplicity), and a hoop. The hoop is not period correct in the least bit, thank you Ebay. However, since I do not adhere to strict historical accuracy the hoop worked just fine.
Initially when I sewed it I used hook and eye tape, which is why in the colour photo you see a thin black line from that angle. I covered the tape (by hand) with fabric and problem solved. Sepia photo is from Dickens, I didn't work the event, just geeked out and attended in costume.
Initially when I sewed it I used hook and eye tape, which is why in the colour photo you see a thin black line from that angle. I covered the tape (by hand) with fabric and problem solved. Sepia photo is from Dickens, I didn't work the event, just geeked out and attended in costume.
The next two outfits are based off an Edwardian Past Patterns pattern. The first time I made the dress was from tissue silk from a cannibalized wedding dress. There used to be a time that you could buy old silk gowns on Ebay for $20 or less. Those days are long gone. I added inset cotton lace and machined button holes up the back bodice. I made the hat from covering a cheap straw hat with silk and silk roses and ribbon. I’m using a Victorian corset in both Edwardian dresses but realized if you stand a bit wonky you can get the right look. The black/gold dress is made from $2 a yard embroidered cotton and a table cloth with the same paisley pattern. Didn’t love the tablecloth but it was a cheap source of fabric. The black/gold dress uses a sleeve pattern from a Past Patterns Attic Copy bodice. I bought the pattern specifically for the sleeve. The cut of the overskirt is copied from a fashion plate I found on-line somewhere. I also made the hat, again using a cheap straw hat. This time I added antique feathers that I was gifted with many years ago. The silver ladies coin/money holder at my waist and the metal mesh bag are a real antiques that I was gifted with from a family member. The gentleman in the military uniform was graciously loaned by his wife for the photo op.
This was PEERS Vampire ball (hence the eerie eyes and fangs). I changed the trim out deciding I hated the trim I had made previously. Some store bought trim in muted gold and black did the trick. The collar and cuffs are antique pieces i worked into the costume. When I retire this dress I will salvage them for another dress.
My only Ren Faire outfit has evolved over the years. The vest was a Simplicity pattern that I changed to have a double lacing in the front. Since I've retained quite a bit of post baby weight the vest doesn't really fit well but what the heck, its Ren Faire....a little bit of spillage never hurt anyone.
This costume was done on the cheap. The natural fabrics in the skirt were $1 - 3 a yard. The Celtic woven leather belt was (new) $1.99 at Goodwill, and I had a lot of the doodads I hung from the belt. I've remade the skirts once and still use the origional chemise. I tried my hand at a cap one year but didn't like it. Still, the rules are that you should cover your hair....which is why I attempted the braided scraps of skirt material.
VAMPIRES AND OTHER THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT:
The other type of costumes I like to put together are fanciful and scary vampiric ones. As I said previously I have been doing these long before it became so cool to be a vampire. I've offended some with a costume or two, but just remember -- they are just costumes....I don't run around sucking blood, although the idea of sleeping all day is seriously appealing.
The skirt was a crushed red velvet that I glued thousands of shimmery beads to to get this really cool Baroque look to it. I loved the bird -- as the night wore on people asked me how I had trained it to sit on my finger at the club...lol. Another note was that this old house was seriously haunted...it was a trip living there...but that is another story...
This costume upsets a lot of people. Sorry to the religious folks viewing this, no demonic intention intended.....I used the same Simplicity pattern as the outfit above. This had a red stretch jersey under black mesh. It had the same sleeves as above but they were all mesh. The choker is Hollywood prop barbed wire. I had to beg a costume shop in LA to sell me a yard of the stuff and ship it to me since nobody had it here and I had to have barb wire for the choker. The inverted cross is the letter "t" I got at Michaels.
This was the night in Vegas (yes people...it was Halloween) that I discovered that I AM the third wicked stepsister! These fab gentlemen were taking a pic and I just couldn't resist but ask...got to love a fantastic photo op.
The dress is a Vogue wedding dress pattern made out of black patent looking material. Never again will I sew with this stuff, I nearly lost my mind. This dress also had a lot of grommets and laced up the back giving it a corset like look. The horns were a new edition from a wonderful artist. They were a big splurge. She had a pair for sale that was discounted because they were not custom coloured. I painted them to my liking and presto....pure evil.
A late venture into blogging --
After several failed attempts to post a blog about my sewing adventures I have finally gotten it together enough to put Tfirah together. I have been an amateur costumer for years. Trial and error, a love of history, and long held interest in vampires that predated the current Twilight/True Blood phenomenon have lead me to create some fun garments.
On this blog I’ll share most of my creations as well as try to share sewing projects as I muddle through some new more complicated garments projects. Lucky for me and the rest of the San Francisco Bay costumers, there are always events one can wear one’s creations to. Then of course there is The City, where you could walk around in costume any day of the week and no one would throw you a second look – except of course the tourists…then you’ll be photographed.
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