BayCon

Well, it was great that I kept up with my costume and worked on it weekly until the Con, but it's still was last minute sewing Friday while working my table. Then there was the trying to get to the Masqarade. Wouldn't you know it, when I have finally got my hair up where I wanted it to be and was fluffing the sleeves puffs, the fire alarm went off and we were asked to go down the stairs and not use the elevators. This was a headache. I was not going to do it, I had a train on my costume and didn't want to pick the hembroidery on the stairs.

Suffice it to say, everything was resolved and the Masque went on. I will have to pull out my costume and do some fixing and fluffing to get a picture of it. I finally finished my first fantasy piece in ten years. I will have to create another one for next year! I hope to have something done for SiliCon, thinking if I can get done during the Summer months. I think the theme for costumes is going to be green this summer. Good time for it. Easy when threading the machine too.

Well, I finally feel like I got somewhere

Well, after braving torrential rains and snow, I made it down to CA this last weekend. The place was cold and well, of course I came back with a sinus infection and ear infection. So, after getting put on evil meds for that, I am plotting spending the day in front of the fire sewing and finishing up the fantasy piece I have got as far as the skirt to. The gathered 1856 dress is nearly finished, I just have to figure out what about trim and such. Yes, Sally, I will send the review when my head stops pounding.

I may actually meet my goal of getting this costume done by BayCon.
No, I will not be going to CC again, hopefully when they have it here I will. Just don't have that kinda doe.

Fantasy Renaissance Costume Takes Shape

Yes, it's an amazing thing. I actually am getting this costume done. I have been using the Simplicity Ren Fantasy collection pattern 9929. I say fantasy, because the pieces may look Renni, but they are not really. Still, if you are doing a fantasy, this costume could get knocked together in two days easy. Of course, I had to add onto the costume because, well, I had to make it a little be less flimsy.

So, my thoughts so far. The Bodice has gone together very easy. I chose View B as it could be adjusted up or down is size with a few darts or what not if needed(hint, if you plan fantasy costumes like this, you won't do huge weight fluctuations because you planned ahead)

The shoulder rolls cam out looking like our Banana Slugs do in the yard, but they are purple in this costume. The fabric is a shot taffeta with weird orange purple hue and leaf scroll all over. I have decided to ad a skirt to the bodice, make it look a little bit more real Ren. Of course, the padded rolls were about as fun as banana slugs to sew with, but I endeavored to finish them.

Notes: If you use a lightweight taffeta or other fabric for rolls. Don't over stuff them. It will try to stay straight while you fight to get your arm through it.
Also, the under chemise(which is actually the whole dress, but I had to ad more layers) runs a bit large, and I found that the bodice ran a bit small, so, don't go by your standard measurements. Make the chemise first then take measurements for the bodice over it.

Okay, now, the other purple item
The Truly Victorian 1856 Gathered Front Bodice Dress
Boy, have I gotten sucked in by the new Bleak House Series. I like the costumes very much and have been drooling over the fan fronts and wishing my mid-section was back at 25". I am working very hard on the situps and weight machines and if I get it at least to 29" I will be happy! So, since I have been drooling, I decided to use this fabric of really scary paisleys in purple. I have been fussing over this one, but all in all, it is very straight forward. But, yet again, I needed to remember that the skirts are at a height for 5'5" in height, and I needed to remember to add onto the fabric amount. So, buy two yards more than you think you will need.

Wet Weather and Fantasy Costumes

So, the long and miserable days of winter are still happening, despite the strange early spring we are having. Daffadils in January? yes in my yard they are. But hey, we had a bearded iris come up at xmas.


So, after my tragic leaving of really awful teaching program I now have some of my creativity coming back at me, with me, and around me. I have actually begun a fantasy costume! It's been a while, and I must confess I have been drooling over bodices in Bleak House(PBS). But, since I had fabric from a gift certificate last year that was drooling over taffeta with embroidery, I am working on one of the Ren patterns from Making History, McCalls I think. Anyway, it's a pure fantasy piece with gold trim. You know, trim is amazing at deptracting from body flaws if done correctly.

I am actually very happy about sewing with this pattern so far. I have a cotton poly blend with gold print chemise and I have the loverly purple orange shot taffeta. I may have enough left over for a Victorian bustle, hmmm.

Hope to have some pictures soon.

Details of the Tails at Peacock Event

1870's Underskirt
I made this pattern up originaly to go to the Japonesque event and ended up with a very easy to put together costume, but still it took a lot of time. Of course, I learned the hard way to really measure the lengths of hems because it seems every pattern for skirts with Truly V is made for someone 5'6" height max. Once I determined thatI had to make a false nem, which is period to make a street hem and such anyway. It is very important to find out any period correct excuse that you can when correcting boo boos.

I found this a very simple throw together skirt. It does span a number of years and works well with 1870's Bustle or even a later one. I have used it with a Polonaise and th French Vest Bodice and I think that as long as the upper bustle is period correct for whatever time, it doesn't matter.
Pros: Not hard to work with the pattern pieces and there is a generous waist band.
Cons: The placket side closures is a bit tricky, but if you have been sewing and making plaquets, this technique is usefull to try on other projects. The side closure makes it hard to umm, expand if there is any weight gain. But, anything can be adapted.

Bustled Apron Overskirt
Curtains away! This pattern is one of the easier bustles I have done, I had to think Roman shades a bit with it. The directions are typical of TV, some diagrams and lots of written steps. But really, these basic bustles are very easy to throw together.
Pros: The tie system she uses is very good for results, however I think I would have to ad that using either smalls d rings or the roman shade rings on strategic places on the skirt near bustle top, may help in keeping the shifting from happening when using slipery fabrics..or any for that matter. Some people swear by huge pop snaps. The waistband is generouse again and I would secure the apron to the skirt waistband using snaps or hooks.
Cons: slipage of snotty slick fabric. Attaching d rings to the skirt will help the slippage of the skirts. Well, as much as can be expected. Also, the netting wasn't feasable at the time for me, but you may want to try it if your fabric is not picable.

1884 French Vest Bodice
Okay, this was very well fitted but I did have some issues, some of which being my silly "not paying attention" issues, or working black fabric late in the day. I started this vest pattern when it came out and intended to make it to the Peacock Event. I had to not work on it for about 3 months and picked it up again in the spring. The TV sizing system was great for when I first started but, well, there was expansion. These things do happen. So, the details:

I made this up and as I said, the expansion happened later. I decided with the vest part to be in this really cool, but easily fraying oriental faux silk stuff, I would wait until I had really gotten most of the bodice done before cutting it. Good thing I did as I rechecked the fit and went, hmmm, next size up in the front bit.This got me when I forgot to size up in the collar as well to make it fit and rubber chickened myself over the head. So, I did size up and adjust and was able to get to a wearable point with it, but then had two problems:
Cons:
1. when sizing for the bodice, I had made measurements over skirt and petticoats and such for the hip measurements, but I did not allow adequate for the front hip area. So, really check this. I know, I had been working on all items at once and trying to get things fitted in the right order, but blew it still.

2. the front closure. I have been working a lot with hook and eye tape because well, I just can't do the fine details anymore. So I had a poofing problem happen because the brocade was very thick and well, wanted to poof when closed. So I had to do a second set of hooks...well, so much for making it easier on myself with the hook and eye tape. If you have a better machine than mine, you can do the button holes as suggested, but it would be hard in the fabric I chose.

okay, I mixed eras, bad me!!! Well, it survived the day.

By the way, these ladies made me sick with those frills and such attention to details...I am quite green with envy on these ladies and their fine trims...off to pout now.

New Insanity, Bodices Galore

Or, how to start several projects at once and when you get stuck, work on the other. I have been working on 2 1830's dresses, one using the Sense and Sensibility Romantic gown with a early 1800's retro print, and a re make of the original gown I first made, many years ago, well my first attempt outside Renaissance costumes anyway, the 1830's High Waisted Full Gown by Past Patterns. I made it in another bargin bin fabric of a butterscotch background with little buds all over. So, I will probably reference them as 1830's Butterscotch and 1830's Beige.

So, I have also gotten some pictures of different stages of the costumes and also have two Regency Projects to finish up...and yes, I do have the Ren costume mostly done. I may actually get it out and about this Fall.

About the Only Good Thing in losing summer employement

....is that you can finish all those projects youve put off for months. I mean, I should be used to it by now with the school district. Being told that a job is there and well, something goes Kablam. So, I am looking at my pelise and being pleased about it. Th fabric is scrummy and maybe with this time that I suddenly have off, I can get some actual pictures up!

You are all shocked I am sure.

So, off to do battle with the evil lung disease I will now call the plague...otherwise known as the doctor's haven't a clue. I will dive into some fabric boxes this week and see about those costume projects that have been locked away.

New Costume Ideas for 2005

Ah, What to Create For 2005?

Spencers and Pelise, Gowns
For one, I am going to try to get my Pelise done, it's cut out. The student teaching has just sucked out all of my creative time. I would like to get this item done so if I have any life left in me after BayCon, I can go to the Regency Picnic and relax. I see myself falling asleep under a tree or something. I would like to get my Pelise in Paisley done, but may not be able to in time. If I get the top portion done, I could wear it as a Spencer, then attach the bottom later. Then there is the silly hat! I have a bib gown that needs some completion, so I hope to wear that.

Finish that Ren Faire Costume, right?
I hope to touch this a few times this summer and get it at least wearable. I am sure the first time I get it mobile, I will regret mistakes. I hope that by working part time in the summer I can finally get it done. It is a plush green and has some great trim going on. But I fear that my storage was not the greatest of things and need to get it out and aired.

Mourning in Victorian, and Dickens
Ooh, and let's not forget the two dresses I would like to get done, one very silly frilly one, or well, just the basics done first and then make it nice with trim later. I also hope to make a mourning dress out of my super WallMart Fabric, you know, the spooky stuff I found for like $3.00 a yard;-)

Next Installment: Ears at Last

BayCon 2005

The Dealer's Room I go..
It is just around the corner, BayCon 2005. This is my first attempt at selling in a bigger venue. I hope that after what I experienced at Costume Academy, this will be a success too. I have been gathering more products and some fun feathers and such to sell, and hope if I can sell 2/3 of what I bring, I can break even. This will also give me some feedback from live customers and see how reactions are to products. While selling on line is a wonderful thing, and keeps prices down, real time feedback is good.

I do expect that there will be some rivalry in the merchants room, there ususally is. It's sad, but I guess I have concerns about it. On the other hand, why shouldn't I have a chance? I think maybe there is room for all and would love to see a lot of us successful. I am hoping to have great combacks for the typical, shall I say, stir ups that occur in some situations like this. I hope it can be a fun thing to do for all, I hate it when everything is so negative.

Dickens and Holidays, way to early

It's been insane the last few months with doing the teaching. My business is finally taking off a bit, but now it's end of year so I will be selling things at huge discounts!

The dress is finally looking good, but now I have all the finishing bits, like hooks, snaps, bottons. The buttoning down the front just got too intemedating for now so I did the hook and eye thing and will just sew on the buttons, collar and the removable cuffs. I haven't got the pattern for Vaughn's vest yet so I am not sure about it, getting it done before Dickens is asking too much. We may have to make it up for next year.

I wish that this school stuff wasn't taking up so much time, I have things I would like to work on . I have planned for at least finishing the Ren costumes, doing an Italian Ren, and of course trying to do that first LOTR dress. I still have to rescue my other ear from Trystan's cats.

Movie Review, Vanity Fair

I think the color palette was amazing and wild, lots of fun...but the historical side of me says:
1. What was she doing scrubbing the floor in that dupioni!!!! The dress would have been plainer, even if Becky was leaving that day.
2. What of that lack of bonnets? Now, the headwear was quite silly and faciful in the time period, but still there is something to be said of keeping that skin protected while traveling. Of course as Becky rose in the social ladder, her hats could be just as outrageously silly, but still a fashion statement.
3.Parting in the rain without shaperone or gentlemen's escort, unheard of even if people didn't like the little minx.

Now, a lot of the hair showing off was quite wonderful for the Apollo Knots and head dresses, still, when it was raining, head covering was very important.
Oh, I forgot, they had an American Starlet in the lead. Oh, silly me.
Now, I did like the outer layers of the Pelises and such, great amounts of silk and layering in colors were devine. I look forward to some feather and hairdoos from this film showing up at the Cyprian's Ball. The Bollywood number from the Marquis of Steyne's performance would be very entertaining.

It was interesting to see Natasha Little who played the Sharpe character in the A@E production as Lady Jane in this production. Wonder how that was on the set?
All in all, I would get it on DVD for the costumes alone, but that is what we do anyway;-)

My 40th Birthday was filled with blue gooo....

Well, I can say that it was one really great way to do something fun with friends and some strangers and live to tell the tale! I went to the GBACG's Ears workshop taught by Jay Hartlove. We learned how to make plaster casts of our ears. The first part is really eery as we had to have a cup placed on our ears and then had blue goo poured over my ears. It was rather bizare to have to lie with our heads on the table and trying to keep the body propped up while we were at such odd angles. The hours went by in various stages as we poured ears and had others keep it straight and then swapped with each other. The molds started with a dental mold gel, then we poured plaster and started the long process of building up the ears.

The purpose of all these stages, is to build a plaster mold of your ears so that you can then make a mold for latex or gel ears. The next step is to sculpt clay onto the tips to make elven ears, or whatever your character may be. I hope that over the holidays I will be able to do this as right now the next two months is just chaotic.

And Yes, I Still Hate Bodices

Whew, this last three weeks has been murder trying to get time to be creative, all the student teaching has been draining me. I have slowly gotten my bodice to just about the next phase. Then I found out the dies for the grometer won't be available until first week of October. This is really making my costume drag out until the bitter end. I hope to do the length on the skirt tonight if I can get Vaughn to help with a fitting, I guess I can do the tedious work on heming and then some of the other adjustments. Last night I started putting small faux pearls on the fore part. I have to do it in a way so that it is reversable, so it's of course going to take longer. The comes the trim placement. I have been agonising over this for quite a while now. I have trim I want to use, and I know it's really cool looking stuff, but I still think it could be overblown. What, Elizabethan over blown...yee jest surely.

Vaughn's doublet is starting to take shape. I got the lining done but the outter fabric is so thick that I will have to have him do the deed. I love the color of burgundy, and it has a cool brocade on it. But still, it twill be stiffling possibly.

AVP Movie Review

Okay, we knew it would be strange and well, you know the last sequel wasn't so great. Here's what I had a problem with. Warning, spoilers rules don't apply, they just don't.

I had to admit that the costuming was great for the creatures, lotsa scary goo and all. The Predator weapons were really fantastic and well done. Well, accept for when they suit up the heroine with a Alien Head shield and the lance made of tail, those looked pretty bad. Also, the whole,"yeah we chose to be on the Predator side as a lesser of two evils", didn't really do it for me. Pretty flat.

Problems: okay, how is it that the larval aliens can transform so quickly into adults? In all the other films, the metamorphose takes several days and yet that also helps build the suspense up a bit. From the time the hosts are attacked in the upper chamber, it seems like a few hours has passed.

Overall, if you like the effects, that's what you watch it for. The creatures had some great costuming. But plot wise, you are left hanging in dead airspace, not suspense.

I started this costume why?

Okay, so after days of battle with the bodice that a Jedi Knoght would be proud of, I have finally decided to work on the skirting bits. Have I explained how much I hate piping? Even with the new piping foot, it is a daunting task. I think I will use the quilters glue tape I got for another project to help make the piping stay basted on while battling the piping foot. I always seem to get slipage problems. So I will spend a good amount of time preping the pieces and hoping for the best.

Ears!

In a few weeks I will be at a workshop for ear making so I can have the pointy things. I know, it will be a headache trying to learn how to work with them. Then trying to actually put them on for the con will be very strange. I wonder if L'Oreal true match system with work for them, you know with the blending. Well, then there is the costume designing for one of the LOTR background characters I wanted to make. I will have to try to find a fabric that comes close to being the right color even...sigh.

Japonesque Polonaise

japonesquepolinaise
Originally uploaded by janetscostume.

I made this with the Truly Victorian Polonaise pattern and after sizing it according to directions, I may have to move the frog closures over and create a third dart on both sides. I still have to attach the back of the bustle to the underskirt with big hooks. The interlining while helping to hold the shape, did indeed make it very hot to wear.

I like the way it looks and it is nice to ba able to step into it. I may make another one in a lighter fabric in the spring of this year.

Victorian Mourning Gown

Victorian Mourning Gown
Originally uploaded by janetscostume.

I miss this costume. I finally outgrew it so I had to adopt it out to a slimmer person than me.

This was made in 1991 using the Past Patterns reform 1880's dress. I liked it alot because you could bone it a bit and it looked like you were corseted, but you weren't. The dress celebrates the dress reform movement where a doctor of the time decided that yes, all this corseting and heavy clothing may not be good for a woman's body.

argh, lost the blog

I really hate Ren Bodices Now, I just lost my blog. Argh, I lost all the work and I hate having to do it again.

So, the redo on the bodice was hell. I had to keep sizing it down. I had to convert to a back openning from a side opening bodice. I really hate that I went one way and the fit decided another. Grr. And I don't care if the piping is right at this point, it's a miracle it happened at all. I will have to hide a lot of mess with the killer trim of doom I got.

Argh, this was some mess. I hope if I figure out the picture upload on this I can get some photo's in the blog.

The Dicken's Costume idea I had seems a piece of cake at this point.

No Time to Sew, Sigh

It's a weekend that was stolen yet again. I have to somehow creep in some work on the bodice and cutting out Vaughn's doublet. The house finally got cleared of some debris from the evil kitchen that ate our lives, and sorted out some of the cyclone in the costuming room.

Now, I know I labeled and organized tubs full of the current project, but now I feel lost. Like, where is it, you labelled it, but I knew where it was before. Can you see why I watch Clean Sweep on TLC? Or is it the other network, whatever. It's good to see that other people can be worse at clutter than me.

Welcome To My Costume Madness

Faire-Ly Speaking, it's right into faire season and I am still slaving away at bits and pieces of my and Vaughn't costumes. Of course, everyting has just gotten in the way, life keeps seeping in, the main evil doer being the Ikea Kitchen From Hell. More on that terrible experience later.

So, where are we at?

The bottom portions of the costumes are mostly done. After re-doing catridge pleating twice, fiddly bits, and trying everthing on, I discovered I had already ripped a gusset just doing fittings. So, I have to go and fix that bit. If we make it to Northern or Folsom Faire with the bare basics not including sleeves, twill be a miracle.
J