The Accidental Seamstress

It is all about the severed head...

2010-03-16T13:51:14Z

I discovered last year that I wasn't really a true historical costumer. When you keep trying to figure out a way to work fabric with bras all over it into your costuming wardrobe, you are pretty much not going to be adhering to strict costuming guidelines of a historical nature.

And after recreating all those Six Wives portraits, I didn't think I would ever want to recreate another costume from a portrait EVER AGAIN.

And then I was inspired by this picture:

The outfit is BEAUTIFUL. The colors are gorg. The beading is exquisite. AND IT HAS A SEVERED HEAD. How cool is that???
Then I was trying to find the right sleeves for my German Cranach gown, and I wound up using this picture:

Again with the severed head.
I decided to do a little research on Judith/Salome, and discovered something. If I wanted to, I could have a wardrobe of Salome/Judith costumes, all from different countries, different time periods, etc.
I found this one, which is also painted by an Italian, in 1596, but with a different flavor than the German inspired ones above:

Of course Cranch the Elder AND the Younger painted Judith/Salome numerous times, so I am not including all of the pictures here. But I could have an outstandingly beautiful collection of German dresses if I did nothing but recreate their portraits.
How about this one:

Judith the Gypsy.
And this one:

1486. Love the stitching on the gown.
And this one!

17th century. That color is so beautiful.
1598 German/Flemish:

The brown outfit here is really lovely with the veil:

And some more Italian styles:

Venetian!

The bodice on this yellow one is really interesting:

The embroidery on this one from 1600 is amazing:

I think this is 1665, and it is a real stunner:


Another Italian:

A red number from 1515:

I am uncertain of what era this would represent, but it is from 1878:

The choices of fabric designs in this are beautiful:

Of course Judith/Salome as gypsy is well represented, and this is one of my favorites, from 1909:


I think I am going to skip the mostly naked era though:

And bringing us back to the beginning is the companion piece to the Solario portrait which first caught my eye:

I am really tempted to have an All Salome/Judith wardrobe. Although I think more than one severed head is overkill...

Check out Decollete for more info on Judith/Salome.

Just your typical wedding party

2010-01-31T23:35:41Z

Welcome to Aunt Irma's New Age Disco Parlour.

Last night the Wench Posse celebrated the birth of our co-founder, The Chick. Her wish was that we dress up in bridesmaid dresses and go bowling. Which we did, with some minor alterations.

See, first The Chick and I found 2 vintage wedding dresses at Value Village for $1.00 each, and they both fit her. So we decided that if we were all going to be bridesmaids, then she should be the bride. And then the Gay Blade, our own King Henry and I went shopping for his bridesmaid dress and decided that he should instead be the Mother of the Bride. We then found this bright orange caftan and it all went to hell. I had a weave I had bought at a local hair shop (real human hair that matches mine) and sewed it into strips on an orange headband and made myself some disco hair. And then I made corsages, and an ENORMOUS corsage for the Gay Blade that was rather similar to the plant from the Little Shop of Horrors.

Shortly thereafter others got in on the act and we did the whole "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue" thing for The Chick as well, with very entertaining results. We had an excellent time bowling, and entertained many folks at the bowling alley.

Here is the photographic evidence:

The Bride and her Mother.

Cousin MamaRox the 80's Rawk Goddess, Aunt Grace the Virtuous, and Cousin DangerKitty, the goth chick.

The Bride and her sluttly little sister, Princess A.

Totally pissed she has to attend a wedding.

Crazy Aunt Irma and Georgie the College Roommate.

Some people drank way too much and cavorted with groomsmen.

Some college roommates were stuck in the 80's with their blue mascara and eye shadow.

Some people crashed the wedding for the beer.

Who needs sleeves when you've got guns like these?

The Bride and her BFFs.

The group picture of our disfunctional family.

I highly recommend bowling in bridesmaid dresses. Just make sure your outfit is not so vintage that it falls apart as you bowl...

2009 - A Year in Costume

2010-01-07T05:56:18Z

There seems to be an abundance of "Year Of" posts, so I am drinking the Kool-Aid, jumping off the bridge, and doing what all the Cool Kids are doing and posting my own version. Some are my own outfits, most are made for others, and several more almost drove me to the brink of insanity in their persnickity-ness (is that a word?). So here we go!

I cannot again share the tragedy of my Midwinter Feast outfit. It was really horrible, and it became two lovely outfits. So I will share those instead:

Ignore the bad hair, basket, and my jeans underneath (it was April in MN). What is left is a nice Venetian, considering it is my first.

The beading on this was one of my favorite things I have done. The dress has since moved onto a good home.

This dress was so loved by Marti Potter that she asked me to make one for her. I think the fabric worked really well on all three gowns.

Next up was a black and silver outfit partially completed from my prior business:

Unseen are the lovely blackworked sleeves a la fabric found at Joann's.

I also finished Princess A's blue quilted outfit, adding tabs and more pearls and sleeve caps:

I also completed several other Princess outfits for her for the new year.

The reworked purple:

The blue taffeta:

And the blue velvet with Tudors trim:

I met the lovely Countess Ang of the royal court and made a blue outfit for her:

(Beading done by Ang, hat made by me)

And reworked her peach outfit:

Ang is big on bling and sparkle.

Then I made a doublet for myself at the last minute, which didn't fit right, was reworked, and sold to someone else. I also helped the chick make a Scottish outfit out of MacDonald of Glencoe tartan woven by St. Croix Weaving:

It was really damn cold at the Scottish Fair, folks.

I made a REALLY SHINY purple dress:

And a rockin' leather bodice for Georgie. I also made skirts for a pirate outfit for myself (red bodice was a gift), and skirts for Princess A. (The Chick is wearing her Marie LaVeau costume from last year) All made for Twig, were we went as Pirates.

I made a completely crazy Camo dress for the Bristol Day of Wrong that first premiered at the Costume College Gala:

I also helped the Chick with her Green Bay costume, made Georgie's Mardi Gras costume, as well as Princess A's "Miss Ren Fest" costume. I made a red Elizabethan for Georgie that she calls her "Mina" dress (from Dracula) which has not yet been photographed.

I made a shiny silver dress:

And a french gown:

Thanks again to DJRenee for her help with hair and make-up.

I made a pirate coat:

And a leather bodice with a rampant lion applique in leather, with a Cunningham tartan skirt for Highland weekend at MNRF:

I made a Bishop's vestments and mitre hat for St. Nicholas, as well as modifying a nifty zoot suit and adding glitzy appliques for Santa Carlucci:

I modified a leather vest into a bodice and wore it for Irish weekend, day 1:

Then I made an Irish outfit based off of drawings from my Irish Headgear class at Costume College (worn with the only other hat I had - looks a bit Flemish with it):

G, Miss K and Ms. M and I spent several evenings making them Elizabethans:

They looked disgustingly cute and had a swell time. Ms. M even made her own jewelry.

Then insanity happened, and with the supportive help of my family, and many hours of sweat equity from the Posse, we went out en masse to MNRF as The Six Wives of Henry VIII (and extended relatives).

Henry VIII:

Katherine of Aragon:

Anne Boleyn:

Jane Seymour:

Anne of Cleves:

Kathryn Howard:

Catherine Parr:

Lady Jane Grey:

Queen Mary Tudor:

Ladies in Waiting:

And a group shot including our governess, Flemish painter, and tour guide, and myself:

After that madness we did a turn-around and worked on an entirely different time period. Actually, an entirely made-up time period: Steampunk.

I made DME's outfit on the left, with the exception of some found items at Goodwill.

I also made my own outfit:

And I followed that up with a green taffeta number for the Yule Ball:

Lastly I made a Captain Mal from Firefly coat for a client, complete with bullet hole. (The fabric is darker and less shiny - my camera sucks)

Unfinished this year:

1. Several German gowns that are cut out.

2. Several Italian outfits.

3. A couple of cut-out Elizabethans.

4. Queen Elizabeth I's gown.

5. A wedding gown that was started in 09 and being worn in 2010.

However? After seeing my entire year's output here, I am pretty amazed I was able to get all of that done. I couldn't have done it without the help of the Posse, and particularly The Chick, who God Bless Her LIKES to cut out fabric. Also the help of my amazingly supportive family.

I don't think I will be making that many outfits in 2010. But if I never made another outfit again? I would be pretty happy and proud of what I have made.

And tired. WOW that is a lot of sewing....

Here is to 2010: The Year of Excellent Things, and even better costumes. And maybe, just maybe, some costumes I will keep. After all - who wants to buy a Camo Elizabethan with my name on it?

Renaissance Outfits on Sale at Etsy Holiday Blowout Sale!

2009-12-22T06:02:26Z

Holiday Sale on Remaining One of a Kind outfits, to include Six Wives of Henry VIII!

Etsy Buy Handmade accidentalseamstress

In Puppy News...

2009-12-15T13:54:07Z

Yesterday was a very exciting day here at Casa de Larue. Roxie got spayed at the vet (and did beautifully) and Layla had her big surgery day. To sweeten the deal, the kids had made about 1 metric ton of peppermint bark (this is their go-to holiday gift they make for friends and teachers each year) and sent a bunch with for the surgeons. Turns out the two male surgeons had some, and were apparently bogarting it from the excellent Dr. Vicki, who had no idea what it was. I told her to make sure she got some too. She sounded a little peeved that they had been hoarding it. Hee.

Layla's surgery was scheduled for 9am, and I got a call right around 1pm telling me it had gone well, and she was in recovery. She was the second smallest dog the surgeon had ever operated on, and yet still required EIGHT coils in her shunt. Go big or stay home is the family motto, and it would seem she took that to heart. She only has the one incision in her neck from the catheter placement, and was up and eating pretty quickly after surgery. Although she did make them hand-feed her, which may or may not have been a bit of superior manipulation on her part. She also had her very own heat lamp and she made a big hit with all the med students and residents. I have no doubt she batted her big brown eyes at them and tried to snuggle with every person who came near. Plus she is small, cute, and very soft. I don't think she made the monkey noises there, as typically people mention that ("Did you know that your dog makes this high pitched noise that just sounds so disturbing?" "Why yes, I do. Particularly during dinner.").

There was a packed crowd for the surgery, and they took lots of pictures, and are taking more today. I got a call from the resident this morning at 6:15, and of course my first thought was "Oh SHIT. She's dead." Which, luckily, she wasn't. He was just getting on his shift and wanted to call before he went into surgery. She did well all night and is ready to go home today whenever I can pick her up. We are much relieved. She needs to be watched this week for possible hypertension, but otherwise we change nothing for a month. Then she has her blood taken again and we start cutting back on the meds and then the diet until finally she is free of all that. Then we just check her blood twice a year, and bile acids yearly, and hope all is well. Apparently 1/3 of all dogs need an additional couple of coils put in, but 1/2 of all dogs never have problems again. We are hoping she is in that 50%.

She and Roxie need to be kept apart for a week as they both recover, and we have to be careful of the incision in her neck. Otherwise? She is good to go. Which is amazing, considering her previous surgery involved a 6 inch incision on her tiny little 4 month old belly. She is such a trooper, and I can't wait to see her start to put on some fat on her tiny self, and get to enjoy actual protein. I think she is going to be rather fond of bacon. Roxie will no longer get to enjoy all the spoils of things that drop on the floor...

I can't thank the medical team enough, or Dr. Beal for flying down to perform the surgery, and especially Dr. Vicki for finding the funding to cover half the surgery. I know she worked her ass off to make this happen and we are forever grateful. We are also so thankful to all the people who bought dresses in the "Buy a Dress, Save a Puppy" campaign, and to each and every person who participated in the Six Wives Project and donated their time and energy to making this happen. As a family we are truly thankful. I hope that all goes well over the next week, and that we have nothing but good news to report for Layla in the new year. (Roxie has taken to trying to escape lately, so no good news there, naughty thing.)

Thank you again! Layla thanks you too.

Entering Steampunklandia Part 1

2009-12-07T05:25:04Z

I am not new to costuming, but am new to Steampunk. I first heard of Steampunk about a year ago, and whilst I was busy with All Things Tudor, The Chick was busy embracing Steampunk. She had her whole outfit planned out (she's an Assassin for hire) and had an entire outfit planned for me (I balked at the bloomers idea) and she knew more about modding weaponry than I would ever want to know.

Ellen finds a clue!

So when MNRF was over at the beginning of October, our little Posse decided that Steampunk was the next logical step in costuming evolution. We found two fall events to attend: Steampunk Kaposia's Mystery Party and the Dickensian Yule Ball.

Because all of us had no Steampunk clothing at all, (or anything even remotely approaching Steampunk clothing), for the first time I was not the only person scrambling for an outfit. Everyone who attended the Mystery Party had multiple accessories and killer hats. Except me, of course, because my outfit was again last minute, and I wore the tiny little tophat I had bought at Michael's and decorated eons ago. It also reinforced to me that I am not a tiny hat girl.

We did quite well in terms of using thrift store items to fill out our outfits. The evidence below:

We had a rather large group go to the Mystery Party, at the Alumni House at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. The house was really very nice, and the mystery was fun.

The Posse, representing.

Miss T, Chum, MamaRox, Me, DJRenee, Probie, and DME.

Putting a little hustle in our bustles.

DME the Motorcyclist/Airship Driver/Mechanic wore a jacket I found at the thrift store, a leather belt from a leather jacket I own, Princess A's Harley saddle bag, some brown faux-suede bloomers a la Jen Thompson's Zouave pants, some fingerless motorcycle gloves, and S's black riding boots and white scarf. I also made her a little leather airman's cap with swim goggles on them, but it wound up being much smaller than expected. She looked terribly cute in it, though.

DJRenee wore an old Boy Scout top she found at the thrift store, green khaki bloomers she made, a leather belt and gauntlets (also made by her) with an old boy scout belt on top. She wore some very cool skull socks and black boots. The best part was the red fez that belonged to Chum. Because apparently everyone needs a fez.

Probie found her cute black shoes and short sleeved blouse at Value Village Thriftstore, as well as her $14.00 leather jacket. Her purse is an old Brownie camera which has an amazing amount of space inside for storage. She made her hat from the Threadbangers pattern, her corset from a Simplicity pattern (which is grommeted in back), and her lovely fishtail skirt from instructions from Learningtofly here on LJ. She also made all of her own jewelry using various gears and parts she found at Ax-Man.

MamaRox was the lucky recipient of an actual wool tophat because her's was the only head that fit it. She decked it out in taffeta, feathers and flowers. Her vest and shirt were thrift store finds, as was her underskirt. Her bustle was a taffeta formal skirt from the thrift store that I pinned the bustle shape into and she sewed into place. Her fingerless gloves were I believe from Claire's. Shoes from the thrift store as well. Hair courtesy of her husband's flat iron.

Miss T had an amazing green coat with all kinds of intricate detail that she bought back in the 80's from Ragstock. We called this her Fagin Look. The black buckle belt is from Target, the accessories from Chum and MamaRox, and the boots are also items she purchased back in the 80's. The striped socks are my favorite.

Chum had a mix of stuff as well. The black blouse was from the thrift store. The hat was a little bowler hat MamaRox found and dressed up with some tulle and ribbon. The corset was given to me by Countess Ang, and found to be a very good fit for Chum. The black fabric had bled onto the white when it was washed at some point, giving it a very cool grey effect that worked well with the outfit. The boots are Born boots she bought retail (and wears everywhere, thus getting Her Money's Worth) and the scarf is also a personal item. The white eyelet underskirt was an old skirt she wore out at Fest Back In The Day, and we shortened it and added an elastic waistband. The overskirt was a stin ballgown skirt with tulle underneath that has previously been worn as part of a zombie ensemble. I sewed channels in it and we put ribbon through it and ruched it up. The tulle was then cut to length. I like to think of this as her Can-Can Girl/Mae West outfit.

I was pretty much an epic fail at thrifting. While the cool purse is actually a vintage binoculars case, and the shoes and blouse came from the discount store, everything else was either purchased full price or made from scratch. The skirt is black linen over brown linen, using Learningtofly on LJ's basic instructions for a ruched skirt, and then taking off from there. The bodice/corset is a Simplicity bridal pattern that I covered in fabric from Joann's, and leather buckle straps I found at Ax-Man. It is bound on the edges in brown leather, with a brown leather modesty panel in back. It was terribly comfortable in comparison to an Elizabethan corset, but as I like to make new things for new events, it is now for sale in my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/accidentalseamstress.

We had a great time trying to solve the mystery (though none of us did) and then went over to W.A. Frost, a restaurant with a Steampunk-like atmosphere to eat. Our waiter was a (currently unemployed, someone should hire him, he's fabulous!) opera singer and he sang a little bit of Tosca for us before we left.

This particular adventure made all of us Steampunk converts, and now instead of looking at jewelry in stores and thinking, "Wow, this would make a fabulous girdle!" we are looking at plastic guns and thinking, "I could totally mod this!"

Next up - the Dickensian Yule Ball.

Someone needs a better photo editor

2009-11-19T06:39:51Z

During my trip to Barnes and Noble the other day I looked over the table filled with "Chick Lit," which seems to have turned into "British History Chick Lit." There were more books on the Tudors, Elizabeth I, etc. than you could shake a stick at. The one that I actually had to look twice at was called The Tudor Rose. On the back it said it was about Elizabeth of York, and I thought "Huh. At least they are going back a ways and not just focusing on Henry VIII."

And then I turned it over and had a thought:

If this book is about Elizabeth of York and the late 15th Century, why was there a picture of Eleonora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo d'Medici of Florence, in the 16th Century? Surely someone would have noticed there was not only a century's difference, but also the fact that one person was Italian and the other was English?

Just for comparison - here is the original of Eleonora:

And here is Elizabeth of York:

I think that while Eleonora's gown is lovely, it probably would have been better to put a picture of the ACTUAL PERSON THE BOOK IS WRITTEN ABOUT on the cover.

Just a thought.

Excellent News

2009-11-18T19:57:11Z

I finally heard back about Layla's surgery and it is a GO! Looks like Dec. 14th is the date, and it is outpatient! How crazy is that? Then again, my heart surgery was similar, and I was only in for one day, overnight. It really is amazing what they can do with science/medicine these days.

We are very excited that this will fix Layla's problems, and the kids are very excited to feed her bacon one day. Heh. Thanks again to everyone who participated in what was Project Tudor, but was really more Project Layla. My entire family appreciates it.

(Layla, after her haircut, looking more like a Cockapoo than a Welsh Terrier.)

I will update more after her surgery.

Such a Deal

2009-11-17T06:10:42Z

I brought the 14 year old to Barnes & Noble today to participate in another NaNoWriMo "write-in" and decided to wander the stacks for a little while. I've been so busy with Project Tudor and the puppy (STILL no word from the Vet - I'm starting to get Very Concerned) and now with Grandma breaking her pelvis this past weekend it has seemed like I have not had a lot of downtime at all. So wandering amongst books was really a treat.

On a cart near the front door was a whole bunch of sale books. Sitting right on top was "Fashion, The Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute." For $19.98.

I know that this book used to run MUCH higher than that, and with my BN member card the book was only $17.98. Online right now you can purchase it for that amount if you are a member, but you will have to pay shipping. (Apparently a new edition is coming out, and they are clearancing out this one - so get it while you can!) Either way, it was a great find, and I am REALLY excited to spend an evening or two leafing through it.

And if everything works out well, I will get to go SEE the Kyoto Costume Institute in another year. Visit my brother, sister-in-law and The Prince, check out the fabric district in Tokyo and then take the train to Kyoto. How awesome would that be???

Brides, Epiphanies and Steampunk

2009-11-13T05:09:48Z

What a strange week. Strange couple of weeks, actually. So much stuff has been going on personally and professionally, and it seems like when something hits, it all happens at once.

For example, I do not like making wedding dresses. Not at all. Particularly modern ones, as I have some sort of aversion to putting in zippers. I can do it, but I don't like it. And yet while I may dislike making wedding dresses, I have never had a problem with the brides. They have always been really great people. I have been terribly fortunate in this. Maybe because the vast majority of brides were second wedding brides, or later in life, etc., but they have been far more laid back and relaxed than other clients I have had. (And I worked the Bridal Registry dept. at the local dept. store while in college, so I have seen my share of "Bridezillas.")

Why don't I like making wedding dresses? Well, first of all, they tend to be in colors that just seem to attract things like smears of whatever, blood, etc. that then show up so brightly on them. Secondly, I feel so concerned that I make the dress as perfect as possible for what is going to be their very special day that it takes a lot of the fun out of making the dress for me. Stressing over it does not equal fun.

Because of these admittedly personal issues of mine, I tend to not take on wedding dresses as a whole. I have a handful of friends who have told me that I am making their wedding dresses when they get married some day, and for them I am willing to grit my teeth and deal with the zippers. And recently one of them called in her IOU and is getting married in 2010. I am so terribly thrilled for her, and excited about making the dress, but once again nervous about making it as perfect as possible. Another new client wants a fantasy/historical wedding dress and as soon as she said "grommets" I relaxed. (I really do need to do something about this zipper aversion.) So I went from OH HELL NO to OK in less than a week. To TWO dresses.

And then two friends came to me separately and said they wanted to take their old wedding dresses and repurpose them. What could be done? Neither of the dresses really fits their wearer anymore, but they were both made of beautiful silk and had YARDS and YARDS of it.

Now this is something I love to do. Take something and remake it into something even more fabulous. So we are going to take a Jessica McClintock dress from 1995 and turn it into a Victorian ballgown (it already has beautiful cutwork leg of mutton sleeves on it). It is going to be dyed (by the lovely Sassy Art Goddess) from cream to burgundy, and will have a full crinoline or bustle type undergarment under it. The other wedding dress is still under discussion, but the owner is particularly enraptured with the Elizabethan time period and I think between her 12 foot long train and the fabric from the gown itself we can make something happen. Plus, it is silk duchesse satin. I just want to make pillowcases out of it and snuggle up to it everynight. SO soft.

So professionally my whole focus has changed. Tudors? SO yesterday. Wedding dresses? You betcha. My sewing room is awash in light colored fabrics/dresses that kind of make me twitch a little. But far less than the last month of the Six Wives Project where the room was filled with white cotton and jewel toned velvets. A little variety is a good thing.

I also had a bit of an epiphany a couple of weeks ago in regards to costuming in general. I went to Costume College in August mainly to take classes in historical costuming. I knew I needed to learn more about German for Anne of Cleves, I needed hat classes for the Gable and French hoods, and I really wanted to learn more about 18th century French simply because the dresses in the Marie Antoinette movie were so delicious looking. And I enjoyed the classes, and learned a lot. And while I was there I wandered into a class called "Steampunk 101." I had heard of Steampunk and briefly read a bit about it, and my buddy www.thecheapchick.com was such a fan that I decided to check it out. And I LOVED it. Not because of the gadgets, or the modding of weapons, or any one thing in particular. I loved it because THERE WERE NO RULES. Anything goes in Steampunk, while still maintaining a historical flair.

Once I had finished up Project Tudor the first weekend in October and was taking a costuming and mental health break from that entire stressful, time-consuming, yet fun adventure, I started to make a list of costumes I needed for next year. For Costume Con, for Costume College, for the various Ren Fests, for the Day of Wrong, etc. For the new Victorian activities I was looking at doing. And for the Steampunk stuff. And I was a little surprised at how few of my outfits were historically accurate. Especially since I had been living and breathing Tudor Portrait Reproductions for 18 months.

And then I decided to make another Italian outfit for Midwinter Feast and found a portrait in Moda a Firenze that I wanted to recreate for it. (Luckily it only goes to roughly her armpit, so it is VASTLY open to interpretation). And then, while working on it, I had my epiphany: I wasn't a historical costumer. Certainly not a historically accurate one. Sure, I like to have things look "period appropriate" when in certain settings, but underneath? If velcro, snaps, etc. make the outfit fit better, go together faster and easier, etc., who cares? Does it matter if no one else knows? Does it matter if they do?

I realized it really did not matter to me. What mattered to me was trying new things, making outfits that flattered the wearer, and feeling/looking pretty and HAVING FUN. If I felt pretty in the outfit, who cared what everyone else thought. I wasn't out trying to win awards for historical accuracy. There are a great many other people who are exceptionally good at that (see the Eugenie Project from Costume Con a year ago for an excellent example of historical accuracy) and I don't really want to compete with them. Costuming for me really isn't about (historically accurate) competition, and it isn't about doing something a specific way. It is about dressing up and having fun. Yes, I started out trying to do historically accurate costuming and I tried to do this by learning from the best out there. By reading dress diaries and blogs and going to the best school for Costumers and taking classes. But when I realized a couple of weeks ago that I was having more fun planning my "twisted historical" for Day of Wrong than I was making my Italian Portrait Recreation, I knew I had to change my way of thinking about my costuming perspective and my costuming focus. That tag they gave me at Costume College that said "Multi-faceted Costumer?" Yeah, I should have really paid attention to that. I mean, I am SO excited about recreating the Salome outfit from the German portrait of her, but you know what is the coolest part of that outfit? THE HEAD. The severed head. Which kind of makes a bit of a statement about the outfit, I think. And about my costuming priorities.

Once I realized this about myself it made a huge difference in my perception of my business, and what sorts of things I wanted to devote my time to next year. For 2010 I fully anticipate making (and wearing!) some beautiful historically inspired things. But I am also going to wear Neo-Victorian outfits with GEARS on them. I am going to wear an outfit with a HEAD attached to it. I am excited to go to Costume Con and dress up as a spy, and then go to Costume College and take classes on Victorian clothing and accessories and hat-making and STEAMPUNK, and maybe even a few Renaissance classes with an 18th century class tossed in there for something a little different. And I have something really fun planned for the Costume College Gala. It involves a LOT of leather. And the lovely Suzette from San Francisco and Glynnis from DC and The Cheap Chick and I are working on our Twisted Historicals for the Historical Masquerade at Costume Con in Milwaukee (Midwest, Represent!).

This realization/epiphany/whatever couldn't have come at a better time for me. I was feeling burned out and uninterested in costuming and pretty darned sick and tired of Tudor, to be perfectly honest. Now I am excited, inspired, impassioned and I feel like I have found my niche. And as hard as 2009 was (starting out the year with heart surgery is never the way you want to begin the year), 2010 looks like it is going to be AMAZING. I have happy brides, modded Steampunkers, Victorian ladies and Renaissance Princesses to dress. What could be better?

Playing catch-up

2009-11-11T08:06:56Z

It is interesting what sorts of things can motivate you to get off your duff and get back into the scheme of things.

Joann's (How Do I Love Thee?) was having a sale, and they had some lovely grey silk twill and some black beaded lace that really looked lovely together. Apparently a large majority of special order items are no longer being carried, and what they had in the warehouse was sent to the stores for clearance. At EXCEPTIONALLY good prices. These are going to wind up being my Edwardian costume (complete with big ole decorated hat) for the Twelfth Night Ball in January with the VSA. I'm not quite ready for full-on bustles yet, I don't think.

I got my Catherine of Aragon ermine sleeves tutorial prepped, so that should be up soon. It is REALLY easy, folks, and looks passable.

I found a really nice floral beaded trim at SR Harris, our huge fabric warehouse here that matches the green boucle for my winter coat. The weather had been really cold and had even snowed already, and then suddenly it started to get up into the 60's here. No complaining on this end, mind you. I hate cold weather. But it is delaying my push to make the coat. Luckily I found a nice grey wool coat at the thrift store for $12.00 that after it was dry cleaned (for $15.00! How crazy is that?) looks beautiful with my Nagel pewter pin from Bristol. Enough to keep me warm till the green coat is complete.

Marti Potter's Elizabethan is coming along. I have been working on the sleeves and was trying to decide on whether or not to fray check the slashes or not, but ultimately settled on not fray checking them, and slashing them on the bias. Everything I have read has said this is the best way to do it, and with the limited use this dress will see, I think this should be fine. The color is so stunning, though.

I finished my plans for my Steampunk costumes for the murder mystery night for next week and the Yule Ball in December. I found some amazing boots by Mudd at Opitz Outlet for $15.00 that are very Steampunk looking. I'm going to post most of the Steampunk stuff in another post for Steamfashion, so not much else to talk about where that is concerned.

The green Italian doublet has the matching cording now, but I am still looking for the crystal beads that are on it. I am also not sure how the hair style is put together. I will have to spend more time on Bella's site checking out prior showcases and see if I can get any ideas or inspiration. (Check out this month, too - a double showcase with two different yet really wonderful outfits.)

Still no news on Layla's surgery. It is getting a little bit frustrating, as I had anticipated she would be having surgery this week or next, and we still know nothing. She has had some increased motor function issues, and falls down the steps and off of things. Her heart is willing, but her muscle tone is just not there. We have increased her meds and hope this will help. She really misses being able to play in the leaves with Roxie for long periods of time. (Who is, incidentally, insane. Now I know where the "Welsh Terror" quote comes from.)

It is not possible to get an unblurry picture. ALL of the leaves must be destroyed, as soon as possible. It would seem.

I should have actual pictures of actual garments tomorrow. Yay! Real work! Santa's bench looked great, and the new trim on his coat was a far better looking version than the old one. Go big or stay home, that is his motto. I just love him.

Not even a tiny bit motivated

2009-11-03T17:40:42Z

I have this huge list of To Do items and a spreadsheet for 2010 as well as the remnants of my spreadsheet for 2009, but I am just not motivated to do much of anything. I am working on Santa's Father Christmas coat and his "Sit on my Lap" bench cover, but otherwise nada.

I had planned to :
1. Talk about how I made the ermine sleeves on Catherine of Aragon (not too hard, folks)
2. Start my green wool boucle winter coat (lined, because wool and my skin do not get along)
3. Work on finishing the QE1 costume for Marti Potter - lots of slashes and ruffs happening
4. Finish getting some designs digitized so I can do more leather applique, this time Steampunk style
5. FInish planning my Steampunk outfits for the Yule Ball and the Mystery Night
6. Commit to a design (and sew it) for the Victorian Twelfth Night Ball for the VSA, since I missed the Danse Macabre. (I thought it was going to be far more formal than it turned out to be. )
7. Not to mention the already cut out items that could be sewed and put on Etsy...
8. Work on my green Italian outfit for the Midwinter Feast. Put together a new corset. Get realistic about what fits.

Sigh. And we have dog surgery coming up in two weeks, provided that the MI surgeon decides that she is a good candidate for it, based on her MRI results (and that pesky bent vena cava). It would be so awful to have gone through all of this and find out she can't have the surgery. I am just not ready to face up to that idea yet.

Hopefully tomorrow will be nicer (and warmer!) and I will get something accomplished and posted on LJ. At least I need to get the winter coat done, because winter has come to MN early this year. Even more of an encouragement to move out to CA once the kids graduate from school (5 more years!).

Hmm. Off to sew something and improve my mood.

I have always relied on the kindness of strangers

2009-10-29T04:08:21Z

I may not be Blanche DuBois, but I am so very appreciative right now. 7/10 of the Six Wives costumes has sold (Anne of Cleves, Catherine of Aragon and Katherine Parr are still available) and all of the proceeds have gone to Layla's surgery fund. We have covered the MRI she had yesterday (showing a very large interior liver shunt with a small bend in the vena cava which is worrisome), various vet bills when she was very sick last week and required IV fluids twice and blood draws twice, and it looks like we will have enough left over to cover our part of the surgery costs. Which is a tremendous relief to me and my family.

I went into the Six Wives project trying to find a fun group project for the Wench Posse and also to challenge myself to do something BIG. Who knew it would turn into something even bigger in terms of the generosity of people I have spoken to all over the world?

Kathryn Parr is going to Australia. Lady Jane Grey went to CA. Others went to Florida, Texas, and the East Coast. Queen Mary Tudor went to a Wench Posse member who was unable to participate on the day of the Six Wives. And I am slowly finishing the Queen Elizabeth costume for the lovely Marti Potter who is completely recovered from her H1N1.

I am just so honestly grateful for the people who spread the word on forums, blogs, bulletin boards, Facebook, My Space, eBay, Etsy, etc. It is a huge weight off of us financially to know that the vet costs are covered, and that maybe we really can Save a Puppy.

We are waiting to hear back from the surgeon who is to do the surgery to tell us if he has the proper size coils that get put in the shunt to close it off (or has to order them), and if Layla is still considered a good surgical candidate based on the vena cava issue she has. We are crossing our fingers, as it would be heart-breaking to everyone involved to come this far only to not be able to have the surgery.

Again, I am so overwhelmed at the generosity I have seen displayed towards myself and my family. Costuming people really are the best people in the world. Thank you so very much for all of your help.

Buy a Dress, Save a Puppy!

2009-10-11T22:19:30Z

I have moved all but Katherine Parr's dress over to eBay to see if I can get a better response since the surgery is less than a month away. Go here if you want to make an offer: http://shop.ebay.com/theaccidentalseamstress/m.html?_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1

Buy a dress, save a puppy!

Layla and the rest of us thank you!

Project Tudor/ Six Wives COMPLETE Extended Dress Diary

2009-10-06T13:40:10Z

Well folks, it's over. Almost 18 months of planning, procuring, sewing, learning new skills, etc. resulted in one very fun afternoon. I just wish I had been more awake to enjoy it.

Yeah, I look like ~~ass~~ crap over there on the right, but I hadn't really paid that much attention to my outfit, and after lending out my brown one to the lovely Lynn, our tour guide on the left, it was this or the Camo. Which really wasn't Very Period Appropriate. Also? Our Elizabeth I is missing, but more on that later.

This whole thing started roughly 1 1/2-2 years ago when The Cheap Chick and I were discussing future events for the Wench Posse.

Ok, I need to back up. About 2.5 years ago I left my co-owned business and ventured out on my own. I also wound up going to the Ren Fest in costume for the 3rd year, but this time with a group of 9 people. Many of whom did not know how to sew. And I sewed belly dancing costumes, and merchant costumes, and Italian costumes, and a LOTR costume and finally said out loud the night before the Fest as I sewed till 3am, "THIS IS IT. I am NOT sewing 9 different costumes next year! Next year we are all going to be wenches! Everyone will get a bodice, skirt and chemise, and you will LIKE it." (It was 3am, so I apologize for the testiness of my tone.)

Year 3 - still refining our skills and learning about what is appropriate.

Year 4 - Mostly Wenches. Yeah, I'm wearing glasses (didn't have contacts yet) and we have a belly dancer and an Italian type person with us and I am missing my corset, but whatever... It was better than Year 3...

And thus the Wench Posse was born. We had a great time as Wenches, and the Chick and I sat down to go over other possible themes. I had seen some beautiful portrait recreations by Jen Thompson and others on her site "Festive Attyre" and thought that would be fun. Since there were so many WP members, I knew we would have to do something big. And the largest amount of women in one grouping I could think of was the Six Wives of Henry VIII.

There was a small problem. We had no men in the Posse. Luckily the lovely Gay Blade offered to play our Henry and we were set. After a brief fight over Anne Boleyn (everyone wanted to be Anne Boleyn, sigh...) I discovered that we didn't have enough Queens to cover everyone. So we added Henry's daughters, and Lady Jane Grey. Which made us Tudor AND Elizabethan, but whatever. And on top of that we needed ladies-in-waiting, so that was 3 more costumes right there..... All of which didn't seem quite so daunting until it got down to crunch time.

I put together a large 3-ring binder with a large Tudor Rose on the cover and the words "Project Tudor" on it. And I started to try to find the right fabrics, jewelry, etc.

Early on I knew that there was not going to be a huge budget for this, so we were going to have to do the best recreation possible within a limited amount of funds. Luckily I had Margo Anderson's Elizabethan patterns which are WONDERFUL, and that helped with Elizabeth and to some extent, Queen Mary. Margo was also coming out with some Tudor patterns, and that was my original plan for patterning. But her patterns were delayed (but out now and apparently delicious!) and I turned to Simplicity and their pattern after deciding that I would rather buy patterns for $1.00 each at Joann's and alter and cut them accordingly than draft up 6 different sizes from The Tudor Tailor. Especially since we were going for portrait image and NOT historical authenticity.

We started this past January-February with a bloomer party. (I know they didn't call them bloomers, but if you are wearing drawers with large Strawberry Shortcakes on them, I think this term is acceptable.) I got everyone's measurements and the Chick and I started in on corsets, using the Elizabethan Corset Generator. (Basically a good product, but with some glitches - that will have to be another post.)

Then we moved onto square necked shifts and got those done right away. Sadly we discovered sometime later, (like 4 weeks before Go Day) that they had all been made from fabric that had problems with the thread and you could literally STICK YOUR FINGER RIGHT THROUGH THE FABRIC. Which is good for bodice ripping romances, but not so much for things you want to last.

New farthingales from Margo's pattern, prior to hoop adjustment. Rock sign is optional.

An example of what the bad evil fabric looks like:
And just how easy it is to rip apart once you discover that it CAN.

So we had to scramble to create new shifts with less fabric, and decided on a different pattern for them, which resulted in a better fit that actually stayed up on our shoulders. (We modified the heck out of that pattern....)

In the meantime my lovely daughter and I had gotten all of the jewelry findings and spent several evenings just gluing cabuchons to settings. I went with black onyx and red jasper for the stones, as it wasn't any more expensive to purchase, and it looked nicer than plastic, obviously. I did have to go the acrylic route for some of the faceted stones, but they were not as many, and it looked pretty good when finished.

I made the command decision not to use clay and try to remold the settings, as there were just too many. I went with the closest thing I could find on Fire Mountain, and I am happy with it. I also know where my limitations are, and I sent the UTIS/HIS brooches from Jane Seymour and Lady Jane Grey (they are wearing the same jewelry in their pictures because Henry was nothing if not thrifty in recycling jewelry between wives, being "The Queen's Jewels" rather than belonging to one person) off to the lovely MamaRox of Sassy Art Goddess Blog fame. She used gold metal findings for the backs, and carved the letters and other pieces out of clay to perfectly match the brooch. She does indeed rock.

The girdles for both Janes also got worked on by others, and the lovely Princess and Marti Potter put together the other jewelry pieces. I discovered a really fantastic gold metal spray paint at Joann's that works exceptionally well for this sort of thing, and probably lost some brain cells from inhaling too much Dazzle-Tac and Jewel-it.

I had bolts of fabric lying about my office and in large plastic bins as I would find something that would work for a particular outfit, and toss it in there till needed. I had a heck of a time finding a gold braid that would work for Henry's large red velvet gown/coat until Michael's came out with their Christmas ribbon. There was a roll that was pretty close to what I needed and it saved me from more searching.

The closet was getting rather full...

I was pretty concerned about Henry's pattern, as our Henry is 6'7 with a 52 inch chest. I wound up going with the Period Patterns pattern that matched the portrait dead on, and the instructions were surprisingly easy compared to the previous ones I have used from them. I was able to draft it up for the GB and it looked amazing. It and Anne of Cleves are the outfits I am most happy with, and the closest recreations, I think. (Except maybe Jane Seymour.)

I was fortunate to attend a class on German costuming at Costume College which helped TREMENDOUSLY in understanding how a German costume was made. Being the class model and getting to keep my muslin was also a big help. I decided to follow Anne's portrait more than the Madame Tussaud recreation, as the portrait was orange, and the recreation was cream? Very strange. I couldn't find a fabric to match to save my life, and then walked into Joann's one day and there was an embroidered orange linen right inside the door. The embroidery isn't an exact match, but it is close enough to work.

I joined a German costuming listserv and the excellent folks there sent me to the SCA for Anne's hat. I got excellent advice on Margo's listserv from multiple folks on Elizabethan costuming, etc. Special thanks to Margo, Kimiko and Bess Chilver for their invaluable information on hats, shifts, padded pleats, etc.

But by far the best resource for me was Naergi's Costuming Site: http://www.naergilien.info/research/Exhibits/sixwives/index.htm. She had gone to Madame Tussaud's and taken some truly great pictures of the recreations of the portraits I was attempting to recreate. There is NO WAY I could have done Anne of Cleves without her.

I started with a spreadsheet and a timeline and along the way things happened. I had a heart procedure in January which kind of knocked me flat for a few months, but from which I am completely recovered. Our dog died in June, and our new puppy was found to have a portosystemic liver shunt which is requiring some very expensive surgery in November to enable her to live longer than a year. Her name is Layla (a la Clapton) and proceeds from the sale of the gowns are going directly to her surgery at the University of MN Vet Hospital. In case you need a cute visual, here is one:

She didn't care much for her bath.

I also decided to go to Costume College, figuring that I would learn a lot there, and I did. And I took trips to New Ulm, Duluth (twice) and Bristol for Ren Fests and vacations. All of which is time away from the sewing machine.

So when September rolled around, I found myself with all of the jewelry done, the corsets, shifts, partletts, and farthingales done, and pretty much everything cut out. (Thanks to the Chick, who cut out literally almost everything. GOD BLESS HER.) And it turned into a frenzy of sewing for 4 straight weeks.

The last week was insanity. Because we had told everyone we were doing this, and consequently there was no backing out, no "Let's do it next year and give ourselves some more time." Because we were committed. And every night last week I had no less than 5 people in my sewing room, hand-stitching, ironing, hand-beading (MamaRox) etc. My Mom, Stepmother, Sister and Aunt all came over to help. Every member of the Posse was here, multiple days. It was a baptism by fire for some of them. We finally broke the Chick on Friday night when she found she was too tired to thread a needle anymore, and went home to well-deserved sleep. The GB and I were up late Friday night finishing handstitching (him) and front plackets (me).

The three ladies-in-waiting, my 14 year old, her best friend and the daughter of a friend (now the "Jr. Wench Posse") did not get completed plackets on their dresses. But oh well. Something had to give.

The gable hoods were made the last day and I was not happy with the Tudor Tailor pattern for them. The French hood pattern was much better, in my opinion.

I pulled an all-nighter to make sure things were going to happen, and when people started showing up at 8am, there was only a little work left to do - attaching the plackets to one side, finishing some sleeves for the LIW, sewing veils on hats. We were done with sewing by 10am and dressed to leave by 12:15. The Chick had made me some skirts at the last minute so I would not be naked, and bolstered up by a LOT of chocolate, we set out for Fest.

Turns out we were our own parade. Our Henry met their Henry.

Our Henry wins!

And my parents and the parents of others were there as paparazzi. We even had ladies from our local Joann's who had taken the day off to come out and see the results of all of my purchases all year long.

We cheered for England at the Royal Navy Experience, and had family portraits taken.

Our ladies in waiting were pretty darned cute:

Some people took their roles a little too seriously:

Some people almost ran off with pirates:

And some people were so tired they didn't really know how to dress themselves, and used the power of chocolate to sustain themselves:

And yet others learned how to say things like "I didn't want to marry you anyway," and "You are a gross fat pig" and "Mein Konig, why doest thou not love me?" in German:

Our Henry grew a beard, our Queen Mary got contacts, Anne Boleyn got in a car accident the day before and STILL made the drive from WI, and so many others committed themselves to this project in ways I never would have dreamed. And everyone had fun during the last minute sewing, and the craziness and the day itself. And special thanks to the Strand Sisters, who were our Portrait artist (photographer) and Tour Guide ("And Queens, we are walking, and we are stopping.") for the day and who helped out in so many additional ways to make this all possible.

And now, the outfits, side by side with their portraits:

Henry VIII - complete with Royal Garter, but no dagger - there was no way to peace-tie it. The sleeves and coat are bigger, but they seem to be tucked behind him in this picture...

Catherine of Aragon - Note she has her monkey. Also - we had to make ermine out of white fur and yarn - they don't sell faux ermine ANYWHERE.

Anne Boleyn - (Note Henry peeking in the background). I went by the Madame Tussaud's for the foresleeves and underskirt panel colors.

Jane Seymour - There were several pictures of her, and I went with the orange/brocade underskirt and foresleeves from another portrait. Instead of couching gold thread over the dress, I found an alternative embroidered fabric. And like I said, the Tudor Tailor gable hood pattern? Not my favorite. The Amazing Pam and our own Cat of Aragon digitized Jane Seymour's actual cuff blackwork pattern and stitched it out via machine for us. SO cool.

Anne of Cleves - Big thanks to our Marti Potter for her quick sewing skills on those beaded bands at the neckline. Also? That hat is made of buckram and shoulder pads. Maybe less veil next time... A special thanks to Porkchop and the ladies for getting that suede belt done and to us in record time.

Kathryn Howard - The beading at the neckline turned out beautifully. The girdle is based on Madame Tussaud's, although I couldn't find a similar diamond shaped end bead anywhere. We went with a drapery finial.

Katherine Parr - I found the ribbon on eBay. We sewed it on, then added the gold beaded trim, then the GB put in 100's of tiny antique brass rivets to simulate the knots/buttons. The black hat is missing the gold beads (to be added soon) and the white hat is faux - it is a headband tied in the back, edged in pearls, to give the illusion of a coif. A last minute decision made by MamaRox that looks pretty good. Comfort gown and poufy sleeves pattern from Margo Anderson Patterns.

Queen Mary Tudor - It is hard to see the jewels on our French Hood in this picture, but they are there. I went with Taffeta because it was a nice change of pace from all the velvet. I also based this outfit off of several of Mary's portraits, so it is a bit of a mix. I put guards on her skirts because I knew it was going to be muddy at MNRF. I also had a heck of a time finding a large enough pearl drop for "La Peregrina." I finally bought a pair of earrings on eBay and scavenged the pearls from them.

Lady Jane Grey - I was exceptionally pleased with this fabric. The pattern is so similar, and it is a lovely color. Since the portrait (which may actually be of Katherine Parr) was in black and white I got to pick the color, and that was great fun. Since this was one of the last outfits completed, something had to go, and it was the beading along the neckline that went. The line-up of the placket and the backseam and knife pleats turned out particularly well.

Queen Elizabeth I, the Sieve Portrait - Did not get completed. The dress itself is done, but needs the beading down the front. The sleeves are cut, and waiting to be trimmed. The jewelry is all complete, the veil was done by Marti Potter, and the partlett is done. Various options for ruffs have been tried. Unfortunately Ms. Potter came down with H1N1 and was not able to join us. We missed her terribly and look forward to seeing her as Elizabeth at the Midwinter Feast.

All in all, a huge undertaking. I am very glad I did this. There were parts that were great fun, I met many new wonderful people, I learned so many new skills (not to mention tons on Tudor history) and really brought my sewing skills up several notches. But I am also glad it is over. I have lots of empty space in my sewing room, I have more free time now, and it isn't weighing on me anymore. There were honestly many times I would have stopped, but the investment of time, money and the promises to others kept me going.

The biggest hugest thank you to the Cheap Chick, who wasn't just a part of this, she was my partner in this. This project would not have happened without her dedication, mad corset making skills and willingness to procure Junior Mints and Dairy Queen at all hours. No one could ask for a more devoted friend.

I don't know why I am squatting - remember, I hadn't slept in 2 days....

If you want the Chick's (shorter) version of events with more pictures, check here: http://www.thecheapchick.com/2009/10/that-which-doesn%e2%80%99t-kill-you%e2%80%a6/

I might write more info on how we did certain things, like making the ermine fur, or MamaRox's fabulous conversion of size 14 thrift-store shoes into King Henry shoes if anyone is interested.

In the meantime, if you are interested in buying a Tudor gown, all of the gowns above are for sale at this link: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6387988 Maybe you need a gown for a party. Maybe you want to look like a portrait. Maybe you just want to spend a ton of money to look at how I do my seams. Either way, Buy a Tudor Gown and Save a Puppy.

And now? I am going to go look at Steampunk stuff and start planning for Italian Courtesan Year for 2010 for the Wench Posse. Woot!

If you were looking for the web page....

2009-09-28T13:31:47Z

It should be here this week. This is the blog, and while I like to think it is entertaining, it doesn't have all the images, information, etc. that the web page will have.

So check back around Oct. 1st and things should be happening around here.

Thanks for your patience!

Six Wives/Project Tudor and a thank you to my Wench Posse

2009-09-27T22:14:30Z

Had a great time at Fest today in my Camo Elizabethan again. Third outing for that outfit, and somewhat of a record. I have only ever worn my Red pirate outfit multiple times - everything else in my closet is always a once-off and then sold somewhere and never to be worn by me again. Pirate Carol got permission from the lovely George to wear her Mardi Gras, and so it only seemed natural to wear my Camo, especially considering there wasn't much else in the closet... (note to self - make costumes for ME over the winter so I'm not having a Lady Godiva moment every weekend in August and September) But we had a blast, and people loved the outfit again. I still feel very much not the kind of personality to wear something that Out There in public, but its good for me - its good to get out of your shell sometimes. And that outfit certainly helps!

I've been particularly busy the last several weeks gearing up for October 3rd, and the Six Wives. Many people have asked me: "So have you finished any of the outfits yet?" And this is kind of a hard question to answer.

All of the undergarments are done. All of the bodices and skirts have been cut out. All of the underskirts are done. All of the corsets are done. The jewelry is complete. Henry is done except for a hat, Katherine Parr is done except for some rivits and beads, and Anne of Cleves needs some pearling and a hat. Its kind of an assembly line process rather than one at a time. And Tudor outfits (to me anyway) are not as complicated. No farthingale, no 45 yards of trim, no excessive beading ALL OVER, etc. They seem to be coming along pretty fast.

However, no woman is an island, and this wouldn't be possible without the help of my village, the Wench Posse. They have been instrumental in making certain that I have help, in cutting things, in sewing some things, in putting together jewelry, etc. That is why I call myself the Project Manager of this. While I have done the majority of the sewing, (The Cheap Chick having done the vast majority of the corset making and the cutting, God Bless her) everyone has chipped in to help in some way. Two people helped to assemble the jewelry. Another actually MADE the brooch that Jane Seymour wears, as well as fixing some jewelry errors on my part, and painting shoes for Henry. Another sewed more than her fair share of farthingales and partletts, and yet another made Henry's tights (no mean feat in scaling up small tights to fit a 6'7 man) and some other partletts. People have brought treats, made DQ runs, cut out cloaks, hand-stitched things, ironed, etc.

It might have started as my vision, with my sourcing the materials, finding the people, arranging the spreadsheet, etc., but it has turned into a group project of vast proportions. And there is no way it would be happening this coming Saturday if it wasn't for all of these wonderful people.

My family has also been amazingly helpful. Miss S glued literally hundreds of stones onto settings for the jewelry. Miss G is going to be a lady-in-waiting (i.e. slave) on Oct. 3rd, and even recruited some of her friends. And my wonderful husband has fed the hoards who have come over to help, and has kept me in a steady supply of Junior Mints. He has worn earplugs to block out the sound of the serger, and has pretended to show enthusiasm for something that really isn't his thing (just as I feign enthusiasm for poker - it works for us). He is supportive of me because he knows this is something I love.

So to my family and friends, I want to say thank you for all of the help you have given me. I couldn't do half of what I do without you.

And in October? I will be reading. Maybe watching TV. Hanging with some puppies. But likely taking a wee break from the sewing machine.... A massage sounds pretty good right about now...

Leather Applique, Princess Gowns and Frock Coats, oh my!

2009-08-28T06:25:39Z

Well, the frock coat is done. I really hated the pattern (Simplicity Captain Jack one) and because Marcus has generous shoulders and a narrow waist it changed the proportions somewhat and was challenging.

I used braided rope for the button holes and liked it tremendously in terms of texture and design. He wanted the plain buckles all down the front, although we are planning for something decorative around his neck at some point. He was trying to base this off of the coat Patrick Dempsey wore in "Enchanted" at the ball. It is also a much darker blue, but my flash was being off today.

Also finished the cobalt blue velvet Princess dress with "The Tudors" trim. And the huge scalloped sleeves. She was too excited to put her chemise/shift on first before modeling it. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out, as it is what she wanted, and this is for a theatrical Ren Fest. It was hard to take a good picture of the dress as she kept jumping up and down. It was pretty adorable.

That trim was a bitch-kitty to sew (the technical term being bitch-kitty). Yet tremendeously resilient for all of the beading it had on it. Everything the Princess wears needs a guard on the bottom because MN Ren Faire is so horribly dusty that you wind up replacing your guard almost every year. Also, she wanted long sleeves for more formal occasions and shorter hanging style sleeves for everyday.

She also made the jeweled girdle she is wearing. She found a chain of office at the thrift store (for $5.99!!) and removed the old jewels, spray painted it silver, and glued on pearl cabs. Then she attached it to a rhinestone brooch she had (she has a thing for rhinestones) and a chain with a large silver pendant on the end with a pearl drop. Which, I believe, is made by Avon and was also from the thrift store. She turned the leftover pieces into the necklace.

In our spare time this weekend our small family went to the State Fair (on opening day, YIKES) and several members ate their body weight in corn and cheese curds and bought cowboy hats:

This evening I worked on my leather bodice that I am wearing to the MN Ren Faire this weekend for Highland Weekend. I know this is not even remotely period appropriate, but at this point I don't really care. It is fun, our faire is known for being theatrical, and I need a break from Tudor stuff....

So tonight I appliqued red leather from an old leather coat (thrift store) onto a piece of black leather for the front of the bodice (from an old leather skirt, also the thrift store) and did a little embroidery along the outer edge with the machine, and VOILA! A rampant lion:

I fray-checked the living hell out of all of it, and used copious amounts of Sewer's Aid on the needle since I spray-basted the black leather into the hoop rather than hooping it and leaving a permanent mark. I am going to do Tudor Roses next, in three different colors of leather. Hopefully my machine can take it. (For another project, not along with this one...)

More Six Wives craziness tomorrow and a gathering of the Wench Posse on Saturday, and pictures from Highland Fest on Sunday. It just feels like Party Central around here.

I also have a possibly brilliant, possibly insane idea for my Costume College outfit for next year. It involves lots of leather....

In search of Ermine Fur

2009-08-22T17:09:47Z

Ok, not the real thing. But in recreating the portrait of Katherine of Aragon, I need fake ermine fur. And I can't find it anywhere.

I can find cheetah, cow, dalmation, etc., but nothing resembling ermine.

At this point it is going to be me, some faux white fur and a sharpie..... (I do have another way of doing it maybe...)

Anyone?

They wouldn't do that in New Orleans...

2009-08-19T01:26:14Z

The French dress is done.

This started out as the dress that was supposed to come to Costume College with me and be my tea dress. Then everything got delayed due to actual work sewing, and it flew to CA, got partially constructed, and flew back home with me. Where it sat, in the corner, waiting.

I got it out of the bag two days ago and decided to just finish it already so I could get rid of it and sell it and make space in my sewing room. Because when am I ever going to be able to wear a French gown around here? (Note to self, talk to TC Costumers Guild...)

Because I was still thinking Elizabethan when I attached the skirt, I sewed it on so that it comes all the way to the front edge, instead of back several inches on each side. SIGH. I am going to do some sort of decorative stitched attachment and configure it so it LOOKS as though it is sewn farther back.

However the polonaise came out lovely, the back point and seams were beautiful, and the flat front was easy to draft from the princess seam bodice I started with. Janet Arnold had a dress in her Patterns of Fashion with a very similar back. I had no experience with pleated backs, so I decided to go with this design.

Stephanie was a great model, and although we tried our darndest to get her hair into a hedgehog-esque design, it just doesn't like to curl. So we back-combed it as much as we could without loosing the little curl she had, and called it a day.

We used the paper parasol because it was hotter than hell and Steph needed a little bit of shading from the sun.

My cute new shoes that are going to go with my Steampunk costume, and a close-up of the underskirt pinked trim, and the very elaborate fluff I sewed on the outergown. I put the heavy black trim on over the ruched taffeta because I was feeling rather "Go Big or Stay Home."

I tried to get some good shots of the back of the skirt and the polonaise, but my camera kept telling me I needed new batteries after I had put new ones in. GAH.

We tried taking pictures over at the big cemetery near Lake Harriet (where Wellstone and Hubert Humphrey and every other big MN politician is buried) but got kicked out! Next time we are going to have to find some out of the way graveyard in a tiny podunk MN town. Luckily we got some good shots at the Rose Gardens.

Steph had just gotten back from several months in New Orleans and was fairly peeved. "They wouldn't kick you out of a cemetery in New Orleans!" she commented. I agreed that it was the uptight Scandinavian Minnesotans who had personal issues about their dead. I wasn't planning on having anyone's names on their gravestones in the pictures, would have been very respectful, etc. It is not like I was planning on having her straddle the gravestone for Pete's Sakes.... Sheesh.

Either way I am happy with the results of my first French outfit, flaws and all. And Stephanie felt beautiful in it, and I think she looked great. And the necklace Ashley made me from old bracelets, findings from Joann's and pearl drops from a vintage necklace looked stunning and finally got to see the light of day.

Now I can get back to work on the Six Wives....

Going naked to Faire and uncooperative eyelets

2009-08-17T16:17:40Z

So I was sewing eyelets down the front of the French gown (in an effort to save time and avoid the several hour process of sewing on hook and eye tape, not period of course) using my machine, which makes a lovely eyelet. I double stitched each one, and one side of the bodice came out beautifully. The other side? Not so much. Everything is slightly off, and one turned into more of a winking eye than an actual circle.

So I have decided to turn lemons into lemonade and am declaring it a spiral lacing bodice, and this is why the eyelets are off. So there you go.

All of the eyelets have been fray checked, and need to be punched open this afternoon. Since most of the garments I make for sale are for people who just want to spend a day at Faire, or dress up for Halloween, or whatever, I typically do not use only the appropriate fabrics, construction methods, etc. I make them to be sturdy, festive, theatrical and easily cared for. And while I might not like shiny, some people do. (Although I generally draw the line at fake satin.) The Elizabethan I just finished is VERY shiny. It is a double-sided taffeta that when washed drapes like silk. It is flashy and the court at our faire loves flashy. Hopefuly it will find a good home.

I am starting work on my Elizabethan for the Six Wives project this weekend from Margo's patterns so as to hopefully complete it before the Iron Dress competition is over, and so I will have something to wear out at Faire. Because currently I own a very dingy old wench costume, a Camo costume, some chemises, a few pairs of bloomers, one farthingale, a red pirate-like bodice, a noble hat from La Paloma and one spectacular leather pirate hat with LOTS of feathers. None of which really amounts to one single cohesive outfit. (Except the Camo, and that really only has its place at the Day of Wrong.) Here is to hoping I don't go as Lady Godiva this year at Faire.

My plans for myself this year (in addition to the Six Wives stuff) are:
1. Flemish (have the hat and fabric)
2. German (outfit is cut out) in blue, pink and black
3. Elizabethan noble
4. Elizabethan middle class
5. New Venetian
6. Better looking Wench Wear
7. Scottish (?)
8. Basic Italian
9. Pirate skirts
10. A leather bodice (just because I want one).

It remains to be seen if any of this will get accomplished in light of everything else that is happening..... I think that list might get slashed in half at this point. Repeat to self - "You can wear the same thing twice to Ren Faire...."

Six Wives/Project Tudor: A spreadsheet for my spreadsheet

2009-08-16T16:21:59Z

I went over my "To Do" spreadsheet for the rest of Fest (which actually starts this coming weekend) and discovered that I may need to cut a Queen to fit everyone in in enough time. I also need a lot more black cotton....

And then I made a second spreadsheet as a project planner to keep track of what is and is not done and HOLY CRAP there are a lot of things to finish prior to Oct. 3rd.

To do this week:
1. Princess A's blue velvet with "The Tudors" outrageously expensive trim on it, by Friday
2. Mr. Baysinger's frock coat, by Friday, if I ever find piping for it....
3. Several outfits that are to make their appearance on eBay and continue to fund the Six Wives adventure.
4. Marti Potter's Elizabethan that is THIS close to being done.
5. Order more hoop steel from Greenberg & Hammer, and buy more black cotton from Joann's.

As for the Six Wives, so far these are the outfits to complete by Oct. 3rd:
1. Henry VIII (dur)
2. Katherine of Aragon
3. Anne Boleyn
4. Jane Seymour
5. Anne of Cleves
6. Kathryn Howard
7. Catherine Parr
8. Lady Jane Grey
9. Mary Queen of Scots
10. Queen Mary
11. Queen Elizabeth I

I also have 3-4 ladies in waiting, including an outfit for me as official seamstress. (Incidentally, I am using various spellings of Katherine here as none of the Queens with that name all spelled their name the same, and often changed it up. By using separate spellings it also makes it easier for me to remember which one I am talking about. Especially with all those Annes and Janes in there as well...)

Jewelry for all is very nearly completely done. Chemises, farthingales (where needed) and corsets are almost complete. Front panels for underskirts are all cut and muslins for bodices have almost all been fitted.

Because I am recreating portraits and not going for strictly historically accurate sewing here (visual recreation only), there are no boned kirtles, but instead corsets and underskirts (also for cost savings in terms of fabric, etc.). The portion of the kirtle neckline that is seen with beading/pearling is instead a separate piece that is attached to the neckline of the gown (since there is no undergown) and the front placket. All gowns lace in front, and are covered with a placket. I have re-drafted the pattern I was using for the front closure. I was a stickler on that area. Couldn't have them closing down a back seam...

I have a lead on Jane Seymour's cuff embroidery, and have now had my hat class, so I am feeling better about what is to come in terms of completion. It helps tremendously that I am at home all day and can use that time to work.

So, to recap - crazy insane sewing prior to Oct. 3rd. Drinking large quantities of Yo-Ho-Ho's on Oct. 4th (The Yo-Ho-Ho is the drink of choice for the Wench Posse. It is limeade and coconut rum. Yum.). Napping on Oct. 5th.....

And I have already informed the kids that Halloween costumes will either be modified thrift store finds or they can wear their nobles. Or, you know, they could make their own. They have the tools, they have the capabilities....

Pictures up soon. I may start with Henry's shoes first.

Phantom trim

2009-08-13T21:28:43Z

Why is it that I cannot find any 1/4 inch silver or grey piping/braided piping anywhere? Not on eBay, not at Joann's, not at Hancock's, not at Mill End, etc. Surely it exists somewhere without me having to make some?

The Multi-Faceted Costumer and Santa Claus

2009-08-12T16:36:12Z

Moving on....

I found it interesting at CoCo that I was given a tag reading "Multi-Faceted Costumer." The Renaissance work I do for the most part qualifies under historical, and one could even argue that Highland Dancewear is also historically based costuming. However, Irish dance costumes using stabilized mirrorball fabric could never be considered historical. Certainly not with the craft board to maintain the "Christmas tree" shape and the huge wigs and beauty queen make-up. (Although blessedly like most things, trends pass in Irish dancewear as well and soft skirts and soft hair and make-up are making a return. Hooray!)

The one area in which the ladies behind the counter who were to give me my ribbon defining my areas as a costumer and I were uncertain on was Santa Claus. And I make a lot of Santa-wear.

I never really intended to be Costumer to Santa Claus. If you had asked me as a little girl this would have not been one of my future plans. But one listing on Craigslist later and suddenly my Facebook is filled with friends, family and Santas.

My first Santa was Santa Carlucci. (A girl always remembers her first Santa). This is him, wearing his Saint Nicholas costume that I made for him:

I am insanely proud of that mitre hat (built on a baseball cap frame with plastic canvas and terry cloth) as it was a pain to get the proportions right. Who knew I would ever use algebra again?

I learned many things costuming for Santas. They have a beard registry for Real Bearded Santas. They have a bulletin board where they can discuss with each other how to get stains out of their clothing, where to buy the best boots and which gigs are better than others. They also have a yearly convention. And, as Santa Carlucci told me, "We're really all the same shape when you get right down to it."

I have ceased to be surprised by the requests from these guys. Coats that weigh 25 lbs. and are covered with hand-stitched fur and embroidery? Coca-Cola outfits? Ren Fair Father Christmas robes in period appropriate fabric? Zoot suits?

The zoot suit was a new one. Apparently the Zoot Suit Santa is a snazzy guy. With lots of appliques. Because in Santa-ville it is Go Big or Stay Home. Jeweled and beaded appliques are de rigeur. SHINY. About as far from Renaissance as you can get.

I have written blog posts before about being friends with Santas. About the women who will throw themselves at Santa saying, "Can I sit on your lap? I think I've been naughty this year." About how being Santa really is a full-time occupation and includes having an agent and doing extensive advertising and promoting. And next year there will be the addition of Sexy Elves/Snow Princesses. Truthfully? I'm a little afraid. I see a lot of furry little Lolita dresses in my future. (And who knew being a Sexy Elf paid so well?)

But it is great fun being a costumer for Santa. It has given me a lot of street cred with my kids and with other people's kids. Because I actually have Santa's phone number, e-mail address and business card. And no matter what, you just can't be crabby around Santa.

It has forever changed my viewing of the Macy's Day Parade and others like it - you have to check out what the other guy is wearing and keep up with what is popular. For instance, harnesses with bells are very hot this year. Who knew?

So being a Multi-Faceted Costumer is just fine with me. My life is never boring, and while things might not always be historically accurate around here (ahem* mirrorball fabric * ahem), they sure are fun.

Bristol Ren Faire Day of Wrong

2009-08-11T17:30:45Z

New post up with pictures of our group attending the Bristol Ren Faire Day of Wrong in our themed Elizabethans.