I should be doing something productive, but instead, I’m fantasizing about costume … the costume is the zone-bodice 18th-century gown, because some delightful pale blue silk twill I ordered from Fashion Fabrics Club arrived last night (before I went out to dinner for my stepdad’s birthday). It’ll be the perfect contrast for the black embroidered
I’m really hankering to work on 18th-century stuff. No event in the immediate future, just a bunch of fabric calling my name. Specifically, it’s the blue caraco. And I’m wanting to make it a zone bodice now. Would a caraco jacket be zone-fronted? I couldn’t find any examples in Kendra’s real women’s clothing links (actually,
Well, that last idea went in a totally different direction! But in the Garment District after Costume College, I picked up a few yards of a brilliant blue-green silk taffeta that coordinates beautifully with the black embroidered linen. So I *will* make a caraco jacket out of that and a petticoat out of the silk!
July 15, 2006, at the Piedmont Cemetery Our inaugural Lumieres picnic was beautiful! I had a most delightful time, and I must thank the most gracious Comtesse de la Valliére for her warm hospitality. The Comtesse, my cousin Cecily, and myself ventured out early — around noon — to the far reaches of the Valliére
Photos from Let Them Drink Wine, an 18th-century picnic and wine tasting event in Sonoma, CA, by the Greater Bay Area Costumer’s Guild.
Blast it all — weather report last night said this weekend will be hot! According to weather.com, the location for Sunday’s 18th-century event will be 87 degrees. Not terrible, lord knows it could be worse, but it ain’t great for wearing a wig. And what have I been busting my hump to finish the last
Despite a record-breaking 102 degree heat yesterday, I finished the dress. All trimmed up with super-cutesy ruffles, also hemmed. Used the ruffler foot (always tricky, but when it works, it’s freakin’ awesome) to make the trim. Oh, and the strip of white cotton I used for this trim? It was excess cut off from the
I’m stuck on the pleating. Can’t figure out a simple equation for determining how much fabric should be in the pleat and how much between each pleat. My petticoat is 184″ around the hem. It will have a pleated flounce at the bottom. I sewed together all the strips for the flounce, and it measures
While the rest of the world was out seeing some pirate movie, I was sewing! Well, actually last night I was working on my Costume College classes, but I did spend all today in the literal sweatshop that is my sewing room on a 90+ degree day. Cosi Fan Tutte polonaise gown, unhemmed and untrimmed,
Bee boo bee boo boo bee boo bee bee boo … boop. Today in God, we discuss why Trystan should not be allowed to sew after 9pm on a weeknight. And then we praise Allah. Ehem. I’m no Stephen Colbert nor a weak Rob Corddry, so let’s not even pretend. Point is, I’m fucking up
I’ve been trying, really I have, but I will never match the sewing productivity of Sarah or Katherine, the later of whom even makes progress whilst on vacation in Europe. But I finally put the sleeves into the bodice and sewed the rest of the hooks (once I bought more) into the stomacher sides. That
That’s how it felt all weekend. HOT. 90s for four days in a row. My sewing room was literally a sweatshop Saturday and Sunday. But dammit, I got some things done! Bodice is mostly complete, though I ran out of hooks and eyes for the stomacher. Would have liked to use hook-and-eye tape, but the
Petticoat is done! All that pleating nearly broke my brain, and it ain’t perfectly even ‘n stuff, but it’s done. And it looks awfully cute, so I’m glad I did it. Also glad that I made the petticoat extra full because it gives a really pretty silhouette. Add the polonaise and it’ll be all poufy
I guess the next thing I can start on is the underskirt. I have the underpinnings, and it doesn’t require the bodice to be finished. Maybe, just maybe, if I’m very focused this week, I could cut that out. I find it terribly difficult to sew on weeknights, just don’t have the energy and inclination
One of the very first forays into non-Renaissance faire costuming I made was my Stanzie gown. For our first Famous Dead Person’s Ball in 1992, my ex wanted to be Mozart, specifically as in the movie Amadeus. His stepmom graciously offered to make his costume, so I decided to try and make myself an 18th-century