This black silk robe a la francaise is about 80% hand-sewn, more than I ever intended. I've retrimmed it 4x now!
Recreating the pink portrait of Mary Queen of Scots had long been a dream, & I finally did it for my birthday.
My drag alter-ego is Leonard Autie, hairdresser to Marie Antoinette. He sometimes gets a new suit for Carnevale.
I can’t believe how fast this gown went together! Ok, it didn’t hurt that I essentially had the patterns already done. But the sewing was all straightforward stuff, nothing complicated. Attaching the parts together was really just a lot of cartridge-pleating, which I find easy — well, tough on the fingers, and yes, blood was
There’s not much to show for it, but really, I’ve started and am, in fact, well on the way with my gown to portray Veronica Gambara at the Collegium class “A Feast in 1530s Correggio.” The gown is a loose interpretation of the portrait shown on the right. Except I’m using burgundy velveteen from The
As I last blogged, I needed a partlet for my Venetian courtesan gown. Well, here it is. I ended up going the simple route because I had a spectacular fail when I attempted a fancy ruff neckline. The saving grace is that it was easy to just hack the whole thing off for this no-neck
For the upcoming renfaire Much Ado About Sebastapol, I need a partlet to wear with my Venetian courtesan gown when I perform with Bella Donna. This small addition to my outfit will make it even more historically accurate & a bit less, um, busty, which is better for this very family-friendly faire. So I looked
As advertised by Loren, this costume was both fabulous *and* comfortable to wear! My version was much more voluminous than the other ladies, but I planned it that way. I wanted to float around on a big cloud of silk. And I did. Good news is that this will become a Costume College tradition, so
A bio-queen a la “RuPaul’s Drag U,” even tho’ nobody figured it out at the time. This was the costume I pulled together at the last minute for Costume College’s Saturday-night Gala. I intended to be a female drag queen — a faux queen — but everyone just thought it was me dressed up extra
I kind of need to have a finished belt before I can hem the gown, because the gown(s) hang differently when caught up by the belt. You’d think this belt would be easier, but no. The sari trim was floppy, so I lined it with some light buckram, thinking that would be sufficient. Alas, it
Only occasionally do I follow costumer trends. Usually, when everyone else wants to make chemise dresses or venetian gowns, I’m not convinced & wait 5 years until they’re all bored with the idea to create my own weird little take on the concept. Unless someone has a really really good idea. That’s easy. And comfortable.
People often ask me for advice on buying a sewing machine. Because, of course, someone who sews probably knows something about the machines they use, right? Well, sadly no. It’s kind of like asking for car advice — lots of people drive, not as many people know what goes on under the hood. Or computer
The Société des Lumières held a Turkish-themed salon last night — because, of course, all things exotic & oriental (as it was called then) were quite the rage in the 18th century! So this was an excuse to wear turbans, Indian pajamas, caftans, kimonos, & other “foreign” garb to our articles of undress for a
Well, I’ve scrapped plans to make anything new for Costume College, & I’m forging ahead on future plans: for renfaire & Collegium. Which is far more practical anyway. Ok, Collegium is, since I’m running the event, thus any personal costuming should be done in advance so I can concentrate on event details. For renfaire, new
It’s a known fact that I love wacky hairstyles (also, hats). Big, weird shapes sprouting off one’s head please me inordinately. So naturally, I’ve been drawn to the horn-shaped style worn by Venetian upper-class women in the mid- to late-16th-century. I’ve given one try at making hairpieces to replicate this style, tho’ I’m not quite
At the Valhalla Renaissance Faire, I wore the completed & “proper” version of my Venetian courtesan gown, this one made in a luscious raspberry-colored silk damask that I’d hunted for months to find (& oi, it wasn’t cheap! but sooooo pretty!). Sarah made the gown, same pattern she designed for the tourney version, & I
At the start of this week, Sarah dropped off my new Venetian courtesan gown. This is the “real” version, in the expensive silk damask, as opposed to the tourney version in cotton damask. I need to hem & trim the gown & make the sleeves. The first two tasks are pretty straightforward, but the sleeves
CoCo, meaning Costume College, of course. I’ve been going back & forth about what to make for my Gala gown. I had one idea all set, with fabric bought months ago. And then … Costume Attention Deficit Disorder struck. Alas! Now I’m scrambling to see if I can find / afford new fabric in time.
