My motto for this website and all my dress-up endeavors has long been, “We’re born naked, everything else is a costume,” which is a paraphrase of RuPaul’s “We’re born naked, everything else is drag.” Because Mama Ru and I have the same philosophy that all the clothes / makeup / hairstyle / etc. we garb
Taking my dip into “early period” to new heights … This started as a cheesy dress bought on eBay just to kick around camp, probably on Sundays, maybe in summer (since it’s a fairly lightweight cotton). I bought a size based on my hip measurement, knowing I’d have to fit the bodice down, plus hack
If you’ve looked around my website or seen me at SCA events, you might have noticed I’m really fond of 16th-century clothing. And I don’t go much earlier than this era. In fact, I often joke that 1530 is “early period” for me (when, in SCA circles, “early period” means Norse, Viking, even Roman garb).
While I have a few wee SCA projects to work on at the start of this year, my main sewing goals between January and May are going to be all 18th century, all the time. Why? Because we’re going to France, baby! We are renting a chateau in the south of France with the same
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
I had an amazing time at the Greater Bay Area Costumer’s Guild’s Last Dinner on the Titanic, which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the ship’s sinking on April 14, 2012. This costumed dinner & dance took place at the Bellevue Club in Oakland, CA. Everyone was seated at tables of 10, & our group decided
Sometimes, you just want to go to an event, even if the historical era is not your bag, baby. Maybe you’re trying something new, maybe the event sounds like fun because it’s at a fabulous venue or it has a great combo of activities, or maybe all your friends are going, or it could be
Buying clothing second-hand is very well-documented in the 16th century, and really, in most eras. Clothing and fabric were big investments before the post-World-War-II manufacturing boom that lead to our current state of disposable fast fashion. If a garment could be used again, it was. Best dresses became second-best or everyday dresses, garments were altered
I think I’m just gonna buy a shirt, because, bleh, who wants to make a frickin’ shirt? Not me, that’s who. I like this one on Etsy, and inquired if she could add sleeve ruffles and deliver by July 1. Considering this neck stock too, but waffling because, well, it costs as much as the
I think I may have a use for those Georgiana shoes after all … Maybe *those* could be my Leonard shoes! Dye them purple and wear with big rhinestone buckles. Sure, they’re fabric, which is not really common for men, but they’re not as totally girlie as the Fugawee Marthas (& I just couldn’t get
All this talk online of the American Duchess shoes got me thinking — I should just get some Fugawees for Leonard! Because he deserves it 😉 Ok, well, I want it, and leather shoes are more correct than silk for a man, even a super-fop like Leonard (though according to his autobiography, he was *quite*
It is begun! I cut the pink taffeta, spray-basted it to some white twill for body, and sewed all the side seams of the bodice. Then I started hand-sewing on the trim. Have to start with trim over the seam lines, you see, then work out in 1.5″ spacing. I’m not actually doing the exact
I just found these tatted lace masks on Etsy (via Instructables, where I was doing research for work, honest). That could be perfect for Carnivale! See, at Antonia Sautter’s atelier, I tried on a lace mask that fit pretty nicely over my glasses. It was intended to. And I’d thot about trying to make such
What I wanted to find at this year’s trip to the LA Garment District was something to go with this hot pink and silver (polyester) sari I’ve had in the Stash for years: I made a sketch of my costume concept in Tara Maginnis’ drawing class at Costume College (shown at left). The idea is
Dharma Trading Company rules the world!!! Dude, I always knew this was one awesome outfit, but these fine folks have, yet again, exceeded expectations! I’ve been hemming and hawing (mostly hawing) about what fabric to use for this last tiny little stupid annoying bit on my masquerade costume. I don’t really have anything right in