miss_philomena | Entries tagged with talk

Partially anyway. I started this dress back in late May for a picnic that got rained out, so it went on the UFO pile. A small group of us are hitting up a tea house this weekend, and I don't feel like wearing my red cotton gown. So I decided, rather than just fix/recut the left sleeve on my windowpane green silk gown, which was my first idea, that I'd pull this out and finish it.

The bodice was already mostly assembled, I just needed to sew the side seams and sew up and set the sleeves. Right now it's currently in the War & Peace asymmetrical style, as you can see. The sleeves are three parts- the short puffed sleeve, a fitted short lining, and a long fitted sleeve that's just basted in.

I pinned the front with about a 4" overlap, but I'm thinking I'm either going to have it just meet in the front, or only a very small 1" overlap, and fill it in with either a chemisette or fichu. Looking at the picture I feel like the high overlap looks too closed off. I want it more like this gown, I think. I also plan to do a dogleg closure like that gown as well, and have a round skirt. I don't have enough fabric to put three panels in the skirt like usual, so what I plan to do instead is gore the front so I can get a fuller hem, and use a full panel for the back.

Today's plan is to set the second set of sleeves, sew the waistband to the bodice, and cut and sew the skirt pieces. Tomorrow will be attaching the skirt and putting in closures. But right now it's time for an early lunch!

It's after midnight as I get ready to post this, so I am now exactly 275 days away from my wedding. Insanity!

And my best friend is getting married in something like 55 days. I have no idea what I'm going to wear to hear wedding yet either. It's a cinderella's ball type theme, so I told her I'd just wear one of my Victorian ball gowns, but she was less than enthused by that idea. I have a really nice evening gown, and while it fits in the body, it's too tight now in the bust. And the boobs are the one place I haven't lost weight from as my weight has gone down. I'm trying to decide if I want to see if I can find myself a dress for under $150 or so, or just make myself something.

But that's not the point of this post! This is my 2015 in review. It was crappy in some ways, and good in others. The best of course being that my mom is still here, followed very closely by Joe proposing.

( Here's what I made )

I'm also starting to plot out what I want to sew next year.

I've already decided to spend January and February making new undies for all periods. I need three chemises: 18th century, regency, and Victorian. I need pantaloons. I need to finally sew the regency stays I cut out a year ago. I need to do a little repair work on my 1780s stays, mainly replacing a couple of the broken cane bones. If possible, I want to make a new pair of fully boned stays appropriate for Pennsbury Manor. I need to decide if I want to just take in my Victorian corset, or make a new one.

I want to do pre-raphaelite/faux medieval for my birthday, which is April. I've got the fitted gown, I just need something to go over it now. I'm told one of my spring semester professors expects a fully sewn piece every week though, so we'll see how much time/energy I have outside of schoolwork for personal sewing.

Beyond that I'm not entirely sure what will be happening. I've got linen to make a new Pennsbury mantua as well, but I probably won't need it until May or June. And those don't take a ton of time to make. It'll probably come on the train with me where I can sit and hand sew for a good 80 minutes each way.

I also want to flesh out my late 18th century wardrobe. I've been doing that more than Victorian lately, and I want to keep at it while it holds my interest.

I'm hoping to move sometime in the summer, i.e. between semesters, so I'm not sure how much time I'll have for sewing in general. 2016 is going to be a very busy year in a lot of different ways.

Oops?

The symposium in Williamsburg was lots of fun. I met some new friends, failed to get any new pictures of my piemontaisse, and started making a calash bonnet. And it's out of the prettiest cross-barred silk, too. I need to remember to take pictures of it.

There have really only been two noteworthy events in April, the first being my birthday on the 5th. The Metropolitan Opera was performing La Bohème that afternoon, so my mom and I went up to see it. And of course that meant I needed to make a dress. I used one of Butterick's vintage patterns for a 1953 dress, with some slight alterations, and I made myself a crinoline to go under it too~

The other big event sadly fell the same weekend as Ft Fred, which meant I had to miss 18th century shopping with everyone. But! I did something sort of 18th century related?

I haven't mentioned this before, but back in December I joined the Daughters of the American Revolution. I never thought I'd actually be elegible for it, 3/4ths of my grandparents being first generation Americans, but my mom went on a big geneology kick, and low and behold through my father's mother, I could trace back to the revolution.

The reason why I say this is because the New Jersey state conference was the same weekend and I was invited to be a page, AKA a gopher, basically. I got to spend two days running around doing whatever anyone might need me to do, wearing white the whole time. Nonetheless it was fun. I'm going to be helping out next weekend at the NJ history fair at the DAR table. If anyone is free, you should come check it out, up in Washington's Crossing on the New Jersey side. The site for it is here. There are going to be a lot of different types of tables and displays there, and the food trucks sound like they'll be awesome too.

On top of all that, I've also been spending a lot of time lately at Pennsbury Manor, mostly doing school tours in the mornings. I've been averaging twice a week lately. so lots and lots of kids. Yippy. Life's been busy.

As an aside, I went onto Winterthur's site for tickets for the Downton Abbey exhibit, and they might all be sold out. There was no option for times on the 17th, which makes me very sad.

The PA Renn Faire yesterday was a lot of fun. I was feeling rather yucky in the morning, a growing migraine and some nausea to go with it, but I ignored that and went anyway, and I'm glad I did. By the time I got to the faire after the two hour drive I was feeling fine anyway. I'd never been to the faire before and it was huge. Lots of walking up and down hills, which actually reminded me of bing in Germany last summer, and all the walking tours I did there. And speaking of Germany, I was the token German of the group, and I even had the award to prove it. I got several comments on it from random people, cast members and faire visitors alike. I need to steal pictures from other people, still.

Now, as for my next project, I'm intending to make a new pair of stays for next Thursday. Pennsbury Manor has Harvest Days, which means too many school groups coming through, and I'll be demonstrating Dorset buttons for them. Can I make stays in nine days? I'm feeling hopeful, but I still need to figure out some type of boning too. Tonight's plan is to draft up the 1680s stays from Corsets and Crinolines.

Did I just make a Spoonflower account just so I can make this dress? Yes, yes I did.

Two awesome things happened today.

1) I got into the Burnley & Trowbridge stays class in September! \o/ I was first on the waitlist, and someone cancelled, so I'm in~

2) The (second) sari I ordered for my Titanic dinner gown arrived today. I've already got it cut apart and mostly draped, but I need to finish the underdress before I actually finish up the draping of it. It's a net sari, and I wasn't sure if I'd match the color for the underdress or go with black, but black won out, so it'll be made of the black silk charmeuse I've had in the stash for a few years now. I'm still trying to decide if I want to line the skirt or not, but I think, since I'm not doing a train on the silk, I'm going to skip lining. I think I'll just do a petticoat for it.

In the slightly less awesome realm of things, I'm almost finished with the green striped gown. I just need to sew the last few hooks and eyes into the bodice.

The green dress is almost finished. I just need to do the last bits of tacking down the binding in the bodice and add the closures and buttons. The skirts are completely finished, and even have actual skirt hooks for closing, so I won't be safety pinning myself into it for once.

I'm about go to start on the white and red dress too. I think all the fabric is done drying by now. I also decided rather than try and find white eyelet with red embroidery, it's just going to be a fully white dress with a red sash.

Then my sari for my Titanic dinner gown should be arriving tomorrow, so fingers crossed~ It's only taken me a month and a half to get it, after the first one I ordered was damaged in processing and I had to pick out a new one. Dx

And finally~

I'm teaching a class at Dress U, first thing on Friday afternoon, 4pm-7pm. It's how to make knit beaded Victorian (and earlier and later) purses. Only two people signed up for it, but that should make things go faster and easier, I hope. Dress U itself says you can't get into the class day of, but I was planning on making some extra kits for it anyway, so I have no problem accepting extra people as long as they pay for it. We'll see, I guess~

taking a short break from the green gown, I put some thought to what I want for the Gibson girl pool party, and I think I'm going to go with more of an early teens day gown, something like this dress though with a red and white color scheme instead. (and trim rather than embroidery, with time constraints) And I picked up a red hat earlier that with some basic alterations should work quite well~

I'm so horribly behind with the sewing I need for Dress U. x_x I need to make something for the Titanic dinner, Let Them Eat Crepes, the Gibson girl pool party, and possibly something for the Mad Tea Party if I don't decide to go with my red striped bustle instead. I know what I'm doing for Gibson girl already (something like this), and I've got most of an idea for Titanic as well, but I've planned nothing at all yet for Crepes.

Anyway, Titanic gown link parking:

This is the biggest inspiration so far, I think.

Though this is a strong second place.

This as well

And finally this.

But basically, I've discovered I really like Callot Soeurs gowns a lot. I have four or five other ones of theirs bookmarked as well for this. Also, I want to make a purse like this one, which is also theirs, if I can find a lace that would work.

I think that's all for now....

Is it wrong to plan an outfit around a certain type of hat? More specifically, this type of hat?

It's big and over the top and at the same time simple. I love it. I might even attempt to do it in straw if I have enough narrow braid to do it.

I'll probably go for either a zone front like Hilary Swank is wearing with it, or perhaps some type of round gown. I'm still deciding. It depends on what the stash says to me.

I hate stays. More specifically, I hate trying to pattern and make them for myself. My lack of proper stays are the reason why I haven't really done any 18th century stuff, despite having lots of plans for them. But I've made three pairs for myself now over the years, and none of them fit well enough to be of any use.

I think I just need a magical stays fairy to come wave a wand and make them for me.

So I ran out to AC Moore earlier to pick up some hat boxes. They're 50% off right now, btw~~ the large ones fit everything but my big straw and wool felt hats from Williamsburg, so those will have to go in a plastic tote or something, I suppose. I also labeled them all so I'll know exactly what is in each box xD

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

Everyone else is talking about Victorian fancy dress costumes, and I can't help it. I need to jump in, even though I won't be at Costume College. I'm liking this one the most. A Victorian take on Italian Renn is what it looks like to me. Kind of like a Victorian Juliet. I'll have to poke through the stash as I sort out what will go into storage and see what jumps out at me color-wise. I'm thinking maybe ivory? With a nice deep burgundy for the sleeve puffs and underskirt.

And a nice coppery-brown leather for the belt/pouch, which I just happen to have already...

Miss Scott in costume, Montreal, QC, 1881

CADD is hitting and it's hitting hard. It tends to come when I'm past the halfway point of a project, and all I want is to play with the next pretty thing. I think the only reason why I haven't started working on my blue striped summer bustle is the fact that I haven't unpacked my 1872 bustled crinoline yet, and I need to actually measure out the skirt lengths, because I'm not doing a train for this dress. And by no train I mean I'm probably going to do just a sweep, about 4" long in the back. I just need to see by how much I need to shorten my 7-gore pattern side back and back pieces, because I drafted it for about the 16" train as seen in my icon. (Yes I realize I could just cut the back 12" shorter. But I want to double check.)

I also want to make a nicer petticoat than the plain white one I wore at CosCon. I have a few yards of eyelet, so I'll probably use that. I think I'm going to do a yoke for that to keep the very top of the bustle smooth.

But I think most of all I'm in an accessories mood. I just dug through a bag of vintage gloves I have and pulled out four pairs that fit me. One pair is white fabric, two pairs are kid leather, one white and one pink, and a lovely suede pair that are burgundy. I'm also really itching to make some more hats. IDK, they're just so much fun. I've got a blue straw hat I picked up a while back from Goodwill that I'm going to use to make a little topper hat to go with my summer bustle. And even though I don't really have anything to wear with it I'm in the mood to make a ridiculously large hat, either something like the giant purple hat Kate Winslet wore in her first scene in Titanic, or a large high-crowned 1780s hat. We'll see, I suppose~

so scrapbook isn't working with the lj.app or something? Not cool, LJ. Your force me to email my pictures to myself just so I can upload them here. 365 pics will have to wait until LJ decides to behave again.

But anyway, stripy natural form update! Okay technically it's not an update because I haven't done anything else, but I took a picture! :D It still needs hemming, but that shouldn't take too long. And then all I really need to do is the bodice! I still need to cut the flatlining for that before I can piece it. I'm flatlining the main body with the same green striped cotton I used for the underskirt, and I'm gonna bagline the sleeves with probably some white silk taffeta I have in my stash. And I'm still trying to decide exactly how I want to trim this. Because the silk itself is such a bold design, I think I might only do some ivory lace around the neckline and end of the sleeves. And I think I'm gonna do either ivory or gold buttons on the bodice too.

( big pic )

Now, for a bit of planning~ I think the next thing I'm going to work on is a summer bustle gown a la the 1872 dress I posted the other day. I was originally thinking of some type of floral print like the original, but then I remembered I have a lovely blue striped cotton gauze in my stash. It always comes back to stripes, what can I say? So not only to I want a nice light summer gown, I want it for something specific. That being Belvidere's Victorian Days this September. Which also means I'll probably need a white or light colored corset, instead of my black one. >_> But I've got a pattern I already like, so I'd just need to make another one.

ETA: works so much better when I get the html right >_>;;

The Met's website is such an amazing, evil thing, isn't it? xD There are so many things on my someday list from their collection, and I just want to toss up a list so I can remember for myself.

1. Robe à la Polonaise ca. 1787 I love love love the golden yellow damask trimmed with blue taffeta combination. And the shawl collar and ruched oversleeve. I just love the whole thing, though I think when I do make this style I'll make it a bit more fitted than this.

2. Visiting Dress, 1867 It's striped. It's transitional early bustle. It's floofy and over the top. Do I really need to say anything else? :3

3. Dress, 1865-1870 I really like the shape and draping of this skirt. (The Met gave this a range of 1865-70, but I'd definitely put it closer to the end of that than the beginning, given the style of the skirt.)

4. Afternoon Dress, 1870-1875 This is definitely a dress where the fabric makes the gown. But I just love that bright blue in the brocade that's then repeated in the trim.

5. Dress, 1872 I love how light and airy and soft this looks. I really want to make a summer ensemble, with either a printed gauze like this, or just a plain organza.

6. Afternoon Ensemble, 1880-1885 This blue is such a beautiful, rich color, and the brocade, of course, is the perfect highlight with it. And I love all the mix and match pieces and the various ways it can be worn.

7. Dress, 1885-1888 I know

koshka_the_cat is planning on making this, but I've been drooling over this down for a couple months now. The stripes! Who could say no to that?

8. Afternoon Dress, 1912 I want to do the DPP for Your Wardrobe Unlock'd, and while my first thought went to an evening gown, this one with it's deceptively simple lines (and stripes!) is lovely. I think the only thing I'd really change is the neckline. I really, really can't stand high collars, or really anything tight around the neck.

So, I've actually cut down the list from what I'd originally planned, believe it or not. But this seems like a good starting off point. xD

Oh and one last thing! I've made myself a twitter account, if anyone has one and would be interested in following it, though I don't know how often I'll use it.

I couldn't help it. With everyone else talking about their pretty pretty tiaras I just had to look myself. And when I found a super pretty one then I just had to get it. It was fate, I tell you. >_>

This shop, Venus Jewelry, had some absolutely beautiful other pieces as well, so it was hard to choose. But by next week, I'll be ready to be a pretty pretty princess too!

No new pictures of my green dress (which needs a fun name still) because I haven't done anything besides redraft my fantail skirt pattern slightly.

So, there was both good and bad when it came to Costume Con. But we talked enough about the bad while it happened that I don't really feel like revisiting it here. xD Instead I'll just say that seeing old friends and meeting new ones was awesome. So hello there new friends!

There weren't really any large, easily accessible mirrors, but windows at night work well~

And in the spirit of laziness, here's a nice neat little link to my pictures from the weekend. :3 CosCon pics

In the spirit of non-laziness I spent yesterday working on my next dress. I traced off TV's Hermione overskirt and 1880 dinner bodice, and drafted up a fantail underskirt pattern as well. I picked up some green striped taffeta back when I went on my ebay splurge in February, and while I'd originally planned to use it for an 18th century polonaise, I decided once I got it that I wanted it for something Victorian. I cut out the bodice and overskirt yesterday, but since most of the underskirt won't be visible, I'm going to cut it out of plain cotton first and only add the striped silk along the bottom. Once I have the overskirt sewn up (probably tomorrow) I'll be able to figure out just how high up the silk will need to go. Pictures of that once I start sewing~

So the past couple of weeks I've been feeling costuming burn-out, and for no apparent reason. But that's a bad thing when Costume Con is only a month away. So I figured if I can just knock out something quick and easy I can get myself back on track.

And hey, I think it's working! :3

I'd picked up this kind of waffle-textured-type silk gauze several years ago with the intention of making something like the white organza gowns you see in the 1870s. But after getting it home it then sat in a drawer forever after I realized it was a bit too drapey to use for the crisp style needed for the bustle style. Plus it didn't really want to hold a crease either, probably because it is a textured weave.

But Sunday I had the thought that it'd make a perfect early Regency style dress and got straight to it. XD Sunday I pieced together three panels for the skirt and did a muslin mockup for the bodice, which I also used as the lining. Yesterday I cut out the silk for the bodice and got that pieced together and mounted the skirt on as well. I'm doing a bib-front style, almost exactly like the 1798-1805 gown in Patterns of Fashion 1. I'm a bit eh about the bib for that dress though, with all the tucks going in the same direction, so my first thought was to do more of a chevron style. But when I was flipping through the Kyoto Costume Institute's Fashion for extra inspiration, this dress here caught my eye. I like the slight scoop to the neckline, as well as the gathering under the bust.

I haven't actually done the bib yet, but I realized last night when I was, I'll admit being lazy, fitting the gown over just a bra and tank top, that I really need some type of stays for this. I'm a busty girl, so I need something with support, but I don't particularly like the long typical regency style stays, so I'm going with a pair of short transitional stays, the kind with a gathered cup rather than inset gores. I drafted up a pattern for the back of the stays earlier, and I'll just start with a couple of rectangles for the front to figure out where the cups need to go. For a little bit of extra support I rescued the underwires from one of my bras that's bound for the trash to add to the stays. But actually making the stays is tomorrow's project.

And I noticed there is talk of wearing costume for the KCI tea on the 10th? Looks like I'll be all set. XD

My plaid silk arrived yesterday, and my pink and gold damask arrived today!!! I'm resisting the urge to start working with then until after this weekend, and it's very very hard. :<

I can't wait to start working on my mantua. I think I'm a bit too excited about it. >_> I'm also thinking of entering it in the historical masquerade at Costume Con. That decision isn't final yet, though.

For those of you that have done the masquerades at Costume Cons in the past- what did you do on stage for the show itself? And how detailed and technical (and long) was your documentation?

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miss_philomena

December 2018

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Miss Philomena

resolved to take fate by the throat and shake a living out of her

Entries tagged with talk

first project of the year

Reviewing and planning

It's been two months since my last post

Recap

oops

today has been a good day

dress u musings

hattery

inspiration link parking here

hehe....he?

I've come to a realization.

Mmmm, hat boxes~~

Why yes this gets it's own post

urgh

:/

inspiration and planning

why yes I'm a shameless follower

Costume Con~

CADD. It happens.

happy dance~~