6 posts tagged “costuming”
[Apologies to anyone who also reads my SCA blog for the crossposting.]
I've been waiting on an order of fabric for Himself's SCA garb (to make a long story short, one of my partners has decided he'd like to play SCA with me). It finally arrived today, and turned out to be much better than expected.
It's a bit of a textured, standard 2x2 even weave soft grey wool plus something. The plus something came to light after I washed the yardage to get rid of dust stains and a vague smoke odor that belied the seller's claim to be a "smoke free home." No fulling = not 100% wool, but that's really okay. It looks and feels like 100%, and I'm not averse to a little plastic in my fabrics as long as they don't scream at me.
The seller comped us an extra yard, so it looks like I'll have enough to make him a nice doublet and loose Venetians out of it. We picked up new brushed silver metal buttons last week, and I still have tons of black bias tape for binding and simple decoration. The best part is, I think I may have gotten a piece of vintage fabric. The original yardage tag was still attached, and the price and script style on the tag (a paper tag stitched onto the fabric by its own string) makes me think this may be late 50s to early 60s.
In other happy mail news, I received a package from Halcyon Yarn. I've been planning a linen embroidered jacket based on the Maidstone jacket for a while now. My version will use a twisted lattice enclosure pattern, filled with single motifs of foxglove, pomegranate, and possibly pansies and one other fruit for interest.
The happy mail was 1600 yards of sapphire blue 2/30 silk embroidery floss. It's so soft I have to make myself not pet it. I'm not sure when I turned into such an embroidery whore, but I suspect it had a lot to do with feeling real silk floss for the first time. It's about painful to put off working on this jacket long enough to do garb for Himself for an event on the 23rd, and then the kirtle/fitted gown outfit and the loose coat for myself.
The black bustle skirt, prior to finishing.
This is a very cleverly engineered pattern. It went together in about two hours, with another nine hours for adding the ruffle overlay (not shown).
Jacket back 2
Originally uploaded by tattycat.
Embroidery closeup
Originally uploaded by tattycat.
Jacket front
Originally uploaded by tattycat.
The bustle jacket was a right royal pain. It's slubby shot silk dupioni, and for some ridiculous reason, I decided to line it with striped China silk. Nightmare. Consequently, the back box pleats came out all wonky at the waist, so I decided to costume it up a bit more than I had intended. Also, despite cutting it out two sizes too large and doing almost dangerously narrow seams, it still came out too small. I had to add a button strip at the front just to make it close.
The decorations are iron-on embroidery transfers from Denim Details. I went all out, and used as many as I had (I do love a good sale at Hancock's). All that's left at this point is to hem, and add buttons to the front placket.
Steampunk Costume Progress
This weekend became a flurry of housecleaning and sewing. I finally got around to setting up the sewing corner in my home office, and yesterday was spent watching movies and working on the Norwescon steampunk bluestocking project.
The first stage was the combinations. I chose to make this garment from Truly Victorian's combinations pattern. Since I'm operating on limited time, drafting my own pattern would be a little more of a time expenditure than I can afford.
The garment is teal blue cotton sateen, self-faced, with white lace andsilver braid trim at the leg hems, and more silver braid at the armholes. I ended up having to shorten the shoulder straps quite substantially on the front pattern piece that was my actual size; this caused the armholes to bind up. Once I deepened the armscyes, the little cap sleeves no longer fit the opening, so I scrapped them.
The neckline is fairly deep; I estimate that the center front will sit just barely above the top edge of the corset. The garment buttons down the front with twelve flat faux mother-of-pearl buttons with engraved wreaths of flowers. All in all, it's very simple and very comfortable.
I'm most of the way through the construction of my Victorian corset, and it's almost scary how quickly the work has gone. Mind you, I have never considered three weeks of work to be "quick" before; however, I am told that that's pretty speedy. Of course, I still have to do all the flossing on the boning channels and about 15-20 sets of handsewn eyelets, because I'm nuts like that.
I'm tired of working on it now. I'm going to make myself sew down the last strip of binding tonight just so I can put it away for a while.
I also put together the bustle crinoline, and I am utterly charmed by the engineering that allows one to increase or decrease the size of the bustle. Still left to do on that: the ruffled overlay I have just decided I want, and the hook and eye fasteners.
This weekend is a holiday. On the list for certain is the bustle skirt; it's a simple black twill wool, flounced at the back. If I feel ambitious, I may start the mockup for the bustle jacket as well. I also need to run out at some point and purchase knitting needles and another clip on feather spray for the topper.
Here is the finished top hat. The thing above the netting is a pair of vintage swimming goggles. I'm still debating more ornamentation on the front.
Me in the Victorian onesie. I'm completely serious about making more of these just to wear around the house. So very comfy.
I used the Truly Victorian Combinations pattern, with the legs shortened to just above the knee. The fabric is a teal cotton sateen; it's edged with machine-lace and a strip of pale blue ribbon edged with decorative stiching in dark brown. The buttons are faux mother-of-pearls engraved with a scroll pattern.
Wheee! It's a new costuming project!! I knew an interest in bustle dresses would lead me into trouble. Friends, never ever ever mix a bout of Victorian costuming research with a renewed interest in steampunk literature.
I should come equipped with a shock collar for true costuming emergencies.
My latest project idea is to make a steampunk Victorian outfit, something I can wear to Norwescon this year and whatnot. I have an idea of what I want, and at some point in the next few days I'll be sitting down to sketch it out. For now, you get some pictures and a quickie description, mostly so I don't forget when I can finally get the fabric.
Steampunk is really forgiving, in that it takes the basic historic facts and alters them for a more fantasy/science fiction feel. My inspirations have been Mina Harker's black ensemble from League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, bustle dresses from around 1879, and menswear.
I already have the materials to build an hourglass corset. The pattern is the Silverado corset from Farthingale's. The exterior is a green linen-look fabric that will be bound with black bias strips. It will be lined with a plain white cotton coutil and boned with a combination of spring and spiral steel. I'm hoping to get around a 4" compression at the waist with this. The final touch is the soft cream flossing in a feather pattern.
I'm think that I'll layer a white Victorian men's shirt and tie under the corset. I like the higher collars with a modest cravat, or the American Western shirts with a velvet ribbon string tie.
Bottoms will be one of two things. Either a. a modest black underskirt with striped edging or b. a pair of slim black men's trousers. My goal is really to end up with both, so that I can wear whichever strikes my fancy. Rounding it off would be a pair of button boots, or a pair of very tall stompy boots like Hessians or riding boots with buckles.
The overgown will be the fun part. I'm visualizing something that looks much like a women's riding jackt or a man's waistcoat from the front, but that is skirted as a bustle dress in the back so that the "tails" of the coat are swept up into a falling bustle. If the tails don't work, I may make the bustle portion button-on. What I'd really love is to make this in a navy or midnight blue shot dupioni silk like this one; I think the changeable colours and the rustle of the fabric will give about the impression I'm hoping for.
And to top it off, a top hat. I want to make something like the topper mentioned in this post on a steampunk LJ community. However, the plan is to start with a plain black wool felt top hat (maybe one of the Mad Hatter styles with a flared crown). I'll then add a black and white striped band, green and blue feathers, some green and black net veiling, and actual clockfaces from the hobby store. If I am careful, I may be able to figure out how to attach battery-operated clockfaces, so they will actually tell the time.
Source Images:
Jen Thompson has webbed several issues of Peterson's Magazine from the late 19th century. This image, specifically the dress to the viwewr's right, is close-ish in how the overskirt tucks back and the overall lines are somewhat masculine.
The overall look of this jacket is almost spot-on what I want.
In this image, again to the far right, are longer tails and a slightly more modest bustle.
This image, far right, shows an overdress arrangement with drawn back overskirts that segue into a bustle.
I love the bustle arrangment here, and I think I'll end up stealing it.
The standing collar on this dress seems like it would accomodate a cravat or tie fairly easily. At the very least, it shows that a tall collar would work resonably well on such a garment.
Like the back seams on this jacket a lot.
Hats in the Belfry has a couple of top hats I think are keen. This one is a basic style, or I could go with the Mad Hatter style (if I'm feeling flush).
