Costume Build List (Part One)

Also known as The UnEnding List of Things to Do, But Make Me Happy So They Are Worth It.

So I took some time to sit down and write out all my projects.  I have two lists.  One if for myself and another is for Dickens.  My list includes projects for me, gifts and projects for Victoria and Meghan (They mostly need prodding to work on their projects but still its use of my machine.)  The projects for Charlie are lower priority, mostly because the are things for him to wear with Victoria...

This list does not include other sewing related tasks such as
Historical Sew Fortnightly (but I think some will apply!)
Attending Costume College
Helping Meghan Move
Moving Victoria's Room
Re-Instating my Sewing Room

Some items have deadlines (Dickens related things)- others do not (ie Kana has been a to-do for a couple of years now)

MY LIST

• Corded Petticoats (3? - one for each of the girls)
• Queen of Hearts (Two parts - repair and make another)
• Alice Cape - blue with white stripes (note to self - purchase 1' white grosgrain - ~20-30 yards)
• Alice muff - white rabbit fur of course 
• Sash for green stripe regency dress
• overdress (regency)
• pelisse
• curacao
• Pink Plaid
• Green Kirtle
• Chemise -Regency long sleeve
• 30's Dress (I will commission this one, but I have fabric..)
• 50's Dress
• Florentine (not yet finished, but technically wearable)
• Quilted Petticoat
• Round Gown
• Pantalettes (Alice, QoH, and a spare one or two)
• Pirate shirt (Victoria*)
• Blue Kirtle (Victoria)
• Breeches (Charlie)
• Coat (Charlie) - Actually he should have a couple Victorian, Revolutionary, and Regency
• Kana (Victoria)
• Belle Steampunk (Victoria*)
• Tricorns (cuz pirates amirite?)
• Blue Dress (Meghan*)
• Pantalettes (Meghan*)
• dino corset (Meghan - tudor style*)
• rapunzel corset (Meghan - 18th century style*)
• steampunk corset (Meghan - underbust*)

Its not much right?

HSF #2

The Challenge: UFO (UnFinished Object) - I ended up flossing the boning channels in my Regency Corset.  I had already shortened it enough, so I'm thinking that boning the channels (which I never got to after the alteration) will be enough.

Hours to complete: Really, less than one.  But I did it as I watched some TV.

Total cost: $0 all from my stash

Dicken's Fair Costume Approved!

My Dicken's Fair costume has been approved.  Yippee!   

So the long and the short of making it.

The Skirt.
The skirt is actually 7 panels (gored) using the skirt pattern from Butterick 6196.  The regular pattern only uses 5 panels, but I added two when I bustled the skirt a few years ago.  I re-hemmed it so that it sits a few inches off the floor.  I just pleated the into a waist band and added a placket.  I made the skirt large enough to wear with or without a corset.

The Bodice.
The bodice is made using the lining pattern from TV456.  I used the upper sleeve pattern to make a pattern for the sleeve.  I did the math for the cuff as I wanted to be able to slip my hand through the cuff and not have to fasten it.

The Shawl.
Hand crocheted from about 5 skeins of gray lambswool blend.  Its big enough and basic enough to be used for several centuries of costumes.

The Tucker.
That would be the white blouse part in the close-up.  I went shopping at the thrift store for a blouse that closed around me neck and had pretty embroidery.  It cost about $4 at the thrift shop.

The Underthings.
The corset I've talked blogged about before here.
I also wore the corded petticoat and the cartridge pleated petticoat.

The Bonnet needs to be embellished but I'm very excited!

Tudor Corset

Since the next GBACG event is a Shakespeare picnic; I need Tudor underthings.  Luckily, I have things that will work if I don't have time to make all new period correct garments.  If you aren't familiar with the history of clothes it can get very confusing.  I have finished a corset using the Corset Pattern Generator at the Elizabethan Costume Page.

This is really one of my favorite patterns to make and I'm currently on a test wear.  I like to wear any corset around the house for a while to figure out any spots that bind or any problems that might crop up at an event.

I chose to cord this corset much like my regency corset.  It makes it a little more comfortable to wear, but I made sure that the channels are big enough to fit 1/4 inch flat steel bones if Ifind it isn't supportive enough.  I closes in the front and back all the way so after wearing it a bit (and stretching it) I may need to take it in some.  I'm also debating just sewing a seam in the back to take it in as well.  We'll see.

More Victorian Corset...

While the corset is functionally complete, I will add embellishments later on.

Victorian Corset

Butterick 4254

I've been very busy sewing and not posting.  I have almost completed a corset. I'm using a Butterick pattern as my base.  I'm actually very excited about this corset pattern as I can make a 18th century corset too!

 

I'm making the bottom right style and using a boning style inspired by the blue corset in Victoria and Albert's Underwear: Fashion in Detail page 86 & 87. 

 

I have decided to use a layer of white coutil, a layer of twill on the inside and I found in my stash some pretty cotton print for the fashion fabric. 

 

I have to say I had a lot of trepidation cutting into $25/yard coutil.  I "could" have purchased it cheaper, but that almost always includes a minimum purchase that is/was >$25 and/or purchase 5 or more yards of coutil.  While I like to sew, I don't see me making too many more corsets...

 

Although I'm familiar with bagging the inside layer to make it smooth, I've decided to make this in a way that's easier to alter.   I'm currently working on covering the grommets with a button hole stitch to make the corset a) prettier and b) make the lacing move through the grommets more smoothly.

close up of fashion fabric

One side pieced together (before grommets)

Grommets are time consuming.  It took 4 hours to punch holes and place the grommets in this corset.  Keep in mind that I was grommeting (and now sewing) through 6 layers of fabric.  In this pattern the back seam is folded over for the grommets.  I was also fortunate enough (or at least my arthritic hands were) to be able to use my friends grommet setter.

I will post photos later of the finished corset and when letting my fingers rest I'm working on making a corded petticoat - but more on that later.

Victorian outfit...

So since I want to go to (and work) Dicken's Fair this year my main project is a Victorian outfit.  Well, really two since I want a fancy party dress (for GBACG day) and a work (Upper Middle Class) outfit.  As with everything in costuming, 'tis best to work from the inside out.  For further disclosure at the age of 18 (or so) I spent 6 months to a year playing around doing Civil War re-enactments and made a complete outfit. (Yes I went camping in my corset. I'll have to hunt up the photo(s) and post about it later.)

1. Chemise - While I want to make a new one with the Indian cotton that I made V's from, I've a perfectly acceptable substitute for now - an old nightgown made of lawn.
2. Pantalettes or drawers - Yes, they will be split crotch.  No, I haven't a pattern for them yet... Do you have ANY idea of how difficult it is to go to the ladies room in hoops and a corset?
3. Corset - project du jour
4. Corded petticoat - project for tomorrow (or next week or really when I can get to it.)
5. Hoop skirt or cage crinoline. - Sigh. My choices are:
1. Make one myself - I haven't done this in 20 years, but I know how. Without a pattern even. Really it's more about do I want to...  (The question becomes - Is it worth being able to say 'I made everything I'm wearing except the shoes...')  Supplies (if I use a pattern) will run
1. Pattern $10.50 (TV 142)
   
2. Hoop wire $48
3. Bone casing $24
4. oh an some fabric <2 yards and 5 yards of grosgrain ribbon...
5. plus shipping and time (I estimate it will take about one day to make.)
   
2. Buy one. <$100 - the down side to this is that it's hard to find hoops in natural fabrics...
6. Over-petticoat - the last time it was all ruffled like Scarlet's...
7. the Fancy dress... (TV 456) - I already have a pretty brown plaid for it... and some cool olive green trim...squee!
8. the Work dress - well I have a skirt (in blue), really I need to make a bodice to go with it.  The skirt is one I use for many eras, re-working the waist as necessary to add fullness to the back or even it out.

Well, I'm off to the fabric store to pick up grommets for the above mentioned corset... Wish me luck!

Victorian Corset

So my corset is to be of the Victorian Era and is inspired by this beautiful blue corset from V&A's Underwear: Fashion in Detail. This particular corset is on page 86-87. So as I'm not fond of the idea of trying to create pattern pieces from a photo as many of my costume-y friends are wont to do I set off to find a regular old tissue pattern that approximates the lines of this corset. What I found was Butterick 4254. And although it doesn't look exactly like the other, I think it will do. The mock up was done in a muslin. Many folks advised me against it, but I'm short on cash and really just want to see if the pattern in big enough to go around me properly and long enough to go from breast to hip. I think that a muslin is the way to go until I get to an actual trimming-down-my-waist mockup. Anyway, Butterick patterns tend (I hear) to come with a LOT of ease and generous seam allowances so after making it up I found that cutting the largest size will probably produce a corset that closes without trimming me down much but is at least 4 inches shorter than I would prefer it to be.

So after tracing out the patterns and adding 4 inches to the length - I've started putting together another muslin. (see why I'm using muslin? I don't feel bad about throwing away the first mock up. I would if I had used twill or gods forbid coutil) I actually have the second mockup halfway done and feel confident enough that I feel that I could start cutting out the twill. But I'm lazy and would rather write a blog post instead of sewing tonight. My guess is that after the mockup is finished I'm going to cut two layers of twill so that I have three layers finished. I plan on stitching each layer together per the recommended seam allowances and take it in as needed.

I plan on the boning placement being more like the blue corset. But I kinda plan on freestyling it as I go mirroring each side. I've tons of spiral boning and tips so hopefully I'll end up with a comfy corset that trims my waist down 7 to 8 inches with an inch of opening in the back.

Good thing I have great costume-y friends that will be easily (hopefully) bribed to come over and pin the final product down to size when I try it on.

Wish me luck!

Ongoing projects

So on my plate now are the following projects, let's see if I can keep these in the air...

1. Rehearsal for The Wizard of Oz. (the RSC version) Yes, I'm in the ensemble. I play a munchkin, a beautician and a winkie... The show is in May @ Solano Community College. You can go here for more info http://www.solanocollegetheatre.org/thewizardofoz.html
2. Trying, trying, trying to finish my victorian corset. Which I'm getting easily distracted from by
3. Making some Regency shirts for a few male friends. And I'm so thankful that I just finished...
4. Dragon Age 2 - the job here is to NOT get sucked in to play another game/alternate endings... /sigh
5. Oh, and did I mention I upped my WOW subscription? Don't know when I'll actually play now, but the point is that I CAN.

The point is that I'm gonna be busy, so if you don't hear from me in a while... see if I'm still alive on twitter...

Adventures in 18th Century costuming

I have just finished Victoria's 18th Century corset. Why did I make Victoria an 18th Century corset? Because in a rare bit of mother-daughter bonding she told me that she wanted one of those fancy dresses from the Colonial/American Revolution era. So after some research (which did require some arm-twisting) I was able to determine that she REALLY wanted an a la englaise.

So as with all good costuming, the underwear comes first. My good friend Hannah was over one day and was able to draft a pattern for a corset. The photo contains the finished product. Along with the pocket hoops that *only* took 5 hours from idea to completion made by Hannah as a gift for Victoria. Victoria's only job is to add a hook and a bar to the waist band of the hoops.

Alteration notes have been taken on the corset - it needs to be longer and smaller in the shoulders. As it stands now the corset closes and the back. Because of her scoliosis, the front doesn't look just right - to help with that I may add an inch to the top of the left side. This will make the corset look odd on paper, but should help with coverage in her front.