The problem with working on several costumes simultaneously is that I don’t get that “ah, finished!” feeling from having completed any one item. All my projects are in a state of half-done, all at the same time. It’s annoying & not my usual mode of operation. But I’m in deep now, & there’s no turning
Photos from Costume-Con 26’s official photographer.
My weekend… It was a lot of things. 98% of them amazingly good. The truly crowning jewel, for those who didn’t hear, was this: Best in Show, Costume-Con 26 Historical Masquerade. Master Costumer for reals. See also: and the original inspiration. SO FUCKING WORTH IT. ******
Yay!!! Well, I’m not happy with mine (it’s a weird dress, but that’s the portrait and era’s fault; I’m so totally ripping the bertha and tucker off after this). But it’s done and mostly fits, especially if I don’t tight-lace (oops, I actually lost a tiny bit of weight after I did the skirt). Added
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
Anyone have a source — either online or that they can scan and post — for what one of those little lace caps looks like *not* on a woman’s head? I’m wondering how I should make mine. It doesn’t have ear flaps afaik. In the portrait, it mostly looks like just a back veil. Easy
Berthas are ugly and hard to make! But I’m getting there — evidence is in my folder on the Y!Group. Photo of my bodice with the bertha pinned on and lace pinned on (but not gathered). OMG I hate berthas! So completely ugly. And it kept angling weird, and the pleats went wonky on me
I feel kinda like a rockstar because last night I finished all those bloody hand-bound eyelets (though they were not actually bloody, thank the gods) *and* I am this close to being finished with the CC26 program book. The later looks a whole lot better than the former, but still. I’m doing it. Go me.
Bleh, hand-sewing. Hand-bound eyelets blow chunks. I’ve done one half of the bodice tho. Think it took about 4 hours (I called in sick to work today — was headachey in the a.m.). My fingers are sore. Not in an RSI way (yet) but in a ‘wish I could work with a thimble’ way. At
Ugh, three hours to make one sleeve. Bloody freakin’ hell. Wasn’t even hand-sewn! Just fiddly as all get out. Only took a few teeny breaks to see some of the fights during the Sharks game and relieve my back. Here comes Calgary, should be interesting. Nose back to the grindstone…
I just got a vintage chemise off eBay to wear with my gown. It’s perfect! Fits great and the neckline is the right shape for the low neck of the bodice (at least in a quick try-on last night). My old Victorian chemise is black and I was worried about it showing and about the
Piping has been applied in all the places it’s supposed to be. Well, not the sleeves, since I needed to design them first. Speaking of which, I’m going to pat myself on the back for figuring out these sleeves entirely on my own, no patterns, no friends helping, nothin’. They’re not all that complicated, but
I made piping and stuck it on the bodice. It did not kill me. Yay. <—ironic Took pix but not posting them because y’all know what it looks like. Just took pix to prove to myself that I did it. Sleeves — couple o’ mockups and I think I have the size right now. After
Period sewing techniques suck! So insanely slow and looks much more crappy than modern tricks — specifically, only flat-lining instead of flat-lining for strength and bag-lining for tidiness. Gah, the inside of this gown looks like hell and took all day to “finish,” such as it is. This masquerade costume is full of stuff I’m
Got the answer to some questions I asked of the Masquerade Directors, FYI. First, is about our Winterhalter — yes, his costume needs to go through workmanship judging, even though he’s really a ‘prop’ for the presentation and what we’d planned for him to wear is more theatrical than documentably historical. Kendra, Sarah, and I