This black silk robe a la francaise is about 80% hand-sewn, more than I ever intended. I've retrimmed it 4x now!
Recreating the pink portrait of Mary Queen of Scots had long been a dream, & I finally did it for my birthday.
My drag alter-ego is Leonard Autie, hairdresser to Marie Antoinette. He sometimes gets a new suit for Carnevale.
This is the gown I made to portray Veronica Gambara, the hostess of the “Feast in 1530s Correggio” at the SCA’s Collegium Occidentalis XLVII. I was running the event and wanted to cap off the day with a festive meal set in a specific time and place in history (which is not typically done in
Off & on for the past 20 years around Halloween, we held a party called the Famous Dead Person’s Ball. There are only two rules in this afterlife: You must come as somebody at least marginally famous & at least temporarily dead. We’ve had friends come as everyone from Che Guevara to Mae West to
I can’t believe how fast this gown went together! Ok, it didn’t hurt that I essentially had the patterns already done. But the sewing was all straightforward stuff, nothing complicated. Attaching the parts together was really just a lot of cartridge-pleating, which I find easy — well, tough on the fingers, and yes, blood was
There’s not much to show for it, but really, I’ve started and am, in fact, well on the way with my gown to portray Veronica Gambara at the Collegium class “A Feast in 1530s Correggio.” The gown is a loose interpretation of the portrait shown on the right. Except I’m using burgundy velveteen from The
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
For the upcoming renfaire Much Ado About Sebastapol, I need a partlet to wear with my Venetian courtesan gown when I perform with Bella Donna. This small addition to my outfit will make it even more historically accurate & a bit less, um, busty, which is better for this very family-friendly faire. So I looked
Sometimes, you don’t have time to sew. Or there are certain things you just don’t care to sew for yourself. Or you realize that someone, out there, somewhere is making & selling something better than you could sew & for a price that is more reasonable than you tearing out your hair to attempt to
As advertised by Loren, this costume was both fabulous *and* comfortable to wear! My version was much more voluminous than the other ladies, but I planned it that way. I wanted to float around on a big cloud of silk. And I did. Good news is that this will become a Costume College tradition, so
A bio-queen a la “RuPaul’s Drag U,” even tho’ nobody figured it out at the time. This was the costume I pulled together at the last minute for Costume College’s Saturday-night Gala. I intended to be a female drag queen — a faux queen — but everyone just thought it was me dressed up extra
I kind of need to have a finished belt before I can hem the gown, because the gown(s) hang differently when caught up by the belt. You’d think this belt would be easier, but no. The sari trim was floppy, so I lined it with some light buckram, thinking that would be sufficient. Alas, it
Only occasionally do I follow costumer trends. Usually, when everyone else wants to make chemise dresses or venetian gowns, I’m not convinced & wait 5 years until they’re all bored with the idea to create my own weird little take on the concept. Unless someone has a really really good idea. That’s easy. And comfortable.
People often ask me for advice on buying a sewing machine. Because, of course, someone who sews probably knows something about the machines they use, right? Well, sadly no. It’s kind of like asking for car advice — lots of people drive, not as many people know what goes on under the hood. Or computer
The Société des Lumières held a Turkish-themed salon last night — because, of course, all things exotic & oriental (as it was called then) were quite the rage in the 18th century! So this was an excuse to wear turbans, Indian pajamas, caftans, kimonos, & other “foreign” garb to our articles of undress for a
Well, I’ve scrapped plans to make anything new for Costume College, & I’m forging ahead on future plans: for renfaire & Collegium. Which is far more practical anyway. Ok, Collegium is, since I’m running the event, thus any personal costuming should be done in advance so I can concentrate on event details. For renfaire, new
It’s a known fact that I love wacky hairstyles (also, hats). Big, weird shapes sprouting off one’s head please me inordinately. So naturally, I’ve been drawn to the horn-shaped style worn by Venetian upper-class women in the mid- to late-16th-century. I’ve given one try at making hairpieces to replicate this style, tho’ I’m not quite
