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Showing posts from January, 2013

Underneath It All

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CORSETRY! ITS SO SCARY!!! Okay, so my newest ideal it to create two corsets. One will be my Underneath It All entry, a Victorian/Edawrdian overbust corset with light boning based on Nora Waugh's Corsets and Crinolines, a lovely book I'm borrowing from my librarium at school. The second will be an underbust corset for myself, just for funsies. (Not really its stuck in my head and I can't get it out....) Wish me luck!

SQUEEEEEE

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Okay. Alright. Okay. So I asked and got permission from the most awesome artist on the planet, namely the creator of this: Found Here http://vampirehungerstrike.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=Ian+#/d4hse9b and he has said that I can use this piece to MAKE FABRIC AT SPOONFLOWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG! OMG! Okay, okay. So its going to be mirrored both sides and up and down, and repeated all over the fabric and I will make... a dress out of it. C'mon! Is that not the absolute epitamy of awesome or what?  Now, for the big question... Which dress pattern should I choose? O.O

Sew Forthrightly-And Other Stuff

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Okay, I signed up to participate in the Sew Forthrightly which is totally awesome and has already helped me finish a piece that, honestly, I wasn't really gonna. THANK YOU! (I love my green cotehardie, its like a T-shirt of the Medieval Era. It rocks my batman socks clean off.) Now, onto plans for the next challenge and what else Im gonna do : Corset-waist cincher-Other Plans (This is just a planning post, those of you who read for the pics, feel free to ignore

Lemon candy Dots

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alrighty. Been a while, huh? I have been fighting the untenable mallaise that comes with feeling low about oneself. I will get passed it just need to soldier on. Anyway, I did finish my Sew Forthrightly in time, and managed the Damned Diamond gussets under the sleeves of my green cotehardie. Its been meh here weather wise but will put in photographic evidence well, uh, lol, forthrightly. (Before I added the sleeves) In the mean time, here is another guesstimation I have been playing around with. I want to make some high-waist-ed skirts, because I think I look o.k in them and they add a kind of sophisticatedlyness that I, sadly, lack. So I used this pattern, which I have cut out for my Peacock dress : -and then used the bottom half of the dress to make a wearable muslin. This way I use fabric I dont have a purpose for, might add something to my wardrobe, AND fix all the weird stuff that might pop up.

Reality Check-Careful, It Bites

Okay, this is only related to my craft as far as self-loathing and major irritation impeeds my ability to sew (and write and draw adn have intelligent conversations) So, those of you just here for the curtains and corsets, please feel free to ignore this post. AGAIN WARNING this post is mainly about bitching about my weight and my crazyhead :)

Doubled neckline

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Here's a coupla pics of the dessert dress, having pinned the double neckline in and sewn the body together.

NEW PLAN!

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Dessert Dress I'm calling this vogue pattern my dessert dress because when I try to describe it to others I use dessert terms, I.E. 'lemon yellow', 'custard colored', 'wine-red', 'raspberry sherbert', 'strawberry compote' and the like. I knew I was planning to do the what-Im-now-calling-my Peacock Gown, but this one tempted me too much last night. So, to the dulcet sounds of Species II (Aliens, sex, blood and viscious Alien Sex, yay!) I cut out this loverly Vogue pattern: -and then at about noon till two today, I pinned and cut, which is where we have issue. Heres the dish: Okay, so this pattern calls for like, almost 7 yards of fabric. This is good, it means a nice, twirly skirt. HOWEVER it also means I WONT get to make it anytime soon due to the lack of fabric. (I havve a lot of little yardages hanging around but nothing that would fit this project EXACTLY) So my theory was to take this cherries jubilee red with this yellow grid pa

Hindsight, 20/20

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Okay, little issue. I recently began going back to scholl after a refreshing winter break. YAY! I am taking some nice classes, (plus math) and Im excited. I got my black eyeliner, my kick-ass red, red lips in several shades (from quirky, to classy to wicked) and some really cool tan heeled boots. Problem? In a previous post I had mentioned a clensing of my closet. I got rid of all my long, 60's and 70's era skirts, the twirlies, the broomsticks, the quirkies, and just threw them out. This was to force myself to wear my new obsession, vintage. (I wouldn't wear them for fear of being ridiculed, or for fear of weraing something I have sewn which is weird and complex and strange, just like my brain) HOWEVER this means that as of RIGHT NOW I have like, NOTHING TO WEAR. I've got my jungle skins a hairsbreadth from being done, the black and white eye-socker about 3/4s of the way and maybe one or two hidden in the closet. Other than that I have my home-and-sleep wear of var

OH DEAR HEAVENS MY EYES-Dress

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More coming sewn.

Gasp! LOOKIT!

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LOOKIT WHAT MY BESTIE GOT ME!!!! Its a sheer tablecloth doily thingy with this two big crocheted edgies like this: and a small crocheted bit on the other two edgies. What am I gonna do with it? I dont know! Options: flounce on a hem? Addition to a late Victorian Era bustle? Sheer regency over rob? I dunno. But its pretty. :) P.S. Whilst I am using the web cam, lookit the book I borrow from Collegium Librarium!  Ideas Anyone?

Historical Sew Forthrightly

I am gonna go for it. Why not? I'll be a silent player in the background and if nothing else just get INSPIRATION, which is a costumers bread and butter. ..... I just thought of myself as a costumer... Holy Hera! Wow. Lol. Anyway. Challenges: #2: UFO - due Jan 28.  Let’s get something off our UFO pile! Use this opportunity to finish off something that’s never quite gotten done, or stalled halfway through. I'm thinking... I'm thinking... I'm thinking.... CHEMISE AND PANTALOONS! I've had them cut out for ages, just haven't had the interest in making them. Maybe some chemise and pantaloon action here... #3: Under it all – due Feb 11.  Every great historical outfit starts with the right undergarments, and, just in time for Valentines day, here’s you’re excuse to make them. Chemises, corsets, corded petticoats, drawers, garters, stockings…if it goes under your garments, it qualifies. Okay, part of me wants to say, my corset. BUT corsets scare m

Jungle Skins Retrospect

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She Flies Through The Air With The Greatest Of Ease... JUNGLE SKINS: IN RETROSPECT Okay, began with THIS pattern: It’s a Butterick 5209, from the 1942’s. Okay, I’ll admit checking this out as I was perusing my patterns, I was not too terribly impressed with it. I prefer the later 50’s when the skirt was much, much floofier. Personal choice. I figured though, that a girl needs a few around-the-house simple frocks. So I picked it up and brought out a bit of fabric I have to the side. I call it a Jungle Skin print and its medium thin, smooth but not too silky. I LOVE the pattern, it’s so outrageous, and even though it was ever-so-slightly not enough yardage I thought, What the hell, I can always make it shorter. So, whilst my brother and nephew were visiting, I dragged out the pattern (which I had precut) and dug out the print and began. The cutting was not-so-fun, because of the silkiness of the fabric, but in the end I got it done. Okay, o

Jungle Skins

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Here ya go, finished sewing it today. Have some more pics to post later. :) 1942 SImplicity Design (I think) In my new favorite fabric, Jungle Skins.

Bustle

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LOL Okay so Ive been worrying about this damn bustle. First the pipes wouldn't bend and the tapes snapped, then they wouldn't go through the loops. FINALLY I figure out an ingenious (Obvious, but ignored by my stupidity of course) way to tie the loops, and look it over. Obviously there is something wrong. Oh dear. What on Gods green earth did I DO? Or... not do? UGH! So I'm sitting staring at the piece, wondering wtf I'm to do with this weird thing ive created.... A quick stop on Duchess' blog has me paused. D'oh! Wow, Im about as smart as Blue right now. The piece in which you bone, it has a gently curved side and a straight side. In my fumbling I sewed the CURVED SIDE TOGETHER AND USED THE STRAIGHT SIDE AS THE EDGE! MutherTrucker Above Us! Well, freck. Okay, to save this item I will need to un safety pin the sides, de-bone it, unpick up the middle fake CB seam, then re-sew the REAL CB seam together, hoping beyond hope that the original channels

Hoopskirt Material Hunt

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QUICK UPDATE!!!! Today I found an unexpected little cash of well, cash, lol in my bank which I thought was already spent. SO I did the nessesary; gas, food, and a little Dr. Pepper. THEN I BOUGHT THIS! 100 ft of tubing for my HOOPSKIRT! Correction. My MOMS hoop skirt. Its easier to do hers first because I can SEE the model head to toe as I create the garment.... undergarment for the first time, following the Dreamstress' advice. Funny story. At Lowes I get immediently flagged down by a big, older gentleman worker. He sees me in spotless black pants, leather coat and the charming three year old in my cart and assumes I need help since Im all by my lonesomes in the big ole man store. So I let him. :) He leads me to the polytubing, which while nice is still a little... flimsy and giving to make a whole hoop skirt and more, doesn't come by-the-roll. Its by the foot, and though less than a dollar a foot, to get a hundred feet would be over my twenty dollar budget. {I

January's Unmentionables

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Okay, so January is now officially labeled. unmentionables: Delicate way of describing panties, bras, stockings and other such femanine fripparies. GOAL: To create these undergarments:                                                        a lobster bustle a la Duchess: ( http://americanduchess.blogspot.com/2013/01/v346-how-to-make-victorian-bustle.html ) A wonderful diagram, with perfect instructions. TWO hoop skirts (One for myself one for my mom) a la another one of my INSPIRATIONS, The Dreamstress: ( http://thedreamstress.com/?s=Historical+Sew+Fortnightly ) And two chemises and pantaloons from my Simplicity design pattern: ERAS: Civil War, Victorian CATAGORY: Underwear DIFFICULTY: Medium: Hoop skirt and lobster bustle difficult, chemise and pantaloons easy MATERIALS: 2 coils of polytubing Ribbons Shirting Fabric Pattern From Simplicity THOUGHTS: -thinking of covering the tubing with a piece of fabric to make it seem less like a part from a ca

Prints, Photos and Updates

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So This is a pic-update. Here is the fabric that I am making my quick and easy-breezy summer swim dress thingy (Perfect for winter I think personally)    and this is the pattern I am using for it. Its really easy, got it cut out and everything. Then I need to cut out some lining fabric for it, because I just THIS much shy of having the proper amount. Then, VOILA! Jungle skin retro 47 fun. WEEEEEEEEEEE! And here is a selection of the fabrics that I am using for my next few retro dresses. Im a fan of strange and confusing prints. :)