trip to fabric land

Well I found a quilt for me to make for my self !!! KITTY"S yes, I am going to make a cat quilt for me. How could I pass up this fabric, its cats and sewing combined !!!!!!! LOVE IT. Now I have to find all the other fabric I want for this quilt. This will take a while and its going to be an on going project. 

Second thing, Fabric land is into steampunk >.> * face palm* really people, yes I like these patterns but you can make any pattern steampunk so why would you buy a specific one that everyone else is going to have. I am waiting to see the next con or photos of everyone doing this. >.> *face palm again* 

Corset progress and research

I've been doing a lot of research kinda on all periods right now mostly 19th century, accumulating notes and makes a reference for my self.

As for my corset its finished construction wise, I'm adding some embroidery and probably some lace for aesthetic

I'm just going with some simple design and of course its blue cause that's my favorite colour 

now two things one I didn't mean to have the flour but since I decided to prik my self with the extremely sharp needle and here's the trick for getting blood out of things at least mostly, your own saliva. Only your saliva will work for your blood of course. any ways most of it came out and I wanted to do a flour any ways, I hope it looks alright.

used basic straight stitches and a button hole for the flour petals, my embroidery book is in storage. 

Cobra side bag, and a Quilt

So I offered a contest a cobra side bag for the winner and it took me for ever to get to finishing it but here it is.

I find it hard some times to work on things for others, I just need to have multiple projects on the go so I don't get board I think. 

Started working on a quilt I've had on the go for a while, close to being finished now

The Buccaneers

 

A 1995 mini series by BBC, based on the last novel written by Edith Wharton, the  book was unfinished when she passed away in 1937. Scholar Marion Mainwaring finished the novel in 1993. BBC Hired Maggie Wadey to adapt and finish the novel at the same time for the television adaption.

The Story is about five wealthy, American girls who with their guardians go to London to experience a London season ( now I had to look up what London season meant ) look below for some brief descriptions.) The ladies find them self marring cash poor but title rich and land rich Englishmen. The story focuses on Nan who marries the Duke of Tintagel, and the story focuses on the values and morals that the fashionable society held at this time. The girls being american searched for love and found that it was more about who you married.

The storyline is said to mirror the real "ill-fated" marriage of heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt and the Duke of Marlborough

I have watched the first 2 episodes and I quiet enjoy it since I've taken to doing research on the 19th century right now and this being the later half and Victorian, industrial revolution it seems. I love Nan's character a true loving sole who marries the Duke, who seems more fascinated with clocks then their marriage.

The costumes are lovely done, BBC has obviously been doing a good job with their mini series for a long time

Costumed by

Rosalind Ebbutt, also costume "Vanity Fair" 1998 A&E and "To play the King" 1993

The girls in day dress's I love the prints <3 and simple details, each dress really suits each girl very well 

I have not see the episode with this dress yet but its amazing and I can't wait to 

a very nice close up of the gowns details 

a better over view of the dress's designs 

simplistic and pretty

This image is very dramatic and dynamic very nicely done

London season :  London social season evolved in the 17th and 18th centuries, and in its traditional form it peaked in the 19th century. In this era the British elite was dominated by landowning aristocratic and gentry families who generally regarded their country houseas their main home, but spent several months of the year in the capital to socialise and to engage in politics. - wiki

A comical image of the English season 

1847 Jane Eyre

I just finished watching Jane Eyre the 2011 movie

I love watching movies like this because of the costuming, and the elegant beauty it has, the movie doesn't focus on upper class society which is even more neat because you get to see more simplistic designs but they are still just as beautiful. The craftsmanship and work that went into costuming this movie makes me wish I was perusing this field more then I am.

I want to share with you some of my knowledge in hopes to refresh my mind and just talk about some of the things I love most about this era

First the era, now these are upper class ladies in a day time setting but the dress's seem more evening to me not day dress's especially the front dress. She has pagoda sleeves off the shoulder, bertha collar a pointed bodice and her skirt is something more reminiscent of French pannier skirts that make almost what I think looks like a stage look. By stage I mean curtains on the side of the stage, the under skirt is also reminiscent of pannier skirts with the gathered textured looked used co-manly on them. The lady in the back though wearing a lovely gown has a more basic hair style so I think of her as older.

This image caught my eye after watching Jane Eyre because of her french ward, she was a young child and dressed very similarly to this. The woman in the background I would have said was the children's tutor if I didn't look closer and see the amount of detail and layers, so this must be their mother. 

for this picture I love how they show the womans posture very properly in the image, in these days a woman's shoulder's were very sloped and rounded and she would lean forward. This was a way of showing delicatenesses and submisivense, things that we're proper and sought after in lady's.

this image has great skirts, wraps and bonnets which we're all very popular accessories threw out the eras. The setting is evening wear

 You can see the bend again in this image

I feel in this image the women is wearing a wedding dress, all white with delicate bertha collar and pagoda sleeves. The bottom skirt is so beautiful and I image might have been silk lace layers. 

Theres something about the men in this era their so darn hansom 

Here are the upper class gowns, and something I notice is the more conservative plain gowns have no point at the waist. I love the detail of this gown,, it is in the way they used the fabric to create the beauty. Without thought this gown would just look average and have nothing. But they took the time to lay out the pattern pieces with the strips to get this effect.  

The sisters that nurse Jane back together are lovely, they come from a conservative life style and you can see a delicate but charming peasant collar. and not where the shoulder seams are on the gowns, mobility was not made easy by this lady's

This is my favorite gown of hers, the gathered detail that reminds me again of the details on french panniers, and the dark fabric with some kind of floral design on it that you can just make out.

this image is part of my fav seen, she's sitting in a room with many upper class lady's and men who are wearing the finest of clothing, and you see how different the class's are but I think you can still see how amazing the garments of this era we're.

This movie makes me want to watch some of the other version's as I feel like some parts of this make no sense to me or are disconnected story wise. But thats what remakes due they cut lots out, and that is my only complaint about this movie. I think it was beautiful and 5 thumbs up for the designer.

As it is I'm taking a back seat self teaching role well working off student loans, and right now I'm just making money can't wait to make my first payment but any who this isnt what this post is about, but I guess when I talk about these things I have a hard time because I'm afraid that I'm saying it wrong because of the people in my life and teachers the way they talk makes me feel like nothing I say is right and I have a hard time with that.

So I hope you all enjoy this I love this era and the details from this that flow into the civil war/ gone with the wind era I love so dear.

Progress

Here is my corset progress I'm just waiting for the boning that I think might be at the post office  

The grommets are in all seems sewn and busk is in, need to add the twill tape for bone cassings 

 Here are some photos of what I have done for my hoop skirt, all but one hoop is cut out, I'm not sure if I'll be cutting the last hoop our not . 

the first two hoops are 150 inches ( i'm tall and I also really want a very big hoop skirt thats still functional of course) 

The waistband for the hoops, I'm going to bone it and maybe interface or line with muslin for strength. 

I did some tea dyeing for my twill tape, for a corset I'm going to make next, or at least I would like to, in the picture the twill tape is a greenish blue. I would like a pink, so I have one more tea to try and then I'm going to try beet juice. I'm trying for some natural dyes since chemicals are so unhealthy

A bowl to keep the twill tape submerged, I wouldn't do this with nice dished if I was using chemical dyes

Here is my tea sample dying with a variety 

the twill tape on the left was with earl grey and didn't go very dark and was very tan and on the right is earl grey two bags and its very dark but still a tan colour. I'll be trying some tetly tonight or tomorrow. 

Turkey day and mama

My mom came up for thanksgiving which has put a hold on all my productive work

But I did mail out the fitting stuff for the plugsuit

make the round for the hoop skirt

get the strap for the side bag I'm making at a trip to fabricland

Fabricland trip turned out great since everything I got was 50% off ^_^ got a bunch of twill tape, broad cloth, and the lace for my pettie coat.

Did some tea sample dying trying to find the tea that makes things pink I think its teatly and thats the one I don't have of course.

Other then that I eat TUREKY !!!!!!!!!!!

Hoop skirt

Today I got the hooping to make the hoop skirt

http://masquedcosplay.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-make-hoopskirt-for-under-40.html

http://thedreamstress.com/2009/08/the-hoopskirt-how-i-made-it-and-what-i-would-do-better-next-time/

I found the idea to use the poly piping from these two, but I think my pipe is different and I have some thing better to connect the two pieces together that wont leave bumps like duck tape, as well it will make a better circle.

I got 100 feet from Home Hardware I was worried being in the small town I wouldn't be able to find it but the town is full of friendly and helpful. There was a couple options and I went with the cheaper and more flexible plastic. 14.99 for 100 ft and I got 10 conecters for 79 cents each.

The piping was very dirty so I sprayed it off with the hose and then set it in the library to dry.

I finally remembered the name of the 3book's Ive been wanting to order but unfortunately they are much to out of my price range for now.
I really want the Jean Hunnisett books

http://images.bizrate.com/resize?sq=254&uid=10760180 this one most of all
http://images.bizrate.com/resize?sq=254&uid=10872422
http://www.costumes.org/store/advertisers/amazon/books/periodcostforstageandscreen3.gif
http://www.bookfinder.com/author/jean-hunnisett/

Civil War/ Gone with the wind

I started the undergarments for my self project I've cut out the chemise and he corset and started sewing the corset you can see in the picture below, I just have to finish grommeting one side and add the boning. I've ordered steel boning from online because I don't want to use the spiral bonding for this one.

I also plan to make two seperate hoops skirts one fallowing The Dreamstress method to make one for under $40 http://thedreamstress.com/2009/08/the-hoopskirt-how-i-made-it-and-what-i-would-do-better-next-time/  I also wanted to make an authentic one with hoop steel which I've ordered from farthing gales. 

For under garments I need to still 

1. pattern and cut the bloomers
2. Sew the chemise
3. finish the corset 
4. cut and sew the petite coat 
5. and make the hoop skirt 

I'm still working on the design for the dress, I plan to watch gone with the wind and some other movies for inspiration. 

I'm also working on a muslin of the Rei suit to mail to the girl and need some more supplies for the cobra bag but I should start sewing that tomorrow. Today was suppose to be my day off but a girl at work got sick and needs to go to the hospital :( so I'm taking her shift which is fine I just had plans for today for sewing, which will happen tomorrow ^_^ 

feeling creative :)

House to my self

So yesterday my aunt and uncle left for the weekend, unfortunately I work both nights their gone but I get most of Sunday to my self I think.

Yesterday morning I cut the chemise for my undergarments, one side of the corset has its gromets, I put a hole in my new table top in the process though :(.

At work I VERY MUCH DISLIKE working after Maria she let a girl go home early which created a lot of work for me along with I started early cause she was WAY over her head sigh ... I barely eat and it was just a long night. I did get a visit from a old coworker though the head of all the Produce departments for Choices he's a pretty funny guy so that was nice.

I also got a bottle a wine, pop corn, jounery mints, and movies ( made it to the movie store with time to spare last night ! 

Also it's october 1st!!!! 29 days till halloween :D I think I'm going to stick to making my historical costume and if it's not done I'll wear wonder woman :) 

in the spirit of the month