Let's start with where I'm at on my costume. I've sewn a pair of pocket hoops but I have not attached their ties or sewn the "boning" in yet. Then I had fabric dilemma drama and a meltdown because I can't decide what to do with the fabric I bought and freaked out and haven't been working on anything. The hoops went well though, just two nights for a couple hours. I had thought I was going to make a tutorial, but I got too locked on to the project and didn't want to break between every step to take photos and what not. Besides, I had a pattern that I altered and no directions, so I was just making shit up as I went anyhow. I might make up a written tutorial after my lame drama cools off. I also have a box of jewelry supplies collected for this project to make fancy things out of and any other random supplies I thought may suit this disaster.
Also, I've decided to go unicorn. I went as a unicorn 2 years ago, but it was nothing that I really wanted it to be, so let's give it another shot. Plus, my man is going as a lion in a Napoleon get up situation of awesomeness, and what goes better with a lion than a unicorn? So, unicorn I am.
Onto today's loveliness.
Firstly, I'd like to link the MythMasque pintrest board thingy of inspiration that they posted a link to today on facebook. Thank fucking god that they did this. It made my brain start firing again and barely begin to drag myself out of my sobbing cave of patheticness and aimless flailing. It is chalk full of wonderfulness. I highly encourage just going to the link and looking at all of the wonders. These are my personal picks. All of them can be found on their pintrest board with more information. I'll go onto the whole blather deal after the inspiration engorgement. If you want to skip the whole blather, feel free but if you're looking for books with pattern help, check out the links below.
So because of this spark, I decided to get off my lazy ass and pin on some temporary ties to my pocket hoop that I sewed the other day and actually try it on. I had been avoiding putting it on out of fear of it just looking like shit. Buuuuuut it didn't. It definitely has a few wonky spots but they are adjustments that I knew and know require fiddling with to get everything adjusted right to me. So that gave me a huge sigh of relief.
Then I tried on a corset I have floating about just to see what's going on kind of. So I stuffed myself into the corset and then folded one of my fabrics, a silver grey striped satin, up under the edge of the corset to see how awesomely huge my new ass looked with my hip pockets. Surprisingly, this went well and got me all kinds of excited that this actually was the shape that I was dreaming and desperately crossing my fingers for. I played with a few fabric options I have and decided for sure on the silver satin my outer skirt.
I also was able to decide that I will be making the bodice and outer skirt separate. I had started thinking that I was going to follow a pattern that I'm using for the skirt to make a gown with an attached skirt and bodice, but after today's experiments, fuck that. I am making two separate pieces and I am soooo glad that today's events helped me come to conclusions that were scaring and eluding me before.
So, I will be making a corset type of bodice with an altered bustline and perhaps a shortened waistline, an outer skirt, and then contrasting petticoat layers that are tattered and what have you. I have not decided on whether the outer skirt and bodice will be the same or contrasting fabrics.
Now onto where I'm pulling patterns from. My mom found two books at our library and thought they may help inspire me. Wellll, she checked out two FUCKING AMAZING books. Holy crap. And as I've searched about online for patterns and tuts, these books have come up a few times, so I'm super excited to have them in my hands for free.
Both books are filled with patterns that are to scale that you can enlarge and both include methods of enlargement. Neither one has step by step instructions for making the garments though.
Costume Close-Up Clothing Construction:1750-1790 by Linda Baumgarten
This book has scaling by inches or centimeters along the border of the pattern page making it super easy for any kind of enlargement. The patterns are all based off of surviving garments and has photos of each garment. It also discusses the types of textiles, techniques, what stitches were used, etc., as well as some construction directions, about each piece. It is an amazing book. You would be able to make perfect period accurate pieces using this book.
This is the book that I am using to pattern my skirt, petticoat, and pockets from.
Patterns Theatrical Costumes by Katherine Strand Holkeboer
This book is stuffed full of costumes from Ancient Egypt to 1915. I'm not sure why it stops at 1915 though. I feel it's a weird cutoff but whatever. Every costume is accompanied with a pattern. Many of the costumes have their coordinating undergarments as well. These patterns however, feel like basic slopers and are just a starting point where the other book's patterns are much more refined feeling. There is no instruction on construction at all in this book but there is naming of odd/funky pieces of clothing that I had never heard before. The patterns are all 1/8" = 1" scale. These are not period accurate costumes so I wouldn't recommend them for a serious reenactor or period buff.
I used this book for my pocket hoops that I slightly modified.
For both books, I used my "Tracer" projector to enlarge them appropriately on the wall. This worked perfectly and issue free. I also just picked up a roll of brown postage paper from the dollar store to transfer onto, which I fucking love compared to that tissue paper crap that comes in store bought patterns. I always feel like I'm just going to obliterate that crap by breathing on it the wrong way.
Also in regards to both books, I'm sure many people will stray from them because they lack instruction on construction but don't. I have not sewn that much and it's early enough in my sewing career to definitely still say that each project I take on is totally different and I'm in a brand new boat every single time. So I would rate myself as an advanced novice. I have only done 4 projects off of patterns. Otherwise, I just wing it. And winging it and wandering the internet for info has been an amazing teacher. So even though I just fly by the seat of my pants, these patterns make sense without instructions. Instructions would be more than awesome to have of course, but not having them hasn't really deterred me from tackling them. But I would not dive into these patterns if you've never sewn any clothing. And the patterns do come with marks for pleats and such.
So long story short, go check out these books if you're in need of costume help.
Now I'm going to go try to do a mock of up this purse bag thing I want to make for AX.
Toodles. <3
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