I finished my masquerade dress, obviously, because I wore it. (Even though I DID have a backup dress in case.) You will hear no more about this because I have posted the photos on DA.

Yesterday I got Bijan's measurements, purchased fabric, and started drafting his costume for Legends of Minigolf. I started with the cummerbund, which is the easiest part. Next I will do his pants. I'm going to cop out and do super-easy pajama style pants. They won't be too baggy but they will have an elastic waistband (hidden by the cummerbund.) I just don't have the time or resources to draft real pants and Bijan won't be available for fittings. It's the coat that will be really difficult.

I'm pretty much insane, I have so very little experience in making men's clothing. And my drafting abilities are still fledgling. But I feel okay about it, for some reason. I'll probably feel differently when I start doing it.

Ease is the hardest part for me. I never know how much ease is necessary to make the garment comfortable, movable and wearable. I always feel like adding ease will make it too big. Half the time I don't even remember to add it. The other half I add way too much. But this time around, at least I have all my sewing books with me, and I can look up that chart that had the minimum required ease amounts for all pieces of clothing. Plus, it's a jacket, so it needs to have a fair amount of ease.

There are a lot of items I need to buy too. Not going to list them.

I'm still thinking of retiring this blog. I guess I'm just not as interested in ranting about my sewing projects as I used to, or posting WIP photos, or whatever the heck it is I do on here. I don't post art in here anymore because of DA (I hardly ever do art anyway). And I'm not in any rps anymore. Even the last time I was, I don't think I used this blog for it at all. Oh, and I don't write anymore. Maybe if I started writing again this blog would be valuable. And it's not even, "I just won't write in it anymore." It's more like, "I want to delete the entire blog." Which is a little drastic.

I think I will really just hardly ever post. I won't kill it, I'll just feed it an IV and barely keep it alive.

mood: cold tags: sewing

This looks pretty time consuming . . . which is something I only pretend to be discouraged by. I do embroidery and basketweaving after all, albeit not that often.

http://www.primitive.org/weaving.htm Instructions for tablet weaving/card weaving. The Society of Primitive Technology, how awesome is that?! One weird thing, this one recommends threading half of the cards backwards to prevent twisting, while the other tuts (below) say that you absolutely have to thread them all the same way or else it won't work. BUT, the other tutorials say you have to reverse the direction of the turn in order to prevent twisting, AND this tut says that as well! So what's up? Obviously I have to reverse the turns but then why would threading half of them backwards be necessary as well? I'll have to see for myself . . .

http://members.shaw.ca/evethejust/btablet.html This one goes into different details, and gives a formula for determining how much yarn to use to end up with your desired length.

http://www.spunkyeclectic.com/wp/2008/01/08/tablet-or-card-weaving/ Another tablet-weaving tut. This one made it seem more like loom weaving which helped me understand. For some reason I didn't pick up on the weft thread at all when I skimmed the other tuts. Anyway this one is easy to understand and has good photos.

http://www.northwestjournal.ca/sash.html Finger weaving tutorial . . . looks like fancy braiding to me. I never did manage to figure out how to braid more than three strands though, so I'll have to try this.

I'll have to try both methods and see which takes less time. I'm leaning towards tablet weaving at this point. I'm actually kind of excited to try it. Finally I can be obsessed with yarn like everyone else!

mood: cold tags: resources, tut

I've been going mad with buying fabric to make ren faire stuff with. Most of of this was done online. But I've been smarter about it, and reckoning the shipping into the price, and refusing to go higher than about $5/yard. Although linen rarely gets below that, so I have to be reasonable and remember that $6-7 is still a lot cheaper than the $17/yard I paid for previously.

Now the key is to remember to keep track of how much the fabrics cost so I can price the item correctly. I totally forgot about doing that until just now. So this is what I have . . .

rust wool - $8/yd (this was a stupid purchase 9_9)
blue plaid wool - $2/yd (this was a lucky purchase! I should go back to Hancock and buy the rest.)
medium blue linen - $5/yd
purple linen - $5/yd

Also, in the future I will remember to only buy linen in natural colors (because reportedly, linen doesn't hold natural dyes very well, so if it was dyed, it was a rather light color. However, not a lot of reenactors, that I've seen, really care about that.) (EDIT: I refreshed myself on this matter, and it seems that linen actually holds woad and madder pretty well, so the blue and purple colors I got are actually quite feasible. That was lucky.)

I've got another shipment of linen coming in sometime, and a bunch of auctions of wool to watch on ebay. After those, I think I'll have to force myself to be done for a while. That is a LOT of fabric. I wonder if anyone would notice me doing embroidery at work . . .

I need to make my hood pattern better. I've got some ideas about reworking the whole thing.

I'll be making dresses (gowns, smocks, surcotes, cotehardies, apron-dresses, chemises, kirtles, whatever you want to call them), tunics, hoods, and fabric belts. I won't be making trews, hose, breeches, or any of that sort. (Sorry, men.) I might make some hats/flat caps/veils/other types of hair coverings. Might--I don't want to make this too complicated. I like hoods. Maybe I'll make some coats too. (I should make patterns for those, actually.)

Note to self: Let's make a standard of 2.5" radius neckhole and 3" for for the larger sizes. For keyhole necklines. Oval necklines are fine with 5".

I still have my doubts as to whether this is going to sell at all . . . I mean, who even likes the early period? Only weirdos like me. Normal people like the glamorous, fancy, bead-covered, super-tailored, fabric-consuming fashions of the Tudors and Elizabethans. People want corsets and sequins and yards of non-functional fabrics hanging off as collars and capes and five different skirts and tippets and cleavage and huge puffy sleeves and cloaks and hundreds of beads and yards of trim and lurid colors and satin and silk and velvet and velour and chiffon and machine embroidery and fairy wings and pirate hats. I'm not going to have any of that stuff.

Still, I've already committed myself to giving it a shot (what the heck else am I going to do with 8 yards of red wool?)

Also, for the record, velour makes me barf. It is the ultimate fabric in wanting to look fancy but being really really cheap. I seriously get the jibblies when I see someone in "period" costume made of velour. And ESPECIALLY panne velour. Nasty shiny sick polyester crap. Here's a hint, everyone. KNITTING MACHINES WERE NOT INVENTED UNTIL THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. It was therefore IMPOSSIBLE for velour (the knitted form of velvet) to exist in the middle ages or even the Elizabethan age. Because it is IMPOSSIBLE to knit velour by hand. If you want to say it's a fantasy costume, fine. I won't argue with that. But I will still say that that it looks like puke.

Am I a fabric snob? Yes I am. I am also a fiber snob. Wool and linen FTW.

mood: tired tags: fabric, garb, sell

Finished the overskirt today. It didn't take that long, but I was distracted for a number of days with other things. (LIKE SOAKING MY ENTIRE KITCHEN WITH BLEACH)

crappy photo under the cut . . .( Read more... )

It turned out much puffier than I expected, and I wanted the front apron section smaller. Should have done the gathers at an angle or something, I guess. If my gathers break I'll make new ones more fitting to my original idea, but if not, I'm not going to bother changing them.

I'm just going to wear one of my big black skirts under it (maybe with a petticoat too), and now I'm going to do a bit of work on the top.

EDIT: under cut.

( Read more... )

mood: tired music: Prince & Lenny Kravitz: American Woman tags: photos, recon, sewing

need to make a resources tag

Period instructions on making a kilt. Not sure which period exactly, but it is very enjoyable to read. I'd say the 1800s from the langauge. Drawback, it's all in metric measurements.

Modern kilt-making instructions.

X Marks the Scot--X-Kilt instructions (modern kilt with box pleats, narrower apron)

Augh, kilts are SO HOT. I have to make one for Collin sometime. I'm sure I could force him to wear it. A nice hot black goth one. (Well maybe not.)

mood: cold tags: resources

I'm not getting anywhere. I keep getting stupid ideas and drawing them out and realizing how retarded they look. I don't think there's much I can do at this juncture. I'll need to go home and look at my patterns and maybe visit a few thrift stores.

But . . . I just realized. I've spent like hundreds of dollars on fabric this month. I'm serious. This is pretty bad. First I got all that for the ren faire, then I went again recently to pick up fabric for the Serenity jacket, except of course I had to get some other random fabrics that caught my eye. And I bought a ton of linen and wool online (note to self, ALWAYS factor in shipping costs!) because I'm under the strange delusion that I'll be selling clothes at the ren faire next year. And yes, it really does add up to several hundred dollars. >_< I need to start writing out my budget again.

Yeah . . . so I think this will definitely be a case of using whatever fabrics and clothes I already have on hand.

Also, looking at Liz's Facebook tells me that a certain former roommate of mine, who was the worst roommate ever and played a large hand in my breakdown during my last semester, has been invited and marked "might attend."

Now it's a masquerade, so disguising myself and avoiding her (if she goes) wouldn't be hard. (I don't see her going, though. I can't really see her enjoying something like that. She probably only marked "might attend" because she didn't want to be rude and outright say no. That is the type of thing she'd do.) Still, urgh. I feel sick just thinking about being in the same house as her again! *shudder* Now I know I've complained about roommates a lot, but those previous times were mostly my own immaturity and stupidity, and bad communication. This roommate, however, really was awful. Her pretentious self-righteousness, constant litigation threats, seething jealousy, judgemental offendedness, and baseless blaming really put me under with stress.

I'm struggling with my sensibilities.

Do I want to spend a lot of time and money drafting and making a ridiculously fancy costume for this, which I'll never wear again? (well yes, I do, that's the problem.)

Or should I be a little more prudent in this matter--use a pattern I already have, use less expensive fabrics, make something that's reusable, or use this as an experiment to draft a pattern I know I'll use again.

Reusability is the main problem in all my costuming endeavors . . . I always want to make something new. I never reuse my old costumes. There are reasons for this though--the first reason is that most of my old costumes are lost somewhere in storage at my parent's house. The other reason is that a lot of my older stuff is so badly made compared to my current standards that the items are barely fit for beggars. (I actually have my EQOS costume from 2004 in my apartment . . . but it is so crappy, I can't even believe it. I think I will cannabalize it.)

I have this problem every single freaking time an opportunity arises for costuming. Costuming is just so impractical. I hate having these expensive items hanging around, taking up space, and getting worn once or twice in their lifetime. The thought of making costumes kind of makes me sick because I know that's what's going to happen to it. And then I get angry about it and end up getting rid of the costume (without even selling it), and so it's like I've totally wasted all the time and money I put into it.

Which leads me to wonder why I even like costuming in the first place.

Masquerades are supposed to be a decadent affair, but that only works when they're sort of regular. It would be okay to have this one really expensive, decadent costume, if you know that you'll be able to wear it to the event of the year, every year. Society's not like that anymore. You really have to dig around for these things (which are usually going to be freaking expensive), or be fortunate to have friends like Liz. CONduit is having a masquerade, but they're ruining it with competions and fees and registrations. (I hate competitions. And really, hate isn't strong enough a word. Whatever happened to having fun for the sake of it?)

The solutions:

Make costumes that are cheap, quick and easy. (Sure, but those all look like crap.)

Make two or three rather expensive, fancy costumes, and rotate them for every costuming event ever, for the rest of your life (or until you can't fit into them anymore).

Make costumes out of your wardrobe, maybe adding some new accessories/nonpermanent details to signify This Is A Costume. (Most prevalent in the "I don't really care about costuming, isn't this hilarious" crowd)

Make expensive costumes, sell them later.

Buy costumes. (even though I work at a costume store, I feel wrong suggesting this for the sake of my own purism. I mean, fine if you can find something that really works for you, or if you're not picky like I am.)

Buy clothing (thrift store) and alter them/mix and match/whatever to create a costume. (the lazy or unskilled man's DIY)


Which leads me to wonder if DI is still as full of 80s prom dresses as it once was. (probably moving into the 90s by now)

mood: blah

Yesssss i have finally written a song about snape

is this too . . . iambic? (what is this, gilbert&sullivan?)

(I’ve) been fighting for so long, but I will never make it right
To say I’m sorry every day will never win the fight
I’ve made too many mistakes now, no matter how I try
I simply cannot change the fact that I led her to die

(And) I should have never been involved with this whole pureblood mess
Best friends was not enough for me, but then she loved me less
I found she wouldn’t have me and she went to him instead
Such anger, such confusion, and I wanted them both dead

Sometimes I think that I’m forgetting how she smelled, her laugh and voice
I just remember that day when they hung me overhead and I
I know that I’m the one to blame, that I made such a stupid choice
I loved her more than anyone, and I will love her always

(I’ve) been fighting for so long, and I will be forever wrong
Just keep on lying, don’t forget the reason to be strong
They think that I am evil; never evil have they seen
Or understood the cost of what a single word can mean

Sometimes I think that I’m forgetting how she smelled, her laugh and voice
I just remember that day when they hung me overhead and I
I know that I’m the one to blame, that I made such a stupid choice
I loved her more than anyone, and I will love her always

Sometimes I think if I could try again she would love me instead
And we would be together in our lives, instead of in my head
And every drop of my half-blood remembers my once-happiness
And I will love her always, always, always, always, always, always . . .

mood: blah tags: music, writing

On our profiles . . .
Mandi: What is magepunk?
Camilla: It has a similar aesthetic to cyberpunk (a modern or futuristic, neo-noir setting), but it involves magic somehow. Simon Greene's Nightside books are a good example. I don't know if anyone else calls it magepunk besides my friends and I, because it's not a very big genre yet.
Mandi: Wow Camilla. I'm going to check it out (magepunk)...sounds very cool :)

In The Steam Engine . . .
Matthew (Sweeney): Ok, so let me get this straight. The super simplified version:
Cyberpunk is the granddaddy - distopian near-future stories that deal with cyberspace, virtual reality, government corruption, basically Internet gone bad.
Steampunk is similar but instead of the future it deals with technology powered by steam. Victorian era...
Magepunk is technology powered by magic.
Did I get this right?
Camilla: Basically yes. Good job. I would add that in magepunk, technology can be powered by magic but isn't necessarily. They could be fighting against each other instead. The main point is that there is a strong presence of both (opposed to straight urban fantasy, which doesn't really have a sci-fi element).
Camilla: Also . . . magepunk is more dystopian, like cyberpunk, and steampunk is generally much less dystopian--I would dare say closer to the utopian side of the scale.

Am I becoming obsessed with punk subgenres? Well that depends on what your definition of "becoming" is.

Also, on Wikipedia. In the article "Cyberpunk Derivatives." It's interesting to see that Magepunk has been added and deleted several times recently. The mods keep deleting it for no notability or references. I suppose some theoretician needs to publish an article about it or something. But digging through the history brings these up:

- Magepunk is a current of high fantasy set in worlds similar to other Cyberpunk sub-genres exept that magic substitutes tecnology. Many are set roughly at an age similar to ours (chonologically) but advances in tecnology have been dwarfed by advances in magic. Examples of Magepunk are: Magic: the gathering, Eberron and, to some extent, the Harry Potter series.

- Magepunk is urban fantasy that has the gritty, dark, neo-noir aesthetic of cyberpunk. An example of magepunk is Simon Green's Nightside series. Magepunk differs from fantasy-noir in that it can take a more futuristic approach and combine magic into a world that would otherwise be strictly cyberpunk.

Hmm, obviously rather subjective and ill-defined.

I don't have a tag for this kind of talk, which means that I should probably post this on my other blog, but I don't want to.

So . . . going to a masquerade. Need to come up with a costume. I was thinking something gothy and steampunk.

Sweeney suggested I do magepunk (he doesn't like being called Sweeney but there are too many Matthews in the world.)

Yeah right! He doesn't even know what magepunk is! He just suggested it because I listed it as one of my interests. Besides, the subgenre is still so young that it doesn't really have a defined aesthetic like steampunk and cyberpunk.

So I'm thinking I would just combine fantasy, noir, and sci-fi (specifically cyberpunk). That should make magepunk, right? Probably easier said than done.

What does fantasy look like:
big skirts
bell/flared sleeves
lacing
vests with lacing all over the place
shiny fabrics
velvet
leather
bodices/vests/corsets over dresses
chainmaille
big flowy clothing (curves)
jewelry headpieces
ribbons
long belts
swords
bows&arrows
embroidery
long flowy hair (symmetrical)
boots
medieval
pointy ears, face/hair discoloration
hoods/capes/cloaks

What does noir look like (for femme fatales):
Combining masculine and feminine attributes in clothing (curves and angles)
Shiny fabrics
Shoulder pads
little hats with veils and feathers and crap
bracelets
wavy hair, or hair done up (asymmetrical)
small waists
gloves
guns
dark, but still kinda natural-looking makeup
big earrings
40s
Cigarettes/long cigarette holders (this one is obviously a “no” for me)
High heels
(Uh, I obviously need to go watch some noir and pay better attention to the clothing)

What does post-apocaplyptic sci-fi/cyberpunk look like:
Black
Dark makeup
Random metal/electronic bits
Leather/vinyl
Big boots
Goth/punk/industrial/80s hairstyles
Sharp angular clothing (angles)
Jackets
Pants/shorts
Tights/leggings/legwarmers
Piercings
80s
Sunglasses
Trenchcoats
Guns/cannons
Cybertronic accessories
Gas masks/goggles

Tch, no neo-victorianism to be found here, I’m afraid.


I did come up with a design, but I'm losing it, and I exited Photoshop without saving the bloody thing. But it was all done with clothing I already own (the lazy approach) except for goggles. SO. This vest thingy with a black tshirt underneath. This skirt. This hat. My Moero boots, which are knee-high black boots with huge heels, and three sets of buckles on each. And a pair of black goggles. I think that's everything. I really am losing it. My job requires me to use my brain now, and I don't know if I can handle that.

mood: working tags: design

Nicole's skirt
Cory's kilt
serenity jacket
I think I want to make hakama (knee-length)

"Disney" witch vest
Wool hood
quidditch robes
underbust bustle skirt (need to draft)
start drafting that dress
DD vest (on hold until I finish these other things, I think)
Blue silk jacket (test pattern on other fabric first)

Need to buy:
3.5 yards of 60" black for quidditch robes
2 3/8 yard of 45" or 1.75 yard of 60" brown corduroy for serenity jacket
2 iron-on appliques (the fancy kind) for swing dress
3 yards black for witch vest
someodd fabric for Nicole's skirt. I'll figure it out eventually.
someodd fabric for hakama. If only I had a measuring tape at work like I used to.
someodd fabric for cory's kilt (the whole 9 yards?)

Viking embroidery/decorative stitches. Easier than Celtic knots, definitely easier than other designs. Other resources tell me that metal threads were common in Viking embroidery. Embroidery was mostly done as seam decoration, and along necklines and cuffs. (Nothing so far has mentioned along the hemline, but that's not a far stretch of the imagination.)

This is interesting. Hells of expensive Viking clothing, made with wool and linen; most pieces based on grave findings (and no visible machine stitching!). For the extremely rich, extremely period-narky reenactor who can't make their own clothing.

See, that's the type of thing I'm thinking of making and selling. But the thought of charging that much fills me with gall. (I am obviously not made for the world of business.) NO ONE WOULD BUY IT.

mood: headachey tags: design, garb, resources, sell, sewing

To make:
pocket slit on napron

Extras:
gown for jill
surcote for mom
linen napron for me
cooler gown for kristan
better sideless surcote for sarah
sleeves for irish garb
pocket slits on gowns

Ready:
Irish garb for brynn
tunic 2 and viking gown for kristan
cyrtel and sideless surcote for sarah
viking smock and napron for me
7 hoods
tunic for dad
gown for jill
gown for mom

I made 3.75 hoods tonight. That took a lot longer than I expected. I blame two things; my machine was acting crazy at first and breaking needles as often as possible, and I kept redrawing the pattern every time. I think I've got the pattern a lot better now, at least. Now that I think about it, the pattern I'm using (with shoulder gores) is probably a lot more time consuming than the other one. I'm using it because I think it takes less fabric, though; and this is turning out to be a really good way to use up those medium-sized scraps of fabric.

Am I really going to be able to make all those garments I listed in the next two days? I am starting to doubt it. Especially since I'd need to buy fabric for them too. Yeah, looking at this list, those extras are right out.

ETA: I've sewn hooks&eyes onto two of the hoods. The third completed one is an open hood so it doesn't need them. I didn't have time for photos on my lunch break(not like I can get them on this computer anyway), but I'm sure there will be plenty of photos come Saturday.

My plan:
Tonight: Buy fabric right after work. Stick in the wash. Finish the hoods. (eat dinner MAKE SOME DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CAKE while the fabric finishes drying). Make Dad's tunic. Start on either Jill's or Mom's.
Friday: Finish the gown I started today and make the other one. Put pocket slits into as many things as possible. If I have time, start the Irish garb sleeves.
Saturday: Dig out/unpack all my garb, including belts (and that long strip of wool that I can twist into a rope belt). Drive up to Murray and give family the garb. Sew hooks&eyes onto things (sleeves, hoods) on the way up to the Faire.

I have patterns up for Jill, Mom and Dad. For Mom I can use any of the larger size tunics, just adjust the body width to 28".

Yardages:
Dad: 2 yards of 45" or 60"
Mom/Jill: 3.5 yards of 45" or 3 yards of 60"

I don't know if Alyssa and/or Corey are coming or if they need anything. Mom said she was looking for an old Lady Clydesdale costume of hers to wear, so if I fail to make her a gown, there's at least that (if she can find it). If Jill has a long-sleeved shirt to wear under her gown that would look better.

I don't know why I'm going so out of my way and being so generous. (It beats sitting around on the computer all night.) I feel like I'm trying to be some kind of Ren Faire expert and I've never even been to one. Forcing my family to dress up 9_9

ETA: I went crazy with the fabric shopping. Well, not too bad. Hancock was having a 50% sale on linen (fortuitous, I thought), but it turns out 3 of the 4 bolts I chose weren't actually on sale. Two of those bolts were the only 100% linens I could find. The other was ambiguously labeled "Silky wool." So that was probably not even supposed to be with the linens (I am fairly confident, though, that it is actually wool). One of the linens I decided not to get (that was a whim choice anyway), but the other one I had to get. The silky wool was a ridiculously bright pink that I thought Jill would enjoy. The 100% linen I kept was a navy blue, I decided to use it for Mom's gown, and then get 2 extra yards in case I got time to make myself a linen napron. The fabric I got for Dad's tunic was a poly/rayon, I think, in a off-white base with brownish "plaid" stripes. Maybe a rayon/linen. It was the best I could do. It was the second-most masculine choice I had. The most masculine "linen" was a dark brown which there was only a yard left of. So all told, with purchasing 2 fabrics that weren't on sale, I spent just over $100 dollars for 10 yards of fabric. When I put it like that it seems reasonable. That navy linen was $17 a yard! And I got 5 yards. I can't help it! Linen is the best fabric ever.

Anyway, I finished the two remaining hoods, and now I'm waiting for the dryer to finish so I can get started on other stuff.

ETA: That tunic took SO LONG. There is absolutely no way I'll be able to make two gowns tomorrow, let alone a napron too! If only I didn't have to go to work. I bet this tunic won't even fit him, the armscyles look too small. BLAH. This is what I get for trying. And I'm going to be sweltering in my wool napron all day. Unless I want to go all druid and JUST wear my white smock. To make these at the very least I'll have to cut corners, like not finish the seams. *cringe* My soul hurts just typing that . . . Maybe I can convince myself to simply finish them with a faster method. Curse my perfectionism! I wasted like an hour, AN ENTIRE HOUR, making bias tape and binding the neck hole. What else am I supposed to do? Note: don't make keyhole necklines when I'm short on time.

Urgh. I'm going to cut out the pattern for jill's thing and then go to bed an hour late.

ETA: This morning I wrested myself out of bed at an earlier than usual time (ie, when I am supposed to wake up), and I sewed hook&eyes onto the two hoods I finished last night. I ripped out the sleeve gussets from dad's tunic, with the plan of replacing them with much larger ones, using the leftover fabric that is supposed to go into the belt, which I fortunately didn't make yet. Hopefully it won't take too long to sew those in so I can get to work on the gowns. Or just one gown. I figure, it's better to spend a little more time on the tunic, to make it better; because if it doesn't fit/is not comfortable, then my dad won't wear it at all and I'll have really wasted my time. (let me tell you, thanks to having finished my seams in such a perfect manner, it took no small amount of time to rip those gussets out.)

So I think for jill's and mom's, I won't finish the seams (WITH THE INTENTION OF FINISHING THEM LATER, BUT NOT TOO MUCH LATER). That will cut the time it takes to make them practically in half! Which means that if it takes me one night to make a large, fully-finished tunic, plus some other time-wasting endeavors, then I should be able to make 2 gowns, without wasting any time, without finishing the seams, in about the same amount of time. I may have to stay up later but I doubt I'll get much sleep anyway.

ETA: Good news for me. According to weather.com, north Utah will be coolish tomorrow (like low 60s), so I won't be too bad off with my wool napron. Hooray! Especially considering how freezing I am all the time. The low 60s feels like the 40s to me anyway. With that in mind, my family should be okay with just the garb I'm making them, or with an additional layer. They are probably likely to consider the low 60s "warm." This also means that the hoods won't be too hot. Now let's hope that weather.com is close to correct with its forecast.

ETA: Revised plan for tomorrow.
Wake up earlyish (8-8:30)
Collect all my packed-up garb.
-green skirt
-plaid bodice
-poofy white blouse
-tunic 2
-viking gown
-viking smock
-napron
-cyrtel
-sideless surcote
-green hood
-red hood
-long strip of wool (to be twisted into a rope)
-black shawl
-brown leather o-ring belt
-black leather o-ring belt
-belt purse
Get dressed
Scoff down some delicious chocolate peanut butter cake
Finish any small sewings (ie, fabric belts, pocket slits)
Drive to Harmons
-Deposit check
-Get ATM cashes
-Get gas
Drive to Murray. Proceed from there.

Things not to leave home without:
All my garb
Water bottle
Camera(s)
Cell phone
Belt purse
Wallet with cashes
6 pin backs
Stones for brooches
Small sewing kit (dig out my tiny scissors)

ETA: Wow, I made jill's gown in about 2 hours! And that's even with my machine acting retarded again. Keep up this pace and I might have time for a shower!

ETA: Wow, mom's gown took even less time (once I had drafted a new pattern for it)! This means I can eat something!

ETA: Made two belts from fabric, and decided to bring my roll of strapping in case impromptu belts are needed. Pulled out all my garb and made huge pile in room. Going to put a pocket slit in my napron now.

mood: tired music: Flogging Molly: The Rare Ould Times tags: garb, sewing

http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/cloth/tunics.html

Men's tunics, drawings based on bog findings.

A favorite bit of information: "Neck slits and pocket slits can occur." "Dating is difficult, but 13th century to the early 14th century seems to be reasonable. Those with pocket slits date to after the mid-13th century." (Found in the description for Nockert Type 2 Tunics)

See that? Pocket slits! Hooray! (I've been wondering about pockets in early period stuff. And now I have information. Yay!)

Also, instructions for making one long continuous strip of bias tape.

mood: contemplative tags: garb, patterns, resources

http://www.nocturnisamtgard.org/amtgard-docs/alara/FightingPants.pdf A resource for period fighting pants for men. Includes patterns/instructions for several styles, and bonus, a basic rundown of fiber types and burn testing. Amtgard.

mood: cold tags: garb, patterns, resources, sewing, tut

You know, I’m really not that good of a seamstress. I have the skills to sew well, but when it comes down to it, I’m rather lazy. I don’t like all the extra work it takes to add trims or other details which really make a garment. I find myself less and less willing to take on challenges. Sometimes they turn out well, like my linen blouse. It was amazing! I drafted straight from measurements. I made one mock-up and understood immediately what needed to be changed and made the changes perfectly on the first try. From draft to one mockup to finished product just like that, bam! It’s a rather simple blouse, sure. But it looks good, it fits well, it’s comfortable, it’s functional, it’s original, and it’s well-made. It was something I hadn’t drafted before. It’s pretty much perfect, and I love it.

But then there are so many other projects I try which do not turn out well at all. Like every corset I’ve ever tried to make. Corsets are pretty complicated. It was just too much for me, too discouraging to make change after change after change, having to put in and take out the busk over and over, cut out the same tiny pieces over and over with just miniscule changes, and never to get it to fit right.

I don’t really like drafting patterns from scratch because it just takes too much work to make the mockup, and I just don’t know if it’s going to fit right unless I make the mockup. Then if it doesn’t fit I have to draw it again and make it again. Over and over until it’s right. But I don’t really like using commercial patterns because I can’t trust those to fit me, even if I buy the pattern according to my measurements. There’s no telling if the neckline is going to be too low on me, or if the torso is going to be way shorter than it looks on their little stylized drawings, or any other number of fitting problems which may occur. So again, I end up having to make mockups for everything.

And then there’s pants. I won’t even try to make those things. I am such a coward when it comes to making pants. It’s not that they’re particularly hard to make. Even the more complicated styles with pockets, flies and waistbands are pretty easy to construct once you know how. The problem is the fit. Once you cut out the pieces, there is nothing you can do to change how the pants will fit. You have to make the fitting changes to the flat pattern. I’ve read several books that cover both drafting pants to fit you, and altering the pattern to fit, and I still won’t even attempt it.

Basically, I’m good at what I do, but I don’t do a lot. I invariably choose easy, simple patterns without a lot of weird seams or embellishments. I only put on trims if they are functional somehow. I’d rather sew on hooks and eyes than make buttonholes, which are way too easy to screw up.

I can finish seams and topstitch and put in linings like crazy. I can construct sturdy garments. But I shy away from any extra work or any non-functional details. And paradoxically, I tend to do more work to make details more functional, like installing real pockets. Pockets are really important to me, so they’re worth the extra work.

I often find myself wanting to make things that have all these details like pintucks or decorative lace, but then I start thinking about all the effort it would take to draft these things in and sew these things on, and I decide that it’s too time-consuming and takes too much effort.

When I started sewing, I was crap at it. I did it because I was bored. Everything I made sucked and I didn’t even know enough about sewing to realize that it sucked or what I was doing wrong. I just dashed stuff out using my mom’s fabric and patterns. Even the simplest concepts as “use patterns that are your size” were too much for me to grasp. I guess it felt more useful than reading all day. Then at some point, I realized that I should not just be doing it, but also doing it well. I took the samurai creed and worked under the motto “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing perfectly.” Or whatever it was, that basic idea. I improved a lot and learned from my mistakes. But I was forgetful. I’d keep making stupid mistakes. At any rate, now I’ve curved back around again. I sew because it’s something to do. Not because I really enjoy it or I really need clothing or I have really great ideas to improve the functionality and/or aesthetics. And I often find myself becoming unduly frustrated with my machine and taking shortcuts and wishing the project would just be finished already.

I guess I really just need to step back and enjoy it. Not think about the finished project, but think about each seam as I’m doing it. Enjoy making each seam perfect. Enjoy the feel of the fabric and the look of the trim. The clean lines and the luscious gathers. Don’t rush things. Think it through and use my knowledge. I’m not a factory or a sweatshop. I’m an artisan.

I need to take some risks and document like crazy so I can figure out what worked and what didn’t. It’s okay to waste fabric, I can afford it. And yes, mock-ups are important. For every mockup I make now, that’s a mockup I will never have to make again if I use that pattern again.

While I was cleaning up my sewing stuff to prepare for moving, I realized just how many trims and notions I actually have. I’d forgotten about them. Which is why, after I get moved in, I’m going to dedicate an evening, or day, or weekend, to organizing my sewing stuff and coming up with a way to force myself to remember what I have so I can use it. I’m also going to try to set up a much more comfortable and enjoyable sewing space. I am actually going to have a table to sew on. There will be plenty of light and more than enough space for cutting the fabric. I am going to remember, this is something I like doing. It is not something I do because I have no friends. It is not something I do because I don’t have anything else to do. I do it because I want to and I like to.

mood: cold

Hopefully not as bad as my previous few.



I never thought I'd be so alone
No followers, no body
Well at least i still have my soul
They could only kill my body

For now I'll drink unicorn blood
I'll rise again, my time will come
And they will regret that they left me
No punishment left undone

My followers all turned away
They will pay for their doubt
I'm coming back with a weapon
Which no one else knows about

Drink unicorn blood
Find the Philosopher's Stone
Call my Deatheaters back
Kill the boy who lived

I shall make a body, create an army
Hide the pieces of my soul
And I shall reign for eternity
Though everyone else will come and go . . .

mood: sick music: RiddleTM: Allegiance tags: music, writing

I didn't go with the basic rectangle-gathered-into-waistband gathered skirt, because I wanted to test out a pattern I had.



I used it as the base for the skirt. Made size 16, it fits pretty well. Maybe the waist could be taken in about 2 inches to sit higher at my actual waist. My only complaint is that the yoke is a little longer than I'd like, but that would be fine with the actual pattern, which doesn't gather the skirt.

I used up the rest of the fabric making two gathered overskirts for the bottom half. Total for the skirt is nearly 4 yards (3 yards and 31 inches).

Photos under the cut . . .

( Read more... )

mood: cold music: The Butterbeer Experience: Fall For Me tags: patterns, photos, sewing

This design.

I've done the blouse today. It doesn't strongly resemble the blouse design, but that's not really important. It's really comfortable. The fabric is cotton (I think) in a thick linen-like weave. It looks just like linen but doesn't quote feel like it. The bolt when I bought it didn't specify fiber content. It has same-color floral embroidery which is difficult to see in the photo (also the color is not quite accurate, it's a dark navy blue). I think it will be really nice to wear in the summer.

Large photo under cut.

( Read more... )

I combined my basic darted sloper with the sleeve pattern of one of my swing dress patterns from the 40s. The one that I never got a photo of. The Simplicity one. I changed the neckline of the sloper (removed collar, made v-neckline), added a placket on both sides of the front closure (rather than just one for the buttons), and made the side extend all the way down (not have a slit at the hem). I combined the cap of the sloper sleeve pattern piece with the swing dress sleeve. (the sleeves fit a lot better with the different cap.)



The blouse took about 1.5 yards of fabric. 60" fabric I think.

I'll make the short skirt as pictured in the design (actually it will have a yoke, and a few layers of gathers), and then I probably won't have enough fabric for an alternative long skirt, but I might have enough for the hood as pictured.

I probably shouldn't write these progress reports when I am this tired.

mood: cold music: Split Seven Ways: Morsmordre tags: design, photos, sewing

1. What is your dirty little secret when it comes to costume construction?
I do everything I can on the machine, no matter how ancient the period of the costume is.

2. What are you the most proud of when it comes to your costume construction?
Drafting decent costumes from scratch, or at least altering commercial patterns to make them original and more functional.

3. Which of your costumes do you think you look the best in?
My Irish garb.

4. What style of costume would you never be caught dead in?
Slutty costumes. Or flagrantly non-period costumes that think they are accurate due to massive misconceptions.

5. What was your all-time favorite Halloween costume?
I think my Victoria Everglot costume still wins. (I had to schedule a study room in the library just to have enough space to cut out the fabric!)

6. If time/money/skill was no object, what would you be for Halloween this year?
Hmm . . . something that involved a lot of metal and leather. Like a punk rawk robot or something. Or maybe like, Zoe in her Battle of Serenity Valley armour/outfit.

7. Which is more important to you in a costume - style, or comfort?
Most of the costumes I go for these days are higher on the comfort scale, but I won't say no to a good Victorian gown if the occasion calls for it, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.

8. What comfort do you refuse to give up when wearing a costume?
I'd like to say pockets, but that doesn't work just because a lot of my normal clothes don't have pockets *shakes fist* So I will just say, my ability to walk normally. I will not wear skirts that don't allow me to take a normal-sized step, and I will not wear shoes that force me to walk more slowly due to weight, instability, slippery soles, etc.

9. Where is the strangest place you've ever worn a costume?
On the bus . . . I was trying to get to a studio but since the bus system sucks, well, I ended up totally missing it and got a nice long bus ride up to Sandy instead . . . then rode the train to Murray, and walked to my parent's house.

10. If you see a non-costuming friend or coworker while you are in costume, would you go say "Hi!" or run and hide?
I would do whatever I would do normally, depending on the person.

mood: stressed