Pirates of the Caribbean: Shift Dress Complete

The first gown of the Halloween season is done! Here is a photo of my version of the shift that Elizabeth wears while stranded on the island with Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. I was pretty proud of those sewn eyelets, but the reality is they would have been a pain for whoever ended up wearing the dress. They were slightly too small for the cord I was using, they didn't allow for the lacing to move well, and I worried about whether the new owner would be able to remove them for washing the gown. So, I ended up installing metal eyelets after all--they will make the costume better overall, and the new owner happier overall, so that took precedence over movie accuracy.

And while we're talking about eyelets, I have put in a plug here for another eBayer, Faire Lady Designs (http://stores.ebay.com/FAIRE-LADY-DESIGNS). I bought a HomePro LR grommet setter from her, and it's a dream! I can't believe that I used those plier things to set eyelets before. This machine sets them so beautifully! And if you're looking for high quality eyelets and grommets, there's just no comparison--after buying some grommets from her and comparing the quality, I'll never buy the cheapie ones that you find on JoAnn's notions wall ever again. She ships fast (and doesn't overcharge you for it) and is great to work with. So if you're a costumer that does any kind of corset work, one of these machines and good quality grommets are a must--and her prices are the best I've found.

So the lacing's in (the ends of the laces are also finished--gotta love heat shrink tubing!) and this one is ready to go. It's a size 14 in sewing patterns, which means it will fit about a 36 inch bustline (keep in mind that's not the same as your bra size). As usual, I serged the bottom of this costume but will leave the final hemming to its owner so it fits her perfectly--I made it extra long to accomodate someone who may be quite tall. So here's the finished dress, with the Aztec medallion necklace that it will be eBayed with. If you'd like to be notified when this one is put up for auction, just let me know at dintarmawen@gmail.com.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Shift Eyelets

Progress report for tonight--Elizabeth's shift dress from Pirates of the Caribbean is now cut out, and I did some testing on the sewn eyelets on my Aurora. Here's a sample of how they turned out--after sewing each one I carefully work the hole through with an awl. I should be able to finish the dress by tomorrow night. I also picked up an Aztec medallion replica necklace to be sold with each POTC dress, just in case the people who buy them don't have one already. (They're available at Claire's jewelry stores, but I wanted to get these before the Halloween rush.)

X-Men 3 Phoenix: Fabric

Here is the fabric I found for my Phoenix outfit from X-Men 3: The Last Stand. It's a red/black shot cotton/poly blend, but you'd never know it looking at it--it has this great sparkle to it. (And it crinkles really neat, a lot like it looks in some close-up shots from the movie.) I bought the whole bolt, since with Wal-Mart fabric (yes, Wal-Mart of all places) you never know when they'll get more in if you need it. So I may have enough to do a second outfit to eBay, but we'll see how I'm doing on time by then.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Materials

Here are some pics from my other two projects--Elizabeth's shift dress and gold dress from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The first picture is of the shift dress fabric--somebody emailed me a request to make up another one to auction, and when I found this fabric I couldn't resist. Like the last one I made, it's a heavier tone-on-tone brocade, with a raised leaf pattern in it. Unlike the last one I made, this one will have sewn eyelets (closer to the original). Once again, the new Bernina comes to the rescue! The other pic is of the materials for the gold dress--the gold brocade, the pearl trim that will go along the front edges of the dress, and the stomacher that I just embroidered the other night. It took over an hour, but I think it turned out really well. The lining is boned (so its new owner won't have to wear a separate corset), so I just have to sew together the outer layer, and attach the sleeves and skirt. I'm hoping this one is going to be a show stopper!

Arwen Farewell Dress: Full Length

Here's a full-length shot--the sleeves are just pinned on for now, and the sash is just a headband I had, since I don't have the fabric for that yet. I just wanted to see how it was coming together--all that's left on it is hemming (it's got this great train out the back), attaching the yoke/rolled collar, and attaching the sleeves. Oh, and I have to find little silver knot buttons for the front and make the sash. The underdress, as I mentioned, is going to be cut along the same lines, but will have a boat neckline and will lace up the back. I'll be using the leftover lavendar material to make some embroidered arm bands and a belt to dress it up when it's worn without the "elven overdress." The new owner will really be getting two dresses in one!

Arwen Farewell Dress: Sleeves

Here is a close-up of the sleeve--the pattern I'm using is Simplicity 8725 (medieval style, no princess seams) with the rolled collar from 0513. I just chopped the sleeves off just past the elbows, and then drafted this petal sleeve using kind of an oval shape. I like this shot because it really shows off this gorgeous fabric. This is going to be a one-of-a-kind, for sure--I bought this fabric years ago and never knew what to make out of it until I was looking through my costume research and saw Arwen's dress, and knew that's what it was supposed to be! It's got the weight of a really heavy dupioni silk, and the rough weave of one, but without the slubs. Then the paisleys are this great velvety raised design. I might have a hard time parting with it--I'm making this one to auction on eBay in early October!

Arwen Farewell Dress: Embroidery on Yoke

Well, I promised some pictures, so here they are! These are the beginnings of the Arwen "Farewell Dress" I've been working on. This is a close-up of the silver metallic embroidered yoke for the rolled collar that I'll be putting on next (it's photographed on top of the purple fabric that will be a completely separate underdress--the colors are off, since the purple is looking much more blue than it is). The embroidery was done on my Aurora, just using a design that came with my software--I mirrored it and joined the two sections end to end and rotated them. I used Marathon silver metallic thread--I wasn't using a metallic needle so I did have about six thread breaks, but was pleased with how it turned out.