Costume Fabric Destash

This week I have come to a sad realization. . .my fabric collection has gotten seriously out of hand! I have a weakness for a bargain, and for something I can see potential in. So when I spot the perfect piece of fabric, and can think, "oh, that would be perfect for. . ." I snatch it up. Just in case I may need it some day. The truth is, if I started sewing tomorrow 24/7 it would take me years to get through it all. With Halloween approaching, I thought it would be the perfect time to post some of it for sale. Perhaps the fabric for your perfect costume is hiding at my house! If you are interested in any of the following, let me know and I'll be happy to take pictures of it and post it to my Etsy store for you to purchase. Most are going to be no more than $3 a yard--as I said, I have an eye for a bargain!

• Belle from Beauty and the Beast or Jane from Tarzan: a gorgeous soft yellow light upholstery weight watermark fabric. Crisp and beautiful! I would guess I have close to 10 yards of this.


• Arwen's chase dress from Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: a deep gray microfiber suede. I must warn you, this is very static-y, but a little fabric softener may tame it. 60 inches wide, five yards.


• Obi-Wan or Anakin Skywalker Jedi robe from Star Wars: Rich brown crinkled cotton--yeah, the originals were wool, but what kid wants to run around in scratchy wool? I underestimated my brother's height when I bought this, but it would be perfect for a smaller Jedi. 6 yards, 45 inches wide.


• Aayla Secura from Star Wars: Am I really ever going to paint myself blue? Not likely. I have a few yards of brown snakeskin print cotton for her top, and some beautiful faux leather for the contrast and her accessories.


• Jane Austen fans wanting to be Elizabeth Bennett or Emma Woodhouse: I found some gorgeous windowpane check sheer fabric. I think it was supposed to be for drapes, but can you imagine how beautiful it would be as an overlay on a Regency gown? I have six yards each of white and creme.

That's it for now. . .let me know if anything catches your eye!

Twice as Nice

Here's one of my experiments in over dying. You can see what a difference using an acid dye vs. a pigment dye makes. A pigment dye washes out to a soft, stonewashed looking gray--the acid dye remains a vibrant black. I then over dyed this one with a fiber reactive dye. A little extra work, but a nice effect!

Matching Skirt and Veil Sets. . .and Finally, Red and Black!

I finally have a few more things to post! I've been experimenting with acid dyes, and have gotten some interesting results.



Here's one of my favorites, a black silk belly dance veil with fiery red borders. I've also made a handkerchief skirt to match this one. It's the same pattern I used to make our troupe skirts a few years back, so see my previous post for instructions. I've made up eight of these skirts in total--while a simple design, they take a lot of work so I'm not sure if I'll be offering them in my Etsy store very often. (In other words, they may go fast so if you'd like one dyed with a matching veil in a certain color, email me!)


Here's a much lighter version of the same red dye--it turned out more of a bright cherry red. Still not quite the stop sign red I was hoping for, but it's getting closer at least. click on the photo to see where this one has been posted in my Etsy store.

More belly dance goodies to be posted soon!

Two more!

Another silk bellydance veil or two for your Etsy shopping pleasure!

Silk Bellydance Veil Hand Dyed Fuschia Pink and Purple



Silk Bellydance Veil Hand Dyed Turquoise, Purple and Fuschia Pink

New Bellydance Veils Posted

I added a few more items added to my Etsy store tonight! Click on the links to go to each individual page:

Bellydance Veil Hand Dyed Silk Purple and Fuschia Pink


Bellydance Veil Hand Dyed Silk Turquoise Blue


Bellydance Veil Hand Dyed Silk Fuschia Pink Silver Gray


Bellydance Veil Hand Dyed Silk Purple and Turquoise Blue

Scrunched?

I was recently contacted by someone who was interested in a custom veil order. She noted that in the custom listing I have on my Etsy store, I mention that I usually "scrunch" dye my silks. She asked what that meant, and it got me to thinking--what does it mean? I thought maybe a demonstration of what I meant would be best! Here are two identical color combinations from the batch of veils I just finished.


The one on the right was done by scrunching the fabric very tightly before applying the dye, which keeps the colors from mixing. As a result, you get a lot of "white space" between the two colors, and for the most part they stay separated. This is a good technique to use if you are using two very dissimilar colors which may not blend well if they combine.


The one on the left, believe it or not, was made using the same exact colors--only this time, the fabric was very loosely scrunched and I worked the two colors of dye through the fabric--scrunching it as I applied the dye. Quite the difference! You still get some blotches of the individual colors, but I work hard to make sure there is no "white space" and that the colors blend more softly.

Although they are scrunched in different ways, I like both styles--which do you prefer?