My Absence, and My New Goal: I Need a Sewing Room!

Part of the issue with my absence the last year (aside from just too many projects, too little time) is that I moved. My sewing room is in a corner of an unfinished basement. And the sink in my kitchen is WHITE. Ack. A tie dyer's worst nightmare!

Veils have been on hold, sewing has been on hold, everything's been a bit packed away and forgotten. That's been bad news for those of you who needed veils during the past year, so my apologies. The good news is that I have a lovely unfinished basement with room for a sewing room AND a shop for doing all of my dye experiments in. (With a stainless sink, of course.) But it's going to take some work. So in order to make that crafty dream come true, I'm doing some massive projects in the coming weeks. This includes a lot of veils, but more importantly, a lot of costumes.

I don't usually post my costumes for sale, I know. But I'm gearing up for Halloween, and relentlessly raiding my fabric stash, so now is the time for you all to take advantage of my temporary lapse in sanity. =) Now this isn't a you-send-me-your-measurements-and-I-stress-like-crazy bunch of costumes. Right now I'm planning on offering them in pretty standard sizes (the 36-28-38 and 38-30-40 ranges) and hoping they'll fit the majority of the people interested. If you are interested in one in a different size let me know ASAP and I may be able to work it in.

So what do I have in the works?

A burgundy medieval gown with gold embroidery at the neckline and wrists. It laces up the back with gold grommets and has a skirt you wouldn't believe! (Obviously, not SCA-style with the machine embroidery and grommets, but based on a medieval pattern.) This one is almost done and will likely be posted for sale first.

Arwen's farewell dress from Lord of the Rings. Yes, this is the one I posted pictures of here ages ago. My friend jokes that it's really not a costume, just a decoration for my dress form. It's finally getting finished! I need to add the collar and sleeves on, finish the under dress and sash, and this one will be ready to go. The bonus with this one is that the under dress will be a stand alone princess-seamed purple gown that you can wear on its own--so you'll be getting two gowns for the price of one.

The blue gown from the new Red Riding Hood movie. I loved the costumes from this one, and I have the perfect worn-looking blue cotton for her dress. I have some red that may work for her cape but it's silky, not wool. (Do you really want to wear wool to a party anyway?)

Belle's gown from Beauty and the Beast. I have two different fabrics to work with, so I may do two. One is a beautiful heavy daffodil yellow watermark fabric, the other is a lightweight faux silk in a brighter golden yellow. I may kick myself for even attempting these, but we'll see how it goes.

Steampunk outfits! Oh my goodness, do I have a beautiful new pattern that I can't wait to try out. A long flowing coat, a smart bustier, and bloomers! (Come on, do you really want to wear a long skirt? You have to show off your cute shoes!) I have enough fabric to potentially make four different outfits, with the following for the coat material:

• Plum microsuede
• Grey microsuede
• Olive microsuede
• Brown pleather (but a gorgeous pleather!)
  

A handful of Regency dresses. There are a few casual day dresses, but also a couple of absolute stunners for your next ball. One is out of a beaded sari from India that is going to be fabulous! These will be based on Sense & Sensibility's historical patterns.

A couple of flirty overdresses. Picture a Renaissance style bodice with a poofy loopy skirt. Perfect for ANYTHING--a pirate, a fairy, a wench--you name it, this is the most versatile costume piece you'll ever own.

Eep! Not quite sure I'll make it, but that's the current plan. Follow me on Twitter if you want to be the first to know when each one is posted for sale! (http://twitter.com/dintarmawen)