Vampire Eras, Finished

Here are our vampire dresses, finished! Mine was made using the "Shakespeare in Love" style Elizabethan pattern by Simplicity, now out of print. My sister's is the Josephine-style Regency pattern by Butterick. I took the train off and raised the neckline on hers, and skipped the skirt's cartridge pleating on mine, but other than that I followed the patterns pretty closely. The black crushed velvet is fantastic stuff we bought online from Sy Fabrics, the colored organza fabrics were clearance table finds at JoAnn's (blue--leftover from the Beauxbatons collars) and Hancock's (purple). Probably my favorite fabric was my underskirt and sleeves, which was a black crushed organza that I found on the Walmart $1 table. Bottom line cost on both gowns was probably $25 each. Not too bad!

Vampire Eras, Step One!

So this year's crazy Halloween theme centers around vampires. (Basically, my friends and I just wanted an excuse to make cool, gothic-inspired dresses.) We originally planned to be a bit more matchy-matchy, but it's evolved into kind of a neat idea--each one of us will be wearing a style from a different era. So perhaps were got stuck with the fashion sense of the time we originally lived in pre-vampire? Anyway, my friend (and fellow Beauxbaton) is doing Tudor with a twist, my sister is going Regency (possibly with a miniskirt!), and I'm going Elizabethan. Mainly so I can recycle my costume to be Titania for our school's Shakespeare carnival too. =)

Anyway, here's today's progress--the embroidery for my bodice. Not much to show for hours of watching my Bernina struggle with metallic thread and rethreading every three minutes or so. (Thread's fault, not the machine's, I think.) But I'm quite happy with the finished product. All three dresses will have black crushed velvet bodices, with organza skirts in a jewel tone layered over black lining.

Fleur Costuming 101

Since I've had a few requests for more specifics on this costume, here's some help, pattern and fabric-wise, for those who may want to make their own.

Fabric:
The blue silk-like material for the dresses is called silkessence, and I've only found it at JoAnn's. It's fabulous stuff--washes and wears like a dream, doesn't require much ironing, and it's CHEAP! (We got ours on sale for like $1.50 per yard--always use a coupon!) A great alternative to cheap costume satin, which I despise using. =)

The collars and cuffs are out of organza--I got it at JoAnn's too, and the color was called old blue, I believe? It was on clearance for $1 per yard.

Patterns:
For the dress, we used this pattern, believe it or not--McCall's costume pattern 4889. We changed the neckline to a simple round one for the peter pan collar, and combined the upper and lower sleeve into one pattern piece. Oh, and made it knee length. I spent a lot of time making the collar "just right" by looking at screen caps from the film, but honestly, nobody is going to see it with your cape on! So save yourself some trouble. As long as your pattern is empire waisted with a flared skirt and long sleeves, you'll have the right look.

For the cape, we used a pattern for a capelet (McCall's 5006), but it had shoulder seams I had to draft out. Honestly, you're better off just cutting out a circle (well, it's more oval-ish). Ours are almost a full circle and that's something I'd change--I'd cut away the front edges (so it's a more 3/4 circle) rather than trying to have them meet. We were constantly flipping them back so you could see the collars of our dresses underneath.

I'll put the underdress on my dressform and take some photos soon so you can see that without the cape. Right now I'm in the middle of making two vampire dresses--yes, Twilight fever has caught us all, hasn't it? =)

Harry Potter Mania!

Well, even though I'm not a big Harry Potter fan I wanted to say that I'd been to at least one launch party. And why not go to the last one and go big? So my friend and I went as two of the lovely ladies of Beauxbatons. She made our fantastic hats (which you can't fully appreciate from this angle!) and I did our capes. Ironically, we got the most compliments on our shoes! (Which were cool, but the easiest part of our costumes--a fantastic find at Famous Footwear on clearance!) I'm the Fleur on the right--this is the great life-size Hagrid backdrop they had at the BYU Bookstore party.

So we spent the evening party hopping, and getting our pictures taken with a bunch of people. We were even finalists at the Barnes and Noble costume contest in Orem (if you any of you in the final group read this and took a picture, email us--ours didn't turn out!) It was a blast and now I have a Harry Potter costume to add to my overstuffed costume closet! If you are attempting your own Fleur Delacour costume and have questions on what we did pattern-wise, please post and I'll be happy to help you out.

Veils, veils, veils!

I've been tie-dying a bit lately, and am selling my first batch of veils for the year on eBay (follow the link to the right to see what I have up for sale right now). I've just been doing some basics right now, but am excited to get into mixing more of my own colors. I think it's good therapy for those of us who are perfectionists, since you can never tell how one is going to turn out--so you just have to let it go and hope for the best!

Dance Costume Marathon

Well, here I go again! Here is a pic of the latest sew-a-thon--new handkerchief skirts for our dance troupe. The tie-dye tops and scarves we did last fall, but wanted something to dress them up a bit. Since we all did different colors, the trick was finding a fabric to "match" everyone. I found this great fabric at JoAnn's on clearance--you can't tell in this photo, but it is a really nice heavy chiffon, with this great galaxy motif embroidered in variegated metallic thread and tiny multi-colored sequins sewn into it. The skirt is just your basic circle skirt, only cut in a 58" square. The waist opening is a 7" radius circle, and I cut a 3" casing of the material to accomodate a 3/4" elastic. Roll-serge the hem and you're done! I love these skirts because they're easy to make and they work for a variety of sizes--the only alterations I had to do were lengthening or shortening the length, since I cut the waistline a little large so it gathers in a bit.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Gold Dress Finished

After someone just asked me about the sleeves on my gold Elizabeth dress, it occured to me that I never posted a completed photo! Unfortunately, the night I wore it we were in quite a hurry getting ready, so it's not the best--but at least you can see how it came together. I really need to finish the panniers to wear underneath it, and hem it properly--as you can see it's dragging a bit here. Next time I have my colonial corset on, I'll take some proper photos!

Phoenix/Jean Grey finished! (Well, kinda. . .)

I'm not very good at this "dress diary" thing, I think because I'm impatient! When I sew, I do a marathon--and stopping to take pictures just isn't on the agenda! So here's the semi-finished version of my Phoenix/Jean Grey costume. I say semi-finished because I didn't get a chance to do my shirt to wear underneath (ran out of time) and the boning is causing a bit of a problem in the front where it buckles a bit. So it still needs a bit of work, but overall I was quite happy with it! The jacket pattern, believe it or not, is a Regency era spencer/pelisse--I used Jennie Chancey's Sense & Sensibility pattern and extended the turned-back collar and made the skirt paneled (pleated in the front, gathered across the back). The corset is from a Butterick pattern, with some modifications to the front seams, fake "hip pieces" sewn into the top layer, cutting off the top and adding two inches to the bottom. So here's a pic from the party I went to last night--ran into a Wolverine and couldn't resist taking a pic!

Pirates of the Caribbean: Gold Dress, The Home Stretch

Whew! Almost there--I need to attach the trim, and sew the underskirt, and this one is finally done! I'm pretty pleased with how this Simplicity pattern turned out--besides the lacing down the back and making different sleeves, I followed it almost exactly. It's not constructed like the movie version at all (but who has the time or patience for all that pleating in the back?) but it has the right look, I think. For someone who's trying to get as close to the movie version as possible, I would suggest narrowing the stomacher a bit.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Gold Dress Bodice Done

Here is the finished bodice, at long last! I just have to tack down the silk bias tape that faces the neck--but it has to be done by hand (blech!) so I'm taking a break for tonight. The sleeve turned out closer to the look of the original than I thought it would--you can't see it in this photo, but I pleated it in the back like the original appears to be. The trim is just pinned on so I could see how it would look. Now, I have to do the panniers so I know how to level the skirt as I attach it.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Gold Dress Progress

Here is the update on my progress on Elizabeth Swann's gold dress. The bodice is now nearly complete. Here are two pictures--one of the stomacher with its machine embroidery and hand beading (done while watching The Bachelor: Rome last night--why do I get sucked into stupid reality dating shows?) and the back of the bodice with the installed grommets. I'm using Simplicity's pattern 4092, and have made few changes to it. I changed the sleeves, and will be putting lace around the entire neck edge and around the bottom of the sleeves. I also installed grommets down the back for lacing, rather than a zipper. So if you're working on making this dress from this pattern and have any questions, don't hesitate to ask--I'm happy to share what I've done to modify it to be closer to the original.

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.

Embroidery: Topping

I mentioned in my last post that I've been doing piles-o-towels lately. They're the loopy microfiber kind, and I found that the Aqua Film as a topper was making a mess--it kept getting sticky and then my presser foot would drag it all over the place. So I tried something new--using Sulky Ultra Solvy as a topper. Worked wonders--you would swear that it was a completely different stitch count, the results were so much better. So if you're working on something really loopy or with a deep pile, use some Ultra Solvy as your topping--it will make your stitch-out so much better! I'll post a photo of both side by side so you can see the difference.

Gearing Up for the Halloween Season

It's been a while since I've posted, and that's mostly because I've been so busy! I've been giving my Aurora a workout (I've embroidered nearly 100 golf towels) and I'm in the middle of finishing some costume tops for our Middle Eastern dance troupe. One word for any of you who do dance costumes--sergers! Can't live without one now. In the meantime, I've been experimenting with tie-dye and posted a batch of dance veils on eBay a few months back and got some really good reviews of them, so I just did another batch and will post those shortly. These have matching skirt toppers and head scarfs--I just hate when you get a new veil and then can't find a thing to wear to match. (Yes, I'm a little picky.)

On the Halloween front (for those of who who don't think about what you're wearing until the night before--for shame!) I'm making myself Phoenix's outfit from the newest X-Men movie (the red/black shot silk corset-y number). I also have to quilt my colonial skirt that I made last year (another test for my Aurora--the BSR). For eBay, I'm making the following:

• Elizabeth Swann's gold dress from Pirates of the Caribbean (the first one)
• Leia's Ewok dress from Return of the Jedi
• A Jane Austen style dress--possibly generic, although I have some yummy silk and may make Elizabeth's white ball gown from the new Pride and Prejudice. Shameless plug here--if you haven't checked out the new Simplicity patterns for Halloween, you must buy the two Regency ones that just came out. They were done by Jennie Chancey, who runs Sense & Sensibility Patterns (www.sensibility.com). She does amazing work and is one of the nicest people on the planet. =)
• Arwen's lavender farewell dress from LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring

Well, okay--those are the ones I have the fabric for. Whether I get them done or not is another story. =) But this is why I'm posting my plans here, for all the world to see--I work best under pressure. =)The gold POTC dress is halfway done--pictures will be posted soon!