Monday Progress Update: October 29

I was so busy last week finishing up Halloween commissions!

First, my niece and nephews got new Halloween costumes:

 Bob the Builder's shirt and toolbelt for Monkey

Rapunzel for Thing 1,

 And a ninja for Thing 2.

I also got a commission for foam Phineas and Ferb heads for a father/son duo:

 They are so adorable, and it was a neat challenge to try and do something like this!

Monday Progress Update: October 22

Lately my time has been filled with books, books, and more books.  The Cybils cycle has begun, and, since I have made a target of reading 125 books and only have 35 right now I'm reading like a maniac!  Reading was put on hold this weekend, though, to do Halloween costumes for Thing 1, Thing 2, and Monkey.

First off, I did get a little work done on my bustle dress underskirt.  All the ruching is done (and wow did that take a lot more time than I thought it would!) and put on the dress and it's all sewn up.  It still needs a placket, a hem, a waistband, and ruffles at the bottom.

Thing 1 wants to be Rapunzel, so her dress got sewn up.  I sewed the sleeves today, so all it needs is a zipper and a hem (which grandma will have to do).

Thing 2 wants to be a ninja (because, as he told mommy, a pirate is for everyday).  Here's his black karate gi and pants, and his cute ninja hood (which will probably be a bit big on him, but the darn pattern only had one size).

Monkey wants to be Bob the Builder.  I couldn't find any red and gold checked fabric, so I took a red gingham and dyed it yellow.  I think it'll work well enough.  I've got to get a shirt made out of this tonight so I can get it mailed off tomorrow.  Yikes!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Library

The Met has put up some of their out-of-print books online to read for free.  Here are some of interest to costumers:


The Age of Napoleon: Costume from Revolution to Empire, 1789–1815
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/The_Age_of_Napoleon_Costume_from_Revolution_to_Empire_1789_1815?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

 

 American Ingenuity: Sportswear, 1930s–1970s
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/American_Ingenuity_Sportswear_1930s_1970s?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

 Ancient Peruvian Mantles, 300 B.C.–A.D. 200
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Ancient_Peruvian_Mantles_300_BC_AD_200?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Bare Witness: Clothing and Nudity
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Bare_Witness_Clothing_and_Nudity?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Bloom! (A Celebration of Flowers in Fashion)
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Bloom?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

The Ceaseless Century: Three Hundred Years of Eighteenth-Century Costume
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/The_Ceaseless_Century_Three_Hundred_Years_of_Eighteenth_Century_Costume?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Christian Dior
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Christian_Dior?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Heroic Armor of the Italian Renaissance: Filippo Negroli and his Contemporaries
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Heroic_Armor_of_the_Italian_Renaissance_Filippo_Negroli_and_his_Contemporaries?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

History of Russian Costume from the Eleventh to the Twentieth Century
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/History_of_Russian_Costume_from_the_Eleventh_to_the_Twentieth_Century?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

The Imperial Style: Fashions of the Hapsburg Era
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/The_Imperial_Style_Fashions_of_the_Hapsburg_Era?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Infra-Apparel
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Infra_Apparel?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Islamic Jewelry in The Metropolitan Museum of Art
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Islamic_Jewelry_in_The_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

La Belle Époque
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/La_Belle_Epoque?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Madame Grès
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Madame_Gres?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Cochineal Red: The Art History of a Color
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Cochineal_Red_the_art_history_of_a_color?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the Eighteenth Century
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Dangerous_Liaisons_Fashion_and_Furniture_in_the_Eighteenth_Century?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Early Indonesian Textiles from Three Island Cultures
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Early_Indonesian_Textiles_from_Three_Island_Cultures?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

The Eighteenth-Century Woman
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/The_Eighteenth_Century_Woman?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

From Queen to Empress: Victorian Dress, 1837–1877
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/From_Queen_to_Empress_Victorian_Dress_1837_1877?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Haute Couture
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Haute_Couture?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Metropolitan Jewelry
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Metropolitan_Jewelry?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Orientalism: Visions of the East in Western Dress
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Orientalism_Visions_of_the_East_in_Western_Dress?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Our New Clothes: Acquisitions of the 1990s
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Our_New_Clothes_Acquisitions_of_the_1990s?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Two by Two (Menswear coupled with Women's wear)
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Two_by_Two?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Waist Not: The Migration of the Waist, 1800–1960
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Waist_Not_The_Migration_of_the_Waist_1800_1960?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

When Silk Was Gold: Central Asian and Chinese Textiles
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/When_Silk_Was_Gold_Central_Asian_and_Chinese_Textiles?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=

Wordrobe
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/Wordrobe?Tag=&title=&author=&pt=&tc=&dept=










This isn't counting the numerous books on paintings, drawings, sculpture, tapestry, and others that can depict costume or inspire an idea.  Go check it out: 
http://www.metmuseum.org/research/metpublications/titles-with-full-text-online?searchtype=F&rpp=12&pg=1

Monday Progress Update: October 8

I got a bit of work done on my bustle dress this week.  Or, actually, I got a little real work and a ton of mock ups done.  I think I finally figured out what was bugging me, though, so full speed ahead now!

Here's the underskirt front.  It took a while because I didn't want to waste taffeta on ruching more than would be showing in the final dress.  So in order to figure out what would be showing I had to mock up the overskirt and measure.  I finally decided I was safe stopping at 14", and I want the hem to be a 5" ruffle, so I marked those parts off the front, side front, and side back pieces (the back won't show, but it will be taffeta just in case).  I took what was left and made a pattern piece that was an inch wider and double the length, with ruching lines marked down the center of each piece.  Then I ran a gathering stitch down the taffeta pieces cut from this pattern and gathered them on the base muslin of the skirt and basted it down.  Once each piece was secure I sewed them together.  I still need to finish the side back pieces, that's why this is only the front.

Here's my latest mock up of the overskirt back.  It took me a while because I didn't realize that the seams on the overskirt weren't side seams, they were really more side-back seams.  Once I had that revelation it worked out why the front piece was so big and why the back seemed to not fall right.  I wanted the back part to come up to the side seam of the overskirt, so in order to do that I used the full width of the faille (60").  I put the overskirt pattern piece in the center and cut the sides down where all the pleating was to right past the pleating.  Then I pleated it up and re-attached it to the side I cut it from so that I had the fullness of the pleating but the sides extending to the full width I needed.  There are no ties in this mock-up so it's a little droopy, but I can see that it's gonna do what I want so I'll be cutting it out as soon as I finish the underskirt.

So what's next?  Finish the underskirt and put it on a waistband.  Sew together the hem facings and use them to hem the dress.  Cut and sew on a hem ruffle.  Then cut and start on the overskirt.  So much to do, and Cybils reading besides!

Military Dawn

Military Dawn - Inspired by Joseph Michael Linsner's Dawn

 

Awards:

Best Theatrical Presentation - DragonCon Dawn Contest 2009

Documentation - none

 

Explanation:

I designed these costumes to be a homage to women in the military.  I drew all four of them, then I made Army Dawn for myself and Navy Dawn for a friend.

Pictures: