The doublet is FINISHED. Well for the most part.

The only good thing that ever came out of having food poisoning was masses of hours bedridden to do the last of the hand sewing. Needless to say my doublet construction wise is finished. I know that somewhere down the road there is going to be various beading because I have issues.

Anyhow, without further ado; here is the cursed thing.


Lots of trim, lots of tabs, and a lot of blood sweat and tears, let me tell you. I want to beat it!! But after looking at these pictures I do see how lovely it is. And with the skirts oh it is fantastic. Oh wait!!




There tis!! Even wearing my Chemise underneath because I rock like that. The sleeves are not shown in this picture because I'm not done with those buggers..they are eating trim. I need more. Again. [I know its insanity.]

Regardless, the whole ensemble looks halfway decent if I say so myself. Really. I do love it. Like the red headed step child it is. With all of its strange fit issues and beting into submission. I need to adjust my reds and blues, then I will have three gowns! Hooray.

Here, I will indulge all of you and let you observe my sleeves in their un done state.


Yes I noticed that the right sleeve top is longer than the left. Dont worry, I fixed that post this picture being taken. I'm placing the collar trim around the top and bottom of the upper sleeves...I just ran out after the first sleeve. So, I have tube sleeves in a whol new manner. Thank you Italians!

Now for something that hasn't really been shown; My regency gown! These were taken by the lovely Lauren and our friend Paul Garber at the last Gaskells event.




That beautiful striped cupcake next to me happens to in fact be my partner in crime, the lovely Lauren



All of the credit goes to miss Lauren for making the dress, I just threw some trim onto it and some flowers.



And despite contrary beliefe, I did not pose for this. After assisting a couple of ladies in unlacing corsets and bodices and dancing my feet off and a bit of champagne, I was done for! I collapsed right there in the dressing room.


One of these days I am actually going to start on my Polonaise. So far the only thing I have done is cut out the pattern peices. I havnt even touched the fabric yet, Aya.


M.W.

Polonaise!!

Finally, what the masses [and by masses I mean six people] have been waiting for! The glorious Polonaise summer gown for the events that le Partner-in-crime and I [mostly her] are putting on!

I bought the patterns recently from Truly Victorian and I just have to say a; omagaw these are amazing and huge and confusing patterns and b; CITED. Please, do yourself a costuming favor and go to trulyvictorian.com you will be glad that you did. So. Here is the concept.

[Yes I used the drawing off the front of the pattern as a reference because im lazy.]



Click on the image for a larger and more detailed shot. I didn't completely color in both of them because doing the stripes was a pain in my ass. Also, the stripes are ALL of the blue fabric, not just the bodice. Again, too lazy. Here is the ACTUAL fabric.




I love. This. Fabric. Its a light silky like material..not really sure what it is. This is what the majority of the polonaise is going to be made out of. The underskirt I used a grand parlor skirt which is full in the back and has a demi train with an 8" sweep in the back. It looks fantastic and flowy with a polonaise and gives everything a grand look. The back of the sleeves where the bow is is going to have a panel of white muslin, to match the underskirt. I chose muslin knowing that it was a light sheer fabric because I thought the flowy look would make a fantastic summer effect.

For trims I'm going with a darker blue than the fabric and gold tassel idea around the bottom of the polonaise and perhaps around the sleeves, but Im afraid it might just be too heavy. If not that, then I know I want to do a pale yellow pleated ribbon trim around almost every seam, neckline sleeves, down the front of the polonaise, perhaps even on the back. Where something flat is required I'm going to be using a flat pale yellow ribbon. The buttons will probably be white. And I know there is going to be lace somewhere. And probably a fat ass bow at the back right above the tails of the bodice.




I also have this fantastic hat that I need to lower the crown on and decorate with masses of bows ribbons ostrich plumes and BIRDS. Because I am insane. I plan on starting this dress in the immediate future as I have everything but fusible interfacting waiting for me. Walmart trip this weekend!!!




M.W.

How is the doublet coming along, you wonder?

Right along, you might say. Sometimes I suprise myself with what I can accomplish after an extended amount of time of frustrated beating of fabrics and shapes. Yeah..it was ridiculous. and I actually was about to give up.

But I plowed on and changed my sleeve styles drastically. Instead of the tubes I made the top part paneled with green and rust striped, with trims running down to cover the seams, I love covering seams with trim.

I also bought a second kind of trim because the green fabric hides my first kind of trim sort of blended in.


It is not a good picture because my camera sucks. its a pail green with yellowish gold squares and loops. It doesn't match exactly, but it works.

So to tie it into the sleeves its going to be used on, I placed it to cover the seams on the collar facing.






Since all of the additions and extra seams, the collar has become stiffer and looks much better than it did before, less floppy and such.

I don't really have a dress form, so I decided to put what I have made on myself to see what it looks like, then take a myspace esque picture. I have to say I am very proud of whats gone on.



I know sometime down the line before I debut this dress there is going to be some beading. I'm even contemplating some slashing up near the top on the green panels because its tight enough to do some puffing of the shirt i end up wearing underneath. And I love beading.

On another note, some random pictures;

I wore one of L. R's ren dresses to work for 'Decades Day' [I work at a middle school.]



It was kind of exciting. I also got pictures of the caul I have been slaving over and embroidering. Its all finished! Hooray!! Meet what makes Lady Margaret Merryfox, Lady Margaret Merryfox.



I got my pattern for my polonaise, and the fabric and the hat. Thoooose are for a different post. Yes; you must wait in anticipation with baited breath. Ha!
Suffer.

No, I did not fall off the face of the earth. Progress on the doublet!

I am in so much trouble right now. But look! I'm updating! Huazzah!
It was just a mixture of crazy times, and losing first my laptop charger and losing my camera cable, then being busy planning my move. I also haven't been sewing nearly as much. But that is neither here nor there!

I had some issues with the piping, so I pretty much scrapped the idea. It was a little too big so I couldn't catch it under the zipper foot without it pushing out, so when I would turn the fabric I had the canvas attached to the upholstery cord showing, and it looked terribly. I'm a little bummed out about it but there is nothing to do. I will just have to trim the shit out of it. I considered self piping, but I don't fee' that I am up to the challenge for this doublet, as it has already been the bane of my existence.



At least I had the mind to machine sew all of the trim on, front and back. Though it was kind of a pain, I got stabbed a lot, therefore getting angry a lot.


I had a little trouble with the collar, as well. Collars and I really don't get alone, it seems. I can't get it right, my doublet collar and now this one =/. So now I have to wear it open at all times because its just too big; tall ways and every ways, unfortunately. It isn't a big deal, honestly as I can just make a facing for it. I will be much cooler but I wont really have the nice doublet look. I also have to whip stitch the lining down as it sticks out of the front. Or make a small facing all the way down. Sleeves come first, though as the facing will be the green fabric.



I also decided to mix it up a little with the back and not do the exact same amount of lines. It gives it a nifty little asymmetrical look that I am strangely fond of. I'm going to put a line of trim around the bottom to separate the tabs and probably to hide the length of bias tape that the tabs will be sewn onto. [Cheater].

That is another thing, I seriously ran out of fabric for tabs. I'm going to have to do small tabs, i.e. short tabs around the waist, and make some sort of tab treatment out of the trim which means buying more but it was seriously a dollar a yard. Win. I ended up sticking with a sleeve style that is very italian in style;


Im familiar enough with this sleeve style to make them quickly and well they aren't what I would call difficult. Just a couple of tubes. I used them when I refurbished my first gown, and decided since I have to retire that gown, I might as well add them to this gown. I'm thinking of trimming them out very nicely to take away from the fact that they are so...dull.
[No I did not make that dress, I googled it.]




The thing about when I made these, however, is the fact that I was seriously scrapping for fabric, and had to had a seam down the sides. It isn't very clean looking, but it is what it is. Also, they are very tight around the shoulder, so they have to be a bit off the shoulder with chemise poking through. I suppose it could be worse!

The other day I was with my room mate at the fabric store hunting for fabric for this hat I'm making him...that is frustrating me to no end but that is neither here nor there...and found this two and some-odd yard remnant sitting next to the register;



I think its a jacquard but I could be wrong. Feels like it, anyway. The picture isn't a very good one as the light is off but the fabric is this beautiful pale yellow gold shot with a blueish green design down the outside of the strips. I'm smitten, and part of me wants to make another renn bodice, doublet or maybe a square neck as I had to retire my square neck. Maybe a middle class doublet? Upper middle class? I don't even know if it is ren period, thoughts?

Stay tuned for the poloniase!



M.W.

The finished steampunk project and the beginning of the doublet.

So it is finally done and the event is finally over and let me tell you I AM SO TIRED.
Anyhow, here are a few pictures, I'm sure I will update more pictures when the others come rolling in.







Thank you to my beautiful partner in crime who took these amazing photos and who's pants and shirt I jacked, haha.

So now for the doublet.



I had to use the dress form at Lauren's to pin the trim in the chevron pattern, unfortunately I had to take it all off again, sigh.



I will have the other pictures up with the details and one side sewn on, hurray. Sloooow progress, as I am lazy.

Super short update!!