Pirate Queen Belle

I am trying to only post projects that I have completed, but I will be making an exception today. I am SO excited for this costume, I couldn't wait. Let's begin with my initial idea.

We all know the story of Beauty and the Beast. But I had an idea for an interesting twist on that story. Imagine that instead of staying with the Beast in his castle, she decides to leave. She “wants adventures in the great wide somewhere”, after all. She runs away and makes her fortune on the open sea and ends up as a Pirate Queen.

This past weekend was the Medieval Fair of Norman, Oklahoma. This is my home fair and I have been attending and performing for many years. Unfortunately, the weather this year was not ideal. It rained quite a bit on Saturday and there was mud everywhere. But I had shopping to do! So I braved the mud. I wanted a corset for this costume and also a pink fairy costume. I never quite found the perfect corset for either one, but I found something else. Something every pirate needs... A great coat!

My new pirate coat is absolutely stunning and exactly what I needed. This brown heavy broadcloth coat is great quality and should last me for many years. It was a little expensive, but I am willing to pay to save myself a headache. I knew if I sewed it myself, it would take me at least a month and I still would pay quite a bit for materials. Now, I have one less project on my sewing list (which is 5 miles long), so that's a good thing.

This corset is just a temporary stand-in until I lose enough weight to fit into the corset I made. (But that's a story for next time.) I ordered it from Amazon. It's pretty standard, made of a cheap shiny satin, but it will serve for now.

More to come later, when I finish a few more accessories and wear it out with makeup and hair. I can't wait!

Thanks for reading!

Comments

Bow-Tie Necklet

Are you, dear reader, in the mood for some winter accessories? Or, like me, are you already anxious for spring to arrive? The only good thing about winter is the cute accessories, I always say. I have a big canvas basket full of scarves, gloves, mittens, and hats. I have a black and also a purple peacoat. Plus my dramatic leopard print fleece cape, which I have previously discussed. Simply put, I don't like to be boring with my accessorizing. It is my only source of cheer and happiness when preparing for a cold winter's day. Ok, enough with the dramatics. On with the subject of today's blog. I knit this up several years ago. This is what the pattern calls a “Bow-Tie Necklet”. It is a scarf, but not in a traditional long rectangle shape. One end is pulled through a loop on the opposite side, forming a sort of bow tie. I have seen several examples in mid century photos of similar knit scarves that seem to have been made the same way. Of course, I forgot to save them/...

Disney's The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Blue Dress

Anyone who has spent more than 3 minutes with me knows I'm obsessed with Disney. My three favorite movies are Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. So for Halloween 2011, I made a version of Ariel's blue dress. She wears during "Kiss the Girl" scene and when they are riding in the carriage around Eric's kingdom. . It was fairly easy to make. I used McCall's 4090 (View A), a simple skirt with a waistband. For the bodice/over corset, I used another McCall's, 4861 (view A). I didn't want side lacing, so I just traced each of the four pieces separately, then taped them together at the sides, overlapping the seam allowance. This left me with the back lacing only. When it was assembled, I roughly "eye-balled" the sweetheart-shaped neckline and cut it out. The shirt was made with Simplicity 3677. I just added cuffs to the sleeves instead of elastic. A couple things I lea...

Reconstructing History RH017

This is review of RH017, 14th Century Kirtle or Cotehardie. (Link to buy this patten at the end) I ordered it to make a new dress for the 2015 Medieval Fair of Norman. I had been playing a princess for many years, but decided on changing it up this year. I wanted to be a Bard, a poet/singer/general performer. Naturally, I could not wear the Princess gowns of years past. It came in a timely fashion. I knew it had a booklet of historical notes, I didn't know it was going to come with a textbook! Seriously, this booklet is 15 pages long (including historical notes, bibliography, actual construction, and a section on period stiches) and is in an easy to digest format. The pattern is on regular paper, not the usual tissue paper, which I appreciated. I had trouble with setting the sleeves, but it was my own fault. I made it oversized purposefully to adjust down to my exact size, and didn't quite adjust the sleeves to match correctly the first time. My own fault. I will pos...

The Singing Costumer

Search This Blog