The Singing Costumer

YouTube video associated with this blog We had a major ice storm here recently. What a perfect time to sew a summer playsuit! I really, REALLY hate winter with a passion. It helped my seasonal depression a little bit to sew this and remember that summer will come again. For the 1960's, I was really stumped! For the longest time, I could NOT find a project I was excited to sew. I didn't want to make just another panty and bra set. I thought about sewing a girdle, but decided against it. Didn't sound like fun and it would be lots of work for something I would wear once. Then I remembered Vogue 9255, a reprint of a pattern originally published in 1960. It includes little shortie shorts, a bikini top, and a loose coverup blouse. I just made the shorts and the top this time. Maybe I'll have time to make a coverup for next summer. I have had this lovely fabric for quite a while. It's a denim fabric I think, with a lace pattern woven in it on one side. It's one of my f

YouTube video associated with this blog The base pieces for this costume are not complicated. I used Simplicity 3677 for the blouse and the pants. The fabric I bought at Joann Fabrics and was exactly what I was hoping to find. It's a light and airy cotton gauze-type fabric. Also, I am in love with the delicate lace I found at Hobby Lobby that I used to trim the wrists. The blouse has elastic bands at the cuffs and a drawstring neckline. It is incredibly over sized, but the fabric gathers under corsets and pants nicely because it was so soft and light. The pants are a tan corduroy and also have elastic in the cuffs. (Did I mention Historical Accuracy TM was not a priority for this costume?) I still think it's beautiful. And now, for a few accessories. These make or break a costume, especially for a pirate. So many little things must be present for the costume to really say “Pirate”. This little hat was such a blast to create. I used a Yaya Han pattern, McCall's 7643. It ha

YouTube video associated with this blog 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. Because, let's face it. If Belle can deal with an enchanted castle and a Beast, she can handle almost anything. In April of 2019, I attended the Medieval Fair of Norman, Oklahoma. This is my home fair and I have been attending and performing for many years. Unfortunately, the weather that year was not ideal. In fact, it was terrible. 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. Maybe even better? Somet

My YouTube video associated with this blog The next step in my continuing quest to become a Gibson Girl was to make a bum pad. I knew I needed a little more oomph in the back then nature has provided me for a fashionable Edwardian silhouette. This period is all about curves and flowing, smooth lines. Padding strategic areas was a common period trick to create curves. It is lovingly referred to as my Ruffle Butt. Because who doesn't want ruffle butt? The fabric is scraps from a green polyester brocade tablecloth. It's a pretty design, although the fabric was a bit of a hassle to sew. It's prone to fraying. If I recall correctly, it was from Joann Fabrics, in one of their seasonal spring collections. I've had it for years, and this is the year of “Reduce the Stash”. And it looked beautiful with the other pieces I've already made, so it was a win all around. I wasn't sure how I wanted to make this at first. I didn't really want to pay for a pattern, and I d

My Youtube video associated with this blog post  I am very pleased to present my Tiki Room dress. The Dress Shop brand from Disney has a 1950's-inspired sundress in this fabric. I do like it, but I don't wear sleeveless dresses. So, I thought I would make my own in a slightly different style. I still wanted a vintage dress, with a tropical vibe as was popular mid century. After much deliberation, I decided on Butterick 5880. It's a reprint of a 1951 pattern. I was so anxious to begin this dress. I don't know why exactly. It's not like I'm heading to Disney any time soon. But sometimes I just “get a bee in my bonnet”, as they say. And I can't do anything else until I scratch that itch. So I thoroughly cleaned my sewing studio, AKA the corner of my bedroom, and set to work. For my first run, I used a 101 Dalmatians bed sheet from the thrift store. It's old and worn, but it was less than $2 and it's a big piece of fabric. For my mock-ups, I don't

YouTube video associated with this blog “ You can fly! You can fly! You can fly!” How old were you when you first heard those words? I don't remember my first viewing of the classic Disney film. Peter Pan has never been my favorite Disney movie. (And don't even get me started on the terrible stage musical.) But I do remember my first time going on Disneyland's Peter Pan's Flight attraction and seeing Peter Pan himself wandering around outside the attraction. It was, if you'll forgive the overused cliché, a truly magical moment. It has since become somewhat of a tradition for me to begin every trip this way. In a thrift store, I found what I assume was a costume for perhaps a Jane Austin play. It was clearly handmade with care and precision. The condition was almost perfect (except for the age-yellowed lace on the collar, yuck). It was a very lucky find. It has a high collar. The sleeves have poofy upper sleeves, with tight long sleeves attached. And it fit me perfe

For this blog especially, I recommend watching the vlog on my YouTube. It will just make more sense if you watch it live as it happened.  YouTube Video Here This is not exactly related to costuming, but is more costume-adjacent. I have written before about my love, nay, obsession with Splendette Mid-Century reproduction jewelry in my Easter dress blog. Predictably, I have a couple more pieces now and I thought it was high time to display them properly. I thought long and hard about exactly how to make a display. My woodworking skills are minimal, so I couldn't build one totally from scratch. In Goodwill, I found a long narrow shelf, about 32 inches long and 3 inches deep. This was perfect for my purposes. I debated buying an earring holder to put on top, but I couldn't find one that would fit my shelf. And I want to keep the shelf open for bangles. Space for the bangles, earrings, and the necklaces in the same unit was essential. I really wanted to keep all pieces of o

YouTube video associated with this blog First of all, Inside Out is not my favorite Pixar movie, but I firmly believe that it is one of the most important films from the studio. I really think Inside Out should be required viewing for children and adults alike. It teaches us that it's ok to be sad or angry for a time. No one can be happy all the time, nor should they be expected to be. Life isn't always happy. Sometimes, Sadness has to take over for a short time. On the other hand, it teaches us that we can hurt others and ourselves if we listen too much to our emotions and keep them to ourselves. Sometimes, we need to ask others for help. And that's ok, too. And especially now, I think we all need to hear this message. There really isn't much to say about this costume, since almost all of it was purchased. The Dress is from Hot Topic several years ago. It is just a simple knit sundress, with the pattern printed on the fabric. The quality is not spec

YouTube Video associated with this blog I am a HUGE Disney fan, but I sometimes find Disney Channel Original Movies trite, boring, and overly produced. I do enjoy the Descendants series, however. Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is a fun character. She loves sewing and all things fashion. And also, she has a mini Magic Mirror in her purse, and who wouldn't want one of those? (I found it at the Disney store, so of course I had to cosplay her.) For this look, I wasn't trying to exactly copy any one costume from the films. More of an inspired look. I call it “What else would Evie have in her closet?”. I started with a purchased vest that was originally cream-colored. It was painted Evie's signature blue with regular acrylic paint from Hobby Lobby. I hand placed all 286 studs in the collar for a rock n' roll look. These studs were from Hobby Lobby, also. That took approximately 20 million hours. I found this awesome bejeweled

YouTube video associated with this blog post Like I said last time, I thought I would go for a very sassy look for this project. Black gives quite a sophisticated look, doesn't it? This project gave me a bit of trouble, I won't lie. For the projects featured on the blog this week and last, I used PDF patterns by Mrs. Depew on Etsy. They are reprints of pattern in old French sewing magazines. While I love them, the lack of well-written detailed instructions might make it difficult for a beginner sewist. There was a Sew-along for both these projects in 2012. I might have bought the patterns way back then. It was hosted by Anna Depew of http://afewthreadsloose.blogspot.com/ and Sarah of http://www.ohhhlulu.com/ . They called it the “ Ooh La La Pin-Up Sew-Along”. So cute. I found these posts to be very helpful in completing these two items. For the body of the bra, I sewed it the same manner as the garter belt. I basted the fashion fabric and the lining fab