The Singing Costumer

  Pirates of the Caribbean has always been a favorite movie franchise of mine. To me, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is one of the most quotable movies of all time, second only to The Princess Bride. Every single line is iconic. While this isn’t specifically a PotC cosplay, it is in the spirit of these films. For this look, I was a bit inspired by Will Turner in the 3rd movie. For the vest, I used Simplicity 4923, a long-out-of-print Captain Jack Sparrow pattern. (There also happens to be a Stede Bonnet lookalike on the pattern. It’s just a coincidence, since Our Flag Means Death wouldn’t be released for many years after this pattern was printed. I do so love OFMD.) I sewed this vest years ago, so I don’t remember much about the construction. But I think it was fairly simple to make. There are ties in the back to adjust the size when needed. I have no memory of where I got the fabric or the fiber content. The front of the vest is made of a different fabric t...

This was supposed to be my Christmas 2021 dress. However, I had to toss it in the naughty projects pile for a bit. I wasted a lot of time fitting it to myself and I got annoyed with it after a while. Maybe there was a reason I chose red fabric instead of green. A red dress works just as well for Valentine’s as it does for Christmas. I don’t see a reason to force myself to continue when there was no real need. The need to push myself to finish my projects and the need to be kind to myself is difficult to balance, but not impossible. My pile of unfinished projects is diminishing over time. And I love that for me.  This pattern, Vogue 2903, is at a medium difficulty level. There are a couple spots I couldn’t quite get right. The princess seams going into the armscye were especially fiddly to get smooth. But I think I was mostly successful. This dress has a nice, full skirt. I did a lot of preparatory work which I normally don’t. I serged around each pattern piece separately. I hand dr...

My first medieval fair dress was made in maybe 2010 or 2011? I don’t really remember. I was part of the cast for the local Medieval Fair for many, many years, and this was my first costume. I wore it for several years and it served me well.  But by 2015, it was looking a little worse for wear. The trim around the neckline was getting ruined by this one particular necklace I often wore with it. (I know, I know. Be sensible and quit wearing jewelry that destroys costumes.) I was going to be walking in a Christmas parade with the Medieval Fair cast, and I just thought it needed a bit of an upgrade. And if I could give it a bit of holiday pizazz and bling, all the better.       I first removed the damaged trim. At Joann Fabrics, I found some really pretty red and gold brocade. It complemented the red main fabric and the gold lining of the sleeves rather well. So I bought a few yards of it and got to work. I decided to use the brocade as a trim, basically.  I do...

This is the smaller Heidi Foldover Wristlet from Swoon Patterns. It is available at https://swoonpatterns.com/shop/heidi-foldover/ Two sizes, the Wristlet and the larger Clutch bag, are available in the same free pattern. Which is a fantastic deal, in my opinion. I have loved the TV show Supernatural for many years now. This fabric came up in my Facebook feed and I could not resist it. It features candy conversation hearts, with many famous quotes from the show. My personal favorite is “My 'people' skills are 'rusty' ”. Misha Collins, the actor who plays Castial, is so talented. Anyway, back to the sewing. This time, I had plenty of vinyl to do the accent piece on the bottom as the pattern shows. A large remnant from Joann's Fabrics worked nicely. It was a good thing I had lots to work with, as it would turn out. I had to cut and sew one side twice because I forgot to put my walking foot on the machine. Rookie mistake. The stitches tu...

Mrs. Incredible/Elasticgirl/Helen Parr. She goes by many names. (Does she mention her maiden name in the first movie? I can't remember) But for this costume, we'll go with Mrs. Incredible. I have always liked The Incredibles. I thought now was a perfect time to do a cosplay from this Disney/Pixar movie, with the sequel in theatres now. I won't spoil anything in the new movie, but I really love how Mrs. Incredible gets her day in the spotlight. Girl Power! lol. The base red suit was bought on Amazon. Also the black dance bloomers and the gloves. There were just a few small details that needed to be changed. As seen in this reference photo, the suit needed a black high collar instead of the red collar. So, I just took my seam ripper and took it off.  I then used that fabric for a simple pattern. The red was replaced by a black collar made from a simple knit I had on hand. Next came the bloomers. I couldn't find any orange fabric in local stores, s...

 Slave for sale! She looks like a witch with that hat on her head. A hopeful princess kisses the frog. The First Medieval Fair Dress or The almost-Buttercup-from-Princess-Bride dress Once upon a time, there was a girl who liked to go to the Medieval Fair at OU in Norman, Oklahoma. She loved seeing the sights, eating the fair food, and watching the shows. But she had a secret; she desperately wanted to be the fair princess. Many years later, she went to college. She auditioned for a production of Romeo and Juliet, and got a part. She met the King of the Medieval Fair, who happened to be playing Father Laurence. He asked if she wanted to be part of the cast, and of course she said yes! I have had such a good time in my past 6 years of being in the cast of Med Fair. Wonderful memories were made and best friends were met. Now, as to construction. Our Queen graciously cut and sewed most of it. So, I don't know where she got the pattern. I do need ...

I have had the idea to sew a special Christmas dress the last few years, but I never found a fabric and pattern combination that really spoke to me til this past year, 2016. I've been wanting a matching dress and coat for several years. You don't find these sets in stores very often, though you can find patterns to sew your own. And that's exactly what I did. My inspiration was the classic sets from the 1950s and 1960s. Also, the Duchess of Cambridge has recently worn several beautiful ensembles that I have really loved.  Here's a couple patterns I found in my stash. This is from the '60s. So cute, but I don't like sleeveless dresses. I get too cold. Ok, so I couldn't wear this one, but I had to include it anyway. PRECIOUS! A modern pattern. I like the dress.  This is the pattern that I eventually chose. It is a vintage reprint, Simplicity 1284. And my version I made the short sleeve dress and the coat. I had this burgun...

In 2010, our King of Medieval Fair informed the cast he was no longer able to participate as he was moving to New Mexico. So, the next fall when auditions came up and rehearsals started, I met our new King. And with this new King came a new time period which was roughly 250 years later. We were now the court of King Edward III. I was now Princess Mary Plantagenet. A princess can NOT be so out of fashion, so clearly a new dress had to be made. A home décor fabric, oddly enough, was my fabric of choice. No Sound of Music or Gone With The Wind curtain dress jokes please.  But yes, more then likely, someone somewhere has a couch covered in my fabric. It was the color I wanted, with some embroidery on it. The fabric softened after many cycles in both the washer and the dryer. The top-most layer was planned and the pattern pieces cut out. However, I couldn't decide what color to make the underdress or the kirtle....

Minnie Mouse was not on my list of costumes to make. But I was asked to appear at a Minnie Mouse-themed birthday party with only 1 week notice, so I had to hustle! I didn't have ANY ideas, so I searched pictures for inspiration. I sent one to the birthday girl's mom, and she approved. So, now to get to work!!! Minnie has several signature elements to her look. 1. Full-skirted red dress with white polka dots. 2. A matching hairbow 3. White gloves 3. Yellow pumps For item 1: I took Simplicity 8523 for the blouse and made a few modifications. I first added the same fish-eye darts I used last time I made this pattern. I took the red polka dot fabric and a plain white cotton for a underlining and sewed them as one. I added width to the sleeve to make them quite full. Lastly, I added some lace trim to the sleeves and the neckline. The dress is in two pieces. I chose a simple circle skirt for maximum fullness. It is trimmed with lace matching the blouse. My ...

Now for the Almost-Buttercup part of the story. One year, a young college student went to a Halloween concert at UCO's Jazz Lab, at which patrons were encouraged to wear costumes (including a costume contest at intermission). At the last minute, she decided to enter the contest. Not wanting to be just any generic princess, she decided her dress was close enough to pass as Buttercup's riding dress. She furiously tried to think of some way to get that across. When the announcer called her name, she stood up, curtsied, and very quietly said "As you wish". Approximately one person understood the reference. Fast forward several years. She is going to attend her first official comic convention, Dallas Fan Expo. And who was listed among the celebrity guests but Westley himself, Cary Elwes! She and her roommate and a friend immediately decided to book a photo op with Elwes. Of course, costumes are a must. The roommate choose to be Inigo Montoya, the friend w...