The Singing Costumer

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 ...

Picture, if you will, this scene; It is October 2014. A young woman has just started a new job. She has learned that she can wear a costume to work on Halloween. Naturally, she must take advantage of this, and so she starts to think of ideas.  This dusty purple fabric for the skirt was my inspiration for Briar Rose.I don't remember where I got it, nor do I know the fiber content. It's a thicker material, plain woven, but it has some polyester in it, because it kinda melts under a hot iron. I simply made a few little pleats on the front, back, and sides to fit to the waistband. The blouse was a white button-up I bought at a thrift store that I didn't wear anymore. I took off the collar and dyed the shirt gray, then reattached the collar. The sleeves were already that elbow length, full gathered shape.  I draped the corset top on my mannequin. The fashion layer is wool blend I bought at either Joann Fabrics or Hancock Fabrics. The lining is a quilting ...

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...

Let me just start by telling you how much I love my robe. Last winter, I wore it at least 2 times a week. I feel like a classic Hollywood starlet, going to hair and make-up before shooting the first scene of the day. This soft, smooth quilting cotton feels (and looks) more like cotton sateen; it has a subtle sheen to it. The floral print is just right. The colors are beautiful, but not too pastel and saccrine. The print is big and bold, while the fact that it is a floral keeps it feminine. A summer short-sleeve version is planned at some time, perhaps in a solid silk (or nice polyester, because we're on a budget here, people!) with a quilted yolk. If I ever do make another long-sleeve version, I would probably reduce the volume in the sleeves. They're just a hair too crazy and floppy. The large pockets can come in handy. And just as an aside, cats love to attack any long, swooping skirt. Ask me how I know. I used a retro 1940's pattern reprint Butterick 5152. Th...

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...

My first wig experience was not great. It was way too small and tangled very easily. But that's what you get a cheap eBay wig. I have had my eye on Arda wigs for some time. The company was founded by cosplayers for cosplayers, so I had some hope for a good quality wig. I needed a short wig for a male version of the character Harley Quinn from the Batman series. I chose a Derek wig in Yellow Blonde. It came rather quickly, even though I bought it during a busy time, during a sale. I was very pleased with it. Princess Joker, Robin Lord Taylor (The Penguin from Gotham), Prince Poison Ivan, and Prince Harvey Quinn attack poor Princess Batman It is thick and soft, and while it looks shiny in the photo op we did, it is not too shiny in real life. The above photo is more true to real life in normal lighting.  The only trouble I had was adjusting the wig cap to be more comfortable, and that had nothing to do with the wig itself. I would (and probably will) buy from Ard...

For unknown reasons, I have been lacking in motivation to sit down and work on this dress for the better part of a week. But no more! Time to get to work. For my first attempt at plaid pattern matching, I think it worked fairly well. The top front is pretty good.  But sadly, the front seam on the skirt didn't match nearly as well as back seam of the skirt matches . It is a work of art... on the side that I will be sitting on. Oh well. And I did sew the front left as the right front, and vice versa. Grr. That required ripping 3 seams. It only took 1 episode of Monk and 2 of Doctor Who (David Tennant all the way :-)  ) And I was also knitting, so it didn't really take that long. My goal is to finish by next week. All that really left are the buttons/buttonholes, hemming, and a little handsewing on the inside and the sleeves.