The Singing Costumer

YouTube associated with this blog post: https://youtu.be/e5Vf3-DzxFo For the 1950's, I thought I'd make something a lot more sassy then I usually sew. I've had this pattern for at least 6 or 7 years. It was too advanced for me at the time, but I fell in love with it and I bought it anyway. Mrs. Depew has the most beautiful patterns in her Etsy. She takes vintage patterns, many from French magazines, and makes the, available to all. There are many patterns in her shop I'd love to make. For this project, I used two of them. They are #2002 1950's Garter Belt Corselet ( http://mrsdepew.com/lingerie-patterns/corsets/french-corset-garter-belt.html ) and #2001 French Bra Corselet ( http://mrsdepew.com/lingerie-patterns/brassieres/french-bra-corselet.html ). I will write about the former this week, and the later next week. These patterns are PDF downloads, which is very convenient. These come in only a few sizes and don't include seam allowances. I printed t...

YouTube video associated with this blog post This dress has been long in the making. Originally, I bought it from Hot Topic, I think, years ago. We all know my obsession with Disney's Beauty and the Beast. So it was just perfect for me. A few years later, I found another of the same dress on eBay. And a few years after that, I found (what I thought was) a matching fabric on Aliexpress. (Which I don't really recommend). So using all of these items, I was able to make an adorable ensemble of a dress and a shrug. I was never completely pleased with the fit of the original dress. There were 3 issues. Number 1: My waist is longer then the average, I guess. Many times, the waist seam of dresses are 1 or 2 inches higher then my natural waist. It isn't flattering for me. This dress is no exception. Number 2: The skirt is slightly too short for my taste. And Number 3: I always hate sleeveless dresses on myself. It isn't flattering to my body. And I'm always cold, so...

YouTube Video associated with this blog The next piece I made for my 1900's ensemble was the chemise. This was the first layer a lady would put on when dressing. A similar garment (called a shift) also functioned as a nightgown from the Medieval period to the 18 th centrury or so. But from what I gather, nightgowns and chemises were different items by this time period. A wealthy Edwardian lady would no doubt own many chemises and nightgowns, both everyday and fancy. A lady of more modest means might only own a few. I used more of the same green sheet to match the drawers. Again, I used the “Edwardian Undergarments” pattern by Truly Victorian. Overall, it's a easy-to-follow pattern. The only part that was challenging was inserting the front and back yoke. You have to gather the main body of the chemise to fit the length of the yoke. Then you attach the sides in a particular way. On the front yoke, I sewed on the beaded trim and on the back yoke I did not. Otherwise, ...

I have had this pretty fabric in my stash for a long time, and I decided 2020 was the year to do something with it. It's a lightweight, almost sheer purple-pink cotton blend with a floral print. Some of the flowers are flocked and soft, too! It looks vintage (it might be), so I thought a vintage Easter dress would be just the thing. This spring, I am especially loving pastel colors and dainty flowers. Of course, these come in fashion every year. But for some reason, I am just obsessed this year. Another new obsession is Splendette reproduction jewelry. They are inspired by Bakelite jewelry of the 1940's and 1950's. They have such a wide range, including bangles in 3 widths, earrings, brooches, and necklaces. They offer each bangle in Maiden, Regular, or Duchess size (small, medium, or large). I own 9 pieces so far and I have an incredibly long wishlist. Here, I am wearing their Drop Hoop earrings and Midi bangle in Amethyst. Sadly , this color was discontinued and th...

Link to my associated YouTube video The first item I sewed for my 1900's project was a pair of drawers. To be precise, French Drawers. This is made from the Edwardian Undergarments pattern from Truly Victorian. I made the shaped hem version, and that worked well. Essentially, it is two wide, flared legs attached to a waistband. It swishes and flows quite nicely on the body, especially when made in a soft cotton. This year, I am trying to make due with what I have in my stash as much as possible. Since I have no experience in sewing for the Edwardian period and no event to wear such costumes, I didn't buy new fabric. White, very fine linen would have been more historically accurate, but I like colors! And I happened to have a soft green bed sheet set. Parts of it have seen better days, hence it being in the stash and not on the bed. But there was still plenty of good fabric left. There should be enough for the whole set of undergarments. As of this writing, I have fini...

Over Memorial Day 2018, I locked myself in my room and had a sewing weekend. It was glorious. Several pieces of costumes were finished that 3-day weekend. One of these, I planned to wear this year at the Norman, Oklahoma Medieval Fair. We all know the state of the world right now. So that didn't happen sadly. I have been to the Medieval Fair many, many times. As a guest, and also many times as a performer. I have had to step down from performing, but I still love attending. Allow me to introduce Rosalind Nia Blomme, or Rose N. Blomme, as her friends call her. In the tradition of Tinker Bell and her friends, Rosalind is a Flower Talent Fairy from the South of England. She, like all fairies, loves nothing more to dance and sing and play with her friends. Also, she loves exploring and discovering new flowers and trees. Basically, my goal for this costume was to use up some miscellaneous pieces from my stash. I had a small stack of fabrics that looked so stunning t...

Presenting my “Frozen Raspberry Gauntlets of Power”. I don't name my projects every time, but it just happened in this instance. For whatever reason, these fingerless mitts decided that this is the name by which they shall be known. And there was nothing I could do about it. I have no idea where I got this yarn. The color is difficult to describe. It is a beautiful mauve/maroon/burgundy/purple. It has this secondary white yarn twisted into it, giving it almost a halo effect. It reminded me of frozen raspberries (hence the name). It is itchy, sadly, but not unbearably so. Also, I knit it a bit too small for my hands. I believe this was my first knitting project, so there were bound to be issues. But overall, the tension is fairly even, tight, and neat. And I adore the color so much. It's so fun and colorful, yet still sophisticated. I just wish I had more, so I could have made a matching hat or something. It was incredibly simple to knit. A 2X rib knit stitch ...