The Singing Costumer

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...

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, ...