Boning Channels, How Do They Work?

In my last post I questioned the method of making the boning channels of my stays by using the seam allowance THEN flat lining them onto the canvas interfacing. And then, like a butt, I completely didn't do that which the directions instructed and instead flat lined the pieced and sewed the channels, leaving only the two at the very front floating.

My hand stitching isn't getting better, by the way

It wasn't until I was sewing the two channels across the bust that I noticed the error of my ways.

The bones will just have to learn to share space

It seems the bones are placed in the seam allowance so the bones across the front don't touch them and are easier to insert. However, it's nothing that looks game-breaking to me and I've been able to counter it by putting gaps in the channels as needed. The pattern would have you do this with a few of them anyway. It makes it a bit fiddly to put the bones in, but now I know for next time.

Also, fabric~

44" wide linen from Puresilks and 60" wide linen from B&T

I ordered some linen from Puresilks to make a shift, but because of a glitch in the postal system it took almost two months to get it whereas the last time I ordered from there it only took about two weeks. So, thinking my cash was eaten by the big bad Internets, I ordered some more from Burnley & Townbridge which arrived two days later...along with the linen from Puresilks...

So now I have two lengths of linen. One will end up being the shift and other will probably be the pannier/pocket hoops. I still need to pre-treat both cuts to see which will do for which. Meh. It's just nice to have some usable fabric in my stash and not just pounds of swatches. Makes me feel like an actual seamstress and not just a hoarder.

Adventures With Undies, or What Am I Even Doing?

An issue that is presented when jumping in with both feet into a new era of costuming is that I just don't know anything. I've read the books, looked at the pictures, stalked the blogs, and practiced hand-sewing my seamstress fingers into an early grave, but I am oblivious to whether or not its all in vain.

But enough self-loathing. Onto the Flaming Sacque-Back Gown Undies update.

I ordered some linen a while ago that has yet to arrive, so I decided to skip making the shift for now and start with the stays. I tried to be like all the cool kids and use the 1776 stays from Corsets and Crinolines and even managed to scale it up and piece it together

YEAH..!

But when I attempted to adjust the pattern to my measurements...

NO...!

I'm a strictly 'by-the-pattern' type seamstress as I've been blessed with proportions that have never called for the need to adjust patterns. So I'm bad at that on top of just not knowing about stays.

I figured I'd done all that work I may as well
go for it. 

Ya see, I was introduced to the world of historical costuming from the world of tight-lacing and goth-rock, PVC, waist cinchers. So I know where the bones are supposed to be placed in a corset to achieve the support and shape of the Victorian Hourglass and even the Edwardian S. But the Georgian Cone is a strange set up of interweaving channels to me. (Don't even get me started on the Regency Uplift or Elizabethan Box.) I needed a bit more of a push in the right direction- or any direction would have helped.

I couldn't find any reviews for J. P. Ryan's Half-Boned Stays, but their strapless ones have gotten a fair bit of praise, so I figured they would be just as good. I made a quick machine mock-up with some stiff organdy I had laying around and as far I know they fit me pretty well. Then again, they could had wrapped around my entire body twice and reached down to my shins and they still would have fit well for all I know.

I fished out some wool gabardine, cotton canvas interlining and unbleached muslin from my fabric horde to create what I will dub The Stash Stays. 

The pattern calls for the front panel of fashion fabric to be partially constructed, boned, then flat lined onto a similarly shaped piece of canvas as oppose to flat lining and boning each piece separately before being sewn together like most stays instructions I've heard of. Is it because these are half-boned instead of fully boned? 

The front of the front panel with two steel bones inserted 

The back of the front panel. All those raw edges
will be covered by a big canvas piece 

My god awful hand stitching with contrasting cotton
thread. I'll get better, I promise.

So, what do you all think? Any advice for someone stumbling blindly into a new era? Stop by The Dowager Dame Facebook page and leave some words of 18th Century costuming wisdom.

Commission - Purple Bustle Dress

So. Yes. It has been a very long time since my last post. Six months almost, but who's counting aside from all of you? 

I could sit here and start rattling off excuses for why I've been unable to post, so I will: I was commissioned by a friend to make a Victorian ensemble. A purple and pink ensemble based off the famous purple and pink reception dress by Worth. 

Charles Frederick Worth, Reception dress c. 1874.

Now, I say 'based off of' because the patterns and style was decided first, then I showed her a photo of this dress and she fell in love with the color scheme. The patterns for the dress were the trusty ol' Truly Victorian TV405, TV305, TV201.

I wasn't around when these photos were taken otherwise
I would have fixed that apron.

Some detail shots. Holly is still too big n' busty to fit
period clothing. I promise the dress fit the client. 

This is my second time working with the Vest Basque and I didn't cut any corners this time. I actually finished the arm holes and put boning in the seams. I also added some buttons on the back and the cuffs because I kept loosing the buttons and running out to buy more. The nice people at my local Joann's must hate me.  The skirt has two long ruffles at the bottom and the seam of the top ruffle is covered by purple bias tape. The underskirt pattern is ridiculously easy and quick aside from the butt-pleating which took a good evening.

The apron over-skirt, however, takes a few re-reads of the instructions to get how to add the closure(the hemming and bustling was a bit fiddly but that may be do the fact that I was using the smallest size.) Its some kind type of contraption reminiscent of a modesty panel in a modern day corset. The idea is to not have a gap between the front and back pieces of the apron, so this piece of fabric extends from the bottom of one to the bottom of the other and is attached by buttons, hooks and eyes, skirt hooks, or even snaps or Velcro for quick costume changes.

Unfortunately, the panel didn't cover the closure of the waistband itself. So using the same concept, I rigged up a small band with a skirt hook and it ended up working wonderfully.

She also had me make her a full set of Victorian undergarments to wear under the dress. A nice red taffeta corset made from the Silverado Bust Gore pattern and the Truly Victorian Grand Bustle, Simplicity 9769 chemise and drawers all made from muslin.

Ignore the horror movie lighting

Tried making some nice pin tucks. I think they turned out alright 

HOLLY STRIKES AGAIN! 

I haven't made this chemise or bustle before and they were both pretty easy. The instructions on the bustle confused my tiny brain for a while because of the fact that is isn't bustled by tied ribbons like the TV101, it has a piece of fabric acting in place of ties so I'm not really sure if it can be stored flat like the other one. And adding the ruffles while trying to keep from blocking the boning channels was pretty tricky, but I'll definitely be making one of these for myself in the future. Same with the chemise. It's more a Civil War era but I feel it can work for more styles in the Victorian era.


And so yea, that's what I've been busy with....for the past 5 months...so quit hasslin' me.


I'm just kidding. Keep hasslin' me. In fact, go hassle me at The Dowager Dame Facebook page. That'll teach me to keep everyone waiting.

Flaming Sacque-Back Gown

So with today being the 150th anniversary of Gettysburg, all the cool, big-time costumers are talking about making 4 or 5 brand new civil war dresses each or wearing one of their hundreds of already finished dresses to cool events or the infamous battlefield itself.

And I'm just sitting here making a costume for the sugar-plum fairy.


Well, that and I'm FINALLY getting to work on the Adventure Time Princess project.

But instead of starting off with Marcy's ball gown, I'm stepping out of my

19th Century comfort zone and beginning Flame Princess's robe à la française(we'll call it a sacque from now on, shall we?) 

I love the look of sacque-back gowns. A dress so amazing that not only does the skirt train, THE ENTIRE BACK OF THE DRESS TRAINS. DUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE! If you don't think that's cool get out of mah face!

It also has the same room-clearing power as a crinoline.Which is good in a crowded convention setting.

It gives me a good chance to make some 18th Century undergarments for general use in future projects. These will be made by hand out of nice and period appropriate fabrics. The gown itself will be handmade out of some pretty two-tone taffeta from, you guessed it, Fabric.com. 

I am a know-next-to-nothing when it comes to 18th Century and A LOT of books will need to be purchased, but this will be a good learning experience.

Any advice to help?



Check us out at The Dowager Dame Facebook page! Tell me what you think there!

And We're Back! A look at Animenext 2013 [Image Heavy]

Now that the post-convention-depression is beginning to wear off and I can finally look at sewing machine without wanting to start sobbing uncontrollably again- a very hard condition to deal with when sewing is your day job- I am back and ready to report on Animenext 2013!

Over the years of cosplaying at conventions, I've learned that it is VERY difficult to take pictures of all of the awesome people in awesome costumes you run into. Doubly so when you yourself are an awesome person in an awesome costume. But I did get a fair amount of photos of people I randomly assaulted with 'OMIGOSHTHATSSOCOOLCANIGETAPICTURE?!' while they were busy doing something else.

An Alice from American McGee's
Alice and Alice: Madness Returns.
She made that hobby-horse herself!
AWESOME!

A Sen(Chihiro) and Noh-Face from
Spirited Away one of my favorite movies.

The Phillip in his Donky Kong suit.

And The Phillip out of costume with his childhood hero

At the Chipocrite concert I spotted a Death
from The Sandman comics.

The Phoenix Wright Gang
(The Phillip is gonna laugh at me for not
knowing the characters) 

Dr. Wily, Zero, and Splash Woman from
Megaman.

This guy comes to Animenext EVERY YEAR
and just sits in the outdoor area between the
hotel and convention center and just sings
to himself. I love it! 

A princess Loki. I interrupted her on her
way to lunch....

And princess Avengers I interrupted during lunch, I'm sorry,
ladies, you were just too fabulous to pass up!

Timmy Turner's Dad, in his natural habitat
of cursing Dinkleburg.

Master Roshi and Ox-King from your
varying Dragon Balls.

 We wandered out into the atrium just in time for The Phillip to shove me into a My Little Pony photo shoot.(Coincidence? I doubt it!) Warning: If you aren't familiar with MLP, this may go WAAAAAY over your head.

All the Pegasi- Gala!Dash, Soarin', Scootaloo,
and normal Dash.

Gala!Dash showing off how awesome Tank is...

...and King Sombra tortoise-napping him. 

 Next came the Raritys and lemme tell ya, does one of these thing not belong here or what?

A picture of me in the hotel lobby

The convention was great as it always is. Chipocrite was there again, Uncle Yo was there again, and some obscure J-pop band was the headliner. No idea who they were, but The Phillip and I were in the elevator with them at one point. They were pretty chill.


Unfortunately, I must now find a way to get the purple stains out of my dress and the hurricane rains that was happening on the first day caused the colors to run. Always pre-wash fabrics. Always. 

But, it survived and once I ad more OOMPH to the bustle(and shorten the train a little bit(seriously, people, an entire convention center and two hotels worth of space and you still step on the train!?)) I'll wear it to another convention. The Phillip and I were thinking Comic Con NY or something of the like. We'll see. =)

Been to any recent events? What's an event that you go to every time it rolls around?




Now that I'm back in the blogging game, I may have some stuff to say on The Dowager Dame Facebook Page. Check it out!

Update on Lady Rarity's Dress. [Image Heavy]

So aside from a small ruffle that needs to be added to the hem(Shhh! Don't tell my teacher, she thinks it's 100% done!), The Lady Rarity Dress is complete. And with a week and a half to spare!

Or rather, a week and a half to freak out and panic because the accessories aren't done.

Yup. That's about right.

Here's the dress on Holly, My Slightly-Bigger-Than-Me-Because-No-One-Wants-To-Make-A-Dress-Form-In-My-Size-So-All-My-Outfits-Look-Too-Small dress form.

American Duchess Tavistock Unboxing and Review.

With the making of a new costume comes the excuse to buy myself things. Well, not that you need an excuse to buy yourself a new pair of shoes. Amiright, ladies? ; )