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.

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!

Updates on Marceline's Gown and upcoming events!

Oh my, bloggy-woggy. I've missed you!

Yes, I haven't been updating for a while now, but I actually have an excuse...

That's right! I've begun my career as a historical
costumer by making historically incorrect corsets.

 I used the Simplicity 9769 Civil War undergarments pattern. I was going to use the Laughing Moon corset pattern, but I decided that for my first wack at one, I should use a pattern with super duper easy instructions, and modified it a little bit to fit a lining and a canvas interfacing. Cross your fingers that it works out! 

Big ol' bows

This unfortunate thing will be going under my Marceline's Mushroom Civil War Ball Gown which will be worn this June at AnimeNext in Somerset, NJ. Speaking of which, here is my design:

I'm going to be using Truly Victorian's infamous 1860s Ball Gown Bodice with a fur bertha and the 1860s Ball Gown Skirt, which will have a black over skirt and purple striped underskirt. Just like Marcy's stockings! The skirt will be worn over the cage crinoline.

Back to the corset! I ordered CorsetMaking.com's pre-assembled kit for the pattern. It came with spiral steel bones, the busk, the bone casings, grommets, etc., etc,. With my lack of experience, I had no idea how flimsy spiral steel bones were. The Girls need more support than that, so I reordered the bones in good ol' fashion white steel.


More updates and another fun-filled project idea in the near future. Stay tuned!

Getting Started From the Inside Out.

Ask any costumer and they will say you can't have a proper shape

without the proper undergarments.

Before any sewing and fabulous dress making can commence, we must start with the basics: UNDIES!

18th Century Stays...or so the pattern
packet says

Regency short stays

Victorian corset. Reviews say this pattern is
good for throughout the era.

Post-Edwardian corset.



The pictures are just of corsets/stays but I'm talking EVERYTHING. Chemises, hoop skirts, panniers, etc, etc.

 I'm starting with, what I call, The Big Four. Flame Princess, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline and Lumpy Space Princess, respectively.

I want to do some hand sewing in the project just for fun but I wasn't sure how much I should do. So, my cut-off year is 1856. Everything set before that year is going to be hand sewed 100%(if possible) and everything after that will be machine sewed. I.M. Singer & Co. started mass-producing sewing machines at that time so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it and if you don't like than too bad.



So, of The Big Four, we got an even half and half; a giant dress and small dress to hand sew and a giant dress and small dress to machine sew. The patterns are coming from all over the place- Internet, commercial patterns, drafted from books- So each costume is going to be a mish-mash of designs from everywhere. Again if you don't like that, too bad.

I'll be posting what patterns and materials I'm using -along with links to where to get them- soon. So stay tuned!

Adventure Time Princesses Cosplays...With a Twist! [Image Heavy]

So Many Princesses!
Art By Moontown0125 at deviantart.

Oh yes, I wasn't kidding when I said cosplay was going to be included in this! But if there's one thing I love more than leaving Playboy magazines on the coffee table when guests are over to make them feel uncomfortable, it's making simple things needlessly complicated.

And while I will eventually get around to making all of Shoomlah's Disney Princess dresses, I decided to do something a little bit differently...but just a little.

Indeed, Historical Adventure Time Princesses, each in their own time and place. So, in no particular order, my brainstorming:

Princess Bubblegum - Regency - 1810

PB is really the inspiration for this whole project. I noticed that her default dress isn't what most would call a 'princess dress.' It doesn't have a big puffy skirt and and giant crown. It's very simple. "Almost like a regency dress." I thought and DING DING DING, the idea was born.

But I digress.

Left: Dress worn to the wedding of Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie-Louise, 1810
Right: Evening gown plate, 1810

Now, this project will obviously be less about correct colors, but I am not prepared to make a hot pink regency ball gown, I'm thinking soft and pale pinks with violet and gold trims and embroidery. I want the gown to have the long train of the gown on the left, but have that train be the net overlay of the gown on the right. I'll incorporate her crown (and earrings, too. Why not?) into some kind of jewelry or accessory on a turban or bandeau. 

Marceline - Victorian - 1860

Marcy's normal clothes were just too plain,
so her why-wolf dress will be transformed, instead. 

Of course, this dress is going to get 120% of my attention due to:

1) Marceline being my favorite character
and
B) The Victorian Era being the time everyone says I should have been born in.

I thought I was going to be putting her in a bustled evening gown, but I felt that the bodices wouldn't allow the fur at the top to pop as much as it should. So I went back a few years to the 1860s and decided an entire fur bertha would be adequate.

Left: 1860s ball gown. Note THE GIANT TRAIN.
Right: French ball gown, 1860-1861

Black satin with red ribbon on the bodice(I've noticed all of Marceline's outfits include something red. I guess it's the vampire equivalent to trail mix.) and bows on the skirt in a pale purple/even paler purple striped pattern. The skirt may include a layered petticoat effect like in the gown on the left.

I was considering making her jewelry have an apple motif, but after the latest episode with her and the Ice King, I may switch it over to a diamond or pale blue crystal in honor of her once good friend. -sniffle-

Flame Princess - Georgian - 1770~?

Flame Princess' designs jumped around a bit. She was going to be in a Tudor gown, then an Elizabethian, I even played with the idea of putting her in a Cranach gown and carrying around Finn's head. So, FP's dress was one of the last few to be decided. I stepped back and took a good look at Flame Princess and her story. The main point around her being that everyone thinks she's evil yet, really she's just young and naive. Much like another monarch we all know.

Plus, look at that hair, she's gotta be put in a French court dress. 

Not sure were this picture is from as I saved it forever ago.
File says "18th century wedding dresses."

Using a movie costume as reference and inspiration. -gasp-
I may have lost my costuming cred before I even got it.
Screen from: Marie Antoinette(2006)

A red taffeta petticoat under a dark orange coat in a robe a la francaise style. With the giant pocket panniers, of course. In place of the usual bows down the stomacher, the big red gems getting smaller as they go. Red and dark gold metallic trims. The trademark giant hair of the 18th century will be red, orange and decorated with the same trim and gems as the dress.

Lady Rainicorn - Joseon Dynasty/Modern Day - Hanbok

My original idea for Lady was going to be a Heian Era junihitoe from Japan with every coast being a different color.

Heian Era jūnihitoe with very colorful layers.

But I scrapped that in favor of the more commonly known Korean hanbok...ya know, for obvious reasons.

A modern day hanbok. I say modern day because my
research has led me to believe that they did not
always look like this. 

I think this is the only dress that I will make but won't cosplay in -Oh yea, did I forget to mention that I was going to go out and about with all of these dresses and accessories at one point?- I never really got into the Asian clothing that most people do at cons. It may be because my first costume experience was with a cosplay based of the very Heian costume I avoided earlier. But, that's another story for another time. 

 Ice Queen - Tudor/Elizabethian

Evil step-sisters?

Natasha Allegri said that she had designed Ice Queen's dress to look like Anastasia and Drizella from Cinderella. My design is going to look like Queen Lizzie or Queen Anne. Not sure who yet. Mayhaps both?

This is the part were the project kinda fails a bit. I'm not good a looking at portraits and going 'I know exactly what that would look like in person!' Doubly so for portraits of Elizabeth I(not so much for her mother though). So, for things like this I usually go with movies set in that era. 

Dresses from Elizabeth and Elizabeth 2: The Golden Age

Dresses from The Other Boleyn Girl

More dresses from the other Boleyn Girl. All a similar style. 

This dress may end up being a mixture of both styles as there are parts of both styles I like and parts of both that I don't. For example: For the Tudor style, I'm not a real fan of the French hood. I CANNOT STAND FRENCH HOODS THEY FILL ME WITH RAGE.  Don't know why. They just look really silly. It's hard to look all regal n' junk when you have what looks like a cardboard box on your head. But then again I also think that velvet looks costume-ish so maybe I'm just dumb.

Doctor Princess - WWII Nurse

"Whoa nelly! Something...medical is happening!"

I know, I know, The Doctor isn't a real princess, but who can say no to that face? Plus, it fits perfectly. I'm even gonna include a mini Scientific Parasite! I may even make a variation for SCIENCE WIZARD.

Various WWII uniforms

Lumpy Space Princess - Post-Edwardian - 1912 

Oh, My Glob!

Yea no, I'm serious. I wanted to fit LSP somewhere in here. The Edwardian and Post-Edwardian eras' silhouettes are all about the lumps! Varying shades of purple in varying layers of sheer and opaque fabric with gold, star-themed trimmings. The jewelry and accessories will all be light shades of blue to match her beloved can of beans.

Left: Two of Queen Maud of Norway's gowns. 1910-1913
Center: Evening gown. 1912. FIDM
Right top and bottom: Evening gowns. 1912

Well, that's all the princesses I have ideas for at the moment. More are sure to come of the princesses already there and the princesses that have yet to be introduced. But for the time being. The project has now officially...wait for it...stalling tactic...BEGUN.