My Most Recent Project

Waaah, I can't seem to motivate myself to start a project, even though I feel like it would be really therapeutic right now. I find sewing to be very meditative, and I've been really anxious lately. Unfortunately, I can't find my sewing basket, and without that, I can't really start anything. I thought it was in my would-be sewing room (currently, it's storage for boxes that we haven't yet unpacked), but if it's in there, it's hiding! There's a good chance it's in my boyfriend's grandmother's garage, and I most likely won't get a chance to look for it until the weekend. I really want to make a new pattern for a corset that will give me the late Tudor/ early Elizabethan silhouette. I've decided to go the pair of bodies route, probably half boned, front and back lacing with a hint of an S-curve to support the bust. Right now, I don't even have my measuring tape; if I really wanted to, I could find some string and a yardstick and get drafting that way, but I'm just not feeling enthusiastic about it. I felt the faintest twinge of costume-enthusiasm when I saw Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows the other day, but not enough to throw me into a productive tizzy. That being said, my last big project (quickie Star Trek uniforms don't count!) was a Victorian-inspired outfit for a Vampire-themed costume ball.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take really good photos of this costume; please excuse the tiny messy apartment surroundings and slap-dash photos!

I'm wearing a camisole, a corset (made for the costume), a small pillow bustle with a bit of tulle to soften the line, the striped skirt, the train, the apron, and then the bodice. I made all the pieces separately because it was a rush job and I wasn't sure if I would have to re-do a piece, or want to re-use parts and pieces for other projects. I drafted the train, bustle, apron, and skirt myself; the corset was based of of Simplicity's civil war corset (9769), and the bodice is a slightly modified version of Truly Victorian's TV442. I ended up throwing this together relatively quickly, using white and red striped silk I'd been lusting after for months. I love working with silk, especially something with a shantung/ taffeta finish like this, which was an absolute joy. I wanted to make a dinner bodice to match the skirt, but there was none left when I went back; I was lucky I bought up the fabric for the skirt when I did! I had some deep red silk velvet left over from a Regency gown that I used for the train; the apron and the bodice were of some poly blend masquerading as a silk shantung, which fit my budget, but ended up not behaving. Surprise surprise, right? Well, you get what you pay for. I had all of the accessories, including the faux-fur capelet, except for the headpiece, which I whipped up specifically for this outfit.

I'm not sure who to credit with the following photo, which I stumbled across on the interwebs. It's the only one I have of my boyfriend and I at the event; if you are the photographer, please let me know so I can credit you!

My very patient boyfriend escorting me down the stairs at the event! 

So, that was the last "big" project I did, and that was over a year ago! It's time to start something else relatively major, I just need to get organized enough to do so. It will be so nice once the spare room downstairs is cleared out and I finally have my sewing room. I painted it a dusty lavender-grey with a dark peacock blue accent wall, and I can't wait to get some inspiring artwork up on the walls, a cutting table all set up, and maybe a cork-board to tack images pertaining to my works-in-progress on. We'll see what happens with all of that; as always, settling in is a process!