Day 26: Media

As anyone who has ever tried to watch a costume drama with me knows, I am very picky about historical eras portrayed in the media. However, I do have a few movies that I absolutely adore the costume design in - feel free to comment and let me know what you think I should watch next! I love costume eye-candy!

Anna Karenina is a beautifully done movie, and although the costumes are a bit out of my era (1877) I could still watch it all day long. The plot is pretty depressing, but the clothing and filming is gorgeous! It's no wonder that the movie (and costume designer Jacqueline Durran) received five nominations for costuming awards, and won four.

The movie is super sad, but the cinematography alone makes up for it. If you liked the scenery and film techniques in Grand Budapest Hotel, you'll love them in this movie

The Duchess is another one of my favorite costumed movies. This one is in my era, and has already inspired a giant hat that I made in a millinery class in college (well, the movie as well as the painting of the original Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana). This movie (and costume designer Michael O'Connor) won five awards for the costuming, and there are so many outfits that I would like to sew!

I really like how the neckerchief/fichu works with the gown here. This is one of the few times I felt like a neckerchief completed an outfit, instead of simply adding on to an outfit.

This outfit was my all-time favorite. It's only a matter of time before I sew something like this...

However, as much as I love those two movies, my all-time favorite costume drama is Marie Antoinette. The clothes are so pretty, and the color scheme is to die for! Of course there are a few costumes that aren't quite accurate (as is the case in every costume drama ever), but I really love how well the movie conveys the extravagance of life at Versailles as well as the lead up to the French Revolution. Marie Antoinette was by no means an innocent character, but it is interesting to see the background she came from and some of the things that drove her choices. Plus, the use of modern music does a great job giving contemporary audiences a sense of the era in a different way than is normal. Milena Canonero did a great job with the costumes, and definitely deserved the three awards she got for Best Costume Design!

I might make a gown very similar to this one soon!

My favorite outfit in the entire movie is the light blue gown with the red belt. I would love to make it some day, because there isn't a single thing about the dress that I don't like! However, I could also say that about almost any gown Marie Antoinette wears in the movie, so...

Day 24: Unexpected Source

Most of my sources are historical in some way, so it's always a surprise when I make something that's not connected to history at all. Usually, these creations are made during the month of October, in preparation for Halloween, and today's source is no exception.

I usually make costumes for a few of my friends, and during my sophomore year one of my good friends (his nickname is Spaceman), told me that he wanted to go as someone from the beloved comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. We immediately jumped to Spaceman Spiff, and I quickly sketched out a costume plan. It came together rather quickly, with a blue shirt and pants, some sewn up spats, yellow detailing, and a modified belt and toy gun to complete the look.

There were also glasses for it, although I can't find a picture of them right now...

I've never sewn from a comic strip before, but I was so glad to have the opportunity to make this costume! It's perfect for Spaceman, and he's worn it for multiple Halloweens since!

Day 14: Dream Project

            I have always loved flowy, poofy dresses that use way too much fabric and are completely impractical. Therefore, my dream project is Scarlett’s Prayer Dress from Gone with the Wind. I do have a corset and a shift that are from the correct era, but my hoop skirt needs work (or I just need to sew another one entirely, I’m not sure), and I don’t have the right shoes. Even worse, the gown itself uses a ridiculous amount of fabric, and I don’t have a single occasion to wear it! However, I want to sew this ensemble something awful.

            I’m hoping that some ridiculous costume party or a crazy costumed ball will come up in the future so I have an excuse to finally toss my hair and say “fiddle-dee-dee” in the right clothing, but until then I’ll just stick to sketching the pattern and guestimating yardages in my notebooks!

Just look at how this dress moves, of course I want it!

Day 5: Origin Story

            As I mentioned a few days ago, I’ve been sewing since I was eight years old. My mom and both of my grandmothers sewed, and my mom really wanted me to learn too. However, as much as we love each other, we definitely have a tendency to butt heads, and so it was decided that someone outside of the family should probably teach me how to sew.

            Luckily, our local 4-H group offered a sewing class, and so my third grade teacher, as head of the class, provided me with an introduction to sewing. I still fought with my mom a bit when I worked on my earlier projects at home, but I quickly grew to enjoy sewing with my mom present, as well as discussing project ideas with her or working out solutions to whatever problems arose.

Mommy and me, accidentally matching on her latest trip to visit me - the skills she helped me to develop have definitely paid off!

            As part of my 4-H sewing education, I was required to complete one project every year; the first year it was a simple drawstring skirt, the second year it was pants with an elastic waist, and the third year I could get a little more creative. I sewed a pleated skirt and a sundress, but when I was twelve I decided I wanted an 18^th century gown to wear to Williamsburg. I’d been completely enamored with Colonial Williamsburg since age seven – we visited for the first time when I was five, and when we returned two years later I declared that I wanted to go to William and Mary and then work for CW. So, my mom helped me find a pattern, and using some fabric that we had been given she whipped up a gown for me to make sure that it wouldn’t be too difficult. I then made a second gown using the same pattern for a friend who we were taking to Williamsburg with us.

            After that, I loved sewing. I was sewing things I liked, and I couldn’t get enough of it. If you want to see the longer story, you can check out this post, but the short version is that both my family and I started to recognize sewing as one of my marketable skills. I spent two summers working in a sewing factory in town, where I learned how to sew quickly and without pins, as well as exploring how the most basic shapes could come together to make things used every day (backpacks have never seemed so easy to sew!). The summer between my sophomore and junior year of college, I became uncertain about my future in a museum. (For those of you still in school, that’s something that happens to almost everyone. I knew that I would love the work if I could get it, but I was so worried that there just wouldn’t be any jobs for me once I graduated. It’s alright to have a bit of doubt, just find a back-up plan that you also like, and then keep heading towards what you want!) I started applying to theater companies and film productions, looking for work as a costumer.

            I ended up spending the summer of 2015 working as a First Hand in the costume shop for the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, which was an incredible experience. I learned just how good my work actually was, and I had a super supportive boss to help me improve even more. I got to attend fittings, work with designers, and even step away from the sewing side of things to gain experience with aging/dying/adding wear to costumes, and to work with the dramaturge. I also got to know a great group of girls, all of whom held the degrees in costuming that I lacked, and who were happy to fill me in on everything I missed out on by not attending design school.

A sewing apron from costume scraps was a must for a few of us in the costume shop!

There's something a little bit magical about costume closets, I'll never tire of looking through them!

In addition to sewing, I got to paint accessories!

Career advice: Find a job that lets you have fun. Optional: Find a job that lets you feel like a princess.

My time with the ager/dyers was well spent - these jeans were brand new when I started!

Ability to construct a fat suit... that goes on the resume, right?

There were soooo many shoes! This isn't even a quarter of the boots used for Fiddler on the Roof!

Merry Wives of Windsor was an outdoor show with a super awesome set!

            As much as I loved my time in Arkansas, I knew after that that I was meant to be at Colonial Williamsburg. I worked there the summer before my senior year, sewing all the while, and in March of my senior year I was hired to work as a full-time historic interpreter. I have the best job in the world, I get to live in my favorite town, and I get to sew every day! I couldn’t imagine anything better! 

I love my job, even cleaning is fun!

Once Upon a Time...

I love dress-up. I especially love historical dress-up, but any time of dress-up is fun for me. Therefore, Halloween is an excellent holiday. This Halloween, I decided to go as Rapunzel, from Disney's Tangled. She is one of my favorite princesses, and I love her dress. Purple is one of my favorite colors, and there are a lot of elements of colonial clothing in her outfit. So, I was off!

I sewed a ton of Halloween costumes for my friends in the two weeks leading up to the holiday, and I only left a few days to sew my own costume. Luckily, it came together very quickly. I used Butterick pattern B5662 as the bodice of the dress, and I used the sleeves from one of my favorite Simplicity patterns, 4055, to make my Rapunzel sleeves. The skirt, petticoat, and long sleeves were drafted myself.

For fabric, I have a ton of darker purple silk taffeta in my stash, so I used that for the petticoat, and I was able to find the lighter purples I would need on sale at Jo-Ann Fabrics, along with a lining cotton and sheer pink for the long sleeves. I needed boning, lace, string for laces, and grommets for my notions, and ended up having enough coupons and finding enough good deals that this turned out to be a fairly inexpensive project. I also purchased two blonde wigs online, but I haven't done much with those yet.

My fabric, lace, patterns, ribbon, grommets, and wigs.

To begin, I cut out the bodice and sleeves from the lining fabric, and made my mock-up. After a few slight adjustments (it was wayyy too big), I added the boning, and cut out the fabric.

The sleeve linings and the lining/mock-up of the bodice, ready to be cut out.

The boning added to the lining...

...and the fabric attached, with the lace sandwiched at the bottom!

As I sewed the lining to the fabric, I inserted the lace trim along the bottom edge. I was really pleased with how it turned out.

Then, it was time to add the sleeves and the grommets. For the sleeves, I sewed ribbon onto the fabric to achieve the striped look.

Pinning the ribbon to get the spacing and lengths right...

...and the final result! I'm especially pleased with how this portion of the dress turned out.

For the long sleeves, I cut out rectangles a little bigger than the circumference of my arm, and fitted them accordingly. I then added lace around the bottom edges to finish them off.

Carefully sewing the lace onto the sheer long sleeves.

For the grommets, I marked the holes, and then pinned the lining to the fabric to ensure that my holes would be in the right places in all layers. Using my wonderful pink tool kit that my parents got me, I punched the holes, and hammered in the grommets.

Fabric and lining pinned, all ready for holes!

My pink tool kit, such a useful and fun gift!

The completed grommets. The boys in the apartment upstairs later asked if we had been building furniture because of the hammering noises (don't worry, it wasn't too late at night!)

Finally, I sewed the skirt (a few trapezoids sewn together) to the bodice, and sewed the petticoat (two trapezoids with ties and a placket so I could wear a pocket). I attached the sleeves, and I was ready to go!

The last thing I needed to complete my outfit was Pascal, but I had already made him this summer. When I was working in the costume shop for the Arkansas Shakespeare Theater, we were allowed to play with the scraps in our free time. So, I amassed some scraps from a fun green lining fabric that had been used for a dress in Merry Wives of Windsor, and during some downtime I drafted a pattern and whipped up my little Pascal!

A few of my drafted pattern pieces - I ended up making the feet bigger so they would look better once they were turned.

The body, head, tail, and frill all stuffed, just waiting for the limbs to be sewn on. Some day I'll probably add a tongue and eyes too...

With my costume completed, I was able to wear it for Halloween, which meant getting half-price Chipotle for coming in costume and making a little girl's night, and then going to Colonial Williamsburg's "Haunting on DoG Street". However, I wasn't able to get any pictures of my dress on Halloween, so a few days ago I asked my good friend Kirsten to help me with photos so that I could finally publish this post. When I originally sewed this dress, my hair came down to a little below the bodice, but in January I cut off 17 inches to donate to Locks of Love, and so I am now Rapunzel from the end of the movie!

I am so happy with the finished product! Walking across the street to take pictures I got a few curious looks, and some of the people driving by smiled and waved excitedly - college kids like Disney just as much as kindergarteners!

As always, if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to say hi, please feel free to leave a comment! :)

Another New Shift!

Last year, I made a costume to wear to Renaissance Faires, and it required a shift to be worn under it. The sleeves of the shift would be visible, and my other two shifts just didn't have the look I wanted them to. So, for this year's Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, I decided to sew a new shift!

I used Burda pattern 7156 - my first time using a Burda pattern! Burda patterns aren't my favorite, but that didn't matter too much because I made my own alterations anyway. There's no elastic or anything inaccurate anymore. I wish I hadn't used the size suggested, the smallest size probably would have worked well for me - the sleeves are just a bit too poofy for my liking.

This was a nice afternoon project for me, and I am pleased overall with how it turned out. Even more importantly, I had a ton of fun spending the day at the Renaissance Faire with one of my best friends!

Me, holding up the shift before sewing the casings and putting in the drawstrings - it's huge!

The final product, worn with my Civil War era corset that I made a few years ago.

Last year's Faire, with Queen Catherine of Aragon.

This year's Faire!