Curiouser and Curiouser

Worn a couple of different ways. =)

I wanted a nice, long tea skirt. I also wanted to work with Japanese fabrics. I thought "Let's go to a place that sells fabric, maybe they'll have some interesting prints."

HOLY. CRAP.

Not only do they have prints, they have prints, man! And of every color and thing you can imagine. Tons and tons of flower patterns. Color blocks. And the colors here are intense, like looked-directly-at-the-sun-for-a-second-now-visible-spectrum-all-screwy intense. Especially red, gold, and pink. Those are the big guys.

Anyway, the place I went (a department store in a mall, except they don't have walls in the shopping centers here, just a bunch of stores out in the open on each floor and it's super neat) was cool enough to put little maps on the price tags of each section, telling you which region the fabric came from. Some from Hokkaido, some from Aomori, and a bunch of traditional Okinawan fabrics (which are really goddamn bright, let me tell you). And of course, cartoonishly bright novelty prints. Just try to stop me from making a bright yellow Power Rangers party dress once I get a pattern.

But I fell in love with this super bizarre linen-y blend that was patterned with deer, birds, rabbits, squirrels, etc. and grabbed a couple yards. It's so light! And I grabbed a polyester shell fabric because, since it's so light, it's just the teeeeniest bit see-through. And I love me some colorful underwear.

I heavily modified a beginner-friendly skirt pattern that _dragonwolf_ had made a red silk dupioni from as well as my own earlier quick version to see how the pattern suited me. I made some heavy modifications: added pockets, made the waistband thicker, used loose pleating instead of gathers, shifted it down to hip-hugger, added liner, made it tea-length. Made the pattern from scratch - my body don't fit nobody's sizes.

If you'd like to make your own, I highly recommend either following along with _dragonwolf_'s posts on the subject or using the original pattern! I did take a few pictures along my process (labeled!) that give you a better view of the print and what I did. =)

Please excuse my ugly stitching. It's functional, I swear.

( WOODLAND. CREATURES. )

I always hated how polyester and satin pucker with stitching, so I just hemmed the lining with the super-efficient Japanese version of Stitch Witchery, which works/looks great.

So yes, it is incredibly comfortable and I'm super in love with it. It took me a couple hours, hand-stitching everything, shopping time not included.

Feel free to ping me about my methods, how-tos, whatever! I'm happy to share. =)

Moral of the story: POCKETS IN EVERYTHING

I decided to try sewing from a pattern for the first time ever. I've been lamenting my lack of a good wrap dress for as long as I can remember, so I picked up Crepe from Colette Patterns. It's adorable, easy, and lightweight, so... why not?

I stopped by the fabric store and stood drooling over the silks for half an hour before remembering that this is my first time sewing from a pattern, and cotton is breathable too. So I picked out a really cute olive green toile and matching khaki for the waist tie.

Although there were some dragging parts (AGH CUTTING OUT PATTERN PIECES AGH), it went pretty quickly. Fusible interfacing is your friend. Your best, very best friend.

I started the dress at about 6pm, and worked on it on and off until about 3am, so... from absolute start to finish, 9 hours? I think, in the future, it should only take me 3 or 4.

First off, the skirt and back is super comfy (huge pockets!) but I hate the way the neckline looks on me. It makes my boobs look even bigger, if that's possible. I'm not sure what I'd do to it (lower it, maybe? Cut it up?) but the sweetheart neckline is just as bad. Looks great on other people, not so much on me.

The cotton is super flowy and lightweight, though, so I'd love to make another cotton version. Maybe a bigger, bolder print, like a floral. And move the pockets up a few inches.

But seriously. Neckline veto.

( Images below the cut. )

Verdict: Easy, comfy, would definitely make modifications next time.

Edit: As requested, pictures (albeit crappy, makeup-less, impromptu) pictures of me in the dress.

( Fotoz. )

As I was making the collar above, I took photos of the more important steps. And am posting a tutorial so y'all can make them too!

What you will need:
12x30" section of outer layer (fleece, in this case)
12x30" section of liner (plush microfiber, in this case)
Needle and thread (you can easily do this without a sewing machine!)
Buttons and embellishments

( Tutorial under the cut. )

I'd totally love to see one of these embellished with ribbons and stripes and patches and fun stuff. I unfortunately don't have time to experiment, but maybe later. I'm thinking of maybe making a leather one at some point. I'd love to see what you guys come up with!

So, after spending weeks looking at The Dress every fifteen minutes, I finally called up some bridal salons and, through some effort, found one within a 50-mile-radius who carried it. Knowing that a trip to East Providence takes about an hour with traffic, I scheduled something and let myself mellow out in the knowledge that just because it's beautiful on the internet and on a model doesn't mean I'll like it in real life. Watching three seasons of Say Yes to the Dress has hammered that into my thick, Scottish skull.

However, as happens more often than not, I proved to be the exception to the rule.

I arrived at the salon, immediately feeling tiny in the midst of dozens upon dozens of mannequins and what had to be hundreds of gowns in the adjoining rooms alone. It was intimidating and overwhelming. But Ana, my consultant, made sure to pull me into one of the pedestal rooms, which limited the "OH GOD so much tulle" headache I was getting.

She invited me to pull a few while she found The Dress, and I pointed out a few I liked. The first two I tried on were "eh," at best; while they looked great, they weren't venue-appropriate or to my taste.

The she pulled The Dress.

The pictures didn't do it justice. The scattered, tiny beading glittered in the light, and the lace fell smooth and perfect against the silhouette. It corset-laced on the inside, then zipped over that seamlessly and the zip was lined with little glove-style buttons.

Not only did it fit me like a glove, it was a strapless dress that didn't go anywhere. Seriously - I tripped over the hem and everything, and the bust didn't budge an inch!

The best part was that when she finished zipping me up and brought me to the big mirror out front, the whole salon fell silent. Everyone came over, including a little girl who wouldn't stop telling me how pretty I looked.

I swear to God, I look better in this dress than the model for the designer's website.

AND AND the seamstress was in, and told me that not only can they a) order lace from the designer to make me a bolero shrug for ~$70, but b) they can make the bottom tier of the dress with the train detachable for the reception. When I suggested it, I totally thought they'd laugh at me. But no, the seamstress came over, poked at the skirt, and said "Yeah, I could totally do it."

VELCRO WEDDING DRESS FTW.

Also, since it fit me like a glove, they're okay with selling me the sample since ordering a dress would take 3-4 months. So, 15% off, available immediately, and they can mod it for me?

The universe wants me to own this dress.

I have an appointment on the 27th to show my family this dress. If I get their approval, I'm taking it home.

2 of 3 big wedding challenges? Done.

I had fun! I got to wear a costume that gave me a method of displaying intimacy! I was fully veiled out in public, but would only fold it back when around someone I knew well or trusted.

Here's my Zaina costume, minus head veil:



( Bigger version under cut. )

It's my all-curtain, all-the-time costume (seriously, the skirt had two layers of train and pooled awesomely), complete with stick-on rhinestones. I got to do other people's makeup. And be jangly. It was v. fun, and my costume doubles well as a Scheherazade costume, who is one of my favorite people ever.

I might have some in-progress shots of the costume, if anyone would be interested in seeing how to make this stuff.

So, I'm thinking: "With all the vampire craze lately, why hasn't there been a vampire Disney Princess?"

So I'm making one. Typical disney princess dress, just... vampire. =)

Ribbons and rhinestones and tulle, but on the goth end of the spectrum.

I can't wait to finish this one, but cleaning the house comes first.

Here's the first incarnation. Red prom dress over the inside-out bottom of ANOTHER gown. I've already added some bows and scrunching.

( Phase 1 fotos! )

Of course, corset-back and TONS more bows. xD

I definitely wanted to see this dress on a model. So I posted a casting call, sorted through the 50+ responses, and found a girl with not only the right sizes, but the right attitude and the right look.

Gina-Marie said she was available that day, loved the dress, and would let me do anything I wanted to her hair and makeup.

Win.

So, I did her hair up in a loose tuck with a few curls falling down, did her makeup in golds and reddish browns, put her in my great-grandmother's jewelry, and laced her into the dress. She was a fantastic sport, and awesome to work with. When I said I was going to make an anti-lightbox, she was totally for it and worked the space wonderfully.

The setup for the first set of shots is a set of three bookshelves turned around, their backs making a blackout box, an old curtain, and a christmas garland of 72 feet of pearls taped up and around. It was awesome.

And then we spent an hour at the old stone church. We even had a little story going about the character she adopted, which definitely showed her enthusiasm. =)

( More under the cut! )

I'm so proud of how the dress and the photos came out. This is my first model shoot with the new camera - even more in love now.

I <3 my model. We work well together - definitely going to nab her again sometime.

(But now I can sell the monstrosity!)

Does anyone have need of a small women's labcoat, full length? I can get it for $5, if someone wants to buy it from me at Vestival.

So, after lusting after underbust corsets for like, ever, I got these:



This, in brown tartan. The photos really don't do them justice.

Bought them on the 24th, arrived today. Meaning made and shipped in a week.

They're super strong, super comfortable, and awesomely made. Best part? Together, they cost $70. Shipping was extra, but still.

So. Worth. It.

I'm absolutely in love with them.

I was actually really skeptical at first, because he's an Ebay seller, and usually the Ebay corsets are cheap Leg Avenue type things. But I'd heard about this guy from a costuming friend, and am completely floored by how awesome he is.

( Here are more examples of his corsets. )

I'm thinking of buying from him again by mid-week so that things'll be here for Intercon. Anyone else interested? He'll cut shipping costs if they ship together.

EDIT: AND they come with corset-size garment bags. I'm already back to shopping.

Anyone in the area looking for an evening gown?

The Goodwill on Park just got in a bunch of designers' sample gowns, so you can get $300-$500 gowns super cheap. I just picked up a black satin ballgown for $25, and it's GORGEOUS.

If you don't mind the word "sample" embroidered on them somewhere, that is. But you can always pick that off.