Steampunk Unlimited and the Bustle Skirt from Hell!

I'm such a procrastinator.  I have a terrible, terrible habit of planning really well and then just not executing.  *sigh*

At any rate, Steampunk Unlimited...  I've known since last year that I'd be going to this.  Do I have anything to wear?  No, no I don't.  Well...I mean I could wear what I wore last year...or something I wore to Steampunk World's Fair...or I could have finished one of my UFOs...but I didn't.  I decided I wanted to do something different.

Of course I did.  Over planning and under performing.  Yep, that sounds about right.

So after the crazyness of impromptu costuming all summer and the Prohibition party I finally sat down to decide what I wanted to wear.

Two weeks before the event.

Yep.  That sounds right.

I have a pretty decent fabric and pattern stash, so I started there.  I found Simplicity 1819, which I've been wanting to make for a while.  I actually have a stash of lovely home decor fabrics that I purchased specifically with this pattern in mind.  I pulled some of the fabric and played around with my surprisingly vast selection of corsets and settled on two outfits.

Yes, two.  In spite of the fact that we're only going for one day and that I had just two weeks to make the outfits.

Sounds about right.

I wanted something that I could wear during the day and then easily change in the parking lot for a different look for the evening concert.  I decided to make the long skirt without the apron and the short view separate, wear one corset and bring a second.  I knew I wanted to change the waistband to a  drawstring to make it easier to get in and out of and eliminate the need for adjustments later.  I hate adjustments.  I don't like the ruffle, so I planned to extend the bottom to make it long enough and eliminate all that work making the ruffle. 

Awesome.  So I had a game plan, got myself together and cut the pattern out.

And then nothing.  Because I have an event in two weeks, so there's no pressure for me to make anything yet, right?  I don't even have a good excuse for this, I just didn't want to do it.

So this weekend I knew I needed to get this stupid skirt made.  So I watched TV and didn't actually start working on the skirt until 3 PM on Saturday.  Ugh such a procrastinator.

At some point during the cutting process it occurred to me that I might not have enough fabric to actually execute on this grand plan.

It was about this point that I realized that I'd already screwed up.

This pattern is weird.  It's an apron and bustle built onto the skirt.  The front and back cascades are all separate pieces.  I did not realize this when I cut the pattern pieces or when I started to cut the fabric.

The front of the skirt under the apron is three pieces.  I ended up cutting two of those pieces at the longer length, but not as long as I wanted to replace the ruffle before I realized my mistake.

The apron is (way way!) too short to make without anything under it (although now that I think of it it would have looked cute over leggings...)  Since they were too short to use for the long skirt and too long for the short skirt,  I cut them down, but I ended up wasting a good chunk of the fabric because of it.

Luckily I caught it before cutting the third panel or the back pieces.  *sigh*  Once I realized my mistake I cut the remaining pieces and started putting the short skirt together.  I figured of the two skirts the shorter one would be more versatile and I knew I'd definitely have the fabric for it.

I ended up about 1 yard too short to make the longer underskirt and decided to go to the fabric store in the hopes that they might have some more of the fabric.

I bought this stuff on red tag clearance from JoAnn's years ago but I still see it show up occasionally.  The problem is that it's not JoAnn's fabric, its remnants from somewhere else that end up there, so if it wasn't in clearance there wouldn't be any of it anywhere in the store.  It was a crapshoot, but I decided to at least try to see if I could get some more of it.

They didn't have it.  They had the same taffeta in a gorgeous teal color that I seriously considered buying to make a layer, but ultimately decided against.  And that is how I wasted most of my Sunday.

Let's recap: wasted half of Saturday cutting fabric I ended up not using.  Wasted half of Sunday shopping for fabric I ended up not buying.  Skirt still in pieces.  Event the following Saturday.

Awesome.

That is how I ended up sewing this stupid thing together at 10 PM the weekend before Steampunk Unlimited and why as of Monday and it still was not done.

I ended up scrapping the cascades because I am, quite frankly, too lazy to cut a lining or properly finish the edges.  I'll tell you it's because I don't like the way they look, but that's only half true.

So I spent all that time carrying the pattern markings over to the fabric and by the time I actually needed them they'd worn off on all the pieces except for the cascades, which I wasn't using.  Excellent.  Guess it's not like I needed them or anything...

In addition to deciding to scrap the waistband I also decided that I didn't like the weird bustle pulley system Simplicity wanted me to rig up or to line the bustle.  I ended up deciding to make the bustle like I did for my skirt last year and just tack up the puffy bits.  So I really didn't need a lot of those markings.  I made a rolled hem on the bustle.  I hate rolled hems.

As of Monday and the skirt was mostly done.  I managed to tack up the puffy bits on the bustle (previously held up with safety pins) and hemmed the skirt.  True to form, I did this Friday night after work.

I also found out at that last minute it was going to be in the 50s on Saturday and my "clothing" plan was a short skirt, lace top, and a corset...I contemplated making myself a jacket too.

Unexpected jacket made in less than a week?  Hahaha! No.  I wore a cloak that I'd made years ago for a red riding hood costume.

Summer Summary

Just a quick summary of some outfits I've pulled together for some summer costuming opportunities.

I say "pulled together" because I didn't actually create much for these, so there isn't much to say about patterns or construction. I'm very grateful to past me for my costume closet and stash.  Thank you, past me!  

High Tea (50s inspired styles)

I already owned everything I'm wearing here.  The gloves, purse, and hat are all from my costume stash via Goodwill.  So are the umbrellas, which just happened to be in my car.  The belt and shirt were retail purchases (belt from JC Penney's and shirt from Banana Republic).  Circle skirt was salvaged at the 11th hour, but made by me years ago.  The shoes are the wonderous Clark's Brier Dolly that I wear to work almost daily.

I had every intention of completing a new circle skirt for this outfit.  I bought beautiful fabric, drafted a pattern, cut it and pieced it together, and then realized I screwed up.  I fixed it, sewed it, and then I realized it was still screwed up.  It was also midnight the night before the tea.

I gave up, grabbed an old circle skirt that no longer fits me, pulled out the waistband and zipper, created a pocket for elastic, threaded it through and called it done.  It's not perfect, but it works.  Plus, now I have a wearable floral circle skirt.

PA Ren Faire: Pyrate Invasion 

This is made entirely from previously-made items.  I haven't ever worn them together, so it was a totally new outfit for me.  The shirt was originally worn for a Ren-Faire pirate event a few years ago, the skirt for yet another Ren Faire outfit.  I recently purchased the corset (Orchard Corset 411 in leather).  The only item purchased for this outfit was the hat, which I'm not entirely happy with.

PA Ren Faire: Time Traveler's Weekend

Rule 63 11th Doctor (Doctor Who) I bought the shirt for this one at Goodwill, the bow tie at Walmart and ordered the fez on Amazon.  The corset is my good old Orchard Corset 411 in cotton that I wore at Steampunk World's Fair. Skirt and ankle boots (which you can't see) from my normal wardrobe. 

Real Talk:

I'm honestly feeling a little burned out on costuming lately (say it isn't so!).

I used to do one major event (Otakon) annually, plus Halloween and maybe one Renaissance Faire event.  This year I had planned to attend Wicked Faire in February, 3 days at Steampunk World's Fair in May, Jazz Age on the Delaware in August, two PA Ren Faire events this summer,Steampunk Unlimited in October, plus Halloween.  I added the high tea event (August), a Prohibition Era costume party (September), and got invited to 4 (FOUR!) Halloween parties.  I obviously love costumes and will really create just about any reason to get dressed up BUT

in retrospect, I may have been a wee bit over zealous this year...

I'm feeling a little bit over costumes right now.  Monday I had a three hour costuming meeting with my costuming partner in crime.  We fueled up with coffee and didn't even get through the agenda.  Oof.  Fail.  Turns out she's pretty burnt out too.   We've got a game plan for the rest of the year and then I have a break from events, but not construction, until February.

Maybe I'll finally get those outfits from Steampunk World's Fair photographed? *sigh*

Vogue 2859 Review

For my Jazz Age on the Delaware outfit I decided to use Vogue 2859,  but only the shirt piece.  I'm fairly certain that the dress would look awful on me.

The hardest part, for me, when trying to evoke a particular decade is getting the fabric choice right and making the finished product look more like an everyday outfit rather than a costume.  I also knew that in August it was going to be hot, so I wanted a natural fabric that would breathe .

Getting the fabric for this outfit was an exercise in frustration.  I was trying to find a floral print fabric that wasn't shiny and had the right drape, but I kept striking out.  I finally settled for a green seersucker, which wasn't what I really wanted.  Then when I went to get it cut the bolt was actually two cuts of fabric and not long enough for my pattern.  Fail.  I ended up buying some red seersucker, but I still wasn't happy.

I brought it home and washed it, but because I wasn't happy with it I never got around to cutting it.

I hit the fabric store a few weeks after getting the seersucker to pick up some patterns and I just happened to find an absolutely beautiful plaid fabric at my local JoAnn's in their "famous maker" section.  It's a light yellow with grey and blue stripes, it's a little bit sheer and it's wool.  Yes, wool.  For summer.  It's a summer- weight wool.  I did not even know this existed. It's super soft and feels awesome.  I'm incredibly impressed with this fabric.  I also had a 50% off coupon.  The seersucker lays forgotten in the fabric stash.

So much love for this fabric!

On to the review!


Pattern Description: Back wrap blouse: short sleeves, kimono in front and raglan in back, triangular cut-out, twisted collar extending from front and tie ends that slip through bound buttonhole in back and knots in front.

Pattern Sizing: 18/20/22

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing it? Yes, it did.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  Somewhat.  I generally don't read pattern directions at all, but that's not really an option with a Vogue pattern.  I followed them where I needed to and figured out the rest on my own.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  It's quite short and definitely not meant to be worn with low-rise anything, and almost all modern clothing sits below your natural waist.  I'm wearing it with a skirt that sits at my natural waist and I still needed to extend the length by a few inches to reach the waist of the skirt.  Be aware of that before cutting the pattern.  Also, if you're a dancer, you may want to make it even longer.  I found that I was constantly tugging it down whenever my partner turned me.

The little bow in front was an absolute nightmare for me, I almost gave up on it.  The directions made no sense to me in spite of reading them at least a dozen times.  I finally figured it out, though I'm still not quite sure how I did it.  In spite of how difficult I found it, this detail is really one of my favorite things about this piece.  It's a very cute little detail and I think it really gives the shirt some character.

Fabric Used:  Lightweight wool

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I lengthened the bottom hem by a few inches.  I'm 5'8" and I have a large bust, so I knew it was going to be short.

I didn't follow the directions (big surprise) for making the bound buttonhole in the back of the shirt and just left an opening in the side seam for the tie.

If you are using a fabric with an ugly/noticeable wrong side, you'll probably want some extra fabric to use on the ties.  Because you only do a rolled hem you'll see the wrong side.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  Yes, I really like the pattern and would sew it again.

Conclusion: Overall it's a very nice pattern, has a lovely vintage style, and goes together relatively quickly (for a Vogue pattern).  Plus it's one of very few 30s era patterns that are commercially available, so if that's what you're looking for, this is a good bet.

Gazing longingly at the 1930s Model A

PS:  I haven't forgotten about taking those photos for Steampunk World's Fair.  My sewing room looks like small tornado blew through it and I'm disinclined to spend hours on the fourth floor of the house in 90 degree weather cleaning it..  Best case scenario:  I take the dress form downstairs and photograph it that way.  I'm honestly just glad that I finally brought them back into my house after a month and a half.

Yes, really.

Jazz Age on the Delaware Outfit

I attended Jazz Age on the Delaware on Saturday August 1st!  I was super excited about this for couple of reasons: First -- jazz, costumes, and dancing are pretty much my trifecta of an awesome for an event.  Second -- Drew Nugent is playing and I know from experience that he's awesome to dance to. I wasn't terribly excited that it's was in the 90s on Saturday, but in the shade and with the breeze it really wasn't too bad.

Originally we were planning to go to the big Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor's Island in New York, but I found out about a month ago that Glen Foerd on the Delaware is also doing a lawn party this year.  Glen Foerd is so much closer and if I don't need to make a trek then I'm glad I don't have to.

I decided to go 1930s rather than 1920s because the dropped-waist, bust-minimizing styles in the 20s look pretty awful on my figure.  I can rock a 50s dress, but anything too straight looks terrible on me because I'm crazy curvy.  


Vintage reproduction patterns from the 30s are not popular.  I scoured the pattern sites for something that would work for 30s, but really couldn't find much at all.  Most of the reproduction patterns are from the 50s, with a few from the 40s or 60s and I can't do a true vintage pattern without scaling it up like crazy because of my size.  I settled on Vogue 2859 and after a bit of a debacle found some a really lovely plaid fabric that I thought worked for the period.  I'll have a review of the pattern up later in the week. 



This is one of the first costumes where I've mostly bought items ready-made.  This is kind of life-changing for me.  I've never had a costume come together so quickly.  I purchased everything but the shirt and as a result was able to pull together the entire costume in about a week (yes, including making the shirt).

The skirt and shoes are from AmeriMark, which may have just become my new favorite store.  They cater to a more mature clientele and as a result they're pretty cheap and everything is so comfortable!  Seriously, do not underestimate the importance of comfort in an outfit.

The skirt is a trumpet style gored skirt in navy and was about $30.  The shoes are a lace-up oxford with a short heel in bone and were about $20.  They're not great if you're after some very modern looks, but if you like vintage-style clothing and shoes they've got some options.


Goodwill rarely fails me, but after trawling the Goodwill for a 20s/30s style hat for months I was coming up empty.  I picked up this one at H&M, of all places.  It's not my normal style, but I think it looks suitable for the period. I think I paid about $12 for it.  Goodwill did come through for me on the purse, which was $4.50.  WIN!

We had a really fun time picnicking, dancing, and checking out the grounds.  I'll definitely go again if we have the opportunity!

A Short-ish Update

So I wrote a whole post on Steampunk World's Fair prep that I had done and fully intended to photograph my costumes before leaving.  Then I decided to add a costume about a week before the event.  I tried really hard to pull it together and actually got most of the work done on it, but the night before I had to leave I was in my sewing room at 11:30 PM getting ready to do the final few steps when I realized the sleeves and waist were too small and would need to be adjusted.  I gave up, packed up the outfits that I had finished, packed up the car, and called it a night.  I got to bed around 2 AM, worked all day, then drove up to Piscataway for the event. 

My costumes from Steampunk World's Fair have still not been photographed and, in fact, are still in my car.  It's been about a month since the event, so you can see how on the ball I am about this.


The almost-but-not-really-finished costume is still in my sewing room and I haven't even gone up there in a month.  It's so messy that I'm totally overwhelmed and am trying not to even think about it. 

I have every intention to take the outfits out of the car, clean up the sewing space, and photograph them all in the very near future.  In the meantime, here I am in the Dig This Real video from Steampunk World's Fair in my hottest outfit on the hottest day right after doing a(n amazing, but hot) self-defense class with Mark P. Donnelly.  Outside. It was (so, so) hot in that outfit.  And my obijime came untucked.  :(  http://youtu.be/VctUfVZjjpo#t=8m42s

I'm also continuing to over schedule myself, so here's a list of some stuff I'll probably be attending and creating costumes for. 

Upcoming (possible) events:

Celtic Fling at the PA Ren Faire 6/27 (no costume planned)
Jazz Age Lawn Fest, Governor's Island NY 8/15-- 20s/30s attire (I lean 30s due to my particularly non-flapper-esque body shape)
Pirate Invasion Weekend at the PA Ren Faire 8/22  -- Planning to use a Turkish inspired outfit that I've already made for this one but adding a new bodice.
Time Travelers Weekend at the PA Ren Faire 9/19 -- Probably something steampunk for this one.
Steampunk Unlimited at the Strasburg Railroad 10/16-10/18 -- Various generic steampunk stuff, plus the outfit that I wasn't able to complete for SPWF.  

Costume photos to follow.  I promise.

Refocusing

Okay...so somehow it has become April.  It's been over a month since I've updated with any progress on my costumes.  Unfortunately that's because there's been no progress and nothing to update,  March was basically a lost month for me.  Work got totally crazy and all my weekends were booked, so absolutely nothing got done.  It's now the middle of April and pretty much all I've done is rip stuff apart and make it unwearable.  I'm postponing, possibly entirely scrapping, my sari dress.  I wasn't able to get the fabric to work with the skirt pattern and I wasn't able to find the same sari to get additional matching fabric.  At this point "Plan B" would involve starting over from scratch and I just don't have the time to do it.

I'm refocusing on the kimono dress, which I've already bought fabric for.  The plan is to insert a gusset into the back to open it out and give more volume to the bottom half, effectively changing the tubular kimono shape into a more standard Victorian style skirt.  If I have the time I'll also add a bustle.  I already own most of the accessories that I'm going to use with it - a black corset, obiage and obijime (I own several, I'm not sure which I'm going to use), and a shirt with a high neckline.

This is the actual kimono, but I'm using a different
corset and shirt.

My original inspiration photo.  The end result will look something like this with the hair and accessories.

I'm also finishing up my menswear outfit.  I've made some significant alterations to a pair of men's trousers, bought a vest at Goodwill, and will buy a plain white shirt, probably also at Goodwill.  I picked up several pairs of knee socks from Sock Dreams (all of which are awesome) to wear with the outfit.  It looks super cute so far.

That leaves two outfits.  The first is the other kimono outfit, which may or may not end up being completed.  I'm intending to make a tea dress by opening out the back similar to the first kimono outfit, but it will be significantly more Western in style.  I have a gorgeous komon kimono to use for this and I've already bought the fabric to extend the back.  I'm planning to use a different, hopefully simpler, technique for this than the black kimono.  This is specifically for a tea event, so I'd really like to complete it, but I could always wear another outfit if I can't finish it in time.

 

The last outfit is what I'm planning to wear to the dance event.  It's based on an absolutely stunning Worth fancy dress outfit with Turkish trousers.  I found some gorgeous silk that should have the weight to hold the shape, but won't be overly hot and picked up a brocade with a complementary color and pattern.  I think that I could complete this one in a weekend if I force myself to sit down and work on it.  Turkish trousers (sirwal) are actually really easy to make, but I will have to draft them out rather than using a pre-made pattern.  This is the only outfit that I'm planning on making entirely from scratch rather than modifying.

If I can keep myself focused and set some time aside each weekend I can absolutely get all these outfits done in a month.  Most of what I'm doing is alterations rather than crafting entirely new pieces and I've already bought the materials.  Now I just need to buy shoes...

Stay tuned.

Tutorial: Gibson Girl Hair (Without Teasing!)

Gibson girls at the beach

I have long hair, like really, really long.  I just cut seven inches off it and it still reaches the top of my butt.

I've been trying to figure out how to do a Gibson girl style with it forever and I haven't been able to make it work.  I'm really particular about what I do to my hair and what kind of products I use in it, so anything with teasing or a bunch of hairspray was out.  Edwardian women generally had long hair too, so I knew if they could make it work then so could I...granted, they probably teased the heck out of their hair.

My great-grandmother on her wedding day, rocking  the Gibson hair style.

I found an easy tutorial that said to split your hair into two and twist it up.  This works for me for about two minutes.  After that my hair is too heavy and pulls out all the volume around the face.  Fail.

I found another tutorial where the volume is built by teasing, which is an awesome solution if you are okay with teasing your hair.  I'm not.  Fail.

I found yet another tutorial using a foam wreath to create the volume, but I couldn't work out how to make it stay in place.  Fail.

At some point it occurred to me that I should use a rat to create the volume, then I wouldn't have to tease my hair and I would be able to pin it in place.  I scurried off to the beauty supply store and bought this jumbo braid hair extension.

I paid about $2.00 for this.  It comes in a variety of colors.  It is magic.  Choose one that's as close to your hair color as possible.  I picked #30 light auburn, which is a little light, but a pretty good match for my hair overall.

I took it out of the package, looped the bottom elastic to the top elastic and made a crown. It's comes braided, but I ended up redoing mine because I pulled it apart first.  Whoops.

Stuff you'll need:

Braided crown of fake hair (rat)
Bobby pins, lots of them
Comb/brush/fingers to remove tangles

Nice, but not necessary:

Clips to section your hair
Clear elastics
Hairspray
Dry shampoo

How to do it:

For extra volume and hold you can use dry shampoo before you start.

If your hair is up, take it down.  Split your hair in two above your ears.  You'll have one section in front and one in back.  They don't need to be neat or even.

Pin the rat to your head.   It will be less voluminous where the rubber bands connect, so you probably want that in the front or back so your finished style doesn't end up lopsided.  I tried a few different ways of doing this and ended up liking the results with the thinner bit in the front.  If you do this, you may want to replace the rubber bands on the hair extensions with clear elastics because they may show.  I did not do this so you'll see the rubber bands.

Clip the front section out of the way so you can see.  We'll deal with this section last.

Split the back section into thirds so that you have a right, left, and back.  Clip each section so that they stay separate.

Take one of the side sections out of the clip.  Comb it to remove and tangles and pull it up over the rat.  Pin the hair at the top of your head close to the braid.  Don't pin it too tightly.  You want to keep the volume and looseness for the style.  My hair is long enough that it will flop over to the other side.  I pulled it to the front to keep it out of the way.

Repeat the comb/lift/pin process with the other side and back sections.

Great!  Now you have a bunch of hair pinned up on your head, possibly flopping into your face.  I wanted these pieces totally out of the way before I dealt with the front.  I pulled them all together, ran the comb through them to remove tangles, and twisted it into a bun.

You still have the front to deal with.  You can pull the whole section up at once, like you did with the other pieces, and twist the remaining hair around the bun or you can split the front and do it in smaller sections.

I didn't like the way it looked with one giant roll of hair around my head, so I opted to split my hair off-center in the front and pin in up in two steps.

Split the front section and clip one out of the way.  Repeat the comb/lift/pin process and then twist the remaining hair into the bun.

Do your lift/comb/pin again for the last section.

I have short bangs, so this looks pretty stupid.  If you don't have bangs, you're pretty much done.  Just take a fine-toothed comb and smooth out the bits over the rat.  You may need to mess with some of the sections to get it to totally cover the rat.

If you have bangs like me, you'll need to pin and/or hairspray them up.  Mine aren't quite long enough to pin over the rat, so I pinned the bangs right into it.  Try to hide the bobby pin.

Smooth out all the sections with a fine-toothed comb.  You may need to gently move some of the hair to totally cover the rat.

You can use hairspray now if you like to help hold the style, but it isn't necessary.  Part of what I like about this is that it looks best when it's a little messy and undone.

Ta da!  You're done!