Nunway pics

pictures from the final fitting with Sister Mary Ralph (Mark). I'm so proud of how well it fits and how well everything works together. I had such a great time working on this with Mark and I feel that it really highlights both of our aesthetics. I am doubly proud that all of the pieces can be combined and will coordinate well with other pieces he already has.
The show was a blast and it was so great to see all the different variations on a theme.


Details of the wimple with fluffy bias-cut bow and cameo button on the capelet.





Detail of the sleeve opening - a bell shaped opening with extra length at the back of the wrist.

Mary Ralph at Noel Noir

Upper portion of the habit for Sister Mary Ralph for Nunway2 at Noel Noir last night. I will be posting more pictures as I get them. I am so proud of how this turned out. Definitely more simple than most but it fit well and showcases both our styles. Luckily we have much overlap in the aesthetics department. Such a fun project and what a great show last night.

Red Brocade Dress

Another version of the vinage boatneck dress I have recently fallen in love with.
Made of Red and gold brocade, fully lined with a side zipper and pockets.

Skirt for Irene

This lovely silk taffeta skirt can convert from an ankle length full skirt into an above the knee bustled confection. Double faced satin ribbon bows at the waistband give it a little sheen and some extra interest around the waist.
The client was looking for her inner goth fairy/ballerina fantasy to be fulfilled and I do believe this fits the bill.........
She's picking it up tomorrow so we'll see....

















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Nunway 2

I just completed the wimple and veil for Sister Mary Ralph for Nunway 2 - http://www.noelnoir2010.com/
I just have 4 more pieces to finish now!

Men's shirt collar

Of course I didn't get a picture of the shirt before the client picked it up but I did get a picture of the collar with openings for collar stays. This is the first time I have made a nice tailored men's dress shirt and I am rather proud of it.

Thanksgiving frock

I can't claim to have made this but with some help I fit it to me and trimmed it. It is a great pea green sixties fancy dress - I got it with shreds where sleeves used to be and it was about 2-3" too big all around the bodice. It will be just as comfy as sweats once turkey coma sets in and looks a million times better than sweats. I also made a coordinating neck ruff of the left over trim.

Something super cool for Andy

The parameters for this project were: shiny and tactile.

Sounds easy but generally when fabric is shiny it is not soft or fuzzy. Fuzzy fabric is generally not too shiny.
My solution was a super soft faux fur/chenille sort of fabric mixed with a great turquoise brocade - luckily I found them in coordinating colors.
Upon seeing the finished jacket and wearing it he announced that it will be his new woobie - people will be tired of seeing him in it long before he tires of wearing it.
I think it looks like I skinned a chinese imperial muppet.
In any case, I am happy with the result and he is very happy with it so my work here is finished.....

burgundy silk cape for winter

silk capelet of burgundy silk with gold/burgundy silk lining.
Fancy, fancy!

Failure...

This was a casual fail. It was supposed to be a dress for wearing to the park or on a Saturday running errands. Not so casual, so I decided to redo (note to self: velvet ribbon never equals casual) . The plan is to take the red trim off this dress and redo with something a little less fancy.











In the mean time, I found a black cotton stretch sateen with blue and green flowers - nice casual fabric! I used a high waisted dress pattern with a flared waist. It's a good low-key dress pattern - tried, true and I know it fits the client.

Failed again

I think I have a casual block. At least the client also needed a dress which was wedding appropriate so it all works out in the end. I'll tackle the casual one again and hopefully update.









































At last - we have the internet again! It went down mid October so I have been itching to post for a few weeks now and unable to.

Vintage simplicity dress

Black vintage shirtwaist dress I made from an old simplicity pattern. The fit is great and it is fascinating to see that a 38" bust was a size 18 back in the day.
I added pockets to the side seams of course - seems like such a waste to have all that skirt and no pockets hidden in all the gathers.
It was made for a friend and of course I had to try it on once I was done. It is so comfy and cute I had to make one for myself.
I think that this may be the next candidate for mutating dress, the bodice is so simple and there are so many things one could do with that skirt. Stay tuned.......

This is the pattern - I love that it cost 35 cents.

Root Division Auction 2010

I donated last year to Root Division and am looking forward to the auction again this year. Who can possibly hate on arts education for everyone - children and adults? I can't and I love what they do so I am throwing a little pro bono work their way. Last year it was a short fuzzy frivolous cape, this year a long practical wool cape.
It is perfect for chilly evenings here when the fog rolls in and I have one similar but mine is without handholes (I keep meaning to add them but garments and alterations for me always get put on the back burner). It is unisex and about calf length (unless you are particularly tall or short) and is fully lined. I know a certain unnamed friend (and high bidder from last year) will be very jealous of the eventual owner.

Illuminating Halloween

This is the beginning of a safety fairy costume. The cincher is made of glow in the dark and reflective fabric and the skirt is made of stretch satin fabric and reflective tape. I need to find a way to photograph it in low light while it is glowing.

Halloween!

Oh Halloween, the time of year when I could be making just about anything.....
I was commissioned to deconstruct an 80's prom dress and turn it into a reasonable facsimile of the dress Molly Ringwold wears in Pretty in Pink. Not exactly spot on, but a fairly faithful reproduction, in spirit anyhow. This one is quite a bit shorter but I hated the length of the actual dress in the movie. It's an updated homage to the dress.....






*update*
Here she is wearing the dress....

Wedding dress

I will update with photos from the bride when I get them......
This is a sheath dress of dupioni and antique
lace.











Its a really sweet story, the grooms grandmother wore a beautiful lace dress when she got married. The dress looks like it is from the thirties, it had a very long gored skirt and really great chevron shaped waistband piecing with long sleeves and at one time had self covered buttons all the way down the back.




















His bride didn't quite fit into it so it was remade into the back panel on the dress including covered buttons and a shrug to go over it in case it gets chilly at night.

mutations 4 and 5

The vintage dress pattern from previous posts has mutated again twice.
The fourth mutation manifested as as a tank dress with bust darts and gathered side panels and a bustle at the back. The lining has an attached row of pleated taffeta, and it will eventually have a taffeta underskirt.
































The fifth is an asymmetrical button-front dress with gathered side panels,
pockets and a square neck.

New Collar

More fun from the Victorian pattern drafting book....
This is a collar for an opera cloak. Great volume and height thanks to the canvas interlining. This is just a test, more on this later.

Edwardian Ringmaster costume

Costume for Mr. Gherkin, director of the Picklewater Free Circus. Jacket is based on an Edwardian style tailcoat with exaggerated split tails. Breeches are based on jodhpurs with velvet ribbon trim down the outseams.

cool weather jacket

Not a heavy jacket by any means but one warm enough for most the weather in this neck of the woods.
We have been working on this for a few months. Truly a collaborative project. He designed it and I think it turned out well and looks like nothing else out there.

muslin habit mockup

I was completely inspired by Dior's recent fall collection full of beautifully done riding habits. The colors and fabrics lent themselves to the inspiration so well and those top hats!!! Every so often I like to challenge myself with something I have never done before just to shake myself up. I know it is not something which is super functional, and its not often I go to the closet thinking "why don't I have a riding habit? " but I guess desire has little to do with utility.

This is a mishmash of Victorian and modern pattern making techniques. the first attempt at the skirt was out of an awesome Victorian dressmaking book. It looked like Greek to me for the longest time, then suddenly a few weeks ago it all clicked. The lines and numbers all made sense.

Until I sewed it together.

It went together beautifully, the asterisks
(*old fashioned notches* - how charming!) and darts matched. The difference between the volume of the skirt in the illustration and the volume of the skirt in reality was too much to ignore, I know people were smaller back then but this was ridiculous! Even a slip of a woman would be hard pressed to walk in it without getting her legs tangled in it and falling on her face.
So I drafted an 8 gore trumpet skirt with plenty of volume between the knee and ankle and *Voila* passable riding skirt, even enough volume for a tab and button to hold the back of the skirt up, so I don't get caught on my side saddle.
The jacket has two piece shaped sleeves and shoulder seams that have been pushed back and are on the bias. I love how that looks once the sleeve has been set, and even more I love the way it fits. Its a little tight on the center front but an extension is easy enough to fix, and next time, bigger buttons and less of them for sure!
Eventually this will be made in some sort of darker colored fabric - not sure what color yet, or where I will wear it, but worse comes to worse, I will wear it to work. I don't think anyone would be surprised.

Space - The Fabulous Frontier.....

These are two pieces I did a couple of weeks ago for a space themed party. This is the second time I have done a dress with this sort of hem. I love the way both of them turned out and the clients were really happy with them - hopefully I can get pictures of them in the costumes to replace the pictures of the costumes on the dress form.

It mutated

first it cloned itself then it mutated and grew a skirt. The third definitely looks the most evil.