Alex has brought his great-grandmother's industrial Singer (which we have yet to name) with us, so I've said 'so long' to Gunther the Pfaff. We just recently inherited a baby lock, and Wee Clara is still churning right along. Needless to say, our home will be overrun with sewing machines.
The only problem: they're all still in storage.
With pre-leasing season in full-swing here, we had to search high and low for an available place we really liked. But we found it! And now all I have to do is wait until our move-in date. And wring my hands, and think about all of the progress I could be making for upcoming events.
I've decided to take this time, and my nervous energy, and put it to good use: project planning.
I will definitely be going to Costume College '16, and I think I may have talked a couple of people into trying it for the first time! So that is on the front burner.
Costume Ideas for CoCo'16:
Thursday-Night: Incroyable in Mustard
For the Pool Party, I want to be comfortable, yet super historically-hip. I've been dying to make an ornate, over-the-top spencer with a mustard-striped velveteen that I have a ton of. The theme for the party is "mod," and I figure that Incroyables et Merveilleuses were pretty 'hip,' so I'll go with it. I'm making a matching shako or bonnet, and I've already painted some shoes to match.
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| via chertseymuseum.org |
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| via objektkatalog.gnm.de |
Friday-Day: Wartime Dress
Last year I took a class at Costume College about British fashion during WWII, and it was so fascinating. I want to recreate a Wartime dress, and have even been on the lookout for glow-in-the-dark buttons! I'll be using Decades of Style's New England Dress as a guide, though I'll have to cut out some fullness and length in the skirt and sleeves, as the yardage limits for a dress at the time were 2.5 yards.
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| via decadesofstyle.com |
Friday-Night: Night Circus Air Walker
The Friday Night Social has a circus theme, so a few friends of mine are going to go as characters from The Night Circus. We were going to go as a group last year, but other costumes got in the way, and I was only able to get the bodice half-finished. The Night Circus colors are black, white, silver, and grey, so I'm really excited about this costume. As the Night Circus is magical, I'll be going as a tightrope-walker with a twist: an air-walker. I want to incorporate plumage and bird imagery, and am using this image as my inspiration:
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| via VintageVenus.com.au |
Saturday: 1885 Walking Gown
I've learned to really appreciate the late Bustle Era and the neat, almost severe look of walking outfits of the period. I love the fact that I don't need a ton of embellishment, as I feel it distracts from the fit and silhouette. I have some heavier weight cotton in a black and olive check, which I feel would look great as a walking gown. The local fabric store, Elfriede's Fine Fabrics has a great selection of worsted wools (and even wool flannel!). I think I'll make a black wool petticoat with a deep pleated hem, and make the apron and bodice out of the check. I want to keep the petticoat a solid black, as I would like it to serve double duty for a later project.
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| via VictorianKat |
Sunday: Edwardian Ensemble
I have a confession to make: I've always been a bit bewildered and intimidated by Edwardian fashion. The posture, the silhouette, the snag-prone fabric. It makes me shudder a bit, and I have no idea where to start. But I want to conquer my fear, and make a simple outfit. Alex has recently given in and has started Downton Abbey (for some reason, though his entire family and mine love this show, he was a bit reluctant to start), and I've found a few outfits and pieces that look so simple to make. So I'll be jumping in at the shallow end this year.
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| via Museo de la Moda |
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| via August Acutions |
Good luck to everyone's projects; I can't wait to see the beautiful creations in August!
Until next time!
-Meg
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