More On Costumes
It is four weeks, this coming Saturday, until the Jane Austen Festivals (www.janeausten.co.uk/festival) Grand Regency Promenade
wends its merry way through the beautiful Georgian streets of Bath, and I am beginning to panic a little as I struggle to get the skirt of my promenade dress to hang correctly. I may need to ask for assistance!
At the moment, I am attempting to create a spencer, using the calico toile I made a few years ago (before I put on weight), in fresh calico with a little extra seam allowance. It’s easier to take in where necessary than it is to have to sew in extra fabric if it’s been made too small…and less messy!
Of course, the dress will have to be finished before I can make up the spencer properly, for obvious reasons, so I really do have to get it finished ASAP!
On the subject of costumes in general, be they historical, Middle Eastern dance costumes, faery costumes, etc., I have started a group on Friends Reunited for anyone who loves costumes and costuming, though there are only two members at present, so if anyone else wants to join us…feel free…just click on Groups, Arts, Crafts and whatever…oh, you’ll find it! http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk
Diary of a Madwoman! 
I am sure it will look wonderful on the day and you will be chuffed and happy to strut your stuff. Why is Bob not dressing up afterall?
Because I haven\’t made his costume…I don\’t seem to be doing very well with my costume, let alone something that needs tailoring skills…which I definitely don\’t have!I might have to call on a friend of mine to help me, but she always seems to be busy, and I don\’t like to disturb her…!
Oh you put my dress up! (wishful thinking)xxx
I wasn\’t telling anyone that it was your dress, Eileen, but it is so pretty I couldn\’t resist. This style is not difficult to achieve…just lots of imagination and a few scraps of drapey fabrics, bead and sequins and there you have it.
And the wings? lol.. Oh I\’ll get there in the end.. Brian likes it so much he wanted to buy it! (until I told him how much it was) lol
How much?
Um.. over £200!!
If you are talking about the raspberry ripple fairy- A fair price. Love the bodice flowing into the drape apparently seamlessly (most make them separately). Of course if Eileen G where taller then the price would rise accordingly (stir stir) . Now the brown coat bag lady- very M&S bargain rail- circa 1970. My Ex had one just like it. (no joke)One bit at a time Sandi- it will happen ( in life, the universe and everything).
That raspberry ripple would just get me into trouble, Simon, as i wandered around holding it up asking if I could get it filled.
Wow! They\’re beautiful!
There you go, Eileen…if you ask nicely, I\’m sure Simon will make the dress for you…his true calling beckons…!I wasn\’t bothered about the lady in the brown coat…the lady in the purple pelisse with the black military-style braiding looked fabulous, and she\’s the one I wanted the picture of…!Fill it yourself, dude…or would you prefer the little black and white number in A Little Imagination Goes A Long Way…?! ;-)42…the answer to life, the universe, and everything. So how does that get my costume finished…?! Strolls off scratching head…
More pics in the Regency Costume & Jane Austen Festival Album, PF.
Little black dresses have their place but, just like Christmas, the wrapping is sometimes as much fun as the present. Simon, I swear it wasn\’t me who told them of your seamstress skills.
No, it was Simon who told us, himself…that his mum was wardrobe mistress, and that he used to help her…!
Simon; I thought we trained you better than to go around blabbing like that!! I\’ve got John Wayne on the idiot box and there you go ……well, let\’s just say Duke would have to put you over his knee if he wasn\’t so busy shooting bad guys!
But, RM, the Duke is de….oh, never mind….!Ye gods!! Being stunk out by bacon!! The trolls have been on the wacky-baccy again!! You can garauntee that as soon as you get the waft of weed, the bacon will follow…either that or the poor sow has got swine flu real bad…!!
Oh, boy! Do I do a centre-back seam and add half an inch there, or do I cut the back piece as one and add a little either side…? decisions, decisions!I could do one of each and see what works best…yeah…!!!
I would have thought back piece as one , less obvious an addition (esp if panel is curved slightly). but of course that\’s now two seams to pull/miss(and a new panel to tinker with). If material is firm enough then great. if thin then straight seam. This the second toile or first moded? (nosey bugger now). Toile and toil- interchangeable methinks. OR as you say do both (got plenty huh). Incidentally- I can\’t sow for toffee- thread the machine yeah.
I\’m trying to get the front of the skirt angled right, so that it hangs correctly. T\’was just sewn straight onto waistband, but looking at pictures of original dresses, they all seem to have small tucks across the front, which gives a bit of shape…which stops it looking like a plain tube. Third time lucky, as they say…!
I\’ll try doing the back piece as one…should look tidier, and less fussy. Thanks Simon.
Good luck Sandi
Thanks Eileen…whatever I do do with this dress, I will not be satisfied with it!! Looking at all the pics of previous promenades, I can see some dresses far worse than mine, but then again, I will be looking at those that are much, much better than mine and seeing all the bits I\’ve done wrong. (Yeah, I\’m very self-critical and will \’undo it and do it again as many times as it takes!)
The thing is Sandi, you have hand stitched everything! Some of the dresses people wear to these things either have cost a small fortune (and I mean hundreds and hundreds of pounds) or they\’ve been machine made so much quicker to do! I am sure you will look wonderful in it!HUGS xxx
Hiya Sandi…Eileen asked me to pop over and check out the dress…hope you don\’t mind…but WOW what a dress…absolutely scrummy..all rasberry rippple with a hint of vanilla….truly a faery\’s dream…:)
Just visiting through cyberspaces. Sorry to just jaunt in but this a fascinating blog. What amazing seamstress work! I am amazed.
Hiya, guys…no apologies needed…all welcome… :-DThanks Eileen…this has been a steep learning curve for me…I\’ve discovered all the things I can\’t do…that I thought I could do!! I have made notes as I go along, so I don\’t repeat my mistakes in future…!Maria…it is a scrummy dress isn\’t it! The other blog, A Little Inspiration Goes A Long Way, is an ideas and inspiration-type thing for anyone who is attempting to make their own faery/fairy costumes…I hope that it helps with your Absinthe Faery/fairy outfit…?Happy Flower…all welcome. I haven\’t made a complete outfit yet…am attempting to make a Regency frock and spencer (short jacket) for the Jane Austen Festival next month…see link above…I\’m really struggling!!!
Ooops! I meant A Little Imagination Goes A Long Way…not Inspiration! Just a handful of ideas for making faery/fairy costumes.
Had another try at adding skirt to waistband…and I now feel like throwing the whole thing in the recycle bin!!!
Nooooooooooooooooo, don\’t throw it!!! I am sureu will get it just the way u want it in the end! Hope u have a lovely evening, been gorgeous here all afters! Luv PF XXX
It\’s OK PF, I haven\’t thrown it in the recycle bin…I\’ve tacked the front part, now I have to gather the back. Having tried it on again for the umpteenth time, I have come to the conclusion that the reason it does not look right is because of my jelly-belly!! If I hold my tummy in…it looks fine! I need long stays…or a proper corset!!
And looking at pictures of original gowns, some of them are really rough-looking! Hey, maybe that will be my next blog…to make me feel better about my effort…?!!!
Sandi, are you looking for an authentic reproduction or a perfect garment? My wife did American Civil War re-enactments and made uniforms as well as ladies ball gowns. She\’s a perfectionist but will tell you straight up that even the finest gown of that era was far from perfect, even the imported ones. I\’ll just go stand in the corner now.
Beautiful garments of the 18th and 19th century, made of silks and satins for people with money to spend, when viewed close up…show off those exposed stitches, raw edges, and even crooked bits. A couple of my favourite books are from the Kyoto Costume Institute and V&A Museum, and show photographs of costume details.With the machine age came a uniformity that hand-made items never had, and we take for granted the fact that all the seams are straight, etc., otherwise we\’d take the item back and complain or demand our money back. So, I guess that means that my dress is…unique…just like the hand-sewn garments in days of yore…! 😉
You can come out of that corner now, RM…!
WOO-HOO!
Unique……..got it in one, oh and bespoke!
Well, I don\’t want to be faffing around too much longer with this dress, so am attempting to get it done today so that I can concentrate on the spencer…and the challenges that that will bring. Oh, joy…!!!Then, in four weeks time it will all be over….and I will be able to relax and do something else…unless, of course, the Regency fever is as strong as ever, then I will carry on….!
Where is everyone today…?!!!
I am here! Has been quiet here when poppedin 4 a nosey! Anyone wud believe peeps had better things 2 do of a Sunday!!!! I think everyone has had sun there way apart from me! Hope u have Great Evening! Luv PF XXX
I\’m here too! Though i\’ve only been in 5 minutes and cream crackered from two really hard days! xxx
Sorry, I have caught the ebay bug and have put all but the kitchen sink on it to sell!
I\’m here, too…I\’ve got a numb bum from sitting on the living-room floor…oh…\’tis my blog…hehehe…!!
I have the letting agent coming tomorrow for the 3 monthly check that the house we rent is in being kept in good order. As my hubby has been off work all week, I have done very little housework in my usually tidy home. Now, I only have this evening and the morning before 9 to get it all done in, problem is …I can\’t be bothered! Perhaps I shall just get up early in the morning and do a rush blitz on the place.
I thought himself was the tidy one who threw stuff out…or should I say…burns it?!!I have just had a Eureka! moment…I have been stressing over the skirt not hanging right and re-done it more than three times. Still not happy, just now, I noticed that it sloeps downwards at the back, so I lifted it by about an inch…hey presto! skirt hangs correctly!!!! Doh!! Back to work….
What on earth is \’sloeps\’?! Surely I mean \’slopes\’…don\’t I…?
See….you should have faith in us all when we tell you that it will all be ok by the end of the day. We know you can do it and do it well, trust us!Have done the lounge and got a second wind, trouble is cos all the housedust has moved about I am now having a rotten blinkin\’ asthma five minutes, hate taking the inhaler this close to bedtime because it wakes me up and no good being awake if I cannot shift more dust!
Um…no-one told me that the waistband was too low at the back…!! :-(If I do anything that disturbs dust, I usually switch the vacuum on and keep nozzle pointed in the dusty direction. Hey, your inspector isn\’t going to be looking at a little bit of dust you know…just the general upkeep of the house…everyone has a bit of dust…!
Oh darn it…..I kept picking up and putting down a bracelet at the bootfair today, decided against it even for £1 cos he was ahead of me grumbling about me keeping up. Just seen it on ebay for £350! Am deffo going back next week, prob is we went to two and I can\’t remember which it was! Beddy byes now, nite nite.
Same here…nighty night.
Morning!Sorry Sandi, we should have told you the waistband was too low at the back – you can slap our wrists later. Glad you figured it out though.Hope you all had good weekends (Anne I bet you\’re kicking yourself! Crossed fingers you find it next week).
Without a doubt I shall be up before the dawn chorus and down that bootfair in a jiffy next Sunday.Have spent hours into the night and this morning tiding up the house and the woman who just came to check it was in and out within 3 minutes! Now I am bored, he is home from work and gone straight down the pub, may as well go join him for my usual tipple…….bottle of water!Getting fed up with all the porno profiles popping up on my space too! Thought there was a law against pics of naked aroused men and women, eugh!! Code of conduct on WLS says it is unacceptable, yet they do not censor it.
I checked out E-bay, and got totally confused by their instructions…especially as they were full of links to notes which also had links to other notes…so I gave up!Have finished sewing skirt to waistband…and almost finished re-aligning the back bodice…then hopefully it will all look right…fingers crossed!!
That is one reason I keep my space closed to the general public, and if I get requests from people I check their site out first – no blog no friendship simples! Then decline and block.Anne send the link for the bracelet? I\’d love to see it!Sandi, I\’m sure it will look great!(drowned rat here.. some one took my brolly)
I have sometimes got requests from people I don\’t know, so I just delete them anyway…after a few days. I wait to see if they decide to come and introduce themselves, if not…delete!It\’s barely spitting, here…the ground gets slightly damp, then dries up straight away. I take it you have rain today, Eileen?
Yep, rain, more rain and just for good measure a bit more rain! I keep my brolly at work and some bugger\’s nicked it!
Sun has gone in now but it is still stifling hot and I have the room fan on as we speak.Eileen, I can\’t let anyone else know exactly about the bracelet or they will all be at the bootfair looking for it.Been to club, boring and as was quoted in \’Jam and Jerusalem\’ last night….if I wanted to listen to ar*e holes, I would fart myself! Went to Lidl for some sausages and bought a bar of chocolate and ate it on the way home, the first choc I have succumbed to since the diet began. Feel thinner but still no weight loss!
Forget about your weight, Anne!! If you feel thinner, and your clothes feel looser…that\’s all you have to worry about…well, not worry…you know what I mean!Oh, no…trolls have been shopping and came back with about a dozen carrier bags…that must be their weeks supply of bacon!! We are being stunk out with bloody bacon again!!! It\’s as if they have at least three meals a day consisting of…bacon!!!! (They will end up looking like pigs!!!!)
Ah found it, very nice in an interesting kind of way! It\’s about 15° here which is a shock after ysterday!Ditto what Sandi said
It is weird and typically Victorian. I was on the brink of buying it but he was too impatient for me to wait to pay so I put it back, dismissing it as perhaps a tourist type cheap bit of tat.Sandi, don\’t understand how you found ebay so complicated, no idea what you mean by links etc! just put the item you want to look at in the ebay search and it will bring up all the items that match. I\’ll send you a pm with what to look for.
I hope you told him how much you could have profited by but lost out due to his impatience! (or maybe not if he\’d have got grumpy with you)
He stood there looking over my shoulder when I picked it up and showed him the underneath but he shrugged and walked away. A couple of years ago I bought a big picture for £3 and then found it is selling at £499 even now. But I like it and got it so the grandkids could make up a story about why the Pig is chasing the Yorkie dog and Badger. It is a signed ltd edition by Geldart, called The Chase 2. It is on ebay as well but I am keeping mine.
Wish I had the same eye for treasure when it comes to my taste in husbands! I completely fail every time then!!
Sandi, you crazy woman, re: pm ……you knows I can\’t tell when someone is ribbing me…….did you see the one on ebay?
LOL! I\’m just as bad! (quick cross fingers this one\’s a keeper)
He is back from pub so that is my time of freedom over til he falls asleep teatime.
Oh…you mean, did I look on E-bay for…er…no…didn\’t. I did wonder what you meant by your message…lol!
Eileens comment about crossing her fingers led me to check on the four leaf clover I had found and put in a book to press. It has pressed very well and I asked it for good luck for Eileen and her new found love interest.I think the clover is working cos yesterday I emailed Stanley Flasks and told them that the last two flasks we had from them did not stay hot more than a couple of hours but we are happy with how sturdy they are. Have just got an email back saying that they will send two new flasks and do not need the old ones back. Isn\’t it nice to be trusted when sending in an observation to a big company. Now, if only the luck holds out to the bootfair item still being there for me on sunday!Anyone else got a request for some luck and I\’ll ask the clover on your behalf.
Aw thanks Anne!! Things are going gushingly well on my side (sorry I know it\’s sickening and I promise I won\’t blog about how happy).Way to go on the flasks! They should last for hours and hours! I bought one for my mum and it kept things warm for nearly 24hrs.Still crossing my fingers for you over the weekend that you find that bracelet xx
Can I send a list…?The only problem I have with flasks is that tea and coffee never seem to taste right from them…or is that just me…?!Yeah…good luck with finding the bracelet again, at the weekend.
You and me both, but I was trying not to confuse the list!
I\’ll send some luck to both of you for tomorrow.
Thanks :o)No work tomorrow! Crossed fingers I don\’t get any emails… (workwise that is)xXx
Thank you…am going to need it when I start on making the spencer!! Oh, lordy gumdrops…I am beginning to panic…!!
Good grief Sandi, you are coming apart at the seams!! but your creations will not.
Well, I hope not! That is the problem if I have already sewn something up…it takes forever to unpick it…which it why I baste everything, try it on, then it\’s easier to unpick. When I\’m happy with it…it gets sewn good an\’ proper!!
Can\’t wait for the photos Sandi. I bet you\’ll look stunning.Love the fairy frock too. Is it the one you told us about Eileen? It\’s lovely and flowy. I\’m just putting the binding all around the corset for mine and then I can make a start on the beading. I need to pluck up courage to do the grommets as well. Hope you\’re all having a great time. xx
It is Rachel.. it\’s lovely isn\’t it? I\’d love to be able to make it.. I have a few ideas but not really sure yet :o(Looking forward to seeing all your creations!
Eeee…that sound cracking, our Rachel! Ditto the photos…!Have tried the dress on again, but have realised that I should have left the front panel of the skirt straight across the top, instead of curving it slightly…oh, well….I\’m not messing around with it any more!!
You\’ll look gorgeous in something like that Eileen. Hmmm, I shall have to go hunting to see if I can find you a pattern for it. The chiffon scarfy bits can be bought and then sewn on for the flowing look they\’ve done. Hmmm, going for a hunt. Back soon. xx
Oh I could really do with some help, thanks Rachel!It\’ll cheer me up no end – yes I\’m at work again.. my hated old version of Sage has done it\’s usual job of losing a load of information (hence why I have a new version now but not helping me with most of last year), if my logmein thing worked I could be doing this from home! Bah humbug
Hokey dokey. The closest pattern I could find was Simplicity 3501. This is the site I always use to take a gander at patterns:http://www.jaycotts.co.uk/acatalog/Sewing_Patterns.htmlYou\’ll find it n there in the special occassion section. I know it\’s not exactly the same but it\’s the closest I could find. In the Burda section there\’s a lovely top that I think would suit if you\’re brave enough to change the pattern to a dress one. It\’s in the dress(?) section, number 7912. If you could combine that top with a floaty skirt to make it into a dress, you\’re made! I\’m sure Sandi would know more than me though.Don\’t suppose you know where the picture came from? That might point you towards a pattern.
Burda pattern number 7689 IS the top pattern as the dress. Shame the skirt isn\’t a little fuller.Mine is simplicity pattern number 3675. If you take a look at the \’bigger\’ picture, you\’ll see mine is the gold and cream version. Tis rather short for me 😮 and not something I\’d normally go for.
Faery fashion tip —- as if I would know!!! I have noticed that lots of the girls have bought "ball Gowns" from charity shops/sales and have modified them with lots of chiffon and tulle, basically saving the bodice (is that the right name for the top part?) and using it to work from to make their costume — could save a lot of time and money doing this!
Maid there you were only a couple of days ago saying you were thinking of getting some of the frilly knickers, whats the point of having a long dress and not showing them off :0)
The thing is though Bran, if I did get the frillies then all you chaps would want to see them and I think that\’s a little more than anyone would want to see. It\’s bad enough having a short dress!!! (a la French Maid – ooh la la!)Got the most wonderful pair of Clarks suede shoes to match my frock from a charity shop. They were sat there waiting for me. The wings are done with the help of one of nature\’s winged creatures. It\’s just the covering of the legs to sort. Oh the choices ……………………Right, kids are fed and watered so it\’s back to hunting.
Oooo…Frenchmaid and frilly knickers??? How about over knee socks..or if you\’re feeling brave stockings and suspenders…we could be the can can faerys LOL…xx
So no-one actually read the previous but one blog entitled A Little Imagination Goes A Long Way…? Bran has just repeated what I suggested….oh…(HUFF!!)…no-one ever takes any notice of little me!! I\’ll just go and sit in the corner and suck my thumb, shall I…? (POUT…!) (;_;)
Come on over; I could use some company in the corner during time out. I told Simon not to let that monkey paly with matches!
Sorry…not feeling myself at the mo…nighty night…
I did Sandi!! Honestly..
That comment down there was meant to be t-i-c, but I guess I\’d just about had enough of the s**t at work, on top of everything else. Why do I stick with such a poxy little job like that? It really isn\’t worth the hassle…but at the moment even poxy jobs are like hens teeth! I guess I\’m stuck with it fo the time being!
Good night Sandi. The weekend is nearly here and I think you should take some time out just to rest if you can. Sleep well. xx
Hope all is well with you Sandi xxx
Gosh! I feel so much better today!! I even feel like writing a blog!
that fairy dress is stunning, absolutely gorgeous.I can see lots of peeps wanting their dresses made for the faery fest. love n hugsdebsxXx