girlnamedxena

I'm almost done my steampunk costume:



More on my DA.

And it looks awesome! I can barely breath or bend over or do much of anything (hello, 23.5 inch waist!) but it looks awesome, and that's all that matters. Now I just need to find something to lace it up with that's a better colour than the bright white skate lace I'm using now.

Up next: bustle! But first, I need to find my mom and get her to unlace me so I can get something to eat.

I'm considering making a steampunk outfit for con.

( crappy sketch )

I dunno, though. I really do want to make a Tudor dress at some point. The idea behind this is that it wouldn't take very much fabric or time. Then I worked out approximately how much fabric I thought it would take which is waaaay too much for a little project like this. I'm trying to justify it by saying I want a bustle anyway, but it would have to be a very short bustle and if/when I make a Victorian dress I'll probably want a longer one.

I'm assuming that the bustle will take about 2 yds, the underskirt 2 1/2 yds, the drape 1 1/2yds, the jacket 3 yds, the chemise 2 1/2 yds and the spats 1yd, which comes to a whopping 13 yds. Way, way too much. Plus I really ought to have a very ruffle-tastic petticoat. Although now that I'm looking at patterns, it looks like I can make a pretty big bustle with only one yd. It looks like it'd be longer than knee length, tough, so I'd have to make a smaller one. I'm looking at buying this pattern because it has so many options, but the person who reviewed it said it fits larger ladies better. I'm sure I could mess around with it and fix it. So maybe bustle: 1 yd, underskirt: 1 1/2 yd, drape: 1 yd, jacket: 3 yds, chemise: 2 1/2 yds, spats: 1 yd + petticoat. That's still at least 10 yds. Eeek. Although I would make the jacket last and maybe not at all so that's only 7 yds + petticoat. Then there's the notions: tubing or steel for the bustle, yards of lace and ribbon and twill tape (actually, I probably have enough twill tape in my stash), the jewellery (which I would make myself because I'm a crazy person. Where do you get cameos for jewelery making anyway?). I'll have to figure out how to make hats and find stuff to adorn it with. Ugh. I dunno.

I think I'm going to start on the corset soon anyway because I've been meaning to make that for over a year. And maybe I'll go to Value Villiage and see if I can find some old sheets on the cheap for the bustle/petticoat, or a big skirt that I could alter/salvage the fabric from. I can't say I like the idea of using someone else's bedding as my underpinnings, but this project is one that has to be made on the cheap or not at all. Which means if I want it to be of decent quality I have to get started soon.*

So, any thoughts? For the people who've been to ConVersion do you think this is costume contest winning material? For some reason I feel really weird making a non-historically accurate costume. As if making historically accurate stuff isn't a waste of time/ressources. And by waste I mean time and money that could be spent on everyday clothes so I'd look fabulous all the time, rather just a couple times a year when I'm in costume. I don't think costuming is a useless activity, but I know my skills could be used in service of things that are much more useful.

On the other hand, it is really nice to be able to let my creativity loose and see what I can come up with without the constraints of historical accuracy.

*there's a saying among artisans that you can have at most two of the three things: cheap, good and fast. I usually try to go for the first two.

EDIT: ok, I found a bedsheet I can use for the bustle and petticoat. It even has kinda nice lace on it. Guess I ought to buy a pattern O.o (My mom seems to think this, like most of my costumes, is a complete waste of time and I should be making everyday clothes. But she is marginally in favour of this one because it will take much less fabric than most of my projects do).

Ahoy maties! After long last I have good pictures of my mourning gown. Go look at them or I'll buckle your swash so hard your grandchildren will be born landlubbers.

You guys?


Now onto the gown itself!

Ok, three visits to the chiro later and I'm feeling much better :) my back still gets all achey and sore if I have to sit or stand for too long, but then I just lie down for a few minutes and it hurts less.

My brother is a big, fat, stupid-head and smells like poo. He's also looking over my shoulder and eating a cookie.

I also smell kind of like toothpaste from this stuff my chiro put on my neck. Mmmm, mmm minty freshness! The monkey who claims to be my brother says it smells like rootbeer. My mom says it smells like Pepto.

The monkey who claims to be my brother also just stole my pirate hat D; But I got it back. I also FINALLY saw POTC3. Our costumes were fabulous, but sadly the movie was not. But this is all old news to you folks.