Making of... Cosplay, Good Queen #1

I recently did a costume Masquerade at AnimegaCon. I thought you all might get a kick out of seeing my documentation for it. My friends and I won 2nd place for our costumes. We won a Best Craftsmanship award. Im not really familiar with Anime catagories... but I think that Craftsman is the equivilent to Masters class... I think it also has to do with construction. Meh. I don't even know. Can you tell I'm an Anime noob? :D We cosplayed a Takarazuka opera called Prince of the Land of Roses. Basically it's Beauty and the Beast. Ironically enough we had no Beauty, only a Beast. That is my friend ...in the blue wig as the beast. Didn't she do an amazing job? played the Evil Queen in red. I wish you could see the beading in her wig ... and I'm in gray... I'm the Good Queen. There's quite a lot of construction notes on this costume. I"ll post the peices one at a time. I'm starting at the Bodice.

The girl in leather and pink was some kind of Con mascot... Yah.

Bodice Materials:

Simplicity 8881 poly poi de soie (duchess satin) polished cotton poly lining rigilene boning spiral steel boning glass pearls silver metallic netting lace daisies in 2 sizes silver trim pearl trim AB sequins AB heat affix crystals pre-strung pearl trim

Overview This costumes bodice is based on a typical Elizabethan bodice. It has a squared neckline, pointed center front and straight center back. The armscye is open and high without a dropped shoulder. The center front is heavily decorated with a line of pearls, lace, and sequins, not unlike an Elizabethan stomacher.

I used Simplicity 8881 for the bodice pattern. I fit it over my 1780’s stays from Corsets and Crinolines and my Mara Riley linen shift.

Construction

The bodices construction was fairly simple. I used polished cotton as the strength layer and applied boning to it. The strength layer was flatlined to the fashion poi de soie layer and those layers where treated as one.

The center fronts embellishments were added before the bodice was assembled. I basted a layer of metallic net to the center front poi de soie piece, treated them as one and applied it to cotton muslin that I then put in an embroidery frame to do all of the beading and lace work by hand.

The center front was assembled with the fashion layer, the strength layer, and the lining layer separate from the rest of the bodice. The neckline was turned inside the lining and strength layer. All other edges were left raw and unturned, but basted together to be treated as one.

All the other pattern pieces were assembled. The fashion and strength layers were assembled as one, and lining was assembled separately. The lining and fashion layers were joined at the neckline.

The center front was joined to the side front using the “Folded Seam Method” . This is usually used in corsetry but I’ve found that square necklines take to this kind of seam very well. With this method you get a nice crisp corner. The neckline edge was top stitched on the lining to the seam allowances to keep the lining from creeping up.

(This diagram belongs to a poster from the corset makers community. Thank you so much for making it and being awesome.)

The waist edge was finished in the victorian method, by treating all layers as one. On the outside a strip of self bias is sewn and turned under to inside and whipped stitched down to lining only.

The Center back is finished with hand bound eyelets for lacing. There is a modesty panel and either side of the eyelets are reinforced with spiral steel bones.

Materials:

Simplicity 4508
Butterick 6630
poi de soie
poly lining
1 inch synthetic horse hair braid
3 types of net lace
metallic trim
pre strung pearl trim
pearl trim
metallic net
glass pearls

Overview
These sleeves are based loosely in Tudor and Elizabethan fashion. The slashed and puffed upper sleeve, as well as the open over sleeve is typical of these eras.




Shiney shoes! :)

Construction
I used Butterick 6630 for the under sleeves without alteration, except for the added pearled fabric strips.

The pearled strips are bias cut tubes of poi de soie. I sewed metallic trim down each center. I than added glass pearls by hand to the center of each strip. I then sewed by hand lengths of pre strung pearl trim. The lower sleeve is decorated with hand sewn sequins. The under-sleeve is completely lined.

I used Simplicity 4508 for the over sleeve. I had to alter the pattern by adding a sleeve cap. The sleeve has an outside layer of poi de soie and a lining of metallic net. I trimmed the sleeve with net lace and metallic trim.

Making of Snow White #3

At the end of my last post, I was all done with the skirt and on to the bodice, wired collar, stomacher and sleeves.

The bodice pattern is from Tudor Tailor. I did alter it though. I added a seam up the side front. It's in shoomlah's original drawing so I added it. The collar is also from Tudor Tailor. It's the plain collar on pg 133. I don't think you can get that pattern from the website. It's only in the book.




It's rich dark blue silk velvet... Also I'm working out the stomacher here.



I was thinking I'd whip stitch the wired collar to the bodice, but thought better of it when I thought of travel. I've since sewn hooks to the bodice and thread bars to the collar.


The collar is cotton organdy. the outside edge and sides were sewn right sides together turned and the wire was bent and slid between the 2 layers and hand sewn with a running stitch. The neck edge was rolled hemmed.


Stomacher is also from Tudor Tailor. I beaded it with whatever beads I had in my stash, some pearls, and lots of glass in various shades of blue and gray. I did the beading on a hoop my husband made for me. It's my lacie tabour stand with a PVC rectangle hoop bolted on. I used the method of drawing the beading pattern on tissue paper and sewing the beads through the paper and tearing it all away when the beadings all done.




FRANKINHOOP!! It's Alive! :)



The actual construction of the stomacher was straight forward... it's boned with rigilene boning... got a strength layer of twill and lined in blue linen. The fashion layer is 2 toned with the top most edge being a golden silk strip with an embroidered apple motif. :)

The bodice closes with internal laces, the stomacher is sewn to the left side and uses hooks and bars on the right.
The sleeves are kinda not my favorite part... I wish I had constructed them different, but I'm NOT changing it now. :)

I used an undersleeve. That in itself is good! it worked really well and kept the puffs puffy were they aught to be, but I think I should have had the undersleeves of the puffs separate instead of attaching everything to one undersleeve. it was a very awkward and frustrating construction. Don't get me wrong... it worked, but not prettily. :/





These are the elbow puffs.

You can see how the undersleeve really works well holding the puffs in place.

The next thing was the fashion layers embroidery.


The bits were sewn together to create bands and cuffs, and then applied to the undersleeve. This is where it got really frustrating. The sleeve is narrow and it was super hard to keep the underlayer from being caught up in the bands topstitching. GAH. **head desk** what a newby kinda play... but hey! take my pain to heart and learn from my mistakes. L0L. :)



Red velvet ribbon was added for trim and last but not least those mother of pearl beads were sewn onto the silk.

At this point the gown is done! Yay! .... now I just need to DYE MY HAIR. :O scary.






Thanks for Reading! I'm really excited about this project. It was a bit of a drama to make, but it's going to be a BLAST to wear!

The Making of Snow White #2

In this post I share progress pictures of the dresses skirt and also a picture or two of the farthingale under neath.

The Farthingale pattern is from the Tudor Tailor. I bought a few yards of silk on a trip to LA garment district. I used hoop steel that I had left over from my first antebellum hoop... (simplicity, complete fail) It was a very simple project. and I didn't need to buy anything for it.


It's not the best picture... but you get the idea. It's a Farthingale. Yay!




I decided to use beads instead of embroidering the tear drop shapes on the skirt. I'm glad I did. They are unexpected and add shine and dimension


These beads are mother of pearl... I ordered orange, because the bronze type color was too dark. When the orange came I was sad... it was super bright. So I used RIT dye (brown) and boiled them... the color is much more golden now.

The skirt is 3 bolt widths of silk... 58". The front is 1 width and the back 2. I knife pleated the front not unlike a 1700ish petticoat, 'cept I cartridge pleated 10" on either side of the front and all of the back. The skirt opens at one side and has a pocket on the other.


That's a pocket....



and that's a placket.


The back is very full and swishy. :) I likes it.
now on to the bodice. :)

Making of Snow White #1

This upcoming year will be my first time attending Costume Con. I try to do two or three costume related events every year as its good for my psyche. I guess I'm never as comfortable as when I'm pretending to be someone else. :)
So for Costume Con I'm dressing up as Snow White. I'm not sure if you've seen 's drawing of the Disney Princesses done in a more historically accurate way, if not, do check out her work. It's very good.
There are a few costumers doing remakes of these drawings. Some try to make the dress even more historically accurate, some try to get the feel of the gown, but add their own design elements, some try to make her drawings more like the original Disney Princess.
I just want the gown in her picture. I love it. It's NOT historically accurate at all. It's just really cute.
This is the dress:

It's a strange mash-up of German 1500ish and Elizabethan. Obviously the gown has a support structure going on under there... Bodice is pointed... I'm thinking a stomacher over lacing, weird collar? thing... It's got to be wired maybe a wire supporter.
So as of right now this is what I have done on this project:
1. All materials have been gathered/bought (except for the farthingale fabric)


2. The caul has been built... OMG, that was surprisingly time intensive. Gah.


Your looking at 200+hours there... Never again.
3. Stays



They are cotton sateen with two layers of Duck... Boned with reed except at center back, rose two are flat steel. The busk is from Mantua Maker.
4. The beginnings of skirt embroidery




The pattern was transferred to the work via a light box... Simple enough. It's quite a not to do though... 3 bolt widths... And so it's quite a slog.


At this point I'm about 1/2 way through the embroidery. On and on it goes. It's going to be lovely when done... But I would love to just get the dress fitted and cut and together.... But the continued embroidery!!! Gah! Especially after the beat of a caul.
Oh well!! It will be a blast to wear! ;)
5. Apple!


From Joanns... It's a Christmas ornament.
You know? I think I shall just go on and pattern the bodice and get on to the skirt.... I just want to see some progress already! Lol!!
Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

"Adventure Time" Hood Pattern

This post contains free patterns. That's always fun. :)

This is a very simple project and should take no more than 2 hrs to make. It's ripe for alteration so if you make a variation please please please! Share! I'd love to see a unicorn hood. I truly would. :)

My youngest son is a hoot. His sense of humor is a bit off... The apple doesn't fall far from the tree I guess.

Adventure Time is a huge favorite... So Finn the Human was his choice for Halloween this year.

This is meant to fit a fidgety 15 year old. This pattern though includes a shorten/lengthen line, and instructions on how and where to measure the wearers face to get the hood to fit . If you want this to fit a size 8 kid remove the 1/2 seam allowance along center back. For every size smaller remove and additional 1/4". So for a size 4 kid remove 1".

I'm not going to give sewing instruction other than these four tips:
1. When cutting out 4 layers of polar fleece, don't pin, draw the pattern on the fabric and cut. You'll get a more accurate cut.
2. Fleece is sucky to sew. To make it better set the PSI on the pressure foot very low. You'll have to pull the fabric through the machine a bit. You can also use a walking foot or one of those specialty feet with wheels.
3. To set the ears accurately, sew one side of the dart, (your essentially marking the dart) and sew the preassembled ear to that side matching up sew lines. Then finish the dart. Sewing one side of the dart also acts as stay stitching, and makes a stable base to apply the ear.
4. I didn't mark it on the pattern, but leave a 2" gap open in the linings center back seam so you can turn the hood right side out.


The pattern was made by Amanda Lerum. She is very handy at making sewing patterns, in fact she makes patterns to sell on Etsy, you can also visit her facebook.

One other thing... There are 2 patterns, one with a chin strap, and one with ties. This is because my son couldn't decide what he likes best. Pitty me. And yet like the sucker I am, I made 2. :)

The pattern with the chin strap measures 10" from center seam down the middle of the face to the top of the chin strap. If you measure down the wearers face from the hairline, down the nose to under the chin, you will see how much you will need to shorten or lengthen the pattern.

Oh! you'll need to add a dart in the ear... mine are 1/2". You cut four of everything. The hood itself is self lined, or you can use different fabric to line it. Fancy!

Something is afoot, So where's the Circle K?

Hello all! how are you? I hope well! I've been absent, but quite busy. I have things to share with you, and I hope you enjoy it all. :)

I've been working on a Rockabilly and Lolita fashion line. I'm testing out the first three designs on Etsy. Please do take a peek, and buy if you choose. Give me some feedback. Tell me what you would like to change, fabric you would rather see, or designs you'd rather have. All that information is extremely relevant and important to me. Thank you so very much for helping me out! :)

All art Candy Rudolf

Bespoke... Dips in Time

Eventually... next month I'll be adding vintage bathing suits. Also the first of the EGL (lolita) stuffs.











I've made a Snow White Cosplay. Claire Hummel has done, and is doing, a series of artwork, all historically accurate Disney princesses. When I saw them, I had to get my greedy grubby hands on Snows gown. I mean... I REALLY wanted it. :) so I made it!

I finished the dress last weekend and sent Claire Hummel some pictures. She in turn posted them on her tumblr. :) SQUEEEEE!! All this is Quite EXCITING!

Everyone that in turn commented and reposted and liked my gown, Thank You all so very much. I sometimes forget how BIG, and yet how SMALL the world is. It's so amazing that the thread I play with in my little studio could touch so many people. I am overwhelmed, and grateful, and humbled. I seriously love you guys. :)

Please visit Claire's Tumblr. Shoomlah
I did do a Dress Diary entry about this gown on LiveJournal. You need to be a member of that comm to view it... Although I can repost that entry here.... hmmmm I wonder if I could just use the HTML??

And with that, I now have a DeviantART I'll be using it as my portfolio.... seems like all the hip kids are doing it. :) I'll add a link back to this blog so my tutorials and free patterns will be accessible from there. I'm looking to get my web footprint more cohesive.