Steampunk Pirate Dress, part one
Hello everyone! This is my first post here, although I've been a watcher/lurker for some time. I recognize some of you from corsetmakers - *waves* :)
This year, I decided I desperately wanted to make a new gown for faire/pirate fest/etc. But, as I'm currently unemployed, I'm trying to limit myself to my admittedly large fabric stash. Except, of course I've found fabric I absolutely love, but don't already have (silk, I am such a sucker for silk!). *sigh* So, to kill two birds with one stone, I decided I'd use some of my fabric stash to make a gown, but not one I plan to keep. I'm going to (hopefully) sell it and use the proceeds to buy the fabric I want so very badly (this is not a pimp! I look at this community and see a lot of skill and talent; why buy what you could make yourself?) I'm journaling the experience, since most of my f-list is used to only seeing the finished product when I make something. And since I'm taking making-of photos, I thought why not post here as well?
Like many of us, I tend to buy pretty fabrics when they're on clearance, even if it's not something I would personally wear. For instance, I don't wear earth tones, but I seem to like buying them often enough to have this as a palette to work with:
That's an embroidered taffeta for the underskirt, and two different colors of dupioni silk for the overskirt/bodice. I have something like fifteen yards of that more gold toned one (it was only $4/yard! I couldn't let it go, even if it isn't my color. See, me and silk...) I plan to use the darker brown for the outer color, and line the overskirt with the gold, that way, there will be various bustling/draping possibilities that can change the look of the dress. I adore bustling on a gown, and it's another thing I haven't had the chance to try before in the way I'm planning to make this. This entire piece is going to be me, trying new techniques and things I haven't done.
With this palette, I immediately thought "steampunk"! But steampunk is for the most part, Victorian inspired. I should perhaps mention here that I'm not exactly going 'period correct' with any of this. Before I thought steampunk, I figured I was making a pirate/ren gown, ie, something based loosely on the plum gown Keira Knightley wore in the first Pirates movie. For one thing, its style is very similar to the first Faire gown I ever made from a Simplicity pattern, years ago before I really knew what I was doing. I've been wanting to "remake that dress" for awhile. Then Your Wardrobe Unlock'd posted a tutorial for making a dress based on the plum pirate gown a few years back, and I was intrigued enough to have the project floating around in the back of my mind ever since. Again, it's the same basic pattern as my long ago Ren dress: underskirt, overskirt, bodice that laces up the front, and detachable sleeves. So, with steampunk colors and pirate dress stylings, I've decided to call this my Steampunk Pirate Dress.
I made the underskirt this week, and rather than copy/paste all the photos and stuff to here, I'm hoping a link to my journal is all right? Just let me know if it isn't, and I'll edit. The "full, pleated underskirt" is a staple to most of the costumes we (my two costuming friends IRL) make, so I wanted to try something new and different with this one. Instead of just making a drawstring waist, I also added a placket with buttons and button holes. I know, not period, but this gown is already a fun mashup of eras and inspirations. And I've never actually done buttons and button holes until now. (I like grommets. On pretty much everything I've made. Because button holes actually scare me.)
Anyway, without further babbling, (the underskirt).
This year, I decided I desperately wanted to make a new gown for faire/pirate fest/etc. But, as I'm currently unemployed, I'm trying to limit myself to my admittedly large fabric stash. Except, of course I've found fabric I absolutely love, but don't already have (silk, I am such a sucker for silk!). *sigh* So, to kill two birds with one stone, I decided I'd use some of my fabric stash to make a gown, but not one I plan to keep. I'm going to (hopefully) sell it and use the proceeds to buy the fabric I want so very badly (this is not a pimp! I look at this community and see a lot of skill and talent; why buy what you could make yourself?) I'm journaling the experience, since most of my f-list is used to only seeing the finished product when I make something. And since I'm taking making-of photos, I thought why not post here as well?
Like many of us, I tend to buy pretty fabrics when they're on clearance, even if it's not something I would personally wear. For instance, I don't wear earth tones, but I seem to like buying them often enough to have this as a palette to work with:
That's an embroidered taffeta for the underskirt, and two different colors of dupioni silk for the overskirt/bodice. I have something like fifteen yards of that more gold toned one (it was only $4/yard! I couldn't let it go, even if it isn't my color. See, me and silk...) I plan to use the darker brown for the outer color, and line the overskirt with the gold, that way, there will be various bustling/draping possibilities that can change the look of the dress. I adore bustling on a gown, and it's another thing I haven't had the chance to try before in the way I'm planning to make this. This entire piece is going to be me, trying new techniques and things I haven't done.
With this palette, I immediately thought "steampunk"! But steampunk is for the most part, Victorian inspired. I should perhaps mention here that I'm not exactly going 'period correct' with any of this. Before I thought steampunk, I figured I was making a pirate/ren gown, ie, something based loosely on the plum gown Keira Knightley wore in the first Pirates movie. For one thing, its style is very similar to the first Faire gown I ever made from a Simplicity pattern, years ago before I really knew what I was doing. I've been wanting to "remake that dress" for awhile. Then Your Wardrobe Unlock'd posted a tutorial for making a dress based on the plum pirate gown a few years back, and I was intrigued enough to have the project floating around in the back of my mind ever since. Again, it's the same basic pattern as my long ago Ren dress: underskirt, overskirt, bodice that laces up the front, and detachable sleeves. So, with steampunk colors and pirate dress stylings, I've decided to call this my Steampunk Pirate Dress.
I made the underskirt this week, and rather than copy/paste all the photos and stuff to here, I'm hoping a link to my journal is all right? Just let me know if it isn't, and I'll edit. The "full, pleated underskirt" is a staple to most of the costumes we (my two costuming friends IRL) make, so I wanted to try something new and different with this one. Instead of just making a drawstring waist, I also added a placket with buttons and button holes. I know, not period, but this gown is already a fun mashup of eras and inspirations. And I've never actually done buttons and button holes until now. (I like grommets. On pretty much everything I've made. Because button holes actually scare me.)
Anyway, without further babbling, (the underskirt).