How about some costuming content?
Wow, it's been a while since I've visited that space. Too long. It's mid-CostumingJuly! Need to get to work. Wait... according to The Now Habit, that's negative self-talk and instead I choose to get to work. I'd love to get to work! I'd love to pull out my sewing machine right fucking now and whip up something gorgeous. But there's other work to be done first and my office/workroom/guestroom is still a mess with paper clutter I'm trying to sort through and file or get rid of. I hate paper, you guys. I just really, really do.
And then there's also the matter that I need to fix my dress form. The little plastic piece on the pole it stands on that lets you adjust the height cracked a long time ago and I've been "fixing" it periodically by wrapping it to the pole with electrical tape to try to keep it together. But slowly over time, that would start to slide down the pole with pressure and gravity and before long, my dress form was about 6" too short. So, I went to Home Depot to look for pvc pipe fittings (because that's what this thing looks like) that would work and I found a few things that are perfect in shape but the wrong size, so I need to go back and exchange the ones I have for something that fits. I think I'm looking for a 3/4" to 1/2" reduction fitting with no threads. Then I have to drill some holes in the sides for the thumbscrews which tighten it to the pole. And aside from that, I know, just know, that with all this weight loss, my dress form needs to be taken in. That's a whole project in itself. I don't relish fighting with that cover again, but I need to if I want anything I make to fit.
So anyway, January 9th was the last time I talked about these projects and goals here. I had ordered some trims and stuff from eBay that I never got around to posting about when they came in. You should have seen how giddy I was to receive all that stuff and pin things to the dress form and think about the possibilities.
One of the pieces was this amazingly gorgeous kind of silvery-greyish-green chunk of a sari or dupatta or something, I'm assuming. It's heavily beaded and has all these leaves and flowers and faux pearls on it. It's cut in kind of a wedge, with a decorative hem and is just screaming center front panel of a skirt or something. I pinned it on under my Angel overgown and fell in love with everything but the bright green organza flowers, which I've since removed and plan to replace with some silver bullion applique flowers instead. Here's what it looks like:
I love it. The color is so unique and beautiful, this strange mix of ethereal and earthy, and it inspired me to start sketching right away. And here's what that looked like:
It's kind of a combination of that silver shot silk overcoat/dress thing she wears in The Hobbit, but with a higher neckline with trim, and split in front to show an undergown with the above panel prominently displayed, and shorter split sleeves made of the second piece I got which is this dreamy pale grey silk jacquard with embroidered and beaded leaves on it:
Some of them have brown beads and some have clear silver lined ones. There doesn't seem to be a pattern to that. There are some stains on it though and I'm going to have to try to gently wash it before I use it. The leaves are in rows which when hung on the bias looks neat. And I intend to cut the rectangle in half diagonally, so bias it will be. I did that with a piece of velvet on a wrap shirt I never finished and it worked beautifully for some flowy, split open sleeves. I should pull that piece out and try to fix the fitting problems with it because it's a gorgeous shirt. It was before I knew not to just extend the hem line of something in order to lengthen it, so it's kind of weird at the hem and doesn't fit right. But I digress. I'll have to play with the sleeves a bit to see what will work in real life before I settle on a shape. It may be that I find something to do a two part sleeve, like most of Arwen's gowns (that's what I did with the wrap shirt). Or I might even make the overgown sleeveless or something and have these on the undergown. Or maybe stick with the design in the movies and have big split sleeves on the overgown and have these peaking through or something. Ah, the beauty of original designs and endless possibilities.
The one thing I'll make exactly like the movies is the brooch. I've already got the mother of pearl disc. I've had it for like a decade. But now, I'm armed with Sintra! So I can make it super lightweight. And I think the Hobbit version of her circlet would look good with this too. Might pick up that nice, cheap costume version and see about altering it a bit or something. And I'll probably buy a replica Nenya ring.
I'm thinking I'll add this to the list to start on after Dragon*Con to have ready for the premiere of the second Hobbit movie. I really should revisit my list because some things are coming off of it, I know. And I've got a few options on the Angel gown trim I need to photograph and consider and finish that thing up, too.
Now to make the choice to get to work...
And then there's also the matter that I need to fix my dress form. The little plastic piece on the pole it stands on that lets you adjust the height cracked a long time ago and I've been "fixing" it periodically by wrapping it to the pole with electrical tape to try to keep it together. But slowly over time, that would start to slide down the pole with pressure and gravity and before long, my dress form was about 6" too short. So, I went to Home Depot to look for pvc pipe fittings (because that's what this thing looks like) that would work and I found a few things that are perfect in shape but the wrong size, so I need to go back and exchange the ones I have for something that fits. I think I'm looking for a 3/4" to 1/2" reduction fitting with no threads. Then I have to drill some holes in the sides for the thumbscrews which tighten it to the pole. And aside from that, I know, just know, that with all this weight loss, my dress form needs to be taken in. That's a whole project in itself. I don't relish fighting with that cover again, but I need to if I want anything I make to fit.
So anyway, January 9th was the last time I talked about these projects and goals here. I had ordered some trims and stuff from eBay that I never got around to posting about when they came in. You should have seen how giddy I was to receive all that stuff and pin things to the dress form and think about the possibilities.
One of the pieces was this amazingly gorgeous kind of silvery-greyish-green chunk of a sari or dupatta or something, I'm assuming. It's heavily beaded and has all these leaves and flowers and faux pearls on it. It's cut in kind of a wedge, with a decorative hem and is just screaming center front panel of a skirt or something. I pinned it on under my Angel overgown and fell in love with everything but the bright green organza flowers, which I've since removed and plan to replace with some silver bullion applique flowers instead. Here's what it looks like:
I love it. The color is so unique and beautiful, this strange mix of ethereal and earthy, and it inspired me to start sketching right away. And here's what that looked like:
It's kind of a combination of that silver shot silk overcoat/dress thing she wears in The Hobbit, but with a higher neckline with trim, and split in front to show an undergown with the above panel prominently displayed, and shorter split sleeves made of the second piece I got which is this dreamy pale grey silk jacquard with embroidered and beaded leaves on it:
Some of them have brown beads and some have clear silver lined ones. There doesn't seem to be a pattern to that. There are some stains on it though and I'm going to have to try to gently wash it before I use it. The leaves are in rows which when hung on the bias looks neat. And I intend to cut the rectangle in half diagonally, so bias it will be. I did that with a piece of velvet on a wrap shirt I never finished and it worked beautifully for some flowy, split open sleeves. I should pull that piece out and try to fix the fitting problems with it because it's a gorgeous shirt. It was before I knew not to just extend the hem line of something in order to lengthen it, so it's kind of weird at the hem and doesn't fit right. But I digress. I'll have to play with the sleeves a bit to see what will work in real life before I settle on a shape. It may be that I find something to do a two part sleeve, like most of Arwen's gowns (that's what I did with the wrap shirt). Or I might even make the overgown sleeveless or something and have these on the undergown. Or maybe stick with the design in the movies and have big split sleeves on the overgown and have these peaking through or something. Ah, the beauty of original designs and endless possibilities.
The one thing I'll make exactly like the movies is the brooch. I've already got the mother of pearl disc. I've had it for like a decade. But now, I'm armed with Sintra! So I can make it super lightweight. And I think the Hobbit version of her circlet would look good with this too. Might pick up that nice, cheap costume version and see about altering it a bit or something. And I'll probably buy a replica Nenya ring.
I'm thinking I'll add this to the list to start on after Dragon*Con to have ready for the premiere of the second Hobbit movie. I really should revisit my list because some things are coming off of it, I know. And I've got a few options on the Angel gown trim I need to photograph and consider and finish that thing up, too.
Now to make the choice to get to work...