Dames a la Mode

Pre-event zen

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:45:45 GMT

About a month ago when I couldn't think of anything I just HAD to make for Dress U, I made the command decision not to make anything new. Nothing. Can you believe it? I knew I was really only going to be there on Saturday and Sunday morning/afternoon (because of my work schedule), so I wasn't even going to be able to make it to some of the events, so I just said "meh! I have enough stuff" I have to say, I think it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I feel so calm and excited, and I don't have any of the pre-event stress that usually leads up to something like this!

The main reason I did it is because I didn't want to take any effort away from the 18th Century Bonnet class I'm teaching, and there has been a lot of prep work for that. For those of y'all that are taking the class (Hi Gloria and Kat! A Leia- I saw the roster today, you're on it! Loren- there is room for you, too!), let me tell you that my class is NOT on Friday afternoon, as it says on the prelim schedule. I'm actually not arriving till late Friday evening, so my class is on Saturday afternoon, I think. I don't feel bad about half-assing something that I make, but I certainly don't want to punish my bonnet class with my procrastination!

I am also still excited about enough of my stuff that I don't feel bad about wearing "old" stuff. I'm going to wear my Regency voile gown on Saturday so I'll be comfortable teaching my class, my still awesome and newly embellished Titanic gown for the dinner, and maybe my green Francaise on Sunday. I can't decide if that is going to be too much to try and maneuver around in with the hoops and such, but I'll see how I feel about it.

Mostly I'm just amazingly excited to see everyone, maybe sneak into a few classes, and show some folks how to make awesome bonnets. And wear my Titanic gown again. Damn, I love that dress!

I'm alive!

Sun, 20 May 2012 22:12:51 GMT

And I went to a Regency Picnic!

Victory!

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:32:02 GMT

I'm currently wearing my new 1912 corset! It's the most cobbled together, lazy seamstress, made-up thing I have ever created, but it works! I didn't want to put too much effort into it since I probably won't do anything more than the two Titanic themed things I have coming up, but I'm astounded at how well it turned out considering I started it yesterday. I'll try to get pics up soon!

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:00:59 GMT

For those of y'all who met Bryan this weekend, he is on Blogger at: http://drunktailor.blogspot.com/

He's a WAY better tailor than I am and if you are interested in making boy clothes, it is the place to be!

The (1st Annual) Francaise Dinner Party

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:03:34 GMT

(At least I hope it is the first annual! Please!)

Bryan (drunktailor) and I drove up to Philadelphia yesterday to attend the amazingly wonderful Francaise Dinner Party hosted by madamekat and dragoneyes19. It was AWESOME. Not only was the company delightful, the food amazing, and the location lovely, but that was just about the most fabulous collection of gorgeous gowns, bling, and feathers I have ever seen. Ladies, can I tell you how impressed I was? I will say it again and again: I am so lucky to know you. Everyone looked amazing! My only complaint was that it hurts to eat that much and laugh so hard in stays. Ouchie!

I was quite pleased with how my dress turned out, given that I did a tremendous amount of finishing work in the car on the way up! When I wear it again, there are definitely some things I will change, but for being my first francaise and working without a pattern, I think it looks pretty good! The color looked really pretty in candlelight (though it does look weird in some of the photos) and it is absolutely the most rustle-y dress I've ever made, which is always a benefit!

I took a ton of pictures, but at least 75% of them are blurry and/or dark. Boo. Here are a few of my favorites:

I've added the rest to a google album right here. Hopefully you can all see it. If not, let me know and I'll put them somewhere else!

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:32:54 GMT

I was hoping I would get a chance to put up more pictures before the Francaise Party tomorrow, but it isn't done yet! All I have left to do are to attach the sleeve flounces, hem the gown itself, and trim the stomacher. Hopefully I can get that all done in before we leave at 11 AM and maybe do the stomacher in the car.

I was seriously slowed down by grinding indecision when it came to my trimming. I pinned, unpinned, and repinned the trim on the skirt three different times tonight, and I'm still not happy with it, but it will have to do!

I promise to take many pictures!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:52:50 GMT

Robings: HOW THE F*** DO THEY WORK?

(I am frustrated...)

(However I am also having fun doing the sparkly and pretty bits of the gown! It's just these stupid construction things that are bothering me!)

The big green sacque

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:13:54 GMT

Despite my lack of posting, I have been sewing away on my sack back! I was sorta willy-nilly with the construction, combining Katherine's wonderful tutorial for draping a sack with some of the gowns in Patterns of Fashion. Then I filled in the blanks. There are a few fitting issues that I'm not thrilled about- I have some wrinkling under the arms that I can't seem to resolve and the pleats only fall perfectly when they are arranged- but I'm actually pretty thrilled with it! It doesn't have sleeves, trimming or a stomacher yet, but I've still got 6 days for that!

My hoops- small, but still a devil of a thing to try and maneuver around in!

Petticoat- unhemmed and untrimmed!

And the gown itself!

Pocket hoops...

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:18:53 GMT

Question: With a petticoat that goes over pocket hoops, do you do side slits like a traditional petti or does the slit go in the back? It feels weird to cut into the side pleats, but I can see problems arising with a back slit.

Also: Pockets hoops=world's greatest cat toy!

My first Franciaise!

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:02:58 GMT

OOooofffhhh...Sack Backs are hard! I am having a devil of a time making this thing work- and the looming deadline isn't helping.

So far the back pleats are done and look pretty good, but I'm having issues with making it work over skirt supports. I just don't really get how the pleats go together.

fiddle...fiddle...fiddle...

2011 year in review

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:51:41 GMT

I did my year in review over on the blogspot: Ladies in Fashion

It was the year of bonnets and Regency, two new-to-me things! I had fun sewing this year!

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:16:12 GMT

Stolen from silkfrocks because it seems like a good way to sum this year up!

List three costuming goals for 2012?
1. Make one to-sell bonnet every month
2. Continue my foray into the early 19th Century
3. 1912. Something about 1912.

Favorite all time costume movie/series of 2011?
Downton Abbey, for introducing me to the true beauty of that period!

Most fabulous fabric purchase of 2011?
12 yards of a glorious sea green silk taffeta for a project that I need to GET ON RIGHT NOW

What is the first costume event in 2012?
This weekend! A 12th night party in North Carolina, then a dinner party in February, which requires the previous green silk

Memorable costuming moment of 2011?
Not really a moment, but having bonnet making finally click for me!

Briefly compare your costume aesthetic from when you began creating dress to now.
Hmmm...Accuracy, I suppose? But that has come more from skill than desire.

Most anticipated costume movie and or book for 2012?
I actually can't think of anything. I am pretty out of the loop for upcoming things!

Pinterest!

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:21:35 GMT

I finally joined pinterest! It seems like a really easy way to keep track of the things I run across in my browsing, and so far I am loving it. I think I follow everyone who I am facebook friends with, but I know there are a lot of you who aren't on facebook, and I would LOOOOOOOVE to see the gorgeous things you find! Please leave me a link to your profile! I'm at: http://pinterest.com/damesalamode/

Has it really been since September that I posted?

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:42:30 GMT

Because that is embarrassing, and I apologize! About 2 days after I posted that, my boss got fired and I was promoted to event coordinator at the historic B&B where I work. It's really wonderful, and I enjoy the work so much, but it has eaten my life! Why do people only want to get married on Saturdays? Sheesh! :)

So I've been working like a fool and haven't had a weekend off since September (with the exception of going out of town for one weekend), which has really cut into my sewing and socializing time! I've had to miss several fun events put on my the lovely sewing ladies of the Mid-Atlantic, and I miss them all like crazy.

More related to my LJ, I haven't sewn a stitch in months. I've really lost my inspiration, which is very frustrating in a year when I've created a surprising amount of new stuff, given my output over the last few years. I have in the last few days forced myself to finally embark on a sack back gown, which I have a looming deadline for, so hopefully that will pull me back in the groove!

I'll try to be good about posting updates on the sack!

Made anything based on fashion plates

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:33:58 GMT

Hello lovely and talented costumers! I'd really like to start doing a feature on my fashion plate blog showcasing costumers who have made stuff based on fashion plates. The scope of my blog is from 1770-1850, but I'm happy to feature any eras. If you've ever made anything based on a fashion plate, I'd love to do a little write up on it! All I need is an image of the original plate, at least one image of your recreation, and a link I can post about you (if you want me to). I average about 800 readers a day (which...holy crap!), so I could get you some good publicity, I hope!

Interested? Just comment with a link if you have one (I can pull what I need from your site) or email me at ladiesinfashion at gmail dot com!

You guys are so talented and fabulous and inspirational that I want to spread you around!

Dress U special stuff!

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:43:17 GMT

Hi friends! For those of y'all going to Dress U (and I hope that is ALL of you!) (Except Aubry, she's excused...) what of the special events are y'all doing? I'm not sure what is going to get in the way of my classes, but if everyone is going the Titanic dinner or the Jampagne party, I want to come too!

Another one...

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 22:17:20 GMT

Bandwagon? Who me?

http://ladiesinfashion.blogspot.com/

Clear your stash and get a free bonnet!

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:23:38 GMT

Howdy friends! As of last night I'm currently caught up with all of my bonnet comissions (sarahnucci yours is coming soon!). Last week I organized all of my bonnet-making silk and I've realized that I'm low on a few colors, so I have a proposition for all my sewing friends! I am looking for remnants of silk taffeta to fill my stash! They don't need to be huge, but they can't be tiny. I need pieces at least 25x45, and preferably they would be at least a yard. I'm willing to trade one of my soft crown, untrimmed bonnets for a total of 6 yards of silk taffeta. I'll do a soft-crowned, trimmed bonnet for 7 yards. I'll ship them to the Continental US for free. I'm happy to do a trade with you if you live somewhere else, I just may need to charge you for shipping. I can either use a piece of silk that I have or that you send me. If you have something special that you would like me to use (to match a dress for example) just send it along. If you want a specific color that I don't have, I can special order silk for you, but I would have to charge you for that part of the bonnet. Essentially I'm trading my labor for your silk and throwing in anything I have on hand for free.

Here are a few of my bonnets to get an idea: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150285744998664.360898.502668663&l=ddc1c2873a&type=1 Either the 18th Century or one of the Regency bonnets are available- your choice!

They are 100% handsewn and carefully made. I don't skimp on any steps- we're talking lined buckram, millinery wire, and crinoline tape!

Preferably there would be a variety of colors, but if you have a big hunk of something that you aren't going to use, let's chat about it! The colors I am really looking for are blues, greens, gold, white, and silver, but I'm really up for anything. I'm mostly looking for solids and stripes, but there may be some prints that are OK- just show me what you've got!

Pretty much my only stipulations are that the fabric be large enough for me to use and it MUST be silk taffeta. I don't use dupioni, so slubby silks are out! I'm also not looking for synthetics- 100% silk only, please. My bonnets are historically accurate, so I won't compromise that point.

So! If you're looking to clean out your stash and you'd like a pretty new bonnet, I'm your girl! Shoot me an email at tayloropolis at gmail dot com if you are interested! (And feel free to share with your friends!)

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:38:05 GMT

Well friends! I've been meaning to post about my Laure Bro voile gown, but I can't seem to find the time to put it on and take some pictures. I've had SOME time in the last few weeks, but it has been raining every time the opportunity has arisen! Frustrating.

Mostly I've been making bonnets lately (I feel like that is all I do, and honestly, it is mostly all I WANT to do!). I've been struggling with the idea of making stovepipe bonnets for months now, and I just couldn't get it to work. I eventually broke down and bought a pattern in Etsy, even though I didn't like the look of it much. It turned out to be terrible looking when I made it, too, but making that one and then fixing all of the problems I had with it gave me a good pattern and some good practice, and I'm really pleased with my first one:

I had some leftover pieces of the grey, and they looked so gorgeous with a yellow taffeta I had that I threw together a soft-crown bonnet as well! I can't believe how easy these seem after wrestling with the stovepipe. I guess the fact that I've made about twenty of the now helps, too! The yellow and grey turned out so cute. I think this may be my favorite bonnet I've ever made!

(By the way, both of these are for sale on Etsy if you're interested!)

Strangely, I don't have a single thing on my sewing radar. I'm going to Ft. Ticonderoga at the beginning of September for a Rev War event, but I like wearing my old stuff to those because it is nice and worn in! Come on inspiration- give me some guidance!

By the way, you all looked AH MAZING at Costume College! It was so fun seeing all of your pictures!

Housekeeping note

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:17:39 GMT

Due to the large amount of spam I've been getting on old posts, I had to turn on comment moderation for all non-LJ users. If you aren't an LJ user, I'm very sorry! Hopefully this can be resolved, LiveJournal!

Other exciting news!

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 01:33:45 GMT

I finally have kitties again! These two little precious darlings came home to live with me today!

The tabby cat is a boy. We've named him Monty, short for Monticello. The black one is a girl and in honor of Bastille Day we've named her Liberte and will call her Libby for short.

I'm in love!

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:07:14 GMT

NOTE: I wrote this post two days ago and LJ ate it. In my frustration I ignored it for two days and I just popped in and here it is! Yay!

Wow...sorry for the lack of updates! I'm actually almost finished with the gown!

Try #2 resulted in perfect sleeves that I couldn't be happier with! I couldn't determine if the original gown had lined sleeves or not, so I made up the sleeves in voile and put them on with the intention that I would put little close fitting sleeves under them if I didn't like how it looked, but I ended up LOVING the sleeves that are just done in voile:

Having the sleeves done only in voile really gives it the appearance of an overdress, which I love.

After taking care of those, I moved on to the skirt. Like the bodice, I made it in two pieces, one linen and one voile and then gathered them together into the bodice. The linen gives the dress a surprising amount of weight, and it isn't nearly as floaty and ethereal as it looks!

The back is still pinned together, as you can see, so I need to add those buttonholes and then I'm almost done.

The biggest bit?

Still LOTS of work to be done on the hem!

***That's where the original post ended***

Since I posted that, I've now put FIVE tucks in the hem of the gown, and I'm sorry to say that I need at least one more and maybe two. I really wanted to incorporate the selvedge edge of the voile since it is so lovely, so I used the entire width of the fabric for the skirts. I trimmed the top part off, but obviously not enough. Despite having more tucks than the original gown and them being incredibly tedious to do, I am absolutely in love with this gown! Even though I don't really like Regency fashion and I don't really like white dresses, this is one of my favorite things I've ever made! I can't wait to wear it on Saturday and show you all the complete pictures.

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:41:43 GMT

Sleevil. I has it.

Slower than I wanted

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 01:25:18 GMT

Well, I didn't get to the sleeves today. Part of that was because of an unexpected tangle with local bureaucracy this afternoon that ate up a few of my hours, but mostly it is the damn fiddly voile! It just takes me longer than anticipated to do anything with it.

But! I don't want to complain because it is actually coming along really, really well! This is the first regency gown I've made that is actually pulling together smoothly, which is such a relief. I can't remember the last time I put on a bodice and was truly pleased with it.

It does hit me a little lower than Laure's, but I also have a bizarrely long decolletage.

Not being able to see the back, I made it up. I liked the idea of carrying the gathered voile across the back as well, and though I think I went a little overboard on how much fabric I included in the back, I do really like the effect.

Forgive the scandalous back showing! I'm not wearing my shift (good heavens!). Right now it is just pinned, but I'm going to put three or four little buttons on the back closure. One thing I'm really not pleased with is the puckering of the back/side seam. I know why- I stitched in the ditch to hold the two fabric layers together, and it ruined the smoothness of the voile. Bah.

Seriously though, if that is the worst thing I can find with it, I'm pretty darn happy!

(And I went looking for forearm length white leather gloves and HOLY CRAP are they expensive! Guess I'll pass on that part of her outfit!)

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 01:33:35 GMT

Hahahaha! Pictures? Let me tell you what doesn't photograph well: piles of wobbly, diaphanous voile! Also, the pieces of regency gowns aren't terribly interesting- enormous rectangles and teeeeeeny little bodice bits! The voile is as irritating to work with as I anticipated. It frays like a sumbitch and it is so delicate that it feels like I am sewing nothing- very hard to get the tension I need to get nice, even handstitches. Ah well!

Progress marches on! I've decided to make it a two layer dress. I'm not entirely sure how the one in the painting works- it is a separate underdress and overdress? For simplicity sake, I've just sandwiched them together. Still two dresses but they will be made together as one. So far I have the bodice mostly done- both linen and voile. I've got them half-stitched half-pinned together now and I am busy sewing down a self bias binding on the neckline of the voile to hold all of my gathers in place. I wasn't planning on doing that first, by the determination of the voile to unravel all over my living room rushed that process along.

tomorrow: SLEEEEEEEEVIL.

(Oh, and I broke down and ordered some blue silk ribbon.)