steampunk with a chance of snow on Saturday

I haven't seen snow or snow falling since I left London in January 1987, and even though pretty it's not fun to live in if you don't have the right clothes or equipment.

Tomorrow afternoon I'm going over the mountains to Lithgow, for a fun weekend.  Steampunk Saturday at a historic house, and a restaurant is havng their annual Xmas in Winterfell feast. They even cater for the freaky food people like me :D

I only hope my stupidly-still-claggy lungs don't chuck a hissy fit.  It's not the cold weather (or cold virus) that triggered the asthmatic-bronchitis but it doesn't help them recover.

Oh, why have I mentioned snow?  It's winter here below the equator, and Lithgow is colder than Sydney. They have a forecast for snow on Sunday and Monday, with a possible snow on Saturday arvo too.

I'm packing my knee high boots, and my Lamia skirt to go over the one I usually baste shorter cos I want the airflow when it's 37Celsius.  I've never needed wool petticoats, but I can see where one would be useful at times like this.  If this becomes a regular event, I might make one from stash fabric.

Anyway, the costume I'm in below (Ironfest in 2011) is what I'm going to wear tomorrow with fur hat & stole. I'll need the warmth. I'm planning to layer a second linen skirt as well.

bloomer steampunk is a winner

Yesterday I was able to go to the ASG 'industry day' thanks to the kindness of one of the other members, who's blog is Petite and Sewing. There was trackwork on the line to Wollongong, and I could never ever have sat on a railbus - physically incapable until my knee improves.

In the morning, there were a couple of  program parts by people, a couple of textile and other medium artists, and a woman who'd written a how to draft bodices (24 I think) from a basic shell that fits.  And in the arvo the parade with some of the stashbusting entrants.  There were some fabulous entries, and I was approx 60 metres short of standing a chance to win.

The winner had made 90-something metres and only 15cm ie 6" more yardage than the 2nd place winner.

I got to give a few words explaining steampunk, and spruik costuming & the ACG. yayyy.

To my huge suprise I won the judges choice of 'most unusual' for my bloomer steampunk :D  I got to pick from a table with some books and fabric - 1 from each.   This was my choice - I nearly said no to more fabric.  If I can't think of something good to use this as, I'll give it away. it's 2.5m of 150cm wide.  I also picked the DVD instead of the books. It covers stuff I already know but will be interesting to see and to loan to newer costumers.

If I've got this right, the stashbusting comp was started when a local member died suddenly early this year, and to quote the presenter "she won" ie who dies with the most fabric wins.  So I'm not sure if these came from her stash - they've been selling it off for some time.  It was originally a local group comp but became a statewide one.

steampunk bloomer costume finished ... and other things sewn from stash

I've not posted as I seemed to spend so much time doing things while on holiday and not so much posting or reading of my fave blogs.  Anyways, this post is more about my finished costumes and less about what I did on hols with my friends.

I got a regency sacque hat hand sewn (I know, me hand sewing!) for a heritage ball

And then I made my steampunk bloomer costume, using 9.5m of stash fabric. hurrah!  I'm pretty happy with it, using the Past Patterns bloomer pattern for the skirt & bloomers, and Truly Victorian 1859 pagoda bodice for the top. I need more accessories, and to make a corded petticoat to poof out the skirt as that's the look I'm after. I just didn't have time to sew it.

 

And then in crazy sewing marathon til 2.30am I cut and sewed my steampunk regency dress, again I've hat, parasol and other accessories in mind to make for it too.

Given I do grog & green selling with my napoleonic group, we decided the key is to the rum cupboard.

another stashbusting idea for this month

Ever since I heard of Trevithick's steam carriage of 1803 (!!!!) I thought that my steampunk options were much earlier than they had been.

4 years ago I got this fabric with the idea of making a Pride & Prejudice & Zombies inspired regency dress, and yesterday I had the flash if inspiration to use it for a steampunk regency outfit for my 2nd day at Steamfest.  I have underpinnings already, and will be taking them with me anyway for the heritage ball the first weekend I'm there.  I also have a bib-front pattern that works. :D  It's a quick dress to make, comparatively.



And because it's historical inspired, I had the idea of making a mini back pack wiith smallish bat wings attached. My brain has started running around in crazy making circles of squeeee.  I've got my costume parasol to recover - an easy thing cos it's tiny.  I may use this fabric and line it with black.

The possibilities are swirling.  Ahh the giddy rush of fresh costume-crack.

A nerdgasm was also induced at the discovery that someone made working version of it 200 years later!  Only the 2nd working version of it ever. Trevithick crashed his on the 2nd outing. oopsie.

a dizzying round to end procrastination

Bolting out the door of sanity and running madly past the ideas of which corset I actually will make to wear with my next steampunk and my Ma Dola costumes. And others.

I'm tempted to make an 1860s, as that's suitable for both these ideas, but then my brain says make 1880s and then you can use it for both ... even though there are differences with the ideal body shape for these decades.

Once the costume is made to fit over the corset, it's the one I'll have to keep using.  I've got a scaled/sized up copy of the 1868 Foy patent which a former LJer sent me, and the red/black 1860 corset on the cover of Salen's Corsets book. Which I'd need to size/scale up.

Also in my grabby hands are the scale patterns by Hunnesett (late 1870s?), Salen's exotic 1880s, Salen's 1890s pretty housemaid, Salen's large blue jean corset (1890s) which is almost my size, Corsets & Crinoline's 1880s, and ageless #1298 (1890s) which also needs grading to size.

I may just flat measure the foy pattern and see if it's close to my size or not. Otherwise I may just plump for the red/black (looks to be about 24"+lacing gap waist).

I can dither forever but I need to decide really quickly so I can mock it up this weekend.

stashbusting for the corded petticoat

aiyyy, much as I'd love to be buying cotton organdy for my corded petticoat, I'm not going to.  I gave myself a mental headslap as I've 3 lengths of white hanky-weight linen in my stash. I've got 5 linen chemises already and even if I make a bodiced petticoat with one length, that still leaves 2 sitting waiting to be used. And are money already spent!

Corded linen petticoats are period so I need to just do it! Lunchtime tomorrow I'll go to the knitting shop in the city and get some heavier crochet cotton to use so that I have all the things, and can start it as soon as my Winterfest sewing is done.

Yesterday i didn't get anything sewing done, I've a mild headache that's been around for a few days. And I worked late, which is good as I need to make up time already taken. By the time I got home at 7.30pm I was tired, grumpy, hungry and my inner toddler was in ascendency. Time for takeaway, avoiding the news/interwebs cos of that stoopid sports match that was on which I have zero interest in. Along with an early to bed to get some zzz.  Except I had a crap night sleep due to being woken up by neighbours etc. Oh and I remembered dreaming - an anxiety one where I had so many deadlines and the only way I could finish everything was to do a bit of everything each day.  Oddly enough just like my real life scenario.

If I can do a couple of rows of my corded petti each day then I won't be spending my week's holiday before Steamfest sewing endless row after row of cording.

Ironfest: Steampunk in 2011

Ironfest's theme for 2011 was steampunk, and I just had to get there for at least 1 day.

 

and I made sure to wear my grey ribbon for May - Zombie Awareness Month