the best of the shoes I've made

I designed, drafted, stitched & lasted them.  I also built up the lasts to fit my feet ... and my teachers were suprised how accurately I was able to mirror image the sanding - purely by eyeball.  Actually they were dead impressed, especially when I got out the tape measure and they were spot on.  It helps to be visually dominant.

These are the shoes I'm most proud of.  I mostly made sandals as it's almost impossible to buy them for my bricklike feet. I made a couple of disasters (wedge mules that were ugly fugly clumpen disasters and I only recently threw away).  Now I wish I'd taken decent photos of my sandals (all 11 of them) when they were shiny & new ...and before they'd had a few years of use.



another pic, just cos

Redcoats & Convicts at Hyde Park Barracks

The re-enactment group I'm in  was asked to be convicts for the day as they were needed for the event as much as Redcoats.  I don't have british naval kit so I wore my newish open robe & crazy cap and played at an older version of Sarah Rose, transported for 14 years for stealing fabric & lace. 




At lunchtime-ish we convicts got to have a feast that was to re-create the celebration in 1818 for King Williams birthday  put on by Governor Macquarie.  It was all "men" at the feast cos there wouldn't have been any women at it back in 1818,  though I did sneak in before it was properly over to the scandal of the cooks.
 

We even had someone play Gov Macquarie's role so later in the afternoon I went up & asked him for permission to get married as convict women had to get the Gov's permission.  He kept asking if my intended was of good character & all I could care about was that he had land! 
I did get my photo with a proper lady, who probably wouldn't have been at the prison barracks back in 1818 but the organisers wanted a broader social status range at the event.  The other person played a convict pick pocket hence why he was getting closer to pinch something off her person.

two Lamias at Sydney Supanova

I'm hoping to be able to find & afford to replace the bemsilk for real silk suffolk puffs on the bodice. It was the best option at the time, to simply get Lamia to a wearable stage. Given that I only bought the lining fabrics on Thursday evening and spent quite a bit of Saturday at Supanova sitting at the back of guest panels making the puffs, it could be far worse.  I had another 20 that I could have sewn onto it, but I'd reached midnight, which was my self imposed deadline.

After dying all the other fabrics, drafting the bodice twice, well I had so many silly things go wrong that I was starting to think it was jinxed.  In a couple of months I'm visiting a silk shop (interstate) that has big range of real silk linings.

I also need to get a better wig ... this was the 2nd one I bought and I'm still not happy.  The first was too brassy so I looked jaundiced nor do I look all pink in the face, plus wig #1 turned out to be a small skull size and mine is broad scale.  Wig #2 is too pale and not wavy enough but at least I'm not jaundiced.



Another photo that better hides the lack of suffolk puffs on the bodice.

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

1790s open robe inspired by Costume in Detail

I really wanted a regency open robe, and didn't want to have exactly what was in Janet Arnold's patterns of Fashion, so fortunately I had a memory of something in Costume in Detail (Nancy Bradfield) which a friend brought with her for a visit earlier in April.

Inspired by the 1790s open robe we mocked up a pattern based on my Period Impressions robe anglaise.


I had the indienne print cotton that I bought late last year in two pieces.  I'm amazed that I've used almost all of it.  The skirt was pleated for all but 2" of the 2.5m length I bought to make sure that I had enough.  It's attached with the selvedge running along the waist ... we decided (ie my roomies at JAFA) that the indienne print was busy & rotational enough for it not be be obvious that the bodice was cut in one grain and the skirt the other.  El Presidente pinned up the hem as the back waistline was intentionally raised at centre back, and the hem was just basted flat. At some point that will be turned into a small rolled hem. A period finish & all there's room for at the centre back.  I need to finish sewing all the hooks & eyes on the bodice centre front ... I only got 2 sewn before I had to wear it!

El Presidente also helped me get the sleevil defeated far to easily. She is a maestro of technique!  I spent Saturday hand sewing the sleeve hem, prick stitching the front edges together and pinning the skirt into place - I eyeballed the pleats & pinned them into place, being very thankful that by the time I got to the other side I had a teency bit of fabric left over and wasn't a teency bit short of fabric. 

I have about 60cm left to make the winged cuffs, plenty and they shall be done this year.



 

copying a Regency reticule, and a pink bonnet

I based my reticule on one that was for sale on www.vintagetextiles.com a couple of years ago. Though that one had embroidery on the sides.  I had intended to pipe the edges of the front & back, gather the side and sew the front & back onto the gathered strip.  Except that I forgot this when making it. So I gathered the sides on the piping and stitched that onto the front, and then the back.  I'm going to find a light weight cord to use for the draw strings as the ribbon is pretty but seems out of scale. The original had white cord not ribbon.


And having already made a red linen bonnet, I was less than impressed with working with silk. I'd thought to cut wider seam allowances than directed but crown section was trying to fray to nothingness in a couple of places.  There's more hand sewing than I really like, but I have to admit that it was worth it.   I put it on a wig on my wig stand  (easier to frame the shot).

Selma Bouvier goes to a party

Mrs Miggins you shall go to the Ball

It was so much fun being the cracked Mrs Miggins and I'm so happy with how this costume turned out.  The only thing I'd like to change is the stays I wear underneath.   With my pink cable tie version, I still get a shelf for cameras, but the bodice is curved not flat. I don't think it's possible to get completely flat, unless my chest is under my neck. Though I'd like to get it closer to period.

Though I do work as a pillow