The Couture Courtesan

Home...

2009-11-27T05:15:22Z

... and exhausted. I had a really lovely time though. The hotel was a complete dream come true; built in 1897 and appropriately furnished. No TVs. Afternoon tea every day. Befriended a charming British couple and we chatted about historical buildings and history in general (they live in a 16th century vicarage). Really delightful people, and it felt so quaint and perfectly Victorian to make friends in a hotel during tea. You know, the kind who end up touring the rest of the Continent with you because you hit it off so splendidly. ;)

The funniest moment: "You look like you ran right out of the 1920s!!"

Ah... okay... :-P

Tomorrow I'm going to Joann. Call me crazy, but the sale is huge and there are essentials I need. Like another bolt of muslin for mock-ups and various undergarment type things. And plain black cotton broadcloth for the Emma dress. I'm furthering my insanity by wanting new stays and a farthingale for court stuff. I'll even do them on the machine and use metal grommets, I just want them DONE. I think this is quite doable, but I wouldn't be able to get started until the end of the semester in two weeks. Then it's power sewing time! :D

Samantha: A Victorian Romance

2009-11-24T02:32:21Z

:D

Now for the cap! And I have a strong desire to remake this dress in proper black wool. This silk suiting is really horrid stuff, always rubbing off black on my white underthings. I'm loving prancing around in a maid's outfit. There's something very fun about being working class!

Civil War "pinner" version:

Randomsauce

2009-11-23T08:46:24Z

Watched all of "Emma: A Victorian Romance." I'm in love. The story is sweet and less cliche than you'd think, there's actual character development, and the clothing is SPOT ON. Pretty much a dream come true for me. But as a result, I'm making a quick white apron and cap for a maid's outfit. Plan to wear it with my black mourning dress to Knott's in February and have fun as a lady's maid.

Birthday dress bodice is pretty much complete so it's onto the skirt. Decided to make the train detachable so I can have the shorter version to wear when space is cramped and there's lots of people around.

Frantically searching for court dress fabric... My mom has volunteered to take me to LA this Saturday for the fabric safari. I have a good feeling I'll find something there, but this is the first time the internet has failed me! I normally find great things online! Oh well. Winter break is going to consist entirely of whipping this thing up (which I know I can do quickly, especially on a machine) but it's embellishment that's going to take a lot of time. Trying not to panic. I can do it. I've done crazier things! I've decided to deconstruct the stamped velvet bodice since it fits perfectly and "recover" it with whatever fabric I end up choosing. That'll save loads of time!

I still need to order fabric for my bonnet! I've got everything now (even trim) and I'd love to get started, but that can't happen til I have fabric. But looking at my work load, I don't think I'll get to it until after the court dress deadline (Feb. 27).

My first semester of college is almost over. It went by surprisingly fast. I actually think I might be able to stick it out another year, but we'll see. I'm just feeling horribly restless, and I'm hoping that next semester I'll get a reprieve from that. New classes mean new faces. And I'm hoping there are a few handsome male faces in there. Handsome male faces who like history and are gentlemanly.

Haha yeah right. Back to sewing.

The Fabulous Dress Musings

2009-11-19T10:28:07Z

Alright, here's what I have so far:

The hat:

The shoes:

The dress fabric:

The trim fabric (originally for the Frilly Friday dress; it wasn't quite right, so I'm going to find something else for the FF dress):

The preliminary sketch:

Underskirt will be alternating rows of pink and cream tulle. *squee!*

Oh and... this will be my Gala dress for CoCo '10!!!!!!

Psst! Hey guys! Look what I got!

2009-11-18T10:49:15Z

And I'm making a fabulous fantasy 18th century dress to go with it. For my 19th birthday (yeah, it's 5 months away...). I'm trying to find somewhere really smashing to wear it, but any decent club is 21+. So frustrating!!!! :-/

I have to thank the ex-manfriend for the hat. What a doll... He's gonna hold onto it until my birthday. It's only fair! I really don't deserve it and I'm in total shock! Wow... If I don't have a killer place to wear this thing, I don't know what I'll do!

Okay... sleep? Sleep!

Gee, that was fast!

2009-11-17T07:37:08Z

Ummm guys... I just entirely hand sewed a dress in three days... O.o

Just needs hooks and eyes (which are at home. Forgot to bring them up to school with me...) and trim. I have my lovely navy blue velvet ribbon but... What do I do with it?? Suggestions? :]

Who am I?

2009-11-17T01:56:11Z

*tries not to get the Les Mes song stuck in her head*

Perusing NPR online. They've started a series on race, and this article/interview really struck me, because it was so pertinent to me.
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php

I've always gotten questions about my race. When I was little, my friends would ask some insensitive questions. I would get so upset when kids told racist Asian jokes. But... I was only half Chinese. So why should it bother me? It did.

My father is white (and 1/8 Native American). My mother is Chinese. She was adopted by my American grandfather and my Japanese grandmother who he brought over from Japan. She grew up "white". I grew up "white" too. I never had the cultural values or traditions that other Asian kids in my high school had (in my private Catholic school I was one of 3 Asian students). So I wasn't really Asian. But I wasn't really white. One of the things I hate so much is filling in those damn "race" boxes on tests. I've taken to marking "decline to state" because it angers me so much. Screw your demographics. It doesn't and shouldn't matter what race I am when I'm taking this test. But that's an entire rant in itself, and for another day...

In the 21st century, and since I've grown and matured as a person, I can accept being of mixed race. I've gotten more compliments on how I look than any kind of derogatory remarks (in fact, I've never gotten ANY derogatory remarks about my heritage).

It's... in the 19th or 18th or 16th centuries that I start to hate myself. And I mean, literally, hate. Because people "like me" didn't exist then. And when I strive to be as accurate as possible, I can only be accurate to a point because I, as a human being, am not "accurate."

My fear is that I won't be able to get any farther with a hobby that I love. What "hardcore" reenacting group or historical site is going to have me? There are plenty of nice ways of saying, "Sorry, you're not white." This in an area that I have gotten some very, very hurtful remarks. I've caught myself thinking "What would I trade to be fully white?" It's an irrational, damaging thought process, but one that seems to creep up on me all too often.

I don't know exactly how to reconcile this. I know that as an American, I have just as much claim to my nation's history as anybody else. My concern is that other people won't understand this...

En garde!

2009-11-16T07:04:30Z

In response to dandytailor 's challenge:

Dorm desk Christmas tree! Sure, it's not even December, but I love Christmas!

And finally, the hem facing on the teen dress. Because I love hem facings. Almost as much as I love Christmas! Almost...

I am sixteen going on seventeen...

2009-11-15T23:59:31Z

At least I wish I was! I love how my teen dress is coming along. The skirt is all put together and has the right amount of fullness to look nice on my cage! I can't believe i squeezed a dress out of 4 7/8 yards! :D

I made a boo boo, though, and didn't give myself enough fabric in the back to fold over an inch on each side. Not sure how I'm going to solve that... or how I'll do the closures... hmmm... :-/

I went to Joann's and bought myself a bunch of pretty coral beads, silk thread, and clasps and myself a coral necklace to go with the dress. Coral was wildly popular midcentury, especially for children (I think they believed it was good luck or offered protection of some sort?). I'm really proud of myself haha. I just love wearing it! Think I'll wear it every day!

Don't you just love my chemise??? :-P

A Good Haul

2009-11-15T09:19:12Z

So I lost my brand new AP Gov text book last year and had to pay for it, but the school found it and sent me a big check! This of course necessitated buying lots of lovely sewing things!

I bought scads of silk ribbon. Dark teal, cream edged in brown, and a very wide pink for my bonnet!! The others will be for hair net trim or other such accessories. (Pink ribbon is wider than appears...)

Next, SILK whitework... I am agog. Didn't know the stuff existed! I'm going to make a pretty set of collar, cuffs, and undersleeves with it. :D (Bloody expensive stuff!)

Some velvet leaves for my bonnet.

And navy velvet ribbon for my teen dress, shown with the fabric. Bodice is about 98% complete. Onto the skirt!

We've. Got. Elegance.

2009-11-13T23:54:32Z

I FINALLY got to sew! I feel "right" again. :]

Finished the late 1890s jacket! I can't stress how much better it looks in person than in these pictures. My Mac doesn't take the best pictures, especially compared to my camera, but I lost the battery... :-P

The red is much richer. It's so simple, but really elegant, I think. And the fur collar really makes it. My grandmother gave it to me many years ago, and I just kept it stowed away until the perfect project came along.

Also I hope it all looks better when my hair is actually done...

Okay... time for the blouse. Should finish it quickly, except for the closures. Ewww... buttons... :-/

I... don't know what to do...

2009-11-13T07:14:21Z

My parents talked to my GE about my biopsy results since I was at school.

There's no cancer, as we thought. But it was in the stage right before cancer. So we caught it. I will not die of colon cancer.

But... he also said that this is not something dietary or environmental.

It's genetic.

I could have... a genetic predisposition for... cancer.

He suggested getting a mammogram soon. And a pap smear, but I get those yearly so there isn't a rush. I'm getting an upper endoscopy in January.

I'm scared. I'm not ashamed to say it. I still need genetic testing and whatnot to confirm his theory but... Gee. I don't even know what to think right now. My GE is incredibly invested in "my case." I feel like I am in very good hands. He's busy researching the best geneticist out there. He said I'm one of those cases you "take home with you" at the end of the day.

I thought this was the end... but it's only the beginning. :-/

This not sewing thing is driving me nuts!

2009-11-11T19:56:59Z

There is so much to do when I get home. I've never wanted to sew this badly in my entire life! I normally do bring something to school to work on, but I didn't have any time to grab something after my procedure and before leaving for the reenactment. So I've pretty much been going nuts over here.

I *gasp* put together the 1890s jacket on the machine... I feel like a really horrible person. I never sew on a machine. Ever. Heck, if it's anything more than a straight stitch, I don't even know how to use a machine. It's a miracle I can wind a bobbin (and even THAT doesn't always go over well...). I love the intimate control you have over hand sewing. But I consoled myself by thinking that I need to get the jacket and the waist done very quickly (because of my extreme CADD for one thing) and that hand sewing was pretty much out by the 1890s.

However, I'm still gathering and setting the sleeves by hand, and the collar as well. I'll probably finish the edges by hand too (it's unlined.. hmmm...). I can see myself finish the waist in an hour or two, which is actually rather exciting. I want to get going on my "Teenager's Last Hurrah" dress: an 1860s dress of printed cotton in the typical children's style of short sleeves and boat neck.

I have only 4 7/8 yards of 45" fabric to make this dress, hence the teen style. But the fabric was too pretty (and perfectly period) to pass up. I found this image as inspiration. The sleeves are tiny and will save on fabric. Gathered bodice on a waistband. Shorter skirt.

I've got the OK from the Sewing Academy experts and can't wait to get started! Should be a quick project, I think...

Retail Therapy...

2009-11-11T05:24:13Z

While I should technically have used this money on sewing necessities (trim for my new bonnet for one thing...), I could NOT resist these earrings. They are TOO PERFECT. I hope I can wear them as part of my Faire garb! If not, they were only $25, and I just loved them too much!

Finally!

2009-11-09T23:38:15Z

Some decent pictures of the Big Red Dress.

I redid the collar because the stand up collar was quite unflattering. I didn't post pictures of the first incarnation, which had a ruffle on the shoulder. Meh. Also unflattering. I'm much happier with this dress now!

Also retrimmed the bonnet. Still need flowers for inside the brim though...

Spoke too soon...

2009-11-07T20:19:09Z

I woke up at 4 am in horrible discomfort that bordered on pain.

So I'm not going to the event today...

Most likely it was air from the procedure that was still inside me. I'm not in any discomfort today. There's also the fact that I hadn't eaten any solid food in three days. So I forced down a bagel and yogurt this morning.

I'm really, really frustrated and angry that I can't go until tomorrow. I got my hopes up and they were very cruelly dashed. There was really no reason for me not to feel well. Everyone feels perfectly fine afterward... I don't know what's wrong, or if anything really is wrong. I just wanted this all to be over, and it's not quite over yet.

Ugh...

Home from the Hospital!!!

2009-11-07T02:08:03Z

And boy do I feel great!

They removed Paul the freakishly large polyp, and my GE said that when he cut Paul open, there were no signs of cancer!!!!!!!!!

The anesthesia was fun hehe.

I am just so relieved... My GE said I had the polyp for FIVE YEARS. Polyps become cancerous after 5-10 years, so it's really incredible they took it out now, since it would be cancerous in just a few years for sure.

Wow... just wow... so relieved it's not cancer.

However, there's still more tests to be done. An upper endoscopy to check for more polyps (in my stomach) and then a slew of genetic tests to figure out why I had Paul in the first place. My GE said "genetic mutation" haha. Fun. :]

But wow... I am going to have so much fun this weekend, even though I can't dance (no aerobic activity or heavy lifting). I'm just so relieved I don't have cancer.

I had a tasty milkshake to celebrate (no solid food until tomorrow). Best tasting milkshake EVER.

Ladies and Gentlemen

2009-11-06T06:16:45Z

We can has 1890s jacket.

Everything came today! Antique pattern and some really nice heavy red wool. It looks swell with the 1890s hat! I can't wait to get started, even though it means breaking the promise I made to finish my linen Regency dress. After all, I need the jacket in two weeks for my trip to Julian. And I was a good girl by finishing the silk Regency dress for Halloween. My only unfinished project really is the Elizabethan, since I scrapped the Alice dress and am finishing the paletot as we speak.

So tomorrow... after I come home from the hospital and eat dinner, there will be much cutting of wool before I'm off to see "The Woman in Black." I'm really excited to compare the London production with this production! Will it be scarier? I can't wait to find out!

Thinking On Screen

2009-11-06T04:54:52Z

For this weekend (because I AM going!!!):

*finish fur on paletot (almost done!)
*hooks on paletot
*hooks on plaid wool dress
*tuck in fancy petti
*look over green sage sheer (someone bought it! yay!)

I wish I had time to buy some flowers for my ball gown, but I also have no money. It feels horribly plain, even with my antique lace and silk bows. it needs flowers.... Or something...

And I'm halfway done with the prep! Other half tomorrow. It's really NOT BAD! Like, sure it tasted pretty nasty, but I only have to take 1 liter each day. And then the other part... Well that wasn't a big deal either! And seeing as how I got a sigmoidoscopy which is without a sedative of any kind, the colonoscopy should be a breeze. The only "hard" part will be dealing with the results, if indeed I have cancer. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

1890s Hat

2009-11-05T05:52:39Z

I trimmed my 1890s hat to make myself feel better. I think it's adorable! I need more hats from different eras... Bonnets are cute and all, but having a tiny, useless, and froofilly hat perched precariously on your head is so much fun!! :D

Velvet, silk, berries, feathers...

Hokay my pictures like to disappear wtf.

Worried, worried, worried...

2009-11-05T03:45:52Z

Colonoscopy this Friday.

Fine. I can deal.

But I'm pretty much freaking out that I won't be able to go to the Civil War reenactment on Saturday and Sunday. Everyone I know who's had a colonoscopy was perfectly fine later that day, so there is really no reason why I shouldn't be able to go. However, I'm concerned that my case will be different... since my polyp is large, that will somehow... I don't even know.

If I can't go... I don't even know what I'll do. I had to miss the last event. I'm going to be so hellishly depressed if I have to miss this event. I know I should be glad that at least my life is saved and I have many more events in front of me, but I am not ashamed to say that I WILL be a grouchy, resentful, hateful sourpuss this weekend if I can't go.

However, I tried on my red silk bodice without a corset and it fits (I've lost so much weight... :-/). So if for some reason I can't wear my corset (which makes little sense... it already doesn't nip me in very much, just smooths out lines. And I'm not having SURGERY, just getting the polyp snipped out) I can still wear the dress. I'll be unhappy with the imperfect lines, but at least I have something to wear. There's also my wrapper which I love, but that means I'll be confined to the camp. Meh...

Regency Halloween

2009-11-04T00:15:54Z

Well I had no motivation to finish the Alice dress. Not sure I ever will! I wanted to finish my steampunk outfit but ended up messing up the corset in my haste. So I decided to just wear my silk Regency dress that I hadn't gotten good pictures of and go as zombie Jane Austen. It was really fun, and I carried around a quill and leather notebook to complete the look. Kelsey did my make up which looked pretty awesome, although you can't see it in the pics because they were taken at the end of the night. It felt so good to wear a complete outfit I didn't have to worry about. Although the top two hooks kept coming undone. I hate back closing dresses!!

I pretty much LOVE this dress... I feel so elegant in it. I want to make a chemisette with a giant ruff for it too. How fun! But I don't need a Regency dress for anything soon. I wish I could go to the Jane Austen Evening! Oh! :-/

Also, a scandalous pic of me in my bodiced petticoat. It would be highly indecent for you to see a front view! Even so, it's remarkably supportive and comfortable!

I decided to continue my madness and trim the entire bottom of the paletot with fur. I'm about halfway done attaching the fur, then i'll need to finish the edge. Surprisingly, I can sew through the skin with a regular sharp needle. Yay! Because I'm too cheap and lazy to buy leather needles. :D

He's so good!

2009-10-29T03:18:16Z

Look what the ex-manfriend bought me! For our trip to Julian!

I can't wait to take off that horrid black bow and really decorate it! I love 1890s hats. They are SO ridiculous! It's going to have lots of feathers and berries and velvet. I'm so excited! :D

I've got heavy red wool for my jacket on the way, and am bidding on a pattern on Ebay. I hope it comes soon... I also finally picked out a wool flannel I like for a shirtwaist, as well as a silk for the other one. Buying fabric is incredibly soothing... It shows I'm thinking ahead and planning for a tumor-free future.

Good News and Bad News...

2009-10-27T23:58:22Z

I had my sigmoidoscopy today to look at the polyp.

it is a large, precancerous adenoma.

My GE kept saying over and over again how blessed I am that they caught it this early, because in 2 or 3 years it would have been cancer. I will be having a colonoscopy next Friday to have it removed, and get my biopsy results sometime before that. Then we'll know for sure.

The polyp has a stalk, which my GE says is a good thing, because he can snip it off. It also means it is less likely to be cancer, because the cancerous ones do not have stalks and are themselves on the colon wall. However, there is a chance the cancer could have spread from the stalk to the colon wall.

I figure it is a good thing it was caught this early, and that it's early enough that I have lots of options. Colonoscopy first. Surgery next. Chemotherapy and radiation last. This is all worst case scenario. Best case scenario, the polyp is removed, the cancer didn't spread, and that will be that. I no longer believe strongly in it being the first case scenario, though. That's not to say I'm a pessimist. But during all theses tests, everyone was saying it's nothing, and they turned out to be wrong. I'm tired of getting my hopes up, only to have things get worse each time. So I'm going to take the middle ground and be a realist about this whole thing.

If anything, it's helped me realize what is important in life, and what isn't worth worrying about. I'm not going to shut down because that would be ridiculous and a complete waste of my time. I am fully functioning and can do all the things I want to do. I'm especially NOT going to let another man EVER get me down or make me feel bad about myself. I'm gonna be one hell of a fighter once I get through with all this!

It's a sickness...

2009-10-26T06:28:17Z

I just bought more fabric. :(

For a jacket and blouse to go with the wool 1890s skirt I made last year. Ex-manfriend wants to take me to Julian for a few days during Thanksgiving break, which necessitates period clothing (the town is an old mining town full of quaint historic things to see and do). I'm picking 1890s because Julian was founded in the 1870s, and since I haven't made up either of my bustle dresses (that I have fabric for!) I figured 1890s would be a good middle ground. And the hotel we'll stay at was built in the 90s. Not to mention it's going to be COLD and my 1890s skirt is wool. So I've got a red wool jacket planned, a plaid silk waist, and another waist probably in flannel. Three relatively small and simple projects.

Here's the updated list of doom.

Things I have fabric for (with scale of priority):
*1890s wool waist (1)
*1860s teen dress (2)
*WWI nurse uniform (4)
*1860s silk day dress (3)
*1780s silk jacket (8)
*Frilly Friday dress(7)
*1876 summer bustle dress (5)
*1876 plaid linen polonaise bustle dress (6)

Things I've started but haven't finished:
*1890s wool jacket
*stamped velvet Elizabethan
*linen Regency
*red wool paletot

Things that need to get done:
*paletot (Moorpark)

I really... need to stop. This is bad. No more new stuff. Niamh, I don't care what you say!!!!! I have way too many projects. That's about one project for every era! Sheesh! I actually feel really horrible about having this much fabric. Wow... :(