The Couture Courtesan

18th c Cream Wool En Fourreau Gown

Thu, 24 May 2012 22:17:02 GMT

This is one of two gowns I finished recently. It is entirely hand sewn, of cream wool with fine white stripes. Lined in linen, and shown with fine linen neck and sleeve ruffles. Also shown is my new black silk bonnet and red checked linen apron. I wore this outfit yesterday to do a school show with my Revolutionary War unit, the 33rd Regiment of Foot. I had an absolute blast with the kids, and it was good to warm up my interpreting skills for the summer! I can't wait to get better pictures of this in Williamsburg... :)

Stay tuned for gown #2 coming tomorrow!

Summer Polonaise

Mon, 07 May 2012 04:38:28 GMT

First off... a thousand thank you's for all of the incredibly kind words on my bicycle outfit! I had no idea it was going to be such a hit! I do hope to get more chances to wear it because it is just so fun. I actually did ride my bike to class while wearing it, which just added to my enjoyment. A girl said that she loved the jacket, which made me think about wearing it with modern clothes as well!

Speaking of jackets, I draped my polonaise jacket last week. I had actually set out to make a pet-en-l'air, but it somehow ended up as a polonaise somewhere along the line! Which is fine with me, since I like the way it turned out. This is technically the first garment I have ever successfully draped, and I can't say I'm disappointed. I spent a long time staring at extant garments as well as going over the images in Burnley and Trowbridge's photo album from their polonaise class. The most difficult thing was going from my dress form to my actual body, because my dress form isn't really at all close to what my body is like in my stays. I have a vintage dress form from probably the 1950s... so she is very 1950s in silhouette. Luckily I had plenty of muslin to play with to get things just right!

Here's what I have so far...

And derp... I forgot to take a picture of the back before getting undressed!! But here's the back on the dress form in toile stage. Just imagine it in the print!

1890s Bloomer Outfit

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 23:10:46 GMT

Well, my presentation is all done. I think it went really well, although I talked pretty fast... Probably the best part is that my professor, who edits the local history journal, asked if I would like to publish my research paper in the journal! So I will continue to hone the paper to fit the publication, and add images, including one of me in this outfit! I didn't have time to make a hat like I wanted to, but I will definitely have one for when I take pictures for the journal. I never thought I could combine what I truly love (historical clothing) with school, but it turns out you can!

I promise to do a thorough run-down of construction and research, but I am in the middle of finals week and have two more papers due before Thursday (and I have started neither of them...). But for now, here are pictures!

Regency Weekend: Sunday

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:33:26 GMT

Sunday, our lovely hosts Maggie and Albert took us to see some lovely local sights. We visited Rock Castle, which was built in 1789 (I think) and strolled the gardens a bit. Then we went to Bledsoe's Fort Historic Park for a little lunch picnic, nature walk, and a bit of archery! Mike got me a beautiful longbow for my birthday. I was so surprised and thrilled. I've wanted one secretly for a while, but apparently not secretly enough for him to find out! I don't totally suck at archery either. Of course,now I need an archery outfit... ;-)

The pretty red silk spencer is Maggie's, but I am determined to have one of my own. I think it really looks sharp with this outfit.

You can see all of the pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51732491@N02/sets/72157629430084646/

Regency Weekend: Saturday

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:27:45 GMT

Thank you everyone for your kind words about my grandpa. I really appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

Saturday was the Regency picnic. We had yummy treats and fun games in the most beautiful park with gorgeous stonework. There was even a wedding going on!

Just about everything I wore was new. My gown is completely sewn by hand, down to the corded ruffle on the skirt. I haven't done a 100% hand sewn gown in a while, and it was refreshing. The bonnet was reworked and retrimmed, and completed with a scalloped veil. I finally got around to covering one of my antique parasols, too. This one is probably late 19th-early 20th century. It will be getting some pinked trim at some point.

I will let the pictures do the talking--they turned out gorgeous. Hard not to, with such a lovely setting. You can view the entire album on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51732491@N02/sets/72157629787895175/

Oma and Opa

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:55:53 GMT

Last Wednesday was my 21st birthday, and this weekend I got to to enjoy it Regency style with friends. But the wind got taken out of my sails when my mom called to tell me that my Opa passed away on Saturday. I'm aching inside, but at the same time, I am a bit relieved that he is with my Oma now and no longer alone. After she passed away in 2010, he was so lonely and heartbroken. Now he doesn't have to feel that pain anymore. So I'm glad about that, at least. It makes things hurt a little bit less.

1560s Gown 3.0

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:16:12 GMT

I can't seem to stay focused on what I need to be doing! But the 1812 teal dress is in a good place to get finished for this weekend's picnic, and most of the 1890s bicycling jacket is done.

For some reason, I got really swept up in Faire stuff. Probably because I keep seeing all of my court friends' posts about workshops, dress rehearsal, and new costume pieces. To keep me from starting a new gown, I decided to spruce up last year's. I put new gold cord around the hem, which I really think makes the black guard pop, and matching cord around the neckline and cuffs.

After this was done, I discovered that my uni's Renaissance Festival club was holding a ball with dancing, music, and food! I had kinda been meaning to go to one of their events, but I always seemed to have a reenactment on the same day. But not this time! I really enjoyed myself at the ball. Everyone was SO welcoming and friendly, I couldn't believe it. The dances were very fun, too, and there was live music!

I started to "fix" my blackwork shirt... and ended up taking on a bigger project than I could finish in one night. So I had to go with just my 18th c shift, and nothing covering my chest. I don't feel completely torn up about this because I found a portrait of Marguerite de Valois without a partlet of any kind. It was good enough to get me through one night at an event that was more about fun than historical accuracy! I have since bought silk organza and pearls for a new partlet, and will be ordering some other shiny bits as well.

More pictures behind

Even Mike dressed up! He borrowed a costume from the university costume shop since he has yet to make his Elizabethan outfit. He's excited about pumpkin breeches...

Weapons display:

Dancing:

Exciting Things are Exciting!

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:20:03 GMT

Well, when I'm home in May I definitely want to gatelist with Queen's Court again to see all my friends and have some fun! Plus, it's the 50th anniversary of the Faire! I've got a new partlet planned, with lots of pearls and jewels on it. Can't wait to get started! Speaking of Faire stuff, the Grand Valley Renaissance Festival club is having a little get together tomorrow night. It's super farby from what I hear, but I think it'll be good to meet other people who like to dress up and have fun. And I get yet another change to wear my black gown!

There's also a chance I can make it to Gaslight Gathering, the steampunk convention in San Diego! That would be awesome, and I'd be able to wear my 1890s bloomer outfit. I had such a great time last year, so it would be awesome to go again.

Today I'm planning to get a haircut after class. I'm ready to grow my hair out (I miss long hair!!) but it's in an awkward phase right now. I'm hoping some layers will help soften it up on it's way out. We'll see! Then I need to pick up some little things for tomorrow, like new ties for my shirt and some English netting for a veil for next weekend's picnic.

This man...

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:14:14 GMT

I'm marrying him.

Mike surveys the family estate, site of our MI wedding reception. Just imagine paper lanterns, twinkling lights, and music!

K-Zoo Haul!

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:39:59 GMT

Most importantly, wedding dress fabric. Mike already saw it, so this post isn't hidden from him. It's technically silk gauze, but the weave is much more even and way stronger than I remember the Dharma Trading stuff being. I tugged on this stuff, mashed it up, ran it over my finger tips and ring, and there were no snags or warping or anything! And yet it is still as floaty and soft as a dream. Yay!

Katie's mom said she had spotted clam shell wampum beads at a neighboring table, so I happily bought some. I've been longing for a wampum necklace as a sort of nod to metis culture. Thinking about maybe putting together an impression around it... Also pictured is a pretty awesome brooch that will be nice for 1860s stuff. Kinda hard to see, but there is a beautiful Grecian lady in the cameo. It's much more delicate in real life, but my camera is pretty bad at close ups.

And since I really enjoy singing period music, I picked up a copy of one of Paul McClintock's hand bound books. A great addition to have on hand during evengs!

I also got candy and soaps, and Mike and I both had our silhouettes cut!

Oh, and here's an icky picture of me to prove I was there. I wish Mike had told me my feathers were going nuts and my turban was falling off!

Shuffle

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 23:32:11 GMT

As you can tell from my previous post, I started something new without finishing other things. Namely the striped silk polonaise I had been working on. I'm making the executive decision to put 18th c things on hold until May, when I will be out of school and have about 5 weeks to finish that gown and fix the little annoyances on my old outfits. Also finishing the new stays I started...

In the meantime, I will continue to work on the 1812 dress (for the April 7th picnic) and I'm starting my bicycle outfit so that it will be done for my presentation (around April 19).

1812 Gown Anatomy

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:08:09 GMT

This is a high necked gown after a handful of originals, one of which belongs to my friend Beth Turza! The "dogleg" style closure I took from a gown that you can see here: http://www.19thus.com/WomensClothing/1800-1815GreySilkDress.html

I thought this would be better than a regular apron front because it would be less likely to gap.

Here we go!

It's about to get really Georgian in here...

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:54:01 GMT

...because I will be spending the summer in Williamsburg! As an intern in the Margaret Hunter shop! I really am floored... This is a dream come true! My partner in crime will be the incredibly talented Lyze of http://ornamentedbeing.tumblr.com. We're gonna have a blast!!!!!!!

This means that I will need to get crackin' on my stays. I also need to retrim my straw hat, and make up the checked apron and little ruffle cap that I have fabric for. Lavender bodice needs to be fixed, and I need to finish my silk dress! There's also the Williamsburg print cotton to be made up into a pet en l'air or other cute jacket. Lots to do to get me through the next couple of months. :)

Let's get some shoes...

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:26:14 GMT

Devonshires all painted up and ready for buckles!

The Eyes Have It

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:49:14 GMT

I couldn't resist the corny, cliche title... :P

Thought I'd whip up one of these just for fun. I used what I had on hand, namely Crayola colored pencils... I'm hoping I can do something a little more spectacular with nicer materials! But this will do for this weekend's trade show.

Some originals:

My inspiration... ;)

Writer's Block: Say What?

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:23:52 GMT

"Are you Asian or something? Because your eyes go like this." *makes her eyes squinty*

YES. I AM ASIAN. HALF CHINESE, IN FACT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR IGNORANT INQUIRY.

Normally, people asking about my ethnicity only bothers me a little bit, and the majority of people are tactful. This incident, not so much. I guess this isn't so much the weirdest question I've been asked as it is the most "WTF" question. Granted, I wasn't in an area of the country known for its tolerance and diversity... -.-

What is the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked?

View 430 Answers

Work in Progress

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:51:02 GMT

Petticoat is done! Just finished refitting the back of the bodice... But now I'm ready to charge ahead!

Need to:

resew bodice seam
attach skirt
attach sleeves
finish CF edge
trim

New Additions

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:07:48 GMT

Mike and I are in the process of finishing each other's Valentine's Day gifts (at least we're both procrastinators?) but he also got me a store bought surprise as well! Knowing my fondness for fish (I had two beta in CA), he came home with these goldfish for me. We have dubbed them Goldie and Blackie in true goldfish tradition, but they are also known by Lucy and Ricky (which corresponds freakishly well to their coloring!). The funny thing is that while goldfish are "cheap" compared to beta, they cost a lot more to take care of, provided you actually want your goldfish to live longer than a couple days. :-P Beta are perfectly happy in a little bowl, but goldfish need at least 1 gallon of water to every 1" of their body and the water needs to be filtered so they don't die of their own toxins! This means a tank relative to their size and a filter, at least. Since these guys--a black moor and a fantail-- are about 2" each, they are now living in a 5.5 gallon tank with a whisper quiet filter. A big improvement over the mixing bowls they were living in while I hunted down an appropriate and affordable house for them! I had them both in one mixing bowl at first and they seemed okay for a couple days, but then they started fighting... The bowl was too small and they were getting territorial! So I put them each in their own bowl until today, when they moved into their tank. They are no long exhibiting the aggressive behavior they were previously, and seem so happy swimming around in their new space.

And now for something completely different...

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:09:13 GMT

I sew so much now that I sometimes forget I am a trained vocalist... I got the itch today to sing and record something today. I apologize for the mic feedback! This isn't by any means a professional recording, just me and my webcam...

ETA: stupid Flickr! Apparently, it only allowed the first 1:30 of the song to be uploaded... So here's the whole thing via Youtube!

Mid-Winter Ball

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 20:15:45 GMT

I shall attempt to refrain from cruelly picking apart everything I don't like and just let things be! Really, I love the dress, it just didn't photograph so well last night. I blame awful lighting and my old, confused camera.

So the gown is "dark ivory" silk taffeta covered in English netting and alencon lace. The bertha and sleeves were mounted on to silk organza for strength. I added fringe to the bows following the instructions here: http://thesewingacademy.org/index.php?topic=8495.0 I may end up knotting the fringe to keep it from doing the "dread lock" thing it's ended up in. The eyelets are covered with matching thread.

The alencon lace was painstakingly appliqued by hand to the netting all around the hem, and then on the bertha and sleeves. Even though the process was tedious, it was really enjoyable! This was after I trimmed all of the lace, since the manufacturers tend to leave extra netting around the top. Sadly, I've already got a small tear in the netting from last night, but it should be an easy fix and I can cover it with a bit of lace.

I also want to add more ribbons and fluff to the headpiece, which was a $5 last minute purchase!

Someday... I will have a nice camera to take decent pictures with...



And there's a bunch more



And here are pretty pictures of rvqavalon!

Bicycles on the Brain

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 03:49:31 GMT

This might sound crazy, but I decided to use the Sherlock houndstooth wool for my 1890s bicycling outfit. I'm probably not going to make it to any steampunk events this year, if I get the internship/job I applied for. And I can always spiff up the bicycling outfit with awesome accessories to make it work for steampunk if I ever do get around to going to any events. I tossed the idea around with rvqavalon and came up with steam-powered-broom-riding-witch! Like Harry Potter meets steampunk. And hey, it would involve goggles! But functional goggles, not just goggles-for-the-sake-of-goggles goggles!

I bought the Laughing Moon 1890s Sporting Outfits pattern, and plan to do the View A jacket with the View B bloomers. I have to do bloomers because that's a large part of my research project. And I'm always up for crazy things, like my vivandiere outfit.

Today I went to the Grand Rapids Public Museum collections warehouse to look at 1890s bicycles and maps of bicycle roads in Michigan. 1890s bikes are SHORT compared to today's bikes! My favorite bike is a "ladies chainless Clipper". It used a funky mechanism to turn the wheels so that a woman's skirt wouldn't get caught in the chain. The maps were owned by a young man who biked all the way from Grand Rapids to Detroit to listen to a lecture at the Opera House in 1904. Now that's dedication...

Their clothing collection is GORGEOUS. So many pretty late 19th and early 20th century gowns, plus a couple of mid 19th century things. I really hope I can look there in depth soon. I was hunting for a bicycle outfit, but the curator and I couldn't find it. It DOES exist, as does a reproduction made for their education program, but they're missing. The curator is going to have his interns hunt them down for me. Excited!

Sew-Fest Recap and Pretties

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:01:36 GMT

This weekend was full of beautiful old things, beautiful new things, really good wine, and amazing people. SewFest North 2012 took place at Ericka O.'s house. She and her husband are sort of the unofficial head of the 1812 unit I am suddenly a part of (and officially will be a part of once I mail in my dues!) and also really awesome in general. They have a stunning mid-19th century home that they have lovingly worked on, so that you honestly feel like you're walking into a historic home museum. It's filled with quality antiques, but in a totally livable and usable way. My weekend started when I was picked up by my carpool buddy, Saundra Altman. Yes, you read that right. The Saundra Altman of Past Patterns! We chatted about all sorts of things on the 3 hour drive, and she even offered to help me on my research project.

Amazingly, I finished my entire ball gown bodice, including covering the eyelets! It's just needs a couple pieces of boning to be truly "done". Everyone was busy on something, but we were still all laughs and good conversations, and Downton Abbey. ;-) Another really neat thing for me was being surrounded by people who either have or have had jobs in the museum field. Ericka and some of the other ladies were encouraging me to go to one of the museum conferences they attend, and if I had a car out here I would so be there.

I also ate way too much good food, like melt-in-your-mouth lemon shortbread cookies... OMG.

One of the highlights of the weekend was visiting an exquisite needlework and knitting shop. It has all the silk, linen, and wool floss you could want, and luckily some of it was on sale! I snagged a bunch of wool/silk at 50% off for an 18th century wallet. I am really excited about it, and it also inspired me to work on some berlin work pieces for Mike (he wants berlin work braces...).

Really awful on-the-floor pictures of my bodice:

Wool/silk floss:

Also, the fabric for my 1930s gown came. It's STUNNING... but not what I want. It was called charmeuse, but as you can tell it is NOT charmeuse! It's definitely a light to medium weight satin. Absolutely gorgeous, but I don't know that it's drapey enough for the gown I was envisioning... This is going to sit for a bit before I figure out what to make with it, but I'm definitely still using it! I love it!

And if anyone is interested, I'm selling this blue cotton voile. 4 yards of 45" for $20 plus $5 shipping. I had it pegged for a Regency dress but I have so many Regency dresses... O.o

In Lieu of Actual Content...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:16:01 GMT

Firstly, a HUGE thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and insight with me re: my previous post. I'm totally behind on responding to everyone, but I'm up to my eyeballs in school and sewing... But I really appreciate everything you guys said! Next weekend is the Mid-Winter Ball, so I will have lots of pictures of my new ball gown to share with you after that. Spring break is in just a couple weeks, so there will be some hardcore sewing, blogging, and comment-replying then!

Meanwhile... here are some pretty pictures to give you a sneak peak into what I've been up to, and what I have planned...

Mid-Winter Ball Gown:

A 1930s Gown for my Birthday:

1895 Bloomer Bicycle Outfit for my HIST 323 Research Project of Doom!

Shaky Steps Towards the Future

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:01:05 GMT

I have an interview with Mackinac State Historic Parks! Excited about this because it would mean a summer in period dress getting living history/museum experience if I get the job.

But I'm also a little/lot scared. I'm about to change my major to straight history and stop pursuing my teaching credential so that I can work towards a future in public history.

Talking to my professors and friends has set me on this path, and I'm about 90% certain it's what I want to do. I have no idea if I'd actually like teaching, since I've never worked with kids. I do know I like (and am comfortable with) public speaking, though, and presenting about things. I know I enjoy (and seem to be good at) writing and research. But a public history career means internships and maybe grad school, possibly in another state. Which throws wedding plans way off. I don't want to graduate, get married, and then move to New York or something and be away from my husband.

Teaching seemed to be something stable. I would get my certification and go be a teacher and have a salary. I know real life doesn't exactly work that way, especially in this economy, but it seems more stable than getting my history degree and... um... then what? Flailing about for a job in public history and hoping to find something. That's scary... and hard.

And then I wonder, do I want a career doing something I'm passionate about but have to work really hard for, or do I want a job that supports me enough to do what I want (reenacting and sewing) but isn't what I enjoy doing?

I DON'T KNOW.

Anyway... this is just me being scared and nervous and feeling small and powerless because things are so up in the air about my future. I don't even know what state I'll be living in in 3 months. Now that's weird. I never thought I'd face something like that. God is asking me more than ever to place my complete trust in Him like He never has before. So if you think of it, please pray for me. I'm anxious to know where I am supposed to be and what I'm supposed to be doing.

Nutters.

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:13:46 GMT

Firstly, I am completely floored by the super sweet comments you all left on my River Raisin post! Mike said he thinks it's because I posted pictures of him, and that I should do so more often. Silly boy! (If he wants to hear how hot he is, he should post on his OWN Livejournal!) I will be going through and responding to your comments individually, but right now I find myself consumed with that special kind of middle-of-the-night insanity that only costumers seem to get...

I am beginning to work on a frothy ivory ball gown for the 1860s Mid-Winter Ball on February 25th. So... I have a month to bang that out. It seems doable right now, but we're still 4 weeks away and I have untold papers due between now and then :-P.

Next up is probably finishing the striped silk polonaise for wearing on one of the days of the Kalamazoo Living History Show, March 17-18. The other day I will be helping out at the 1st Regiment's table which means wearing 1812. Definitely bringing out the yellow gown of insane trim application because it hasn't gotten to come out yet!

At some point... I'd like to work on the Steampunk Sherlock costume. I think I may be putting off 19-teens/WWI stuff for summer, when I can devote the whole time to starting from the skin out.

More urgently, I need to finish Mike's quilt! The top is pieced, so now comes the task of quilting it (by hand). My mother also expressed interest in a quilt. Her birthday is May 14th, so I'm thinking of something simple that I can get done by then. I'm not really aware of any events after the K-zoo show until Greenfield Village in late May, which means plenty of time for quilting. I also may try learning to knit so I can do something with all the wool I've spun...

And I want to start tambour embroidery on a cool table-top frame.

Have I mentioned I'm completely nutters??