A Dedicated Follower of Fashion

Today I remembered that I hadn't actually done a Pumpkin Tea writeup. Well...it was loads of fun as always, the food was really good, and the company was excellent. I had such a good time that I managed to dribble red wine down my front and not notice til I unpacked when I got home the next night. (Probably happened during the bonfire with colored flames, during which I cheerfully insisted someone play "Night on Bald Mountain" from Fantasia...uh, I like fire and dramatic classical music? What can I say.) Drove down with blackcat452 and hiraimi, and had a good time doing that, too.

I'm not quite in the mood to do more of a writeup than that, so that'll have to do! I did write a blog post on the outfit itself, which is here. Quite pleased with my silly feathers, especially! I'm glad I have that basic white round gown; I sense more 1790s variations in my future. xD

album here.

Today I finished attaching the pleated trim to the 1790s mantle and flat-felled about a quarter of the way around. This silk is the annoying type that pretty much frays while you watch, so pinking/whipping the raw edge/hoping for the best wasn't really an option. Shouldn't be a problem to finish tomorrow.

Still left to do:
Finish flat-felling seam on mantle
Attach feathers to hat
Figure out which gloves I want to wear, since the tracking on my gloves-to-be-dyed says delivery estimate is Monday. Less than helpful! but about what I figured.
Style my wig (and try to avoid making it into a mullet...)

Also! Before I did any of my 1790s stuff (naughty me), I decided I felt like mocking up my late 1890s corset, from an 1899 patent. I picked this one partly because I want a corset that will work for the 1890s but not venture into the s-curve quite yet, and partly because the cut is fun and unusual! Practically begs to be made of two different colors... It's really not often I actively decide I want to mock up a corset, so I thought I'd take advantage of that. I'm not one of those dedicated persons who make proper, fully boned corset mockups - I know I should, but dammit I just don't care that much. That's a lot of work! "Close Enough" is my corset-making motto. So I drew out a paper pattern, made a muslin mockup, twisted around very much while holding it on and squinting in the mirror, made a few adjustments, and called it a day.

Although I did cut out a nice, finalized, clearly marked paper pattern, all ready for when I want to go back to it...which I don't always do, which is why I have random pattern pieces of bodices floating around, completely unidentified. Heh.
The cutouts in the body do get completely cut out, but the little paper triangles don't hold up so well when they're cut out, so I left them like that...
Obviously I won't be making this corset very soon, with New Castle things up next, but that's only a dress and a mantle, and I do want to get all the 1890s unders finished before the New Year, or I won't have enough time to make the outfit properly!

Realized today that in exactly one week I'll be at the Pumpkin Tea, so if I want those 1790s accessories I have to get crackin'! Finished hemming the sash the other day, so I very sternly told myself I couldn't avoid the pleated edging on the mantle (like the standing lady in the nutball hat in this plate) any more if I want said pleated edging. Okay, okay...

Didn't do too badly; got about a quarter of the edging pleated and most of that sewn on. I thought I was being very clever by using a piece of silk folded in half to make the ruffle (because that would have been years' worth of hemming on the edge of that ruffle, and, no)...except I still have to deal with a raw edge and it's really too much bulk to flat fold. Whatever, I'll make some bias tape and cover it or something. *unconcerned*

Got the gloves in the mail today, and they are unfortunately both too short, and very ugly. I really was looking for above the elbow, and these are decidedly below; plus they're that weird icky ostrich-skin leather texture (imitation, probably, but still ugly), which, nah. If they were just too short or just icky ostrich skin I'd use them, but both is kind of a deal-breaker. They were pretty cheap and I'll just sell them on, so that's fine, but now I'm not sure the ones I ordered to hopefully replace them will get here in time! Ah well, I'll survive if they don't. Hat's the most important part anyway. xD

I don't have to pack up early tonight, as I'm staying over Robin's tomorrow night but not going out til mid-afternoon. I do have to get up at a reasonable time to put my front hair in curlers though!

Today I putzed around with my 1790s accessory ideas. Originally I had vague thoughts of a spencer, but then I decided I like the mantles you see quite often in mid-90s fashion plates - like here and here. Some of them seem to be a little more shaped than "here's my giant rectangle of fabric", and they're great for that wacky 1790s layering! Contemplated the variation that's belted in at the waist with "tails", but finally decided I wanted a sah of a different color, and that would look stupid with the tails. I really like the idea of yellow and green (as I'm going to wear my green-trimmed straw hat) like this, but all things considered I really need to stay within the confines of the Stash. I've got enough green silk for a sash, but no yellow. Stay away from the fabric websites...

Hmph. Fine. My best practical option was to use a bit of the big chunk of orange/red shot shantung I got on ebay awhile back (for no fathomable reason other than "oooh! what a deal!"), as I think orange and green is a charmingly obnoxious color combination too. I cut two lengths of it, sewed them together, and messed around with it til I got a shape that seemed Good Enough. Also tore the strips for the green sash, so I can bring them this weekend for sewing-and-hanging-out purposes.

Ideally I'd like to find some elbow-length gloves to dye to match the sash and hat, but we'll see what the ebay yields.