Diary of a Costumer

Miss Pettigrew, that is, not Rapunzel. I finished at about 2:30am last night, and didn't get to dye my hair. But the outfit was completely wearable, and I'm quite happy with it. That said, of course, there are a couple things I'd like to tweak before I wear it again. But wearing 30s was really fun! I got to the museum about 1.5 hrs late, since I stayed up so late sewing. We took some pictures, I wandered through the museum, and then we walked through the park to a nearby cafe to have lunch. It was a lovely day! Thanksvanessa_lynne for hosting!

As for the dress, it is pretty much completely hand-drafted. The sleeves took quite a bit of fiddling. I started with a basic long sleeve pattern, split it a couple inches from one side, and re-drafted so that the only seam would be on the top where the gathers are. Then I took a 15"x3" strip of fabric, and after chopping off a good 3" from the long sleeve hem (and about 2" from the width), I gathered the long sleeve to the strip. The top of the sleeve head has 5 darts to set it into the armseye. I also wound up having to gather the back skirt panel, since even with the two big darts I had made, it was still way too big.

The hat was also a little difficult. It began its life as a white wool felt hat with a glued on band and wired brim from Value Village. I dyed it blue last January, thinking to try to shape it into a Regency bonnet (which did not pan out), and also cut a curve into the back neck. For this hat, I cut a slash down the CF of the brim, undid the old hem around the wire, cut off about 1cm of that brim (since it had never taken the dye inside), and rewired the entire brim. Then I hot-glued the binding and the band down (it was about 1:30am - hot glue was my friend). I also made a little pleated motif out of the banding on the side of the crown. You can see one on her hat in the movie, and it conveniently covered up a big glue spot from the old band that had never taken dye. The brooch on the hat I found yesterday at Value Village, and painted to match the binding. (Same with the belt buckle, actually).

Here's some pics:





This was my original inspiration: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/123567583498499299/

And more pics can be found on FB. 

I sewed most of the lace around the neckline of the Rapunzel bodice on the bus today, and I'm sure I'll finish that (and hopefully start on the lace at the hem) tomorrow.

I also started on the Delysia LaFosse outfit. I drafted out a pattern, cut out the body and skirt pieces, and sewed together the skirt. I'm not sure I'm in love with the look. In the movie, the skirt is darted in the back and gathered in the front, which I feel like makes me look a little dumpy. I'm going to stitch up the bodice before I really decide how dumpy I look, though. I don't think the 30s are going to do me any favors... Oh, and my hat is not going to be an exact match. I have a wool hat that I dyed blue, but is not the same turquoisy blue as the fabric. Oh well. This whole outfit is going to have to take about 15 or less hours to sew, after all.

Oh, and in other news, I now have an entire dresser drawer where nothing in it is newer than 1910 (and probably more like 1905, but I need help dating one bodice). I know I still owe you all pictures of the two newest acquisitions. They'll happen eventually.