Diary of a Costumer

I had really fallen out of love with the Artistic Reform Trelawney project, and almost everyone else from the Adults of HP Ice Cream Social group had already bailed, so I've changed my plans. I really wanted a bustle gown (which is why I had had this idea in the first place, before I realized that Trelawney was unlikely to actually wear a bustle gown). And then yesterday, I stumbled across this beautiful bustle gown on pinterest:



There's something about it that still makes me think of something a little fantastical (I think it's those ruched-looking sleeves), and it maintains the green that I was already planning for Trelawney. Mine will be a darker green, almost mossy, because that's the fabric I had already bought. And I think I'll pair it with some sort of off-white, though I haven't decided yet what kind of fabric I'm actually going to use for the bodice/drape. But I'm sooooo much happier with this project! Even though I only found this (what I think is an ad) yesterday afternoon, last night I went home and patterned and cut out my skirt pieces, and serged them all. I'm hoping to maybe even get to a point where I can start on the ruffles tonight!

Last week, before I went into "make all the things" mode for Port Townsend, I did actually start sewing on Trelawney. All I did was the side seams of the robe, though, before pushing it aside. Figuring that enough time had passed since I bought the cotton for the dress from Joanns, I went back yesterday to see if they had gotten any more in. Nope! They did say that another store has it, but it's about 35 mins away, up by my bf's house, so I'll wait till I go visit him this weekend to pick some up.

Of course, all that means I needed to start on another project. Since I still haven't found my white with black windowpane for my 1830s bathing suit, I'm starting on my Little Red from Into the Woods movie repro. I love her costume! I realized, when I went to buy the fabric for the cloak yesterday, that I really need to wait for my boots to get here, so that I can make sure the fabric matches. So I bought the blue cotton for her dress. In the super-close-up movie stills, it looks like there is a layer of organza over the cotton, which is then incorporated into the tucks on her skirt. But all of that sounds like a total nightmare, so I am forgoing the organza.

One thing I'm trying to figure out, though, is how to punch fabric. The edges of her cloak have a floral design punched out, but I don't think paper punches would work on fabric. I'm almost certainly going with a microsuede for the fabric, either the home dec or garment variety. Does microsuede fray?



I also realized that oddly enough, I feel like I don't have that much to make before Costume College. Assuming that I wear both 1830s dresses and Miss Pettigrew, that really only leaves me time to wear three other things, which apparently are Little Red, Trelawney, and the 1830s bathing suit. But it also makes me feel like I'm not bringing much that's big and fancy, except the 1830s. I had kind of been thinking I was making the Daniel Deronda riding habit for CosCol, too, but then I don't know when I could wear it! And naturally, the only one I'm not liking so far is Trelawney, but that's for a group costuming thing, so it's the only one I can't scrap. Sigh.