Diary of a Costumer

I haven't done any sewing since I came home from CoCo, but I did go to the Ren Faire on Saturday, and I bought some vintage stuff on Friday! 

I haven't been to the faire in a couple years, and it's gotten a little bigger. It's still in the middle of a field with not really enough shade, but on the plus side, it was a tiny bit cooler than this year than it has sometimes been in the past (I think it was 81 or 82 on Saturday with no clouds at all). On the other hand, my favorite act from past years, the Rat Circus, wasn't there this year, so that was a little disappointing. We watched three acts plus the joust - my favorite act was Broon. I've seen him before, but he's pretty funny. 

Here's some pictures:



On Friday, I went to the 5th Ave Theatre Costume Sale. My friend and I got there two hours early, so we were 18 and 19 in line, which was great. I gathered up a bunch of stuff once we got in there, and then we got into the super crazy long line to check out (it took us about 1.5 hours). I spent $65, and this is what I got:
A plaid vintage wool coat (a little short in the sleeves, and slightly snug, but I can move the buttons over an inch and add cuffs to elongate the sleeves)
A navy vintage (?) suit (I was sure this was vintage, but when I got home, I realized that although I knew it was quick-rigged with snaps and faux buttons, there were no buttonholes! So now I'm wondering if it was vintage, but made for the theatre. The jacket fits perfectly, but the skirt is too small - luckily, the the side seam allowance is huge, and the waistband is big enough that you can tell it was once taken in about 3+". So I can take it out without much difficulty)
A late 1950s vintage golf dress. In my size!
A pair of vintage Lilly Dache gloves in my size
A vintage-style straw purse
A 1950s-style long line bra
A pair of knee socks, thigh highs, and tights (I still have to check to see if the tights fit)
Brand new Capezio dance sneakers
Quite used but still functional Capezio tan jazz shoes
A vintage hat
A shoe/sweater closet hanging storage thing
Civil War-era sleeves (the white poufy types that go inside pagoda sleeves)
A white sweater vest
A plaid double-breasted cropped sweater

I think that might be everything? I kind of bought so much that I keep forgetting what all I got! Here's pics of the golf dress, suit jacket, and gloves. 


I have also been working at getting CoCo pictures edited and posted. So far I'm partway through the gala pictures. Everything before the gala has been posted. 

The hem is done, and I'm almost 1/3 done with the cording near the hem, but it's going very slowly! It's really hard for me to keep it from wanting to roll and twist while I'm sewing it on. I'm hoping to maybe finish it tomorrow, but for sure by Sunday night.

My bf's jacket may have bested me, though. I tried resetting the one sleeve I had ripped apart, and I can't figure out how to get it back in without it gathering somewhat. I suppose I could rip the entire sleeve off and take it in under the arm, but it just makes me feel like this project is going to get bigger and bigger.

Luckily, I had a break from the sewing earlier today, while I was out running errands. I stopped at Value Village, and found a couple vintage pieces. One is not so old, it's an 80s dress with a pretty awesome collar for $10. But the other one was a real steal - I found a vintage hat, somewhat crumpled, that they clearly had no idea what it was. It looks 40's to me (though if someone can tell me for sure, that would be great!), and I'm about 95% positive that it's trimmed with real fur. Oh yeah, and it was $2.99. All I did to freshen it was lint roll it, and pin it to the head form. It's unmarked inside, and the petersham band has basically disintegrated in the back of the hat (as has the tag - there's just a few strands in the seam to know where it was). Here's a few really terrible pictures: