Christmas Dress

I promised a post on my Christmas dress, so here it is!!! :D

I started with around 5 yards of uncut corduroy.  Not enough for the pattern, but I decided to do a contrast collar and cuffs to cut down on it, and shorten the skirt if I had to. Which I frequently do with my 1950s dresses because they were LONG to allow for the petticoats.  So I start cutting out the bodice. And as I go to cut out the second part, I realize that I'd cut without paying attention to the nap.

*face palm*

Okay, so how do I handle this? Knowing I'm already short on fabric, I decide just to keep the mistake going.  Maybe no one will notice, right? So I finish cutting everything out, including lining for the bodice and interfacing and pack up everything to take home to my parents' house for Thanksgiving.

I start sewing.  I try on the bodice and look down.  You can totally see the nap.  I ask my parents if they can tell, mom can't at first, but dad can.  We decide that I might as well keep going, so I work on the skirt.  After sewing together several panels and putting in the pockets I realize that I only cut two sides instead of four.

*face palm*

At this point, I hate the dress and my mom  pretty much just looked at me and said we're going to the fabric store.

Christmas dress take two:  I bought the right amount of fabric (black crepe) and lining (a pretty black and white houndstooth) as well as a yard of white satin to do the collar and cuffs.

By the way, at this point, I have two weeks to get the dress done to wear to The Nutcracker which is why I started making a new dress for Christmas to begin with. After I got home on Sunday, I cut out the collar and cuffs, to get it out of the way.  So my goal on day one (the Monday after the fabric store) was to get everything cut out.  I got the black cut out, and part of the lining.  The second day, I finished the lining, washed the interfacing (I just used muslin) and started sewing. Day three: finish the bodice, except the collar and cuffs.



Day four: fixed a fitting issue and got the collar on.




Day five: collar and cuffs on and with fancy stitching on the edges. Started pinning all the skirt panels together.



 By the evening of day six, I was working on pinning the lining in place. At that point, all that was left was the zipper, stitching the lining down and then hemming the lining and the dress itself.





On day seven, I hung up the dress to let the skirt settle before hemming.

Day eight, I was really tired and didn't work on my dress.  As of day nine, the dress just needed the lining finished and the both the lining and dress hemmed. The overskirt was underway, but the petticoat hadn't been touched yet.









Day eleven: I finished hemming the overskirt, with a satin stitch. And stopped for the night because if I knew that if I didn't every single seam was going to end up with a satin stitch.  So all that was left was the gathering and the waistband. And the petticoat.



By the Friday before the event (day twelve), all that was left was the petticoat so I spent my Saturday cutting and gathering yards and yards and yards of netting.









But it all got DONE on time!!!

And of course, I ended up deciding not to wear the overskirt. I just liked it better without it. Maybe I'll just use it as a Christmas tree skirt.

What Miss Wilde Wore at Teslacon

Friday during the day: Grey black and red ensemble with the wash overskirt I made for but didn't wear at Steamtopia. Photo by my friend Hanah.

Friday, Opening Ceremonies: Black purchased blouse, tied up black bustle underskirt and my airship corset. Photo by my friend Rachel. Also pictured: The villain of our tale, Dr. Proctocus. (who's sooo dreamy lol)

Another view, also by Rachel.

Saturday, during the day. Steampunk Harley Quinn.  Please note the new lace collar and lace on the sleeves.

Harley, with the red parasol that my best friend bought me as a present. :)

Saturday night, for the ball

Saturday night, another view

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

As you can see, rococopunk didn't happen. I wasn't happy with how it looked and it just wasn't worth the stress of trying to fix it days before leaving.  I also wore a lot of leggings with corsets for evening events.  Comfortable, cute and steam casual. And I never got my garrison hat or black bloomers made, c'est la vie, oui?

I enjoyed Teslacon.  I think it'd be fun to be more involved in the immersion if I go again.  I was a little disappointed in both the offered panels and in some of the presentations.  I'm not impressed if all you do is read from a paper while speaking.  I would go again, but next year is the weekend before Thanksgiving so I won't be able to. I refuse to take that much time off work that close together.

Update on my Year End To Do List

Update on my Year End To Do List:

 1. Finish the elephant baby quilt - DONE

Finished baby quilt! And my friend LOVED it! :)

 
2. Finish the Teslacon stuff - yeah, didn't really finish any of this...
3. Finish a pair of purple leggings I started last winter - These aren't done either...but I did buy some knit for the waistband so I can hopefully finish them soon!
4. Grey and black plaid jumper -- DONE

Finished plaid jumper

Which I'm actually wearing today. It's actually a little shorter than I usually like (I almost always wear my skirts a little past my knee, or at least to the middle of my knee) but since I'm pretty sure I'll always wear it with tights (it's heavy flannel) I think it'll be okay.

5. Star Wars print 1930s style skirt -- DONE

Fabric and pattern

Finished skirt! totally love this pattern by the way, so I'm sure I'll be using it again

6. Knit tunic using my funky dress pattern from McCalls -- Cut out but haven't put together yet
7. Black 1950s dress with snowflake overskirt -- in progress, hopefully I can make a big post on this later with all the details :)
8. Black specialty mesh petticoat for said dress -- Haven't started yet
9. Fix my mom's Christmas scrub top and make her a new one -- DONE

Mom's new Christmas scrub top.  The other one was enlarged with gores of red and white dotted cotton on the sides.

10. 1940s hooded blouse and trousers from Eva Dress -- I don't think this will happen
11. Nightgown for grandma (if I have enough of the fabric that she wants me to use) -- or this
12. and start a cosplay for Ohayocon -- or this
13. Christmas pajamas that I somehow started for myself -- I just need to add cuffs to the sleeves of the top (they're too short) and this will be done

I bought the penguin flannel for new pajama pants and decided to make a matching top using left over fabric from enlarging my mom's scrub top.

Partially constructed pajama top.

So that's what I've been up to!  Sorry for the sporadic blog posts, my goal is to be WAY better with this next year. I hope. Fingers crossed.

2015 Sewing Plans

In the process of making a to do to finish out 2014, I of course started thinking about what I'd like to make next year. First of all, I've decided to try to stage a de-stashing, so the first step will really be cataloging and probably reorganizing my fabric and patterns. That may take a while.

But here's what's on my list for next year:

1. Finish the cosplay for Ohayocon. This is NOT a stash project, I'll probably have to buy pretty much everything.
2. A dress to wear to see the Great Gatsby at BalletMet in February. I was planning to use a twenties-esque pattern from my stash, but it doesn't have sleeves so....I'm not sure yet. Another NOT stash project.
3. A dress to wear to see Cinderella at BalletMet in March. I'm not sure but I'm thinking of maybe using the same pattern I used for my Easter dress, but with sleeves and with an overskirt. NOT a stash project
4. A quilt commission for a friend that has been sitting in my sewing room for a really long time
5. The green and blue sari bustle gown that I started for Teslacon. I'll need it done by Steampunk Symposium at the end of April. Most of it is cut out already, but I will need to purchase a few things.
6. Over the winter, I'll be working on hand quilting my embroidered quilt again
7. Brown and cream bustle gown. I have brown silk for the skirt and a cream and brown linen for the bodice both in my stash. I'll probably have to purchase notions and such, along with some bodice lining. Stash.
8. I have eight yards of plaid taffeta. I'm thinking either a plaid bustle gown, or a mid century ball gown. Stash.
9. Speaking of mid century, I need to make my Civil War era undergarments. Will likely need to purchase some muslin for these, my stash is running out.
10. And the cream plaid day dress from fabric I purchased either this year. Stash
11. I have around nine or ten yards of a pink on pink stripe. I should make *something*. Stash
12. I also have several yards of a green and white stripe and a white on white stripe. I was thinking a bustle afternoon gown, but maybe something Edwardian. Stash.
13. I'd like to at least start my charm quilt, although I realize that's a LONG term project
14. I'd also like to start doing some piecing for a Civil War quilt using the book I bought while on vacation
15. Garibaldi blouse and skirt. Probably not a stash project.
16. I really want to make a Maleficent cosplay of some sort. NOT a stash project
17. A winter coat. NOT a stash project
18. New blouse to wear with my drindl. Also NOT a stash project.

End of 2014 To Do List

My to do list is probably too long, as always, with less than three months left in the year, but here we go:


First of all, where I am on Teslacon preparations:

1. Rococopunk: the stays have been done, the hoops are done, the jacket needs a lot of work, the stomacher needs finished, the knee breeches are almost done. I need to figure out / make a hat and probably (hopefully) make spats.

2. The Harley Quinn improvements are DONE

3. The fichu may or may not happen

4. I don't know if I'll bother fixing my time machine purse either

5. I still need to make a garrison hat for my main airship uniform, but at least I found a pattern

6. The braid onto my polonaise is DONE

7. So is the black bustle apron. 

Dream projects won't happen, except for maybe black drawers, just quick and easy ones based off of a pajama pant pattern with elastic. I'm really pretty much focusing on the rococopunk and the garrison hat, nothing else is really that important at this point.

Now for the actual to do list:

1. Finish the elephant baby quilt
2. Finish the Teslacon stuff
3. Finish a pair of purple leggings I started last winter
4. Grey and black plaid jumper
5. Star Wars print 1930s style skirt
6. Knit tunic using my funky dress pattern from McCalls
7. Black corduroy 1950s dress with snowflake overskirt, probably with a slightly narrower or shorter skirt because I don't think I have enough fabric
8. Black specialty mesh petticoat for said dress
9. Fix my mom's Christmas scrub top and make her a new one
10. 1940s hooded blouse and trousers from Eva Dress
11. Nightgown for grandma (if I have enough of the fabric that she wants me to use)
12. and start a cosplay for Ohayocon

Told you there was too much on it!! Most of it shouldn't be too hard though. I hope.

What HAS Miss WIlde Been Up To?

It's been FOREVER since I've posted, which was kinda expected gearing up to Teslacon but I figured a little update would be nice. So here's a whole bunch of pictures of what I've been up to over the last...almost two months.

First up, some vacation photos!!

What I wore: Star Trek circle wrap skirt. My new funky sixties esque Zodiac dress. Blue linen dress (I ran through the rainy fields of Shiloh wearing this actually). Disney Villainesses skirt. Travel sunset-dress. Train skirt. Striped circle skirt.

Star Trek skirt with new petticoat taken prevacation

Funky sixties esque dress in action above the Mississippi River in Memphis

Travel sunset-dress in action above the clouds at Point Park up on Lookout Mountain. They called it the Battle above the Clouds for a reason.

And at our hotel in Chattanooga which was an old TRAIN STATION

Train skirt in action on the rails...

And on the train.

Finished striped circle skirt taken pre vacation

Circle skirt at a shopping area in Gatlinburg

I also bought some sewing things while on vacation, a pattern and a Civil War quilt pattern book.

How could I resist buying a Civil War era pattern AT a Civil War Battlefield?!?! (Chickamauga btw)

And since our train station was built in the early 1900s and since we were staying on a train car, I decided to take my Edwardian undergarments for photos.

Okay, now for a little of what I've been up to lately:

I made my mom a new scrub top:

And I've been working on a baby quilt for a friend / coworker:

And I had a bad day a while back so I worked on my charm quilt. I have like 70-80 charm squares so far. I need 400-500 for a quilt. This might take a while.

There's also been a little Teslacon prep:

My polonaise got a red stain on it, and despite our best efforts, it refused to be removed. So I had to cut it off. I'm currently in the process of sewing about three more yards of braid on.

I originally wanted to complete three new outfits for Teslacon: Victorian swimsuit (which is done), Rococopunk and a blue and green sari ensemble. With all the other things going on, that's not going to happen. So my goal is to finish the rococopunk for Teslacon and move the sari outfit back for SES in the spring.

And, of course, when I start to think about what to pack, I add to my to do list...As of now, here's what I'd like to do: rococopunk (which needs a LOT of work), finish the Harley Quinn improvements, make a fichu for my lower cut dresses, fix my time machine purse, make a garrison hat for my main airship uniform, finishing sewing the braid onto my polonaise, and make a black bustle apron.  If all that gets done, the dream projects are a red petticoat, gold purse cover and spats to match my polonaise, some black bloomers / knee breeches (these might be done as part of the rococopunk) and a fancy pencil skirt.

All that, and I'm stuck at work. And out of town this weekend. Sigh.

What Has Miss Wilde Been Up To? 1

As you know, dear readers, I decided (practically at the last minute, of course) that I needed new attire before my vacation. Officially, my mother and I depart on 8/31, but I will be journeying to Cincinnati on the 29th, so vacation begins rather soon... Besides the aforementioned Audrey skirt, train skirt, dress and petticoats, I also decided to use left over swimsuit fabric for a circle skirt. Mainly because I love striped circle skirts. And because it was in two of my favorite colors to wear together.

First up, the fabric...

Second, the finished Audrey skirt with an old petticoat. I plan to wear it with a tank and a belt so it covers the white waistband.

Third, the train skirt. Shown with old petticoat.

 So that's all done. And I decided I needed a new dress pattern because I didn't have anything unstructured and drapey enough to use with the silky fabric I randomly bought a while back just because it was a cool pattern. So I went to the fabric store...

I couldn't resist the 1930s suit patterns (one's the skirt, the other is the jacket) and the bottom pattern is the one I'm using for my new dress.

 I managed to cut the dress out using a lot less fabric than it called for because (1) I'm not doing a self binding around the neck or using the fabric for the tie. I'll purchase binding and use some ribbon for the ties. And (2) I changed it so it has a center back seam instead of being cut on the fold. Otherwise I had no where near enough fabric for it.

Also purchased at the fabric store: (1) a couple yards of a Star Wars print to make a skirt or maybe a dress, I'm not sure yet. I know I don't have enough for a circle skirt, at least not at a good length but I have too much for a little gathered skirt so...We'll see. My dear brother assisted me over the phone to pick out which Star Wars print to purchase. Because he's just that awesome.  (2) Fabric to finish a project for a friend.  (3) Like eight yards of netting and some muslin remnants to make petticoats. I got four yards of white and four yards of yellow (because the yellow could go with a couple things in my wardrobe and white is basic). So we'll see how that goes. (4) Oh, and a zipper for my rococo punk project.

So for vacation sewing: the Audrey skirt is DONE. The train skirt is DONE. The dress is cut out but I haven't started putting it together. The wrap circle skirt is put together and pinned for the hem. So all it needs is the waistband and hemmed and it'll be done. And I have fabric for the pettis but haven't started them yet.

I haven't made much progress on my Teslacon sewing. The swimsuit just needs the buttons sewn on, the buttonholes sliced open, and the hat finished though, so it's almost there. It's CUTE. I'm excited about wearing it. I haven't touched either of my other projects though.