Fall / Winter Sewing - The Pictures

Some finished projects...

Cream microfleece hoodie, McCalls pattern.  The sleeves are too short, I need to buy a little of the fabric and lengthen them.

Finished tshirts and jumper for my mini-me aka my little cousin

Finished tshirt that I freaking LOVE

In progress:

Stockings

To do list from the top down: workout clothes (leggings done), wrap sweater, workout clothes, tshirts (done), some quilting stash addition, the pink is satin that was part of my coat (facing and hood lining), denim for jeans, terrycloth for dad's Christmas gift, and sweater fleece.

 Wise men:

Coat Progress:

Starting to put it together...

Putting the lining together...

Time to start putting all the pieces together...

Letting the hem settle...

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.

Sunset Dress - Toledo War and Some Updates

As you probably know, I made a little steam casual sundress from some travel prints I had in my stash. It was supposed to be quick and easy, but was neither, but I got it finished and made a matching hat band well before the event, so that's all that really matters, right?

Anyways, here's some pictures:

The best picture is a side view. Of course, my sunhat was so huge that my face is obscured in pretty much all of these... Picture by Dixie, cropped by me.

The back, also featured is my awesome backpiece that still needs work
Picture by Sally, cropped by me.

And this was the only picture I could find of the front. The one with the pigtails is my friend Gloria, who is a-maz-ing. Picture by Corielle Riddell, cropped by me.

 The event was fun, and we had a decent turn out. A lot more Ohio people than Michigan, which was amusing to me because we drove a lot farther than they did.

Details on the dress: I used Simplicity 3823 for the base, pretty much just the bodice part. I converted it from a side zipper to a back zipper. Pretty sure that I could take the bodice down another size, but if I end up gaining back the weight I lost, then it would be too small so... The skirt was as long as I could make it while matching the pattern along the center front and center back seams. It's not perfectly matched, but only I can see the issues so... I just gathered the panels so they fit the bodice. The zipper is a orange-rust color, and I used dark red thread. The zipper was hand picked, the hem done by  hand as is my standard operating procedure and the lining whipped in by hand as well. I also wore one of my petticoats in most (if not all) of these pictures.

Note to self: I really need a new petticoat. Or three. I've been trying to find a good tutorial, the Sugardale one might be the best so far. Although I really love these layered rainbow pettis. I really need several in different lengths for different skirts and dresses, to be honest.

On that topic, I have vacation coming up and have decided to make a couple new things to wear. (1) I bought around 4 yards of an Audrey Hepburn print cotton (not really the one I wanted, but the movie poster print sold out :( ) and plan to just make a quick little dirndl skirt. Maybe a wrap, if I can figure it out, maybe gathered onto a waistband that has elastic, maybe gathered with elastic. I haven't decided yet. (2) The same thing for some train print cotton I have. I've kind of been saving it for a steampunk outfit, but we're going to Chattanooga. And it's TRAINS. So I figured if I did the same kind of skirt, that I could just undo it if I wanted to use the fabric for something else in the future. (3) I'm also thinking about a little silky dress from some cool zodiac print fabric I got from the red tag table on my last little spree. (4) And petticoats. Even if I just do one or two new quick and dirty ones, I could really use some new petticoats.

As for Teslacon, that sewing is coming along pretty well. The swimsuit is almost done, except for the sash and the hat. The rococopunk is well underway and the stays are DONE. And I started work on the bustle gown as well. I'm hoping to have another serger date at my friend's place soon to work on that. If I do any panels, it'll just be one, so I'll have plenty of time for fun. :D

Steamtopia Preparations: Post the Third

1. Edwardian chemise - DONE!

Edwardian corset and chemise. I was checking the length to see if I was happy with it.

2. Airship uniform - I actually *just* sewed the closures on. I can't really figure out a good place for the wrist loops, I kind of tried the side and the middle of the train and I feel like it just ends up looking awkward.

3. New airship uniform corset - DONE! I plowed through and finished it this past weekend, just in time to wear out to Privateer's Promenade 2.0. The corset actually took a lot of work: I screwed up the lining so I ended up putting it in a piece at a time by hand. Which makes for a prettier lining, but it definitely takes longer.  I used gold eyelets from my stash, a black busk, and spiral steel (two on each seam). Flat steel would've been sturdier but it does cinch rather nicely. I did pop an eyelet lacing it so that needs replaced before Steamtopia.

Almost finished corset, trying to decide if I wanted to use gold or black for the binding.

Finished airship uniform corset!

And my outfit for the Promenade! Everyone said I looked amazing, so I think this is going with me to Steamtopia.

4. Wash overskirt - Coming along. I added the red ruffle, which was a labor of love: 45 minutes just to pin the hem, then once it was gathered I had to hand stitch it all on. But that's all taken care of now and I've got the waist / side seam pinned for the next step. So it's getting there!

Pinning the hem on around 11 yards of ruffles takes a while...

All pinned on and ready to sew!

5. Gold brocade polonaise - I cut out and fitted the mockup, it was just a smidge tight so I'll probably do a 3/8 or 1/2 inch seam instead of 5/8 like my usual. Next up is buying lining, washing the lining and brocade (after I zigzag the brocade's raw edges) and then cutting out the fabric, lining and interlining. I should probably also iron the interlining before I cut it out... I think that's going home with me to my parents' this weekend. I need to have it done by next Tuesday, I have a date with a friend to use her serger to finish the edges of all the brocade pieces so they don't ravel.

6. New white petticoat - DONE! It's really basic and simple but it's a new petticoat!

Basic, white batiste with white denim at for the hem facing and waistband.

7. Swimsuit - I ended up buying one from JCPenney's. It's a bikini and has this black lace / cut out that looks vaguely like ironwork and I think gives it a steamy feel.

8. Garrison hat - Haven't started or even really found a pattern yet, but I think I'll have time for it before the convention.

9. Grey bodice (the Governess bodice) - I took out some stitching on the ribbons along the front edges and restitched them down after tucking the ends under a little more. The ends were starting to come out so it went on the repair to do list. But now it's DONE! 

Also, Sock Dreams had a sale so I picked up a few things for Steamtopia:

L to R: Black Paris knee highs, black sheer to waist pantyhose, black striped lace topped thigh highs and white ruffled shorts to wear with the Edwardian underwear

T minus three weeks and two days! Cuz all the prep needs done by the 11th.

A bientot, mes amis!

Steampunk Empire Symposium 2014

First of all, I had the BEST time this year! Seriously, I think it was the most fun I've ever had at a convention.

(1) I got to hang out with a bunch of friends from Ohio and from other states, including some quality time with Leanna Renee Hieber who was awesome and gorgeous and who sold me the third book in her latest series and autographed it for me because she's amazing.

(2) I made some new friends too! Some were people I'd run into before at other cons but never really talked with, or had talked with but never followed up afterwards, etc. and some were brand new, never met before.

(3) All of our panels went well! We had SIX (two were last minute and then there was also a replacement fiasco when a panelist with very good reasons cancelled) and all were well attended. The smallest we had was about a dozen people and I think that was because of the other panels in the same time slot. I had several new panelists working for me this year, and they all did well! So I was very pleased.

(4) It's a con, so of course there were parties. Use your imagination and then add awesome and that would probably be pretty accurate.

(5) The other programming (at least what little I attended) was also great. Leanna did a reading / question and answer and that was amazing as per her usual.  And there was a Steampunk Cooking panel and the food was to die for, plus he did it all gluten free so I could actually eat it without repercussions!

One small tiny kinda of bad thing: I think going off gluten has caused me to lose some weight, so some of my things don't fit right anymore. :(

Okay, now on to what I wore!

Friday afternoon / early evening: Black underskirt with my plaid bodice and plaid square overskirt. Forgot to take photos.

Friday evening: Edwardian undergarments for our Mentioning Unmentionables panel.

I really need to fix the bottom of the corset, it shouldn't gape like that.

With my friend Rachel, taken by the every so lovely Panda. We were quite scandalous walking the halls in our unmentionables!

Saturday earlier in the day: Persian Steampunk.

Only picture I got, and it's Sally taking a selfie of us. lol

Saturday afternoon / evening aka most of the day: Airship Uniform. The corset needs scrapped, or given away cuz I majorly screwed up the fit. Also I need a wrist loop on the train, I totally caught it in the door once and that was NOT fun.

Still needs work, but I seriously love my airship uniform. I even made Sigmund a cravat to wear with his black vest so he could be in uniform as well.

Saturday evening: Casual party steampunk - black shorts that I ran to Target and bought, black tank top, black stockings and high heeled boots and my pink underbust.

Sunday: Brown tank and knee length pants with my teal corset, casual and mainly comfy for the last day.

This is the corset that is too big now, a male friend laced it for me and it laced so far closed that it overlapped in the back. :( because it's one of my favorites.Photo was taken by Brian Kollig (google him, he's an awesome photog!) on my phone for me. Thanks Brian!

Miss Wilde is WAY Behind as per Usual

I just realized how behind I am on blogging, dear friends! In my defense, in real life I work for a CPA and our tax season was particularly insane this year so ...

My dress for the Regency ball I attended. I'm wearing short stays, a chemise and a strapped petticoat. The dress is a drawstring dress with elbow length sleeves and I'm also wearing an open robe. Everything is Sense and Sensibility patterns, the Regency Underthings and the Elegant Ladies Closet. For the open robe, I used the bodice back pieces of the dress, the skirt pattern and pretty much made up the front part of the open robe. But I think it turned out pretty good, except that neckline is WAY too high. 

Regency Cinderella

 On Easter, I wore this adorable 50s retro reprint dress! Yellow and white heavy cotton for the dress, the collar is white batiste with muslin interfacing. And the buttons are faux and covered in batiste to match the collar.

Easter Dress

Okay now that those are out of the way, next up is the Steampunk Empire Symposium that I just attended! I'll try to get that posted later today, along with my current sewing to do list.

A bientot, mes amis!