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21st Century Victorian

Phoenix from the ashes

8/22/2016

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From the ashes of my crash and burn, Phoenix arises! I am super happy with how she turned out considering what I was faced with. The bodice pattern was Truly Victorian TV493 1896 Plain Bodice. I had to make some modifications to the puff sleeves due to limited lace. The skirt was... something I cheated with. Again, limited fabric meant I did not have enough to go fully historical. I ended up with three panels and made a couple of darts in the back to help with fullness. Fabric and lace scraps made a nice purse and hat band. The petticoat (not shown) was another "Cheap Skirt Worth Its Weight In Gold" (see entry under Costumes tab). I had two twin bed skirts so I kept the bottom ruffle intact, cut off the side ruffles, sewed the two panels together and sewed all the extra ruffles to the back panel for fullness. Ta-daa!
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a phoenix hat with peacock feathers

8/22/2016

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One of these days I'm going to take an official millinery class. I think I do ok up-cycling old hats but I can't always get a good base hat to turn into exactly what I want. That was the case with the hat for Phoenix. I knew exactly what I wanted; I just couldn't get there. But this hat looks nice and I'm ok with it... for now. ;-)
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At this point I had already doused the original straw hat with boiling hot water to reshape it. I then cut it into 3 parts: the crown, the outer ring, and the inner ring that I did not use at all.
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I folded the outer ring until I got a bow shape then used clear thread / monofilament / fishing line to sew it together.
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The clear thread was a PITA to use!! >:-( It kept getting hung up in all the raw exposed straw edges. I did what I could then lost my patience and hot glued it.
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Next, I flipped the front edge down and put the crown on the inside. I needed to make the crown smaller to I slit the back side and squeezed it until it fit.
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In this picture you can sort of see the slit along the back of the crown. Knowing I was going to add feathers, I wasn't worried about it showing. I hot glued the crown to the outer ring/brim.
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The new hat shape was all together and secure but I had a lot of exposed raw edges of the straw that was catching everything. I gently trimmed it all down and then used good old Elmer's Glue as a sealer. It dries clear so no worries! Once the glue was dry, I added the ribbon and feathers. That's it! Scroll back up to the top to see the finished hat in all her glory. ;-)
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Crash and burn

8/19/2016

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Best laid plans ...blah blah blah. Sometimes you just have to walk away.
Okay, here's what happened:
1. I was not successful upsizing the pattern to fit my waist measurements due to the odd gathering of the "wrap around" front panel.
2. Although I was willing to change the design and make it work, I still struggled with getting it to lay right. It worked fine for the mock-up (see?! I was trying to do it right!). I thought maybe it was because I added the flatline pieces so I unstitched it all, removed the flatline and started over.
3. Although removing the flatline pieces did actually get it to lay like I wanted it to, the result of this was that the side seams no longer had the strength of the cotton lining to keep it together so it started to shred apart. Not just pull apart, SHRED apart. (This is a chance you take when you buy second-hand stuff and upcycle it. Curtain fabric is not always woven to withstand vertical seam stress.)  There wasn't enough fabric left over to cut new bodice pieces.
4. Sighed. Rolled my eyes up to the Seamstress Goddess. She denied a miracle. Tossed it all in the trash. I did, however, save the sleeve pieces because I might be able to use them for ... I have no idea.

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So guess what?! I'm making a whole new outfit from scratch! (So much for that whole not stressing myself out thing.) The blue fabric is left over from Loraina. The lace fabric is actually a modern top I bought several years ago from Maurices. It's a bit too tight now so let's see what I can do with it....! ;-)
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Christening the new work table

8/19/2016

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New work table. New pattern weights. New rotary cutter. SO EXCITED!!! And I'm trying to be super smart with my time. I have two big events coming up that are only 3 weeks apart and I thought I would try not to over do it. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I have an outfit I haven't worn for a while because the shirt waist really needs to be updated. I made it several years ago and it still 'looks fine' but my knowledge of Victorian clothing has grown so much, I just can't stand to wear something I now know is so inaccurate. So instead of stressing myself out by trying to make two brand new outfits from scratch, I thought I would just make a new top and wear the same outfit to both events. I bought the pattern a while back and although the waist measurement is several inches too small, I think I can make the needed adjustments. I've had the fabric for a while, it was originally a large curtain panel that I picked up at my local thrift store for only a couple of bucks (because there was only one panel). Although the bodice of a Victorian shirt waist does not require much fabric, the late era (BIG ASS POOFY) mutton sleeves require a great deal more than one would ever imagine. Also, this particular pattern has a "wrap around" front so it needs a bit ore fabric than usual. If I cut carefully, it'll work. The burgundy and gold colors will be perfect for the skirt I already have (and still like!).
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studio Upgrade!

8/19/2016

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Isn't she BEAUTIFUL???!!! Absolutely love it! My hubby put this together for me and I can't wait to start using it! Everything came from Lowes. The two ends are 9-cubbie units. The sides are the tall 8-cubbie units that are laid on their sides. This left a gap in the middle so hubby glued down a big piece of luan plywood. With the top row of cubbies open, this allows me to slide in long tubes of fabric! :-) The table top is a hollow door. I glued down 3 large cutting mats on top and that was it!! Total is 3 feet tall, 3 feet wide and 6 feet long. (This is a VERY condensed description. If you are seriously interested in doing your own and would like the 'reality' version, just send me an email.)   
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Talking flowers

8/19/2016

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Careful, this one bites!
Here is Tigerlily, the chatty flower with an attitude. I was quite pleased with how she turned out. I had to work with what I had which was a bunch of random colors and lengths of 'satin' fabric. There were supposed to be a total of 8 different flowers plus 7 little daisies. Truth be told, I ran out of time and energy so I reassigned the 8th flower into a butterfly because I already had giant wings. And seriously, what self-respecting flower garden would be seen without at least one butterfly, right?!
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QueEn of Hearts

8/19/2016

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The director and I had the same vision: this production was not going to be a remake of Disney or Tim Burton costumes. He also asked specifically that the Queen of Hearts costume look VERY different from the Red Queen. <WARNING: QUICK RANT... Most people assume that the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen are the same character (thanks Tim Burton for reinforcing that falsity).  The Queen of Hearts is from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Off with their heads! and flamingo croquet). The Red Queen is from the second book Alice Through the Looking Glass. She is partnered with the White Queen and they make up the chess pieces come to life that carry the story through. OKAY, RANT OVER> So this is the Queen of Hearts I came up with on a broken and frayed shoestring budget. The gold skirt started life as an extra long tablecloth. The red overskirt and mantle were 2 curtain panels and a valance. (The gold pouch was a special request from the actress. She asked for something to hold her 'flamingo treats' in. It was a super cute scene; I was glad to oblige.) The white waistband was hidden by the actress's gold corset and the mantle/valance provided the modesty she wanted to cover her ample décolletage. As always, it looked better on the actress than on the dress form. I purchased the curtains were from a thrift store for $12 and the table cloth for $2. Not bad. ;-)

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    Author

    I adore the Victorian era but I live in the 21st century. I strive for authenticity but not to the point of obsession (usually). Unless the TARDIS shows up, I'm only ever going to have to 'look' the part. Sometimes close enough really is good enough.

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