…on corset making. The last corsets I made were many many moons ago. I had no idea then how to ontain the specialist tools of the trade [busks, spiral boning, proper lacing] and I just relied on what I could get from the market plus the wonderful ‘Corsets and Crinolines’ by Norah Waugh. The corsets … Continue reading I’m boning up…
But it wasn’t all peasants, and the dreaded cardboard boxes of rags: I also got to choose, and later make, principal costumes. Much more fun! [Making forty fairly-period-accurate caps to cover those granny perms, on the night before a show is no fun at all] Sometimes I made the whole outfit, sometimes we hired bits … Continue reading Fat ladies and singing…[part 2 of 2]
Between starting uni in 1992, and finishing my first year of teaching in 1996, I joined a local amateur opera company as wardrobe assistant [and later Maitresse lol]. [No, not mattress, don’t be rude…] This was purely voluntary, as I’d long nurtured a fantasy of working in costuming. A pal joined up as a singer, … Continue reading Fat ladies and singing…[part 1 of 2]
Many years ago, when my kids were small, I often had to make them fancy dress, or costumes for school plays. Back then, you couldn’t just go to the supermarket and pick up a ‘dressing up’ outfit, you had to have a go yourself. I didn’t sew much for myself for years, but gradually started … Continue reading Fancy That!
Here are a few teasers of the blouse… …and some before shots of the silk parasol that I’m going to re-cover. Off to get all dressed up now, more pics later Continue reading A New Head of Steam #2
It became clear that a few alterations to the black skirt would be needed on its first outing: the hastily pinned ‘bustling’ at the back, was obviously only a temporary measure, time just got away from me [appropriate for a time traveller…] The large quilting safety pins that the wife used to secure it were … Continue reading A New Head of Steam #1
A long lie in A lovely bubbly bath A jaunt into town to buy buttons from the rag market Birmingham Independent Food Fair [nom nom nom burp] a little drinkipoo in the afternoon sunshine dinner at the theatre and TWO decadent desserts An evening with Alan Carr We ate til we burst and laughed til … Continue reading Perfect Day
…Back to reality Of course, I’m already shuffling ideas around for my next steampunk outfit, I’ve well and truly got the bug BUT meanwhile, I’d already cut out those 2 Butterick patterns. I settled in for a lovely long sewing session on Tuesday evening, [taking my mind of the million enrolment issues from work] while … Continue reading Back to Life…
The story of the final stages: I stayed up til about 130 last night finishing things, as I wanted them for today, and I’d had a longish nap early in the evening. Ahem, 2 vodkas straight after work, what a lightweight. Waistcoat: all I had to do was understitch, sew the single sideseam, and make … Continue reading Steaming On #15: no more I promise!
And a frabjous time was had by all. We nearly didn’t go: the arranged meeting time was 10am, which I knew would be unlikely given our habit of Saturday morning lie-ins…and I was right. We woke up properly at about 930, so I went to make tea and toast and assumed that my little wifelet … Continue reading Steamin On #14: the big reveal
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