Sugar, Spice...and Fairy Dust

A great recipe for a little girl's first Halloween costume. I am still without a sewing budget, so I'm finding other ways of distracting myself. Like making other people's costumes!

A couple I work with has an adorable little girl that will be celebrating her first Halloween. I'm making her a little flower fairy costume. I picked up the pattern while I was at home, and went to the $2 a yard bargain bin and found some great fabric! The fun sparkly fabric is the kind of stuff I would never normally work with as a historical costumer, so this is a fun project for me.

Pictures of Gown

Here's the finished product!! If you want to compare it to the inspiration, click here.

Robe Francaise Complete!

My Robe Francaise is now 100% complete, and I even had time to make a little pinner cap for my hair today. Yesterday, Katie helped me pin up my hem and attach a pleated flounce to my underskirt.

We then spent lots of time, cutting, pinking, sewing, and gathering ruffles and ruching for the dress. My first attempt at decorating the dress did not come out the way I wanted, so I started again today. To the left are pictures of my trim options.

Below are the finished underskirt and sleeve trim.


And while I realize this isn't the greatest of pictures (the sun had long gone down when I finished sewing), here is a picture of the final product.

I'm desperate to go outside in good light and have some pictures taken with me actually wearing the dress...but Katie left this morning, so I don't have anyone to take picutres of me. Rotten timing. I know.

Unfortunatley, since I'm out of muslin, and I'm currently paying off next week's vacation, there isn't any fabric money this month. I also don't have any more projects sitting around waiting to be started (other then the evil civil war dress that is on hold until Simplicity has a $1 sale and I can get a new pattern), so I imagine there isn't going to be much sewing for me to post about in the next few months. Just lots of dreaming and planning.

Plotting!!

Hi All!!! Well, I haven't been sewing very much lately. I must admit that I have been distracted by visitors and traveling about. I haven't felt very inspired to finish trimming my 18th century gown, and the thought of working on my civil war gown with the horrible pattern I have is depressing.

So....

I'm planning my next project!! I want to make a Tudor gown (this was the time of Henry VIII and his six wives). I already have the pattern and have selected the fabric I want to use. I'm using a great red brocade, with gold brocade undersleeves and underskit:

For the oversleeves, I'll use a matching deep red velvet. Now I just have to save up the money for the fabulous fabric.

I'll need to make a linen shift to go underneath the gown: the puffy sleeves of the shift are pulled through the slashings of the sleeves to show through. If I have the patience, I could also do blackwork (or spanish embroidery) to complete the look of the shift. I have no clue where to get the pattern for the chemise, and would like to avoid purchasing another pattern, but the well known elizabeth 'smock' generator doesn't have the required puffy sleeves. I'm planning on trying to use my 18th century stays instead of making yet another corset, and I've already got a set of farthingales (aka hoops from the time period).

For accessories: I'm going to make a french hood to go with the dress, and I've also found a great place to purchase necklaces/girdles/and billaments for the dress called Sapphire and Sage.