Mourning dress and studio update

Today I drug out my mourning dress from two years ago to wear later this month to a "Mourning Tea"with the DFW costume guild. Here is what I have to work with. 

My plan is to add purple and some black lace from the lace hoard to make this a half mourning gown. I mean, it has been two years, it's time to leave deep mourning and mix in society a bit. 

Here is the purple I will be adding. 

It's a beautiful deep rich purple with a cross weave of black. Perfect! 

It was at about this point that I got disturbed by all the stuff in the background, I really don't work well with clutter or too much busy visual distraction. There was nothing for it. Time for a tidy and a good floor sweep. 

See that hanging rack on the right? Yes that one! It's been better than nothing for several years. It is cheap (read falls over) short (read things hang on the ground) and narrow (read not enough room for all the things.) I decided today was the day to retire and replace it. 

Google search and Pinterest powers activate! 

I found this lovely idea. There was no info attached to this image just a "user upload" 

I love iron pipe structures and if you check out my big cutting table you will see the base is iron pipe. I also had enough pipe left from the coolest gift of pipe ever ( thank you again and again Kathryn!) even after my table and hubbie's cool tire rack to make this. I needed just a couple fittings and some wood. I spent $47 on this project. 

Here is the best handyman ever installing it for me! Look how tall it is!! Squeeee! 

Yes he actually started doing pull ups on it! Note to self - fill it up quickly before my studio becomes the gym. Anyway... It's super strong and will hold "all the things!"

Then he had to make the "crazy grin so my crazy wife can blog about it" face. Yes ladies this is exactly what it's like around here. (I'm am sooooo all about this guy!!) 

But wait! There's more! Remember the wood I mentioned? I want to add a shelf to the top to hold my hat boxes. 

Yes! That will work nicely. 

And here it is all done and loaded. I'd like this area to be for projects in the works so I can clear off my table at the end of a day. Clean horizontal surfaces make me happy!! This is also a great place to load costumes before an event and make sure nothing gets left out.  

Goodbye small, short, and inadequate. Deep cleansing breath of happiness.... Exhale. Now! Back to the dress. I played around with things for a bit and came up with this. 

I like the combination of color and texture. Here you can see a close up of the lace over the purple. 

Everything is just pinned at this point. Pins are so much easier to remove than stitches. I like to step back snap a couple photos and just let a look sink in. Is it balanced? Does it need more? Or less? It's a good step in the design process. 

Then it was time to stop for pizza night with my crew and return to the rabbit hole which is Pinterest for inspiration for the overskirt...

Ideas ideas... 

So how was your Friday? 

A day trip to Dallas

Saturday, Hubbie and I took a lovely long drive up to Dallas for the exquisite Antique Elegance show.

What a treat it was! Here is a story of two lace grab bags and the treasures I found therein. 

Grab bags as you know can be a gamble, but traditionally the idea is that you get a mix of things worth at least the purchase price but of the bag makers choice. They have bits and bobs and end pieces. Well... here were my bags 

two gallon sized zip lock bags ...

and this mess is what fell out...

then my work began to gently pull the pieces apart and see what I had. 

dosent look like much.

but as I gently unraveled it spritzed it with some vinegar water and let that sit for a couple minutes so the fibers could relax you could see the lovely pattern of the lace

it's lovely.

and just over a yard long. 

this piece was a yard long and about 30 inches wide 

The pattern is delicate the way only the old laces are....sigh...

It still had the tag attached which was a treat! 

one side had scalloped edges- dreamy! 

This yummy bit was also just over a yard. 

the pattern looks like it stepped out of an 1880's catalogue.

there were several large motif pieces that had been cut from lace yardage. 

This piece was eight yards long 

This piece was about 26 inches

 but oh my...its lovely. 

it was about this point that I realized I needed to grab a note pad so I could write down the lengths of each piece. There was more than I expected! 

The lovely things kept coming... it was like a fairy dream. 

I am always so impressed with the intricate patterns of old lace. 

This piece is three yards long and over six inches wide...breathless! 

This small piece is 30 inches from scallop to cut edge and about 24 inches wide...perhaps an Edwardian bodice front? 

a photo of the wide piece with the ruler so you can see the pattern. 

then this piece unfolded....its edged all the way around like a sole or a very delicate table runner. Best grab bag ever! 

it does have a little hole in it but still - it has potential. 

this polka dotted pretty is 2.5 yards long and 4 inches wide. 

a couple more motifs came out of the bag

I am so glad I purchased Wearing History's blouse pattern as I think I may have enough bits with some good black batiste to make an Edwardian blouse. 

Well this went on for a time and at the end of it I had three pieces between 7-10 yards long of insertion lace and collar pieces and a cuff and more short but perfect lace bits. All in all a very well spent 16$ if I do say so myself and I hope you have enjoyed sharing in the fun along with me. 

The Plaid skirt is coming along... its been a very oddly over scheduled two weeks here. It has gone so very far beyond busy I won't even try to describe it. I did manage to get into the studio on Sunday though and TA DA! Pocket! 

Until next time my friends...pocket all the things! 

Rumors of my death...

have been highly overstated. After returning from costume college I went into some sort of mental and sewing shut down. I think I have recovered now. I find myself day dreaming of new things and feel already a slight but not unproductive panic about getting next years projects underway so as not to be a later-gator. So how did I do on the procrastination front? Better than last year- which frankly is great. I feel very positive about future goals. 

So what is up? I want to of coarse share all the drool worthy moments from coco 2014 and I will in a separate post but right now I just need to share how much fun I had with my friend Gina of Beauty from Ashes who unlike myself has posted all about the event from her side of things. Without her determination to force me into photo mode (there may or may not have been actual force used) I would have no pictures what so ever to share with you all. Having a shutterbug buddy is pretty cool if I do say so myself and now that I have survived the experience I do - say so. 

One of the unexpected things that happened was this silk...I mean I knew it would. I don't think I have ever gone to LA and got just what was on my list or even found everything on my list. LA is not like that it is a huge mash of possibilities that only occasionally align with the perfect timing of the universe to produce the elusive complete checked of shopping list. 

What I did find however is lovely. 

See that navy,tan, teal, white plaid silk on the left? Yeah...that came home with me. As you can see from the photo this is a tone I kinda, maybe, have a thing for. 

I'm going to be making a mid-decade 1890's walking skirt with a blouse waist to celebrate this fun plaid and Heather's new pattern. This outfit is a typical fresh start kind of project for me. After a really intense period of sewing and travel I like a nice straight forward project to get me going in the studio again. This skirt will also kick off my new personal challenge "pocket all the things!" once again I found that there are NEVER enough pockets while at conventions. Yes yes...I know...this is what bags and reticules are for. I can think of nothing so loathsome as having one more thing hanging off my body. I also tend to set things down and in the fun of chatting might very well walk off without a reticule (shuddering horror!) So to cater to my personal foibles and addresses what is for me a real annoyance I will be adding pockets both discreet  and obvious to my costumes in the coming year. Stay tuned for the pocketty goodness. 

See? I really do like teal... adorable color that it is. Here I am in one of my favorite new dresses at coco. I love this gown because "LOOK!" its me - in Regency! 

 Me again in proof of teal appeal. This dress is now a "that old thing" but it is very much a favorite. 

Shortly I will be cutting into the above teal cotton velvet goodness for a Regency Pelisse to wear this Fall. More teal...imagine that. 

So until next time fellow teal lovers- pocket all the things!