A friendly prod or a prod from a friend.

As my dear friend Gina from "Beauty for Ashes" reminded me tonight, it's about time for a blog post. So the latest is that we have settled in Texas on eight acres of land and as you can imagine we have unpacking, and projects galore.

I have a lovely, huge, all mine, sewing studio being put together in a detached 23x23 ft garage. 

I am pretty excited about it!

I am also a huge fan of Habitat for Humanity Re-stores. You never know what your might find, it's always a treasure hunt. Last week I found this beauty! 

Can you believe it? It's a Singer from 1951, it's clean and looks as though it was hardly used. All of the attachments were included and were pristine as well. So how much for is glorious piece of sewing delight? $50 ... So yes, I rescued it and brought it home. Here you can see himself checking that the wiring is safe for me. 

I also found this very useful item.

This is a 9000 BTU portable AC unit. Cool air in the studio? Yes Please! This darling works beautifully and was $150. A very good deal.

So while I don't have new sewing to share just yet, things are moving along. The rhythm of our days is taking shape and I will be back to stitching very soon. Tomorrow I need to cut out a retro dress. 

Some other happenings around the farm.

Rooms have been painted. 

And electric gates have been fixed and are in working order. 

Tomorrow I will answer the age old question...If I make a 1950s dress with my blue linen will I kick myself later when the Edwardian bug bites? Night all.

Upcoming ideas

So with my very first costume college under my belt I have a few moments to breath and plan for some upcoming outings. 

I also have my first must make dress for coco 2014 in mind

Isn't this dreamy? You can look at (drool over) a few more detailed pictures here. 

http://pinterest.com/pin/189291990561374178/

This style is one of the very few I can appreciate from the 20s so many of the looks just will not work for my figure. 

Before I sew for Coco 2014 though I have a couple things to do first :) 

I will be attending the antique elegance show in DFW and that outfit is starting to take shape. I am also attending a charity shoot at old Fort Parker in Oct. and hope to be making something along these lines

To wear during the day to shoot in. 

Sometimes inspiration comes from places other than extant garments or fashion plates, right now I am having a little love affair with this gown. 

This dress can be found in the book "Les petit dames de mode" 

http://pinterest.com/pin/189291990561378347/

The plum-y goodness makes me swoon. 

I also have another era first event coming up in November. A Gregorian picnic with the DFW costume guild once again. I am planing a simple dress using this sheer dotted cotton. 

 

Here are some of the ideas that I am collecting for that project.

If you click on this pin you can then view the 1810 dot dress board I have put together. As I am writing to you from my iPad app, I do t have the option to share the board URL link with you. 

http://pinterest.com/pin/189291990561118265/

We are moving into our new home and my sewing studio  (squee!!) on Friday so for the moment my stash is packed up, the machines are in cases and I can but plot and plan. Happy sewing! Next post I will do the big photo tour of the studio before all my things get moved in. 

It's not all fabric and sewing...

In September I am going to be attending the Antique Elegance show along with some DFW costume guild friends and I am hoping for a nice 1940s look with an easy outfit for walking and shopping.

One of the areas I get anxious about is hair, make-up and accessories...so yeah, just imagine my internal squeeee when it was announced that next years Costume College will focus this topic?!? 

I purchased some reproduction patterns at CoCo and plan to use one of these. I could find a Vintage pattern and make that but like Heathers - Truly Victorian patterns, sometimes it's just nice to have a multi-sized dependable pattern at hand.

I love a high waisted pant! This shape is usually flattering to my figure.

Possible blouse option

A skirt from the 50s is another possibility

With this blouse. 

But before I decide and start the fabric hunt, I wants to try the hair and makeup and see if I could pull it off.

So this morning I tied my hair up in rag rollers...

"Charming no?"

This was easier than I expected and since I started with damp and not soaking wet hair it dried in about 3 hours. I also thought the rags were small enough and soft enough that I could sleep in them. Who knew?!

Later I took them out and ran my fingers through my hair - instant perm! Note to self work on self pictures, but you get the idea. 

Later after some help from you tube...Ta Da! Not too bad. 

The eyelashes look HUGE to me but when I snap a photo they seem in proportion, I need a little practice with eyeliner but all I all I am pleased with my first attempt. 

Now I can breath and get back to what I feel a bit more confident with, running the sewing machine. 

Bye now! 

Summer bloomers of discontent.

So yesterday while I was blogging I closed the blogger app to grab a link for Old Fort Parker and when I returned to finish the post...it was gone! What?! Where is auto save when you need it? So in disgust I went about my day in a fit of blogging piqué. Today I am over it and so can share my latest short project with a more composed mind. 

I have recently moved from the dry plains of hotter than hades OK to the north of Houston. The change in weather being something like desert to tropical heat. 

Last weekend I went to a monthly SASS shoot with friends and wore the "summer causal" outfit most folks were wearing. A straw hat, jeans and a t-shirt. American old west historical clothing being too hot. Well dear readers, so were the jeans! It got up to 103* F and about 80% humidity, honestly, it rained later that evening. 

So I decided action must be taken to save myself from as much of the sticky mess as possible...enter summer bloomers! 

These lovelies are made from cotton on sale for 2.50 a yard. (2.5 yards needed) 

A McCalls pattern for $.70 on sale 

Cotton lace trim  $1.49 a yard (very nearly two yards per) 

Waistband elastic 3/4 inch for $2.49 (enough for two pair) 

Thread from the stash

Time spent about 2 hours on the first pair and slightly less on the next three. 

I started by cutting out the pattern for the shorter of the two pant options from this pattern.

I then cut off more length after sewing one set together minus the waistband to achieve the bloomer length I desired, then I simply adjusted the pattern to that length for the next three. 

I like to pre-wash cotton fabric before use, I also like to serge the raw edges before I throw it in the washer, it saves me the agony of a mess like the one you see here which is what happens when I forget that little step! You can also use a zigzag or even a straight stitch I imagine to keep this from happening where a serger is not available. 

After fixing that minor disaster I got right on with the bloomers...they are a straight forward one piece per leg business with an elastic band for the waist. The ruffle is applied to the bottom of the leg with no elastic or gather of the pant leg, I like these kind of bloomers to be airy and loose. 

At the end of the day I had four pairs ready for the shoot I attended this weekend at Old Fort Parker two for myself and two for my friend Cindy who is know as Shotglass in the cowboy action world. We have adopted the Jail for the annual charity match in October and will be giving it a face lift, so more on that project as we go along. 

 http://oldfortparker.org/Cowboy_Action_Shooting.html

Here we are in our "much more better" bloomers. They are nothing like accurate but bless me they are comfortable! Now dear readers I have brought you up to date - auto save or no auto save! 

A vintage pattern complete

Remember the drinks by the pool pattern?

Here it is on me ready to head out at Costume college. I made this pattern exactly as written just to see how it would act. I found it to be just the slightest touch too big in the bust- neckline as well as through the waist of the skirt. 

A little view of the pattern 

And during construction

The buttons I decided to use

Matching toes to peek out of my sandals. 

Over all I was so pleased with my first walk on the vintage pattern side of the street. Vintage pattern choices make a wonderful day class option for costume college. You have the advantage of looking "in costume" while being comfortable and yet not taking up too much space in valuable lecture halls or workshops. 

Too close to coco to blog post

So I started to write something last night and share what I have been up to this week and got a call from a friend, then I went to bed too tired to think. So that is what I am going to blog about, being just too busy and tired to blog. 

You see this is my very first Costume College and I have already weathered a whole lot of Murphey. We decided this year instead of next was the right time to sell our home in OK and move to TX. I had the opportunity to help a friend after surgery and I took it, I also had the opportunity to travel to the east coast and see our Norn Ireland friends and I took that too! You see while costuming is a passion for me, it is not the most important thing going on in my life. My dear friend Gina and I were to room together but she injured her back and while I am horribly sad and disappointed not to be seeing her in two days I am not mad. You see costuming is not the most important thing in our friendship either! 

So with that little bit of keeping centered...I have been sewing my behind off! I am SO excited for coco to begin and I am really looking forward to this adventure with old friends and new! 

Some obligatory photos... With better coverage later- post coco.

Pay no heed to that man behind the computer!

So with that... I am off to wrap up this mess, packs some bags and head to California! 

"There is an old saying that opportunity doesn't knock twice, which is not true. Opportunity knocks many times, just never in the same way." From the back cover jacket of "The Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes" By Kelly Easton.

A little trip to the cats meow...

So today I took a little trip down the road and visited a vintage jewelry and clothing place called the cats meow....wow!

Let me share the wonderful with you.

Yes Gina...those are hats...lots of hats.

And they were everywhere

The cabinet is full of them!

There were feathers and 

And drawers full of lace

Drawers full of treasure

Boxes full of joy

There was green 

And more green - don't mind the yoga pants its been raining buckets here...which is good, but not worth ruining good shoes ect.

Some detail this coat was Devine!

Then in a corner I found the underpinnings! 

This beauty is a pair of very long 1860s drawers with this delicate hem stitch detail and lace and they are a very fine weight linen!

Did I mention the mind blowing drawers of lace yet?

So the hats made me call my friend Gina to squee loudly on the phone and share ( because squee worthy is share worthy) She virtually drooled on the hat. Then asked if I might find a lace collar for her mid-victorian mourning gown.

That would look something like this

Or perhaps this

So I looked and first I found this piece worked on a curve 

It's long but ohhhh so pretty

Perhaps cut it and make cuffs with the extra? 

No? Ok....well then how about this?

How long is it? Well let's see...

Yes? That will do nicely? Yes... I think so too! That's great because I had also found this beautiful set

Of a collar with a set of matched cuffs...and well I'm not sharing! ;) 

I really wanted this...and for $125.00 I thought it needed to come home with me, however it does not rise up from that position so I decided to leave it behind. Sigh....

So what did I get you ask? 

Red plaid silk taffeta 6 yards that meets the "silk less than $10 a yard is a must purchase" rule.

4.5 yards of vintage 1950s dress fabric

It is a lovely hand and very fine weight.

More vintage 50s fabric it is a fine shirt weight with a plaid on one side and a stripe on the other. 4.5 yards. Also for a summer dress. 

An Edwardian long petticoat, here you see the bottom ruffle and lace ( sorry no dress form in my moving house exile.) 

Some lilac tatting for an Edwardian corset project

Such a nice match!

With a little lace

Some truly amazing insertion...

It's "this" big!

So dear readers...I hope you enjoyed my little adventure! Now back to sewing since the mail lady brought me these today...

Sail on ....sail on.

Oh by the way...love what you see? Stop by the even bigger even better antique elegance show in Sept. in Dallas...I'm going, you?