Venice Carnival Happened

Venice Carnival happened and I helped dress Lynn Rutter and Erling Wold again . I always jump when they need something made because they are so much fun to work with!

We spruced up the muslin over dress that I had created for her marriage to Erling several years ago. Its so pretty and I love that she got to wear it again! She wore it over a Dark Garden corset and matching skirt. I was over the moon as I didn't really get a full length photo of this creation on the big day! The Empress was a vision!

Erling needed something to go under this coat that I had made for him quite some time ago. I was pleased that with all the wear and tear that this garment has gone through, I really didnt need to repair it at all. I found some pretty claret colored fabric and dandified him up with a new waistcoat and breeches. I did a lot of hand applique on the waistcoat and he does look divine if I do say so myself. We made it so that he could also wear it with a gorgeous frock coat that he had acquired through ACT.

A Cut Above - Literally

 Lynne Rutter is one of those friends who started out as a client and ended up being an integral part of my life. Over the years we have made corsets, costumes, wedding attire, soft home furnishings and I even had my work studio in her garage for two years.

This woman is amazing - read about her Here and then go Here to read her blog. And HERE is a great recent SFGATE article about her! What exquisite talent and taste Lynne has! When Lynne gives you her opinion or assessment on any given subject, the woman knows what she's talking about!

Lynne was wanting a painters smock that was a cut above what was being offered anywhere else.  She had some ideas and off we went to Discount Fabrics to buy a roll of beautiful Belgian linen. She planned on wearing it on site and in her studio as well. It had to be well made and stylish as she often works in her clients' homes.  We made two or three of them and they have lasted her years and gone through some heavy wearing and abuse. This one still looks great! I think we did a good job with this project. Lynne looks well polished and represented as the professional artist that she is.

There is nothing like linen. Linen is one of the most environmentally friendly plants around and has been used for centuries. Every part of the plant can be - and is used. It is an extraordinary fabric and a joy to work with - as is Lynne!

Betsy Ross In The Silent Films 1927

Its getting to be a tradition with me. Every year I must pay homage to Betsy Ross. She was a real person and she knew George Washington and the story goes that he asked her to help him out with making a flag to unify the country. They had umpteenth flags too many and he just wanted the one flag to symbolize the United States of America. She and her first husband were upholsterers. And supposedly there is very little proof of her actually making a flag, but she gave George some advice on the design and created a 5 pointed star instead of one with 6. I think she told him where to put the stars too. (that didn't come out right.....)

Now, some say that her grandson made up the whole story - Blasphemous! Some stories should just be left alone.
She went through a lot of husbands. they always died, it seems.

Happy 4th of July Everyone! I'll be spending my Independence day working on drapes. They are looking pretty sweet!

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

Spring Custom Sale!

I'm putting all my Etsy Custom listings on sale for a valuable discount of 20%!!!
I'll leave the sale up for a while, or until I have reached a sizable amount of work to do!
Use this discount code at checkout: springcustomsale
If for some reason, you cant enter the code at the end, convo me at Etsy or email me at kc.costumecouture and we can work something out - I usually will invoice you through paypal although I can take your credit cards now!
:)
This is a great sale! I said once before that I wouldn't do this again, but never say never is what I always say after that!
Im going to start offering listings of my favorite styles of costume gowns to make! I dont know why I didnt do that before - probably so busy with all those Fluffie Rufflies!!!!!!
Enjoy!

Princess Noel

 I took an old medieval inspired costume made from silvery rayon fabric from the early 70's and cut it down into an 18th century inspired costume for the Shadowdance Fashion Show. This was the first full-on costume I ever made. It now has a new life and hopefully will find a new owner soon.

Ive been making quite a few of these little shortie corsets lately. Im working on a really pretty one for Unsinkable Molly. Contact me if you would like me to make you one. They are great to dance in. You get the upper stability of a corset and you can still move around with relative ease.

Model: Amber Burke
Hairpiece: FoolProof Studio
Eardrapes: Sandi's Ocean
Bindi:  Hi Beam Bindis

Hair and Makeup: Crops and Bobbers
Photo: Black Lotus Clothing

Etsy Equinox Sale!!!!

Im having a little Autumnal Sale on Etsy for specific items that perhaps you are sitting on the fence about...........
   like this plus sized coffee dyed and distressed 18th century styled corset........very Steampunk (well, they traveled back in time) .........15% off might help!

I'll be putting new things up for sale and for your perusal as well as a new mark down here and there. Ive already marked my aprons down by at least half - so no new mark downs for those! :(

Thank you, everyone who helped me with your purchases, for getting me jump started into a new location and a new life! Im loving it here!

kc.costumecuture@gmail.com

Cleavage Next Time

 I'm trying to show how its really important that a corset fit you properly. I put this one up on Etsy because I love it, but it doesnt fit me. I weighed more when I made it and I never really did fit it to myself  properly. I needed a rush job corset. And thats what I got. Although I enjoyed making it - every step of the way - I'm supposed to have cleavage. At least some. The back isnt supposed to meet like this.

 Someday, someone will love this. This person will buy it and he/she will be transformed. Until then, I'll have it on my mannequin and stare at it lovingly. And when I do find time to make myself another one, I'll do it right.

 Sometimes the iphone camera does a good job. It makes me all fuzzy and I like that. But I really need to go get a camera.

Oldie Worldie Charm

This lovely little bustier was sleeping unloved in my pile of unfinished projects. So I couldnt take it anymore and finished it off. It feels so good to finally get something done that Ive been meaning to do for years! I have much to still finish as far as orders go, but now and then, I have to take a few mental health hours and finish up a languishing pile of fabric. This is a corset, but Im calling it a bustier because it doesnt have steel bones - just a couple in the back for support. It is "heavily" boned with rigilene (dont shudder). Not how I usually make a corset  by any means - but this is a little thing to go over a skirt for dress up - not a period piece. Ive got it up on Etsy for a steal. This is not an upcycled bustier - this was made from scratch, for nobody in particular and never worn.

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

Who or whatever god is: God Bless America

Im in a very creative mood these days. Yesterday some of my friends sat around and we made collages while drinking wine and collaborating on future fabulous photo shoots and things of that nature.

Yes, I should have been sewing as Im very late in getting some of my work out. Im at that point right now where I feel up against a wall and just have to take myself somewhere else for a day or two or I will explode. I somehow thought at first that running a business that is mainly online would be easier. Woe is me........not, not, not! So much of my time is taken up by being on the computer. And I dont get my sewing done. In a better economy, much would get farmed out again, but for now, Im on my own. Molly is on vacation and help is actually on the way.....but this week is a little tight for time and I hope no one is being too put out.

Tomorrow is American Independence Day. For most of us, its a day off with picnics and parties and fireworks. As with most holidays celebrating the glory of a country, its inhabitants forget who came before and who climbed over who to get said country to where its at. Ours is a bloody and unfortunate history full of genocide and slavery - much like most countries. Things we dont want to think about while eating our potatoe salad. But for all its mishaps and bad mistakes and bloodshed, there is an element of good and while I would still rather live in another country sometimes, Im always glad to get back to the food and ease of every day life that isnt shared in much of the world. Who or whatever god is: God Bless America.

Louie Says Relax

Another perfectly themed Christmas Fete at Matthew and Tom's house.

The arrival of the Christmas Season isnt complete without Matt and Toms' Annual Costumed Christmas Party. In fact, if I miss one of these, it just isnt Christmas.

Every year, Matt picks a theme (I think he has them lined up years in advance), designs his tree, constructs, paints, purchases and glitters ornaments and tree tops, wall hangings and decorations. Thier home becomes an environment of sheer funky, campy joy. The party is usually swingin til the dawn breaks. Not that I can party that late anymore, but Ive heard the stories!

Marie Atoinette -18th century costume requested - was this year's theme. And all the usual suspects had arrived. Some in borrowed or rented garb, some from my closet, some they make or have made themselves - almost everyone participates in some way, which is a far cry from many costumed parties that I have attended!

I had one day to make a corset, outfit, and wig, so I ended up being a long lost cousin from the colonies........that always explains it all anyway, doesnt it.......

Happy Christmas!








kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

Betsy Ross

I have a thing about Betsy Ross.
I don't consider myself overly patriotic except for the fact that I like where I live and want the best for everyone despite how our rulers feel.
She was quite a gal. She was a rebel and she seemed to have her own mind. She worked hard, had plenty of men in her life and seemed to be hanging with the people who were doing things. She earned her living as a seamstress, ended up with her own business and worked til she was an old woman. I can so relate to her. We have some parallels. I am fascinated with colonial life in America and the 18Th century in general. I wish I could know her. Maybe I did.

"America for Me" by Henry Van Dyke

'Tis fine to see the Old World, and travel up and down
Among the famous palaces and cities of renown
To admire the crumbly castles and the statues of the kings, --
But now I think I've had enough of antiquated things.
So it's home again, and home again, America for me!
My heart is turning home again, and there I long to be
In the land of youth and freedom beyond the ocean bars
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars

Oh London is a man's town, there's power in the air
And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair;
And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome;
But when it comes to living there is no place like home.
I like the German fir-woods, in green battalions drilled
I like the gardens of Versailles with flashing fountains filled;
But, oh, to take your hand, my dear, and ramble for a day
In the friendly western woodland where Nature has her way!

I know that Europe's wonderful, yet something seems to lack:
The Past is too much with her, and the people looking back.
But the glory of the Present is to make the Future free, --
We love our land for what she is and what she is to be.
Oh, it's home again, and home again, America for me!
I want a ship that's westward bound to plough the rolling sea,
To the blessed Land of Room Enough beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.

Kitten On The Keys

I ran into my friend Suzanne the other day - aka Kitten On The Keys - and she reminded me that she had a photo or two of a couple things I had made for her before her last European tour.

There is no one like Kitten and she is San Francisco to me - the part that refused to be pushed out. The part that didn't move away. The part that didn't sell out. The part that used to be. The part that keeps me here.

Kitten On The Keys

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

Polonaise Part Three

After the bodice was sewn up, zipper installed, boning and grommets put in their proper places, ruffles attached with a double bias facing of the same fabric, and the sleeves put in place, I attached the ruffles and trim to the sleeves before I sewed them to the bodice.

I constructed the polonaise, with channeling but sans trim, basted pleats in, then set it aside while I lined the bodice by hand and sewed down the facing to the lining.

I basted the lining to the hem of the bodice and then I attached the the skirt to the bodice with a double bias facing. I made sure that the channel opening wasn't sewn into the bodice.

I sewed the facing down to the lining and voila!

The dress looks fabulous on the wearer and Im hoping that I have a photo soon. But for now, the dressform will have to do.

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

Polonaise Part Two

After I cut out the mockup, cut out the bodice and ruffles, I proceeded to cut channels for the rouching, then the trim on the bias to make edging for the skirt and sleeve.

I figured out where I wanted the skirt to bustle up and then I sewed the channel strips to the underside of the skirt. I sewed a seam down the middle of the channel so that it would create a rouching effect when the ribbon was pulled. I made 4 of these. When I wove the ribbon through the channeling, I left enough room to pull the ribbon up from the underside of the skirt near the bodice if she didn't want to tie it from the hem.

At first, I cut and doubled up the bias trim strips and pinned my ruffle treatment to the skirt, but it was waaaaaaaaaaaay too heavy and bulky for this kind of project so I decided to cut it down in width with my serger, serged the edges on both sides, turn the edges over with my straight stitch and apply the trim to the skirt freehand for a bit of a carefree effect. Actually, it looked very even and I was quite pleased that I didn't bother to pin any of it on first. I "made it work". And it went on fast.

The sleeve was another matter. I basted that trim down first because I knew it would be a little harder to get it around below the elbow evenly and easily. This took very little time though.

Polonaise Part One

This is my all time favorite pattern..... I use it over and over and over. I think I made it as the instructions required once, but I just appreciate the silhouette, it is easy, and I can tweak the hell out of it.

So that is what I did. I tweaked a bit.
I found this great black and grey semi-sheer striped drapery fabric on sale and Lynne and I bought up most of it. She wanted a stripie coatie coverup dress kind of thing for her trip to Italy and Sweden. For when she gets dressed up, you know. Not that she doesn't always look great, but something fun and dressupie

First I took her measurements and made a mock up from what I understood that she was wanting. We thought about what she was going to wear it with and decided to make the front and back a little longer, make the skirt way bigger ( the skirt in the pattern always seems a little skimpy to me), add frills, bias ruffles, and channeling to rouch up the skirt, add a zipper in the front and modern it up a bit.

I flatlined the bodice in a light grey cotton in order to show off the stripes a bit.
I cut large bias ruffles for the neckline. I also made the neckline much deeper to show off her bosom. Why hide these things, I say.

I then cut two layers of bias ruffles for the sleeve and I shortened the sleeve a bit. I thought it looked better that way.

Too Tired To Moddle

I'm about to tear into this striped pile of fabric. It will be a stripie jacketie polonaisie thing that will be worn on a trip to Europe in a week or so. No, its not for me. Im not going back this year - next year though. And perhaps I'll have my own stripie jacketie thing to wear. Because next time I go, Ive got my own agenda and I will not be making the trip over to be at the beck and call of everyone Else's schedule. A week in London. A week in Paris. And I would like to explore Ireland a bit better. Perhaps stay in Cork for a while, since my last visit was a little short - sheeted.

Isn't this Gualtier ad just the best?
Thats about how it sums up my vibe these last couple weeks with the flu.
Too tired to moddle. Thanks for sending me that, Lynne! Soon, you will up to your pretty neck in stripes!

I did join a gym though. Picking the scissors up and putting them back down, just isnt enough weight training.

Gotta look good when I make my stripie jacketie polonaisie thing for my own European vacation.

The Makings of Costume Ball Glamour

Lori King came to me with a project that I couldnt refuse. She knew what she wanted and she was going to get it. I like that in a woman.

She wanted to wear something fabulous to the upcoming Edwardian Gorey Ball. She brought me a white acetate wedding dress that was found in a thrift store and a late Victorian jacket that was in fair condition, but the lining was shredding to bits - as they do.

I dyed the dress three times to get the right shade of purple. We knew we wouldnt be able to achieve the goal because of the fiber content, but we tried anyway and came up with a lovely violet. I chopped off the bodice and faced the waist of the skirt. I bustled it slightly and left a pretty little train.

My wonderful assistant, Unsinkable Molly was given the task of tenderly taking out the tattered lining, carefully reinforcing the stressed and frayed parts of the jacket with black lingerie fusing. I prefer using this type of fusing on delicate garments and textiles when I can because it adheres to the fabric quickly and with little effort. It just gives that little extra bit of strength and you cant really tell that its there. Then I copied the jacket and made a purple lining to insert in place of the original. This was a very difficult and delicate task and we spent many hours trying to improve and salvage this piece instead of destroying it. We succeeded.

Molly is reading her fortune......"you will earn much good karma and many future minions by being of service to others now".......

I made Lori a corset of black china brocade with a bee motif. It is a combination of the victorian and 18th century style. I added black beads to the upper arm.

She was stunning. And I made a new friend!

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com

Wee Folk Of The 18th Century

It stuns me to realize how small people were until recently. At almost 6ft tall, I cant imagine being so tiny. This photo of me was taken at the Victoria and Albert museum in London about 5 years ago. The detail in the dress is amazing. I am always so excited to see these garments up close and personal after looking at them in books all my life. You just cannot get the grandness and scale of anything until standing right next to it.

I had the same excitement when I saw the Shinrone gown in Dublin for the first time. You cant get the same scope when looking at a photo or a diagram on a pattern. I saw how the threads were so expertly woven in the cloth. I cried. Maybe it is just an old dress dragged from the bog, but could the woman who had worn that dress even imagine a woman of the 21st century crying at the loveliness of the weave of her simple gown?

I'm sure the guard thought I was silly if he took any notice at all.

kc.costumecouture@gmail.com