For Wondercon2018 I decided to do a cosplay of Sophronia Temminnick and her trusty sidekick Bumbersnoot, from The Finishing School series by Gail Carriger. I based it around my 1855 ball gown and added the relevant accessories. Sophronia’s black velvet reticule This is the reticule …
Read part 1 and part 2. Once I had made the bodice and skirt, I tried them both on together and discovered a problem. As soon as I started to move, the bodice popped out of the skirt. I puzzled over how to fix this …
Read part 1 and part 3. The blue underskirt is the basic skirt from Simplicity 1728, gathered all around instead of pleating the front. The aubergine overskirt is 6.5 yards of chiffon with three deep tucks in the bottom third. I calculated the tucks so …
For my 1855 ball gown I chose a royal blue cotton percale with an aubergine chiffon for the overlay, which turned out to have the most wonderful iridescent, colour-shifting effect. I used the same base pattern as my 1860s ball gown: Simplicity 1728. I shortened …
For my first petticoat I used the free instructions from Truly Victorian, and 8 yards of white cotton broderie anglaise. It went together very easily, though I deviated from the instructions a bit. Instead of sewing each strip into a loop before gathering, I gathered …
This is my first foray into the world of hoop skirts: an 1860s ball gown for Viennese Nights in San Diego, 2016. I learned that you have to walk differently (slow and smooth), sit differently (between the hoops) and that if your hoop skirt is …
In 2005 I made my very first major costume: a green satin colonial dress. It was very much a costume, but I did a lace overlay on the front and managed to put in the zip. I used Simplicity 5041, view D, with lace added …