Started - August 2007
First worn - Dragon*Con, Atlanta, GA (2007)
Inspiration Pic
Final Costume Pics
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Pulling it all together
August 13, 2007
I went shopping and got the last few pieces for a steampunk costume. I saw the apron at Costume College and it looked so cool that I had to make one. If anyone has seen me while I'm sewing or right after, you know why I could use an actual sewing apron. So, this will be good for sewing but also work for a costume - dual purpose is always good. The plus of this one is most of the fabrics came from stash, I just needed lining and some trim. Well, boots and accessories too. Speaking of accessories, I went on a bit of a shopping spree. I bought stuff for goggles, hardware for the apron and boots. I think that might be it. Between this and other costumes that I'm working on at the same time, things went a bit crazy and I'm not sure I'm keeping track of it all.
August 14, 2007
The shirt is cut out! However, that's about the only exciting thing to report on the sewing front though. I just barely finished it in time to go to work. So, I think I will be sewing in the morning when I get home. Maybe. I've had to rearrange my day so I don't have much time in the morning anymore but I keep forgetting that. I hope to have it far enough along so I can sew on hooks and eyes at work tomorrow. While I love gaming at work, I would feel much better if I was able to get some sewing done.
August 16, 2007
I'm sewing up my shirt for the apron costume, using some really lovely linen/cotton, and I decide that the fabric is too good for iron-on interfacing but the shirt really does need some form of interfacing. So, I go digging up my silk organza. Then I have to baste it in. That takes a bit longer than iron-on so I'm making a supposedly quick project take even longer. Then I decide that since I'm using such lovely fabric and using silk organza, I really shouldn't serge the seams to finish them. Yes, I am hand finishing the edges. I am officially a dork with no concept of time management. On the plus side, I only have the back two seams to finish, easily done in ~30 minutes and then it's on to hooks and eyes and sleeves.
And the plan for the skirt will have to change. The fabric was originally supposed to be for other things so I only have five yards. The skirt I was planning on was on track to needing 7-8 yards. So, new plan is needed. I think I have it figured out but I have to test first. I found cool lenses for the goggles too. There were really cool green/yellow lenses but those were nearly twice as much so I settled with the cool red/purple lenses.
August 17, 2007
Well, this might be a first. The hem of the shirt is done! I always have the worst time finishing hems and they either get bashed out or sit for months. BTW, my preferred tape for hems is gaffers tape. But this hem is done! Yay for slow days at work! And the hooks and eyes (well, technically thread bars) are done as well! I forgot the last time I actually did the hooks and eyes myself. Normally I'm doing this last minute and don't have time to sew them on myself so I hand them over to Bryan. He is awesome with hooks/eyes, snaps, buttons. Probably because he gets so much practice... Anyway, the body of the shirt is done. I should press it real quick but it's just going to be thrown in a suitcase before I get a chance to wear it so I'm probably not going to. I should be able to finish sewing the sleeves tomorrow and get started on the rest of it. Yay! I haven't gotten the screws and wing nuts yet so I can't completely finish the shirt until Saturday but the eyelets will only take a few minutes so that's just a minor detail. =)
August 19, 2007
The shirt is done but I don't have the wing nuts and screws yet. We bought two of each earlier but one of the wing nuts is slightly deformed and won't work. So, need to go get another one and then wash them... At least the ones that I have are rather dirty so a quick wash would be a good thing before putting them on my nice white shirt. But this is what it will look like once I get that new wing nut.
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Things are pretty much cut out for this costume but the skirt is still hanging out, I should be able to sew that tomorrow. I think I can get the vest at least partially sewn before going to bed but the exciting thing is that I just finished hemming the ruffle for the petticoat! Just under 13 yards in about 35 minutes - love the rolled hem foot. It's not the best hem since I'm still trying to figure out how to go over seams nicely with the foot but it's quite good except for one or two stitches near each seam. I think if I hadn't serged the seams, it would have gone much better. As it is, I think I got it figured out in time for the last seam. Anyway, just have to even up the bottom edge of the skirt part of the petticoat and then sew on the ruffle! A hook and eye might be nice too but that's a minor detail. I'm just glad that this is going together rather quickly. I'm not sure that I'm even going to want it under the skirt so if I decide not to use it, I won't feel like I wasted a bunch of time. Everything else is taking longer than expected so it's nice that one thing went a lot faster than expected. I'm really going to have to multiply how long I think it will take by ten and then I might actually be close.
August 20, 2007
The petticoat is done except for a hook and eye. I should prolly just sew it on but I think I'll just take the whole thing to work tomorrow. I have a sewing machine here but I don't think anyone would appreciate me bringing it to work. I'm lucky enough that I can sew at work but I don't want to make it that obvious. Anyway, the petticoat went together quite well. I had Bryan check the hem but he only had to trim up 10-15 inches. It's quite a bit of fun actually and if I ever decide to do a pirate costume, I have a skirt that would work.
The vest layers need to be sewn together and then the binding attached and then buttons/buttonholes. I will get the binding attached before my dentist appointment - if I can find good fabric for it - and I can finish that at work tomorrow so it will be all ready for buttons/buttonholes the next day. I'm hoping to get the skirt all sewn together before the dentist too so Bryan can mark the hem before work and I can decide if I want to use the petticoat or not.
Then it's just the tie, apron, and the goggles. But I think that will be everything. Everything is going together a bit too smoothly for me. I haven't had a major problem and that worries me. Most likely I will get everything done, try it all on, and decide I hate it. There always has to be an issue. Unless the problem is that it is going slower than hoped, I was hoping to be working on some robes by now. Oh well.
The only good thing about it being so hot right now is that my laundry that needed to be line dried is already dry. It's a good thing because the drying racks are in my sewing area and I'm getting tired of doing some kinda crazy dance to get to my machines not to mention the iron.
Well, back to sewing. The iPod should be mostly charged by now so I can listen to music again, the constant sound of fans running kinda drives me insane so music is a good thing.
August 21, 2007
So I basted the vest all together and tried it on, just to make sure. Turns out that I really should have thrown in those two pieces of boning that I was considering. I didn't think it would be necessary with the other pieces of boning I already had in it so I left them out. I knew things were going too nicely to last. But it really didn't take that long and I'm onto the binding. Another plus, the binding is going much quicker than I expected. I should be able to finish that tomorrow at work unless they actually make me work again. I was kinda busy tonight and only had about two hours to work on stuff compared to one day last week when I had six hours. That was a good day.
I did manage to finish the petticoat - since it only needed a hook and eye, it would have been pretty sad not to have finished it but done is done and that is good. I finished the tie. The skirt is done except for the hem - Bryan is going to mark the hem when he gets home, let it hang out for another day, recheck it and then actually hem it.
The apron muslin is done so I just have to cut it out and sew it. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I want to put on it to make it a 'working' apron. I know I need at least one scissors holder, Sharpie/pencil/pen slots, paper pocket... Not sure what all to include but a lot of that will be easy to add on later if I decide more is needed. I'm also going to sacrifice one my watches that I never wear so I will finally have a watch. I'm sure Bryan is beyond sick of me constantly asking what time it is.
Oh yes, and the goggles. I keep not quite forgetting about them. Maybe when I get up if the apron goes really well. I'm still saving all of my handsewing projects for work so I will be working on two different costumes soon. The next set have no hand sewing at all so I can work on them at home and finish up this project at work.
August 22, 2007
The vest binding is all done except for part of one armhole. Curse that last rack that came in at work, making me do my actual job rather than sewing. It's interfering with all of my costuming plans. =) The skirt had it's first hem trim. Since a lot of it is on the bias and way too long to begin with, I had Bryan hack off a majority of the excess and I'm letting it hang out again. Unfortunately, I forgot to tell him the weight of the excess is pulling the skirt down and once that extra weight is gone, it will spring up a little so cut it a bit longer than you think you should. The back is a bit shorter than the front now but the back is almost the exact length that I want it to be so it's all good. Just made me a bit nervous when I saw how much shorter the back was. And I'm using the petticoat, it's so much fun! Talk about swishy...
The apron is cut out - except for the various pockets and straps that I will need for the 'stuff' - and sewn!
The goggles have been started!! Okay, I haven't touched them but I somehow managed to con Bryan into working on them for me. He broke and filed the lenses down to the proper size/shape and he made a template for the vinyl. In other words, he did all of the hard stuff. The rest of it is cut out and sew, pretty easy stuff.
August 23, 2007
The hem is marked and partially hemmed but I think I have to go back and shorten it and the petticoat. Everything works right now but it's all quite long. I really wanted a shorter skirt for once. I always make things too long and I thought for once I would make a shorter skirt and show off the boots I have to go with the costume. Didn't happen. Actually, I think I'll prolly just go with my normal cheat and put ties in. The skirt and petticoat are just too heavy and slip down an inch or two. I made the waist a bit snug but apparently not quite snug enough. I was hoping not to use ties for once but I think I'm going to have to. I like that plan better than remarking hems.
The vest just needs buttons and buttonholes and the buttonholes are all marked already. I'm going to wait until I get up to do those just because I'm tired and the last thing I need is to mess that up.
August 24, 2007
The skirt is hemmed except for about twenty inches in the front because I have to try it on and check it again.
The apron has been giving me problems. I used the exact same pattern as the vest and shirt but it fits horribly. I finally got that figured out but now I'm having problems with the back. Also, I meant to use French seams on the skirt of the apron but forgot that and serged it. It works but it doesn't look nearly as nice. Ooops. So going to quit for now before I really mess something up.
The vest has buttonholes so I took it to work to finish the buttons. Trimming and cutting buttonholes and marking out placement for my buttons. All ready to sew some buttons on. Reach into my bag to pull out thread and no thread. I left the spool of thread at home. Guess the buttons will have to wait.
August 25, 2007
Not quite finished pics!
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August 26, 2007
I finally found the folding scissors that I wanted for it! Now I don't have to worry about the points of the scissors catching on the apron and causing holes. Always good. I was also looking for a magnifying glass and found a really cool one on eBay but since I wasn't sure that it would arrive in time, I passed on it. But I found a pretty good watch so I don't have to tear apart my favorite watch to put on the apron. And replace the battery. I think that says how very 'favorite' it is. I do like the watch but I don't wear watches very often anymore, hence the dead battery.
August 29, 2007
For the apron costume, I'm just down to pockets and attaching everything plus the goggles. I finished the purse this morning and I now remember why I avoid Party Taffeta from Jo-Ann's like the plague. Dye is rubbing off everywhere. Okay, it's not that bad but my hands were tinged black by the time I was done. The apron is black - and polyester at that - so it won't pick it up so I can throw the stupid thing after that day. I almost got the dupioni but $7.50 just for the fabric or $1.05 for the taffeta. The cheap in me went with the nasty acetate taffeta.
September 5, 2007
Finished everything in time and it was so much fun to wear! Lots of accessories with this so a few quick pics of those just to finish it off.
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You can almost see that traitorous purse in a pic too. It fell off at one point when I was wearing it but thanks to some seriously awesome people, I got it back. That thing will be replaced or at the very least pinned to me from now on.
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