Pictures of My Underwear are Coming Soon!

So, I go to take pics for you guys this morning and foot if my camera wasn't dead.  Back to the house to hunt down the charger.  I am very excited to show ya'll my chemises, both Elizabethan and Victorian.

Research

I thought with the end of the semester so would I be finished with research but, I find it continues, just on a more pleasing subject -- sewing.  This morning I went to the library and checked out a few books on costuming, fitting and alterations.  One book in particular I am very excited about.  Amazon has it listed in the second edition for around $90 so I was bummed about not being able to afford it at the moment but then I got lucky this morning and found the first edition on the shelf by chance.  It is called "Fitting and Pattern Alteration: A Multi-Method Approach" by Elizabeth G. Liechty, Della N. Pottberg and Judith A. Rasband.  Normally I do not keep books I get from the library for the whole time alloted but this one I think I will so there is plenty of time to go back and page through it whenever I want.  Other titles from this morning include "The Corset" by Valerie Steele, "The Theatre Student: Costuming" by Prisk and Byers, "Period Costume for Stage and Screen: Medieval - 1500" by Jean Hunnisett and "The Cut of Women's Clothes 1600 - 1930" by Nora Waugh.  Needless to say, I cannot wait to get home and begin my research.  Thank goodness for the local library!  Ya'll have a good day, I've got some reading to do.

Costuming has arrived!

O.k., I realize I have been off the grid for awhile...this last semester was H - E- double hockey sticks and I am glad it's over.  only one more semseter to go and I'm dun, yes that was D-U-N, dun.  That's poor spelling coming from an English major. 

Moving on. 

I have begun in yet another interst area, costuming.  It's a blast.  I have most of the underwear for a Renaissance and Civil War/Bustle costumes finished.  The Elizabethan corset is HOT and was so much fun to make.  It was more of a dummy or a test run if you will but it worked out well enough to use in future costumes.  I have the chemise complete and the farthingale and bum roll mostly complete.  I have to get some extra supplies this week to finish them, namely the hoop steel for the farthingale.  Some of my stitch'n bitch friends and I are ordering some Reconstructing History patterns to make our dresses out of and I believe I will be a French courtesean from the 1560-70's era.  I love the deeply pointed bodices and the partlets of the time.
The Civil War and Bustle costumes will be two seperate costumes but the underwear for both costumes will be virutually the same except for the chemise ( I made a sleeved chemise from a Simplicity pattern and love it) and hoops.  I have a Truly Victorian pattern to make a butsle and a Simplicity pattenr for my Civil War hoops.  For over 5 years now, I have been promising myself I would make myself a hoop dress and never got around to it.  Wednesday night at stitch'n bitch, I decided to stop putting it off so I began the underwear construction so I would have the base to build the dress on.  No more excuses, this is going to be a dream realized and, it appears, a new obsession.
A word of caution on the Simpicity costuming patterns, they run large so hold the pattern up to yourself before cutting anything to see if the dimensions are anywhere near correct.  This was what I did for my Victorian chemise the other day and it turned out perfectly with some arm alterations (I have monster arms and always have to add at least 1", sometimes more for a comfortable fit in the bicep area).  I am debating making the sleeveless chemise from the Laughing Moon pattern I have on the way.  I purchased the LM DVD on how to build a corset and have found it to be very helpful and it is the Dore/Silverado corset pattern I am waiting on at the moment.
At first, I was very intimidated by the idea of building a corset but I found once I did, it was not as bad as I expected and I would like to make more (I'm thinking on for every day of the week).  Which leads me to my next paragraph.
If you live in the area and would like a costume, I'm available.  I am totally in love with the old fashions and while I have a ways to go before being a fashion history buff, I can make it work for hobby costuming needs.
Now that I am making these costumes, all I need is somewhere to wear them! 
I have no pictures yet but will get some up as soon as possible.

Where'd My Mojo Go?

O.k. I have tried twice now to sit down and sew the dress for my daughter but I'm lacking mojo.  I got the pattern cut and the fabric prepped but I can't get any further than that :/  Usually I can kick myself out of a slump but I can't seem to do that this time.  Maybe it's stress, or the after effects of stress?  Maybe it's menopause from my surgery?  Whatever it is, it stole my mojo and I want it back (sniffs, reaches for a tissue). 

Vote for My Coat on Sewer's Choice

Here's the link.  Make sure to click on the "sewer's choice" link at the bottom of the screen.

Fabric Choice

Thank You to everyone who dropped by and left your votes.  It came down to #3 and #4 in the end.  The blue is the best choice, a little thinner than I liked but I can just add a second layer, possibly to make the skirt look tiered, with the gold edge acting as the hem.  I want the dress to be a surprise under the tree for Christmas.

Be sure and check out my other recent posts, I want to start a "Design Your Own Purse Pattern" challenge.

Vintage Tween Fashion

I want to make this dress for my daughter but I can't decide which fabric, help me out.  There are 4 choices, three are quilting cottons, the blue with gold edging is cotton also (I'm guessing) but it is much thinner and has a nicer hand than the other three.  Drop your votes in the comment box with the number of the fabric you're voting for. 
Fabric 1: blue floral print quilting cotton with the background having a slightly blue tint to it

 Fabric 2: white gingham

 Fabric 3: pink quilting cotton with multi-colored flowers...kinda funky

 Fabric 4: turquoise blue with gold trim on one selvage only.

Design Your Own Purse Pattern?

During the spring and summer of this year I began designing my own purse pattern called the "A-Round Town Tote".  Well, I hit a design snag and between that and school and well, life, it got put on the back burner.  I'm needing some motivation to sit down and fix this design flaw so I can bring you guys a cute purse pattern so I figure, why not design your own purse with me?  This is gonna be fun and I will post step by step instructions to complete your own purse pattern.  Don't shy away, if you can trace a plate or square, you're in luck!  Along the way I want to post picutures of your purses!  I need input on the best time to start the challenge, I know the holidays are a busy time for most everybody and I want as many people to have a chance to participate as possible.  Start posting your comments now.

The Faded Stitch is Open on Etsy

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFadedStitch, the link is posted in the upper right hand corner of my blog too!  I will be posting new items throughout the day today, come check them out.

Phew, That Semester is Over

Didn't think I was gonna make it through that one but, here it is at a close.  It's been a busy 4 months for me so I'll update you on what I have been up to.  First off, I'm only two semesters away from graduating!  Yay! 

Secondly, I wrote a short story that will be published in my university's literary magazine, the Totem.  It should be out sometime in April 2011. 

Thirdly check out the coat I made from some vintage wool I picked up at an estate sale over the summer. The pattern I used was Simplicity 2508 ( a project runway pattern ).  The patttern got sized up one size and some small style changes made before putting it together.  Cutting the wool made me very nervous because there was just barely enough to make the coat and since it was vintage wool, there was no running to the store for more.  I quilted the back panel with silver thread for extra warmth and then added an embroidery that says, "Home is where you are" onto a yoke that I inserted over the back panel.  I have to admit, I'm proud of this one.

Half-way through Another Semester

Fall break is almost over, just a few more hours left.  It was a break I really needed.  A small infection after my surgery had me feeling down for a few days but now it's all cleared up and I am on the mend again.  School has been my air, food and bed lately, aside from the doctor's office.  During the last couple weeks of the summer I changed my major to English.  Finding an acceptable major in school was a struggle for me.  No, I am not interested in teaching at this point in my life unless it is underprivileged students.  So many decisions at this time have had me feeling a bit confused and underwater.  Discovering over the last week that I am a nonconformist helped me explain a few things about myself but still leaves questions.  I am on the job hunt again and this is why these questions about myself are so important right now.  Finding a compatible work place can be as much of a struggle as finding the right major in school.  So many work places now focus on teamwork, teamwork, teamwork.  I am not completely opposed to teamwork but the fact remains that I am most comfortable doing my work on my own.  Another hitch is that I am always questioning policies, procedures and actions.  There are times I want to put my two cents worth in but am not sure how much I can say without losing my job.  I have had some work experiences in the past where I inserted my opinion in the most tactful way possible but got stared at like I sprouted a second head.  I tend to speak out when neccessary and this seems to make me even more of a black sheep.  In short, I can be outspoken with a peppering of blunt honesty.

Feeling Better

I'm feeling better this week, but still not completely recovered.  Keep an eye out for a few more patterns that need new homes to get posted this week.  I have gone back over the previous posts and removed patterns that were sold.  All patterns posted are still looking for a place to go.