Making my own Victorian wedding veil

I decided to definitely opt out of paying rediculous prices on wedding veils, and ended up buying 5 yards of 108" wide white illusion/tulle for only $13! (Would've been cheaper if HL carried it, but they only had 54, and I'm not sure if that's wide enough!)

So, with the $2 or so I spent on the baggie of plastic hair combs from HL, that leaves me with a grand total of $15!

I've been looking at other fashion plates, and have decided to keep the veil raw edged (as it seems almost completely see-through at the edges) and a hem would most cerrtainly ruin this effect. I also noticed that the fancier the dress, the more ornate the crown and the less ornate the veil. Here are some examples:

Bridal crown from Godey's Ladies' Book December 1860

Godey's April 1861

Godey's January 1856

Godey's 1861

Godey's 1861 (same fashhion plate as above)

Songwood and learning things the hard way

Heard that Songwood, the new ren faire in Manville, did not yet get their permit for large crowds, and it's only a few weeks until opening weekend. I'm kinda worried, because I really was excited about a new ren faire on MY side of Houston, where much of the population is! Now the website doesn't exist - last time I caught it online most of the pages weren't working - they must've been taking it down.

Not looking good at all. :-(

I still have some hope for it, considering they already have a list of definite shops that will be there, as well as entertainers. I was actually impressed with how large it got, but I hear they're out-pricing TRF by keeping it "low" (which probably equals "sort of affordable" in TRF terms) and so they were more successful in attracting all sorts of sellers.

Been thinking of how stupid my outfit looked, and how rediculous the Texas heat is. I honestly thought at least one weekend this past fall would be cool, but obviously that was too much. So, I'm going to re-make the gown, and keep the kirtle as a separate costume, as the layering (as much as I tried to be accurate and to avoid dry-cleaning costs) just made it too bulky and hot.

Changes from a 15th century houppelande to a late 15th century Italian cioppa:

1. Ditch the fur. I know it's period, but evidently no one else knows, so it just doesn't work.

2. Change the sleeves, from solid to slashed.

3. Add the belt I had originally made for it out of the same fabric (I was avoiding a cross-wise seam because my bust is so large) plus buy a gold frog for closure.

4. Make a gathered-neckline puffy-sleeved chemise. I'm using an old pattern I have, and instead of using elastic (uuugh!) like they say, it'll be drawstring. Plus, this one is supposed to show, and I won't have worries about the kirtle sticking out in the neckline.

5. Add a basket instead of a purse. The purse gets way too heavy, and does not close well. It got pretty frustrating. Note to self: do not make drawstring purses out of satin, no matter how pretty they look.

6. Make a golden Juliet cap with gold trim and maybe a fancy overlay.

7. Eventually buy period shoes (now that I chose a more comfortable and socially acceptable period!) and buy some linen hosen and garters.

8. Either buy some period drawers or wear a pair of modern linen shorts I have. (TRF got really hot and uncomfortable without these, since stockings don't go all the way up!)

9. Sew in the gold placket, now that I know what I want, so it won't slide anymore.

Looks like I learned the hard and expensive way of how not to do Burgundian fashion. Italian Renaissance sounds much better now, and at least I can say the gown isn't a total loss!

Found the right wedding gown, still need to figure out a few details

I finally decided this is going to be the one I'm going to wear, although I'm still stuck on how to make those plisse pleats you see in the alternating ruffles. I've spent hours and hours and hours on trying to figure it out, but all I found is this - it's not hand-made pleats, but rather they are made by the shrinking of the silk created by the addition of lye to it. Well, the big question is: is this treatment permanent or will it come out if I wash/dry clean it? I'm really not up for the experimenting since it is so important, and I do want to dry clean it once I finish so all the markings and hand oils will be cleaned off.

Also, I want to make it out of modern bridal satin (polyester) because I heard from an heirloomer at the Houston Bridal Expo that silk is easily stained, and many things stain it for life (especially wine). As much as I'm in for historical accuracy, it's really not worth wearing a bunch of potential stains all day long. Plus I want to wear it in the family costume contest the next day, so it's gotta be able to take a beating. And, I'm wearing it all day Saturday and I don't care what anybody says - I'm not changing into another dress till after the costume contest on Sunday!

Which brings me to the point that I've definitely chosen my wedding gown but not my new walking dress, as last year's died and er..the dry cleaner must've shrunk it too...so I'm still looking.

Just ordered some fashion plates and one month of Godey's (January 1851) on Ebay. The Godey's was an e-book, and all you do is right click the link and save it and double-click to unzip it. How easy was that! And I got it immediately. Gotta love e-books - especially since I can flip through it all I want (unlike an antique book/magazine) and I don't have to worry about roaches eating it (yes, they eat paper!) or mice or hurricanes. I highly recommend this seller, e-booksdownload. Not all her stuff is an e-book, as the fashion plates are coming in the mail on CD. But her prices are extremely good, and I hope that she sells more of Godey's.

Lastly, I've finally figured out how to make a bridal veil, and that illusion and tulle are the same thing. I think I'm going to get some extra-wide veiling since the dress is going to be so big, and gather it up into a barette so it will look like it's attached to the orange blossom crown but it can be easily taken off if needed. Think waltz-length will do since I'll be outside and I don't want to drag it. Hard to tell how long it is in the fashion plate because she's sitting down.

Whipped it up in two weeks!

OK, this was fun...but the time-frame was a challenge. I just finished this for pick-up last Wednesday so my client could wear it to the Z Krewe ball on Saturday.

Glad to report it was a success! She received lots of compliments, and was quite fitting for her part of queen. I will post pics from the ball when I receive them, most likely tomorrow.

*Please note we did notice the petticoat peeking through....it was because the petticoat wasn't on tight enough, not due to a lousy hem job! We were hasty on trying it on because it was after work and we were both very tired!

Mardi Gras Queen

Finally I'm getting into Mardi Gras. I recently have a client who needs a full gown made in two weeks, due Jan 12th, the day of the ball. And to top it all off, she's the outgoing Queen of her krewe, and she just has to look the part!

The theme is pirates, so I came up with this pattern, and my client did an awesome job of choosing suitable fabric. We are using brown satin and gold tissue lame (lam-AY) as well as ecru lace. It came together quite quickly, thank goodness. This is the fastest project I've ever had to make for anybody (including myslelf!) so I'm glad I'm ahead of schedule!

So far the whole dress is together, just need to hem it, put in the zipper, and lastly put the trim on. In these pics I just laid on the trim, it's not pinned or sewn on yet - they are just to get the idea.

I've got to admit, it sure is nice to make something without having to worry about historical accuracy! This was a really fun project to do - a great break inbetween my crazy historical projects.

Planning my wedding - a Dickens Christmas Wedding!

Yes, we are definitely planning a wedding at Dickens on the Strand next year. After the wedding ceremony we saw this year, we made the final decision. It's very inexpensive, and how many other places offer bag pipers, Queen Victoria, and her Beefeaters at such a price? We were looking at TRF, but it's just so far away and inconvenient (never mind expensive - it's impossible to spend anything under $200 in one day!) so we decided on a venue that is still unique yet better priced and close by.

I'm thinking since I'll be having a lot of out-of-towners (never mind -staters!) I think this venue will be fun, creative, and very memorable. Also gives me a chance to make more costumes to add to my portfolio!

I've been looking at Civil War Re-enactment weddings online and Godey's and Peterson's fashion plates for ideas. Not thrilled with what brides have worn to Dickens in the past, it's very late Victorian (or Victorian-inspired) - might be perfect for them but for me I want to go all-out in regards to historical accuracy. I've never made a dress to match an exact fashion plate, so this should be fun.

First of all, I chose 1860-1865 for my time-frame. I have narrowed it down to December 1860, because there is one in Godey's 1860 book that I absolutely adore, and Harriet's has already made the pattern for it. (look for the Dianna, http://harriets.com/Ballgowns.htm ) She seems to make excellent patterns, and even e-mailed me examples of what the dress looks like finished in real-life. I never was one to like white (I get neurotic about dirt, especially outside) but I think this is it, if I can find wide enough and cheap enough lace, as it's going to take at least a full bolt to make I would imagine, with all those tiers!

I do however have other options. I could go with a colored travelling dress or best dress. Currently, for that I'm looking at

Simplicity 4510 (http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=4510 )

Simplicity 9761 (http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=9761)

Also want to get a plain parasol and dress it up like one of these from Butterick 4955, probably view C. (http://www.butterick.com/item/B4955.htm?tab=costumes&page=2)

I definitely plan on having a veil with a crown of orange blossoms, just like Queen Victoria did and either get one already-made on Ebay or make one myself from a kit from http://www.lacis.com/catalog/catalog.html .

And, I already have the flower girl/ring bearer dresses (yes dresses - I have 2 little nieces and no nephews!) so to double the cuteness factor I plan on using McCall's 5131 (http://www.mccallpattern.com/item/M5131.htm?tab=costumes&page=3 ) their only middle/upper class little girl's pattern from the correct era. Even includes a chemise and pantalets, although I think I'm going to use more lace on them than the pattern shows. And to top it all off, I already own the pattern in all sizes! I'm thinking red and green velvet or taffeta, since my theme is going to be Christmas.

Dickens pics

Here are some pics of my family and clients at Dickens this year:

And OK, I have bragging rights, my clients made it on the front page in color in the Galveston Daily News. He definitely caught a lot of people's eyes, since I've seen him in a number of other people's pics I found online recently!