Centuries-Sewing

Category: Costumes

  • Brian Froud’s Costume Sketches from Labyrinth

    Brian Froud’s Costume Sketches from Labyrinth

    Labyrinth Woman Ballroom Costume Design I
    Brian Froud -Woman Ballroom Costume Design I Labyrinth, 1984 Graphite, ink 16 x 20″

    I ran across this a few weeks ago, a gallery in NYC is showing the Froud’s work. Including sketches from The Good and Bad Fairy Book, Dark Crystal, a few things I don’t recognize and of course Labyrinth.

    I am not located in NYC, nor am I heading up there any time soon.  So I’m quite happy to see the collection is online and even better the costume designs for the ballroom dancers are included, along with Jareth’s armor/coat, goblins, and other assorted puppets.

    This will making coming up with my own inspired version easier. Time to break out my pencils and water-color.

     

    Labyrinth  Copyright © The Jim Henson Company

  • Labyrinth Costume Research

    Labyrinth Costume Research

    I’m plotting a Labyrinth ball gown costume and took a few screen caps to use as references. Some of the skirts seem to have net petticoats underneath, others none at all. The bodices on the gowns vary from princess seamed to fitted panels with draped layers. Shot silk looked like the main fabric, along with various damasks an in one case some type of vinyl.

    Now I just need to sketch some ideas.

    Labyrinth  Copyright © The Jim Henson Company

  • Green Tudor is Done, Baby Steps with Pattern Grading.

    Green Tudor is Done, Baby Steps with Pattern Grading.

    I’ve been a bit neglectful of posting since I was down to the wire with the Green Tudor Gown. It is and it had its first outing, but I don’t have pictures yet. I have a list of excuses but first and foremost  the temperature has shot up into the mid 80’s. For Florida which is a bit much for this time of year, add to that layers of velvet and silk and I’m looking at one very warm afternoon.

    Once I get some time charted out, a good camera and can rope someone into it I will get some pictures taken, hopefully before it hits 90 degrees and I implode.

    Now that the Tudor Gown of Doom is out-of-the-way I’ve started fussing with a few more projects. I’m doing more pattern drafting and trying to teach myself grading from a book that gives very little in the way of instructions. If I can get it working to my satisfaction I’ll shoot a video on it, in the hopes it will help someone else.

    There is very little grading information on the web that is easy to understand and makes sense. It process isn’t actually hard, move and shift the master pattern around if doing it by hand.

    The fuzzy part is the grading rules and where the increases and decreases go. I have a ton of thoughts on this but that will be a post in itself.

     

     

     

     

  • In the past 2 weeks..

    In the past 2 weeks..

    In the past 2 weeks I have sew/reconstructed/finished the following:

     

    One cotton/linen shift, machine sewn, seams whip stitched down by hand, hand made eyelets and hand finger looped lacing cords.

    Took in my farthingale and reboned it with steel wire.

    Made a coif with pleated “crispin”.

    Patterned and made the Green Tudor stomacher/plackard.

    Patterned GT undersleeves and bound them with satin.

    Made all the poofs and hand hemmed the cuffs.

    Reattached the GT skirt again…

    Bound the GT hem in hunter green satin.

    Made the sash for the GT.

    Attached the large sleeves of doom to the GT.

    My deadline is March 10th so I can wear it to the Ren Faire.

     

  • More Progress on the Green Tudor, I finally got the skirt attached in a way I’m happy with.

    More Progress on the Green Tudor, I finally got the skirt attached in a way I’m happy with.

    The 4th time is the charm right?

     

    Green Tudor Skirt Attached Back Shot

     

    Green Tudor Skirt Attached Side Shot

  • Progress on the Green Tudor Bodice

    Progress on the Green Tudor Bodice

    Fitting the green silk Tudor bodice

    Fitting the green silk Tudor bodice

  • Green “Tudor” Gown bodice mock-up 2.0

    Green “Tudor” Gown bodice mock-up 2.0

    Working on the sleeves a bit more, I’m getting close!

     

     

     

  • When life gives you lemons, sew everything in sight.

    When life gives you lemons, sew everything in sight.

    When I get stressed I sew, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot.

    Kirtle Skirt

    Kirtle skirt for a friend, a bright raspberry linen rayon blend, fully french seamed with internal pocket and it closes on the side through handmade eyelets. Eventually there will be a bodice to match and the skirt will lace to it. The back of the skirt has teeny tiny knife pleats which I found very fun to do.

    I also have a red wine silk kirtle that just needs a hem and sleeves, but no pictures of that yet, and I finished a green velveteen petticoat as well.

    Now if I could just be this productive all the time.