Dear Constant Reader,
Tonight is Out For Blood in Brattleboro, VT and at this moment I’m hauling lights and other gear into the theatre, but I would not forget your Friday tip.
Swarovski is not the be-all & end-all
Can’t break the bank on rhinestones? It’s okay. Use a variety of stone quality and you’ll actually make a more interesting visual. The crystals will stand out like a showgirl against a chorus line and really sparkle.
Dear Constant Reader,
It’s National Sewing Month! (or at least so Red Snapper tells me…)
Here’s a Sewing Friday Tip!
Use a Post-It as a sewing guide for large seams
Most sewing machines have stitch guides on the throat plate at 1/8″ increments, but they are only the width of the plate. My machine only has marks up to 6/8″, but I sometimes need to sew wider seams that that.
Measure out from the needle and put a Post-It down at the desired distance. I set it so the near edge of the paper (where the sticky stuff is) is the guide. Make sure it’s straight!
Here’s my machine set up for an inch and a half seam.
Of course, you can also use other low-tack sticky items, like masking tape or painters tape to create your temporary guide. I always have Post-Its on my desk (in a very attractive holder, I might add) in my sewing room, so that’s what I grab.
Happy sewing!
Dear Constant Reader,
We’re about to leave for our little Rust Belt tour (Susquehanna, PA, Cleveland, OH, and Pittsburgh, PA) and that means making sure we’re stocked up on merch. We were totally wiped out of pasties after our show in Portsmouth, so I made some more.
Ta da!
The sequins are hand-sewn, the tassels are tested for twirlability, and all pasties are lined with comfy ultrasuede.
The yellow ones with the pink sequins, by the way, are a genuine remnant of Betty’s over-the-top banana dance costume from A (Re)Movable Feast. They should probably be sitting next to the banana-patterned ones…
Dear Constant Reader,
First of all, happy anniversary! I’ve been sending you letters for 3 years now! Well, my first missive was 3 years ago yesterday, but who’s counting?
I bet you thought I had forgotten all about my 1933 evening gown. Not so! I’ve just been horrifically busy. I managed to carve out a little time to get this gown started.
Here you see the bodice all cut out. What’s with the hideous green fabric? Before I cut my lovely silk, I want to make sure everything fits properly. I learned my lesson with the Fit & Flair dress! The fabric, by the way, is left over from a Tinkerbell costume from many, many years ago.
Hopefully soon, I’ll baste them all together and we’ll see if the pattern needs tweaking. I’ll probably add some shortened versions of the skirts too.
This is my lovely fabric from Dharma Trading. Those neatly folded piles are silk charmeuse for the gown and habatoi for the lining. I’ll be turning them silver grey with the dye in the jar. The bottle is a textile detergent for both pre- and post-dye washing. Wish me luck! It’s been a while since I dyed silk.
Dear Constant Reader,
This past weekend was the biggest event in burlesque, The Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend (aka BHoF) in Las Vegas. Scratch usually puts in an appearance and plays in the poker tournament while I stay home and have a good time sewing something frivolous.
This year Scratch wasn’t able to go, due to some communication problems. I still spent much of the time sewing away, but it was far from frivolous.
Our summer tour of Madame Burlesqueis going to require that any 3 dancers be able to perform in the trios and duets. We’ve tried to make as many costumes wearable by as many people as possible (like an adjustable skirt that fits all dancers who know the #1 part in the duet), but sometimes that’s not possible.
Last time we did this show, Devora did a Gypsy Rose Lee tribute and there are no changes to her costume. Yay!. Except she won’t be in all the shows and Scratch feels the act is important to the theme. So, I’ll be doing it when she’s not available. What can I wear? Hat, gloves, parasol are all fine. The skirt is somewhat adjustable and works fine. I have my own corset & garter belt. That leaves the bra. You might have noticed that D.D. and I don’t have a similar sized bust…
Here’s a crummy photo of my Friday night project. Fortunately, this came together pretty quickly. And matching fabric existed.
Also accomplished were a pair of tear-away undies, a new hip belt, and making a fringe skirt stripable. And now I’m onto the tedious project of making 6 matching bras. 4 of which have to be finished by our first show, which is in 10 days. And there’s even more to do. Fortunately, I’m not the only person working on all this. Marion of Vixen’s Ahoy did some, Heather, our production assistant is also an able seamstress, Devora is doing some hand-work, Betty, of course, is working away on several items, and Scratch has projects of his own.
Lest you think I spent the whole weekend toiling away on costumes, I also finished off these knitted wristlets, to fill the gap between glove and coat. Of course, I don’t need them until winter. I hope. You never know with New England. Alas, I never did get to the mock-up of the 1933 Evening Gown.
Back to the sewing room!
Dear Constant Reader,
First, a reminder that it’s almost Teaseday! Do you have your tickets? Brigitte & I will be doing a duet and some B.A.B.E. students will be making their performance debut with a routine choreographed by Brigitte.
Here’s your tip!
When working with hot glue, keep a glass of ice water nearby to dunk your fingers if you get burned.
Especially if you’re using real hot glue and not the low-temp stuff. Touching the hot gun tip is bad enough, but getting glue on your skin… Yowch! Immediate application of the ice water might save you from a bad blister.
Dear Constant Reader,
I have a plan for the 1933 Evening Gown. I want to make it in silk charmeuse with a habatoi lining. That was a no-brainer. And I want it to be silvery-grey, which I think will make a nice background for the emerald-green of my new vintage dress clip.
And I’d wear the shoe clips too. I’ll probably have to buy new shoes. O woe!
Here’s where the crazy part comes in. Silk charmeuse is rawther pricey. I know a place where one can get it for a really decent price, but in white only. So, I started formulating a crazy plan to dye it myself. I save money and the fashion fabric and lining are exactly the same color. And it’s silk, so I can use an acid dye, which requires white vinegar to activate, instead of smelly, caustic chemicals that you can only buy in 10 lb. sacks.
It’s not that crazy. I’ve dyed silk before. Several times. Mostly quite successfully. But there was this one time….
Acid dyes want hot water to work well. You can use a large pot on the stove, but I don’t do this enough to be willing to dedicate a pot just for dyeing. So, I use the washing machine. The last time I dyed silk, it was the first time in that particular washing machine. The fabric came out gloriously, a beautiful red that was exactly what I had wanted. And then, because I’m overly cautious, I ran several empty loads with a little bleach, and then some more without bleach, and then a couple of loads of dark clothing. Then, confident that all the dye residue had been flushed away, I washed whites. And my summer wardrobe turned the shade of ripe watermelon.
My friends heard my cries of despair and introduced me to Run-Away and Color Catcher sheets. After a lot of work and many tears, I managed to salvage much of the clothing. Later I discovered the washing machine had bad seals or something and some of the dirty water would flow back. I have a new machine, but I’m still scarred by the Pink Incident. Maybe Betty will hold my hand.
But first, I need to make a mock up of the dress in muslin and check the fit. Then I can start worrying about the silk.
Dear Constant Reader,
And the winner of the Dress Me contest is…
The 1933 Evening Gown!
Second place: Butterick 4790
Tied for 3rd place: Butterick 4919, 6582, 5556, and 5281
Now I need to actually make the gown. Once I’ve decided on fabric and color and then manage to find what I want, I’ll report back and keep you posted on my progress.
When the whole thing is done, I’d like to arrange for a photoshoot and show off my (I hope) stunning new gown.
Dear Constant Reader,
Today is your last chance to vote in my Dress Me contest So far, the 1933 Evening Gown is in the lead, but Butterick 4790 is not far behind. What dress do you want to see me make (and wear)?
And just because it’s finally springy, here’s some tulips in the front garden at Stately Babydoll Manor.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday!
First off, here’s where we stand in the Dress Me contest:
1933 Evening Gown: 4
Butterick 4790: 2
Butterick 4919: 1
Butterick 6582 View A: 1
Butterick 5556 View A: 1
Butterick 5556 View B: 1/2
You have until Monday to cast your vote (or choose a second option if you originally picked the Leading Lady Gown).
And here’s your tip!
It can’t hurt to ask.
Getting a “no” at the start is better than having to apologize later. And who knows, the answer might be “yes”!
Oh, The Glamourous Life! 