Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

A couple of years ago I tried out the burlesque craft subscription Burly Bundle, so I could review it. I had fun, so I ordered the next couple of boxes before Misty closed the business.

Here’s the last one, which I completed first — gloves!

The kit came with the gloves, marabou trim, rhinestones, and everything needed to affix the decorations, even needle and thread and a little measuring tape. In the past, some kits included individual colors choices, but this one had only wine red gloves, as it goes with many color combinations, and black rhinestones. I approve of the choice.

I like the rhinestone pattern — I’m not great at designing patterns and often go with a random scatter. It took a while of careful counting over several stoning sessions, but that’s what Netflix is for.

The main line of stones are ss16. That was fine. I work with that size all the time. The little side branches are ss10. A bit smaller than usual, but still fine. However, the radiating lines are ss6! I don’t usually work with such tiny stones –, but I do think the end result was worth the fiddliness.

Another thing I don’t usually work with is feather trim. however, adding the marabou was simplicity. It’s cut to my arm circumference and sewn at just four points arounds the cuff, so no real allowances for stretch had to be made. Also, it was hard enough sewing with all that fluff in just a few places. I would have not had much fun having to completely stitch it down, while also dealing with the stretch of the glove.

Since the gloves are “one size fits most”, Misty included some stretch lace and instructions to add a decorative gusset for a wider glove top. It sounded like an easy way to add some more visual interest and I was a little sorry that it wasn’t needed on my gloves.

Here’s the final result!

I’ve still got two more boxes of projects in various states of progress. I shall report back.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Back in December I posted about my first Burly Bundle and made an unboxing video. I thought you might like to see the finished results.

First I rhinestoned the filigree mask. I was a little daunted by those tiny yellow stones. They’re ss3! That’s like nail art size. I usually use ss16, 20, and 30 in my costuming. However, I used the included “rhinestone picker-upper” and it did make application very easy. Also, the rhinestone trays were very nice. I usually just use the lid of a jar or something similar. Tools that are actually designed for the job? What a difference!

I generally followed the included design plan for the mask. I could have gotten creative and maybe dipped in my own rhinestones to change up the colors, but I liked the suggested design just fine.

For the feather ornament, I had a lot of options — there were three curled black feathers, six small white feathers and three black roses. And all the rhinestones leftover from the mask. I decided on one black feather, off-set with white behind and to each side.

Since I had such fun with the tiny yellow rhinestones, I gilded the roses with them. I did have a bad moment when I could only find two roses. Fortunately I discovered under which piece of furniture Bartholomew had batted the missing one.

It can be worn on the mask as shown or on its own as a hair adornment, so I made sure to orient the base so that the clip was in the best position for me to wear it in my hair as well.

And now I have a fancy mask for Mardi Gras next week! (Not that I’m actually doing anything for Mardi Gras, but it’s always good to be prepared.)

If you’re interested in Burly Bundle, I think signups for the next bundle are open until the end of February. The project is always a secret until you open the box. If you do want to try it out, please use this link. You’ll get a $5 discount and I’ll get a little referral fee. (Other than being a subscriber who’s having fun, I’m not associated with Burly Bundle.)

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 17 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.