mrs_maupin | Entries tagged with halloween

So the body lining of the bodice/blouse is done. I ended up moving a seam and the two front darts, adding a little horizontal dart at the bustline at CF (there's one in an 1895 dress in Janet Arnold, so I felt justified in doing so), changing the armscye, and I will need to take my usual small dart at center back at the neckline.
It fits nicely enough - maybe the armscye is a little too high on the shoulder, I will see. I mocked-up the standing collar and did neither choke nor get mad at A Thing Around My Neck. This is good, because I'm really bad at tolerating anything that hugs my neck too closely.
I haven't touched the sleeve itself much, jsut cut out the lining part for one to check how it works with the new armscye.

I got the clothes I ordered for the kids' Halloween costumes, and one of the leggings is the wrong color. Toad decided she wants to be Harley Quinn afer all - so I ordered black leggings and what I thought were red ones. except they are a dark pink/cranberry color. Nope nope nope. I am probably going to just use the black, add some red decoration on top, a red tulle skirt, and make her a two-tone hoodie.

Tags:

1890s,
halloween

This is the vibe I am getting from the blush and black combination on the 1890s riding corset. The addition of lace only strenghtened the theme. 20161011_164549 20161014_133900
The corset is actually done, but I didn't manage to get good pictures of it yet. It is raining cats and dogs outside and the light is gloomy at best.
It is not as comfy as the black overbust I made this summer, especially when I don't move much, but it is amazingly nice to wear on a walk - which was sort of the idea. It is supposed to go under an 1890s hiking outfit at some point, after all.
It gives me between 7 and 10 centimeters down from my natural waist (depending on how much said natural waist expanded after a meal of fresh stuffed pasta and how tight I lace it). I know I can get down a further 2 to 3 centimeters, but that requires a really different patterning.
Now of course I have tons of idea for the next corset I want to make, or rather the five or six I want to make, oooooops. At least I am enjoying having some creative output again !

September has been really hard on me, stress, bad news, looming bad news that took ages to arrive... that really slowed me down and killed any motivation I had. The riding corset, even thought it was nowhere on my "to sew now" list, helped me get back into the groove. I have also joined Inktober - a bit late, but still. I managed a quick drawing per day for the last week. It is good to get back into the drawing habit. I am forcing myself to make this quick and easy and to not overthink it. Maybe I'll get back to more intricate stuff later, maybe not, it feels good to make things a little looser and put away my perfectionnism once in a while.
20161012_160025
So this happened, and now I kind of want to make myself a tartan, victorianesque young McGonagall outfit... It hit a record number of likes on IG, too, which I really didn't expect.

I have started the Halloween stuff for the kids - Heimlich's bat cape just needs a closure. I have to make him a mask and arm braces after that, then I'll just wait on the clothes I need to customize for the rest of their outfits.

Tags:

I had the little yearly chat with the kids. Heimlich wants to be Batman, and Toad, quite predictably, Elsa (I am rather surprised she hasn't asked before, actually). Now onto the brainstorming part :

Batman :
- will get black jeans, because I really don't want to make pants just for that
- check if black boots still fit
- make a "bat-ty" cape out of the black felted wool I have
- possibly buy a belt, I found some cheap ones
- make or adapt sweater with bat appliqué
- solve the mask vs. glasses conflict. Ugh.

Elsa
- she may reuse her sparkly shoes - they're a darker shade of blue, but still good.
- cape of some sort, with sparkles
- sparkly dress, not floor length because I'd like it to last longer than one evening, thankyouverymuch
I don't really have any fabrics for her, though...

Not sure what I will wear... If I managed to make myself that silk 1890s blouse, I could wear it with the black skirt I refashioned and my Little Red Riding Hood cape, though. That's a bit much maybe for a month on top of regular work, but it sure would feel good to strike that one from the projects list...

Tags:

halloween,
kids

It was sort of a bust for me. I was already short on time due to being sick on Tuesday and lots of stuff happening during the week, so I was frantically sewing until 6PM. And I either caught some stomach bug, or had a bad reaction to what we ate at lunch, so I ended up sick and under my blankets while the kids went hunting for candy with their father - bless him.
I went out again this morning with the kids in costumes to take pictures - and this time Heimlich's costume had real buttons and buttonholes rather than safety pins. They were both pleased. We had to convince Toad it wasn't a good idea to put the dress on again to go jump on the trampoline and play in the mud outside...
All costumes made with lots of hair pulling because Margaret my regular sewing machine is getting her yearly cleaning and oiling and I had to sew ont he bacl-up, aka the Princess-on-the-Pea (or other less socially acceptable names)

( Here be lots of pictures )

We had to other groups of trick-or-treaters -which I didn't see because I was handsewing the collar facing at that time. Lots of people in the neighborhood gave all their candy to just one group. Next year I'm considering outting a little warning in mailboxes beforehand. Our kids were last so they just had a reasonable loot. The neighbor's girl came in a with costume and we loaned her Heimoich's faux-fur-lined henrician coat from last year to keep her warm . Kids had fun, mom is happy.
The Home Geek and I are both rather down from the never-ending cold everyone around us seems to be catching. My mum is up to a month, I'm three weeks in. It's a virus, nothing to do, but it's completely draining. Today was just going out for pictures, sending the kids out to play a bit, and watching The Nightmare before Christmas. I have to drawings to finish and then I'm going to just plop onto my bed and not move until tomorrow morning.

Ok, maybe I'll read some, since Cassidy's book arrived in the mail and I have barely opened it yet.

Current Mood: exhausted

Tags:

halloween

Halloween costumes will probably be restrained slightly. I came home with a bad cold and have not been very productive today. The Nazgul-girl has a bodice sans buttonholes or buttons. The Troll has a cape that needs a collar and something to tie it shut. Both have shoes and accessories. I should have tomorrow's afternoon mostly to myself - my MIL is here and can look after the kids. Crossing fingers I get the bulk of the costumes done by then.

I cancelled today's appointment witht eh model because I was just feeling to icky and tired to drive. I did finish Olympe enough for tomorrow's fitting. I'll mark the hem and back closure on the model, and the dress is scheduled for a photosoot in a little over two weeks. Crossign fingers everything runs smoothly and the stays fit the model right.

Current Mood: sick

Tags:

halloween,
olympe

The bodice mock-up for Nazgul-girl's costume was almost perfect - just cutting up the armscyes a little for the sleeveless bodice, and making the neckline deeper in frotn to better match the inspiration. I ended up ordering dark blue ribbons for the bows - and I found her some sparkly dark blue shoes to match !

I ended up ordering online for the Troll. Got 3 meters of silk velvet for the cape for a steal. We went for a printed corduroy for the jacket. If time allows I will make velvet breeches to match. I have ordered a pattern with the fabric, to save my sanity. The boy chose pearl grey satin for linings, and I found a pair of reasonably priced black boots that will probably fit his sister a bit later int he year anyway.

I spent a bit more than I'd like on the costumes, but the kids will wear them at the fashion show again, so it seemed a little more justified.

Current Mood: creative

Tags:

halloween,
kids

Not really now but it's getting really close, and before then we will be away (from the sewing machine) for a week, then I have another week with a) my in-laws in the house but mostly b) tons of appointments. I need to get crackin' this week on the kids' costumes !
Choosing the costumes was... interesting. Nazgul-girl wants to be a princess or a fairy - but mostly a fairy. Her choice hasn't changed since we first asked. The little darling has settled on the dress she wants :

She saw it while I was scrolling for ideas on Pinterest and screamed from the other end of the room : "THIS ONE ! I WANT THIS ONE !"
I have started mocking up the bodices. The inner bodice is sewn together and will get a try-on tomorrow before school starts. I think I have some orange taffetas and velvet that would look good for an autumn fairy. I just need to figure out which wings to make - she likes koshka_the_cat's vellum wings, and so does her father, and they seem doable in a time-crunch.

The Troll on the other hand...
First : I want to be a pirate ! Me : we'll take your 1780's kit, add a tricorn, a parrot, and a sword
Then : I want to be a wizard ! :Me : yay ! you will wear your Harry Potter costume, I'll even make you the scar !
So of course today he decided he wanted to be... a prince. But mind you, his Prince Edward costume (loosely based on the Tudor Tailor) won't work, because that was supposed to be a king's costume. *shakes head* I'm just hoping he won't change his mind after we have bought the fabric !
After showing him lots of pictures, he decided on one outfit from OUAT, in the colors we can find :

I think we will go fabric shopping tomorrow, because I have nothing prince-y in the stash, except the orange velvet. I might just buy a simple jacket pattern as a base while I'm at it, to make things quicker. I will do the jacket, sash and cape, he'll get black pants and his usual shoes, unless I can find really affordable ones or some faux-leather t make him spats.