Road to Costume College 2018

Gosh, where did the first half of the year go? (I know where, winter was unusually long and dark and cold, and it's effect lasted longer than usual...) Now that the days on the calendar are quickly ticking down to the dates I will be in LA attending Costume College, its starting to really sink in that it's happening, and SOON!

I've been pushing to get some pieces made up for the event, even though it's SO VERY SOON now. If you follow me on Instagram, I've been posting progress shots of my current projects. Here is what's on my to-do list, with bonus planned costume list for the weekend!

Thursday:

Jareth the Goblin King

-need to reglue approximately 600 jewels back on.

Friday Day:

IKEA Ljusoga Italian gown

I made a split rump to go under this, and plan to redo the sleeves. If I have time, I may make another new petticoat. I really want the ruffly apron from the American Duchess Guide, but as I don't have fabric, I don't think I'll have time to create it.

Bonus: This is the only outfit that will have a hat. I finished-finished my market bonnet earlier this year and since it packs flat, it's the only hat I'm bringing along!

-Redo sleeves
-Cap

Friday Night Social:

Riding Habit

This is at least 75% done. I recently got the buttons I needed to put this on. I've misplaced the hooks & eyes I bought in LA last year to close it with so it might get temporary ones. I don't know what I'm going to do with my hair, either D:

A fun sewing day with @fangsiam turned into a mostly complete habit jacket 😍😍😍 thanks for having me over! #sewing #ridinghabit #18thcentury #jpryan #almostdone #badlighting #badbackground #whocares #itlooksgreat

A post shared by totchipanda (@totchipanda) on May 12, 2018 at 3:58pm PDT

-Buttons! Buttons for days!
-Waistcoat buttonholes + buttons
-Attach lining to jacket
-Hooks & eyes (possibly temp)

Saturday Day:

1830s cotton gown

Purely as a companion to Lady Rebecca's 1830s fabulousness, I got this amazing pink and yellow print from my mom's destash in early 2014. I always intended it for an early Victorian gown. I have 6 yards, so I may need to get creative when it comes to the sleeves. I'm using the Workwoman's Guide (1838-1840) as a huge source of patterning, and several gowns from the Met as design choices.

Ive had this fabulous cptton print stashed away for a few years, intending to make an early Victorian day dress out of. Isnt it perfect? #cotton #print #sewing #victorian

A post shared by totchipanda (@totchipanda) on Jun 5, 2018 at 8:42pm PDT

I'm using Laughing Moon's Regency stays pattern to make long stays. I'm using the theatrical version, as this is a pattern I mostly want "done" rather than "historically". Stays didn't change a lot for the first 30-odd years of the 19th century. You see the same shapes in the Workwoman's Guide with similarly styled boning patterns and advice for boning it as little as possible. For the dress I'm going to use Butterick's 1840 dress pattern as the bodice base, but this time I've modified the front with a small bust adjustment rather than taking the extra fabric out near the shoulders. I'll talk about that more in an upcoming post.

I will also need a cap to cover my hair, and an apron. I got into a limited class on Saturday morning which will be hands-on, and I also just really love aprons!

-Stays: boning channels
-Stays: boning
-Stays: Binding
-Gown: everything. Sleeves are patterned and bodice pattern adjustments made, but that's it.
-Gown: Sleeve support (maybe)
-Cap



Saturday Gala:

LACMA Redingote

I'm really excited about this one. I won't go into too many details since I have a post or two in the works already, but I started on this project last year shortly after CoCo, and it sat for months and months before I came back to it. It's my first time working with real silk, and I made a few choices I maybe wouldn't have made if I had waited just a bit longer (or maybe I would have; they certainly didn't occur to me at all until it was too late). I 'm hand sewing this partly because I have time to do so (I feel), partly because I enjoy the process, partly because I like the look, partly because I just plain wanna.

One of the main features I loved about the extant garment is the shoulder capes, but they will be the last constructed as they are not integral to the garment in the way that sleeves are.

A post shared by totchipanda (@totchipanda) on Jul 2, 2018 at 2:01pm PDT

-Main sewing (lapels, collar, sleeves, cuffs)
-Buttons
-Hemming
-BIG FLUFFY CAP
-capes

Sunday:

Victorian Wallpaper Sacque

I started this last fall too. The fabric also came from my mom's destash, and had always been intended for a sacque. I had initially started out with the same lining pieces as for my Italian and curtain-along gowns, with hand-sewn eyelets, and I was using Katherine's sacque tutorials as a guide. For whatever reason, it also got put aside for months.

The Lady Detalle is hosting a "Dress of WRONG" on Sunday, perfectly accurate gowns with imperfectly accurate fabric. Mine will be less obvious than hers, but this fabric has always felt a little too "Victorian Wallpaper" to be an appropriate sacque. But I also really love it still, and when I got a copy of American Duchess' Simplicity pattern early this year, it was just a thing that needed to be Done.

This also features a small bust adjustment, so stay tuned for that.

New state of the #sacque 😁 i had to pick out one side cuz it was too far away from the stomacher but that was quick. Just a foot left and then i can move on to sleeve fluffles! #cotton #18thcentury #sewing

A post shared by totchipanda (@totchipanda) on May 31, 2018 at 10:21pm PDT

-Sleeve fluffles (inner and outer)
-Cap
-Bows for days!