Friday, May 8, 2009

Getting Ready for SLCC 2009

Getting ready to rock the SLCC's costuming again this year!

I made this corset. :) It's Simplicity pattern 9769. I found a great company that made kits of everything I needed. Canadian too. Bonus. No getting held up sending several kilos of metal strips over the border. O_o They even had coutil, a very strong fabric for corsetry. I think I may have enough left for a second corset.

Several kilos of boning for one corset? Surely I must jest! Er, no. The majority of it was for this hoop skirt. Simplicity pattern 9764. Cotton/Poly broadcloth.
Casualties so far, two sewing machine needles, a seam ripper, and thankfully not much blood this time around.

Extra tools I needed, aviation snips to cut the hoop boning. And I've never before this skirt and corset ever used a power drill and a hammer to assemble a garment. I also rather than using hook and eyes for the clasp I broke apart an adjustable strap from the hardware store and used that instead. Not even remotely period, but if anyone looks up my skirt on such an inspection, they'll get a pointy boot up the left nostril.

I'll point out that none of that was difficult. But it took time, and it took an extra set of hands from time to time. Sewing that much casing tape into a skirt was bonkers and took a great deal of measuring and pinning and despite the mistakes I made (I fixed the horrid ones) it's very forgiving.

Last year's costume fit over it just fine, but with the corset needs to come in a little bit, also, the front dips and the back is a little high. I may pinch it in the back to take it in and force the draping backwards a bit and see how it works.



Adjustment here, adjustment there, perhaps another skirt layer under the main to mask the boning better, and I'll be set.

Next stop, Simplicity 2887 with a few modifications.

3 comments:

Edward Pearse said...

For someone who has by your own admission, not done much costuming you've certainly got a knack for it. I've helped make corsets before and know how frustrating they can be.

I'd recommend another underskirt just to absorb a little of the top skirt's transparency. The crinoline is just visible through the fabric and that would minimise it.

But very well done. I'd love to know what your partner thinks of all this :-)

Eva Bellambi said...

Well done, dahling! Thank you for sharing your work with the rest of us. You have really done a remarkable job.

I keep hoping that by some miracle (or lotto win) I will be able to head out to SLCC as well for I am sure that seeing your work in person would be exponentially more amazing.

Eva

Kamilah Hauptmann said...

@Edward - My partner wears the medieval style costumes, and gets a bit aggressive with the laces. :) (At least I guess that's a sign of getting a kick out of it all.)

@Eva - Come on, raid the kid's college fund. You know you want to.