Elsa's Snow Queen Bodice: Layer #2

After work today, I paid a visit to the fabric store for a few more materials for the Frozen wardrobe.
Of course, they were out of the aqua metallic spiderweb tulle I needed more of, so instead I opted for some shimmer organza. This may actually work better as the second layer to diffuse the disco ball look of the fabric it will go over.

 It's not nearly as glittery in the photos, but it looks amazingly lovely as an overlay. This is what the rest of the decoration will attach to; various sizes of iridescent rectangular sequins and super chunky, sparkly Swarovski elements.
I may go back for more of this organza, to make a shorter 'walking around Disneyland' version of the cape ;-)

A closing thought on the entire construction of this outfit and those like it to come:
in looking at the actual design of the Disney version, it almost seems as though there is such a smooth transition between bodice and skirt, that it could even be made as one piece.
One dress.
Of course the animated version on the animated character is going to have a mathematical perfection that we cannot achieve, but I have been pondering the thought of making such a thing for the version I will wear to Dragon Con. Essentially a corset gown, just cinching enough to give a smooth line between waist and hip. The upper part would be decorated like her bodice without the super defined bottom edge of a separate corset. I love either look, but this would be a fun experement to add to (what seems to be) a growing Elsa wardrobe.

Elsa's Snow Queen Bodice: Progress

So far so good.
I have all the pieces for the lining and 'outer' shell put together. At least the first layer.
I should mention that the finished bodice will look nothing like the aqua disco ball atrocity in the following photos.
I'm using this as the shimmering deeper turquoise base, and layering lighter materials over it:
a paler aqua shimmer tulle, then all the little rectangular bits, and finally some icy rhinestones
The bottom edge needs reshaping and I had to make the back higher, but the sweetheart neckline turned out fine as is. I still need to fit it a little at the waist, this was taken right after I stitched the outer layer together:

 

 A close up of the animated artwork of Elsa's ice bodice. So many layers and textures!

This could be a fun project or one that will drive me nuts.

Twill core lining and aqua cotton interlining. I'll be building this as close to an actual corset as possible, but a little lighter. No tight lacing for this one, and I'm using a combo of straight and spring steel boning.

This is starting out as Version #1 of this bodice.
Turns out I need it for a few non-burlesque related events sooner rather than later. There's a huge costumed event coming up at Disneyland in May, so yeah, I'm hustling.
After that, this will get turned into the burlesque version (and likely get a zipper put in somewhere) and the extra fancy version will get made separately ;-)
This is just a really thorough mockup.

*Gasping For Air* Too Much Cosplay!

I need a small mental break from the cartoon and Sci-fi costuming, so here's something to appease my historical leanings.

With Summer nearly upon us, and my closet still devoid of 18th century items (save for one, very old one), here are some of the things in no particular order, that I absolutely need to get done. With examples in pictures, I will attack these after the Dragon Con madness is over.

Absolute #1 on the list: 18th century/Georgian Stays

I can't even begin to tell you how badly I need these right now. They are the one thing I need to start very nearly my entire 18th century wardrobe. Perhaps not this particular set with the strap arrangement, but the cut of these is what I'm after for most of the Georgian period items I want to make. I wouldn't mind a slightly earlier pair of stays either, for doing earlier decades.

With that said, I could add a huge rundown of all the 18th century things I want to make to this list below, but I'll hold off for now. This single pair of stays is what will make it possible, and without that, the rest is a moot point. These are all the things that I *need* to do first.

The 1830s froufy, poofy fabulousness.

I'm toying with the idea of not taking part in Dickens Fair this year, instead opting to attend as a patron or at least go part time on a Pickwick pass. We shall see, but if anything, the above will happen and will make appearances at Dickens along with two others ;-) We have plans. I'm thinking a lilac or a pale blue. And a current Victorian corset of mine will work for this too, however...

A mid-century Victorian corset, cut similarly to this one here.

Again with the undergarment that is needed to create further projects. I have plans to make an early/mid bustle era gown, and the bodice requires one that is meant to be worn underneath clothing. As many of my corsets are meant to be seen and give a nice silhouette, the thicker fashion fabric binding tends to create a ridge at the bust line that shows on the outside of my bodices. I want to wear this under 1850s to early 1870s ensembles that are sleeker, and don't have a bunch of trim going on around the bust to hide such a ridge.

An 1850s ballgown for the Twelfth Night and Gaskell's Ball

It seems I am always off by a decade or two outside Dickens Fair when it comes to the more fancy events involving the same era. I have plenty of day wear, but nothing fancy for the Twelfth Night Ball held as our post-Dickens Fair cast party! So I end up in bustle era ensembles, and while pretty, I feel out of place. I think I want something in a pale blue organdy, perhaps with metallic gold brush trim. The neckline and sleeve on the pink one is appealing.

A bustle (for an 1874 two-tone tailored gown).

Yes, I need the corset mentioned above first, but I have a Victorian corset I can currently use to at least do the fitting. Yet here I am again, needing the proper undergarment first. The gown style I speak of is inspired by one above from the V&A; I adore the buttoned revers on the skirt and the men's suit look of the bodice. Sure, I don't "need" this particular bustle to get the effect, but it's just such a fantastic shape that I want to try my hand at it. Plus, I saw another seamstress use this Laughing Moon version under an early bustle gown with fabulous effect.

So, that's my final list of more realistic proportions.
Time wise, I'm going to need to start the 1830s ensemble by early October if I want to wear it to Dickens.
I'll need to work on the 1850s ballgown during Dickens Fair so I have it for Gaskell's and Twelfth Night.
I'm sewing on various items for Dragon Con right up until the con itself at the end of August. So that doesn't leave much room for the 18th century stays, or anything else on this list.
If I can focus and bust my butt on getting the DCon stuff done sooner than August, that leaves me a good chunk of extra sewing time. On one hand I might burn myself out, but on the other, when I sew on varying projects that are nothing like each other, it can also open up the floodgates and make me want to just keep going.

Agfa Foto! I Finally Have My Vintage Camera

For a long time, I've hoped to find a vintage camera, preferably German, that was still in good working condition.
I think I finally found it; an Agfa 'Billy Jgetar' from around 1931 that someone in the UK had in their collection.

I can take this beauty to living history and WWII reenactments (carefully of course), hopefully to get a few historically accurate 'fotos', and learn to develop them myself. Film for these can still be had.
This little lovely even had a roll of film already in it, that had been there for who-knows-how long. The film had only 2 exposures left, so even though the film is likely no longer good, I used those two shots taking photos of my adorable dog, Lucy just for the hell of it.
I wonder if anything on the previous exposures, or my own shots, survived? I'll just have to get it developed to see ;-)

 Still had its original canvas case

Zee film...

 

Adorable case in fair condition. The tip of the closure strap is ripped off, but someone was kind enough to keep this little bit inside the case. I may attempt to repair it by backing the two pieces together using a small additional bit of leather.

Tron Siren Costume: Hunting For The Bits And Pieces

So I just picked up one of the light-up Tron identity discs on Ebay.
Not super cheap, but they don't manufacture these anymore, and cosplayers are scrambling for them. I still got a pretty fair price compared to how much they are usually going for these days.
I went ahead and bought the black one.
Considering that I'll have to take it apart to bare bones and modify the lighting and wiring, I figured that I may as well paint the body pieces white in the process.
The more rare white versions, when I see them, are going for nearly $150 to $200. I bought the same model in black for $50. I can take the money I saved and literally pay for the light up EL Tape and EL Wire for the illuminated areas of the costume.
Another nifty detail; the little box below the disc on her back, is the battery pack for the lighting.
I remember seeing this in the film as well, and thinking, "awesome! no need to try and hide it further". Still, I may see if I can load it all into the disc base unit instead, for a sleeker look.

And She's Off!

I'm starting with the burlesque costume version of my Elsa 'Snow Queen' gown.

This will be a good way to do a mockup of sorts, since this version is a definite stage costume, and won't have to be as perfect as my final version for Dragon Con.

I traced and reshaped the pattern pieces from the Simplicity pattern I used (#5006) for the bodice. About to cut out the turquoise cotton lining:

An Update Of Sorts

Just a hello from your too-often-absent author.
I haven't had much time to post much here, since work and other activities have been keeping me busy; however, I will say that much of that has involved some costuming of the burlesque variety for a new stage persona! If only I had some good photos, but those might follow soon.

In other news; all the materials needed for my version of Elsa's Snow Queen gown from Frozen have been collected. Next week, I dive in headfirst to at least finish this one, and perhaps start on the coronation gown.
I think the only other thing I want to get are some of the chunky rectangle Swarovski crystals and smaller round flatbacks for the bodice details.
To make things move along even faster, I've found a few patterns to use as the basis for the skirt and bodice, and I just need to decide on a different closure for the bodice. I'm considering placing a strong zipper to the side of the center back. The center back will have lacing to adjust the bodice a sleek fit. (I've been hitting the gym and suddenly started losing excess winter weight from my waist and upper back, so I need this to fit snugly later on too!)
I may need to make two totally separate versions of this costume, since one will be for a burlesque act.
As much as possible, I want to be able to keep the 'real' one nice for events like Dragon Con and Disneyland costume events. Burlesque costumes get tossed, thrown, pulled, stepped on and flung on stage. Light colors such as pastel blue/aqua get dingy quickly, and beads & rhinestones pop off or get damaged. It's a hard-knock life for those creations and they often need replacing. I have some older stage costumes that look perfect on stage from the audience, but I would never want to wear them in broad daylight or convention lighting, nor up close in person for photographs.
Plus, it will be easier to make various layers for the burlesque version and focus on the performance itself, if I'm not worrying about the safety of my costume ;-)

So, you can look forward to more updates in the following weeks as my adventures in cosplay ensue.
I'm excited to once again experiment with Dharma acid dyes for this project, to get a slight ombre effect on Elsa's skirt.