Halloween is coming! Ren-fest is coming! We have a local Renaissance festival that comes to town in the fall, with permanent buildings that stay onsite year long. I'm nerdy enough to dress up for it. Several years ago I fell in LOVE with a dress, who's price tag revealed $1,000. Ouch! How hard could it be to make one like it? Tedious as heck it turns out! Prior I had hand sewn a pillow. A small pillow. The learning curve was steep! MIL gave me the use of her sewing machine, with instructions to "Sew a book, to learn straight lines."
I made a dress instead, you never heard more creative strings of curse words! It took about 7 dress tries to get to where it was easier. I shopped for table cloths and curtains at Goodwill for learner fabric. The good stuff that would be considered historically accurate can go for $45 a yard or more!
When the weather gets awful it's my favorite way to kill time though.
This dress is the one I did for this upcoming season. The hat is purchased. I gave up on patterns and free hand it on a dress form, it's less frustrating for me. The over skirt was a tablecloth, the bodice was a curtain sample from work.
This is dress #4 that I'm revisiting and reworking for a friend. She's only been asking for 3 years. Found the medallion I beaded together for it! That will get attached to the front of the bodice.
Last years dress. The yellow skirt was a curtain, the bodice a shower curtain. The cape was purchased fabric and the shirt/bag/hat purchased.
It takes about 3-5 weeks to get a dress put together and trimmed out. The trim I apply by hand with invisible thread, it's like sewing with a piece of hair. I've gone through about 5 packs of needles for the machine, I've threatened bodily harm to the bobbins, jabbed my thumb with a needle lot's of times and learned an incredible amount about patience and focus.
Not bad for a chicken farmer! LOL
I made a dress instead, you never heard more creative strings of curse words! It took about 7 dress tries to get to where it was easier. I shopped for table cloths and curtains at Goodwill for learner fabric. The good stuff that would be considered historically accurate can go for $45 a yard or more!
When the weather gets awful it's my favorite way to kill time though.
This dress is the one I did for this upcoming season. The hat is purchased. I gave up on patterns and free hand it on a dress form, it's less frustrating for me. The over skirt was a tablecloth, the bodice was a curtain sample from work.
This is dress #4 that I'm revisiting and reworking for a friend. She's only been asking for 3 years. Found the medallion I beaded together for it! That will get attached to the front of the bodice.
Last years dress. The yellow skirt was a curtain, the bodice a shower curtain. The cape was purchased fabric and the shirt/bag/hat purchased.
It takes about 3-5 weeks to get a dress put together and trimmed out. The trim I apply by hand with invisible thread, it's like sewing with a piece of hair. I've gone through about 5 packs of needles for the machine, I've threatened bodily harm to the bobbins, jabbed my thumb with a needle lot's of times and learned an incredible amount about patience and focus.
Not bad for a chicken farmer! LOL
