Basic Sewing Skills

Because I sew enormous historical and fantasy costumes, people always ask if I sew my own clothes. I immediately answer: HELL NO. I have a job, I have a life! Sewing is a hobby, sure, but it's also a huge time-suck, and when I want something to wear every day to work, I get a lot better return-on-investment from just buying a dress or top from Target or Macy's. Ain't nobody got time for that.

However, having basic sewing skills is a great help for minor alterations that can make off-the-rack clothes fit and look better or be more personalized. This dress is a great example. I saw it on eBay and figured it'd fit, but it was originally about floor-length for 5'2" me. Chopping off a straight hem is super-simple, and hemming by hand gives it a professional look. The alteration took maybe 30 minutes. That's a good ROI!


What I'm wearing: Black pinstripe linen dress, eBay | Black belt, NY & Company | Black tights, Hue | Black heeled lace-up boots, Aerosoles | Black & silver beaded necklace, random accessory store | Black skull earrings, local artisan

Statement Earrings

With my new short hair, I'm trying to look for bigger earrings to wear. It feels like a way to dress up my face and distract from the severe style of this unpleasant-to-me fashion. I have a few pairs of larger, flashy earrings, and I've been searching for more.

I picked up these earrings at the vendor room at Costume College, the annual costume conference I attend and teach at in Southern California. The earrings are made from metal sewing-machine bobbins, so a little crafty-nerdy and relevant to my interests.

What I'm wearing: Black lace-topped T-shirt, H&M | Black skirt with lace, velvet & stripe embellishment added by me, thrift-store | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black & grey pumps, Target | Beaded bobbin earrings, Costume College

Three Recommended Reads

I'm slowly recovering from chemo round 1 of 4 (it wasn't fun, but I'm sure it could have been worse). Didn't go into the office this week, so no outfits. But I've been reading blogs & such when I have the brain power. Here are three that really stood out:

The Cost of Handmade, Revisited -- Victoria breaks down why her gorgeous, highly decorated parasols cost what they do. Handmade items on Etsy, Artfire, & elsewhere may seem like a budget option, but remember that sometimes there really is an individual artisan behind the work. Materials & labor add up fast.

How Learning to Sew Transformed My Fashion Self Confidence -- Lilli overcomes size-ism by making clothes in her own shape & size, not some arbitrary number. Sewing a few clothing items yourself may take time, but it can be empowering.

10 DIY Halloween Decorations Made With Flameless Candles -- Old Fashion Halloween found this awesome tutorial for turning things like dental X-rays or old stockings into spooky cool lighting.

Jove Decadent by Ramon Casas, Wikimedia

Happy reading! And thanks for all your words of encouragement during my treatment. I *really really* appreciate it :)

Red & Black Week: 18th Century Redingote

Finally, my piece de la resistance for Red & Black Week, my stripey redingote. Properly, a redingote is an 18th-century French woman's gown based on an English man's riding habit. I made this one in a not perfectly historical fashion, but took liberties in the cut & materials to suit my gothic aesthetic.

I found this black & red striped rayon fabric in the L.A. garment district at least 5 years ago & have been plotting something like this costume for quite a while. It's very loosely based on period fashion plates that show this style of single-breasted button-front bodice with a broad collar & buttoned cuffs. I designed the collar & cuffs with a batwing shape in black velvet hand-edged in black silk.

Ideally, I'd be wearing a large, tall hat too, but since this outfit was first worn on my recent France trip, I couldn't make it in time nor carry another item with me!

What I'm wearing (all made by me except where noted):
Black & red striped redingote with velvet collar & cuffs & vintage velvet buttons
Black silk fichu
Black silk petticoat
White satin under-petticoat
White twill bum pad
Black corset, made by Sarah
White cotton shift
Black stockings, Target
Black buckled shoes, Fugawee
"Hedgehog" style hairpiece
Jet earrings, random accessory store
Gunmetal & jet ring, random accessory store
Faux ruby ring, gift from Sarah
Black lace fan, eBayBlack velvet mouche (beauty patch)
Red lipstick, Sephora

More about how I made this outfit on my costume website here.

Sew a Repeat

I don't normally blog repeat outfits, but what the heck. I do love this dress. And this necklace. Both were made by friends -- the dress was sewn for me by Donna, the necklace made for me by Lisa, two of my wonderful alt.gothic.fashion cohorts. I specifically chose these pieces because after work I planned to go buy a new sewing machine. I wanted to not only wear something comfortable for a longer day, but I wanted totems of creativity to give me luck.

What I'm wearing:
Black, grey, & white dress, made by Donna | Black camisole, Target | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black round-toe pumps, Target | Purple & black scissors medallion necklace, made by Lisa | Silver hoop earrings, random accessory store

Take a look at my costume blog for the full story of what I used to sew with & what I finally bought today. Also, check out my new CafePress store with silly sewing-related T-shirts & more! I plan to add some CorpGoth themed items in the future.

Back to the 21st Century

It's not much of a joke when I say in my bio that by day I'm a writer & editor at Yahoo! & on weekends I'm a historical aristocrat. Because a couple weekends each month, I portray mostly Lady Violet Ruthvene in the Society for Creative Anachronism and occasionally Lady Constance, Viscountess Mourdant of Avalon, in the Société des Lumières, or, starting this year, Faustina de Castello with Bella Donna Venetian Courtesans at various Renaissance faires.

Last weekend was the SCA's Beltane, perhaps the most lovely & enjoyable event of the year. I'm having a hard time settling back into the office grind after spending a few days in a green valley surrounded by friends, music, games, pageantry, good food & wine, all in fabulous costumes -- including a new gown for me (pictured below), made by my dear friend Sarah. The gown & hair are based on historical images, & I'll be tweaking the hairpieces I made to get an even-more historically accurate look.

Today's work outfit is strictly CorpGoth, to help force me back into the work world. Sleek grey with a touch of stripes. This is what it takes to slave away in the pixel mines!

What I'm wearing:
Grey sheath dress, Target | Black & white stripe sweater, Chadwicks
Black tights, unknown brand | Black & white peep-toe, ankle-strap pumps, Ross | Hand-painted skull pendant on black velvet ribbon, local artist | Black & white bead earrings, Kohl's | Erase Paste concealer by Benefit | Pressed powder by MAC | Black liquid eyeliner by Nars | "Fresh Linen" & "Vintage Violet" eyeshadows from Too Faced's Matte Collection | "Rosary" lipstick by Kat Von D

Lady Violet Ruthvene in a Venetian gown at Beltane

A Few Nifty Links From the Week

Just some stuff I've read recently that I liked so much, I thought I'd share!

Ruffles Not Diets has a fantastic how-to post about hair updos for work. Don't miss the video at the end of the post -- I'm pretty inept at doing braids & buns, but that vid makes it look awfully easy!

Norma Talmadge, 1920s

My BFF Sarah of Mode Historique analyzes former Ukranian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko's awesome crown braid and recreates the look in a fabulous fashion.

Salon wonders if short-haired women are less attractive. Answer: No, duh, but isn't it interesting how women's hair length is such a culturally loaded topic...

The New York Times reports on the trend of expensive designer lipsticks, ranging from $30 to $60 per tube. Estee Lauder has long claimed that lipstick sales go up during a recession (tho' there's no proof of this). I fully admit I love fancy lipstick, but I've yet to crack $30. What's the most you'll pay for lippie?

Green Apples has a multi-part sewing plan for her fall/winter wardrobe featuring tops, jackets/coats/pants, and dresses. You don't have to sew to get some great inspiration from these lists because the patterns she chose are a lovely mix of modern & retro styling, many are things you may find in ready-to-wear or thrift stores, & all would be quite gothable.

Being High Maintenance, not Bitchy (awesome blog name, btw) has useful tips for how to care for your leather garments. Appropriate to the season & especially to goths.

The Vivienne Files has 10 Trivial Travel Thoughts that I didn't find trivial at all. I travel a lot, but I'd never thought to use safety pins to create pants-hangers (so useful!). Also, we should all know my feelings on "leggings are not pants" -- I saw a bit too much of that on my last trip.

Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing takes on the touchy subject of what we talk about when we talk about weight in a thoughtful & positive fashion. Well worth reading.

The Daily Show's Samantha Bee has a conversation with her Spanx. Very silly.

My amazing friend Laina at Keeping Off 200 Pounds has a useful post about indoor exercise that doesn't involve the gym. I'm not a big fan of exercise, but I'm even less a fan of the gym, & these suggestions are pretty simple & good ways to keep active when the weather blows.

I never learned to ride a bike, but I'm fascinated by You Look Fab's post on stylish urban cycling. This seems so doable -- looking good while biking around town. Exercise, saving money, appearing posh... I want to try...

And finally, Advanced Style has some fantastic life & style tips from a 100-year-old lady. She knows what's what!

What have you been reading around the interwebs lately?

Stripey Silk

I've been sewing clothing & stuff since I was a little kid -- taught by my mom & grandmom. But I don't like sewing modern clothes to wear everyday. Too much trouble. What I do like is to buy fabric & trims & shiny bits to use for historical / fantasy / gothic costumes or to refashion everyday clothes.

That's how I came across this fabric. Just  a couple yards, last little bit on a bolt, of black silk with pinstripes of silver. Not enough for a full gown, but omg, such awesome fabric, I had to have it. Could use it as contrast or trim on something, someday.

Then, my dear friend Donna suggested a jacket. A modern jacket, that she would make. Fantastic! She's such a dear. She had this pattern & whipped it together as a Christmas gift for me.

What I'm wearing:
Black with grey pinstripe silk jacket, custom-made by Donna of Original Sin Designs
Black T-shirt, Old Navy
Black trousers, Target
Black wedge heels, Kenneth Cole (thrifted)
Burgundy flower pin (also works as a hair pin), Forever 21
Black sparkley necklace, random accessory store
Silver cameo earrings, vintage
Large sparkley gunmetal ring, Icing
Chanel Vamp lipstick

Rain & Spiderwebs

Ugh, rainy day! Meaning, the porch was dreary & grey again, so more bad photos, even tho' I *did* fuss with the camera settings. I promise that one day soon, I will either figure out the picture quality on this blog or just stop whining about it.

What I'm wearing:
Black wool ruffled bolero sweater, Kohl's
Red knit peasant top, Express
Black stretch belt with ruffled detail, NY & Co.
Black & white spiderweb-print skirt, made by me
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Red ankle boots, Aerosoles
Black beaded necklace with cameo, random accessory store
Black & white beaded earrings, random accessory store
Real pearl stud earrings, gift from my stepdad

After Halloween, I was taking the cloth off our dining room table. It was a tablecloth just like the fabric of this skirt, & I remembered that I had a second tablecloth of this type with a big burnt-out hole in the center from a candle mishap. I'd cut out the burned bits & stored the cloth in my fabric stash.

So I retrieved the old cloth & decided it was time to make something from the fabric. How about a skirt? I cut panels in such a way that I could use the old tablecloth's existing hem for the skirt's hem (saving me time). I sewed the sides up & made a casing at the top for an elastic waistband. Ta-da, a skirt!

It had long points at each side, but when I tried it on, the points dragged on the ground. Ooops. At first I thought I might wear it like that with high-heeled boots, but that still didn't work. So I put the skirt on my dressform & tacked up the points & sewed some vintage jet buttons over the join. Can't actually see those buttons today because they're covered by the red top tho'. Still, I think the folded-over sides make for an interesting detail.

Have you made any of your own clothes? How about refashioning things from the thrift store?