Brielle's Notions

High Fashion Inspiration

Greetings,

I happened upon some images of the new valentino 2013 spring collection. Such pretty colors! ah...and that lace. I LOVE the lace details. So I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite styles from the collection.

These black creations are oh so pretty. Reminded me of the Brontë sister stories.

All of the gowns had a bit of a vintage romantic vibe mixed in with a modern silhouette.

Ah! The red.

Red dresses are my favorite anyway, but this shade of red is just perfect.

The combintaion of silk with sheer silk is so pretty. I am not a huge fan of it sheer right above the knee, but the concept is a unique touch. 

Seeing all of these gorgeous gowns makes me want to add some more lace to my everyday wardrobe. Or maybe a touch of black or scarlet colored sparkly nail polish.

 

Thank you for reading...

Have a magical day!

My obsession with red gowns...

Greetings,

I must admit...my favorite dress color is red. Or black. But I will almost always go for red if I can. Unless it is an event that a red dress wouldn't be suitable. Aka...as a wedding guest or something.

The Marchesa Fall 2013 RTW Collection was stunning.

All that red silk and heavily embroidered bodices has inspired me to create a gown with similar ornate elements. Either a one shoulder or perhaps a more fantasy inspired style.

Maybe even a red Elf Dress....I have been dying to make one of those for ages.

This reminds me of Katniss's Dress....with more of an elegant edge...

Such a rich vibrant color.

I try to wear a bit of red everyday. Even if no one sees it.

oh! I just found out Chanel made a red nail color called dragon. I MUST have that. see it here I haven't ever used Chanel nail colors, but I am sure the are excellent.

 

Do you have a favorite color that you enjoy wearing?

 

 

 

 

Fabric Shopping Adventures....

Greetings,

Happy New Year!

I have returned from my wanderings over the holiday season and have settled back into my costume sewing routine back in the studio.

However, today I am in need of a fabric shopping trip for upcoming orders. 

So I thought I would take you all along with me. These are just a few shots I snapped with my cellular communication device...

I was actually hunting for a blood red beaded trim.....but aren't those mermaid hues pretty?

It was also freezing cold and snowing in Portland today, so I bundled up.  My Katniss pin is pretty much on this jacket all the time....so a bit of a geek today.

Ah! This beaded chiffon. So many projects in mind. Rather wonderland'esq.

I was searching for silk velvet in red, but alas none was to be found.

The other fabrics I bought were more on the basic side, but perfect for the upcoming costumes I shall be creating.

Anyway, more updates to come!

Etsy Shop and Hallow's Eve Sneak Peak....

Greetings,

The Etsy Shop is open again! Just in time if you want to get an early jump on all the Hallow's Eve Festivities...only 78 days until Halloween. (or something like)

Or if you are simply looking for garments and attire I shall be updating My Etsy Shop with lots of capes, accessories and costumes at discounted prices.

We did a little photoshoot with the Grecian Princess Dress.... you can find it here

One of the newest items on my shop are the Elegant Black Capes. These are perfect for all kinds of adventures and autumn wanderings.... view them here

I shall be updating lots more this week.

The sewing studio is a flurry of activity getting ready for new orders and creations!

“The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said.
The chances, the changes are all yours to make.
The mold of your life is in your hands to break.”

- J.R.R. Tolkien

Thanks for for visiting my realm.....

 

Snow White Costume Updates!

Greetings,

Well my readers I finally completed my Snow White Costume.

In between costume orders and general studio madness.

Here it is! Er.....a few images at least.

You can see many more pictures and info over at the costume site page... by clicking this little link...

This one reminds me of the magical forest......or some such thing.

Thanks for reading and looking at my "Inspired by Snow White" costume!!

 

Have a Magical Day!

Sneak Peak: Padme Nightgown!

Greetings,

Things are very busy in the sewing room this week, but I wanted to share a quick sneak peak of one of the new costumes...

Padme's Nightgown!

 

Actually it is more of a sneak peak of the supplies...but you can see the pretty colors at least. 

 

The inspiration is from Episode 3 of Star Wars.

Padme wears this as her "lounge/sleepwear" personally I think it would be really uncomfortable to sleep in, (Padme' must not minding sleeping on pearls!) but this gown could easily be worn as a lovely evening dress. Or to sleep in of course...whatever you so choose.

It has been such a nice change to work with that gorgeous shade of steal blue fabric.

I shall be updating the website soon with more costumes!

Lots of Pirates, Stars Wars and the like...

I just got a little behind in my updating.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

 

 

Mermaid and Pirate Cuffs in stock!

Greetings,

I am pleased to announce that the Pirate Cuffs are back in stock on my Etsy Shop!

The new style this month is "Mermaid Pirate Cuffs"...inspired by my favorite attention to the Pirate's Cast. Syrena the Mermaid. 

The collection features cuffs with shells, pearls, glass beads, fishnet and golden coins. Perfect for adding a dash of Mermaid style to your everyday look.

A close up of some of the details....

The Cuffs come in sizes S, M and L.

It was great this time because I was able to have models for each hand size.

The ones featured on this page is the size small that I am modeling, but on the Etsy Shop all the size pictures will be seen.

ok one last picture.....this one seemed very "mermaid-like" to me.

  ________________________________________

Tia Pirate Cuffs are also back in stock!!!

All of the Cuffs can be found here in the Etsy Shop

Thanks for reading! A Pirates Life for me!!

Snow White Costume Updates

Greetings!

So I am doing something a bit crazy.

In between customer costumes and contracted costume work...

...I am going to try and make a Snow White Costume! Let's hope I can actually accomplish it....who needs sleep right?

If you would like to see my full picture filled costume research post click here...

I liked this picture above, so I wanted to included it here. The dark atmosphere is so fairytale. Not to mention they both have awesome costumes.

Snow White's costume is durable, pretty and totally ready for action.

 

 You can see the construction of the actual dresses in the clip above.

"Lips red as blood, hair black as night....

....Bring me your heart, my dear, dear Snow White"

ok last moving image...promise. It just captures so much more detail then still images.

Want to see my supplies?....

....... The fabrics are WAY prettier in real life. The camera didn't want to capture the brilliance of them today. Although I should have set up better lighting, but whatever. 

• The light blue is a linen rayon blend. Super pretty and lovely. Feels like a "true fairytale homespun". Not cheap, but perfect.
  

• The rich blood red is an expensive 100% silk yardage that I splurged on. I adore silk and being it is a princess costume we must have silk.
  

• The deep chocolate color is an organic linen. (I think hers in the movie is suede) but my fabric store didn't have the right color of suede today and I LOVED this linen.
  

• The lacing for the light blue sleeves is an 100% silk ribbon from England.

• The lacing for the brown bodice is a woven deep brown color with strands of bronze. Creating a chain like effect. 

All I have left to find are the perfect metal studs for accenting the sleeves and neckline. As well as boning for the bodice...,but I might just have enough in my stash.

This is the picture I was going off of for the fabric colors. It seems to be the least "photo-shopped". The editing can totally ruin the effect of the real fabrics. erg. So it can be hard to capture the "real fabric colors" ...however, I think this image is pretty good.

I just need to find some good boots. Hmmm...I have some brown leather ones that lace up the front. So if  I don't have time to buy new ones those will work.

 _______________________________________

Anyone interested in a "Snow White" makeup and hair tutorial post?

I really like how her hair is just long, layered and messy. (but still pretty)

Her makeup is a classic "no-makeup" makeup look. With stained berry red lips, pale skin and long dark lashes.  

I hear tell that Benefit will be offering a "Snow White" themed kit coming on April 17th. So I will be keeping an eye out for that.

Also, if you want to read the movie book it will be released on the 17th as well. (this fairytale geek has it on pre-order..shhh...)

 

Thanks for reading! More updates to come....

Have a magical day,

P.S.

Check out this extra long trailer... if you want to see more movie details. Ah! It just looks so cool, but that is my personal taste.

I am always a fan of a good darker version of one of my favorite fairy tales. ;) The Queen looks absolutely amazing. I was really impressed with the design for the magic mirror as well. My hat is off to the concept artists!!

Come fabric shopping with me!

Greetings,

So I went on a bit of a fabric shopping adventure this weekend to gather supplies for upcoming secret projects. (aka...more costumes!)

While I was there I thought I would bring my camera along and get a few shots of the pretty fabric store.

I am very lucky to live in an area that has a fairly good selection of fabric stores. (Not at many as I would like, but enough to find some cool stuff)

 ahh...my favorite part of the store! The Velvet Section.

Is it wrong to go and pet all the fabrics?....

Rows of silk velvet as well.....so pretty.

I was tempted to buy some Arwen Dress fabric, but didn't.

Rainbow of silk!

Pirate ye be warned.....linen shirt fabric below.....so many great choices!

I would like to make a trip down to Califorina to poke around in some of those fabrics shops again, but in the mean time...I have options.

If any of you seamstresses want to check out the fabric store above, click here

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Should I channel my inner Snow White?

Greetings everyone,

So I have been keeping an eye out on the new movie

"Snow White and the Huntsman". movie info here

You can see my other post about the costumes over here....

The costumes are looking fantastic!

(but of course they would be....Thanks Colleen Atwood!)

I am really tempted to add her costume to my "costume wish list".

It would be really fun to wear to go see the movie...yeah, I do stuff like that.

The nice thing is I wouldn't have to do anything to my hair! Her hair style appears to be long and sort of wavy messy...I already get called a vampire, so the white skin is all good to go. lol.

The main reason for dressing up as Snow would be the costume.

Her costume appears to have leather like leggings too...

....A light blue under tunic/blouse and of course that lace up bodice with the "classic snow white sleeves"....love it.

The bodice fabric appears to be a suede maybe? I need to look at the pictures a bit more to actually figured that out. Any thoughts? Looks like it could possibly be boned as well...that would make sense. The sleeves are classic stripes with silk ribbon binding and what appears to be gold studs?

I am guessing the blue blouse/tunic is a silk linen...or some such thing. Lots of detail at the neckline.The fitted sleeves lace up the arm...so cool!

It is fun when movie costumes are layered in detail.

However, it does cause a problem when trying to recreate a look.

Here is what Colleen has to say....source here

Oh you can kind of see the boots here....

*Not the best picture, but you can see the costume at least.

Anyway....I saw these images and thought this costume was kind of my style. Just add a sword...or two and the look is complete.

Oh,...and a cape. I think Snow White should have a cape. A velvet one.

So what say you?

Should I go for a Snow White Inspired look?

The movie comes out on June 1st so that would give me a little bit of time.

 

 Thanks for reading and have a magical day!

 

P.S. as a side note, Kirsten Stewart is not my favorite choice for Snow White...but, we shall make do with what we get I suppose.....I wish they could have found an actress that looked like a young Liv Tyler! Now she would have made a perfect Snow. More about that in the comments if you like...

Mystique's Leather Jacket: Construction part 2

Greetings,

Well here I am with the second update on my Mystique inspired leather jacket.

If you didn't read the first update... click this link...to be taken to the first section. 

The jacket I am taking inspiration from is the one Mystique is wearing in the middle there.

Alrighty...so you want to see what I got for supplies?

My leather arrived and it is very pretty,...

....but I must admit it is far lighter then I was expecting.

The website had it pictured a few shades darker. Meh.

However, I am still going to keep it and just go with the lighter color. So yeah...all good, just not as movie accurate as I was thinking.

Over all the color is a pretty shade of gray and it will do nicely for this time of year and spring...and make a good contrast against my hair I suppose.

The leather is the color of a shark actually.

For the lining....I picked up this electric blue shade. Going for that Mystique color, you know? No one will see it, but me....none the less I wanted something more fun than gray lining. 

Here is a quick concept sketch of the jacket style I am going to create.

Oh, the buttons!

What do you think? I wanted a style that was very "xmen-ish", x-men inspired I should say. So after scanning all the button racks I decided upon these.

Aren't they cool? I really wanted metal ones with a big X on them, but I couldn't find anything like that...thus, these were the next best thing. They are full metal with lots of details.

 Well that is all I have for updates at the moment...

...Once I start sewing I shall get some pictures.

My Dress Form named Jean Grey will be modeling the coat for me...thought that was rather ironic, but she does such a nice job. All the Dress Forms are named in the studio...makes life easier.

I really like Jean Grey's wardrobe in the X-Men movies as well...I might have to make a dress inspired by her or something. Any ideas?

 

Thanks for reading!

Any questions or comments just let me know.

 

Mystique's Leather Jacket: Construction part 1

*Heads up, this post is full of "sewing talk".....if you aren't into that this might be rather long for you*

Greetings,

So. I have been on the hunt for a good leather jacket for a while.

Everything I wanted was too expensive ($600 and up....) apparently I have good taste. lol. I just can't justify that kind of money on a jacket right now.

I love black leather.

However, I wear black....very often. So the black clothes + black jacket might be a bit harsh. (Not that I would mind looking like someone from the Matrix)...I just wanted something a little less harsh, for wearing with my "normal" clothes.

~ The Inspiration ~

Thus, I decided on Mystique's Gray Leather Jacket from X-men First Class.

This jacket had everything I wanted. A bit of a retro vibe with a sophisticated "Super Hero Chic" twist. The trench style is perfect with a fitted waist and shorter length.

This way I can wear my black skirts and boots...with a jacket that has a bit more "color".  Actually I would copy her whole look...but with a longer skirt of course....and dark brown hair, but whatever. You get the idea.

* side note: I really liked the fact that the Jennifer Lawrence who plays Raven/Mystique isn't some skin and bones little thing. She actually is shaped like a real girl! She is even the same height as me...kind of fun. Anyway...back on topic.

~ The Construction ~

Pattern Design....

ok, I got a bit lazy on this one.

I didn't want to start from scratch! lol. I would rather just find a similar pattern and alter it. (it isn't like I am making a pirate dress or something...) I figured there would be some kind of pattern out there to use as a starting point.

After a really long search I found this pattern. (apparently Trench Coat patterns are harder to find than I thought!)

• I am going to use Marfy Trench Coat F1751 see it here

•  (these are designer patterns that come with no instructions or pictures...and you can only buy 1 size at a time) Being this was a European pattern you have to do everything by centimeters. I was in between size 42 and 44 so I decided to go with the 44 (which is USA 36 in) I figured I can make it fit me just how I want anyway. I just bought the pattern so it isn't here yet. :) 

Alterations for Design:

What I need to change on the pattern....

• Shorten the length to be like Mystique's
• Make the collar a bit smaller.
• Adjust the button placement.
• Add a back "yoke" maybe....(the movie one has that, but I need to test it to see if I even want that added to my coat)
• Add Belt loops right on my waist.
• add a coat "pleat" to the back.
• Possibly adjust the shoulders as well.
• add some secret pockets to the lining!....so much fun.

You might be wondering...."why would use that pattern if you are going to change it so much?"

Well...the base of the pattern is perfect. I haven't used that company before and I wanted to try something new. The reviews on this pattern company look really good.

I can also use this pattern for a lot more coats! The length would be pretty for a new winter coat.

I will be working on a drawing of the coat, but I haven't finished that yet. I will post it on my next update of this project.

 At least this jacket will match my school shirt too.....

 

 ~ The Leather and Fabric ~

Yeah! Leather...I love sewing with leather. I know...it is a dead animal, but it makes an awesome jacket. I have used it a number of times, but not on anything that wasn't "historical" or "pirate-ish".

So this will my first "modern" leather jacket. Exciting isn't it?

The leather hide I am going to use is called Slat. You can see it here...

The leather company I really like...and highly recommend is over here Great service and really nice leather.

I need to get some buttons, but that shall be the easy part. Maybe some cool metal ones with an "X" like design? Not sure yet....

For the lining...I think I want to use a dark gray silk of some kind. I shall just have to go and feel all the silky linings until I find one I like.

I shall post pictures once the leather arrives!

Thanks for reading!

Any questions or comments just let me know.

Costume Updates...what am I sewing on this week?

Greetings!

So many of you have asked..."so what are you working on/sewing?" ....

Well the costumes I am working on are for customers,...

....but I have some real fun ones coming up!

I shall only give you one hint....well wait, maybe two. ...or three.

One costume is fit for an elf from rivendell...

one is for a swan princess....

and the other is for a well known jedi.

Some Alice gloves are also leaving the studio...so many tea parties!

 Sim's Gypsy Costume from Sherlock Holmes "Game of Shadows".

To reply to everyone that has sent notes about my "gypsy costume"....

...yes, I shall be getting it done soon. I simply haven't had time yet. :)

I had put it on hold until I could see the movie. I am.....ahem...rather picky about little things, so I wanted to see the fabric colors for real. Instead of just the poster.

Turns out the fabric I had selected for the skirt will suit it very nicely.

The movie one is rather rich and bright in tone. I thought my fabric was too bright, but not at all.

I am looking forward to dressing up in this costume! Love all the gypsy bling.

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If you missed my Transylvania Night gown, that is over here

My Arwen Coronation Dress is now up on the Costume Site...click here to view if you like.

A little Narnian costume has also been created. Inspired by Susan's from "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe." I shall be posting picture soon.

 

Well, that about sums up what is going on in the studio this week.

What does your schedule look like?

Thanks for reading!

Arwen Coronation Gown: Part 4....Finished!!!

Suilaid! Im gelir ceni ad lín.

This post is best read while listening to this music

Here I am with the 4th  installment of my Arwen dress making of.

You can read all my other posts about this dress here

I have recieved many comments and emails asking how my Arwen Dress was coming along......and if I haven't finished it yet, why was it taking me so long?

Well, the very simple reason is....

I only work on this dress when I am not doing customer orders.

So, maybe on Saturday evenings or Sunday afternoons. Maybe.

The beading was also taking me a rather long time to complete and then I ran out of beads! Thankfully, the store where I purchased them was able to custom order more for me. So I could complete the neckline...it would have been rather tragic to have only half of my neckline beaded! 

Well, with all that to say....... I have a little something to show you.

Yes, yes...I do. A small sneak peak....

This is a costume I have wanted for many years and it is hard to belive I finally finished it!

 

The poor un-finished dress has been sitting in a box for a long time, but no more!

Once I slipped those elven slippers on...It felt like I was trying on a wedding dress....so much fun! It totally makes me feel like an elf. :)...or a princess.

I still do not have a crown yet, but we shall see what comes of that.

I am just so happy this gown is done.

Maybe I have elvish blood or something...I could wear these all of my days.

 

 More pictures coming soon!!!

Have a magical day...

 P.S.

I have had many comments and e-mails from ladies asking "could you please post tons of pictures of this dress when you finish?"...and yes, I shall try.

Currently the weather is far to bad to step out of doors in such a gown, but I shall model it for you all when the weather gets better. In the mean time my kind dress form Jean Grey shall do the job for me, she is my body double. ;)

 

Etsy Shop is open again!

Greetings,

Thank you to everyone who sent notes asking when my Etsy Shop would be open again.

Today I got most everything loaded. :)  Here is the link to the esty shop.

Sneak peak of what everything looks like!

Click on the link above or the link at the top of my blog to take you to the etsy shop.

Thank you for looking at my little costume shop and website.

You can also see two new costumes and an elf cape over at my costume website, if you want.

Have a magical day!

Organic Knit Skirts

Greetings,

On Sunday I decided to take the day off from work and sew up a couple skirts for myself. My wardrobe was starting to look a bit scarecrow-ish, so this is what I am up with.

I had a few yards of organic bamboo knit fabric in a dark chocolate brown hidden in my stash....

....for these skirts I wanted to make them a bit more interesting. So I added a little touch of medieval style to the hems.

Each look is styled in a similar way of how I would wear them. Only I would be wearing long woolen socks with the boots. Or tights. With my hair down in waves most likely.

The shortest parts of the skirts hit a few inches below my knee. Perfect for boots.

*Dragon Skirt*

For my "dragon" skirt I was inspired by a design drawn by Anne Stokes. The hem is shorter in the front than the back..just for fun.

I painted the dragon with a bronze fabric paint I had left over from my steampunk fairy costume.

I really wanted to paint the designs with a celtic green paint, but I didn't have it and think the coppery color sort of acts as a "neutral" depending on what I am wearing up top....right?

 

 *Celtic Skirt*

For the second skirt the hem is longer on one side for a fun whimsical look. Sort of like a fairy...or some such thing. I painted the celtic trinity on it because I thought it was pretty.

All the seams are double needle style stitched to look professional and wear well.

The waistbands are elastic for a nice fit and sit low on the waist. More like on the hips. My favorite way to wear skirts. 

The Rivendell pendant is from this awesome shop. Super nice seller and her work is very high quality. Check out her stuff if you are into unique items. 

That 'twas just a sneak peak into my daily style.

I am trying to add more clothing items made by me to my wardrobe. Skirts are my favorite thing to wear...and boots! Ah, I adore boots. I probably have too many pairs...but I do wear them all.

Thanks for reading!

 

Have a magical day...

 

Calling All Narnia Fans!

Greetings,

hear ye hear year Narnia Fans!

 A gown is currently in the studio that appears to be from another realm.

 

A realm we can travel to by way of a magic wardrobe....

This gowns reminds me of one worn by a Queen on her last visit to Narnia.

I quickly took a picture of it to share....

Look Familiar? ..........

I do believe that the gown I have in my studio must be from a telmarine sewing shop!

More Coming Soon! Stay tuned for updates. 

 

 

SH: Game of Shadows, Gypsy Costume Update

Greetings,

I know a few of my kind readers have sent messages and emails wondering what I am currently working on.

So I thought I'd do a little update of what is going on in the studio after that Halloween madness.

I am still in the process of editing and posting new costumes. So keep checking the costume site if you are looking for new garments that we created this Halloween. I also post more updates on the facebook page. 

Customers orders are coming in the for the winter season as well.

*******************************************

However, I am in the process of working on my...

"Knife-Throwing Gypsy Costume" inspired by the new Sherlock Holmes Movie.  

*this image above is from the poster, Watson is on the left. I just cropped it.

You can read my first post about this gypy costume here....

The gypsy lady is played by Noomi Rapace and I think her name in the movie is Sim.  

I was doing this research and just saving it in a folder, but I thought I would share it here...just in case someone else out there may perhaps be looking for it as well.

First off...the trailer is here. I recommend watching that and then reading further.

I stop framed the shots of her the best I could. It is a fast trailer, so getting perfect images was not easy. Thus a few are bit blurred. However you can still make out details.

You can see the swirling color of the costume here, from when she is flipping upside down.

Here is a close up of the skirt and knife in one scene of the stills from the trailer.

I just did some quick writing on it so you can see the skirt details I am talking about. From what I can see the skirt is made up of stripes of colored fabrics. Similar to a gypsy crazy quilt.

Does it look like there is a metal/leather band for her knives to slide into? Not sure just yet to what to do for that. 

At least I get to use some of my gypsy/pirate rings I have a habit of collecting...and wearing.

This is another shot of her throwing. a little blurry, but you can see the details.You can see the sheer-ness of the silk sleeves rather well here.

Her make up is pretty. I like the fact that the makeup artist went for a classic gypy look that could have been achieved with cosmetics from the Victorian era. 

You can also see the sleeves a little better in the above image. The stripes are a cool look. However, when I was watching the trailer and saw this image below,...you can clearly see that the top of the sleeves are not attached to the bodice. Because there is an "off the shoulder" effect going on.

See what I mean? I lightened the image so the contrast was better. So I am going to make my sleeves like that. With more of an off the shoulder look permanently.

I am doing complete sketches of this costume in full detail, but I won't be sharing those yet...

This is such a fun costume for me to do. I have always wanted to be a gypsy and having throwing knives. So I was rather happy when I saw her in the trailer. The colors of the costume are also some of my favorites... ah! so much fun.

The costume items I will be sewing/making to create this look are...

1. Victorian style Corset (in an ivory silk so I can wear it with my ella dress also)

2. Full skirted gypsy petticoat

3. Victorian short bloomers...I am thinking of making them in purple silk?

4. Gypy Bodice in black with stars.

5. Gypsy strip patchwork skirt

 

Here is the corset!

I used a corset pattern I hadn't tried before. I didn't take a back picture because the dress form is actually a little bit bigger than me, so the lacing does close completely on the dress form. *dress forms are always lacking at that "squish" factor. ;)

Although I like this corset because it reminds me of the one Elena wears in Mask of Zorro.

Once I finish more items for this costume I shall post another update.

For now... I shall leave you with an awesome picture I found.

Thanks for reading!

I've been published!

Well....my gloves have been published anyway.

Looks like my little alice in wonderland kids gloves have been featured in Parenting Magazine  "Glee Fashion: Back to School" photoshoot. ah!! I was rather excited, to say the least.

Here is how it looks on the website...

 
You can see the outfit from the shoot here or it is in the September issue of the Magazine.

I thought I would take a few pictures of the magazine for you to see. 

 
What do you think? Isn't the model cute?

Here is the shopping guide with my etsy shop address in the magazine.

 

 Here is another shot of how the little gloves looked on another spread of the page.

 

Thanks for reading!

If you are interested in your own pair of Alice in Wonderland Gloves, for kids or adults... please visit my Etsy Shop.

 

Red Riding Hood Cape Construction: Part 1

Greetings,

I have always liked red capes. They are a classic timeless garment that have been worn by men and woman from ancient days and through out many times in history.

I don't think capes have every gone out of style. I wear capes all throughout autumn and winter...we need to bring this look back ladies!

My inbox has recently been flooded with e-mails inquiring about Red Riding Hood's Cape from the new movie that was released in March of this year.  I like the way that the costume designer Cindy Evans created a new fantasy look. The costumes were fantasy, part historical and a little dash of dramatic. Anyway, on with the cape.

The original movie cape appears to be made out of a raw silk fabric and probably lined with something similar. Maybe the lining is linen? Or a type of linen/silk? None the less, I could not find anything that looked just like that raw silk that was in my budget. 10 yards of raw silk does not come cheap. So I settled on a high quality woven red wool that was from a wool company in hollywood actually. I liked the deep red color.

 
 
I also noticed that the hem of the cape is very worn, ragged and frayed. The whole cape as homespun lived in look. LOVE that. I prefer the worn lived in costumes.

However, upon doing a bit more research I noticed that the lining in the movie cape is a bit darker. So I will need to go hunt some of that down. I'll find something....hopefully.

Now, on for the sketches. I am going to draft the pattern out, so I don't have any notes about that. I have to have some secrets right? ;)

 

This is more of my rough concepts really, but I just needed to get my research down on paper.

More updates coming soon. Thanks for reading!

Enchanted Fabric

Greetings,

Today I wanted to share one of the movie "treasures" I have in my sewing room.

I happened to find some fabric about 2 years back that is the same or at least very close to identical to the fabric that was used in creating Nancy's "ballgown" from the Disney Movie Enchanted.

 

The gown and glass slippers are very fun and fairytale like. I am not a fan of her hair style, but none the less the gown is still lovely. Anyone know where to find purple glass slippers?

I requested a sample from the LA silktrading co  and they sent me a swatch of it in lots of colors! Sadly you can no longer get samples of it on the website.

What do you think? Is it the real deal? Looks identical to me.

 Movie Fabric                                               My Fabric Swatch

 

Here is a shot of the other colors that the fabric was made in. You can also see the pattern better on the ivory and deep orange samples.

 

The blue and gold silk fabric is labeled as "posey embroidery stripe - item color is  Twilight" The fabric is 100% silk and it feels so pretty and smooth.  I wish I had a whole bolt of it!

 
  

Thanks for reading!

P.S. Would you be interested in seeing other "costume treasures" I have in my sewing room? 

  

Sneak Peak of a Regency Dress...

I wanted to try something new and create a dress from a drawing I designed centered around a Regency style dress that collided with Tim Burton style.

Here is my sketch for the ideas of the dress...

 
 So my version of Tim Burton Regency = This Dress. :) What do you think?

I have had the white embroidered cotton for a few years and then someone gave me the black and white striped cotton. So I thought the 2 fabrics blended well for this look.

  Here is a sneak peak picture from our Photoshoot. More coming soon!

 

 This gown will soon be for sale on my Etsy shop.

If you have any questions about that, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail.  

Thanks for Reading!

 

Red Riding Hood's Cape

Capes and Cloaks. I love wearing them. Sadly, it is too warm in the Summer. sigh.

However Autumn and Winter are perfect for wearing these garments...and yes, you can still wear them with jeans and boots. Who doesn't want to add a touch of that romantic style to an everyday outfit?

I have a few capes that get me through the Autumn and Winter months. One is brown wool, the other is brown velvet and the last one, but certainly not least is my black and burgandy velvet.

However, my wardrobe is lacking a red wool cape.

Well, I happened to find this 90% wool woven fabric on sale the other day. I couldn't help it, the fabric needed to be bought to be turned into a cape.

  What else would this lovely red wool be suited for...

...besides a Red Riding Hood Cloak?

 The wool is much more red and rich in real life. It did not want to capture the correct color on my camera.

So that is another item to add to my summer sewing list.

Well, now that we are on the Red Riding Hood Topic I found this picture by Studiomme 

                                                       
I thought she did a great job on this picture. I love the hood on the cape too.  You can also find it on her Studiomme Etsy Store. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading... 

P.s. Also, I have not yet seen the new "Red Riding Hood Movie" (with amanda seyfried) however, if anyone is interested I would love to recreate her costumes. Very pretty indeed!  Contact me for details if you like.

 

 

Arwen Dress Making Of: Part 1

Greetings!

This summer one of my many goals to try and achieve is to completely finish my version of  Arwen's Coronation Gown.

This has been in the "making of" stages for..oh,......5 yrs? So I think it is due time that I finish creating this costume. What do ya think?

 
 
*If you don't know the gown I am talking about, Arwen (Liv Tyler) wears it at the end of the 3rd Lord or the Rings Movie, Return of the King. *

A few years ago I found the perfect velvet fabric. It is not silk velvet like the real version, but I liked the color and the price was right.

So I bought the whole bolt....all 10 yards of lovely elven green velvet.

After searching a bit longer, maybe a year or so I happened to find some fabric for the trim and sleeve base. The next fabric I was hunting for was a stretch satin for the lining that was the correct color of elven green. Thankfully my awesome fabric store had some in stock in the bridal department.

However, the catch was Arwen's sleeves and neckline trim are completely hand beaded...so I thought, hey why not tackle that and hand bead it? Sounded like a great idea...at the time. Here I am a few years later and only have 1 sleeve done. ahh! But I can do this, one bead at a time right?

It isn't that I didn't want to work on my Arwen dress, I simply don't have time. But I am going to carve out some time this year to do it.

Do you ever have projects like that? That you would most enjoy finishing, but just can't find the time?

 

Now finding that silver butterfly crown of hers is another story.

Farewell for now! or as the elves say.... Namárië

 

P.S.

Here is the link to my Arwen Shoes! my handmade Arwen Shoes