Eowyn Corset: COMPLETE!

Corset front.

corset back.

Ok. The corset is laced incorrectly on purpose. Typically corsets are tied at the bottom and middle to help shape the abdomen to the hourglass figure. But the corset used in Eowyn’s costume isn’t designed  to be solely a piece of shape-wear, it is also intended to be a piece of armor as well.

The above picture is of the muslin prototype.The outer shell is made of 9 separate pieces.

each of the 3 middle pieces are quilted in 1″ squares. The other 6 are embroidered.

The front and the lining both have interfacing to give the material more structural support for embroidering and the insertion of the eyelets. Since the fabric I used for both the outer portion and lining was a vinyl faux suede upholstery material I could not use heat on it to apply the interfacing. So I used quilt basting spray to attach it. Boning is also sewn into the corset for support.

And I LOVE the final product! The ensemble is complete. I’ll post pics of it soon.

Eowyn Chemise and Vest: FINISHED!

Tonight I finished the vest! Now all I have to to to complete the ensemble is the corset that goes on the outside.

I finished the chemise a little over a week ago.

Above is the outfit so far. I dyed the chemise a very faint off white with a mix of black and chamomile tea. You can’t see them well, but the ropes around the arms are braids with gold. They are so long!! It took an hour each to braid them and over 20 yrds of the material (I can’t remember what it’s called)

Upper sleeve of chemise and capsleeve of vest. The designs on the vest are not appliques. I found some decorative stitches on my machine that resemble what is seen embroidered on the original costume.

Front of vest and chemise. The pin-tucks are not symmetrical, but  I thought I was going to go crazy after I took an hour to do them. They curve completely around the entire neckline of the garment. They were sewn in with gold tread and the embroidery is done in gold as well. Unfortunately I was not able to use metallic gold on the vest sleeves and trim. I couldn’t figure out how to make It show up on the faux suede so I resorted to using a rayon thread in a yellowy color.

Haha! Ernie and I enjoying the moment. (don’t hate us cuz we’re beautiful)(that is a piece of bread in his mouth btw)

Toddler Bed Sheets

Today my husband converted our 18 month old’s crib into a toddler bed.

Tesla enjoying her bed

I wanted her to have a top sheet on her new big-girl bed but I didn’t want to spend any money. So I took a queen size flat sheet that we had and cut it into 3 major pieces. I was able to make a fitted sheet, a flat sheet with fitted foot, and a standard size pillow case.

top sheet with fitted foot

Chemise: Part 2

Today I was so distracted by the Supreme Court’s ruling on Obamacare that I didn’t realize that I was sewing the sleeve cap wrong:

Quite obviously, it’s on upside-down. Obamacare, it’s ALL YOUR FAULT! (And, no, I was not making a political statement. I learned my lesson about that after I posted a comment on an article about the Obamacare ruling on Yahoo news today. Apparently a lot of people say that I am illiterate. Especially when they disagree with my opinion.) Please don’t hate me!

ANYWAY… Back to sewing. I did end up righting the wrong and, well, see for yourself!

hopefully you can tell it’s fixed and that both sleeves are attached. Yeah my camera is doo-doo. I also included a little braid that gathers up the front portion of the sleeve cuz that’s how it is in the movie.

I originally started out with the pattern Simplicity 4940 and ended up making several changes, the braid included. I lengthened the sleeves and made them wider and more angular. The yoke of the dress is now two pieces attached to the front and back panels instead of 4. The shoulder caps are wider and puffier. The skirt portion of the dress is longer and wider than the pattern.

This is the muslin sleeve prototype pinned to cut the final fabric after all the changes were made.

Next I’ll be working on the yoke/collar portion. And learning how to dye fabric with tea. So if any of you has any experience dying with tea please feel free to give any suggestions or knowledge you have.

Eowyn’s Shieldmaiden Dress: Chemise

This is my current project. It’s based on the dress worn by the character Eowyn from Lord of the Rings. She is my favorite female character of all time. I love the costumes in LOTR movies. They have a certain whimsy that I find scrumptious.

The costume will be made of 3 separate pieces; chemise, vest, and corset. Above is a picture of the chemise sans sleeves. I’ll be working on the sleeves today. They’re FABULOUS. The material I used is very simple white cotton with a delicate paisley pattern on it.

I did 99% of my research for this costume on this site: http://www.costumersguide.com/

Sew…

I started sewing a few months ago and my experience has been … um… humbling. To quote one of my favorite comedians (Michael Jr.) I have to say: I DON’T KNOW NOTHING!  That is, actually, the reason I decided to start this blog thing. To share the mistakes that I make on this sewing adventure and maybe glean helpful knowledge from those more experienced with sewing and clothing design than I happen to be at this moment. AND I’ll be able to gloat about my successes briefly before bumbling, quasi-blind into my next project.

Pray for me, fellow bloggers, that through my sewing adventures there will be many learning opportunities and maybe a few gloating ones too.