Costume College – Foxes Period Costumes

Posted on August 12, 2023December 5, 2023 by The Costumer — Leave a comment

Costume College 2023 – Basic of Interfacing.

Hello, fellow students of the costuming world!

As promised, here are the links to download the handouts and websites I mentioned during the lecture.

Pellon 101 – This is a 12-page PDF file that gives the name, description, and recommendations for fabric and projects for each type of interfacing. You can download it from this page from Pellon’s blog. The post is from July 2012, but good information never really changes.

Burda Style – This compact one-page guide is a good source for Vilene/Pellon if you shop online or abroad. The PDF file automatically downloads when you click the link.

Farmhouse Fabrics – Online shop that carries an assortment of interfacing and stabilizers, including the fusible interfacing that is suitable for use on silk, which unfortunately is currently out of stock. They specialize in heirloom sewing and, thus, carry both sew-in and fusible hair canvas for tailoring. (They carry some of these most delicious cotton batiste I have ever had a chance to lay my hands on to date, as well as a full complement of Liberty of London Tana Lawn prints.)

Pollard’s Sew Creative: Online class – January 2020: Making Sense of Stabilizers, Needles, and Threads. The course costs $10/US and is worth every penny to have a quick PDF guide.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to post them in the comments.

08/13/2023 Bonus Edit to add: One of the best uses for very lightweight fusible interfacing is for stabilizing pattern pieces that you intend to use more than once. Thus, if you use commercial tissue paper patterns and you find the perfect pattern for that blouse, shirt, pants, chemise, etc., iron that lightweight fusible interfacing to the back side of the pattern pieces, and it will last longer than you need the pattern.

Posted on October 20, 2016May 10, 2021 by The Costumer — Leave a comment

The Shawl from hell 10-20-16 Update

I think that I have lost count of how many times I have gotten so frustrated with this project because of miscounting stitches or inadvertently added them that I’ve been left with the only thing to do is rip out everything and start over from the beginning. I think that this makes reboot number 9.

Wanting to truly wipe the slate clean, I started over with not only two different skeins of your, but a new set of knitting needles to wipe any bad psychic vibes that may have been imprinted on the bamboo ones that I have been using. The new ones are part of a multi-size interchangeable set from a company called Knit Picks. The needles are made from multi-layer dyed rosewood. They’re very attractive in a quirky sort of way. I like them.

Posted on September 27, 2016October 18, 2016 by The Costumer — Leave a comment

Costume College 2017 — The Shawl from Hell

As part of my personal continuing education and need to keep my brain alive by learning new tricks, I’ve taken up knitting, and not just any knitting, hand-knitting lace. Because I don’t have enough things to drive my insane. Anyways, my neurologist signed off on the idea as being a good one and gave me her blessing to proceed. And ultimate truth be told, I fell in love with all the knitty bits that Claire wore on Outlander and had to have them …and the only way to get them was knit them myself. Fortunately, Lion Brand carries the official Outlander kits.

As my current skill level is slightly better than a novice, there is a whole lot that I simply do not know, thus making any project that’s beyond knitting the 4th doctor’s scarf is new and has a steep learning curve. I’ve ripped it out at least 5 times now because it’s such a simple pattern, it’s easy to get confused.

My chosen project is a Lady’s Wrap circa 1961. It’s to go with my lavender silk cocktail dress for the Friday evening cocktail party. According to the lady from whom I acquired it from on Etsy: “This pattern is from Bear Brand and Fleisher Yarns Hand Knit Mohair Fashions Vol. 55, from 1961….” I invite you to check out her Etsy shop: Vintage Knit Crochet. There are lots of good things to recreate there.

The yarn in question is Patons Lace yarn and the color I’m using what they call “Plum Smoke.” I got it at Joann’s, on sale, before I even knew what I wanted to make because I loved the soft heathery deep lavender color. So when I decided what I was planning on making clothing wise, a wrap for a sleeveless lavender silk cocktail dress seemed natural.

I decided to take a break and write up a little something on this project before I go bonkers and rip it out yet another time.

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