My Sewing/Cosplay Projects

[d4rk3lf]

So, I've seen my previous comment removed, and that's fine.
About crotching... do you consider starting out some youtube channel out of it?
That would be cool... don't let your mother's tips on crouching falls into oblivion.

What I think you made is beautiful.
I say it, and I mean it.
Pure awesomeness.

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

do you consider starting out some youtube channel out of it?
That would be cool... don't let your mother's tips on crouching falls into oblivion.

Well, not really, because I'm basically still a crochet beginner, so I don't have enough knowledge to share yet. Also, I have extremely little free time, and making a YouTube channel is very time consuming. I don't even have time to maintain my Instagram account these days.

What I think you made is beautiful.
I say it, and I mean it.
Pure awesomeness.

Thank you!

 

[ZehnWaters]

Well, not really, because I'm basically still a crochet beginner, so I don't have enough knowledge to share yet. Also, I have extremely little free time, and making a YouTube channel is very time consuming. I don't even have time to maintain my Instagram account these days.


Thank you!

Anything new you've sowed up?

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

What -- like vegetables? 😄

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

Anything new you've sowed up?

I made a new Civil War dress this summer! I'll eventually post pictures from the reenactment I was at two weeks ago (they're on my mom's camera and I haven't gotten them yet). But here's a preview of the dress. There's a lot of reasons why this is my most professional Civil War dress yet, but I'll have to explain that later.

I also made a really pretty frilly cap! There are a few more embellishments I want to add, but it was wearable in time for the reenactment.

 

[ZehnWaters]

I made a new Civil War dress this summer! I'll eventually post pictures from the reenactment I was at two weeks ago (they're on my mom's camera and I haven't gotten them yet). But here's a preview of the dress. There's a lot of reasons why this is my most professional Civil War dress yet, but I'll have to explain that later.

View attachment 44306
I also made a really pretty frilly cap! There are a few more embellishments I want to add, but it was wearable in time for the reenactment.

View attachment 44307

Lovely! I always wanted to go into fashion and, now that I'm into history, historical fashion has been something I delight in watching on YouTube. It's an underdeveloped field, in my opinion. Especially when it comes to films and shows.

 

[Ent]

I made a new Civil War dress this summer!

This is really nice. At first glance, I felt I was momentarily in a time capsule, and back in those days again..!!
Well done.

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

This is really nice. At first glance, I felt I was momentarily in a time capsule, and back in those days again..!!
Well done.

Aww, thank you!

I worked really hard to ensure every detail is period accurate. For example, I spent days scouring Etsy to find a period-appropriate floral printed cotton, and many hours working on the silhouette.

This is a visual I posted to my Instagram in an attempt to educate people about how the silhouette of the 1860s is different than the modern silhouette.

Hopefully you can see how my dress has the broad shoulders and smoothed out bustline of the 1860s silhouette. This is due to the fit of the bodice over a corset, the shoulder seams sitting an inch or so away from the actual shoulders, and strategic padding in the bust area.

I'm also extremely proud of the piping, which again took many hours. This was my first time ever trying piping. Basically it's when you sew cord into a strip of fabric and then sew that into a seam. It's a technique the Victorians used to reinforce seams that take a lot of strain, and it also looks very visually pretty. I'm especially proud of how my piping lines up with the cartridge pleating at the waist!

I also did piping on the side back seams and the armhole seams (these seams in particular were commonly piped in the Victorian era).

The other reenactors in my group have very high standards of authenticity, to the point that I feel a lot of pressure to make my Civil War dresses up to their standards. But I've learned a lot from them, and I'm glad they push me to use more historically accurate fabrics and construction techniques. And my work paid off because they were all really impressed with the silhouette and the piping of my dress!

Well there you go, my explanation of the professionalism of the dress came a bit early. (It's because my brain wants to do literally anything other than studying for the CPA exam, which is what I'm supposed to be doing at this moment.) But I still hope to post the nicer pictures my mom took sometime soon.

 

[Ent]

@Maedhros_Nelyafinwë - LOL. And given all the events of trauma over this last week, I'm wanting to do anything other than work.

Let me ask you about the sleve button on the right sleeve visible in the picture. Is that also period?
Reviewing many 1860s buttons, it could well be true period - though I confess to there being very little change in some buttons similar to this through the years, seeing several period and current looking nearly exactly the same.

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

Let me ask you about the sleve button on the right sleeve visible in the picture. Is that also period?

That is a button from a tin full of old buttons given to me by a lady who also gave me a bunch of her grandmother's old gowns. So, I have no idea how old the button is. I was just trying to avoid an obviously modern plastic button.

Reviewing many 1860s buttons, it could well be true period - though I confess to there being very little change in some buttons similar to this through the years, seeing several period and current looking nearly exactly the same.

I'm glad to hear this! As my reenactor friends say, there's period accurate, but there's also period appropriate. My buttons there might not be period accurate, but they do seem to be period appropriate.

 

[Deimos]

Aww, thank you!

I worked really hard to ensure every detail is period accurate. For example, I spent days scouring Etsy to find a period-appropriate floral printed cotton, and many hours working on the silhouette.

.....

I'm also extremely proud of the piping, which again took many hours. This was my first time ever trying piping. Basically it's when you sew cord into a strip of fabric and then sew that into a seam. It's a technique the Victorians used to reinforce seams that take a lot of strain, and it also looks very visually pretty. I'm especially proud of how my piping lines up with the cartridge pleating at the waist!
View attachment 44310

I also did piping on the side back seams and the armhole seams (these seams in particular were commonly piped in the Victorian era).
View attachment 44312

The other reenactors in my group have very high standards of authenticity, to the point that I feel a lot of pressure to make my Civil War dresses up to their standards. But I've learned a lot from them, and I'm glad they push me to use more historically accurate fabrics and construction techniques. And my work paid off because they were all really impressed with the silhouette and the piping of my dress!

Well there you go, my explanation of the professionalism of the dress came a bit early. (It's because my brain wants to do literally anything other than studying for the CPA exam, which is what I'm supposed to be doing at this moment.) But I still hope to post the nicer pictures my mom took sometime soon.

Just incredible.... the detail is amazing. 😲

 

[Ent]

Indeed, I still have my mother's old tin button-box, inherited from her mother, which contains buttons brought forward from her mother. Mom's mother was a teenager when migrating to the US in 1916 from Germany. So her mother's buttons - some of which no doubt were from her mother as well... would be period.

There is little difference..! (It's always a delight to scrape through that button box..!) would be nice to have a bit of the actual history of many of them..!)

 

[Tyelkormo the Fair]

I'm still waiting to see the pics from the reenactment!
You know, sometimes I can't wrap my head around how you taught yourself all of this! Truly remarkable!

 

[Deimos]

I'm still waiting to see the pics from the reenactment!
You know, sometimes I can't wrap my head around how you taught yourself all of this! Truly remarkable!

That's the first praiseworthy accomplishment mainly because the results are professional.
But many people do exactly that... learn by doing and watching other people do it ( whatever "it" happens to be.) .
The second is that @Maedhros_Nelyafinwë finds the time to make her complex and detailed creations AND still manages the everyday living stuff too.
That is what I find at least equally impressive. 😍

 

[Vardarianna]

Wow! You do some incredible work! I just happened onto your thread and really liked the first picture, and the related one on the first page, and had a quick look through the other pages! I'm in awe! When I want to do something for the local medieval fair, I usually take the easy way out and order something from Armstreet and maybe add a few bits to it.

 

[ZehnWaters]

Aww, thank you!

I worked really hard to ensure every detail is period accurate. For example, I spent days scouring Etsy to find a period-appropriate floral printed cotton, and many hours working on the silhouette.

This is a visual I posted to my Instagram in an attempt to educate people about how the silhouette of the 1860s is different than the modern silhouette.
View attachment 44309
Hopefully you can see how my dress has the broad shoulders and smoothed out bustline of the 1860s silhouette. This is due to the fit of the bodice over a corset, the shoulder seams sitting an inch or so away from the actual shoulders, and strategic padding in the bust area.

I'm also extremely proud of the piping, which again took many hours. This was my first time ever trying piping. Basically it's when you sew cord into a strip of fabric and then sew that into a seam. It's a technique the Victorians used to reinforce seams that take a lot of strain, and it also looks very visually pretty. I'm especially proud of how my piping lines up with the cartridge pleating at the waist!
View attachment 44310

I also did piping on the side back seams and the armhole seams (these seams in particular were commonly piped in the Victorian era).
View attachment 44312

The other reenactors in my group have very high standards of authenticity, to the point that I feel a lot of pressure to make my Civil War dresses up to their standards. But I've learned a lot from them, and I'm glad they push me to use more historically accurate fabrics and construction techniques. And my work paid off because they were all really impressed with the silhouette and the piping of my dress!

Well there you go, my explanation of the professionalism of the dress came a bit early. (It's because my brain wants to do literally anything other than studying for the CPA exam, which is what I'm supposed to be doing at this moment.) But I still hope to post the nicer pictures my mom took sometime soon.

I definitely appreciate subtle details in craftsmanship. People don't put as much effort into crafts anymore.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

I'm still waiting to see the pics from the reenactment!
You know, sometimes I can't wrap my head around how you taught yourself all of this! Truly remarkable!

D'aww, thanks! 🥺

I'll really try to post them soon! I just keep forgetting to ask my mom for her memory card.

That's the first praiseworthy accomplishment mainly because the results are professional.
But many people do exactly that... learn by doing and watching other people do it ( whatever "it" happens to be.) .
The second is that @Maedhros_Nelyafinwë finds the time to make her complex and detailed creations AND still manages the everyday living stuff too.
That is what I find at least equally impressive. 😍

Thank you, that means a lot! It's a struggle for sure, and it honestly takes a lot of energy out of me. Sewing is the most physically taxing out of all my hobbies, and I'm already working while studying for the CPA exam. So when I do have free time, my natural inclination is to lie in bed and scroll on my phone, not bend over a sewing machine or sit on the floor and cut fabric. But I was highly motivated to have a new dress in time for the reenactment this year, so I buckled down and made it happen.

Wow! You do some incredible work! I just happened onto your thread and really liked the first picture, and the related one on the first page, and had a quick look through the other pages! I'm in awe! When I want to do something for the local medieval fair, I usually take the easy way out and order something from Armstreet and maybe add a few bits to it.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! And ooh, I love Armstreet! I used to really want a dress from them. I think they do a nice job of combining the fun of fantasy with historical inspiration.

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

Not technically sewing and costuming related, but it is adjacent, since I have (barely) started a Galinda cosplay. Over the past several months, I've been working on and off about a blog post thoroughly reviewing all the costumes in Wicked Part 1. I thought it would be a relatively quick and easy blog post, buuuuuuut.... there's literally hundreds of costumes in wicked, all of them elaborately handcrafted. The blog post turned out to be over 5,000 words plus a huge dump of pictures. It includes information about the historical inspiration behind the costumes of Wicked, and why I think that movie had better costumes than some actual period dramas out there, and how the movie effectively used corsetry.

I'm finally done with the blog post, and I'm going to let it sit overnight, and make some final edits tomorrow, and then post it.

If any of you are interested in reading it, would you please let me know? I've been working on this thing for months, so I hope people out there will enjoy it.

 

[Server Room Gremlin]

I will be interested to read it! Though I have not seen the movie, I may end up doing so, and it will be cool to have that knowledge. But even if I don't see the movie, I still find these kinds of analyses interesting.