Calling Card and the Start of New Things

'Calling Card' created for my Design Methods in Context course.
The drawing illustrates the costuming themes I'm currently obsessed with, alongside a brief summary of my recent work/education experiences.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have recently moved to Scotland, and am in fact attending the University of Edinburgh College of Art doing a two year MFA program in Performance Costume.  Moving overseas was definitely kind of stressful... and it was really hard paring down my books and fabric stash and general possessions prior to moving.  I now own less that I ever have since I was a teenager before college, which feels super strange.  However, I am now settled in Edinburgh for the immediate future, and am really looking forward to seeing where the next couple years take me.

So what does this all mean for the blog?  Well, as it so happens, keeping a reflective journal of my research and current work is one of the key elements of my course.  I initially started a new, private blog where I began to write about and record my project, but on reflection I think it would make more sense to just integrate the journal into this blog.  For the next two years, the majority of my costuming and artwork will revolve heavily around my masters work, and I'm afraid if I don't include that work here, this blog will just sort of languish... a very undesirable fate!

The next few posts will contain journal entries from the last couple weeks, but in a day or two should transition into 'real time'.  My program is almost entirely self-directed, so it'll be great to interact with people and get feedback about my project here as well as in real life.

across the ocean and what came before: House of Grey

There have been some pretty epic changes in my life since I last wrote anything, and some of that change will definitely be flowing into the blog.  The very, very short version is that I am now living in Scotland and am studying for my MFA in Performance Costume.

But before all of that, my last post from the end of May sort of left things hanging, and it's high time to let you all know what was up!  During the summer, my friend Nicole and I started up a little steampunk venture, making ladies hats and accessories.  We wanted to create unique items that didn't look like anything else currently available, and used a lot of of antique and vintage trims and fabrics when making these pieces. 

We called our shop House of Grey, and our etsy store is up and running! 

Here are some of the items which I made for the shop, and Nicole posted some of her work a little while ago on her blog as well.

Fully functioning headphones of cast bronze and plastic with fabric covered cushions and inset stones.  I made these a few years ago during a metals course in university, but they fit very well with the aesthetics of the shop.

And of course, hats!  They're all built on buckrum and wire bases, and I developed a new pattern for each one... no repeats!

 

And of course there are handbags as well, like this one made of and lined with silk taffeta on an antique accordian clasp.

And while moving overseas certainly changes some things, I don't intend to let my now being in Scotland prevent me from making more pieces for House of Grey.  Obviously I'll have to fit things around my masters work, but I'll still make and add things whenever I'm able.

Something is definitely afoot!

I've actually been quite busy these last few weeks, as aside from my new, summer job as a historical interpreter, I've also been scheming and working on something pretty awesome with my partner-in-crime Nicole.  We're not quite off the ground yet, but you can expect to hear all about it within the next month.  This picture shows you just a sliver of what we've been working on, and I can hardly wait to really get going!

Until then, I've got plenty keeping me occupied.  Life goes in a steady flow of work, sewing, sketching, tumblr, work, sewing/netflix, sewing, work, falling asleep over dinner, etc.  The sewing area has fallen into a level of lived-in untidiness, and I'm sort of hovering between intense inspiration and utter exhaustion.  It's not half bad.

Stitching the First Oval Office

This summer will be rather different from any other which I've experienced, and I'm really excited about what I'll be doing!

I'll still be sewing for my paycheck, that part hasn't changed; but I'll be wearing costumes instead of making them, and am part of a team making a massive, linen, 18th century reproduction tent.  Which tent?  None other than George Washington's Sleeping Marquee.

The project is through the partnership of Colonial Williamsburg and the nascent Museum of the American Revolution (which owns the original tent that we're reproducing).  Fabric has been specially woven, all wooden poles and stakes are being made by the joiners and wheelwrights at Williamsburg, and for fourteen weeks this summer a group of us will be constructing the tent itself.  It's really rather wonderful having the chance to work on such a unique project, and to be on the interpreter side of things instead of always behind the scenes.

Today was our first official day, and it promises to be a very interesting summer!

 The team busily stitching pieces of the inner tent.  That's me on the far left, and for once I'm not wearing anything which I made!

The whole project is being very well documented, and if you're at all interested you can like the facebook page which has a lot of great info about the project, check out the blog, or even watch us live on one of the Colonial Williamsburg webcams!  (yeah, you can watch me throughout each entire work day... which isn't stalkerish at all.)

Bohème Sauvage

The night of my last full day in Berlin was the night before a bank holiday, and on that night there was a wild 1920s party held in a club in Mitte which I naturally felt bound to attend.  Nicole had joined me in Germany a couple days before, and in spite of the loud proclimation of "AUSVERKAUFT" (sold out) on the website we dressed up and headed boldly into the night.  It was apparently our lucky night, since we were allowed in an hour or so after the party started in spite of our complete lack of tickets.

It was called Bohème Sauvage, an event which is held semi-regularily in various locations in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, and Vienna, and the poster advertised 'an homage to Berlin nightlife of the 20s'- Dance in the May in the underworld.

Looking back now, it's hard to properly desribe the event.  Loads of people, various live acts... musicians and burlesque, absinthe bar, gambling, dancing... all in a vintage style nightclub which was slightly seedy, slightly too small, and rather wonderful.

Nicole and I were very lucky at one point to be able to land a seat by the bar, where we were able to rest before plunging back into the crowded dance floor area.  Everything was too dark inside for our little cameras to do any good, but fortunately the official photographer managed to capture us a few times.

1920s in Berlin

There's not been a whole lot of sewing happening lately since I've been in Berlin for the past couple months, taking language classes and soaking up the unique atmosphere of the city.  I did, however, bring along the pieces for a 1920s dress which I had cut out earlier this year, and which I then finished in time for a 20's party here.  I'll write more about the event later once pictures show up, but for now here are pictures of the new dress taken at an art nouveau era building (now hotel) in Schöneberg.

My dress is based off an orginal which was for sale on Ebay, and is made of midnight blue velvet with insets of crinkled silver silk lamé.  The overall design is really quite simple, and it took almost no time at all to pattern.  Since I did most of the sewing away from home and far far away from my sewing machine, the whole dress is sewn by hand.

It was really fun to wear this style... I'd not done anything from the 20s before even though I've always liked the time period.  I was constantly amazed at how incredibly simple it all was, especially when you constrast it with clothing from the Edwardian era.  To go from a dress which is a feat of engineering with mind-boggling closure systems to something which you can just slip over your head must have been world-changing for the women back then. 

It was actually slightly stressful cutting out the skirt... I'm normally used to doing earlier periods where the skirts almost reach the ground and the pieces are about 37-40 inches long, while this skirt was only about 18 long including seam allowance.  I had to keep telling myself over and over that, no, I'd measured everything properly and it would be just fine.  But it still seems like the most scandelously short thing when I was cutting!

 

An evening of cards and merriment - 1790s Gown

Yesterday evening I attended a Regency Card Party at the lovely Jenny Rose's house, and it was the perfect excuse to finish the 1797 gown which I had started over a year ago. 

The gown is made of white cotton voile and a pale yellow vintage silk organza sari with masses of embroidery and beading.  The cross-front overgown, layered over the separate silk petticoat, is trimmed with silk ribbon and has silk sleeves lined with the cotton voile.  The bodice is lined with white linen and pins shut.  I wore this gown without a corset or any extra support garment, just a sleeveless shift under the petticoat (which is kept up at the under-bust by little inch-wide straps) and gown.  Everything stayed in place and I was super comfortable all evening, which is sometimes the important part.

I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about 1790s fashions... I really love the crazy mish-mash of styles often seen in fashion plates and how ridiculous and over the top it all can be, but wearing it is something else entirely.  Maybe it's because I'm used to much more fitted bodices or at least the slim lines of later regency styles, but I felt a little bit like a marshmallow in this gown.  Puffy gathers all around the body don't really do much for one's figure.

I've said it in the past and I'll say it again and again:  Jenny Rose is the ultimate hostess, and her parties are an absolute delight.  Her seriously impressive collection of candelabras was put to very good use, lighting everything with delicate candlelight.  We nibbled on period appropriate hors d'oevres (my favorite was the syllabub, why it's not wildly popular nowadays is something I cannot comprehend.  Syllabub is like magic in dessert form.) and enjoyed a wide array of beverages, both alcoholic and not.

And of course we played cards!  I didn't try my hand at whist, but had a really good time playing Speculation.  It was a close game, and in spite of not ultimately winning, the aces were very good to me that night.  ;)

(all photos courtesy of Nicole)