TBT: My First Sailor Dress! (Well Seaside Actually....)

I know it's Friday, but I haven't done a TBT for quite some time and I'm not ready to blog about my wedding underwear just yet.  Still waiting to find some pretty blue ribbon to make an 1890s garter belt!  BUT!  The rest is all done!  Huzzah!!

I was perusing my fabulous friend Kat's seaside images, and came across an image that I recognized and it reminded me that I had made it and that it was actually my first Victorian seaside dress!  Where I first saw it was in the book, "Victorian and Edwardian Fashions from 'La Mode Illustree'" by JoAnne Olian.  I was in SASS (Single Action Shooting Society) at the time and needed a new dress for Winter Range, one of the annual shooting events.  I fell in love with the fact that it was a sailor/seaside dress and decided that it needed to be made.  It is one of the few dresses from that "era" that I still own!  Look at how young I was!  Hahahahahaha!!  It was at least 10 years ago!  What a spring chick I was!

The poor parasol I still have but it is in pretty sad shape!

Love the image of the little girl too!  Maybe I'll make that as well?

I have since dismantled the hat and used the buckle on my Coca-Cola dress.

How kind of the people of Winter Range to paint the door the same color as my dress for me!  

Well, today we are watching "The Age of Innocence" for our literature portion of school, so I am off to drool on all the beautiful dresses and the food!!!

Have a marvelous day my lovely friends!!

Be blessed!

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TBT: Victorian Sporting Outfits

When I first started costuming back in 2003, it was to so I could play along with my parents in the shooting sport known as SASS (Single Action Shooting Society).  Mom and I chose to be proper Victorian ladies and designed our costumes to reflect that.  I tagged along with Mom and Dad to many shoots...Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah were some of the states where these shoots were held.  

Below are some of my very early shooting costumes in the theme of Victorian Sporting.  I have sold or gotten rid of most of these outfits (why did I sell the blue plaid riding habit?  I am so sad!!!!)  Since this coming year I am wanting to make a nice selection of Sporting ensembles, I felt it only fitting that this week's TBT post be about my first round of Victorian Sporting outfits!

Shooting Suit

One sport that ladies were allowed to participate in in the Victorian era was shooting!  How fitting since SASS is ALL about shooting!!  Mom and I planned our outfits to look like we were going out on an English birding hunt!

Aaaaah...I love the 90s and their ridiculously large sleeves!

And there is my Daddy!  Our aliases for SASS were Sweet Violet, Smith n Jones and Marshal's Lady.

Ice Skating Dress

Another sport that ladies participated in was ice skating.  This outfit started out as just a winter suit, but after adding scrap fur from an antique wrap to the jacket and skirt, it became an ice skating outfit.  The bonnet was just a 1950s fur hat that I added brown flowers to and ribbons, then wore it on the back of the head instead of the top.  I wore this outfit to a winter shoot and was standing too close to a burn barrel for warmth when the heat from the barrel started melting the faux fur of the muff...that was fun!

Riding Habit

Sadly, I didn't wear either of these dresses to any shoot...or anywhere for that matter!  I made them, took pictures in them, they hung in my closet, then I sold them!  ACK!!!!!  I want the blue one back!!  Anyway, although I do not ride horses, I do plan on making another riding habit in the future!

VBS:  Victorian Bathing Suit

I made this swimming suit out of many patterns and it was so fun to wear.  When I make another one, it will have more of the traditional, sailor suit-y look to it.

This is me, decked out in my shooting equipment.  Yes, I really did shoot all dressed up and corseted!  Well, not in the VBS, but in my other dresses, I had on all the underwear!

Cycling Dress

This dress was inspired by the cycling dress that Lady Gertrude Chiltern wears in An Ideal Husband.  My friend MeLisa loved the outfit so much that for one "End of Trail" shoot, we decided that we needed to make the outfits!  I don't have a picture of me wearing the whole outfit, which included the black jacket, and my skirt isn't a split skirt like Lady Gertrude's, but I loved how it turned out!  I do still have this outfit, so that's a plus!

 

Cycling dress inspiration I snagged from the movie.  It is such a fun movie and I LOVE this outfit!!  

 Ok, well back to doing the costuming things for "Guys and Dolls".  I am finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and that makes me so happy!  While I have loved working on this production, I am sorely missing my personal costuming projects and adventures...but I will be back at that very soon!

Have a truly blessed day my friends!

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TBT: 1888 Purple Racetrack Dress

Good Thursday to you all!!  Thank you so much to those of you who responded and commented on my last post about my feeling down.  Things are much better now and I am feeling quite like myself!  Huzzah!  I am a bit tired because I have been HULU binging on "Blindspot"...stupid I know, but there you have it!!  Again, I so appreciate all your lovely and very kind words of encouragement and compassion!

For today's dress, I am sharing a very old dress!  I made this when I was living in the mountains of Robie Creek, Idaho, about 10 years ago!  I had in my collection, a most gorgeous fashion plate with a fabulous purple dress.  I HAD to make it!  So, I did!  My 8 year old Cody took the pictures!  I think he did a great job for as young as he was.  The photo shoot took place in the back yard by the creek, Robie Creek, that ran through the property!  I must say that I do miss the fresh air and beauty that is the mountains, but I love the convenience of living in town!

Hello tabs, buttons and pleating!  These are a few of my favorite things!

Wonderful inspiration photo!  I decided to not go with the weird, swoopy lace thing that goes from the left hip to the right thigh...

I totally didn't put the buttons on the overskirt like the fashion plate.  When I remake this dress, I will add them!

I found some great, wide, new-made lace that I thought would work great for the dress from a seller on ebay!  I don't think the shop is around any more though...

I LOVE this parasol, but it has since acquired many holes and slits in the cover...so sad!!

 

Fabrics Used:

-Purple Polyester Crepe Back Satin (a pain to work with, but it was the only fabric I could find in the right color!)

-Off White Cotton Moire

-Off White lace from eBay

-Carved Shell buttons from JoAnn's

Patterns Used:

Bodice:  TV463 1884 French Vest Bodice

Underskirt:  TV261-R 1885 Four-Gore Underskirt

Overskirt Apron:  TV832 1886 Asymmetrical Drapery Add-On

Overskirt Bustling:  Bustling from the 1885 Four-Gore Underskirt

Oh how I miss this dress!! Sadly, I sold this dress as well.  It is on my list to re-create at a future date!  I also have since lost the antique mother-of-pearl hand brooch that I wore with it...Where oh where are you hand brooch!  I miss you!!!

I hope you all have a most splendid Thursday!  Talk with you next week!

Blessings!

g

TBT: Blue 1885 Suit

For today's Throw Back Thursday dress, I have decided to do my blue 1885 dress.  I am feeling rather sad, down and "blue" so think it rather the perfect dress for the day.  Most of the time when I am feeling off/down/sad/etc. it is because I have allowed outside factors to effect my emotions.  I allow these things to dictate me and how I think about myself.  Am I a fraud/dork/fool?  Why do I do this thing called costuming?  Why do I blog about it?  Am I a good parent?  Daughter?  Wife? I seriously start to doubt myself and that drags me down even deeper into my sadness. Being tired, stressed, sick, too busy can also effect me as well.  99.8% of the time, I am a seriously happy and joyful person, but there are times when I am not.  Thankfully, there is always a tomorrow and a chance to start anew!

Me on a happy day!  Mom and I got dressed up in our blue Christmas dresses, I can't even remember how long ago it was, and headed to the Boise Capital to do a photo shoot.

The inspiration for this dress came from this fashion plate I have had in my collection for a while.  I loved the monochromatic blue color of the dress.  Happily in my stash, I had a dupioni silk that was the perfect match and JoAnn's had the perfect shade of a darker velvet to go with the silk!

The rabbit fur muff had been in my collection for quite a while.

I love the silhouette of the late bustle era!  Such a fun shelf that the bustle makes!

The buttons were lovely carved shell ones found at JoAnn's...I think....  I have since sold this dress.  Although I sold it to a very lovely friend, I sometimes wish it was still in my closet!

Fabrics:

Blue Dupioni Silk

Blue Velvet

Patterns:

Bodice:  TV463 1884 French Vest Bodice

Underskirt:  TV261-R 1885 Four Gore Underskirt

Overskirt Apron:  TV382 1886 Asymmetrical Drapery Add-on

Bustling:  Me Made

Hat:  Altered Lynn McMaster's 1600-1800 Tall Hat

What things make you doubt yourself?  Do you also allow outside factors to dictate how you think about yourself?  I am 44 and I still allow these things to affect me.   Silly, I know. But, I am so much better that I was even from last year.  I have learned that good sleep, prayer, and remembering that those I love and am important to are truly the ones whose opinions matter, help my emotional well being.  Being well grounded and "plumb" or centered helps as well.  I can't wait until I am feeling happy and joyful self again!  It is a very good place to be!!

Be Blessed and full of joy my dear friends and readers!!

g

TBT: Green Plaid NFE Day Dress

Holy Monkey.  I just saw the date of this dress and I made it in 2009!  Wow!  She is an old lady!!!  Hahahahah!!!

Anyhoo, hello there! Yes, this TBT post is being written and posted on Saturday.  Sorry about that!  Things are so super crazy at The House of White at present, that I have time to eat, sleep, work on the musical...and do school with Colton and that's about it.  So, while I have a little down time, I will share with you my green and ivory plaid NFE day dress!

I had purchased quite a lot of this fabulous large plaid cotton at Walmart years ago and made a bustle suit and had enough left over for an NFE dress.  Huzzah for Walmart huh?!

I loved the green plants that were happily living in my "ladies parlour" for a while.  Then they did what all green plants tend to do under my care.  They died.

Here is the inspiration for this dress.  I cropped it out of a colored fashion plate from 1876.  I loved the use of color with the darker color used for the front placket, sleeves and front panel of the skirt.  Happily I had the perfect color combination for the dress!

Since the hem of the skirt isn't really shown in the fashion plate, I decided to employ three layers of pleats. The bottom pleat is a box pleat, the middle row is 1" wide pleats and the top row is a double sided box pleat.

 

Fun with Picasa!!  This one actually looks like an old timey photograph!

 

The also was not shown in the fashion plate and so had to make it up.

One of the mirrors on my wall is very old and the backing is crackled in a very lovely way.  These next two images were taken in silhouette and then sepia toned.  I LOVE how they turned out!

 

Fabrics used:  

Plaid cotton

Green and Ivory poly taffeta

This is the extent of my craziness.  I decided to pleat the dark colors in the dress.  Therefore, the front placket was pleated...

...the back panels were pleated...

...the sleeves were pleated...

....aaaaand the front panel of the skirt was pleated!!!  ACK!!!

I think I have an issue with pleats?  Very much a love/hate relationship!!

Patterns that I used were:

Bodice:  TV423 1877 Two-Tone Bodice

Underskirt:  TV225 1878 Fantail Skirt

Overskirt:  Me Made

Bustling:  Me Made

I hope that your weekend is going wonderfully!  Hopefully, I'll see you again next Thursday!!

Be Blessed!

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