Regency Corded Petticoat

Newly listed in my esty shop and on ebay for custom ordering.

 

Beautifully detailed Regency style petticoat.  Bodice has the structure and design of a regency short stay with attached petticoat skirt. bodice is corded and quilted for both aesthetic detail and stability.

Made of 100% cotton, fully self lined , contains 2 layers of medium weight 100% cotton interfacing. Self binding at neck and arm holes.  Lightly boned with your choice of plastic or spiral steel boning.  Skirt length measures 39" from below bust, meant to hit just above ankle. Can be made longer or shorter to your specifications. Skirt bottom is also lightly corded (can be made more rigid for those who wish it. 

Can be made in alternate  fabrics or colours if you are less interested in historical accuracy. ( I feel like this would be lovely in my deep blue linen)

Pictured here is petticoat with 32" bust, easily available in 30,32, 34,36 and 38. Larger bust may require more support please contact for estimates and discussion.
Allow up to two weeks for construction once you have placed an order.

Can also contact directly via Last Stitch Designs on Facebook

 

 

Steampunk Choker

This choker is a piece that I've already sold...and I miss it. I hated to part with it and yet I simply can't justify denying my beloved creations a good home. I may however have to make another similar....okay so I've already started. 

This post is brief and not at all poetic or clever, my heart felt apologies, but I just wanted to share her and I will soon be far more diligent in my maintenance of this blog and my website

Halloween 2013

 

 

This year I did two dresses similar in style but the detailing and colour made them vastly different. Both bustle gowns, the first in browns and creams with a hint of turqoise. The top made of a decor fabric with compasses and clocks printed on it for a "steampunk" inspired look.

 

 

 

The second in black and white stripe with details of crimson velvet ribbon and a skirt overlay of skull/mesh lace with red skulls to give more of a Tim Burton inspired look.

And of course, the best for last. My favourite model in his Monster costume. I couldn't resist this fur when it came in, and the moment I brought it home my son started petting it saying "Sully" so we went with it. I made the costume halloween morning so I didn't have time to add the hands and feet which is probably just as well considering the rain we had for trick or treating.

 

The umbrella and change of fascinator from the previous day took my "Tim Burton-esque" gown and made it a little more Mary Poppins, but thats okay, we had fun.

 

 

 

 



The Ghost of Costumes Past

 

I'm stuck on costumes lately. Not just Halloween but thinking ahead to Ottawa Comiccon for next year. We had so much fun this year that I do believe it will be our mothers day tradition. Why expect my kids to visit botanical gardens, or treat me to a spa day when we can all geek out together and everyones happy.

 (Most especially since Nathan Fillion was a last minute guest this year)

 

 

Although it was not the most complicated costume I've ever done (not by a long shot) It is one of my favourites...probably because of the cutest-little-red-head-ever, who was wearing it (not biased at all)

Mini Captain Malcolm Reynolds

 

He was afraid of nothing that day (well a little wary of the Hulk) but he was high fiving and handshaking with every creepy cosplay he saw. I can't even guess how many times we were stopped to take photos of little Mal.

 



 

He was so excited when he spotted Chewy, he reached out immediately  to pet him. So even when we managed to get a photo 40 minutes later he couldn't take his eyes off of him.

 

back row: Chewbacca (unknown but awesome cosplay guy) and Boy #3 as Captain Reynolds

front row: boy #2 was a Reaver, He who shall remain costumeless (AKA Fuddy Duddy) I was Kaylee and My first born as Jayne Cobb

 

I did wear my Kaylee outfit again just this week when one of our local theatres brought Serenity back to the big screen

(Firefly / Serenity junkies that we are)

 

Last Halloween we did a lesser version of Star Wars than I would have liked. I've been yearning to make Padmes Senate Gown, but as I ran out of time settled for a hastily dyed velvet robe in green.

I added a hint of Blue to my olive dyes as green isn't my best colour and as much as I love chartreuse and olive...they don't love me.

 

Mason was ofcourse the cutest ewok there is (yes I know I was mixing generations) but who's to say Padme would never have come across one in her travels. The lower right photo shows off neither costume to its best efect but I added it because it reminds me of Princess Leia sending her message with R2D2

 

Medieval Festival at Upper Canada Village 2 years ago, posing with our Champion Sir Robert after a joust.

Myself, a friend Sarah, and one of our Market coordinators dressed in some of my creations on Market day

         

So many pictures I don't have (atleast not on this computer) Too many boxes to go through. 

I see none of the three Assassins Creed costumes I've done for my boys over the years, Drizzt Do'Urden and Brunor BattleHammer, Musketeers, Pirates, Akasha, Lord of the Rings, An egyptian theme, a kangaroo and monkey.... Perhaps they'll show up.

 

Here's the final one for today

 

Boys #1 and 2 as Scorpian and Sub Zero

So now what?

 

I'm partially through a Game of Thrones dress, one of Cersai's but have since found  photos of two others a like even better. Plenty of Steampunk in the works, always still the hope of the senate gown.

We shall see my friends, we shall see.

 

 



Fascinators...again

 

 

Halloween is not that far off and we're starting to get the new halloween fabrics in at the store. There is a table with quite a few lace/mesh fabrics that I'm thinking I must use in lieu of traditional hat netting.

 

I worked so hard to create the pattern for the black hat I wore to an event last year...but naturally I've misplaced my scraps of paper and so I wonder if I can recreate it from scratch and be as satisfied?

 

 

 

 

I have a little black tophat already made so perhaps a little spider web mesh or the netting with the foil skulls in red?  Perhaps that can be my quick and easy "look I accomplished something" project for tonight since I won't be home from work until 10pm. We shall see......

 

In the meantime there's sewing to be done this morning.

 

Happy crafting!

 

 



A Burlap Purse?

 

 

Yes thats right. A burlap purse , who'd have thought. I'm kicking myself a little for not taking a better photo of this lovely after she was finished. Alas she is gone, one of my loyal market patrons has snatched her up but brings her back often to visit.

I'm not normally one for lots of ruffles and pinks and flowers, but this burlap, torn unfinished edge cotton ruffle and lace combo....I just might have to make myself another.

 

 

 

I'm working on a few other purses at the moment and oodles more zipper bracelets. Not to mention the much requested hats and scarves. It seems my hopes of getting away from crochet a bit this market season in favour of sewing is not going to happen. Too many  people looking for the hats they'd seen last year. Oh well we can add some new charachters and styles, plus crochet is an easy thing to transport to and from work to work on during my lunch break.

Zippers !!

 

So despite thinking I'm creative on occasion. A quick google search of my bright ideas usually reveals that 50 other people have already done it and done it well. This however does not phase me. I started making bracelets out of zippers anyway and the variations one can come up with still lends itself to personal taste and creativity.

 

Due to the fact that I love all things historicaly inspired, I'm a fan of steampunk. So I made a few bracelets that fall into that category and I think they are my favourite. The lace/metal combination is a little irresistible.

 

 

Now... because I have 3 boys at home, my craft/sewing table at the markets tends to be heavily steeped in girly stuff. Jewelry little dresses, hand embroidered purses, fascinators, the list goes on.

So I've been trying to add some slightly more masculine pieces here and there. Found these cute little "metal word plates" at Michaels on clearance and they worked perfectly.

 

So off I go, I've neglected my sewing this morning. I'll be off to work shortly, then rush home to pack the car and head up to Poltimore Quebec tonight with my 3 kids + 1. I'll have a table at the Poltimore Fair for the weekend, then back home to resume the regular markets Season at the Cumberland Farmers Market.

 

Happy crafting!!

Fascinators

Part II

 

Here we are 2 months after the initial post about the fascinators I was working on and still no photo of the birdcage veil. Not because I've forgotten but because it doesn't look right on my 'head' form Seems I'll be needing a wig for display purposes.

 

After working on custom orders all week friday arrived with nothing new to display on my table  at the Farmers Market on saturday. So I thought I'd quickly make up a little tophat fascinator out of some leftover fabric from a drapery panel I had shortened.

 

I was happy with the result, apparently so was my 18  month old son who picked it up  and held it atop his lovely little red head.

 

 

So many things to make so little time...

with Halloween approaching there are many projects to be started in the near very near future.

 

Late Night Creations

For those of us devoted to (or obsessed with) our craft. Sleepless nights happen. Eyes get heavier and heavier. The brain tells us that soon we'll be making more mistakes than progress. Then even if we force ourselves to bed we lay exhausted but awake...obsessing over the current project, designing in our heads, visualizing the fabircs, the trims, the techniques...or maybe it's just me.  Last night was one of those nights. 

Getting down to the wire on a rather large comission for the fabric store I work at (to support my habit) the final project was a christening gown. While I usually favour cottons and linens for the vintage inspired gowns..

This was the first one I'd made using the bridal satin and organza. The shape was absolutely basic yet a few lace and ribbon embellishments, a few rosettes and I was pretty excited with the result even after my initial skepticism about using ivory rather than white. I think I'm actually loving the champaign tone more than if it were bright white.

I didn't take a close up of the little ribbon and rosette detail. I'll have to add one later, though I loved the result and will without a doubt be using it again (and again and again)



Fascinators...

Yet another wonderful blast from the past. I had a few fairly basic simple little flower and feather deals on my market table which went quickly. One patron asked if I could make her a pirate themed fascinator for a party she was to attend. So...I made a little tricorn hat and became obsessed.

 Just the tricorn hat alone lends itself to so many possibilities and colours. From the piratey , to the dark and sinister. To pinks and blues with ruffled trim to wear with a sack back gown. the trims and feather embellishments are endless. Then there's top hats...mad hatter, steampunk, gothic....the list goes on. Tonights project is my first birdcage veil, I suspect I will quickly become obsessed with these aswell and stock up on some russian netting online (as opposed to the much pricier local store I found that carries it)

I will add the new fascinator tonight if time allows but with market day tomorrow I typically have a late night finishing up projects and an early morning getting going.

Regency Stays

Of late I've been making and selling quite a few regency short stays. They are definitely the more common choice especially for the more petite figure, and less ample upper body. They are more like the modern day bra than any other stays (A.K.A corset or pair of bodies) being as they do not extend below the rib cage.

I haven't done much to embellish them yet but perhaps I should since they I suspect could be 'cute' enough with some embroidery or lace detail.  I'm not enamoured by them the way I am with other much more elegant corsets. But I guess embellishment is the key. Even the longer full body regency stays...the plain ones leave much to be desired. I started a pair years ago and added some very basic cording detail and a touch of embroidery. That on it's own was enough to make them quite lovely. I think I will add even more embellishment to the next pair.

This one is done in a sand coloured cotton twill. There is a drawstring at the bust to help contain the bosom a little more.

The busk inside was meant to seperate the breasts and give the rigid 'grecian' column inspired silhoutte desired at the time. Pushing the bust up to an unnatural height implying a perkiness most of us never had even at our most youthful.

The busk I made is very plain , unlike the often very intricate carvings on the originals. Young gents would often carve a busk as a gift for his sweetheart. Just because something is going to be hidden inside layers and layers of fabric and petticoats and outergarments...is no reason for it not to be attractive right?

An example of a pair from 1796 at the Museum of Civilization

Nowadays we can buy a much lighter and more forgiving metal busk from most costume/corset suppliers if we so desire..

So this particular stay could use a little more shaping with a gusset added to the bottom (for more of an 1820's shape) as opposed to the starighter more columnar 1810 silhoutte. , lacing at side seam below the waist would allow flexibility as a riding stay.

And certainly dress forms are not the best models for corsets as they have no give, they are hard, rigid and can not conform to the desired shape which is after all what corsets and stays are essentially for. To hold in, lift up and genrally manipulate the body into what we want it to be.

Here are a couple of this weeks completed projects.

The cushion began with the emboidery. I love knotwork, so it's not uncommon for any of my decorative details (be it quilting or embroidery) to take on this form.

I didn't want to waste my efforts by leaving the cushion otherwise plain as it seemed to do the embroidery a disservice. So a few tucks, some contrast ruching, mitred corners and here we have the final result. (well admittedly there may still be some tweaking)

Another project was ofcourse flowers. both synthetic ad natural fibres. I'm never sure which I like better. I guess they both have their own purposes and I've no need to choose a favourite...simply a favourite for the specific occasion.

The synthetic ones involve scissors and fire. Obviously not a craft for unsupervised children (or accident prone adults) I'll gladly add a tutorial if you like, though I suspect there already exists a number of them out there. Once you get used to the melting properties of each fabric you can experiment to get different looks though so this is fun.

Here are the basic cut circles with small slits around the edges. I used satins and organza for the layers.

Then there was the linen flowers (made the way ribbon "flat roses" would be made but with a folded strip of linen , raw edges left unfinished and exposed. a touch of fraying cotton crochet lace, a few pearl beads and they somehow pull off a crafty yet elegant look.

Fathers Day arrived and we were still without the perfect gift. So a run to the store for stepping stone supplies was in order. However it was too late to have one ready in time and I had to work from 12-5. So instead of a simple unexciting IOU. Here' is what my 15 month old son gave his father for Fathers Day. In booklet form.

Hey Dad...we need to have a little talk. Man to man, Father to son, you get the idea.

So last year I gifted you a stepping stone kit. A little box of "Pas Japonais" (which I still don't get) regardless, the intent was good. Make you a stepping stone with my perfect little hand and/or foot displayed front and center. It came out of the kids craft section, in a pretty little box with images of perfectly made stepping stones and shiny rocks sitting in a little garden surrounded by flowers and butterflies.. Bullroar!! We saw how that turned out, it was a bust, sad little plaster casts that dried too fast and didn't serve our purpose at all.

Now.. we won't say Mom was wrong, because we both know that Mom is never wrong...we'll say she was mislead. Mislead by those evil wizards of advertising to believe that she could ignore what she knew to be a tried and true method (As proven years earlier by my big brothers) and try the 'kids craft' version.

So Dad... this year we do things my way...the smart way...the right way.

We're going to take this here cement mix from the hardware aisle NOT the craft section. We're going to add water and mix (not stir) mix...in a manly fashion.

There will be no heart shaped moulds, no butterfly imprints.

 I love you Dad but come on...we're men. So nothing 'pretty' or 'soft' in this project.  We copacetic?

copacetic, copasetic, copesetic, copesettic [ˌkəʊpəˈsɛtɪk]

adj

US and Canadian slang very good; excellent; completely satisfactory

Very satisfactory or acceptable; fine: "You had to be a good judge of what a man was like, and the English was copacetic" (John O'Hara).

Come on Dad keep up.

So we're going to put the cement into these.

Empty meat trays. Why? Because they are deep enough, they are rectangular and they had meat in them. What’s more manly than meat and cement?

Trucks you say?

 

 Motorcycles and cars?

okay Dad I'm only a year old I don't even get an allowance yet. So back to meat and cement. We mix and pour the cement into the aforementioned meat trays, I stomp..(okay okay Mom I place my foot and or hand firmly but gently) into the still wet cement, add a few rocks or bits of coloured glass and Voila! Perfection.

Happy Fathers Day



I thought I'd take a moment this morning before I start working to post a few more photos of the progress on the quilt for my neice. I'm way behind on market preparations but will tackle some of that this morning (and for the next month)

I went over the previously quilted K with a chain stitch in purple to make it more prominent.

Added a few more trims and crazy quilt stitches.

Snapped a close up photo of the "faux cathedral window inspired thing-a-ma-bob"

unfortunate lighting for some reason makes this one appear quite yellow.

And ofcourse a butterfly (I think he/she still needs some more filler)

Now back to work to see what I can accomplish in a few short hours of being child-free.

Womens Regency gowns are always in high demand, I've lost count of how many I've shipped out, though I may never get sick of doing them as there are so many ways to embellish and personalize each one. Men's clothing/costumes are a bit more of a treat maybe because I don't often "pre-make" them they are typically custom orders.  I thought I'd run through the outfit I'd made for one young local gent who had a regency wedding to attend.

We started with a slightly toned down shirt in white cotton,  a little less full then it could have been to avoid the bulk under his waistcoat and tailcoat.

Good for him for opting for the knee breeches, these are drop or fall-front breeches. The pants close at the waist front  then the 'bib' comes up and buttons closed over the 'fly'  Long pants were certainly an option for later regency years but knee breeches would have still been worn for formal occasions and by the older generation.

The waistcoat was in a home dec fabric which didn't photograph well with the flash so i've added a scan of the waistcoat and tilcoat fabric below (I used this same combo for Demetrius in a regency era production of a Mid'Summer Nights Dream) The pinkish/red colour in the waistcoat brings out the fine stripe in the red/brown jacket. Sort of a 'Puce' palette. A Stand-up collar, self-cover fabric buttons.

A close up of the fabrics.

And the completed look.

Next time I would likely round the front waist upard a little and make the tail all one piece with the jacket since the seperate waist seam was towards the end of the period. More 1830's I believe.