newren

New Ren Gown

6.15.05
well ... it's time that i've started to work on this. i've actually been putting it off and concentrating on my LotR Gown but i've recieved some news that has changed this. for the better. as it would turn out, something is happening in Jefferson! the Renaissance Faire is coming here! ...... well not the Ren Faire, but our town is having Period Productions come and put on one.

and here's where the *bad* news comes in ..... it's in 2 weeks and 2 days.

so with that it mind, i've been thinking and sketching ideas, and i've narrowed it down a lot. after all, i can always make another one (especially since i'll be working at one next semester). so i've decided on a combination of 2 dresses from the movie Ever After; her work dress and the wine velvet one Danielle wears at the ruins. basically the work dress, but i am lowering the waistline to that of the wine dress. i still want to have her sleeve attachements like her work dress, but i'm not sure of the color. i would like to find some linen to make this out of (instead of cotton which was less common) but i am on a bugdet. stupid budget. wel'll see later.

also making a corset from the pattern here (the third option with tabs), so hopefully this will work out for me and wont be too hard. stopped by RagShop today after work and picked up a yard of white duck canvas, the corset is going to be 2 layers of this, plus boning. i made the pattern and ordered boning around 10 this evening, so hopefully boning will be here before the weekend and i can work more on this sunday and *hopefully* finish since i'm working like everyday after sunday.

16 days and counting until the faire .................

6.19.05

well i suppose there is time for a quick update. i received the boning i ordered on saturday, but i didnt get it until today. today being father's day, i didnt get as much done that i would have liked. basically everything is done with the corset minus 18 of 22 eyelets and the trim/binding that goes all around the edges. most likely going to be the most time consuming part. the whole thing has gone together with no problems as of now. makes me happy.

i also put together a shift / chemise. just have some handsewing to do on that. other than that ... i am almost ready to move onto the gown! .:big smile:.

12 days ...........

6.24.05
Well the corset is as done as it's going to be for now. Finished making the eyelets and sewed the bottom binding. did the top by machine. the chemise is also done, i was going to do some handsewing on that, but didnt feel like it ... just details that i will only notice. i can always fix it later. also went ro JoAnns in Ledgewood (after getting lost) and picked up some brown cotton for the main part and blue cotton for the underskirt. i've given up on linen ... maybe i'll replace parts of the cotton with linen as time goes on.

6.29.05
started working on the bocide pattern. then i had to work. i'm drafting the pattern from this site, and so far it's ok. made two mock-ups of the pattern, and i think i am going to use the second one. still have to figure out seam allowances and such ... but that can wait until tomorrow.

6.30.05
well it's 3 in the morning (technically it's july 1st) and the dress is finished. yay! cut out lining and top part of bocie, sewed together and turned in the edges. sadly, this was the easy part. at 8 this eveing, i started pleating. once it was sewn on, i didnt like it so i took it out and fixed it. (fullness in the BACK, not front) i also stuck a pocket slit in the skirt, i dont care how un-period it is now, i have a beautful embroidered pocket and there's no sense not to use it. more period correct Ren costume later. anyway, once it was pleated i started on the front eyelets. not nearly as bad as i thought it would be (very easy, not like corset eyelets).

and so now i'm done. i wanted to make sleeve attachments, but it looks like it's not going to happen. but that's ok ... i kind of like it better without them ........

7.01.05
well ... today was awesome!!!!!!! there werent that many other people in costume, besides some dinsey princess girls and the people who worked there of course. but no matter, it was still awesome!!!!

after thoughts .....
overall, i am pretty happy about the whole dress. as it turned out, i didnt get enough fabric for the underskirt, so i am going to be getting more. this time, linen (since it's only a bit. and i really want to.) the bodice is a little short, but that's from the pleating incident (i got frustrated and instead of picking apart seams, i just cut it off.) but eve that's not bad, i am just going to have to make a thicker band when i re-make the underskirt.

as far as the corset goes, i'm really happy with the way this turned out, considering it's my first one. it's actually not really uncomfortable either, but there are things that need to be tweaked ... when i have time and money to do so, haha. but for now, it's great!

the only thing that really disappoints me is that there isn't any trim on it ... so it's plain. but hopefully this will change ... i really would like to add something ... even if it's just around the neck area and the hem on the bottom. even that would look better than nothing. *will just have to order extra fabric for underskirt.*

oh, and i have to decide on some length for my chemise. sleeves are ridculously long (i cuffed them up for the faire) but i imagine i'll add a drawstring at some point.

and i am going to make it to an actual Ren Faire in Tuxedo, NY at some point before the summer is over, so i will definitely comtinue to work on this. i really cant wait!!!!!!

10.4.05

well i'm finally updating this. not much has been done/added to dress (a blue ribbon all around the bottom), and at this point, i dont know if i'll ever get around to making anything else for it. aside from the sleeves. cause i really would like to make those, but i need to save for a bit to get some money .... to buy string. its a pitiful excuse, but its the only one i have at the present moment.

anyway, the first two pics are from the Renaissance Faire that came to Jefferson (well i cant get them to load now... i'll do it later). the rest are from a trip out to the PA Ren Faire (we went with my college) this weekend. it was a blast .... and i'll have more pics when i get the rest of my film developed.