OK, here's an update with me for the past week or so:

1.  The laptop is still being wonky.  Avast did find a Trojan, which I got rid of, and it is currently undergoing a thorough scan, so we'll see if that helps.  I also have a friend who is very knowledgeable about computers who will take a look at it later this week.  Keep your fingers crossed.

2.  I'm going to a job fair tomorrow!  It's being held in Columbus, and seems to be fairly large.  I already printed up a bunch of resumes and business cards to take down.  I'm being optimistic that I'll find my dream job (I need to find something soon - only four weeks of unemployment left - eek!)

3.  Costumes: Thanks to selling lots of things on eBay, I purchased my rust beaded trim and my gold trim at Joanns last week, and located my Mary Janes that had disappeared in my room for my Scottish lass.  The tartan should be arriving in the next week or so from the UK.  I won the combat boots on eBay for Tonks and they just shipped - now hopefully they will fit!  I also ordered my dupioni - a beautiful olive green.  A seamstress friend of mine is going to help me with the Tonks coat - I will be seeing her Thursday for fabric hunting and construction assistance.  I finally did find a very high-res picture of the coat - it is more intricate that I thought, but I am still going to try to pull it off.

4.  Photography:  I finally got around to printing off some business cards, as well as pricing lists, order forms, and samples of the frames/borders and color spaces I can use on the photos.  Now I just need to start getting the word out there.  I am also looking into submitting a few photos into our local county fair in late August.

5.  Now that summer temperatures are returning to normal, I am finding it harder to get out and do things.  Heat and humidity have never agreed with me - I find even 80's hot!  I am planning on getting my bike tire fixed this week, so maybe I will go biking on the trails in Newark.  If I didn't have so much to do this week, I would drive up to the state park and take a hike in the coolness of the trees.  I really need to get out and about - that will be the great thing when I move and have roomies; I am much more motivated to do things when I am not alone.  I think I will take a nice walk at Dawes on Sunday! 

6.  And finally, I'll be starting to go apartment hunting this weekend!  Kelly and I are scoping out places Friday morning, and then Andy and I will go back to the places that we liked to see what he thinks.  Just a few months (it appears)!

I sold some things on eBay already - whee!  Gotta love the "Buy it Now" option.  Now I have enough to buy my tartan fabric from the UK eBay, as well as my dupioni.  I have a couple of swatches coming for two shades of dupioni, so hopefully one of them will be the shade I need and I can get that ordered soon.  I also located my rust fabric for my Dragonmaster dress, and the trim and beads - I just need to purchase those now.  Haven't done anything for Tonks yet - I really need to start looking at fabrics and items for her.  And for my Scottish lass, I've located my sash and clan brooch, and will order those in a couple of weeks.  One of sidhe_etain's friends (Merle) is going to be doing my headpiece.

So nothing really exciting to report - as things come in and I get some sewing done, I'll keep you all updated.

In other news, still waiting to hear back about the Chase job, still waiting to hear about the civil service exams, and still waiting to hear back about Shutterstock inclusion.  *sigh*  I hate waiting.

Well, I'm off to Joanns today for some fabric and pattern hunting.  Not going to buy anything most likely, but I am taking a notepad to write down fabric names and prices.  Wish me luck!

Continued from previous post . . .


Here is a shot of the side of the dress.  You can see the ruffling in the front, the neckline trim, the drawstrings, and the ruffles (or whatever they are called) in the back.



Another side view.  This shows the outer corset, the lower sleeves, and the edging on the top pretty well.



Yet another side view.  I'm not sure if the front half is connected to the back half via side seams (so just two pieces of skirt) or if the ruffles on the back are another, outer, layer on top of a plain, inner, layer (so three pieces of skirt).  Also, I cannot tell if there is a bustle worn on the rump; if so, it is a rather small one (compared to her red-and-white skirt in the By the Sea sequence, for example).



Here is the back of the dress.  The construction of the outer corset I find to be very interesting.  It is very simple on the front and sides, but then the back has a V-shaped lacing system, with all of those large grommets.  There are also those pieces of fabric underneath the lacing (some kind of modesty panels?)  Or are those the same pieces of fabric as the main of the corset, and the grommets are attached to another, outside, piece?



This shows the ruffles in the back really well.  From this shot, it almost appears as if the ruffles are attached to each other in a separate piece, and then the whole is attached to a plain back section of fabric.  But I am not sure.  *grumble*  I've never done ruffles before, especially not tiered ruffles, either.



This shows the back of the corset.  Again, not sure if the grommets are on an outside piece, or if the fabric underneath is a separate piece.  You can also see how the lower back of the top is is a V-shape on the bottom, and seems to be trimmed in some kind of ruffly or lacy fabric.  You can also see the repeat of the ruffles on the top of the back skirt that was visible in the lower portion of the front of the skirt.  Also the red trim on the bottoms of the ruffles.



Hooray!  Undergarments!  Here is the red fabric visible under the top.  Also the "real" corset, which should be pretty easy to make.  The bloomers are probably red satin, with the design accomplished by using lace trims and such.  The undergarments I am not as worried about getting spot-on, but I certainly want them to be close.  So tips on where to find those trims would be helpful.  The stockings should be easy to find, but recommendations on sites for those (and the boots) would be useful too.



Another view of her undergarments.  What I am most confused about here is the fabric under the corset.  I am assuming it is the lower part of the top, and not attached to the corset.  So I am thinking there are five components to the undergarments: boots, tights/leggings, bloomers, top, and corset.  Does that sound about right?



But here I get confuzzled.  It seems as if the top and bottom here are one piece.  But that could be an illusion if the bloomers are hanging by long hanger loops.  There also doesn't seem to be the sheer black fabric seen at the bottom of the corset in the previous two pictures either, so maybe there is some fabric sewn onto the bottom of the corset, or it could be another top piece worn between the red top and the corset.  It also appears there is another drawstring closure for the top.




Of course, I will have to make allowances for my limited budget, and for what is actually available out there for me to purchase.  As for the undergarments, I will probably tweak them to make them more bathroom-friendly!  Especially if the red piece is indeed one piece; it will become two separate ones!

Again, any help you or others you know can share will mean a lot to me.  I just hope I am not taking on too much for my skill level.  I really want to have this done for DragonCon, but I also want to do it right, so if it isn't finished until next year, then so be it.

Thanks!

And for my second new costume this year (and the biggest challenge) I will be doing (or attempting to do) Mrs. Lovett's Baking Dress from Sweeney Todd.  Now this outfit will be the hardest one I have taken on yet.  Any and all help concerning patterns, pattern modifications, fabrics, techniques, distressing, etc will be *greatly* appreciated!!  Following are various photos from my reference folder (I have over 60 pictures for this dress) and notes on what I need help on.  Thanks in advance!!  And like for Tonks, feel free to pass this on to other costumers.


Here is the full-length of the costume.  Starting from the top, I'll need a wig.  Any ideas on where I can get a wig (I know ebay - anywhere else?)  Also tips on styling it to make it that messy.  What kinds of things would have been used in the hair?  I know scrunchies and rubber bands are not "period."

I do have makeup for the eyes.  I'm not sure if I will go the entire pale route.  I am pretty pale as it is, and I'm not sure if I want to mess with that much makeup.  However, if I do, what works, isn't too expensive, and isn't too messy?

Fabrics:  I know the main fabric was vintage curtains - I don't think that is going to happen.  I'm resigned to the fact I will have to create my own.  I am thinking painting will be the best option - so tips on paints, what kind of fabric to get, etc.  The fabric needs to be a rich cocoa color, and then will be subjected to bleaching, dying, and distressing, so it needs to be durable enough to handle all of that.  Also, do I paint before or after bleaching, etc?

Patterns:  The corset pattern should be fairly easy to find.  Not sure about the rest of the dress.  Obviously, a mock-up will be done, but I have no experience in working without a pattern.  Does anyone know people who can draft patterns?




Another view of the front of the dress.  There is also some interesting ruffling on the skirt about two-thirds down - how is that done?



Here is the bottom half of the dress.  It shows better detailing of the distressing done, as well as the distinctive red trim along the hem and along the bottoms of the ruffles in the back.  The dress does not appear to have a lining, which will make it a smidge easier putting together.



The top half of the dress.  The red tulle-like fabric is not connected; it is part of the undergarments.  The top is evidently one piece, even though it looks like two (a vest over sheer sleeves).  The corset is mostly for show (she wears another corset underneath as the real supporting garment).  I'm not exactly sure how the top is put together.  There are drawstrings at the top, and it flairs apart under the bottom of the exterior corset, so I am assuming it opens up all the way and ties together at the bust.



Another view of the top half.  The sleeves are a sheer patterned black fabric over a skin-tone fabric.  I guess the inner sleeves are attached first, and then the black sleeves are sewn on over them at the top (under the neck trim) and then finished in the fancy ruffled edge at the end.



Here is the actual dress from the movie.  The material for the top is a different fabric than what was used on the skirt.  (You can see this two pictures above).  It has a raised floral pattern all over it - how the heck is that done?  Is it part of the fabric or some kind of embroidery?  Again, distressing, including possible bleaching, will be needed.  My main worry is that you can tell the fabric is fairly delicate, because you can see through it when held up to the light.  And how are those seams done - it almost looks like piping.



Another shot of the actual dress.  It appears some kind of binding was done to hold the trim in place (the white line visible in the back).  This is the part I am most worried and obsessed about - the neckline trim.  In the special, it was said they used painted straw.  Now, I will probably be using beads.  There are long and round beads making up the design, and then the stars at the edges.  But the fabric is very sheer and looks extremely delicate, so I need recommendations on fabric that replicates that look, but can stand up to distressing and holding the weight of that many beads without sagging or wrinkling.  Also, any tips on how to attach the beads?  You can also get a good look at the floral design on the top fabric itself and what appear to be cutouts on the upper sleeves.



Another view of the neckline trim:



View of the trim, as well as the ruffled edge of the lower sleeve and her gloves.  Now, the gloves I am not making (most likely).  Any good places to buy gloves like that (I know Hot Topic sells fingerless gloves).  You can also see the drawstring at the bust, and get a good look at the red trim of the undergarment top (is that tulle)?



Yet another view of the trim, along with the lower sleeve ruffling and the gloves.




I will continue this in a second post . . .

I am starting my research on my Tonks costume, and was wondering if any of you could pass along some tips regarding patterns, construction methods, or fabrics.  Most of her costume should be fairly easy, but as I am still a fairly new seamstress (almost four years of experience) I still have trouble working without a pattern or in choosing appropriate fabrics.

I think her hoodie is made of some kind of fleece, but it seems pretty thin in the pictures I have.  Any ideas?  Any pattern suggestions?  I believe the hoodie is cropped at just below bust level, because there is a red-and-black striped shirt visible around her waist when the jacket is opened, and the hoodie's hood is also visible.



However, what I am most worried about is her jacket.  I just cannot find any good pictures of it, not even through screencaps.  (If anyone has seen any high-res, detailed shots, please send them my way)!  It is probably a kind of leather, maybe even a vinyl.  It is certainly thin enough to move around and swing when she walks.  Here are some shots of it in motion.

             




The other concern is how to do the sleeves on the jacket.  They appear to be a drawstring seam along the top side of the sleeve, and then ending in a couple of grommets.  Any tips on construction on these?  Here are some shots showing the sleeves.

   







Feel free to pass this on to other costuming people you know for their help!