It's COLD!

The weather here is a lot colder than usual for this time of year and I decided I am NOT going to do like I did last year and get caught without a good warm coat. I picked up Butterick 6604 and went with black suiting, black rabbit for the collar and a teal lining. 

I totally forgot to get pics of the cutting process, but if you've seen one, you've seen them all really. Working with fur is a new experience. It. Gets. EVERYWHERE! It really does. The sheer amount of fluff was impressive really. 

adding lining to base

pleating is always a pain

Just as a bit of fun, I decided to put my initials on the bottom hemline. I used Holiday ABCs from Embroidery Designs for this.

More Lining and facing. 

I love this coat and I hope to get many years of use out of it!

Please excuse the mess on the floor. Sewing spaces should NEVER be carpeted. 😒

Quick Piece

I was approached about making an "elven style" cloak for hunting/LARPing. I've made half a dozen cloaks but this is the first functional one I've made. 

      I bought some water resistant faux suede and some water resistant lining in the same earthy brown. I just happened to find a really neat clasp that matched the woodland theme. 

           I started by cutting the whole length of suede and lining into a giant semicircle. Then a pin-sew-bag turn to make the"body" of the cloak.

So.many.pins!

The hood was more complicated. To make it less ordinary, I pulled from the look of Assassin's Creed. It is difficult to photograph because the mannequin is a child size, but you get the idea. 

 

After attaching the hood to the body, I attached the toggles to the cloak just below the neck. I'm pretty happy at the finished product and I hope the client is as well!

A Suit Fit for a Dandy

I got an interesting call from a friend saying he wanted a suit, but not just any suit. He wanted a Victorian suit. Specifically the gray suit worn by Young Dracula in  "Bram Stoker's Dracula". I've done a few modern men's pieces, but not enough to be anything remotely expert level on it, but I agreed to at least research it. 

                    After a few weeks of researching and asking questions and tips from a friend of mine who specializes in Victorian wear (thank you and a big shout out to Kristen D Foggie at Black Orchid Atelier) I accepted the request. I started with the vest because I've done a million vests before and aside from the collar, it's the same construction. I went with the Butterwick B6339 pattern so I could get the unusual drop collar correct. I completely forgot to photograph the process because I'm highly distracted by the actual assembly process these days 😁

First things first, the shirt I had to really search for this one because a modern shirt just wont do when the entire rest of the outfit is circa 1890. I used the Men's Victorian and Edwardian Shirts Pattern by Laughing Moon Mercantile. Just let me say that this pattern is absolutely NOT for beginners. If I didn't already know a few of the terms and processes, I would have been extremely lost. I used collar #46 (high neck collar) so that the cravat would sit properly. The pattern called for "collar studs" instead of buttons which is a new term and a new fastening technique. Hooray for learning new things!

Collar studs and matching cuff links. 

                    I went with McCalls 7003 for the jacket and pants. Now the collar from the movie has an extremely angled point. I figured it was to be more "batwing" like. In real life, I have NO IDEA how the costumers pulled that off. After going through 2 1/2 yards of muslin in an attempt to get the angles correct, I finally threw in the towel and just did it as patterned.  The result is nice, just not a full on copy, which was disappointing to me if no one else. 

               Though I may have been disappointed with bits and pieces of the suit, the groom was pleased with the result, which is all that really matters, and I was happy with the fit (only one fitting throughout the entire process is SCARY). Wishing a happy and long marriage to Chad and Erikisha Lanctot! Thank you for letting me be a part of it!