October 1st Costume - Revolutionary War Dress

I recently completed this dress - I've been working on it for 3 months or so. It is for my step mother who is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She will be wearing it in a parade and to veteran's events in November. She lives in California, so I only had one opportunity to try a partially made bodice on her in June. Fortunately she and I are of a similar height and size. 

I bought the main fabric for $6, the hat trim fabric for $3 and the petticoat fabric for $4 at the Goodwill. The hat was $1, but I uncoiled it and re did it into a flat crown. The corset is made from leftover upholstery fabric from a job I did and the panniers and pantaloons are from free sheets I got at a rummage sale. I know everything is not totally historically accurate - but it's tons better than a ready made costume bought off the net. It is a mix of old and new sewing patterns. The panniers are from Norah Waugh's  Corsets and Crinolines, although much smaller.

I really must thank American Duchess for all the inspiration for this costume. I endlessly poured over the details of her dresses and hats. Especially the idea for the covered buttons up the front, this solved a huge headache for me!

 My step mum is not a costume person, so I took a series of photos of the proper order to get dressed.

Sophistique Noir's Montly Theme Post - Vintage

 

OK, ok, ok, so I know I took waaay too many pics of my vintage stuff, but once I got going, I couldn't stop. So I apologize for all this junk, but I still blame Mrs. VictorianKitty for picking such a great monthly theme!

Yea Vintage!!!!!

One of my most favourite skirts. My old boss gave it to to me years ago, it is wool & still has it's 50's tags inside. I have a number of 50's wool poodle skirts, but only one giant pocket watch skirt!

 Two of the shelves in my dining room. I cannot fit another thing on them. Can you even see the 1870's Chang & Eng figurine, the Expo 86 bell, the 60's saccharine container & 50's swizzle sticks? I think I need to put a few more shelves & thin this mess out.

 OK, on to some of my vintage clothing. At the left is a mid-1920's orange silk and black lace dress. this fits, but it seems so fragile I am scared to wear it. In the middle is a wool 50's dress I bought at the Sally Ann for $1.50. The copper lace dress on the right is bias cut and I think it is from the late 1930's or early 1940's. Back when I was painfully thin, I wore it to a fancy dinner and people thought I was pregnant. Ever since then I've stayed away from bias!

 The mid 1920's dress on the left I think is made of rayon, not silk. The early 1930's dress in the middle IS silk and is totally fragile. The sort of 1940's dressing gown-ish dress on the right used to look so awesome on, until I ate too much Ben & Jerry's.  :( (not pictured - Victorian blouses, bright 60's mod dresses, 50's prom dresses, Edwardian summer whites, Victorian boots, flapper hats etc...)

 The wall by my tv is on the left. It features framed sheet music, postcards and prints from my editions of 1920's La Vie Pariesiennes. In the middle are are some of my tiny (mostly vintage) books. At the right are the bookcases and wall by my computer. On the bookcase are vintage shoes, hats & a posture brace. That's a framed photo of my grandmother in about 1925. My mother said my house was like Pee Wee's Playhouse meets the Haunted Mansion, so I like to think that - instead of it just being an utter schizo mess.

A few of my vintage dishes - I am very partial to pine & thistle. In glasses I am partial to Scotsmen, curling and bowling.

A little bit of my bathroom, I bought Elvis in a junk shop in Richmond, B.C. in about 1986. I have so many postcards, I like to rotate them in frames, currently I have big bum postcards up. At the right are my vintage clowns. I don't know why I did this to myself, as I am scared of clowns. The little ceramic fellow holds my tv watchin' glasses at night.

Charles Williams Store Catalog Fall/Winter 1925

Up next in my catalog scans is the Charles Williams Store Catalog Fall/Winter for 1925. I bought this catalog on Ebay about 10 years ago.

 

 I love the addition of fur at the hem of some of the coats.

 

Love that bottomblack and red dress on the right.

 

 

New Jewelry Box

I bought this little 3 drawer jewelry box at Goodwill for $3 last month. Unfortunately  it was a horrid orange/red. The weather decided not to cooperate as well, it has never stopped raining, so I could not spray paint. So I hand painted it to match my 1950's dresser, which took FOREVER! I lined the drawers in felt and now my crappy jewelry has a home! BTW - The above picture is a total lie, that Eames chair usually has like 8 dresses lumped on it and the dresser has orphan socks, buttons and various deodorants on it!

Various Necklaces  - Bakelite & Fakelite

Brooches & Pins (+goth hello kitty box!) - Original Colour!

Bedell Stores 1921 Catalog

I had a bit of unsupervised alone time time this week, so I scanned some of my vintage catalogs. I am lucky enough to own several, some since I was a child. First up is a Bedell Stores Spring/Summer catalog from 1921. It was given to me by my step-mother's mother. She lived in Clyde, Texas which is right outside of Abilene. She passed away a few years ago and left me some treasures. Victorian boots, new look hats & a late 1930's velvet robe (I feel like Joan Crawford in it!).

 Some of the dresses on the right have a bit of  Downton Abbey vibe.

 

Some of these blouses seem very wearable. Maybe I'll try making one.

 

These hats still have a teens feel to them, don't you think?

 

I wish I had some of those clocked stockings! They make me crazy!