Thursday, April 30, 2026

Costume Needs

Immediate Needs:

Honeycomb

·         Stays

o   Keep working on embroidery

o   Assemble, bone, bind, grommet (gold), lace

·         Skirt

o   Assemble and hem – 8” radius for hips and elasticate waistband

Corsets

·         Mock-ups for underbust and overbust base corsets and finalize fit

Mermaid

·         Make the corset – underbust with a swing-latch busk, single-layer construction

·         Find some skirt hikes

·         Weave a turtle belt (optional)

·         Figure out the head situation

o   Hair in a bun with a bunch of trinkets on sticks?

o   Shell crown?

Future Needs:

Pirate

·         Skirt

o   Three-layered ruffle skirt in stash upholstery fabrics (brown).

§  1st layer 12” long

§  2nd layer 18” long

§  3rd layer 24” long

o   Each layer same gather density @ 2x as wide as fabric width (if using multiple fabrics, 2x as wide as narrowest fabric)

o   Do I want a bustle here? Maybe. Match to corset since I have enough fabric.

·         Corset

o   Underbust with standard busk, single-layer construction, brass grommets

o   Front and back pieces using hat fabric, sides using cotton

·         Shirt

o   Mood Sewciety Cardinal – statement sleeve view, add the ruffle from the other one to the neck

o   Mansa 4.1oz Cotton from FWD in brown, hand-sew eyelets

Ursula

·         Skirt

o   Dye muslin Lavender

o   Cut strips, serge, sew together, make a skirt (Featherweight)

o   Set up for Kumo Shibori and over-dye black (dye corset laces here)

·         Chemise

o   Purple voile (obtained, needs washed)

·         Corset

o   Overbust with sweetheart neckline and diamond-stud busk, single-layer construction black grommets

o   Shiny black fabric on front and back, black cotton on sides

·         Accessories

o   Shell necklace (finished)

o   Gold spiky shell crown

Viking Alternates

·         Sleeved Tunic

o   Finish binding inside seams and hem

o   Dye lavender (with Ursula fabric)

o   Trim with tablet-weaving (almost finished with the weaving)

·         Sleeveless Tunic

o   Make with lacing options on sides for cinching

o   Dye… Plum?

·         Salwar Pants

o   Serge and sew

·         Accessories

o   Blue scarf to go on head or waist

o   Wide woven belt (pattern on TwistedThreads.org)

o   Basket backpack

Queen of Roses

·         Dress

o   Mood Sewciety Terra dress

o   Fully line bodice (voile to keep it light?) to keep facings from shifting

o   Orchid silk sateen from Mood as base

o   Orchid shimmer poly-chiffon from Zelouff as overlay for skirt portion only

o   Floral embroidery appliques all over overlay

·         Corset

o   Overbust with jagged upper edge, diamond-stud busk, single-layer construction, silver grommets

o   Lilac/white-shift silk dupioni from Denver Fabrics

·         Jacket

o   Elven Cloak pattern from Costume Pattern Studio

o   Lilac lace for sleeves and back

o   Base for sleeves/back from sateen and chiffon overlay treated as one

·         Wings

o   Pinterest for wing pattern

o   Opalescent cellophane and iron-on vinyl with wire sandwiched in between for construction
§  Alcohol ink on cellophane for extra detail

·         Accessories

o   Lantern for “purse”

o   Silver/lavender rose crown

o   Silver/dark purple nail tips

o   Vampire teeth!

Cicero

·         Shirt

o   Mood Sewciety Cardinal blouse, statement sleeve view

o   Mansa 4.1oz Cotton in black

·         Doublet

o   Margo Anderson’s Lady’s Doublet pattern with looped tabs
§  View 1 w/ high collar

o   Black linen fashion fabric lined with burgundy broadcloth

o   Tabs in black linen piped with gold and a red grosgrain ribbon in the center – ribbon stamped with black handprint

o   Small skull buttons?

·         Trunkhose

o   Margo Anderson’s Trunkhose

o   View B, Medium Length

o   Base construction in black cotton broadcloth

o   Panes in black… something. Linen? Velvet? Line panes with red broadcloth, pipe with gold, center of panes gets more stamped ribbon

·         Hose

o   Snag Tights in burgundy

o   Paint vertical stripes on one leg and harlequin diamonds on the other

·         Cape

o   Christmas Tree Skirt pattern, leave out bottom row of triangles for dagged points

o   Red and black diamonds

o   Black rayon lining

Tudoro

·         Stays

o   Finish out the mock-up from the Honeycomb stays – it fits!

·         Jacket/Stomacher/Foresleeves

o   Tudor Lady’s Closet, use the top of the outer gown for the jacket, bell sleeves

o   Stomacher to pin to stays, make in ivory linen and applique grey chevrons

o   Use the big paw-looking sleeves to tie in to the jacket’s upper sleeves, black silk tufting out for claws

·         Skirt

o   Standard 5-yard pleating and closure

·         Forepart

o   Ivory linen with grey chevrons

Hobbit

·         Vest

o   Black Snail Patterns, View B, blue/gold floral quilting cotton and blue rayon lining, flower buttons

·         Chemise

o   Standard chemise pattern with short sleeves, add lace, make it shorter

·         Skirt

o   Scroop’s Modern Fantail skirt in the pink mystery fabric from the stash

·         Accessories

o   Apron
§  Green toile fabric from Guild table

o   Hat
§  White voile muffin hat, oversized and with lace on the brim

o   Pocket
§  Mom’s pattern modified for 3 pockets in 3 fabrics

Moth Fairy

·         Chemise

o   Standard chemise pattern with long sleeves left open at wrist in grey double gauze

·         Corset

o   Purple underbust with silver grommets and single-layer construction

·         Skirts

o   Use the ones I have but get some hikes

·         Wings

o   Find and repair the ones Sister painted

·         Hat

o   Or do I just twist my hair into the messiest of Gibson Girl buns???


Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Chemise

 I FOUND IT AGAIN! And I've printed out several copies. But just so I have a reference, here it freaking is.
http://www.elizabethancostume.net/cheminst.html

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Moto Jacket Pt. 2

I had to re-vamp the Moto Jacket plan a little bit. The site where I found the Dyneema Denim is a fraud site, and it seems that Dyneema has stopped making their denim, or has at the very least stopped selling it to the public.

So now it's kevlar, and it isn't white and silver because I can't find kevlar in white denim. Only indigo or black. I wanted visibility, so I'm going with a darker piping and shoulder accent that is light reflective.

Update January 2026, amid the horrors: Can I ever make up my mind? No. No I cannot. After realizing that the Kevlar is only 33" wide and that I would need MUCH more of it at that insane price per yard I discussed with my husband (qualifications: has been riding dirt bikes in the mountains since he could hold on to his dad on the back of one) and decided on a change: Jacket out of Cordura HP, reinforce shoulders, elbows, and upper back with Kevlar.

Husband thinks this might be overkill for a jacket I'm going to wear while riding a Yamaha scooter for 2 miles at a time. I think it's upgrade-proof for if/when I end up on a real motorcycle. He did talk me out of spine armor, though... "If you're riding so fast you drag knee when you turn a corner, you -specifically- need to slow the fsk down."

At any rate, I have purchased Cordura samples in Black, Slate, and Navy and all the hardware from Sailrite as well as the shoulder fabric from Mood. I had him toss in the piping months ago on one of our increasingly-rare Amazon orders, which is why the jacket is still a dark theme despite the availability of Cordura in white. I'm also much less drawn to light colors in my personal style in general.

The pattern is still Midnight Moto, View A, size 46 (Gunnar Deatherage).

New links:

Kevlar - 3 Yards (Big Z Fabric $62.90/yd, $188.70 total)
Shoulders - 1/2 yard (Mood Fabrics $49.96/yd, $24.98 total)
Lining - 2 yards (Mood Fabrics $19.96/yd, $39.92 total) Obtained blue cotton lining for free!
Piping - Full bundle (Amazon $13.99)
Snaps - 10 pack (Sailrite $7.10)
Separating Zipper - qty 1, 18" sz #10 (Sailrite $4.80)
Zipper Chain - 5' length, sz #10 (Sailrite $4.75)
Bottom Stop - #10, 10 pack (Sailrite $1.30)
Top Stop - #10, 10 pack (Sailrite $1.70)
Zipper Pulls - #10, 10 pack, locking (Sailrite $6.50)

I'm leaving out the shoulder and elbow armor, but I do still want to put a pocket for a back piece in there. This one seems good.

Without the armor piece the total is running $293.74 before taxes and shipping.

On the shoulders I want to reinforce behind the reflective fabric with some more kevlar (as of the update this will be reflective fabric flatlined with Cordura and Kevlar), but I think I want to embroider a simple line-style bee on the outer shoulder cap (pattern piece H). On the elbows I want to add an extra layer or two of the kevlar over the top, maybe with some more decorative stitching to hold it all together. Honeycomb?

Because of how hard kevlar is on scissors, I think I want to see about rotary cutting this. The bigger pieces, like the fronts and back and maybe a couple of the sleeve pieces, might be tricky, but I'd rather go through a dozen or so blades than have to buy a new pair of good shears for this. My mom has multiple cutting mats - maybe I can cut this out at her house? Part of the update: I don't have to go anywhere to do this now that I've reduced the use of Kevlar in the jacket - my own cutting mat is more than enough to fit the enforced pieces.

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Links

 Hemlock Cape Instructions: YouTube

Irish Spice Bag Instructions: YouTube (delicious!! have made more than once now)

Interesting Times: ThriftBooksAbeBooks

The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook: ThriftBooks

Native Books: Chief William McIntoshOld Tallahassee Ceremonial Ground, Creek Religion and MedicineRivers of SandLost Creeks, Creek Indian History

The Golden Thread: Yarn Barn

Christopher Lee: ThriftBooks

Night Witches: ThriftBooks

Mercedes Lackey: ThriftBooks

Victorian Rebels: ThriftBooks

Veronica Speedwell: ThriftBooks

Spymasters (already have books 1&2): ThriftBooks

Pattern Paper: Mood Fabrics

Black Silk Charmeuse: Mood Fabrics

Fairy Corset Silk: Denver Fabrics

McSpadden Dulcimer: 4-String Walnut Teardrop with Scroll Head

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Homestead Books

Title

Author

Classification

Early Relevance

*The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible

Edward Smith

Garden Planning

1

The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

Judi Kingry

Food Preservation

2

Fermented Vegetables

Kirsten & Christopher Shockey

Food Preservation

3

The Everything Soapmaking Book

Alicia Grosso

Soap

4

Gaia's Garden

Toby Hemenway

Garden Planning

5

*Encyclopedia of Country Living

Carla Emery

General Overview

6

The First-Time Homesteader

Jessica Sowards

General Overview

7

Country Wisdom and Know-How

Editors of Storey Publishing

General Overview

8

The Backyard Homestead

Carleen Madigan

General Overview

9

Seed to Seed

Suzanne Ashworth

Garden Planning

10

*The Vegetable Gardener's Bible

Edward Smith

Garden Planning

11

*The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener

Nicki Jabbour

Greenhouse

12

The Art of Fermentation

Sandor Ellix Katz

Food Preservation

13

Freeze-Drying the Harvest

Carolyn Thomas

Food Preservation

14

Dirt to Soil

Gabe Brown

Land Management

15

Restoring Ecological Health to your Land

Steven I. Apfelbaum/Alan W. Haney

Land Management

16

The Modern Herbal Dispensatory

Easley & Horne

Health

17

Medical Herbalism

David Hoffmann

Health

18

Building Small Barns, Sheds, & Shelters

Monte Burch

Structures

19

Humane Livestock Handling

Temple Grandin

Livestock

20

The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals

Gail Damerow

Livestock

21

*Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens

Gail Damerow

Livestock

22

The Homesteader's Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook

Amy Fewell

Livestock

23

The Chicken Health Handbook

Gail Damerow

Livestock

24

Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks

Dave Holderread

Livestock

25

The Beginner's Guide to Beekeeping

Samantha & Daniel Johnson

Beekeeping

26

Keeping Bees with a Smile

Fedor Lazutin

Beekeeping

27

The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook

Carol Ekarius/Deborah Robson

Wool

28

The Joy of Keeping a Root Cellar

Jennifer Megyesi

Food Preservation

29

Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep

Paula Simmons/Carol Ekarius

Livestock

30

Getting Started with Beed and Dairy Cattle

Heather Smith Thomas

Livestock

31

The Art of Natural Cheesemaking

David Asher

Cheese

32

Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking

Gianaclis Caldwell

Cheese

33