#sewing thoughts

[devynconstance]

Ya know the thing I learned about sewing (and other fiber art crafts in general) is that it'll take as long as it takes and there's nothing you can do about it.

I could cut corners to get something done faster but the garment or project always suffers for it in the end so I might as well accept the fact that it'll be a few days (or a lot of days) of work before I see the finished product.

Slow down, do it right the first time, and enjoy the process because its a long one.

[fadetouchedlurker]

I have been hanging on to some really glorious super dark olive silk velvet for a couple/several years now with the idea that I will turn it into something really lovely to wear for my 40th birthday, and I think I'm almost there now. I've been working on variations of a trouser pattern now for years, and I think I know the features I want to put into it.

I really ought to straighten up my sewing space, though.

[janerhoadesart]

making my own wedding dress might have been a bad idea because of how tempted i am to make a medici collar………….

[racingliners]

Costume/Cosplay Wishlist

Rambly sewing post? Rambly sewing post.

So I feel like sewing is just going to be a part of my blog now some some of my pals and mutuals are actually enjoying my sewing posts (which honestly, I’m thrilled at) I don’t want to turn into a full sewing blog or anything like that, but I do want to keep sharing any current projects/makes I’m working on, or just go off about general sewing things.

As much as I love making things to wear day-to-day, making costumes/cosplays from my fandoms and favourite films is just so much fun despite going to cons not currently being a thing (but there’s always Halloween right?) so to try and help me deal with the coronavirus lockdown (and for the sake of being organised) I’m finally writing down a list of costumes and cosplays that I would love to make. Some of these might be a pipe dream, and some I’ve been hinting at for months, but this is where I’m at so far! (Spoiler alert, there’s a lot of Star Trek)

(Under a read more for the sake of not clogging up your dashes)

Star Trek Enterprise - Operations Uniform (Trip Tucker & Malcolm Reed)

So this is the Enterprise uniform that I’ve been nattering on about in the tags of some posts that is at the moment my next major sewing project as soon as I can get all the supplies I need for it! I currently have fabric, rank pips, Enterprise patch and some bias binding for the division stripes, but I still need zips, thread and an actual sewing pattern. 

There’s a fan-run company called Bad Wolf Costumes that sell patterns from uniforms from TNG, DS9, VOY and Enterprise, according to their various websites they will be selling women’s patterns soon (when soon is, who actually knows), I might still cave and buy a men’s pattern and adjust it depending on how desperate I am to start making it, but for now I’m happy to keep waiting while I beef up my sewing skills.

This is the one I’m most excited to make since Enterprise is one of my fave Trek shows, and while I know I don’t bear that much resemblance to either character, they’re my absolute favourite characters from Enterprise so of course I want to cosplay them eventually.

Star Trek Enterprise - “Two Days and Two Nights” Trip Tucker & Malcolm Reed

So the idea for this wafted into my head the other day, since TDATN is a shore leave episode and the characters are all in their civvies, it’s a cosplay that would also easily work as casual wear. I’ve been looking around for some blazer sewing patterns since I want to have a go at making some anyway, the main thing to work around would be finding patterns for dresses and fabrics that would work for both characters (the Malcolm version would be easier since it’s all unicolour fabric, but I do have a couple of ideas for the purple Trip dress (lace overlay and maybe the odd ruffle who knows???)

Star Trek Discovery - Number One

So the second I saw the TOS uniforms on Discovery I absolutely loved them, and I loved what the writers did with fleshing out Number One’s character (I’ve yet to see all the Series 2 Short Treks, but from what I’ve seen in gifsets I’m pretty sure that Number One has a spot on my favourite characters list)

This would probably have to be a self-drafted pattern but from what I can tell it doesn’t look as complex at the ENT jumpsuit or the standard Discovery uniform (as I type this, it is probably not as easy as it looks). So it’ll probably be a “for when my sewing skills are good enough project”

Star Trek Deep Space Nine - Medical & Sciences Uniform (Jadzia Dax)

As much as I love Ezri, I doubt I’d be able to pull off a pixie cut so I’d probably be better cosplaying as Jadzia (who again, is one of my fave DS9 characters). I don’t know if making the uniform or painting all the Trill spots on my self would be harder but that’s all part of the fun I guess.

The second DS9 uniform is another one of my fave Trek uniforms, I don’t know why I like it so much, but it’s just really nice.

This is also another “waiting for a women’s pattern” project that’s very much on the back burner, but I would absolutely love to make and wear it one day!

Star Trek Beyond - James T. Kirk

The re-design of the Kelvin timeline uniform for Beyond was just *chef’s kiss*, the women’s uniforms finally got ranks and the men’s uniforms just look so much nicer??? (I really liked the uniforms in the first two movies, but I was so sold on the Beyond versions the second I saw them in the cinema).

I actually bought myself a merch command badge recently with the aim of eventually using it in a Kirk cosplay, I’m leaning towards making it in the shirt and trousers style as opposed to the women’s dress version, mainly because it looks like an easier pattern to draft and make. My main issue while hunting for materials is finding the right metallic fabric for the rank stripes as well as finding something in the right colour that looks close enough to the screen used fabric.

Scoob! (2020) - Daphne Blake

Scooby-Doo was one of my favourite TV shows as a kid, and (again this is very much a recurring theme) Daphne was my favourite characters out of the bunch. So when I saw the trailer for Scoob! and saw what the animators did with Daphne’s iconic purple dress I fell in love and knew that one day, that was the version of the costume I wanted to make (mainly because of the adorable green peter pan collar they put in as a replacement for her green scarf)

Frozen II - Anna & Elsa’s final dresses

Yes, they have been made by Disney cosplayers everywhere but look-at-them-they-are-such-lovely-dresses-I-legit-can’t

I want them, that is all

Disney Midnight Masquerade - Tiana

So obviously a huge disclaimer that I would never intentionally cosplay as Tiana (as a white person that would not be appropriate of me) so this would be more of an occasion wear dress even though it is technically a costume (sort of).

I love the 20s aesthetic that Disney added to Princess and the Frog (it’s something that I’ve loved the look of since I studied Art Nouveau and The Great Gatsby at High School). And after I started following cosplayers and sewers on instagram the above sketch by Steven Thompson (based off designs by Jessica Fuchs) and the dolls that came from them started appearing in the explore feed of my instagram and I fell in love with Tiana’s dress instantly. It’s just so beautiful and looks like it would be a lot of fun to make (and maybe even wear if I do get round to making it)

[fadetouchedlurker]

The great thing about sewing is you can take all the things that annoy you about clothes and make them go away with careful drafting.

So many things about shoulder seams annoying? Cut the sleeve out with the body of the garment! Drop it off the shoulder! Shift the center shoulder seam so it lays toward the back instead of the center! There are no rules!

Where the wrist and ankle hits irritating? You can move those too! You can even make pants with footie covers!

Like a super high waist? That's an option!

Have very specific feelings about fabrics? You're making the clothes, you can pick them!

(I also like high elfy collars, but that's something between a stylistic preference and a tactile delight.)

[fadetouchedlurker]

The thing about ecru, is there is a shade of ecru that has some gray in it, and I find that one to be quite flattering, and there is a shade of ecru that has more yellow, and I look sallow in that one, and I'm a fair olive, so I'm sallow anyway. But this tunic pattern totally works, even if the remnant that I used was totally the yellow ecru.

[afroflowerr]

I’ve organized my sewing supplies, oiled up my machines, got the sewing machine manuals…now I gotta figure out what to sew bc naturally I’ve mentally overwhelmed myself 🧵

[biscuitfortune]

i spent the afternoon shifting some of my sewing room junk to make room for doing some project-related tasks

put some quilt pieces back up on the wall

folded my finished tops and put them on the closet shelf together

put all the interfacings and stabilizers back in their bin

took a stack of fabrics that had been sitting out and cut hunks from them for future fusing

put the fabrics back in their drawers

finished taping together the greenstyle lounge pants pattern i printed a while back

traced that onto pattern ease

traced the sew liberated arenite pants pattern (a0 print)

cut out most of the pieces for the standard size of the encircle tote and folded them into a sheet protector

I still need to trace: friday pattern co heather blazer (retail printed - i don't like cutting the tissue if it can be avoided) simplicity 8298 dottie angel quilt coat (ditto; also this is oop so if i'm careful i might be able to sell it) sew liberated sylvan jacket (a0 print) ellie & mac connie shacket (a0 print)

plus i have the other two sizes of the encircle tote i can cut out from a0 prints. "large" and "oversized." and the apexcarry tote. and the splashout backpack. ha ha ha that's a lot of bags (that i want to make into a matching set).

i have cat print canvas set aside for testing the heather blazer and arenite pants. i might have enough of the fabric i'm using to test the blazer and pants to also do the sylvan jacket (i had a whole bolt). i intend to make a ~real~ heather blazer with chair print canvas. not sure about the pants yet, gotta see how the drape works. we have a goofy telephone print canvas at work i would love to use for the pants, but if it isn't right it can be the sylvan jacket instead.

i have flannel for the lounge pants.

i do not have the elastic needed for either pair of pants. we don't carry it at the shop so i gotta figure that out. might have to brave jo-ann.

i haven't yet purchased the fabric i want to use for the totes. i intended to do that after i got paid by my guild for my presentation but that got pushed back to may. alas.