AkashaZuul

The coats look lovely, but it's really hard to tell from the small photos. Have you ever considered adding more detailed photos on your eBay listings? My favorite listings for pirate coats on eBay are for Carlisle's coats because they use so many detailed photos. It makes it so much easier to spend the money when you can see the quality you're getting before you purchase. I can't find any listings for them right now, but these are the photos they generally use. . . http://carlislesonline.com/capitaine_popup.html

Ooooh. Aaah. Woooooow. *drool* That's about as erudite as I'm going to get. FABULOUS work! I can't wait to see that whitework doublet. So I finally went out gothing again last week after several months of not doing any social events besides pirating, and it was *great* to be able to wear all my fancy corset stuff again! Makes me want to pull out my supplies and quickly whip up a bunch of silk brocade underbust and waist-cincher corsets to add to my collection. Gosh, after working on 1700's stuff for the last 5 months, it almost seems easy! Purple and yellow sounds drool-icious. I think I have remnants of the duchesse from Thai Silks in oxblood and eggplant that would be just enough for waist-cinchers. So I have to admit that I'm really posting so much about all of this because I haven't been able to sew for weeks due to my elbow tendonitis. Can we say withdrawal?

So I'm going to be annoying and post my favorite corset maker's link again. http://www.thestaymaker.com Kass: I think my two favorite bits in that book are the 1740's court mantua on page 155 (I have the full photo of the dress in another book), and the italian cloak 1610 on page 169. Swoon! Well, that, the red/silver mantua, the yellow polonaise gown, and the embroidered cockatrice in red on page 151. And there we have my sewing projects for the next 72.3 years.

So in other words, when we get stuck, we call you? It's funny. . . I've looked at your site so many times before, and always thought "what great work here". It's really great to see things being put together as they go. Much easier to learn how to do it yourself that way.

I'll bring it tomorrow, you can take a look. I actually like the vest on the McCalls revolutionary costume better, but the coat looks great. Oh and the new Simplicity pattern has real breeches!

If you figure out what that stuff is, let me know. I haven't been able to find any ribbed silk around on eBay. I found something like it in black and white only at Thai Silks, and they refer to it as "Ottoman Silk". I've heard it called Faille, Bengaline, and Grossgrain silk, but it's really hard to find by any name. I'm looking for something like the red fabric mantua with silver embroidery in Historical Fashion in Detail on page 62-63. That sort of silk ribbing.

Ahh! The Sleepy Hollow Gown! I just got my striped fabric and figured out a pattern for that. . . . I can't wait to make it! I cannot decide if I'll have time to finish it and my saque gown before Halloween, but we'll see. Still have to figure out my boy's clothes too! Good luck sewing that dress. Please please please post photos! Kass, that saffron color is fantastic. Yeah sheesh a pound. Can you imagine how much a pound of that would cost? And to use for *dyeing*? Hahaha. I use it when I cook basmati rice, by the way. : ) I wonder what you could add in there to put in some orange color. . . natural, of course. Procion dyes work great, but aren't even close to period *or* natural.

So I was rummaging through my local Walgreens and came upon a package of temporary tattoo printer paper! I haven't tried it yet, but it might be worth checking out. You can print out as many bits as you like, and then cut them out. Was thinking about handing out some skull/crossbone designs for an upcoming pirate event. . .

Oh! Jacquard. I believe I have some of their dye for hand painting silk in my stash somewhere, awaiting inspiration. There's also a place in San Rafael up here that carries Jacquard dyes, as well as a ton of other products for dying cotton and silk. Dharma is their name, I believe. I've heard that Jacquard is definitely the stuff to use, and obvious from the beautiful color of your new jacket. Very cool stays. Lovely workmanship too. They remind me very much of a beautiful pair that are photographed on the web somewhere, originals not reproduction. Did you do all the boning channels by hand? I'm also wondering what the white strip is on the shot of the back. I've seen that before, but have no idea what it is. . . a seam? A boning channel? Just one more annoying question. . . what kind of boning did you use? So many annoying questions! Oh well. . . gotta learn somehow, right? Okay, I lied, one more question. Do you have as much stinkin' trouble getting into those things without a front opening as I do?!??! I'm so grateful for the invention of the busc. Thanks.

Oooh that'll be gorgeous. Do you have any more high-res photos of those stays? Those are quite lovely too. What product did you use to dye your dupioni? I have a bunch of ivory scrap material that I'd like to paint or dye for a couple of projects coming up, and need to figure out a good silk dye. Post more photos of your project as it moves along!

That's really cool stuff. I went oooh at the "pound of saffron", though. Orange gold, it is. : ) Can't wait to see it finished.

Wow! That's better than my gothy corset design of black satin with raised embroidered drops and drips of blood running down the sides. Hmmm. A real pirate corset, eh? You'd have to wear it with a tricorn, thigh high pirate boots. . . and nothing else. Those things are a bitch to get *off*, though, at crucial moments. . . not surprising that women of history rarely wore underwear.

What sort of frock coat do you mean? Modern, or 1700's?

They are awesome. I've spent the last week itching to get back to sewing, but it's a no-no right now; even Scott my better half looms menacingly over me when I try and use my arms. (sigh) So how is your business going? I always dreamed of owning my own clothing design business, but started it and realized I'd never get paid quite what my time was worth. So I'm studying to be a therapist now. : ) Send more photos of that corset, and any others you have. I need more inspiration!

So I've been told by more than a few fellas that there ain't nothing better than a woman in a corset. Other clothing optional. Is this true?

I think it should be nicely fitted. I know that pattern you are talking about, and this one isn't anything like it. Okay, well other than the fact that they're both coats. . . I'm hoping to make a coat that has the same lovely drape and flow as Jack's coat does in the scene where he "docks" his boat, and gets stopped by the harbormaster to pay his docking fee. Right as he walks down the dock, you get a fabulous view of the back of the coat. Mmmmm. Still not sure what fabric to pick yet. . .

My usual fabric searches start with Jo-Anns and Beverly's (cheapest, since I have coupons), moving to Thai Silks, Discount Fabrics, and Mendel's on Haight, followed by Hart's in Santa Cruz, and then Britex. I haven't seen hemp fabric at most of these places, but I haven't really looked for it before. I scour Jo-Anns pretty regularly for stuff, and I'm almost certain they have no nice linen or hemp fabrics. I'd call Discount Fabrics and Britex and see if they have it and what their cost is. There might also be places in Santa Cruz that would have it, being Santa Cruz and all. Barring that, Thai Silks has some nice raw slubby silk in a variety of colors that would make a lovely vest. Ace made one for his Jack Sparrow costume that has a really nice texture to it. I'll keep my eye out for some during my next shopping trip. Have you considered ordering online?

So Scott and I grabbed one of the new pirate coat patterns this weekend so I could check it out. It's pretty cool. The layout is very similar to a couple of coats in my book collection, although the construction techniques are very modern. I'm going to do some measurements and see how well they made it fit to modern specs. Watch out on that $1000 costume prize, though. . . if my arms get back into commission in time, I am *so* entering!!! : ) : ) : ) I do have to complain regarding one aspect of the pattern. . . who picked the model? That fake facial hair does nothing to make me want to sew that costume for anyone. Yeesh.

That's exactly what I did, minus the tissue. I drafted the pattern from measurements based on the half-boned stays in Corsets and Crinolines, and cut them out of the Eureka vacuum box we had lying around. Worked great. I love how the latest blue silk dupioni ones turned out. Can I just say OoooOoooooooh about those red stays? I'm not feeling very erudite at the moment, so that will have to do. Please say you have more photos you can post so I can see how they're made! They look just like Ian's Fustian stays (http://www.thestaymaker.com) that I'm currently in love with. Hopefully they'll be my next project once my tendonitis in my elbows goes away. Nice to have you on the Pyrate board. : )

I believe those are the Mantua Maker stays, another failed project since they didn't come close to fitting at the size they suggested. HOWEVER. . . . the instructions for making period stays using original fabrics and methods is very cool to read through. The drawing on the front was so cool, I had to buy it. Bummer they don't look quite that good when made! The Great Pattern Review at http://www.gbacg.org/Patterns/ is quite the great read-through. I like seeing what people tried, succeeded, and failed at before I buy a pattern. Although I figure a strapless tube shape is probably more comfy to wear to events, I just really love the conical style like what Ian the Staymaker has here. http://www.geocities.com/staymaker/gallery.htm I want to do the Fustian front-lacing stays in red silk duchesse as my next attempt!!! Yeah sure okay right after my bloody tendonitis gets better. Just found out today that I have to cut down on computers and sewing for a few weeks.

I would love copies, Black John! Now I'd have to figure out of what. . . probably stuff out of Waugh. I'm a lazy pirate, and would find it easier to just make adjustments to a full-sized pattern than drawing it on butcher paper from scratch. 36" printer. . . how cool is that? So far my favorite historical pattern has been Period Impressions polonaise gown (adjusting the straight back seams to curved). I'm about to try their saque-back gown pattern as well for a Halloween gown. J.P. Ryan's patterns are pretty okay, and I really want to try the Robe a l' Anglaise, but I can't agree on the stays pattern. I've tried every commercial stays/corset pattern, and until I sat down and drafted myself one from Corsets and Crinolines, they all fit me badly. Maybe I'm too picky about fit? I believe Ryan's pattern actually has good instructions for fitting, but the actual look of the finished stays just isn't very attractive. I think they're designed for more lower to middle-class costumes, and have a more tubular rather than conical shape, and no straps. : ( I'm going to have to go find it downstairs and remind myself of why I was unhappy with it. I guess after working with corsets in the victorian style so much, I've gotten to the point where it's just easier to slap fabric on someone and draw the pattern lines there to make sure the bits all fit! Who ever thought squishing people's flab around in uncomfortable ways was fashionable, anyway?

The model they got to pose is just. . . eeeeeew. However, it's the closest thing yet to a commercial coat pattern with real pleats in it, so I'm going to grab it and check it out. I'm interested to see how the construction directions compare with period construction techniques. I suppose that using the pattern while comparing it to the photos/diagrams in historical costume books should have you with something quite nice at the end. I love that. . ."I'll have one sewn up by this weekend". I am so jealous that you have the time! I have a feeling that most of my projects are going to have to be done piecemeal over the next couple of months. With school and work, I have no time anymore. More hand-sewing in front of the TV at night, I suppose. : ) If anybody tries it, post photos!!!

I'm not even going to go into how jealous I am about that copier!!! I love Norah Waugh's book, and I've got one of the coats on the list of things to sew this summer. Scott needs something fancy for the Buccaneer's Ball in October (and for Halloween! I mean, why spend all that time making pirate costumes if You can't wear them for Halloween?). I totally scored last week. Some nice lady who used to be a student at the Fashion Institute sold all her pattern drafting and draping books to me for a wee $20. I now have a 2 foot high stack of books about creating your own patterns, fitting your muslin, how to alter patterns, how to size up patterns using commercial measurements, drafting your own pattners, draping your own patterns, etc. . . . If I had more time, I would have read them all cover to cover already I am so excited! Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to wear to the KLA/Tencor picnic on Saturday so I don't fry. . . Pirate clothes are hot, in all senses.

Okay, so I'm someone's hero now. . . that's a bit weird. Me, a hero? When did that happen? I must have missed the email. . . If anything I say winds up inspiring people to sew more, I'm a happy girl! Good luck sewing with that wool, blackjohn. Post photos so we can see how it's coming along.

Happy Birthday Gary!!!!! I hope lots more celebratin' is planned for this weekend. . . .