Wonderland Wedding Homestretch

Only a week left and there's still so much to do!

Thankfully Jenna's dress is one bias strip and three pieces of lace away from being finished (So. Much. Hand sewing). Since she is the bride, her dress has always been at the top of the priority list.

Mine on the other hand... Yeah that's a different story. Right now, I still have to

• attach sleeves to bodice
• line said bodice and finish seams
• add heart cutouts to skirt hem
• finish bias edges on my corset
• modify a hair accessory for the outfit

Four days of mayhem, coming right up. Because the wedding is in Louisiana, all - ALL - of the machine work has to be done before I get on the plane next Wednesday. Airlines are a little finicky about taking your sewing machine on the plane with you.

In the meantime, here's how my bodice has been progressing.

Because of the black and red color story, things were a little crazy while cutting out pieces. Not only did I have five separate fabrics to work with, I had to re-pin everything five times as well. Needless to say your project can seem a bit daunting when all you have to look at is this:

Lining, lining, interlining, outside, and outside. Yeah, it's a lot of pieces.

But with a bit of patience - which I'm sorely lacking right now - and sewing, it quickly turns into this:

All the bodice pieces sewn together. Yay!

And while sewing, I've learned that I really need to invest in bulk quantities of featherlite boning. I hate running to the store for more just because I need 1 yard of it.

The sleeves for this are quite ridiculously over the top. Because my base pattern is for an 1890s bodice (TV490), I wanted it to have sleeves to go with it. I pulled the 1890's Sleeve pattern (TV495) from my stash and used a modified version of View 4 with the flair. As mentioned in my heart bloomers post, I added ribbon along the flair to reflect my color scheme.

I also added some of my hearts from the pattern drew to the sleeves (just to make them that much more crazy).

And now I've got these giant white balloon thingies sitting on my sewing table.

Not sure how I feel about them right now, but due to lack of time, they'll have to work. Hopefully they'll look loads better once they're actually attached to the bodice.
 

I Heart My Heart Bloomers

Okay, so my can-can research left me feeling a little inspired and I was definitely looking for something to wear under my dress so the - ahem - modern unmentionables wouldn't show. Short bloomers was the answer so I picked up a multi-length bloomer pattern at the store.

Simplicity.com

I used the shortest length, since I have plans for some accessories, and cut the pieces out. Thank goodness for large floor space because some of the pieces were huge.

I chose black fabric to contrast against a lot of the red that's underneath the skirt. I followed most of the included directions, making only a few changes to the decorations and sewing methods based on prior experiences and wearer preferences. The biggest change was I eliminated the lace/ribbon along the edge seams, and instead top-stitched red and white ribbon along the ruffles at the bottom.

Part of the reason is because it will go with additions to my bodice (more on that later).

A day and a half later, I finished. Then I felt inspired a little more. I free hand drew a heart and cut one out of my red fabric. After playing with it a bit, I marked a spot, pinned in place, and went to town.

So I loved my little ribbon-trimmed bloomers to start, and then I added the heart, and now I'm completely in love with them! Can't wait to wear them at the end of the month for the wedding!

 *           *          *

Pattern: Simplicity 2777, view E with some modifications. Self-drafted heart cutout.

Fabric: Red and black cotton/poly blend broadcloth.

Notions: Red and white poly satin ribbon for trim and drawstring at waist.

Red Cherry Blossom Corset

So in amongst my sewing for the wedding dress, I have still been slowly working my way through my own dress. One thing I decided to do was make a corset because:
a) my powder blue one looks odd with all the black and red 
b) what the hey, I'll take any excuse to make a new one

I got lucky and found a remnant piece of a cherry blossom brocade at Joann's that worked perfectly, and I had some black twill from a leftover project.

The fabric is more of a cherry red.

I pulled out my Truly Victorian (TV110) pattern pieces from my prior corset project and after rechecking measurements, made a secondary adjustment by letting out the hips one size. Once the adjustment was made, I recut the pieces and cut out the twill and brocade.

The next step was flat lining everything. A fun task since the brocade starts to fray as soon as it's cut and I ran out of thread during the process.

Along with thread, I had to order a new busk as well. Rather than use a standard busk with silver fastenings, I special ordered a black busk. When it came and I put it together with the material, I'm so glad I did.

I've had the last couple of days off from work, so I spent my time getting everything stitched together. Now I just having the boning channels, grommets, and binding to add and it will be finished!

Dress Fitting - Round Two

Last night we did a secondary fitting for Jenna's dress and with the exception of a couple minor tweaks, we're in a spot to start putting together the final outfit! Hoorah!

Per her request, I'm refraining from putting up too many detail photos since she wants it to be a surprise for the wedding. Here is what I can show outside of the previous fitting:

A small peek at the skirt -

A swatch of the satin for the bodice -

Denverfabrics.com

 And a swatch of lace for the blouse -

Joann.com

 Stay tuned for the end of October for the big reveal!

Penny Dreadful review

So when Kerry reads this at some point, he's going to probably be upset because I had said we could watch this together. Then I got engrossed, cheated, and watched the whole season.

Penny Dreadful is a brand new series from Showtime that blends together the mysterious macabre, unearthly gothic, and classic literature into a fast-paced drama full of mystery and suspense.

Eva Green as Vanessa Ives from Penny Dreadful

Although the cast is large, much of the story centers around Vanessa Ives, played by the enigmatic Eva Green (Dark Shadows and Camelot). A young woman with a clouded past, she lives with Sir Malcolm Murray - played by Timothy Dalton of 1983's Jane Eyre - an explorer with and equally peculiar story. As the season unfolds, we learn of their relationship and connection. Sir Malcolm's daughter, Mina Murrary, was a childhood friend to Vanessa who disappeared a few years prior and is now being held by a creature.

Reeve Carney as Dorian Gray - Image via IMDB

The steady introduction of characters that follows only adds to depths of the story. To aid in their hunt, Vanessa and Sir Malcolm employ American gunslinger Ethan Chandler (played by Josh Hartnett, who has aged quite well I might add) and Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway of The Lone Ranger). Add into the mix the dark and brooding Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), and the literary mix starts to come to light. And of course there's Billie Piper for any Doctor Who fans.

Image via IMDB

Now if you're expecting classic Dracula and Frankenstein from Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley, then you'll be in for a bit of a surprise. This story is very different, delving into the supernatural and the sensational that the original penny dreadfuls were known for.

Given the lurid content of these same originals, the show also has some rather graphic content, including its fair share of gore, sex, and language. This is not your typical Victorian gothic gaslight. So definitely not a recommended show for younger audiences or those who are aren't into blood.

Image via IMDB

The script and characters is what ultimately drives the show though (and what kept me wanting to keep going after the premier). With each new episode, a new layer of each player in the mystery is peeled back and the story gains one more puzzle that viewer must muse upon. By the end of the season (between sewing and work, I finished in about 5 days), I had figured out a few of the underlying story plots, but so many new ones had been opened up that all I wanted to do was watch next season. Like everyone else who found this spectacular new gaslight mystery though, I'll have to wait until next year.

Image via IMDB

So like any costume drama I watch, I have to do a quick review of the costumes. Penny Dreadful starts off in 1891, the tail end of the Victorian Era known as the Belle Epoque. Many of the designs fit within the design concepts that were notable for this period; the diminished bustle as it died away, and the start of the hourglass silhouette with its more tailored look. Most of Vanessa's costumes are spot on with the exception of minor details (Did high, pointed lace collars really exist?) and wardrobe choices for finishing off an outfit (Okay, we all know women wore some type of hat or head covering when out in public). For me, I'll pick at the small details like this, but it's not enough to totally kill my interest in the show.

What kind of collar is that?

The men's clothing is what intrigued me though since there was such a wide variety of it; the old explorer, the African manservant, the American gunslinger, the poor medical student. These were just a few of the varying costumes presented and each matched the character who donned it within the multiple scene settings that were presented.

For a Victorian supernatural thriller, this really is as the title presents - a Penny Dreadful that is certain to intrigue and cause sensation as it spins a new story of some classic literature's well-known stories. After all, with the tagline "There's some thing within us all," you'll definitely be in for a thrill ride.

Overall review - 4.5 out of 5
Costumes - 4.5 out of 5