Modesty's Costume Closet

 The design frenzy has settled down. The initial excitement wanes a bit as expected. But there is still more to think about. While I'm pleased with the potential ideas, there are a few things I should consider on a more logical and practical basis. For example, what's going to be the challenge in making this dress? How expensive do I think it will be? Is my production plan the best way to make this? When it comes to accessories, what will be great for dancing and what will get in the way or become an annoyance?  Current preferred Design Lets start with determining potential Accessories. Accessory Evaluation Going off my drawing, here are the accessories I might use:  Feathered Headband Stud Earrings Long Pearl Necklaces  Ornamented Necklace Black Gloves Gold bangle bracelets White Feather Boa Ornamented Belt/Sash T-strap Mary Jane Shoes A couple of non-negotiables include the shoes and at least one other Flapper staple such as the headband or pearls.  For dancin...

 I've been quiet because I am laser focused on making this dress on time. At this point I've finished the major sewing. I'm "tweaking" and getting ready to add the decoration.  Here were the pain points for this project:  Tailoring the pattern Inserting Godets Adding horsehair braid hem Inserting the neckline elastic It needs a zipper But I did learn a great deal. So, here's how these were addressed:  Adjusting a Pattern I do this more often than making my own pattern. However, I understand now the benefit of drafting my own based on a pattern block. Making or getting a leotard pattern block makes tailoring other patterns much easier. Since I'm narrow up top and wide below the belt, I tend to have two very different sizes. In this project, I was able to adjust the top using my dress form and pinning to take in the side seams. I didn't realize until later that I also needed to reduce the width of the front and back neckline. I was able to address this b...

There two things to consider when designing a dance costume:  Allow the dancer to move safely without interference Enhance the dancer's movement and body aka draw attention.  Let's discuss these considerations.  Movement Safety For a dance costume, you don't want the dancer's movement impeded or restricted by the costume. The style of dance (or the choreography) plays a role in the design. A dance costume for a dance that includes leaps and landings will have different design considerations for movement safety than a more deliberate, slow dance.  There are a few areas of focus for this on a dance costume: Feet/Legs (Hem), arms (Sleeves), and Torso (bodice). Hem This refers the the bottom edge of any skirt or pant leg.  A hem should allow for what I like to call "foot clearance". This is what I failed to realize with my earlier costumes for ballroom dance: the hem needed to be at my ankle or higher while in the high heels.   The style of shoe and the co...

 Shame on me for not posting sooner, but the Unicorn dance costume was a success! (A proper post-mortem will come later.)  However, I've decided to enter my first competition. Just a mini-match for now but I will need a dress for it. Which of course, is very exciting when it comes to "what should I wear?" I've been Pinning ideas for different dress shapes, colors and designs and maybe overwhelming myself. So, it's time to hit pause and layout some design considerations as well as practical ones. Let's start with practical.  Practical Considerations - Budget and Investment These are the pillars of practical decisions for costumes (and other creative things): Budget and Investment.  Budget = what you can spend/spare in terms of time, money, space, and energy. Basically it's what you have on hand already.  Investment = what you can put into a project in terms of time, money, space, and energy. It's more about capacity. My analogy of this is Investment is ...