Tiger Lily's Threads

Happy Holidays everyone!  It's been a few days of hard work but the skirt is finally completed and surprisingly, the cotton fabric I chose in the beginning looked great. When I wore the entire ensemble, I was expecting the skirt to be heavy and cumbersome but surprisingly it held up very well. The only things that I wish I could change about it, was the pattern I should have used (Truly Victorian) instead of Simplicity's steampunk edition pattern, and having more than enough thread and pins. But hey, not bad for a first skirt :D

Now that Christmas is finally over, I can finally get back to work on this project. I have done so much since I first stared on this project. Not too long ago, my friend came over a few times to visit before she left for the holidays, to help me do some pinning, and tailoring, as well as clean up work around the waistline, while I worked on the 5yard long flounce that we put together. The method we first used was a zig zag method with the sewing machine, but things got a little complicated during the process, so I scrapped it, and did it over with by just using knife pleats. The skirt is pretty much 80% done, and as much as I hate doing a rush job the day of an event (it happens), I feel really confident that the skirt will turn out looking perfect. Maybe later on in the next few weeks, I'll add some more flounces to it to make it look more elegant, and possibly start on a new Victorian project (next time using an actual Truly Victorian pattern).

Had a sewing party tonight with my husband and a good friend of mine from work. While we ate spaghetti, and watched Jim Henson's 'Labyrinth', we worked on my Victorian skirt (with train). It took a while; considering this was my first non- 18th century skirt, and I did not have a proper pattern for it, and made a mistake on the back of the skirt (I miscalculated the amount of fabric I'd need to add to the back) but thankfully my friend was a professional and turned my sewing blunder into something that looked just like a victorian skirt.  My reference photos below: The personality of the ensemble just screams challenge  Dresses with a more simpler design (no flounces on the purple, and slight flounces on the tan) My Progress: Simplicity 1558. I had everything cut out, until I put the skirt over top of my underskirt and bustles and realized that I needed to make it longer like a train. Unable to salvage it myself, my friend stepped in and sav

With Christmas coming in a few weeks, I now want to focus on making a 40's vintage skirt for the "40's Holiday Tea. I looked high and low all over the Internet for reference pictures and came across this picture. This really made me stare at it in awe. Not because of the fact of how simple the construction of this skirt is, but because it can also be reversible. The type of plaid that they used, was the traditional "Tartan" pattern. So, while on my search for a Tartan pattern at my local Hobby Lobby, I found this vintage looking fabric instead. It looked absolutely perfect-ish. Lol.  Just to make sure I had more than enough fabric, I bought 3 yards and got to measuring.  I knew that I would need a 28'' waistband and at least a 2'' wide pleat for each knife pleat that I would do, and maybe at least another 2'' hem for the bottom (not entire sure, because it would solely depend on how LxW the fabric will be after I st

Last Saturday, my husband and I were watching One Piece on Toonami, when I came up with a great idea for a costume for next years Katsucon : Nico Robin's Galley La shirt. The shirt was by far the easiest thing to construct. The pink T-shirt was something I already had from this past Summer, and to add the Galley Shipping Company logo I got it done professionally at the mall with vinyl letters (much more durable than silk screening). Other than that, all that's left to add are jeans and my flat shoes for easy walking, and of course the wig. I definitely think that this is a perfect casual cosplay (or for regular wear) any time of the year.