WeWantsTheRedhead.com--- Construction diary of the Redhead Wench from Pirates of the Carribean

WeWantsTheRedhead.com

The Construction Diary
Where the photos of the process of construction will live. I will post new photos and comments as I have them...

November 2, 2006
WHEWWW!!! Made it!! Well, mostly. We went to a party at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Every year they have a member's only costume event, and we never miss it. So here I am... the day of the event, (well, actually the night before) cutting out my hat (with my trusty helper, Rosa, beside me, she was checking the pattern). I had a really hard time with it... It was very frustrating. And it didn't come out near as well as I would have liked. It looked ok, but didn't stay on very well, and I didn't get to make the flowers that go under the right side of the brim. But I had a hat... and the costume wouldn't have been what it was if I didn't have it.

This costume was very difficult to finish up in the end... I had to put in three different zippers... OH the zipper problems... MY GOODNESS... have I never, ever been so frustrated. I wanted to install an invisible zipper, they are just easier to put in, but I couldn't find the special foot that it requires to put one in. So I went to my local Beverly's, and they sell the invisible zippers, but do not sell the feet... or so they told me. I had to go on the zipper foot hunt. I found the foot elsewhere, then sewed the zipper in, but the needle got too close to the teeth, some of them got crunched up and zipper wouldn't go down. I had to go out and get another zipper, so I bought two, you know, gut feel, just in case.... Sewed the new one in, and tried it on Janie... perfect, then tried to unzip it off her, and it was stuck. The teeth again. So then I had to cut that zipper off, and install the THIRD one... I was exhausted, and I sewed it in backwards... so I had to rip it out AGAIN... and then I finally got it right.

I had some other frustrating moments... the lining on the bodice was slipping around everywhere, and it affected the fit of the bodice... but I finally got that right too. All in all, I was completely disgusted when I finished, but I did finish, and so far I have heard nothing but glowing compliments. There are several things I would change if I could do it again, but I likely will just leave it. It is just a costume, after all.

Lorenzo's costume had some unfinished pieces too, he didn't get his red sash around his head, nor did he get the belt to hold a sword, but he had everything else. We ended up cutting the soles off the boots I got him, and he wore them over regular shoes, and they looked really good. I would have liked to make him a bigger hat too, but I just completely ran out of time. But there is always next year!!

We took tons of photos, I will post them as soon as we get them all together.

October 24, 2006
Just 3 days left! Wow... did that ever come up fast. I still have the zipper to put in the dress, and the cuffs to do... I was going to sew buttons on the cuff, but the fabric is very difficult to work with. I wanted to cover little buttons with the red satin, but it just frays and falls apart. I will try sealing the edges then making the buttons, we will see how that goes.

And the bodice is nearly done. It was very difficult to put together, I fought it quite a bit. I used the exact same pattern for the dress top and the bodice, but I think it was better suited to the dress. It fits, it looks ok, but again, I am not happy with it. It is very short in the waist, which the dress is as well, and I am long waisted. It isn't that its incorrect, it just isn't quite right. I know I am just being perfectionistic, but that is how I am. I will punch the holes in the bodice for the eyelets, and lace it up, and see how it looks. I know it will fit the dress well, but I'm not sure how they will fit me yet.

And then hat... I'm scared of it! I got some poster board yesterday, and I have an idea of what I want to do, but I am worried. I am running out of time, and I believe there will be some trial and error before I get it right. I don't want to run out of materials, nor do I want to mess anything up... but I am just running out of time. I will spend tonight working on the bodice lacing, and the pattern for the hat.

I have a feeling this will be like my wedding dress, which I finished the day before my wedding, except this time, I think I will finish it the day of the party. We have a party planned for Friday night the 27th, and Saturday the 28th, and so far, I'm not feeling so good about the Friday party. I hope I can get everything done!!!

October 21, 2006
AHHHhh!!! Getting close... boy, am I feeling the pressure. School has midterms these next two weeks, I have projects due, and I am down to just 7 days to finish the costumes! I am in good shape, though, I have the dress finished except for putting in a zipper and closing the sleeves with some buttons or something.

The dress went together well. I am not entirely happy with it, it does look correct, but there are several little nagging things, like the shape of the neckline, the fullness of the skirt, the length of the skirt, the sleeves... basically it just isn't as dead on as I'd like it to be... the design isn't perfect, but what can I do. I have very limited time with school and all, and I am doing my best. I have to keep telling myself its just a costume, I guess I take it too seriously. Well, Lorenzo loves it, he thinks its great, and everyone that attended a party we had last weekend agreed. Many thought it was perfect. So, I guess I will just have to get over my perfectionism, be happy with what I have, and let it go. Its not a wedding dress, its a costume.

Well, to my credit, it is coming out well. It is well made, the colors and styling are pretty close, it definitely is recognizable as the redhead's dress (even if a few nit-picky things bug me...). This weekend I will sewing the velvet bodice pieces together, and making the hat. Right now, the hat has me most worried. Not only have I never made a hat, I also am not 100% sure what the shape of the hat that I will be trying to make actually is. I feel quite a bit of trial and error with paper will be in order.

I did get my hair cut, so I think the redhead's hairstyle will be much easier to achieve. My hair still is pretty long, but I got a lot of the bulk cut out. I love my hair long, but it was beginning to look ragged on the edges, and I knew trying to curl it into tight little curls would have been a way too much work, and it probably would have come out looking more like Ronald MacDonald than the Redhead. My hairdresser suggested a rinse of a bright true red over the red I have, to make it even brighter, so I may experiment with that this weekend.

And Lorenzo's costume, photographed here on the back side of my dress form, is finished. We have left to find a hat, he hasn't been happy with the ones I've shown him... and we need to find a belt for a sword. Whether he carries a sword or not will remain to be seen, but he does need a long brown belt draped over his shoulder to hold a sword at his side. And then there is the boots. These are perfect, and they fit his calves well, but he can't get his foot all the way down into the shoe part, because these are a little narrow. I will be working to find a way to make them fit, likely cutting off the soles and making them fit like shoe covers. So for Lorenzo, it is hat, sword belt, boots, a red sash on his head, and a whip (I think he will be holding the rope around my waist instead...). For me, I just need to finish the bodice and hat, and we are ready to go!

October 10, 2006
Wow... I can now start counting the days down until the first party we will attend. So far, we have two parties lined up, we will see if anything else comes up before now and then... I really want to attend as many parties as we can, I want to get as much mileage out of these things as possible. I started and finished the frothy white underskirt... and yes, I sewed on all 180 feet of trim. I ended up with just over a foot left over. That's 14 rows of trim, they come up to just over my knee... which is perfect... I don't want to raise that skirt too high ;) Next I will be sewing the red overskirt pieces together, and then sewing the white lining to the red skirt at the hem so they will be like one big skirt. I don't want to have the top skirt separate from the ruffles, will be too much to fuss with if I am going to be raising my skirts...

Also got the shoes totally finished... I just had to sew on the buckles... and boy are they sparkly!! I would love to have something like that for everyday wear, but of course they won't be these. I also finished all the little things on Lorenzo's costume... I can safely say he is done... I made a little cravat (ruffled tie). He wanted his cuffs shortened too, so those are now done. I got a pair of boots for him today in the mail, and they are perfect, perfect. I just hope they fit... but if these don't, I will cut them up and make something that works out of them. I was going to just have a pair of shoe covers that looked like boots, but the ones I got didn't seem to look right. These are so perfect, they have a huge cuff that folds down, very similar to the pirate we are copying. I will post photos when I know they fit and we will be using them.

So now I'm back to sewing... I want to have the skirt done tonight, maybe have the bodice started... By the end of this weekend I hope to have the dress finished, or at least very close to finished. Look for updates soon, I will have a dress on my mannequin soon!

October 5, 2006
I am now finally working on my costume! With only a few weekends left, it really is going to be tight. I cut out the pattern, now I am in the planning faze so I can make the best use of my limited time. Here, my niece Anika and nephew Liam are watching as I cut the big skirt out. Next, I will be double-checking fit, deciding the best way to construct the garment, and getting sewing! I hope to have the skirt together and all the ruffles sewn on by the end of this weekend. Then next week I will work on the dress top and the velvet bodice, then the hat. Its a ton of work to do in a month, especially considering that I'm facing my midterms soon, but I have faith I will get it all done.

I am so in love with this satin, it really is just perfectly yummy. It feels good, is a nice weight, and captures the light just right. I think as long as I get the pieces put together, they will look great, I don't think you could make anything ugly with this fabric. So at least I have it pulling for me.

I will be posting the last few pictures in the materials section soon, I believe I have everything I need for my costume now. I got some perfect super 80's eye shadow, and a huge pair of fake eyelashes... I am getting my hair trimmed in about two weeks, its too long and heavy to curl enough right now (but just a trim! ;), I have the fishnets, underthings, rope, and shoes all ready to go... Just the costume to finish and I'm good!

FINISHED!! I just finished Lorenzo's costume, well almost. I went ahead and made a shirt, its a large flowing shirt with a short collar, ties in the front, and has billowing sleeves and ruffled cuffs. It looks really great with the jacket, I can't wait to see all the pieces come together! He tried the shirt and jacket on last night, and he looked fantastic! I was very pleased. Everything fits just right, and is well made. I have a few minor things to do, and make the cravat (lacy tie thing), and his costume is finished. The ruffles on the sleeves need a bit of shortening, and the vest still has some hand sewing inside on the lining to do, but other than that, I am finished with his costume.

We still have to figure out boots for him, I am stumped as to what to do. His calves, while not overly huge, are a bit too big to fit into costume boots. I don't really want to spend a ton of money on a pair of boots for a costume, and the cheaper alternatives don't fit. I don't want to have to make something for him to wear, so we will see how this works out. Left to get for Lorenzo's costume are boots, a hat, a belt with sword, a whip, and a red scarf for his head. I think the local Halloween store will be able to supply most of that.

September 26, 2006
Well, started the jacket for Lorenzo, and its going pretty fast too. I would love to have it done this week, after the end of next weekend. I want to finish his costume by then, and start on mine. I am going to be spending Wednesday this week baby-sitting my dad who is having laser eye surgery, so I will be able to spend some valuable time hanging out at his place and cutting out my dress and bodice. If I can get Lorenzo's jacket done this week, I will be in pretty good shape.

I have also decided to do a shirt for Lorenzo. I was trying to come up with a way to make cuffs and a lacy collar, but if he takes his jacket off, and just is wearing a lacy collar and cuffs... well... its going to start looking like another type of costume ;) I figured I could make cuffs and a collar and adapt them to one of Lorenzo's shirts, but I think that would end up being nearly as much work as just making one from scratch. So I will be making one from scratch. The cuffs will be very, very easy.

I found the nicest lightweight, slightly-offwhite batiste for Lorenzo's shirt. I hope to get that cut out this week with my dress.

I am getting worried about the time... Even if I get his costume done and work on mine through October, with all the birthday parties and such I have coming up, it will be difficult to get my dress done. I am not super worried yet, but it is a concern now... More to come very soon.

September 17, 2006
Alrighty... finally got some sewing done. I started on Lorenzo's pants, I knew they would go the fastest. It was 5 seams, an elastic waist and hems. They took all of two or three hours. They were very easy, and came out just right. Next I worked on the vest. It took a bit longer, but still was very easy. It is fully lined, and also went pretty fast. I tried it on Lorenzo, and it didn't fit quite right. Actually, it would have fit, but it wouldn't have been comfortable. So I added a small panel to the center of the back to make it a little bit too big, and it helped. There are ties in the back, so we can snug it down to a perfect fit. I worked on the two pieces over Saturday and Sunday, and finished them both. The vest has some interior hand sewing to finish, but they are done.

I was beginning to worry, time is passing so fast, there are so many things coming up in October to do, nearly something every weekend, and my school load has created tons of homework. But, I will keep working... and hopefully get everything done. I said I would gage the amount time it would take to do all the work by what I got done this weekend. So with half of Lorenzo's costume done, I'm feeling better. If I can get his completely done in the coming week or two, then start mine... I may make it. If I don't make it by Halloween, it will be ok... I would have done these costumes anyway as a project. But I am still planning on trying for Halloween.

So far we have one party lined up on the Saturday night before Halloween... hopefully we will hear of more between now and then. I will finish as much as I can, and hopefully it will be enough.

Shoe update... I couldn't make the shoes look like I wanted... so I decided to go back to something I know... Yes, boys and girls, SCRIBBLES!! Remember those? I couldn't believe they still make them... I mean we are going on the way-back-machine here... Ok, so about 16 years ago I had my first experience with Scribbles paint. Remember those crazy hand-painted 80's decorated floral sweatshirts? Yup, that was me. I taught many craft classes on the different applications of puff paint, including making up a few of my own techniques. One of those was using a watercolors technique to paint shirts. There were abstract flowers painted with puff paint, diluted a bit with water, and painted on a wet shirt so the color would flow. At that point I was about 17 years old, I had never had any training in art or painting (making myself feel old...).

So anyway, back to the shoes... Just from using the paint in the past, I knew it how predictable it is. Because it is synthetic and not a dye, it will dry the color that comes out of the bottle. So I washed the dye off the shoes, which ran off like it was never there. Just rinsing them off turned them a very light creamy pink, and I know I could have bleached them back to white if I wanted to (Ok, dye was a very bad choice... never do that again...). I used Scribbles Christmas Red, which is a pinky red, and Bright Red, which is more of a orangey-red. The color was very similar to the fabric, so I added a little water to thin it down a bit, and brushed it on the wet shoes. The color is much closer to what I was looking for... I am very pleased. I will likely put another coat of paint on the shoes to make sure the color is even, but already it looks so much better than the dye did. As you can see in the picture above, the purple shoe sitting there is the final color I got from many coats of dye... its just wrong. And they sat close to the sink and got a few drops of water splashed on them, and they marked up very badly. I know if they got wet at all while wearing, they would have bled everywhere, potentially making a huge ugly mess. The Scribbles paint I know won't do that, when it dries, it is permanent, and can't be washed off... Why I didn't start with them, I don't know...

So the color is probably now as close as I could have ever hoped to go. You can see by the photo of the shoes in the sunlight on my patio table (the dress fabric is to the right of the shoes), that the shoes are very close in color. I am very lucky to have achieved the color that they are now. And they are colorfast... so if they happen to get wet, they won't mark or run. Much better solution. (Yes, I am spending quite a bit of concern on the shoes... but anyone that knows me knows I take my shoes very seriously.)

September 3, 2006
WOW! September! How fast time moves. Well, I have been working on some things, I have cut out Lorenzo's costume: vest, jacket, and pants. I will be doing mine in the coming weeks. I wanted to get his cut first so I could do it first. I am very excited to start sewing, which will be happening this long holiday weekend... finally...

Here Pa (my grandfather) is looking on... He has always been a huge influence on me and my creativity. He understands sewing quite well, and had taught my grandmother how to do many things early on. Having him close brings back many happy memories of growing up, and going over to their house to sew many different costumes and items of clothing.

Time is growing short, I have much to do. But at least I have everything in order now. We went on vacation, then I had to prepare for starting school in late August... and boy, was that a project in itself. But I am all set, and life is beginning to work into a routine... Now all I have to do is get all my homework done so I can play!

Here I am cutting out the patterns for Lorenzo's jacket (at my dad's house... much more room there, and yes, on the floor, I always cut on the floor), I have already cut the pants and vest, this is the lining. I did run a little short of lining and velveteen, I will have to run to the store for more, or his jacket won't have sleeves. My goal is to finish his outfit in about three weeks, then work for 4 weeks on mine, then it will be Halloween. I worry about my school load, I do have 21 units this semester, but I will do what I can to get the costumes done quickly. Since Lorenzo's garments are fairly loose for the most part, fitting should be a breeze... I just have to make them big enough, and we are OK.

I also redyed the shoes, and they just got worse and worse... The color is absolutely perfect when it is wet, but they dry to a pinky-purple, which doesn't look right. I am going to go to plan B with them, and either paint them with fabric paints, or put a light coat of spray paint on them. I mainly just need to get the color right, the longevity of them doesn't matter as much to me. I'm not going to be worried about permanence or washability.

Another thing we have been trying to figure out is Lorenzo's boots. I have purchased a two options, and both are just the boot tops, they look like boots, but he wears normal shoes underneath. Either I think would be great, but they are tight on him, so I don't know if I will be modifying these or making new ones. I will get the pants made so we can see which will work best.

August 17th, 2006
August already?? And its half over?!? Boy am I in trouble. Well, I spent the last few weeks preparing for and going on a camping vacation with the fam, so now that I am back, its time to get down to serious business. I'm starting school in a few weeks again, so my schedule with be much busier. My goal is to have every piece cut out and sewing started by then. My time is limited right now because of a six-day work week, but hopefully this weekend and next week will be better for the costumes. Look for updates in a few days!

I did order that lace... that's 60+ yards coming... that alone will take me a whole weekend to sew on... but that should really be about it, I don't think I am missing anything else. Details to come!

July 27, 2006
Ruffles, ruffles!! What a project! I cut the skirt pieces apart, and have measured the amount of lace I will need, and for ten rows of 2" wide lace, I will need 61 YARDS! Yes, I said 61 YARDS, or 183 feet! Man, that's a ton! Do I really want to sew on that much trim?

Walt Disney World

Disneyland

Here are the differences... The Redhead from Walt Disney World has a white underskirt and an excessive amount of ruffles. All you see is ruffles, ruffles, ruffles. The Redhead at Disneyland has only 6 rows of ruffles sewn to a pink underskirt, it looks to be the same satin as the dress fabric, and they almost seem like an afterthought. I prefer the WDW version, with the ruffles on white... but that means I will be sewing on 61 YARDS of ruffles. I do like that you seem to be looking at something naughtier in the WDW version, like you are looking at her frilly undies or something... I want to show ruffles and legs, and of course those fabulous shoes... so I think the WDW version will be better for me.

Next I will try to estimate if I use a wider trim or less rows, how much I can save. I found a gorgeous lace I would love to use, but its $2.00 a yard, and I don't need to spend that much... The place online will sell me bulk lace in about 30 yard lengths (read: maybe close to 30, use at your own risk), for about $.65 a yard. I think I will just go for it...

I did get the lining for the dress and bodice... I think the Berry Red I ordered will work best, and I also did get white lace for the neckline of the dress... I will post photos in the materials section soon.

(61 yards? geesh!)

July 23, 2006
Finally get to work on something that has to do with the costume... I dyed the shoes today! What fun!! I used Dylon Cold Water dye, which is not the correct dye for shoes, but I figured since I would wear these likely only a few times, and they would never have to be washed, I should be ok. The color is called Mexican Red, and was just perfect, a warm pinky-red.

I mixed up the dye double strength because it is not recommended for use on synthetics (it doesn't stick), and I'm assuming the satin shoes are polyester, or at least partially polyester. Dylon does make a shoe dye, but the red was too red, and I couldn't find the hot water dye locally that can be used on shoes. I added the colorstay, and salt to the dye mixture as recommended to help make the color more colorfast. I will probably seal them with a spray sealer when I'm done for extra protection.

I tried the color on the bows from the shoes, and on the sample little piece of fabric that came with the shoes, and it didn't look good. The color was uneven, and didn't flow... I added a little more hot water to the dye mix, tried again, and it was better... so I just decided to go for it. What's the worst I could do? Make them pink? The color was flowing ok, I figured it would on the shoes as well. I dipped a cotton ball in the dye, and started wiping it on the shoes. It went on pretty easily, but boy, was it messy. You can see from the photo, it got everywhere. I'm glad I put the dye in the sink, it was dripping and making a huge mess. It looked like I had killed a small pink animal in my sink... This dye is designed to have the fabric submersed in it for at least an hour. Well I couldn't do that, I didn't want to submerse the shoes, so they got the color applied with cotton. I colored both shoes, and was amazed, while wet, they were the exact color as the fabric.

A side note... here is Rosa, my loyal assistant, sleeping against the backs of my heals. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, she is beside me for support. I have some great photos of her on my lap when I was making the roses for my wedding dress, she was right there helping me.

Now, after going back and looking at the shoes after they have dried, they are very light, much lighter than I wanted. They seem to be closer to a pink then red. I will look at them later tonight, but it looks like I will be dyeing them again. I will pick up more dye this week, and do the same process again.

I was able to find the lining I wanted for Lorenzo's jacket. It's not only is a better color, but a much better fabric. The velveteen is cotton, and the lining is rayon, so it should feel and wear fantastically. I always prefer matching natural fabrics with natural linings, makes them just that much nicer and more comfortable to wear. I was unable to get Ambiance lining for the dress and bodice at the same time, but I did find somewhere online that carries the full range of colors. I ordered 2 yards of three different colors, a red, a blue red, and a berry red... so I'm sure 2 of those will match the bodice and dress for lining.

July 20, 2006
Time to start the construction! I have been waiting to get at this project for a long time now. First thing was to get my workspace in order. I have many interests, and there is always at least one project going on. Currently I have a doll I made at a class in June to finish up, these costumes to make, and a pair of shoes to finish putting decorations on. It is important when you do projects that you have your own space. Many people use their dining room tables or office desk, but if you have to put everything away, then get it all out again every time you want to work on something, I believe you are less likely to work on stuff. This space is a tiny little corner of my living room, in my tiny little apartment. My husband and I are squished into a very small living space... but the view we have off our private patio is almost incomparable. We overlook the entire Monterey Bay, and are up high enough to see nearly every bit of it. I can live in a tiny place, when my front yard is the whole world...

So for machines, I have a wonderful Pfaff Coverlock 5-thread machine (in the white case). I will be using that extensively. Man, what a lifesaver... how did I ever survive without it?? If you don't have a serger, I suggest you go out right now and get one. You should find one with at least 4 threads, so you can do complex secure stitching. I would look around online. Mine came from a local store, it was the last of its model year, the new ones had just come out, so I got it at an excellent price. The other little sewing machine is a treasure. It was my first machine, given to me by my grandparents on my 16th birthday. This little machine has seen it all, and has sewn nearly every costume I have made until recently. I got a new Brother sewing machine when I was making my wedding dress, but never was quite happy with it, so I sold it. I have my grandmother's Pfaff in a custom cabinet, but I have no room to bring it into my place right now. So I am back to my little machine. This little thing has followed me everywhere, it's so tiny and light. It used to go with me when I would teach craft classes at the fabric store when I was younger. I would take it over to my grandparents house when I was living with them and going to school near by. Nearly my entire costuming history is attached to this machine, and that's why I adore it. I have taken excellent care of it, it has never needed servicing (oil your machines regularly, they will last a lifetime).

Janie is there too (the dress form), along with shelves and bins of past or current projects. The most important thing about these shelves and this space, is that it is mine, all mine. I can leave things out, move things around, do whatever I want, because this is my creative space. If you don't have a creative space, pick a corner of your office, spare room, dining room, whatever... and declare it yours. No spouse or child can disrupt it, use it, or complain about it. It is now your creative space, it's where your creativity happens, and no one can say anything about it. Good luck in your endeavors, and happy creating!

July 14, 2006
Well, I did find the trim I was looking for, for the Auctioneer's vest. What a search for that! You'd think a basic forest green trim would be easy, but it took 3 stores to find it. I also got velvet ribbon for the choker and bodice lacing. The very last thing to find, well, couple things... but the hardest and last thing to find is the lace ruffles for my dress. I estimate I could need up to 50 yards, maybe more. Even at a buck a yard (and most are closer to $2.00), that adds up very quickly. I already have about $550 invested in these two costumes... (I know, what's another $50 bucks... but you gotta draw the line somewhere.) I found a place online that sells lace bulk, so my next step will be to cut the specific skirt pattern pieces apart and actually measure how much I will need. I imagine the rows of ruffles will go up at least to mid thigh, I think any higher will make the hips too bulky. So I will estimate how many rows for 1.5" or 2" wide lace, then order online.

The other last thing I need to get is lining for my dress and bodice, and better lining for Lorenzo's jacket. I really love the Ambiance lining, anyone that has used it knows what I mean. It is the silkiest, softest, buttery rayon available. I can get it locally, but the color selection is very basic. I have found someone online who carries the entire 80 color line, I think I should be able to find something close... I also have to find wire for the hat, which will probably just be a stainless wire or something in 18 gauge found a the hardware store.

I also have to rethink the lace cravat and cuffs for Lorenzo. I was going to do the 4-tiered ruffle thing found on one of the pirate patterns, but is incorrect. I will likely just use materials I have stashed away, and create something different.

So this weekend's plans are to cut pattern pieces apart, and start fitting the jacket and vest to Lorenzo. I will likely try to find the wire this weekend too, so I can start making the hat.

Notes on dress forms:
If you are in the market for a dress form, this may help you. Basically there are three kinds of dress forms, the dial-a-dummy kind, and the squishy foam kind, and the expensive nonadjustable kind. Personally, I am more like the squishy foam kind myself. My biggest problem is my bust-line The dial-a-dummy dress forms are great, but my waist and bust are disproportionate to each other. My chest is a larger size than my waist and hips. The dial dress forms are great, but they don't really make one that works for me. If I use one that more correctly fits my chest, the waist isn't small enough. Or, I have to open the chest up very wide on the smaller ones, then leave the waist and hips more normal. And then all that does is give the correct circumference, but not the right shape. Now, I am not a thin woman, I am curvy, and 44" on top is quite different when you are talking about chest circumference vs. chest shape. To put it bluntly, my chest is huge, but my rib cage is not, so the right circumference does nothing for my shape. That said, if you are looking for a dress form, and you are a straight or not overly curvy woman, and your bust size is rather normal, the dial dress forms are really great... they just don't work for me. The nonadjustable kind are great too and will last a lifetime, if you are a normally proportioned woman whose size does not ever change. Since I fall into neither of those categories... they are not a choice for me.

I chose to get a Uniquely You dress form. It is a form made entirely out of foam, with a cotton cover. You put the cover on yourself, and follow their very specific instructions for tailoring, and you make it fit exactly your shape. Then you take it off you and zip it on the form, and the foam squishes in where you curve in and out, making it an exact copy of you. It is kind of odd to see the form standing there after you finish tailoring it... its like looking in a 3-dimensional mirror. Now I walk by it and think... so that's what my body looks like... (Try one of your favorite pieces of clothing on it, its wild to see!).

If you do have a full bust-line with a smaller rib cage, the foam dress forms are really the only thing you can consider. The foam form has very odd shaped boobs, I have heard them affectionately called "torpedo boobs" by others online, as they are rather unnatural looking and pointy. The dress form comes in 5 sizes with 14 choices of covers, so you just match your measurements as best you can with the measurements of the form. For example, my chest is 44" and my waist is 30". I got the medium/large form for the chest size, then tailored the heck out of the cover size 12 to pull in the waist enough. Even with the larger bust-sized form and cover, there was still a lot of extra space around the décolleté area. I had to stuff it with extra stuffing to fill Janie out to my shape (the dress form is named Janie for no other reason that someone else online calls her Lady Jane Beige... so for whatever reason, it stuck with me... I've also seen her called "Squishy Judy").

Another excellent reason to buy a Uniquely You is if you are a costumer of period pieces. There really isn't a period piece out there from before the 1920's that doesn't also include a corset, and those corsets or bodices, down to even the 1500's, always gave different silhouettes. The dial dress forms are a basic modern shape, no body modifications from corsets... and putting a corset on one just doesn't work. I have a number of corsets from different periods, and Janie is the only form I could use them on. She more correctly mimics what the human body does when you try to change its modern shape to something older with a corset. For this reason alone, she is the only choice for period costumers.

I have heard of some costuming folks using the dial forms in a very small size for the waist, then padding the hips and chest up with towels, but that just seems like to much to try to hang on to when you are fitting something, and you would never have your correct shape...

Some of the benefits of a Uniquely You form: She is squishy, so you can pin right to her, like a giant pin cushion. If your size changes, you just refit her cover. She is the only form you can use to get an exact copy of yourself, other than having someone make an exact copy of you using the tape method, but then you can't re-tailor that if you need to. You can get your exact shape, not just your size. I am able to get the curves of my waistline in, and still have a booty! And the little string in the center of the chest makes very accurate cleavage. The only down side is you have to tailor that cover to yourself, which means you have to have someone there to help you, and they have to know what they are doing. The dial dress forms are much easier to use in that respect.

I hope these notes help you. If you have any questions or want to discuss more, please email me.

July 10, 2006
I went shopping again, and to the tune of almost $300, I got nearly everything else I need. For my costume, I needed to get many notions, dye for the shoes, bridal crinoline, buckram for the hat, and interfacing. I found early everything for the Auctioneer's costume, including the exact velveteen that the pirate wears. I am very excited to have been able to find that. I got the velveteen, brocade for the vest, lining for both, cotton for the pants, lace for the cuffs and cravat, tons of buttons, and a thick braided trim for the jacket.

Left to find now are: many yards of lace for my underskirt, velvet ribbon for lacing the corset, and for the choker necklace, lining for the dress and bodice (though I may just use the satin if I have enough...) and wire for the hat. I have to find braided trim in turquoise or forest green for the vest. I also have to figure out how to do the boots, which will likely be covers for regular shoes that come up the calf, then fold over.

So now that I have nearly everything I will need, my next step is to cut pattern pieces out of the fabric. Since I am shedding a few pounds, I will probably make the bodice and dress last. I will likely start on my husbands costume first, make the hat for mine, and then do the underskirt ruffles, as those will take a while to sew on. Then last I will make the pieces I have to fit to me specifically. I don't imagine losing a huge amount of weight between now and Halloween, but the fit of the bodice is so important to be right, so I will do that last.

Soon I will be posting photos here of the pattern drafting process, and the cutting of fabric. So far there hasn't been much to post, nothing has really been constructed, and you can see all the materials here, but there will be photos here soon!

June 29, 2006
So far, I have purchased 8 yards of the dress satin, and 3 yards of wonderful velveteen for the bodice and hat. The color of the satin is so amazingly perfect, mostly because you can not really name the color. It is the softest satin, definitely worth its price. And the velveteen is one of the nicest I have seen. It will definitely be able to withstand the riggers of being pulled like a corset on an actual body.

Next will be to find the bridal crinoline I am more than too familiar with (I used many, many yards in the construction of my wedding dress). It is a stiff white synthetic material, similar to organdy, and will hold the shape of the skirt nicely. I will be using this as a lining for the skirt, but its specific purpose will be to hold up all those frilly ruffles underneath. I also need to find a lining for the dress top, and the bodice (which I may use the satin if I have enough).

The costume is nearly devoid of trims, except for the bodice lacing, and all the white ruffles, so shopping will be easy. But where am I going to find 60 yards+ of white lace? Bulk lace is becoming hard to find… I don't want to spend much on it, it will add up fast.

I have the most perfect pair of shoes, which will make their début here soon. They are dye-to-match satin shoes made by Colorifics, and they have the perfect shape. I have already purchased rhinestone buckles for them.

I have all the patterns figured out, and my dress dummy out of storage (her name is Janie), so I am ready to go. I will be using the purchased patterns as guides, changing elements to match the dress, and following the pattern instructions for reference.

Also coming soon, will be the construction diary of the Auctioneer's costume for my husband. I have the patterns, but haven't started looking for fabrics yet… And time's awasting! Back to Joann's I go!

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