Halloween 2010 Part Two: William Cutter Couture

With my costume out of the way, I can move on to Justin's costume - William Cutter a-la "Gangs of New York".  Justin has the tall, sinewy features to pull it off and in full mustache, even bears an uncanny resemblance to Daniel Day Lewis as "Bill the Butcher".

Halloween 2010 Part One: Wonderwoman!

The days are getting cooler and the sound of rustling leaves tells me fall has arrived.  I prefer the heat and humidity of summer, but it is my fiance's favorite season.  I do however look forward to Halloween and the fun of finding inspiration for creating a new and original costumes.

I Can Has New Quilt?

My cat, Sophie, finds her way into almost every sewing project I endeavor.  Her ears perk up at the rustling sound of pattern tissue; she is ready to make a sneak attack as I smooth out fabric ready to cut and has her whiskers within inches of the scissors!

Dream Pattern Number One

This is the pattern I chose over a year ago from the Vintage Vogue Series.  This beautiful gown is out-of-print now and I got mine second-hand at the time I purchased it.  If you look closely, I think the model in the illustration resembles Grace Kelly and she is freakishly tall with a nipped-in waist only contributing to my distorted fantasy of how awesome this will look on me.  Thank goodness for spandex lingerie!  I also love how this gown does not have a dramatically swaying train, but instead the back of the gown is just slightly longer than the front and will gently sweep the floor.

You're Making your own Wedding Dress?

But of course!  What else would I do?  Sewing my own wedding dress is the ultimate challenge and will also be the ultimate reward when it is completed.  I have been honing my skills over the past five years for this moment.  Reading about hand-sewing techniques, interlining, boning, hemming, making tiny no-one-can-see-them stiches.  I thought it would be a great idea to document the making of my wedding dress since it will be mostly a learning process and a great way for curious friends and family to see how I am progressing.  I surely will make most of my mistakes with the "practice" gown, and hopefully making the final dress will go much smoother.