Bead Me, Baby!
Should I be worried that I find more to say in this blog than in my professional one? Sigh. I'm supposed to be working, so that I don't have to work later tonight and can finally go to bed at the same time as milord... but the dress keeps talking. I know the only way to shut it up is to buy supplies for it.
And the only way to buy supplies for it, is to hit that page quota. Vicious, vicious.
But... today's topic. I've been thinking lots more about the butter yellow damask + little beaded belt idea. There are no such embellisments in the portrait. Who wears a beaded gown to shear sheep anyway? However, there *are* such embellishments in this fabulous gown by Lynn McMasters.
What I love so much about this ensemble is that it's very similar in material to what I'm working with. Chances are the "original" undergown, if one ever existed in real life, would have been linen or a nice medium-weight wool. Something you could work in. The overgown? The same, although one fellow costumer has suggested it may be a leather apron of sorts. Anyway, McMasters used velvet and damask, which is pretty darn close to velveteen and damask.
And the velvet and damask apparently demanded embellishment. Notice she didn't go crazy with it--just some friendly beading on the edges, and the belt (which features one of my favorite costuming notions: a clasp!).
I haven't beaded much (just some in my needlework and a Ren costume for my coonhound, Nelly [don't ask. Apparently she doesn't aspire to nobility]), but it doesn't frighten me at all (not like the corded corset). But another option would be some trim. Something *tiny.* Maybe 1/4 inch. Purple and yellow. That should be easy to find, yes? I think that will be my new time-wasting obsession.
Red sock update: I found a pair at the dollar store today! Ok, they're not the wonderful long slubby wool ones from Sock Dreams... but they were a dollar!
It occurs to me that I haven't even thought about the gold horizontal lacing (or whatever that is) on the overgown. Hrmph.
But instead of thinking about that, I'll post a link to another damask Italian gown of similar silhouette (look! If I bought extra yardage I could make sleeves!!).
And the only way to buy supplies for it, is to hit that page quota. Vicious, vicious.
But... today's topic. I've been thinking lots more about the butter yellow damask + little beaded belt idea. There are no such embellisments in the portrait. Who wears a beaded gown to shear sheep anyway? However, there *are* such embellishments in this fabulous gown by Lynn McMasters.
What I love so much about this ensemble is that it's very similar in material to what I'm working with. Chances are the "original" undergown, if one ever existed in real life, would have been linen or a nice medium-weight wool. Something you could work in. The overgown? The same, although one fellow costumer has suggested it may be a leather apron of sorts. Anyway, McMasters used velvet and damask, which is pretty darn close to velveteen and damask.
And the velvet and damask apparently demanded embellishment. Notice she didn't go crazy with it--just some friendly beading on the edges, and the belt (which features one of my favorite costuming notions: a clasp!).
I haven't beaded much (just some in my needlework and a Ren costume for my coonhound, Nelly [don't ask. Apparently she doesn't aspire to nobility]), but it doesn't frighten me at all (not like the corded corset). But another option would be some trim. Something *tiny.* Maybe 1/4 inch. Purple and yellow. That should be easy to find, yes? I think that will be my new time-wasting obsession.
Red sock update: I found a pair at the dollar store today! Ok, they're not the wonderful long slubby wool ones from Sock Dreams... but they were a dollar!
It occurs to me that I haven't even thought about the gold horizontal lacing (or whatever that is) on the overgown. Hrmph.
But instead of thinking about that, I'll post a link to another damask Italian gown of similar silhouette (look! If I bought extra yardage I could make sleeves!!).
posted by Elizabeth Bunce | 4:35 PM
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