Sleeping Beauty                           

Cost: $300 something

Worn: Comic Con Masquerade 2009

Started in April/May of 2009, Dress dairy done afterwards

The first thing I started on with this costume was the corset like bodice. It was completely hand drafted and draped. My friend Avien helped me Thankfully! It ended up being a HUGE learning experience for both of us.

We started off getting measurements and an idea of what shape we wanted by using the Steampunk Lolita corset as our basis.  We tried two different curves for the bottom, Very very subtle difference but it was all about curves. I ended up learning a lot about straight lines on the body ending up not being straight lines on patterns. It really came into focus later on in the corset also.

After we figured out these curves another linen scrap was placed at my waist and possibly my bust. I don't remember for sure.... But I know there was then a lot of different measurements taken. We also draped the right side of the top while the corset was still on. That was VERY carefully unpinned and I was released from the corset to begin drafting. I had watched Avien do it once before so I still needed a few pointers and reminders but I think I can at last say I have drafted a pattern! I needed a lot of help when it came to taking the draped piece and selectively cutting it to attach it to the bottom drafted pieces. Yea, that part was hard. Or at least it was hard for me to wrap my mind around. The mock up ended up being 9 pieces total. I cut two layers of twill for the lining and interlining so I would be able to sandwich the pieces together and sew the boning channels into those layers. A few pieces had to be re-cut because I messed up with matching the grain lines.

The next big learning process came with putting in the boning channels. I found out what is straight on the flat corset is not necessarily straight on your body. In my mind... so what... yea... I figure out why that is a problem. The bone would try to then straighten itself and become twisted up in the channel. Not only is that unattractive but it become uncomfortable. Needless to say much unpicking ensued.  For the back I self imposed the challenge of a V'd back. We planned a privacy panel so there would be no exposed skin, but it would give a shape like the dress has of the princess seams. If I had known how hard it was going to be I might have changed my mind but again I got to learn a lot. More with the straightness of the corset vs. the body. While I was at it I decided to change up the regular way of lacing a corset through eyelets/grommets and  decided to put loops on the inside. While these are harder on your lacer, they hold up really well. There was some speculation on our part if they make the corset sit slightly off because of the angle in which the lacing has to go through it, but if its true its very slight. A bonus of doing the loops on the inside was holes in the back helping with the princess seam illusion. The picture below shows the loops halfway done. Our theory was to have boning channels under each loop... That changed. Again more twisting, but also it made it harder to lace. In the end there was only one or two bones in the back, besides the two at the edge and the ones at the seams. On the final corset the back piece actually had to be unstitched from the rest of the corset and the waist tape and be re-cut and redone. I decided it would be easier then unstitching all those loops which were often times sewn over 3 or 4 times, along with all those boning channels.

 Because the neck and back are V'd I had to deal with the neckline being on the bias for the first time. I tried stay stitching everything but we still noticed some distortion in the mock up. So with the final draft I sewed down a piece of twill tape along all those edges. A tailoring trick I didn't know. 

While I was working on the corset, my friend Avien was working on my petticoats for me I think of the whole costume that is my favorite part. It was just sooooo pretty. I of course might just be an odd one. I just couldn't get enough of it floofiness and twirling and swooshing around in it. The outer petticoat had sparkly bits to add to my childish glee of being a princess! Much to our amusement the under petticoat was so full it stood on its own because of its fullness. I forgot the actual yardages that went into each ruffle but I know it was crazy and I am much in her debt.

The reveal of our skit was or princess dresses would strip away and we would have cheerleading skirts underneath. I had 16 counts to strip be at the back of the stage to drop off costume parts and be back in place for my next steps, so I had to be able to strip fast. Right away we knew the skirt and petticoats had to be one so we planned on putting them on a single waistband. We soon realized with the fullness of the skirt, my own natural clumsiness and just general lack of time I wouldn't be able to unhook and drop the skirt, step out of it and pick it up, in time. So we kept it open on one side so all I had to do was unhook it and step out. Added bonus was it was more flashy and striperesce. So it worked! AND its an easy fix to make it them real skirts and petticoats for when I want to wear it again and not strip it off.