Functional pouches are a life-saver in costuming. Purses, cell phones, car keys, and wallets do not time-travel well, and can only make the journey when well hidden inside a decorative bag or pouch. For the upcoming Winter Renaissance Faire in Vermont I am planning to wear black leather armor, but… Read More »Re-purposing Army Surplus Bag
Happy New Year, everyone! Welcome to 2020; oh, how time flies. For the first blog post of the new decade, I have made a super slouchy three-quarter sleeve fleece bolero. It’s high collar keeps out the cold, and it’s high sleeves keep my hands free for tasks. A small remnant… Read More »Slouchy Fleece Bolero
It’s that time of year again! That’s right, the spookiest, most haunted season of them all: Yuletide. The season for blood sacrifice, frantically cleaning your home as to not upset the visiting spirits, and of naughty children being dragged off to hell by a cloven-footed beast! To celebrate another year… Read More »Family Hearth Stockings
My fabric stash is an extremely generous place; always filled with things that I didn’t even know that I had. The other day I came across a scrap of white high-pile faux fur that was just wide enough to make a small muff. The piece wasn’t big enough for much… Read More »Faux Fur Muff with Pocket
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but what you all really miss is Halloween, isn’t it? We hosted a big party this year and I made sure to take nice photos of all of our entrees into the costume contest! I hope you enjoy this photo album of shenanigans. Voting… Read More »Halloween Contest Entrees 2019
My female dog has a beard and a mustache, so naturally she is constantly being misgendered. Not that I think she minds, but maybe some pretty bows will help? Buying pre-made collar sliders online is expensive. And they are so small, and use so little fabric! I’m pressed for time… Read More »Collar Sliders
I thought the dog already had a new costume for Halloween this year? Yes. She does. But this idea is just so cute. Give the people what they want. What they want is more dog photos in costume. Earlier this season I sewed Tovi, our almost-two-year-old Belgian Malinois mix a… Read More »Cardinal Dog Costume
I’ve sewn a new dress for this most magical time of year. Nine-or-so yards of buttery polyester had appeared in my fabric stash. I don’t remember where I got so much of this sage green delight, but many a historical fantasy garment call for such great lengths of fabric. Lengths… Read More »Green Elven Gown
Our second trip of the season to the Connecticut Renaissance Fair. Absolutely perfect weather–a crisp 60 degrees for a high, with most of the day stalling in the mid 50’s was ideal for layering; our preferred method of using our plentiful garb. I am most fond of cold-weather fair going… Read More »Connecticut Renaissance Faire 2019 Round Two
I had dreams of sewing Jake a very traditional Viking tunic. Something long, loose fitting, and functional. When I found several yards of sombrella fabric with a visible weave and stiff hand on clearance, I thought it had the perfect rough look if you ignore it’s forever fade-resistance. Jacob had… Read More »Orange Sensational Viking Long Tunic
I have too many projects in progress at once, and therefore nothing newly finished to show you. So instead, we’ll all have to settle for a quick works-in-progress post. I am making Jake a new tunic and just finished this elaborate neckline last night. It took considerable time to make… Read More »Works in Progress, Fall 2019
Last weekend, for the first time, we checked out the Massachusetts Renaissance Fair at the Cummington Fair Grounds. With a name like The Massachusetts Fair, I expected a little more. The permanent fairgrounds (for county fairs and showing animals) were large, and under-utilized, making the Ren fair seem very small. There… Read More »Massachusetts Renaissance Fair 2019
I really didn’t think I was going to have a blog post for you today, as I haven’t finished anything in a while and I’ve been so busy enjoying the summer sun. Many projects remain in progress, but I haven’t really had the time or desire to put in the… Read More »Striped Summer Dress
Are we really still talking about Bento bags? I sew for fun, and follow my passions, and my passions took me down this road to follow this project all the way to its natural end. First, I failed to sew test bags following a bad tutorial. Next, I found a… Read More »Following this Bento Thing to Its Natural End
Whipped up this new belly dance belt a few days before a performance to match this bra that I made a few years(?) ago. I had plenty of extra fabric lying around from the bra top, a super comfortable performance stretch. The pattern was simple enough: a rounded triangle essentially,… Read More »New Belly Dance Belt
Are we really still talking about Bento Bags? Yes we are. After trial and error, I have devised a method to making lined, reversible bento bags using one-third the fabric of the last tutorial that I used. Directions and photos below. The previous method used two rectangles of fabric three-times… Read More »Reversible Bento Bags from Less Fabric Tutorial
Last week I posted a disastrous attempt at sewing the internet popular bento bags using a very bad tutorial also found online. After contemplating all my errors and doing more research, I found a better tutorial and made a much better bento bag. The tutorial is as follows in the… Read More »Better Bento Bags
On Pinterest I saw some really cute, super simple Bento bags that internet models were using to carry produce, toiletries, and of course lunch boxes. I was charmed by the no effort linens and free-spirit stripes swaddling pretty food, and was thus inspired to make a few “test” bento bags as proof of… Read More »Proof of Concept? Bento Bag Fail
My best friend Kelley is finishing her Masters in Art Education in order to continue being the wonderful and patient art teacher that she is. Her primary artistic body of work for this degree is a collection of clothing that features and embodies runic symbols to empower the wearer and… Read More »I am a Magical Sea Nymph!
I really hope you’ve been enjoying the weekly posts! It’s been a really consistent run these past few months, and I’m going to try to keep it up! I hadn’t sewn anything new in a little while, but an easy project always gets me going when I’m feeling stuck. This… Read More »Cotton Jersey 2-Way-Stretch Dress (Simplicity 1358)
This shirt was a learning experience and an adventure. I am no expert in men’s tailoring and Jake had some very specific requests for this former curtain found at a local Saver’s. He spied the curtain amidst other discounted second-hand fabrics and I told him that there was enough there… Read More »Blue Zipper-Front Peacock Men’s Shirt
Making men’s clothing and costumes is hard. Especially since I am not a man, nor anywhere near the size of most men. When I make clothing for me, I do a million test fittings; always holding up pattern pieces to my body or dress form, checking the fit every step… Read More »Duct Tape Body Form How-To
Another pleather bodice for the books. This one in an incredible metallic green scale pattern sourced from my local fabric warehouse. I used the same pattern as my last brown bodice with slight modifications to the front so that it would close fully instead of leaving a gap. The two… Read More »Green Dragon Scale Bodice
So I was perusing my local fabric warehouse (because that’s where I go for fun), not even looking for this most amazing embossed pleather, but there it was! So here we are. I was already planning on making a bodice; the original plan was a reversible fabric bodice with a… Read More »Brown Embossed-Faux Leather Bodice
Lusting after a breezy and casual fantasy look, I borrowed inspiration from the Germanic farmers of northern Europe during the middle ages to create this muslin peasant top with rustic trim. Muslin is considered a practice fabric. It’s cheap, lightweight cotton that’s easy to work with and abundant. Unbleached muslins… Read More »Middle Ages Farmer’s Tunic with Trim
Honestly, some of my best days at the renaissance fair came with a slight drizzle. I love an overcast fair day; it really sets the medieval mood. Dark, dreary, dramatic. Added bonus: the fair is never crowded on a cloudy day and interactions are only with the dedicated time travelers.… Read More »Heavy Traveling Cloak
Another pair of harem pants! It’s wintertime, and a warm pair of pants is a great garb solution. As I’ve expressed before, harem pants are a really easy one-afternoon project. However this pair I complicated for myself with the addition of pockets! My pattern for harem pants doesn’t have a… Read More »Warm Winter Harem Pants
Halloween isn’t a season, it’s a way of life. Actually, I did make this hat for Halloween 2018, but haven’t made the time to post about it until now. I’ve always felt my costume collection was suffering by it’s lack of a proper pointed hat. Most of the things that… Read More »Witch’s Pointed Hat
Another quick-sew to use up some fabric lying around my studio; I made a reversible red and blue bubble cape with hood and yoke. Some subtle red paisley lining fabric leftover from one of Jake’s earlier jerkins seemed like it would make a good red cape of cloak. A red… Read More »Reversible Costume Cape
Labor Day weekend Jake and I attended military appreciation day at the King Richard’s Faire in Carver, MA. Every year the second day of the fair is free for active and retired military, so we try to go on that day to save on Jake’s admission. King Richard’s is one… Read More »New Viking Garb for Military Day at King Richard’s Faire 2018
I am sewing a lot. I love it. Here is another piece that I whipped up in an afternoon using a sari that was gifted to me by a friend. The sari had such beautiful boarders that I didn’t want to cut off or disturb, and the only pattern I… Read More »Dark Orange Essos Dress
Jake needed another pair of viking pants in a different color. Lucky for him, our bed sheets decided to rip in the washing machine, and I wasn’t going to let all of that good cotton go to waste. So here he is in his new pair of giant pants featuring… Read More »Gray Viking Pants with Side Panel
A great success in cotton jersey! I have a lot of clothes for the fair; many I made myself, some pieces I’ve purchased, but even in the depths of my vast collection I was lacking a neutral knee-length base layer that could also be worn alone. You know, something for… Read More »Cotton Jersey Faire Dress
I made a sweater! I am on a mission to clean out some of my fabric stash by making each yard into the garment of its dreams. I have had this gorgeous lightweight cotton jersey sitting in a bin since Black Friday of….2014? Finally I’ve made it into a comfortable… Read More »Gray Cotton Jersey Sweater
A slightly less hideous application for this vintage fabric that I bought a whole bunch of for super cheap; I made a button down shirt. Previously, I made a vintage nightgown out of this stuff that ended up looking like a hospital gown. With so much extra fabric that I’m… Read More »Vintage Fabric, Try Again. This Time, a Shirt!
Not everything that I sew can turn out cute, okay? Does that mean that I should exclude the ugly things from this blog? Maybe. But this is the first thing that I sewed from start to finish in the new house and the new sewing room so it’s getting a… Read More »Not Every Project Is a Masterpiece.
I once had a silver clamshell purse. It was small and couldn’t fit my entire cell phone, but the silver purse was cute and matched my formal attire as well as any bag I owned. I owned the silver clamshell purse for many years, but didn’t use it that often.… Read More »Iridescent Brocade Clam Shell Purse
More costume accessories to showcase! My ultra-functional canteen bags! Ever been to an event and not drink enough water? That’s every event, right? I try to drink a lot of water every day, but it’s really hard when you’re busy having fun walking around at a convention or fair. So… Read More »Viking Costume Pleather Canteen Bags
I’ve been so industrious lately! I had some extra fabric leftover after making my mom this sweater, so I decided to make some more winter hats and a pair of arm warmers.I just love this fabric so much; it feels so good against the skin, it’s hard not to make… Read More »More Winter Hats
Last night I finished another commission piece! It’s a Sophie Hatter cosplay dress, a character from the animated film Howl’s Moving Castle. I’ve cosplayed as this character myself in the past, so this was my second time around making this dress. It’s a fairly simple design, with a very forgiving… Read More »Completed Sophie Hatter Commission Dress
Last night I finished a cozy sweater for my mom. I’m trying to make more clothes for other people to improve my tailoring skills. This sweater is made from plush “Luxe fleece” from Joann fabrics. It is thick, soft, and has minimal stretch. I used a pattern to make this sweater,… Read More »Big, Warm, Fleece House Sweater
Hats! Hats! Hats for all the children! This Christmas is all homemade hats courtesy of my new sewing machine, and my need to learn how to use it. Jake has a LOT of nieces and nephews, and they’re all getting hats. Fun fleece hats made with anti-pill blizzard fleece from… Read More »Fleece Hats for Everyone!
Happy Yule, everyone! I’m feeling a little sick this Solstice, but I wanted to wish everyone else well on the shortest day of the year. I have some Holiday posts coming up in just a few days; commissions and crafts that should be seen in person on the 25th before… Read More »Yule Tidings
Finished at least until I decide to do some huge hand embroidered design on the back. This Viking age coat is made from “Luxe” fleece from Joann’s an embellished with a woven trim, polyester bands on the sleeves, and lots of hand-stitched embroidery. I patterned the coat myself and it… Read More »Men’s Viking Kaftan Is Finished!
A post two days in a row? Whoa! Today I have for your some vague progress photos of the Viking kaftan that I’m working on for Jake. What’s a kaftan? It’s a long coat. Above is a sketch of the design as it sits now, after many revisions. We originally… Read More »Men’s Viking Kaftan WIP
I have progress shots of the Viking age hood that I’m making! This hood follows the same popular pattern of the one excavated from Skold harbor (Skjoldehamn), on the Norwegian island of Andoya in 1936. The self is a waxed canvas, and the lining is a “luxury” fleece from Joann’s. This fleece… Read More »Skjoldehamn Viking Hood Work in Progress
On October 15th, 2016 we had an absolutely fantastic time at the Connecticut Renaissance Faire in North Haven, CT. The CT Ren Faire isn’t as big as the King Richard’s Faire, and it doesn’t have permanent faire structures, but the people and programming is top-notch. This mid-fall faire was also… Read More »Connecticut Renaissance Faire and New Viking Costumes
Granite Con was a blast once again! As always, the variety of vendors, good programming, and unrivaled access to guests of honor made this another memorable year of convention-going in Manchester. This year’s convention had an unofficial Star Wars theme, and so, on fairly short notice, my friends and I… Read More »Star Wars, Belly Dance, and Granite State Comic Con
Every costumer has wrestled with the issue of where to put their cell phone while in costume. Some costumes can’t have pockets, and often times carrying a purse clashes with your look. But in order to move through society we need to have some money and an ID on us,… Read More »Quick Underskirts Phone Pouch
After seeing them all over Pinterest, I decided to make myself a trendy, convertible “infinity dress” to wear to a friend’s wedding. This style of dress is appealing to me because it can supposedly be worn an “infinite” number of ways, hence the name. Well, I’ll tell you right now that… Read More »Formal Infinity Dress