Saturday 2 April 2011

An 18th Century extravaganza, and why I have not been posting,




I have sadly neglected this, my creative blog.  Probably because my life first got errr interesting..... and then got of necessity more creative.

Suffice it to say I am now, for better or worse employed full time creatively as one half of Jolly Dicey Costumieres to the Discerning.  I'm as poor as a church mouse, but for the first time in my life, I'm doing what I love and I am utterly determined to make it work somehow.

About this time last year, my  friend Kate and I embarked on a massive opus of creativity making between us 12 outfits to wear at UK Freeforms Masquerade, a weekend long game set in Venice in the 18th Century.   These are diaried in detail over on Live Journal on dressdiaries by katexxxxxx.  We worked intensively and well together, so when I lost my job, nothing could have been more natural than to discuss setting up a partnership.

This blog will probably stay  the place where I post the things that feed my spirit the most, rather than customer work.  Though there are plans to link all of our blog entries to the website.

One of my outfits was an homage (my poor skill would not suffice for a replica) of this dress.


And for himself I aimed to make a court suit that had the feel of this one.


So here are some of the outfits we came up with.

Madame de Pompadour and her Ice Prince
OMG, what lovely lace, such tiny stitches!
I am quite pleased with my Madame de Pompadour frock. I made all the roses by hand, I pinked all the trim, and sewed it on by hand, and I handsewed the vintage Edwardian lace engageantes to the most delicious handkerchief linen with tiny stitches.   I am equally pleased with himself's Ice Prince suit, which was embellished with silver needlerun lace sewn down carefully by hand and machine to look like embroidery.


Ice Cream Prince Suit by Kate!
The Ice Prince
Pocket Detail, Ice Cream Prince Coat

Back detail, Ice Prince Suit





Caracao and hat by Kate, Black Saque and embroidered stomacher by me.

We look as hot as gossip in our flame red outfits!


































There is tons more on the jolly dicey website.