Gwendolyn

There's been a lot of talk on fb recently about nostalgia for the old livejournal days, and at first it made me sad and then it made me realise that I'm also part of the problem! A lot of people are wishing for more connectivity and active posting amongst the costuming community, and I figure the least I can do is try to post more... or at all!

Exhausted at the moment as we just opened Elf: the Musical at my theatre; a show with about 60 built costumes, about 55 of which I patterned, and then fit and built in six weeks with two and a half other people. (I say 'and a half' cause our shop manager stitched several pieces). And of course, there was frantic sewing for Teslacon which took place just a week before teching Elf! And then Thanksgiving and lots of family...

...and now I'm slightly dazed and tired sitting on my couch, trying to plan out All The Things I need/want to squeeze into next year. Which is a hell of a lot honestly!

Plans for costumes so far include:
-Draft and digitise 10 to 12 cosplay patterns (part of a collab thing starting in Jan).
-Digitise and grade several historical patterns I've been working on.
-A 1790s portrait painter outfit and kit.
-Madelena from Galavant cosplay (for C2E2)
-Daenerys- Game of Thrones Season 7, Ep 1 cosplay (for C2E2)
-1850s Queen Isabella II of Spain dress
-Plus I need to make a bunch of 18th cen stuff, and I've love to make a 14th century outfit as well if I have time!

And of course at work I'll be busy as the sole draper all year, plus costume designing at least one or two shows at a nearby college. I've also been doing a lot more art recently, and am hoping to do a great deal more along those lines in the coming year!

We'll see how much actually happens!

-My 2013 Playlist-
Wake Me Up - Avicii // Runnin' - Adam Lambert // Burn - Ellie Goulding // The One That Got Away - The Civil Wars // How Come You Don't Want Me - Tegen and Sara // Outlaws of Love - Adam Lambert // Shake It Out - Florence + The Machine // Radioactive - Imagine Dragons // Closer - Tegen and Sara // Pompeii - Bastille // Ja - Silbermond // Dust to Dust - The Civil Wars // Devil's Backbone - The Civil Wars // Seven Devils - Florence + The Machine // I Need Your Love - Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding // My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark - Fall Out Boy
(with a side dish of sea shanties and the like: Haul Away Joe // Barrett's Privateers // Old Maui // Fathom the Bowl)

I figure it's close enough to the end of the year to make a reflect-y, summing-up sort of post.  Those of you who also follow my blog will have a better idea of the stuff I've been up to and made over the last twelve months, since I've been semi-decent-ish at updating it (as opposed to LJ).  In the past, I've done end of year "what I made in 20--" posts, but this year has been a bit different and I feel like the stuff I made was purely tangential to what I did.

2013 was actually a pretty good year for me, all things considered, and contained quite a few changes with some life-achievement on the side! Things properly started in February when I quit my job at the Costume Design Center.  I had applied to grad school and several summer jobs, but had no replies and no guarantees of any income or future when I gave my notice.  I sold my car and desktop computer and used all my meager saving to go to Germany.  I spent all of March and April and a teeny bit of May there... renting a room in a flat in Berlin and taking twenty hours of language class a week.  Berlin rapidly became my favorite city I'd ever been, and when Nicole and I spent a week seeing some of the lovely 'romantic' towns and castles in Bavaria, I just fell further in love with Germany.

But then it was time to go back to Williamsburg, but this time for sometime completely different to my previous first-hand job.  Over the course of the summer, I worked as a historical interpreter on the George Washington tent project as well as filling in at the millinery shop when needed.  The team of people working on the tent were amazing, and I made some wonderful new friends as well as working alongside some of my best friends who I've known for ages.  Also, I feel like I could now sew a hunting-shirt with my eyes shut.

By the end of June I'd still not gotten any reply from grad school and was going out of my mind with nerves when I finally got the email from the University of Edinburgh saying I was accepted to their MFA programme in performance costume.  YAY!  There was great joy and relief.  The summer interpretive gig ended the second week of August, which gave me two weeks to pack and store and get rid of things in order to move overseas.  This ended up being way more stressful than I had anticipated, but I got through it and before I knew it I was in Scotland.

Naturally, I am in Scotland still, and just finished up my first semester as a grad student.  The past few months I've been pretty wrapped up in research for my project(s), and the research actually took me back to Germany for a week in November.  This time to Munich and the surrounding area to study early 19th century traditional Upper Bavarian clothing.  I learned a massive amount during that one week, and am really looking forward to applying the research to my work as well as continuing in that line of enquiry.

And of course it's the inter-personal relationships that also hugely figure into the image of a year.  Romantically, I didn't have any real relationships, although I did date and/or make out with some lovely people at various points.  Considering how transient my existence has been over the course of the year, this is not surprising and I actually feel rather positive about my 2013 experiences.  Friendships waxed and waned and actually caused more stress than romantic entanglements, but on the plus side I saw my family several times including my adorable and perfect little niece who is adorable and perfect.  And speaking of family, I have two cousins who are studying at the University of Edinburgh as well!  It's been lovely getting to know them properly.  :)

What with all the hither and yon-ing, I didn't sew much for myself this past year and am actually quite okay with that.  And in spite of various moments of fail, I am over-all rather satisfied with 2013.  I don't know what 2014 will hold, let alone beyond that point, but I'm hoping I can keep the momentum going...

I'm re-posting from colev since I know our f-lists are not identical.  This winter we will be throwing an awesome holiday party at her house here in Williamsburg and we really really hope people can make it!

In Nicole's words:

"What would happen if Sherlock Holmes, Downton Abbey, and House of Elliot all met in a big Holiday smash-up?

To explain how this idea came to be:  I've been massively redecorating my house.  Massively.  It may be a modern structure, but it's in the process of being literally covered with 1890-1920 decor.  Arts & Crafts living room, Sherlock library, German fairytale guest room, Chinoiserie master bedroom, and Dark Continent "Game room".  It all manages to flow together, I swear.  While much of this is not finished yet, the plan is to be done in December.  And this year Evan will be gone on deployment during the holidays which makes things rather depressing.  However, Gwendolyn is moving back in which gives an excuse to period decorate the house properly for Christmas.  Which leads to the point of this post.

We are going to have a Holiday Party involving the epic fashions of the Teens and early 20s.  Some time after Christmas, maybe on the 5th (Twelfth Night!).  It all depends on when people will be available.  The house will be swagged entirely in natural and home-made period decor and open to wandering.  Have a cup of tea from the chinese tea cart in Sherlock Holmes' study or explore the ancient maps and artifacts from unknown places in the Game room (it may be a good idea to bring a rifle).  I'll be making up numerous dishes from the Unofficial Downtown Abbey cook book to be sampled through out the night.  If I can practice enough, there will be ukulele sing-alongs (put in your requests!).  Any and all are invited, we have plenty of room.  Let me know if I should add someone to my LJ for it as well.  If anyone would like a place to stay, I have a small sofa bed and tons of floor space on the third story for any floor bedding.  Feel free to come in the days before or stay after.  We might even have an outdoors ice-skating rink a block from my house at that point!

This isn't meant to be overly formal, though I won't complain about someone sparkling!  Wear everyday or party dress 1910s/20s fashion (and possibly a tiara).  Just let me know if the 29th, 5th, or 12th works for you!"

I posted about my new 1912 evening gown and the amazing Titanic dinner I wore it to on my blog.  The pictures of my gown were taken by Nicole, as my little point-and-click camera was so inferior to the many SLR beauties at the event that I didn't even take it out.  I'm eagerly waiting to see all the photos the other guests took!

Ich bin sicher, dass einiger von euch haben Deutsch wie Muttersprache (oder fließend sind).

Seit fast einem jahr lerne ich Deutsch, aber nur ganz allein.  Ich höre viele deutsche Musik, Podcasts, Hörbücher... lese auch Romane und Lernmaterialien... sehe deutsche Filme... usw.  Ich verstehe nicht schlecht, aber weil ich neimand mit zu reden oder schreiben haben, sind meinen aktiv Vokalubar und Grammatik ganz schreklich.  Ich will nicht denken wie viele Fehler ich habe schon mit dieser Sätze gemacht!

Trotzdem, habe ich grosse Ehrgeiz.  Mit einem Teil davon, möchte ich im nächste Jahr die deutsche B2 Niveau zu bestehen.

Es liegt auf der hand, dass ich brauche viele Übung and viele Hilfe.

Ich weiß man braucht viel Geduld und eine menge Freundlichkeit meiner schwache Versuche zu ausstehen.  Aber ich habe die Hoffnung jemand wird Mitleid nehmen, und veillicht mir zu helfen zustimmen.

Bitte, gibt es jemand wen mit mir könnte schreiben?  Nicht zu viel.  Nur ein bisschen über unsere Tage oder Projekte.

Ich bitte euch so sehr!

Und bitte vergeben sie mir alle meine Fehler!

It's felt like an eternity since I was last able to say this regarding any new sewing project, but I finished my new Civil War day dress!

*cue confetti*

I'll definitely add more trim before I wear it next, but it feels SO good to have something new!  I wore it this past weekend at the Mariner's Museum for their 150th anniversary event of the Battle of Hampton Roads (the fight between the Moniter and the Merrimac).  Obviously, I had very little to do with the naval history side of things, but myself and a few other ladies had a display of various sewing and needlework and fashions which we talked about and gave demonstrations of.  It was a long weekend and very exhausting, but quite fun.  It's always so refreshing to be able to do Civil War events every now and then...

But more importantly; the dress! 



It's made of silk taffeta, which languished in my stash for a long time on the grounds that I already had too many blue costumes... but considering I don't wear them all at once, that reason fell apart under the weight of a non-existant budget.  The bodice lining and hem facing are brown polished cotton, and the trim is velvet ribbon.  Hopefully next time this dress appears in public there will be a great deal MORE ribbon on it.

I also finally got pictures of the sontag I crocheted over a year ago.  This weekend was very chilly, and I was able to put it to good use.





And then the wind picked up, and I flew.

Today we had an Open House at the Costume Design Center... marking an entire year since I came to work here.  I don't really know if I can properly sum up how I feel about being here.  I know I'm not the same person I was a year ago, but I suppose change is good.

Working full time in costume has definitely changed how I approach my own personal sewing, and unfortunately it often boils down to "god, NO".  I have more ideas and costumey visions than ever, but I'm utterly lacking in any sort of motivation to carry them out.  It's not that I've come to dislike sewing at all, but it gets pretty physically taxing to sew eight hours a day and when I get home I just want to face-plant into the couch and never ever use my hands again.

Everything goes in cycles though, and I'm completely confident that I'll seriously costume for myself again at some point in the future.  Whether sooner or later.

After all, I half sewed a pair of mitts for myself the other day.  That counts, right?  ;)

And yeah, the Open House was lots of fun!  I had a table set up with a display of undergarments, including current and old styles of stays which are issued to the interpreters, plus a couple recreations of original stays from collections, and various other items.  I got to be in costume too, which was of course a bonus, and I just wore undergarments (shift, stays, underpetticoat, and pocket).  Lots of people seems REALLY interested in the display and in the whole idea of the scope of 18th cen underpinnings.  I think a lot of people's minds were blown when they learned that everything I was wearing goes under what they see on nearly all the interpreters in the historic area.  There were lots and lots of questions, and I think a lot of people went away with a whole new perspective.  At least I hope they did.  I just know I was swamped and talked nearly constantly from 10am 'til my lunch at 1pm and then for the rest of the afternoon after that.

I wish the opportunity for that sort of thing came up more often... I don't want to have to wait another year to be able to do it again!  Maybe I should be a historical interpreter for a while.  Who knows.

I finally brought it out again and finished the portrait miniature I started a while back!


More pictures and a detailed write-up on The Blog!

I'm too lazy to cross-post right now, but I blogged about the sketching I did at UTR.  Had loads of fun with that, and will totally be taking my little drawing case to all reenactments from now on!

It's also time to start in on the next planned project!  My housemate, Nicole, and I are going to a Jane Austen ball which is being held a month from now in northern Virginia, and I badly need a new ball-gown.  There are grand 1790s plans afoot, and I'm waiting on a vintage sari to arrive in the mail which will become a key element of the design.  I looked through a massive archive of fashion plates from the 1790s, and have combined several of my favorite elements from various evening gowns... incidentally, all the gowns I really loved were all from 1797.  I don't know what it was about that year, but the fashions were killer. 

I'm not so excited about actually making the gown, since I'm always pretty sick of sewing when I get home every evening, but I AM very excited about the prospect of having the gown once it's done.   It'll definitely be worth it.  :D

Also, on a totally separate note, I just want to say that when learning two different languages, it's probably a good idea to segregate studying to some degree.  My brain has been an utter mess recently, jumbling around with bits of broken French and German that slip into regular thoughts and mix with each other and then mix with English and then I just try really hard to not let any of it out of my mouth when I'm at work.  This is kind of my own fault though.  Take for example the last two days... yesterday I spent all day at work listening to Harry Potter und der Stein der Wiessen and then came home and watching a French film and fell asleep listening to the French dub of Star Wars Ep VI. (and as an aside, that was seriously weird.  For years I could recite the entire dialogue to the movie verbatim; flip it into French and everything changes.  They even re-named trooper TK-421!  But moving on...)  Today, while at work, my ipod consumption was French podcasts interspersed with copious amounts of Tokio Hotel and some Rammstein to keep me awake.  Came home, watched a German movie this time before reading some French fairy tales.

This is all sadly typical of my normal pattern.   We'll see what becomes of it.

Oh!  And I was really excited the other day to discover something about Englisch that I didn't even know existed: Phrasal Verbs.  Finding out what they were, and then that French doesn't have them, made SO much all of a sudden make sense.  I love me my phrasal verbs, but will no longer try to bend French into making them work.  I believe I still get to have them in German though.  It's really the little things that make me happy.

I started my new gown for UTR a few days ago, and have managed to find a few snippets of enthusiasm for actually making the thing.  I'm using a lavendar and white striped linen from Burnley & Trowbridge, and aside from the long skirt seams, I'm sewing it all by hand... something I've not done since my brown print Regency dress over a year ago.  No pictures yet, as it's still all in pieces!

The light colored and light weight linen should be practical for being out in the Williamsburg summer, but to be honest I'm really not worried about the heat this year.  At the moment, the weather is predicted to be between 87-90 for next weekend which shouldn't be bad at all considering how I've grown rather accustomed to the climate here.  Day before yesterday it felt cool at 80 degrees, and when I had lunch outside today I thought it was warm but pleasant... turns out the high today was 97.  So yes.  Hopefully I won't jinx anything by saying the temperature should be totally fine!

I'm really looking forward to it all though!  It'll be my first real time at UTR... very exciting!