Montreal ComicCon 2013 - the Diary

(Vu la longueur du texte, la version Française se trouve dans un article séparé, ici.)

The Montreal ComicCon whirlwind is over, and now that I have had time to rest up, I can tell you about it. Warning: this is a very long post. It is a diary of my day at the convention.

It was great, awesome, I had a lot of fun, my kids did too and they were wonderful, but mostly, now I can take a short break from rushing to finish costumes in time (for a few days, at least).

It was my first time going to Montreal ComicCon (my 4th Convention in total) and I only went Saturday (instead of the whole week-end), since the kids were with me. 2 years ago, when I didn’t get to go, I had heard many stories of people waiting in line for hours to get in. This may have been true for the ones who did not buy their tickets in advance, but as I had done so, I was simply and quite kindly showed where to go as soon as I got there, had no waiting time, and because I had the stroller, I got to use the elevator to move from one floor to the next.

We first stopped shortly in the dealer room. I kid you not, it was the size of 2 if not 3 high school gyms. I visited it 3 times and I still did not see everything. After a few minutes, I decided it was time to go put our costumes on. Since I wasn’t driving in all dressed and I didn’t have a hotel room to do that in, it meant going to a restroom.

 Quick glance at the Dealer Room

If you’ve never been to the Montreal Convention Centre, in the wing where both Otakuthon and Montreal ComicCon are being held there is on the 4th floor a couple of humongous restrooms at each end of the floor, and almost no one knows about them, so there is never any waiting time. Plus, there is a waiting section with carpeted floors and benches, walls of mirrors and light shelves with mirrors. It is the perfect place to go get dresses, put your make-up on, let the kids loose, breastfeed the baby, etc. There are even dome windows behind the sink’s mirrors and you could see into the dealer room on the 2nd floor (I should have taken a picture). It is a well kept secret, but I’ll share it with you anyways.

Once dressed, we were really ready to get back to the main floor. But first, we had to stop by the masquerade registration office to confirm our presence (I had registered on line weeks in advance), give in our music (and contrary to what the website says, they do accept MP3 files on USB drives – thankfully, because my CD didn’t work), and register my daughter’s Dalek “weapon” (the world’s cutest toilet plunger) at the weapon’s check.

As we turned around to go, we met Dalek Dreadnaught.

Princess Dalek with Dalek Dreadnaught 

His weapons shoot out steam with a loud hissing noise and my baby boy got really scared, poor thing, but a hug from Mommy and a lullaby from Big Sister calmed him down.

My daughter and I have been watching The Guild music videos and listening to the songs a lot in the last month, so she insisted we go to the Felicia Day conference (I will remind you she is 4 ½). I think she was secretly hoping, even though I told her it would not happen, that Felicia would show up in her Codex costume and perform Do you want to date my avatar (note: my kids don’t understand English – we speak only French at home). But they played the video just before the conference, we saw Felicia on stage and we met a cosplayer dressed as Codex at some other point (again, I should have taken a picture), so she was completely happy. While we were in the conference hall, the general stage manager for the convention who is a friend of mine came to silently compliment me on my costume. Happy moment. Since the hall wasn’t too full, I was able to let my baby boy cruise a little on the floor, not too far from me, and we also had a bite to eat (don’t tell anyone, I’m not sure it was allowed – but I promise I was careful not to make a mess and not to leave any garbage behind. It is like it never happened).

After the conference, hearing rumors the TARDIS’ presence, we went back to the dealer room where a fan gave us directions, after snapping a few pics of yours truly. We passed some friends cosplaying zombies (my least favourite thing after spiders) and someone almost got slapped for getting too close, though I don’t think he realized just how frightened I am of those gruesome looking walking dead creatures, and finally, we made it to the outer most corner where the Doctor Who Society of Canada had landed their TARDIS, stone angel, silence, and even a few Daleks. It was picture time!

The TARDIS

Two TARDIS

I have to say, and I don’t say this often on the count of my many self image issues and just being a girl in general, but I look awesome in this picture. My kimono came out great and it is quite flattering, wouldn’t you say?

I chatted with some of the members of the Society who appreciated the originality of my costume (as many others did, which is always nice to hear), and one of them told me she owns a few kimono and wondered if I was wearing the many layers one should wear for a proper kitsuke: the answer is yes, mostly. (Post on the details of my costume to follow.)

Daleks in Montreal

The Daleks and their princess

We kept walking and found the Ghostbuster Central of Quebec with Ecto 1 parked there.

Who you gonna call?

Lots more walking and trying to squeeze in between people (with a 2-place stroller) we found the celebrity section, but there was no one there I wanted an autograph from badly enough to pay for it.

Then, turning around a corner, who did we happen to see?

“MOMMY-IT’S-SNOW-WHIIIIITE!!!”

Snow White with Princess Dalek

This cosplayer was kind enough to pose with my daughter after I told her just how much she loves Snow White.

At that point, I had had just about as much as I could take of the crowded dealer room, so we left for a less densely occupied floor space.

I think I should explain here that I suffer from mild ochlophobia, (the fear of crowds). I can deal with crowds for a certain time, but after awhile, being unable to move easily or to get from one point to the next at a decent pace because of all the people, I begin to panic and I can become snappy. I will attempt to control myself and not completely break down and hyperventilate, but all I can think of is getting out of the crowd RIGHT NOW,. Which is not an easy feet when you are pushing a stroller. So now you know.

By the time we had left the dealer room, it was almost time to check in at the Green Room, so we made our way back to the fifth floor, to a much quieter hallway where my daughter, who kept refusing to pose for pictures for strangers (and I didn’t not force her to – I asked if she wanted to every time the request was made and if she refused, that was that), suddenly wanted me to take pictures of her.

♫ Strike the pose ♪

♫ ta-na-na ♪

♫ Strike the pose ♪

♫ Vogue... Vogue ♪

We were in that hallway a long time (I think they were running a little late, but no matter), so both kids got to stretch their legs. I got my baby boy in his costume (which I kept for the masquerade to avoid incidents) and I snapped a picture.

My Doctor

Isn’t he the cutest baby Doctor ever? One woman said she was sure this is what the Doctor looked like when he was a baby. He just smiled at everyone and was adorable.

I also snapped a shoe picture with my daughter. They seem to be mandatory for any costumed event.

Mother / Daughter shoe shot

Finally, the green room opened and we slowly filled in. When we met with the MC to discuss the presentation, she chocked on her sip of water before exclaiming “You guys are so CUTE!” (another happy moment). My Green Room experience was great. I got to feed my baby boy, they gave us cookies and iced water, there was a giant screen showing what was going on in the conference room, so I got to see the Jason Momoa conference, our Den Mom played with my daughter, held my son while I was rummaging through all our stuff, and she even kept an eye on my kids while I ran to the reparations table. Because, yes, that was another great thing: they had a table with glue, needle and threads, a hot glue gun, duck tape, anything you might need to quickly fix your costume before the masquerade. It came in handy because one of the rhinestones on my daughter’s Dalek weapon fell off, and so did the pin on the back of my brooch (keeping a perfect kitsuke while carrying a baby is impossible, just so you know).

Eventually, the judges joined us for pre-judging. We had 6 judges, including Kamui Cosplay, Jessica Nigri and Monika Lee. As I have been watching Heroes of Cosplay, I had a tiny geek-out moment when we were sent to be judged by the duo of judges including Monika, even if she is not my favourite “character” in the show. She let out an “Oh she’s so cute!” when she saw my daughter (which always wins you point with any mom), noted that all my seams were overlocked (of course! Raw, unfinished fabric edges are a sewing pet peeve of mine), and seemed impressed when I told her I had woven my obijime myself, and even more so that I had done most the work on the three costumes at night between 10PM and midnight because I needed to wait for my kids to be asleep before having any free time.

5 minutes before the show started, my son fell asleep in my arms, but he woke-up again before we went on stage. Both kids did a terrific job, and I was relieved that my son did not cry when people applauded. With the music of the opening credits for Doctor who playing, the MC read out this story which we acted out:

Once upon a time, there was a Doctor who travelled through time and space in his TARDIS (I walked to the center of the stage with my son in my arms and started to spin). One day, he met a Dalek. (my daughter walked towards us), but this Dalek was different from other Daleks because she didn’t want to exterminate anyone, she only wanted to give hugs. (I kneeled and we had a group hug). From that day forward, the doctor and the Dalek became friends. The end. (We bowed and walked of the stage).

How can anyone resist the cuteness?

We presented our skit as part of the Junior category of the masquerade, so after all entries were done, we all went back on stage were all the participants got a ribbon, even me. While that was going on, I could hear the MC commenting on my daughter’s costumes, that it had rhinestones and just how cute it was (yet another happy moment).

We then went for our official masquerade portrait (the only family picture I have of that day – I can’t wait for those photos to be published). The photographer mentioned something about those “Parenting: you’re doing it right” meme on the internet (and I told him I expect one to be made with our picture and that caption), so that was a proud moment.

While I changed out of my kimono and back into my jeans and t-shirt (my Threadless “Come away with me” by Khallion t-shirt – I’m a geek at a convention after all), my daughter went to talk to the girls whose costumes she loved best. She had me take pictures of her posing with them before we left.

Princess Dalek with Annie from League of Legends

I loved that costume, loved the pink hair matched with the blue and the snowman backpack.

Unknown character with Princess Dalek

This one my daughter had noticed in the hallway and I had to promise to take a picture with her before we left (promise kept), but I do not know who that character is. My daughter called her the Ice Fairy.
Then I had her change out of her dress and we left the Green Room.

(The award ceremony for the masquerade was held Sunday morning, but as I was only going Saturday, I have been told that I will be contacted by e-mail if I’ve won anything).

We swung by the dealer room one last time (it was a lot less crowded by then), went to say hi to my friends in the 501st and I took this picture of my kids with R2D2.

My kids with R2D2

This is my new wallpaper.

As we left, we stopped by a Wolverine posing with people on his motorcycle. At first, my daughter wanted to go see “Mr. Claws”, but when it was time to take a picture, she suddenly got intimidated. That man was so kind: he got down from his motorcycle, came to talk to her, took off his claws to show her they are just toys and even asked her if she wanted a picture with him not riding his bike. She never changed her mind (so I don’t have a picture), but I had to tell you what a great guy he was (Thank you!).

The last person we saw before leaving the convention was the Doctor himself…

It is a Doctor-Dalek!

… IN A DALEK WHEELCHAIR! How awesome is that? That to me is the proof that cosplay is for everyone.

It was a great day. It was a perfect day. As tired as I was in the days prior (I was at the point of wanting the day to be over already), now I can’t wait for the next convention. Congratulations to all the volunteers and employees of the convention centre: you did an amazing job.

Progress Report: The Tardis, the Doctor and the Dalek Princess / Rapport d'avancement: Le Tardis, le Docteur et la Princesse Dalek

(La version Française se trouve plus bas.) 

I have recently made a lot of progress on my Doctor Who family costumes. I am taking a short break from sewing to share what I have done with you.

First, here is my son's 11th Doctor jacket for which I drafted my own pattern and which I made from an old pair of pants of my dad's from the 70s. Unfortunately, I realized when cutting that those pants where full of stains. I'll try to wash them out, but if not, we'll just say the Doctor has had one hell of a day.

J'ai récemment fait beaucoup de progrès sur les costumes de ma famille à thématique Doctor Who. Je prend donc une petite pause dans ma couture pour vous partager ce que j'ai fait jusqu'à maintenant.

D'abord, voici le veston de 11e Docteur de mon fils pour lequel j'ai dessiné le patron et que j'ai découpé dans une vieille paire de pantalon de mon père datant des années 70. Malheureusement, j'ai réalisé au moment de découper que les pantalons étaient remplis de taches. Je vais essayer de les laver, mais sinon, nous dirons que le Docteur à eu une journée infernale.

Second, here is my daughter's Princess Dalek dress. I still have to add a few finishing touches, including hemming and finishing the bodice's lining, but you can already see what it will look like. I decided to forgo the half Styrofoam "bumps" usuallyused in Dalek dresses and make them as round appliques instead because knowing my daughter, she will want to wear her dress once a week and I could not see myself taking the bumps off and putting them back on every time I had to wash it. I went for practical over accuracy. After all, she's 4 1/2, I am allowed some leeway.

En suite, voici la robe de Princesse Dalek de ma fille. Il y a encore de la finition à faire, dont le bord et terminer la doublure du corsage, mais on voit déjà de quoi elle aura l'air. J'ai décidé de remplacer les bosses souvent faites de demi-boules de styromousse par des appliqués circulaires parce que, connaissant ma fille, elle va vouloir porter sa robe une fois par semaine et je ne me voyais pas enlever et remettre les bosses à chaque lavage. J'ai donc choisi l'aspect pratique plutôt que l'exactitude. Après tout, elle a 4 1/2 ans, j'ai droit à un peu de liberté sur ce point.

On to my costume. After 6 weeks of painting and taking over my chest freezer as a work table...

Et maintenant, mon costume. Après 6 semaines de peinture à utiliser mon congélateur-bahut comme table de travail...

I am DONE! Okay, I still have to paint the collar and Obi, but those will be stencilled and much faster to paint (the stencil for the obi is ready, I only have the one for the collar to prepare).

J'ai TERMINÉ! Bon, en fait je dois encore peindre le col et le Obi, mais dans ces deux cas, j'utiliserai un pochoir alors ce sera plus rapide à peindre (j'ai déjà terminé le pochoir du Obi, il ne me reste plus qu'à faire celui du col).

I have some pieces of my costume finished. I made a yellow cotton voile Juban (under Kimono).

J'ai aussi des pièces de mon costume qui sont terminées. Je me suis confectionné un Juban (sous Kimono) de voile de coton jaune.

And I wove myself a an Obijime in yellow and gold.

Et je me suis tissé un Obijime en jaune et doré.

And now, back to my sewing room. I still have plenty to do and little free time to do it.

Et maintenant, je retourne dans ma salle de couture. J'ai encore beaucoup de choses à faire et peu de temps libre pour le faire.

Refashioned Anglaise / Anglaise remodelée

(La version Française se trouve plus bas.) 

As promised, here is a post on my refashioned Anglaise, and within a decent delay too.

So how did I go from that... 

Comme promis, voici un article sur ma robe à l'Anglaise remodelée, et dans un délais raisonnable en plus.

Alors comment suis-je passée de ça...

 

My first 18th century-ish dress, 2005 / Ma première robe d'inspiration 18e, 2005

... to this?

... à ceci?

Refashioned Anglaise à la Polonaise / Robe à l'Anglaise à la Polonaise remodelée

What the original dress really needed was some skirt support and a bit of trimming. And so inspired by the below fashion plate, I proceeded and made the required changes to make this dress fabulous.

N.B.: I realised once I pulled my dress out of storage that the knife pleats on the skirt's front panels are going the wrong way, and I decided to ignore them because I really didn't want to take the whole thing apart, especially considering how badly the fabric frays. So there.

Ce dont la robe originale avait le plus besoin, c'était un peu de support et de la décoration. Donc, inspirée de l'illustration de mode ci-dessous, j'ai procédé aux changements nécessaires pour rendre cette robe fabuleuse.

N.B. J'ai réalisée après avoir sortie ma robe de l'entreposage que les plis des panneaux du devant de la jupe ne vont pas dans la bonne direction, mais j'ai décidé de les ignorer parce que je n'avais franchement pas envie de tout défaire, surtout si l'on considère à quel point ce tissu s'effiloche. Alors voilà.

Robe à l'Anglaise with pagoda sleeves / Robe à l'Anglaise avec manches pagode

Back to the remodel. I first made a crescent shaped rump out of white non-descript stash fabric, fibre fill and satin ribbon. I found my inspiration for it in Kendra's article on the subject (number  to be exact): Late 18th Century Skirt Supports: Bums, Rumps, & Culs.

Mais revenons au remodelage. J'ai d'abord fais un faux cul en forme de croissant à partir d'un tissu blanc quelconque de ma réserve, de bourre synthétique et de ruban de satin. J'ai trouvé mon inspiration dans l'article de Kendra sur le sujet (au numéro cinq pour être précise): Late 18th Century Skirt Supports: Bums, Rumps, & Culs. (Anglais seulement)

 Back and side view of the fake rump / Vue de dos et de coté du faux cul

Then I splurged on some quilted cotton with a toile print to make an easy quilted petticoat. I used black satin blanket binding I had on hand for the waistband and ties (I really liked the colour contrast).

Ensuite, je me suis payé un petit luxe en achetant du coton imprimé et piqué pour me confectionner un jupon piqué facile. J'ai utilisé du ruban de satin noir pour finition de couverture que j'avais sous la main pour la ceinture et les attaches (j'aime bien le contraste de couleur).

 

Side and front view of the quilted petticoat / Vue de coté et de devant du jupon piqué

I wanted to make myself these two items of underwear for awhile now (I wanted them to wear underneath my as of yet unfinished Pumpkin Polonaise last Halloween) and I am quite happy with the way they came out.

Inspired by my favourite fashion plate, I decided to go ahead and make myself a new skirt with fabric I had in my stash for exactly that purpose. It is a tonal striped satin in off-white. Since it is a walking lenth skirt, I will be able to use it as a petticoat under other skirts as well.

Je voulais me confectionner ces deux items de lingerie depuis un bon moment (je les voulais pour les porter sous ma Polonaise Citrouille qui n'est toujours pas terminée et que je planifiais porter à Halloween l'an passé) et je suis bien contente du résultat.

Inspiré par l'illustration de mode ci-haut, j'ai décidé de me faire une nouvelle jupe avec un tissu de ma réserve que je réservais justement pour cet usage. Il s'agit d'un satin écru ligné ton sur ton. Puisque cette jupe est d'une longueur de marche, je pourrai m'en servir comme jupon sous d'autres jupes.

 

Skirt front and side views / Vue de devant et de coté de la jupe

As for the dress, I wanted to make it into a polonaise, so I set it on my sewing dummy and played with it, bunching up the sides, until I was happy with the results. Then, I marked where I needed to sew the plastic rings I was going to use to hold it up before proceeding to hand sew said rings in place. Last but not least, I tied the rings togeter with a piece of ribbon.

Pour la robe, comme je voulais en faire une Polonaise, je l'ai mise sur mon mannequin de couture et j'ai joué avec les panneaux, les remontant sur les coté jusqu'à ce que je sois satisfaite du résultat. Puis, j'ai indiqué à la craie l'endroit où je devais coudre les anneaux de plastique qui servirait à retenir le tissu avant de coudre les dit anneaux en place. Enfin, j'ai joint les anneaux à l'aide d'une longueur de ruban.

Polonaise à l'Anglaise - front, side and back view / Polonaise à l'Anglaise - vue de devant, de coté et de dos

The only decoration the dress originally had was some lace at the neckline and at the sleeve cuffs. I feed my trusty ruffler foot 10 metres of black gros grain ribbon to make trim for the dress which I then hand sewed (you read right: I hand sewed trim) to the dress. I applied the trim around the neckline, down the side front seams, down the skirts edge and around the cuffs. Lastly, I added red satin bows to the cuffs and neckline.

La seule décoration que la robe originale possédait était de la dentelle autour du col et des emmanchures. Grâce à mon merveilleux pied de machine à coudre à froncer, j'ai plissé 10 mètre de ruban gros grain noir avant d'appliquer ma nouvelle garniture sur ma robe en la cousant à la main (oui, oui, vous avez bien lu: moi, j'ai fait de la couture à la main). J'en ai mis autour du col, sur les coutures de coté devant du corsage, le long des bords de l'ouverture de la jupe et autour des emmanchures. Enfin, j'ai ajouté des boucles de satin rouge aux emmanchures et au devant du corsage, au niveau du col.

Trim detail on the bodice / Détail de décoration du corsage

Now all that is missing is the perfect shoes...

Il ne manque plus que la parfaite paire de chaussures...

My American Duchess Red Kensington with Dauphine buckles /

Mes Kensington rouges de American Duchess avec boucles Dauphine

... a neckerchief, some pearls vintage pearls (a gift from my mother when I was 8 for a special event), and an awesome hat complete with ostritch feathers...

... un fichu, un rang de perles antiques (un présent de ma mère pour un évenement spécial lorsque j'avais 8 ans), et un superbe chapeau garni de plumes d'autruches...

My lovely new hat / Mon joli nouveau chapeau

And you are ready for a garden party Rococo style. 

Et vous êtes prête pour une fête en plein-air à la Rococo.

2013 Costumer's Picnic in pictures / Pique-Nique des costumiers 2013 en photos

(La version Française se trouve plus bas.)

Last week, on July 27 2013, we the Quebec Society of Amateur Costumers held the 2nd edition of our annual Costumer's Picnic at l'Île-des-Moulins in Old Terrebonne. The event is growing: last year we were 5, this year we were 7! Okay, so technically, my son was there last year also, as I was pregnant with him, but Lady M, one of Nancy-Raven's friends through her Honey who joined us this year, was not.

We were really lucky weather wise: it was a beautiful, sunny day, yet it wasn't nearly as hot an muggy as it had been in previous weeks.

Costume wise, we had a variety of themes represented: an 18th century lady (myself), a Hindi Princess (Nancy-Raven), a Disney Princess (my daughter), a medieval baby (my son), a couple of pirates (Nancy-Raven's Honey and son) and a Fantasy Greek Goddess (Lady M). Proof that anything goes at our picnic; you might even call it "Halloween in July".

La semaine dernière, le 27 juillet 2013, nous, La Société des Costumiers Amateurs du Québec, tenions la seconde édition de notre pique-nique annuel des costumiers à l'Île-des-Moulins, dans le vieux Terrebonne. L'évènement grandit: l'an passé nous étions cinq, tandis que cette année nous étions sept. Bon, techniquement, mon fils y était aussi l'an passé, puisque j'étais enceinte de lui à l'époque, mais Dame M, une amie de Nancy-Raven par son chéri qui s'est jointe à nous cette année, n'y était pas.

Nous avons été très chanceux coté météo: il faisait un soleil radieux, mais sans l'humidité écrasante des semaines précédentes.

Coté costumes, nous avions un éventail de thématiques représentées: une dame du 18e siècle (moi-même), une princesse Hindu (Nancy-Raven), une princesse de Disney (ma fille), un bébé médiéval (mon garçon), deux pirates (le chéri et le fils de Nancy-Raven ) et une Déesse Grecque de fantaisie (Dame M). La preuve que n'importe quel costume est bienvenu à  notre pique-nique; c'est pratiquement "l'Halloween des campeurs".

My kids / Mes enfants

What beautiful brown eyes! / Quels beaux yeux bruns!

I dressed my son in the light blue Medieval outfit that Nancy-Raven had made my daughter for her first birthday.

J'ai habillé mon fils dans l'ensemble médiéval bleu pâle que Nancy-Raven avait fait pour ma fille pour son premier anniversaire.

 Goldie Locks Snow White / Une blanche-Neige aux boucles d'or

My daughter loves Snow White most of all the Disney Pricesses, so she wears that dress at least once a week. Before anyone congratulates me on it, I did not make this dress: my mom did, for Halloween 1986. Yep, this was once my costume, and I also loved it so much, I wore it at my grandmother's house for Christmas that year instead of my fancy holiday dress (one day I'll find the pictures and scan them for you all to see). What I did do in the weeks before the picnic is sew snaps to the collar to make it detachable (it was tacked in place before with loose stitches) and I made a new brooch out of Fimo and gold spray paint to replace the original yellow felt brooch my mom had made me which was lost ages ago.

La princesse de Disney préféré de ma fille est Blanche-Neige, alors elle porte cette robe au moins une fois par semaine. Avant que quiconque ne me félicite pour sa réalisation, sachez que ce n'est pas moi, mais bien ma mère qui l'a confectionné pour l'Halloween 1986. Eh oui, c'était mon costume avant, et je l'aimais tant que je l'ai même porté pour aller chez ma grand-mère à Noël cette année-là au lieu de ma robe chic du temps des fêtes (un jour je retrouverai les photos que je digitaliserai pour vous les partager). Pour le pique-nique, j'ai posé des boutons-pression pour que le col soit détachable (avant il tenait par de grand points de couture) et j'ai fabriqué une nouvelle broche avec du Fimo et de la peinture dorée pour remplacer celle de feutre jaune que ma mère avait fait à l'époque et qui a été perdue il y a longtemps.

 

My attempt at a Pouf / Ma tentative de coiffure en pouf

My new hat / Mon nouveau chapeau

My daughter and I / Ma fille et moi

Why yes, those are American Duchess Kensingtons in Red with Dauphine buckles on my feet; I swear, they were as comfortable as slippers.

Mais oui, ce son bien des Kensingtons Rouges avec boucles Dauphines de American Duchess à mes pieds; je vous jure que ces chaussures étaient aussi confortable que des pantoufles.

 

My son and I / Mon fils et moi

 

Nancy-Raven and her son / Nancy-Raven et son fils

 

My daughter snapping a picture of Lady M / Ma fille photographiant Dame M 

Nancy-Raven and Lady M/ Nancy-Raven et Dame M

Until next year! (I'll post pictures of my updated dress soon).

À l'année prochaine! (Je présenterai des photos des améliorations apportés à ma robe bientôt).

Ideas for Anglaise dress makeover / Idées pour transfo-beauté de robe à l'Anglaise

(La version Française se trouve plus bas.)

The Costumer's Picnic is coming up next month, and when I think of what I want to wear, my mind screams 18th century but I know I have no time to make a new dress. Solution? Fix up an old one of course! Now why didn't I think of that sooner.

Le Pique-Nique des Costumiers arrive à grands pas, et quand je songe à ce que j'aimerais y porter, mon cerveau me cri "du 18e siècle", mais je sais pertinemment que je n'ai pas le temps de me faire une nouvelle robe. Solution? Arranger une robe que j'ai déjà! Pourquoi n'y ai-je pas pensé plus tôt.

My first 18th century-ish dress, 2005 / Ma première robe d'inspiration 18e, 2005

My first attempt at an 18th century dress was this coral coloured gown made using cheap jacquard (literally 1$/metre) dyed at home because the original colour of the fabric was horrendous, and Butterick 3640, view B. As you can tell, it needs some sort of support and a bit of trimming. For sure, I will Polonaise it and I will wear more petticoats (maybe a quilted one) to give the skirt some volume. But as for trims, I have been Googling images for inspiration.

Ma première tentative pour confectionner une robe 18e siècle était cette robe couleur corail faite de jacquard bon marché (1$ / mètre c'est donné) teint à la maison parce que la couleur d'origine est horrible, et confectionnée à partir de Butterick 3640, modèle B. Comme vous pouvez le constater, cette robe à besoin de support et d'un peu de déco. Il est certain que je remonterai la robe en Polonaise, et je porterai des jupons (peut-être un matelassé) sous la jupepour lui donner du volume. Pour la déco, j'ai cherché des images dans Google pour m'inspirer.
 

Polonaise c. 1775-1780, Museo del Traje

Lucy Watson, Mrs Thornton, by/par Arthur Devis, 1763, Uppark House and Garden, West Sussex

A woman in the fashion of 1770's. Robe circassienne. / Femme à la mode de 1770. Robe circassienne.

Late 18th Century Anglaise à la Polonaise Gown by Aimee Major / Robe à l'Anglaise à la Polonaise fin 18e siècle par Aimee Major

Francis Alleyne (active 1774-1790). Portrait of a lady in a pink dress with a sheet of music. / Francis Alleyne (actif de 1774-1790). Portrait d'une dame en robe rose tenant une partition de musique.

Robe à l'Anglaise with pagoda sleeves / Robe à l'Anglaise avec manches pagode

I am liking this last dress with black bows and its black hat with white ostritch feathers. I can work with that. What do you think? What other colour would you advise for trimming my dress?

J'aime vraiment cette dernière robe avec ses boucles noires et son chapeau noir à plumes d'autruches blanches. Je peux travailler avec ça. Qu'en pensez-vous? Quelle autre couleur me recommanderiez-vous pour décorer ma robe?

Quebec Society of Amateur Costumers / Société des Costumiers Amateurs du Québec

(La version Française se trouve plus bas.) 

This is grand news; I've been working for this to become true for three years. At last, the costumers' group Nancy-Raven and I have been dreaming of starting has become a reality. Introducing the Quebec Society of Amateur Costumers (website in French only for now, but all are welcome).

Ceci est une grande nouvelle; je travaille à ce projet depuis trois ans. Enfin, le groupe de costumiers rêvé par Nancy-Raven et moi est enfin devenu une réalité. Je vous présente La Société des Costumiers Amateurs du Québec.

Quebec Society of Amateur Costumers / Société des Costumiers Amateurs du Québec

This group is for all Quebec costumers. Whatever genre you prefer, be it Cosplay, movie costumes reproductions, historical costumes, etc., you will find like minded people here who love to share their passion and ideas. Need an excuse to make a new Regency Frock? Why not help organize a tea party around that theme. Going to a convention and looking for friends to join you? Ask us, maybe some of our members are going too.

Curious? Interested? Visit our website and then come and join us for a picnic, a tea or any other event that strikes your fancy.

Ce groupe s'adresse à tous les  costumiers québécois. Quelque soit le genre de costume que vous préfériez, que ce soit le Cosplay, la reproduction de costumes de film, les costumes historiques, etc., vous trouverez des gens partageant votre passion qui aiment partager leurs connaissances et leurs idées. Vous cherchez une excuse pour vous faire un nouvel ensemble d'époque Napoléonienne? Pourquoi ne pas aider à organiser un thé autour de cette thématique. Vous allez à une convention et cherchez des amis pour vous accompagner? Demandez-nous, peut-être que certains de nos membres y vont aussi.

Curieux?  Intéressés? Visitez notre site web, puis joignez-vous à  nous pour un pique-nique, un thé ou n'importe quel autre évènement vous attire.

Stays Progress / Progrès du corps baleiné

(La version Française se trouve plus bas.) 

I thought I would let you all know how my 18th century's stays project is coming along: really slowly.

J'ai cru qu'il serait bon que je vous laisse savoir comment avançait mon projet de corps baleiné 18e siècle: très lentement.

As of now, I have the front and side pieces assembled and boned. Next up the back pieces, followed by the lacing eyelets (I might use grommets) and the binding. I am not progressing as fast as I had hoped (sleep kids, please!), but at least I'm working on something.

That's all for now folks!

Pour le moment, j'ai les pièces du devant et des cotés d'assemblées et baleinées. Prochaine étape, les pièces de dos, les œillets pour le laçage (je vais peut-être utilisé des œillets de métal) et le ruban de billet pour le bord.  Ça ne progresse pas aussi vite que je l'avais espéré (dodo les enfants, s'il vous plaît!), mais au mois je travaille sur quelque chose.

C'est tout pour maintenant!