Masquerade mask hack for people who wear glasses (with pictures)

Ok, I love a masked ball. I love masks. However, I wear glasses.....The world is a total blur when I don't have my glasses on.

I tried a mask designed for glasses a couple years ago. It was ok. Not super comfortable and it kept pulling at my glasses all night. The mask itself is very pretty, just not as practical as I wanted. So for the last week or so I have been racking my brain for a way to wear a mask and glasses at the same time. And be comfortable while doing it.

What I bought:
Let's go to Party City! Who wouldn't want to go to a store with the name "party" in it! Kinda like BevMo! Beverages! And more! Oh hell yes! (yes, in the town I live these 2 stores share a parking lot)
At Party City I bought a couple cheap (98 cents ea) soft masks. They are semi stiff fabric/buckram with a satin layer on the front.

What I did:
First thing I cut off the elastic cord. Then after contemplating my life's choices for awhile I spent a few minutes looking over the mask and trying to figure out how to wear it over my glasses. It dawned on me I could use VELCRO! No, not by glueing it to my glasses, that would be lame. I cut 3 small strips of velcro and hot glued the loop (soft) side to the mask. One in the middle and one on each side. You will need to lay your glasses lenses side down on the wrong side of the mask and mark where the velcro needs to be. Mark on the mask and then glue the loop velcro strips in the proper spots. Then I used the hook side (ouch side) and wrapped it over the bridge and temples of my glasses and stuck it to the velcro on the mask. Holy crap! It worked! I have Silhouette glasses. They are very light and thin. I don't know how well this will work on all glasses. It would only cost you a couple bucks to find out.

I wore my mask for several hours and has no issues at all. No matter if you wear glasses or not a mask will block some of your peripheral vision. Yes, it still looks a bit geeky but that's fine. I had several people ask me how I attached my mask to my glasses so I decided to put this out there for others. I hope this gives my other glasses wearing brethren some hope.

Supplies:
Cheap flexible fabric/buckram mask. Soft, so it doesn't damage your glasses.
Velcro
Hot glue
A pen or chalk to mark where the velcro goes
If you want to decorate your mask:
feathers, jewels, glitter, lace, trim.

The sample mask is a different color than the one I am wearing here. I made two, one pink and one gold.

 Same mask, different event. I aded more sparkle and glued satin leaves to the outer corners.

Butterick 6190 Downton Abbey peacock dress

I made this dress for a special event. One of my costuming groups hosted a wonderful Venetian themed masquerade party at the Sunset Club in Seattle. The club founders started construction in 1913 and the club opened in 1915. The building is fabulous and our banquet room was lovely.

Sooooooooo The last couple of projects I have done were from the big 4 patterns. Sometimes it seems the pattern companies shoot themselves in the foot by making the envelope cover models look meh... Butterick 6190 falls into that category. You fabric choice will make or break this dress. The fabric choices for the cover fall short. So much so that I almost passed on the pattern. The pattern is designed by Nancy Farris-Thee.

Pattern and Fabric:
This is a Downton Abbey inspired dress. The bodice is boned and closes up the back with hooks and eyes. There are several views. I made view A-B with D trained skirt. (regret, trains suck, just saying) 5 years ago I purchased 2.5 yards of this gorgeous peacock silk/velvet burn out. I finally felt I could work with this shifty moody fabric. My sewing confidence has improved in the last couple years and I wanted to put it to use. Since I am a beginner to shifty fabrics I thought the simple lines of 6190 would be perfect. Happily I was right. The fabric for the dress bodice and skirt are black poly crepe back satin. I used regular black satin for the sash and some black lace for the bodice. The kimono style cropped jacket is separate from the dress. It does cover up most of the bodice. You could leave off the bodice sleeves if you are making the cropped jacket. The overskirt and kimono sleeve hems are trimmed with black sequins. The peacock fabric doesn't need much to set it off. It speaks for itself. it is a bear to photograph. After making this dress I have approximately 1/3 yard of peacock fabric left. It was close.

Size and Alterations:
Big 4 I'm normally cutting an 18 or 20. After looking at finished garment measurements I decided on size 18 and did a .75 FBA and rolled out the side bust dart my FBA created. The bodice does have vertical darts on both front and back pieces. You could add your FBA to that dart. I did wind up taking the back dart in 1/4 more. Otherwise I didn't do any other alterations. If you are tall you will want to watch the skirt length.

Pattern Construction:
No issues at all. The directions are clear and concise. I enjoyed sewing it.

Design Changes:
I decided to pull up the center front of the overskirt and tack it up. I added a gold bullion tassel and a vintage black silk tassel. Instead of small hooks and eyes I used french hooks and bars. They always feel more secure to me.

Final Notes:
I like this pattern. It does have a nice Downton Abbey feel. It's not H/A. However, it gives the vibe of that time frame. I don't feel the envelope picture does this dress justice at all. Beware, this dress can look frumpy. Choose your fabric wisely.

 Yay! A good picture of my peacock fabric! 

 My American Duchess Tango Boots!

 Being naughty!

Wingeo Regency Turban pattern WN714 Mimi's green silk turban

I have a love hate relationship with Wingeo patterns. The directions can be a bit sparse and the illustrations are sometimes odd. But....They offer a good jumping off point. Especially for people like me who don't draft their own patterns. I would highly recommend Wingeo for theater costumers.

This pattern went together much easier than the Regency stovepipe hat I made. The pattern consists of 3 pieces. The inner band (buckram), crown, lining. The wrapped pieces are long rectangles. The dimensions depend on what type of fabric you use. This pattern uses no wire. (Yay!)

Size and supplies:
I made the size 23. Cuz I have a big head. This style of  headdress runs large because it needs to sit down on your head. The 23 was perfect. My advice is to cut the largest size and make the headband fit your head size. Like a quickie muslin. I used heavy buckram, green silk taffeta, black cotton lining. Wingeo patterns don't ask you to mull the buckram. I like to use mull so I used some cheap flannel and just mulled the buckram band.

Construction:
Fairly straightforward. Their directions are handwritten and sometimes hard to follow. But I kind of do my own thing so I don't mind. I hate it when pattern designers try to micro manage me. Not a problem with Wingeo. They appeal to my free spirit.

Changes I made:
I used only 1 color fabric instead of 2. Also instead of hemming the long edges of the twisted drapes I just sewed them into long tubes and turned them right side out. I wouldn't recommend this for very thick fabrics. Worked for the silk taffeta just fine. That's it.

Final thoughts:
I recommend this pattern for a confident beginner who is new to headwear. Goes together in a couple hours and the handwork is minimal. Just have all your feathers and stuff ready. You could have a nice Regency turban in no time. You can leave it simple or gussy it up. I just used a pre made feather and jeweled piece for mine.

I will actually be wearing this with my fancy Titanic era dress, not Regency. But this style is pretty timeless so I will also wear it with Regency. How nice and versatile!

McCalls 7140 AKA my Irene Adler cosplay for the Sherlock exhibit

I planned a costuming event to coincide with the final weekend of the Sherlock Holmes exhibit in Seattle. I decided to do a fun cosplay based on the Irene Adler blue and pink bustle dress from the Game of Shadows movie. I didn't want to spend a lot of time on a costume and I didn't want to wear a corset. McCall's 7140 bodice is a very close approximation of that costume. The one in the movie does have style lines appropriate to the Victorian era. The 7140 pattern is very modern. Princess seams, one piece sleeve, boxy shoulder. But I wasn't looking for historical accuracy, just a costume.

What I used:
This was another stash buster project. In a perfect world I would have had duchess satin in royal blue and hot pink. Instead I used navy blue cotton and petunia pink voile. My only purchase was a package of narrow pink bias tape to use as trim.

Sizing and alterations:
I decided to use a size 20. I have never had a successful princess seam FBA. Since I didn't want to mess with fitting a 20 was gonna have to work. This pattern in long in waist so I shortened it 1.75 inches. My back of neck to waist measurement is 15.5 inches. I also shortened the sleeve by 1/2 an inch. That was it. I made one design change. I added 3 inches to the center front bottom curve and graded it out to nothing once I reached the points. You can see on the envelope picture how short the jacket front is. It's cute, but not what I was looking for.

Pattern info and strange stuff: Please look at my photos for more info.
This is a pretty straightforward pattern with a few hiccups. The skirt waistband is marked incorrectly for center front and center back. The skirt closes in back. So just reverse them. CB is CF and CF is CB. When you go to baste on the collar the drawing is showing it being basted to the wrong side of the jacket.  I basted it to the right side, like I always do. Their wordage on the front skirt pattern piece (cut on fold) is teeny. That along with the waistband markings being jacked almost confused me. For 5 minutes I thought the skirt closed in the front.

Other changes I made:
I left the zipper and hook off the skirt. I attached the waistband as instructed but I left the ends open and used a drawstring. No one can see the back of your skirt with the bustle jacket on. I also used velcro to close the jacket front instead of sewing on hooks and eyes. Much easier. I used some decorative buttons on the bodice.

End notes:
I was happy with how this turned out. It was fun to wear. I had assumed I could find pink trim to match the ruffles and lining. Nope. Never the right shade. The bias tape was the closest I could get to that blasted pink shade. I am wearing a small bustle pillow and three petticoats underneath my skirt. I would recommend this pattern for an intermediate skill level. You need to know how to attach a collar, sew/clip around very tight corners, put in a lining.

 Good girls gone bad! Lady Rebecca and Madame Mimi.

 Myself, the Countess and Shearluck

Fun times on Baker Street NW.1

 A couple of the interior displays.

 I was unable to be assimilated by the Borg. (at the Museum of Pop Culture)

 We're so teeny!!

 Jacket is cut high in the front. I lowered it for my version.

 Instructions showing the collar basted to the wrong side of the jacket. Baste it to the right side.

 Shortcut! Use velcro!

 Waistband misprint

Laughing Moon 114 1840s-1850s Victorian round dress

Pardon any typos etc.... It is Christmas Eve and I have been hitting the hard cider. Quite possibly one of the most sneak up on you drunks ever, aside from Long Island ice tea. Nothing goes better together than drinking and blogging. Because, fun.

I had arranged a costume meet up at Fort Nisqually for their annual Christmas celebration. What a great excuse to finally make Laughing Moon #114! December is a very busy month for most people so it was just myself and the Countess representing SITU. Father Christmas was making an appearance at the fort as well and I am happy to say he is a personal friend of mine too. So needless to say the Countess and I were on our best behavior. (yeah right)

The pattern:

Victorian dress 1840-1852. Several bodice and sleeve styles. Skirt is gauged. I made view A with mancherons (small upper sleeve) over the bell sleeve.

Fabric:

Plaid silk voile. I believe I bought this from Fabric Mart during one of their big sales. I don't think that silk voile existed in the 1840s-50s but I am not aiming for 100% historical accuracy. Silk voile is a really wonderful fabric to work with. It has a crisper drape than cotton voile and a lovely smooth hand.

Size & alterations:

I go back and forth on LM patterns with sizing. In a corset my bust is between 42-43 inches. I have found with their Victorian styles a size 20 is a nice fit from my apex upwards. Now in Regency stays my bust is a very perky 44 inches. So I use a size 22.

Once I made the muslin I decided to make the darts smaller to add a bit more ease room across my waist and fullest part of my bust. I removed 1.5 inches from the dropped shoulder seam. This is consistent on any dress pattern with a dropped shoulder. Where I kind of screwed up was the bodice length. I made it shorter than I wanted. I was aiming for the 840s longer bodice but became over zealous and it seems more 1850s. But that's ok. I really like this dress anyway. The neckline on my muslin was too tight so I removed 1/2 an inch. I also did this with my LM wrapper. All in all the alterations were minimal.

Construction:

No issues. None. Went together a charm. The neckline, armholes and waist have piping. I really, really love to make and apply piping. Hard to believe since I hate fiddly bits on projects. Piping looks so pretty, especially in a stripe or plaid. The skirt is gauged and hand stitched on. Not my favorite thing to do. However, this time it went much better and faster than my first gauged skirt. The sleeves fit beautifully too.

End notes:

Your sleeves are bias cut, don't let them stretch out. Watch your fit in the hip area. That is how my bodice wound up shorter than I wanted. The sides were hitting on my hips in the wrong spot and made the piping go wonky. I had to rip it all out and trim off the excess from the arc that curves over the hip. And in doing so trimmed too much from the front bodice. Always leave ease room for the skirt bulk, boning, petticoats.

The Fort Nisqually event was a lot of fun. I love it when the Countess goes on adventures with me because it's always a good time.

 Feeling very festive in my holiday dress!

 Some guy crashes my picture.

 Back view. Yep, drink in all that sexy.

 The lovely Countess in her festive plaid!

Bonnet selfie!

Me and Father Christmas! Plus my errant falling down bastard under sleeve. Oh well...

Have a wonderful holiday season! Even if it is not perfect (kind of like my under sleeve situation) enjoy it anyways!  There will be plenty more blogging and sewing in 2017!  

1850s 1860s Isabella's Work Dress by Timeless Calico Designs

There was an upcoming Dickens Festival in Tacoma, Washington. For fun I decided to challenge myself to make a dress in a week. Because crazy. I bought this particular pattern early in 2016. It was designed for re-enactors to use. It makes up quickly and is a very simple design with a nice pay off. The pattern includes all the pieces for the bodice and skirt pocket. The skirt they give you the dimensions to cut. Just simple rectangles. The directions are easy to follow and include simple hand drawings.

Size and alterations:

Size L
Added .75 to each side seam
Removed 1 inch from dropped shoulder.
Shortened waist .75 (I am short waisted)

I landed in between sizes L-XL. My first muslin was the size L and it was a bit too tight across the fullest part of my bust. The fit in my upper chest/shoulders was really nice. So I decided to use the size L and add .75 to both side seams. I figured I could just take it in as needed. I also have to remember to allow for skirt bulk and petticoat bulk. Something I like to forget...a lot. Also, any design with a dropped should seam I take off about 1-1.5 inches. They are always way too low. I also shortened the waist by .75 inches. The sleeves run a bit short and tight at the cuff. FYI.

Fabric and construction:

A blend of wool, rayon and poly fabric stuff. This dress would be FABULOUS in a good quality plaid flannel! So TEMPTED! If you have 45 wide fabric you will need at least 7 yards. My fabric was 60 wide and I had 5.5 yards. I was left with a 14 inch piece of fabric when done. Because my fabric was 60 wide I only used two skirt panels instead of three.

The dress goes together easily. The bodice is underlined and the neckline and arm openings are trimmed with piping. The skirt is just gathered onto the bodice. I didn't add pockets to the skirt just to speed things up. This dress has no boning in the bodice. You could certainly add some to the sides if you wished.

Because the cuffs are tight I did not use a button hole and button. Instead I made a loop of round elastic and added a ball button on the other side. The sleeves just slide right on and I don't have to struggle with buttoning cuff buttons to get the sleeves on and off.

I machine stitched the hem for speedy finishing. I also used two lengths of navy blue gimp at the hem. One to cover the machine stitching and the other at the very edge of the hem. Helps give the skirt a little extra body. It was nice to use up some odds and ends I had floating around too.

End notes:

This is a really great little pattern. Makes up easily and quick. Perfect for theater, re-enactors and regular costumers. I will make it again. This dress is designed for ease of movement. If you think Victorian costumes are not comfortable and don't wear a corset then this a great alternative to Laughing Moon patterns or the Big 4 patterns. I honestly think once you get the bodice fitted you could make this in a day.

The Tacoma Dickens festival is always the 2nd Saturday in December. It is just a small event located in the Tacoma Stadium district and at the WW Seymour Botanical Conservatory.

 Good times with good friends!

 Shameless stealing of my friend's vintage fur stole. I mean, it's called a stole, right?

So I stole it!

 Koi!

 The Poinsettia God, Steve.

 Shameless selfie in the horseless carriage!

It was cold, windy and rainy outside. I made this lovely hood to keep warm. Pattern by Anna Worden Bauersmith. Available on Etsy as a PDF. Nice pattern with good instructions!

Cap--Miller's Millinery pattern 2012-1. Technically a Regency cap but I don't care. :-) A very easy make. I made it by machine and just serged the edges and narrow hemmed them. Easy Peasy. Then just put a bow on it!

Wingeo WN719 Regency Stovepipe Bonnet

I really love this hat. I need another. This has a similar look to a 20s cloche except it is much taller. I can rock a 20s cloche and think this hat is looking pretty fine on my head! On to the pattern!

Eh........I have other patterns by Wingeo. Their patterns are pretty basic and instructions minimal. I consider their patterns more for theater level costuming. Their clothing patterns tend to have overly large arm openings and lots of ease. This hat was no different.

Pattern Info:
Three piece pattern, crown, hat body and brim. There are separate pieces for the hat fabric with added seam allowances. The directions are printed on the pattern paper, no separate pages.

Supplies used:
Heavy buckram, silk fabric, cotton batting (mull) and heavy sew in interfacing for the brim. The pattern does not call for mull at all. I used it as my main fabric that goes under the gathered fabric. Why waste good fabric no one will see anyway. This pattern does not use wire.

Making the hat:
Think of this pattern as a guide with pieces. As far as sizing goes you are on your own. First off this hat comes in several sizes. S-L. This hat runs really large. Now that being said, just like a cloche this hat needs to fit down on your head. You will want some ease room. Make a muslin. I used the size medium and I can fit a finger up inside the hat when I am wearing it. I have a 23 inch head FYI. My first hint of an issue is when I noticed the crown was smaller then the hat body. I went to sew it on and I had about an inch of excess hat body. Its buckram, not like I'm gonna be able to ease it. So I had to make the hat body an inch smaller. Luckily this pattern is large to begin with. Got the crown attached and the hat still fit. Yay! I used the batting to mull my really crappy looking buckram hat form. It was pretty sad looking. Once it was mulled I decided to forgo the sparse instructions and lay some Lynn McMasters style all up in that bitch. I gathered up the crown fabric and hand stitched it to the hat. Then I gathered up the hat body, folded in the top seam allowance and hand stitched in to the crown and basted it at the bottom. Well you know when you change the size of the hat body you are going to be changing the brim size too. Did that. I hand stitched on the brim as well. This pattern calls for no lining at all or a hat band. You fold up the under brim and stitch it inside the hat. Yeah no. I cut a lining piece using the pattern piece for the hat body. Folded up the SA and stitched it in the hat. I put a drawstring at the top of the lining and gathered it up. You can only see a bit of the buckram crown when you look inside the hat. Then decorating!! Have fun!

Notes and advice:
As you are making the hat try it on periodically. You will probably need to make adjustments. Lol. Even the instructions tell you to adjust before attaching this or that. I knew I was on my own at that point.
Cut the crown at the largest size, you can always trim it to fit.
Use a good quality heavy sew in interfacing for the brim. I used Sew Lazy heavy sew in.
I would recommend mulling the hat crown and body with flannel or batting.
Sew most of it by hand. I only used the machine to gather the hat fabric.
Make a lining, your head will thank you.
Cut out your brim as usual. I pinned it and started stitching at the CF. First to the right then to the left. I stopped about 1.5 inches from the CB on each side. Then I could see where my adjusted brim seam needed to be. Stitched the brim seam and finished attaching it to the hat. No guess work or math. Easy Peasy.

Final thoughts:
I am really glad I stuck with it. As I was putting it together I was thinking "wow, this is ugly". It's really not. I love my new ridiculous Regency hat!