After Thanksgiving Day Sale!

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday.  Just to give you a heads up on a special Blog readers sale in my Etsy store for the day after Thanksgiving- November 28, 2009.  Just mention my blog in the notes to seller at checkout for 20% off your purchase, not including shipping cost, to be refunded through paypal. Gobble gobble!

My First Book Reproduction! 1930s Hairstyles

I said I wasn't going to promise things I couldn't keep yesterday, but today is a new day and I have a book available!  YAY!  It's available here on Lulu.  I found this lovely book, and it was just dying to be reproduced and shared.  I had be working on remastering the images and composing it, and now it's finished!  It goes into hair cutting and fingerwaving and has illustrations of completed hairstyles.  If you do pick up a copy of it please let me know what you think!

The Hair and Head- Hairstyles of the Early 1930s.

By Shedd with an introduction by me (Lauren Maringola)

In honor of my new book, yesterday I played with my new hairstyling toys I got from Ebay.  Here's a before and after picture.  These little clamps were patented in 1929.  I really wish I could find more, or have more made!

Hope everyone's having a lovely week so far!

Etsy Shopping!

I have been puttering away here on projects!  Just finished a set of Regency stays, but I'm waiting for my laces in the mail before I share pictures.  Matt's coat is sitting in an uncut, unassembled pile in the living room.  And I'm sitting here at the computer under our vintage hood hair dryer trying out some new hair toys.  Who says technology and vintage things don't mix? ;)
I've been listing up a storm on etsy! I have hundreds (for realz) of patterns to go through and list, so I've gotten quite a bit up there these last few weeks.  I also put up some of my repros on ebay for the first time, so we'll see  how that goes or if I should stick to etsy! I have a few more tricks up my sleeve but I have learned from experience not to make promises that might never come true, so when they're all in line I'll let you know.


Speaking of Etsy, I'm going to give a list of a few of my favorite shops, in honor of reaching 700 users who mark me as a favorite! Let's share the Etsy love :)
Vessangel- My best friend's shop full of vintage goodness and patterns.  She's listing more things, too, so keep an eye out!
RedThreaded- She's ridiculously talented and a fellow costumer.  Totally drool worthy historical gowns and such.
IvaRose- Lovely reproduction knitting and crochet patterns.
Miss1929 is new to etsy, but she's already got lovely gowns and jewelry up.  Classy styles for classy ladies!
Tea At Home with Olivia- fun and quirky vintage, and what's not to love about her name?
Rumble Seat Cat- Reproductions of neat vintage books.
Pink Grapefruit Style- One of those stores I literally wish I could have everything from.  Love the pics!
Petit Brocante- Seriously, if I could make a French flea market into an etsy store, this would be it.
KamiSue- Has wonderfully odds and ends for creating things with.
Wonder Trading Company- Same as the above.
Stylish Ribbons- more lovely things for creating.  Super nice lady, too!
Texas Girl Vintage- I seriously wish I could shrink my feet to fit in the 30s shoes she has listed!
Neat Curios- If I could climb into an abandoned attic and unearth vintage treasures, these are the things I would find.
Cocardes and Corsetry- If only I had the budget to get some of her lovely treasures!  Worth looking for inspiration!
Beautiful Reign- Same as above.  The boudoir of my dreams would have things from here!
Romancing the Bling- I really love these combs.  Maybe someday when the perfect occasion arises!
Carmen and Ginger- I always seem to find her items in my searches! Excellent taste.
Exquisite Bones- She has cute vintage and always takes adorable pictures!
Hollywood Vintage- Hats! Hats! Hats!
Flapper Flock- Nicole's adorable shop.  She always has such lovely things!  Also has a store in Redlands called Hobo's Vintage.

What are your favorite etsy shops, or do you have one of your own?  Links welcome!

Past Projects

I have been slooowly adding past costume diaries to my blog.  In case you want to see, I've added mostly to the Edwardian tag, the Regency tag..
Yay! Actual proof of sewing!

Regency Tailcoat Progress

I've been working away at the costume I posted about previously that I'm making my husband for the Jane Austen Evening event.  Oh dear! Men's costume is such a funny step away from women's costuming.  Generally I know what to do to fix problems, and with a little creative problem solving I have finally tamed the wild tailcoat pattern!  I am using patterns from The Cut of Mens Clothes book and they have taken quite a bit of tweaking to get them to their current state! The vest took two muslins, which I was expecting, and in the end I pretty much ended up draping the front the way I wanted it and made it single breasted instead of the double breasted 1790s vest with lapels like it was originally.  I have saved the other pattern, though, in case we ever want to do another impression!  The coat had three muslins and I finally have it tamable and it's all ready to go! Just a few more minor adjustments and it will be as good as it will get.
It seems with this project it's two steps forward and one step back.  First we order fabric, then we remember something else and order that fabric, then that fabric's not right and I need to order more fabric.  Goodness!  The materials alone for his ensemble are about to the cost of a silk gown for myself!  But the good consolation- I am adding additional seam allowances so that this coat can get some life. For every Regency event we go to I hope this coat can make an appearance, and I hope it comes out looking good enough to show up every time.  For everyone complaining about the cost of custom sewing- let me tell you- I would never ever make one custom.  I would say we're already a good 12 hours into this project and the fabric hasn't even been cut!
My husband is thrilled with it so far, and his excitement is contagious, I admit! I really love seeing his face light up- and he loves that I'm taking the time to make something especially for him!
No real pictures of this, but I'll leave with a close up of the M collar.  Hopefully I'll have some progress pics soon! I'll be padstitching my little heart out soon enough and that will give something to show :)

Indiana Jones Summit

I love Raiders of the Lost Ark.  It's my favorite movie EVER.  I think Indiana Jones is just about the coolest hero that was ever invented.  Yesterday my husband, a friend, and I went to the Indygear summit at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, accompanied by wandering about the Queen Mary at night.  It really was a blast and quite in the spirit of things the wonderful organizers prepared a "treasure hunt" of sorts for us.  We wandered all over the fort- over hills, in the museum, down in the underground tunnels- in search of "stolen" archaeological artifacts.  They were eventually rescued from down in the earth by the two teams respectively, and brought out in Raiders-esque crates filled with straw and "artifacts"- some of which were hand painted Aztec style illustrations by one of the members who is a real museum curator.  I didn't take many pictures, but here's just a couple from our adventures yesterday.  I'm hoping I can snag a little better one of my outfit later on.  I wore the "adventure" shirt I posted about previously with a black wool skirt I made last year and a great late 30s vintage jacket I got from Flannery Crane on Etsy.  The vintage fox stole was added once we boarded the ship.

 

An Obnoxious 18th Century Gown

Ah ha! I realized I forgot to post about my 18th Century gown I just finished!
I started this at least two years ago, then it lived in a plastic tub with all the fabric and trim and pattern until a few months ago when I started working on it sporadically off and on.  I was making this for the Marie Antoinette tea that our local costume guild had last Sunday, but unfortunately my cold had a relapse and kept me from attending.  I did get to take some pictures, though, before being confined to the house.  My hubby was a sweetheart and actually powdered my face for me before I left.  We made it half way to the freeway before I had my friend turn around and take me home.  Oh well.  It was fun just driving down the street in a bright yellow mini cooper with huge dresses on.  My friend, Addi, who's great work you can see here on her blog, wore a dress I made several years ago for Costume College, which was from a Wingeo pattern.
The one I just finished was from also Wingeo, and the MAD (and not really period) concoction of trims and fabrics just kind of happened on their own.