[Costumes] Antebellum Dress Update

I've been busy. As evident from the slowing down posts. I really need to cue up a bunch over the weekend. Like Persacon pictures!

I mentioned a while back how I was making a big green antebellum dress. Well, if I wasn't specifically trying to match anything, I'd be done by now. Alas, I'm to the detail stage. But it's coming along. I thought I would show some pictures of the process.

Hammers do not get used for normal purposes in my house.

Okay, so this is not the dress. It's a corset I'm making that will have my school colors (burnt orange, navy blue, WAR EAGLE!). But I have to do this later with the dress. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be lace up, pretty sure it's supposed to have hooks and eyes, but I'm going for lace up. It gives me more freedom to get fat.

See, it's coming along!

This still has a lot of pinning. The bodice is done except the hem. It's top stitched in the back and on the top. I didn't worry about the top's stitching showing as the lace will cover it. And the back I wanted it to lay flatter before I put the grommets in.

The base skirt is done. Right now the lace, the bunched up piece in the center, and the "pleats" are all just pinned on. I haven't ironed/starched the pleats yet so they still look like ruffles.

It's a little poofier than I think it's supposed to be, but I doubt anyone beside me will notice. And the bunched up piece is going to be bigger. I ran out of fabric, so that's a stand in to check where hems will sit. And it greatly helped me figure out how to do it.

LOTS of details still to add. The sleeves are cut, but not yet sewn. There will be lace on the sleeves and the waist and the bunched up bit (if I recall correctly). I should have enough, if not, it came from Joann's. There is a lot of pleating still to do. It took 3 yards of completed pleats (so 6 yards before pleating) to go around the top layer. Then there are the pieces that look like a scrunchy all over the place. I have an idea for that, we'll see how it goes.

And here's me dying the lace. It took a good chunk out of my weekend. Basically, I watered down acrylic paint until it was milk like and painted it. It was MUCH easier (and softer) than just painting it straight from the bottle. You can see 2 cut out sections that were the test pieces. The darker one is the one that was just painted. And i have decided that the oven pan things I bought for $2 at Publix were the best idea ever when it came to painting stuff.

I'm hoping to have the dress mostly done by next weekend. Then add some stripes to some shorts. And then...then...I get to start on a USO girl from Captain America! I already have all the fabric and the accessories will be delivered today from Amazon!!