April 29, 2010:

I am still immensely busy. Fortunately, I have a month's break between the end of this semester and the beginning of the next, so I'm hoping to catch up on some of my projects. A big one is the gentleman's steampunk ensemble I mentioned last time. I haven't even had time to cut the fabric!

I'll also be working on many more interesting things for SteamTailor. I've created a few new fascinators, but I really need to get cracking on actual apparel. I've had the materials to make half a dozen things for months and simply haven't gotten around to it. The fact that I'm overscheduled is largely to blame for this. Unfortunately, the summer may not be any easier, since I'll be taking a full course load as well as working part time.

This weekend, however, is AnachroCon, where I'll be sitting on two panels: "Victorian Sci-Fi Lit" and "Gender, Race and Equality in Fandom." I'm very much looking forward to it, not only because I get to geek out about the likes of Jules Verne and HG Welles (not to mention Albert Robida, whose artwork I adore), but because it gives me an excuse to dress up again. I'll probably more casual on Friday than Saturday, as I have an interview that morning, and will likely wear that, plus some additions, as my outfit for that day. It tickles me that my business wear can be transformed into steampunk with only a few accessories.

April 10, 2010:

I think I may have to admit defeat when it comes to documenting everything I make for Forest of Doors. Most of the time, when I have to make costumes for FoD NPCs other than myself, I have very little notice and have to bang them out quickly to make sure they debut at the proper event. Generally, this doesn't leave enough time to get good pictures of them, but I keep trying. Between the last entry and this one, I made costumes for the Mother of Rag and Bone, the Monkey King, and Dr. Cornelius, all FoD NPCs, and didn't manage to photograph any of them. I'm starting to think I should either have less stringent deadlines or just give up on trying to photograph everything.

Regardless, I have another FoD NPC costume to make soon, which will double as a steampunk outfit for my partner, and I will absolutely make sure to get pictures of that one. It's not necessary to have it done before the next event, but it is next up on my list of 'must-do's' for the game. It's going to consist of a lovely teal brocade waistcoat, unbleached muslin shirt, striped wool trousers and a black silk morning coat. The NPC's not going to have any steampunk elements, but Nigel assures me that he will add various bits to it for steam-oriented events.

Beyond that, I need to begin working on my own costuming for this year's Dragon*Con. I'm still doing a lot of steampunk and Victorian costuming, but I'm planning to add at least one Disney costume to my schedule, and maybe something else unique if I have the time/money.

January 6, 2010:

I'm still working on getting the website converted to the new format and up to date. Part of the reason it's taking me so long is that the LARP I help run, Forest of Doors has a three day event this January, something we've never done during the winter months. Much of my spare time is taken up with making costumes and props for the event, so I've barely had any time to work on anything else.

I have so many different projects to complete, though, and I keep adding more and more things to my plate. For one, I'm organizing a steampunk gathering, Steampunk in the Park - A Steampunk Picnic for March 27th, 2010, and I've added another new costume to my roster, this one for a LARP I plan on playing at the end of the month. I'm probably not going to do an update here about that particular costume, since I suspect it's going to go together more quickly than I can document it.

But, to keep this from being all text, I thought you might want to see a shot of the fabric and some of the accouterments for Steam-Wendy, for Dragon*Con.

The gray-blue embroidered fabric is going to be the fashion fabric for the corset, while the light blue sateen is going to make a pair of bloomers and a chemise. You can also see the beginnings of my chatelaine in the picture, though I still need a thimble and a needle case to complete it.

December 14, 2009:

I'm currently working on a whole slew of costumes for the January Forest of Doors event. Because the majority of them are plot-specific, however, I'm afraid I cannot discuss them in much detail until after the event. What I can tell you, however, is that I'm working on custom dyeing a particular costume today, using a wet ombre technique and it's going rather well. I'm using a black dye on a crinkle gray chiffon, which creates an interesting effect. Once I've completed the dyeing, I will have also completed the costume and will begin working on a chemise for another FoD NPC.

Beyond FoD costuming, I have a lot on my plate for 2010. I'll be doing a lot of steampunk costumes this year, one of which is for a particular steampunk group to be revealed at Dragon*Con 2010. This group, a steampunk take on characters from Peter Pan, was suggested by a poster on the Brass Goggles Steampunk Forum. I'll be making a steampunk version of Wendy for myself, as well as a Lost Boy costume for my partner, Nigel, and Peter Pan himself, for my friend, Corey. Other members of the group are handling their own costumes, and I'm really interested in seeing how it all comes together.

Other steampunk costumes for 2010 include a steampunk Green Fairy of absinthe fame, and a casual Aviatrix design for when I don't want to be terribly dressy. I have a design sketch of the Green Fairy which I will post as soon as I can get to a scanner. It is considerably more elaborate than the Aviatrix and should present some interesting construction challenges.

The only other thing worth mentioning is that I'll be starting a new Etsy shop specializing in waistcoats and other steampunk accessories. I've seen so many men in the steampunk community lament the fact that they can't easily find appropriate clothing, so I thought I should do something about that. Since I've had a lot of practice making waistcoats, I figured that would be a good place to start. I also plan on introducing my vallance skirt, as seen in the Countess and the Steampunk Carnival outfits.