When last we spoke, I still had a month and a half of projects and events to enjoy. Well, I’ve enjoyed them, and now I’m done. Just done. I mean, my table is holding four WIPs, two of three dressforms are wearing half-constructed garments, there’s a commission pending in my inbox, and I have a pile of fleece waiting to become sleeved blankets for the kids, but I’m, like, not required to wear a costume until March…except for the 20s NYE party in two weeks…le sigh.
According to my calendar, November was spent in my home, making my introvert self happy. This Costume Fairy was hard at work cleaning and mending costumes for storage (#whoevenami) and rearranging the house to setup the basement workshop. The plan is to dedicate the upstairs studio to fabric only and to keep foam, printing, and duct-taping relegated to basement. That’s also where 20 years of costumes currently reside, so my tools are in good company. During the Thanksgiving holiday sales, I supported a few of my favorite small businesses, firming up cos-plans for 2020. Then, I cringed at my list, which is getting out of hand and will definitely spill into 2021.
Before I splurged on footwear, food, and fancy jewels, however, I whipped up an original superhero for my 9-to-5’s Spirit Day, but that was pretty much it for quick builds. That’s probably a record for me. For a Dickens themed holiday party, I went to my closet and gave a 1950s reminiscent dress some 1840s styling. This past weekend, the Oddity Prodigy Productions crew wrapped our final convention of the year, Ocean City Comic Con, where I happily upgraded and wore my 16th century Batgirl. Yes, Team, I wore an existing costume. I know, calm down. I’m proud of me too.
As for my 2019 review, 18th century Storm really set the tone for the rest of the year, which was filled with renewed energy and pride in my hobby. I did more hand stitching than I have in ages, returning to my pseudo-historical costuming roots. Documentation was much better thanks to a spiffy new camera phone, and by investing in some online learning, I feel more focused and contented in taking my time to achieve a higher quality of work…or whatever. I completed two of the four projects that I’d mapped out at this time last year, started mock-ups for a third, and ordered fabric samples for the fourth. In the interest of honesty, I absolutely did an insane number of last minute pieces, but con crunch was filled with more sleep this time around and only one ensemble makes me cringe.
It’s my Lady Ghostbuster. She knows what she did. She’ll be ready for next season.
For 2020, I’m continuing with Orko for the Masters of the Universe group that will debut at The Great Philadelphia Comic Con on April 4. I’m currently in the garment construction phase; props and millinery have been patterned, but are going to require a couple of weekends of dedicated toiling to come together. Soon after, I’ll be working on an OPP project that has been long planned, but only recently realized. That will require many mock-ups and loads of happy thoughts. Once things calm down (HAHAHAHAHAHA), I can work on Medieval Link and a few other items in “The List”. My 1780s Princess Allura is either going to be a last minute kit for GPCC or she’ll show up for a photoshoot. In the words of Noelle from Costuming Drama, that bit of pre-planning is “unclear.”
Exciting me further for the coming season of making, I’m itching to dive into some highly anticipated books including “The Art of Extreme Wig Styling” (already on my tablet), “Centaur of Attention” (my alitaur will bring all the hooves to the field), “The Typical Tudor”, and “The Victorian Dressmaker 2: Sport and Outdoor Wear”. Mind you, I still have “The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty” burning a hole in my shelf because I haven’t ordered my materials yet. I’ll get there.
And where do I plan to wear these fancy, schmancy, olde tyme creations, you may ask. Already engraved on the calendar is Great Philly in April, BlerdCon in July, and Tudor Con in October. Sprinkle in some ren faire visits, fun local faves like Free Comic Book Day, Dover Comic Con, and the slightly less local Baltimore Comic Con, and we have a well-rounded event list. I was almost ready to pull that travel trigger and sign up for Costume College, but I do have to space my jobby-job time off judiciously. Ideally, I’d like to add one new-to-me con and one historical workshop to the schedule. We’ll roll the dice and see if I can avoid a critical hit on my wallet.
I believe that’s it until next month. This was a fantastic year for costumes, and I appreciate every one of you that took a peek at my journey. Thanks for your cheers, Team!
Green Linen Shirt 