My second new favorite thing: rhinestones!

My first burlesque outfit was almost entirely beaded, and it was lovely. But this time I wanted a little more bling so I set out on my first adventure in rhinestones.

Let me tell you, those little buggers are expensive. 

I bought 8 different colors ranging from deep red to pale yellow. It's a summer themed show and number so I wanted to pull in the fiery colors of a summer sunset.  All in all I ended up with a litter over 850 rhinestones (6 half gross and 3 full gross sets for all you craft people). 

And then... I put them on everything. I put them on my pasties. I put them on my bra and I even put then on my gloves. They will also be on my undies but I haven't finished those yet. 

I'm so excited to see how everything looks on stage!!

My New Favorite Things: Pasties

So as you already know I have started doing burlesque.  I had my first show back in May and it was amazing.  I can't even being to describe how exhilarating the whole experience was.  I thought I would be nervous but as soon as I stepped onto the stage I knew it was where I meant to be.  And as I danced the crowed hollered and hooted and it just was this fantastic energy that I couldn't get enough of. 

But that's not what I'm here to talk about.

No, what I'm here to talk about is my new found love of pasties.  I love making them, looking at them, the very concept of them.  A pastie can just be a decorative aspect to the costume or it can be the punchline.  And my crafting skills have not let me down. 

Behold the seashell pasties from my first show!

These were completely hand sewn.  I started with a basic 3in circle and drew the seashell shape around/within it.  The basic form is made out of stiff felt and a little wedge cut out of the top allows for the curved shape.

Then I covered it in silver sequence and strung magenta beads to make the outline (they matched the dress).  I then glued in a linking of soft knit.  I was so exceptionally proud of them and they were a big hit!







And now, my most current creation!

This one is just a simple circle but it has all the rhinestones!  I'm super excited about this number and it's my first time playing with rhinestones.  They've taken a bit of getting used to but ultimately I love the sparkle that they add to the costume. 

I look forward to making many more of these little beauties!

Adventures in Burlesque

An actual update?  What!?  I know it's crazy but I promise it's true.  I am currently working on my first burlesque number and while I won't tell you anymore than that (you'll just have to come see the performance ;) ) I will give you some sneak peaks into the costume.

Here are some preliminary sketches:

So one thing I am looking forward to is underwear shopping!  Obviously I won't find the perfect fringed undies, that just doesn't happen.  Instead I intend to find a set that is as close to the color of my dress as I can, which will mean some shade of red.  Maybe they'll have lacies...maybe I'll add some.  Once I've got a good base I intend to add silver beaded fringe.  And yes it will be hand sewn because I am a crazy person. 

The dress is one that I already owned.  At first I was just going to leave it be, but this is burlesque.  Everything needs a touch of extra sparkle!  I also wanted to better tie the dress into the rest of the ensemble.  I want it to look like it was all meant to go together.  Because I'm fancy like that.  So I decided to take my already lovely and shiny magenta dress and add some silver beaded details to it.  Not only will it make it that much more magnificent but it will also be that little detail that I think really brings everything together. 

B
While I've still got some time before I actually get on the stage I didn't want to wait on getting everything together.  Beading isn't particularly difficult but it is time consuming and very detail oriented.  Since I don't have the underwear yet I have started working on the dress.  Last night I got one line done (w00t!).  Basically this is what will consume all my free time now.  Really, I think I'm a bit of a masochist.  I mean seriously.  I'll most more pictures as the work progresses.

Of Things to Come

I know that this blog is lacking some serious posts, but unfortunately the chronicle is winding down and so I've had to resist the urge to make or buy anything new.  From a creative standpoint that may sound strange but it's heart breaking to pour hours of hard work into something that will hardly have any time for use before it's shoved into the back of the closet never to be seen again.  This has already become the fate of the lovely scale dress.  I had hoped it would get one more outing but sadly it's no longer skin tight and I didn't have time to take it in before the convention.

Now the good news:
While I don't currently have any projects planned for LARP this is a costuming blog not specific to any one sort of costuming.  Aside from bellydance I have recently taken up burlesque.  And what calls for better costumes than burlesque?  It's a world full of rhinestones, beads, sequence and feathers.  Even a store bought dress is just the beginning of something that has to be glitzed and glammed to the fullest extent.

I am currently working on my first number which means there will soon be updates.  Exciting isn't it!?  I've already done some sketches of how I think the outfit will pull together so keep your eyes peeled for new posts.