All On A Mardi Gras Day

Mardi Gras is exactly one month away this year. Me and my friends are usually knee deep in tulle and feathers in preparation of our costumes for either; our participation in various parades or our Mardi Gras day costume. This year I won't be in New Orleans to participate in parades or celebrate the day; however there is a possibility of participation in a Mardi Gras parade in Phoneix this year.

I am in the Arizona Steampunk Society and promoters of the Mardi Gras parade has invited the society to participate. I would like to say that everyone jumped at the moment of hearing this news but- that wasn't exactly the case. I have had bated breath wanting to know if we do participate if will be a theme or coordination of color. The one thing I do know is that there will be a steampunk influence.

I went ahead and started preparation of of a costume- tame as it will be in comparison to a costume for New Orleans Mardi Gras costume- a costume in steampunk style.

I chose fabrics in traditional Mardi Gras colors; green, purple and gold. I found some really great harlequin pattern fabric in cotton calico blended weight. I decided to make a Victorian inspired outfit using this Simplicity pattern.

Like I said above, I am using a cotton not a satin or taffeta like you see in the picture.

I am working on the bustier first and working the rest of the outfit later. Look at all these pieces I needed to cut out. For each pattern piece I had to cut out 2 of each layer; 2 of the front of the top, 2 pieces of fusible interfacing and 2 pieces of of the inside lining fabric (the green fabric).

The bustier also requires featherweight boning and a zipper. It is unusual for a typical bustier to have a zipper in place of corset laces or heavy hook and eye closures.

Since I am still in the preparation stage of this project I will have come back and give an update as my project progresses.

Sunday Going To Church Clothes

My family is from the South; farm people, if you will. They are from East Texas to Mississippi and according to Ancestry.com - as far back as West Virginia. As a result of my upbringing and background, I was not immune to  old country sayings and colloquialisms. One that pops into my head often is "my Sunday go to meetin' clothes" or "my Sunday go to church clothes". My parents were born in the depression and brought up getting the 1 new pair of shoes and 1 new coat for the school term and dresses that were made of flour sacks. No really, they did. But despite the lack of money for more store bought clothing and accessories, Sunday was the day to display their finery.

When I was a little girl and going to church with the family I wore white gloves, some sort of hat with a ribbon and black patent leather shoes with frilly ankle socks. So, I guess I too, had my own Sunday go to meetin' clothes.

Living in New Orleans my church going was pretty limited to only going to the St. Louis Cathedral on Ash Wednesday - on  one such occasion entering the church after having leaving my last Mardi Gras party from the night before. 

I really loved Sundays in the French Quarter. There is about 20 churches of several denominations just in the Quarter and outlying neighborhoods; Treme, Marigny and old Storyville. People still dress for the Sunday services. Women will wear elaborate hats and dresses and men in their double breasted suits and shoes shined so bright you need to wear sunglasses to avoid the glare.

Easter Sunday service at St. Louis Cathedral

French Quarter Easter Parade on Royal Street

Congregation of beautiful African American women 

Athletic Supporters

I am not a sports fan at ALL. I went to an event here and there but never got into being a "fan" and NEVER a fanatic. I can also say that I would never intentionally buy any sports team apparel. If you go to any major sporting event you can easily point out who is rooting for who in the seats by what they are wearing.

Over the past 10 years (at least) sports teams have been trying to get more female fans by creating more figure friendly clothing; tank tops with glittering rhinestones, baby doll tees and yoga pants with team logos.

Despite these progressive fashion thinkers in the sports industry you cannot get me to wear a team's piece of clothing.

Tonight, the New Orleans Saints won the playoff game against the Detroit Lions. The Saints bring lots of joy to a city still suffering from disasters over the years. I know plenty of people in the city who may not watch a game or be able to follow along but nonetheless are Who Dats and don't need to be dressed head to toe in black and gold attire to show their support.

I have found lots of artisans on Etsy making wonderful pieces of black and gold to show love and support of the New Orleans Saints. Here are a few examples:

Here is a treasury of black and gold items I put together

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTAyMTM5MjF8MTczODE3NzIxMA/aint-no-aints-no-more?index=1

T Shirt USA

So, I have been following this girl's "New Dress A Day" blog online for a few weeks now; http://newdressaday.wordpress.com/ and it has revived a favorite sewing project of mine- transforming t shirts. I know this idea is not new and a lot of people have paved the way in the fashion industry by distressing, disassembling, deconstructing and safety pinning t shirts. Practically every designer in the industry has their own signature t shirt and style. I just thought it would be fun to write a blog about it and let ya'll know how I look at t shirts. I really am a fan of wearing t shirts but with my vertically challenged height and short torso, t shirts make me looked boxed in and frumpy- not the look I am usually going for.

When I see I t shirt I see potential. I see it as a piece of raw material just begging to be shaped into a skirt, a blouse, a pillow or even a rug. I don't think anything I do to a t shirt is extraordinary or really cutting edge but it is fun and gives me another way to express myself through clothing. Why, just the other night I had several comments on a t shirt I was wearing. Granted, the t shirt was noticed because it had my high school alma mater mascot on it; but the only alteration I made to the shirt was cutting off the collar. T shirt transformations can be as simple as that.

I found a really great craft book called T Shirt Generation. It is a fun step-by-step instruction manual on transforming t shirts. I often use that book for inspiration.

One of the last t shirt projects I did was during the past Superbowl. I could have worn any one of the number of New Orleans and or Saints t shirts in my collection but I really wanted something special; I mean it isn't every year the Saints are in the Superbowl!

(1) I started out with a large t shirt with the Saints graphics and logo.
(2) I cut off the sleeves and the collar.
(3) I cut the shirt down the middle of the back and then made several equal cuts in the material on both side so that they were strips that could be tied in the middle this was an easy way to cinch the t shirt around the waist thus removing any chance of frumpiness.
(4) I cut the front of the shirt down the middle as well and again in the center giving me four (triangles). I re-stitched the seams to create an empire like bodice and ruching. The bottom of the center seam was left open.
Now for the final flourish!
(5) I cut about two (2) inches down the center at the neck then tucked the corners inside and pinned them. Next, I took two (2) pieces of gold elastic and gathered the sleeves at the collarbone and tied a bow on each shoulder.

Et voila'! My very own custom made New Orleans Saints t shirt.

Put A Lid On It

May 17, 2010

Put a lid on it
What's that you say?
Put a lid on it
Oh man, no way
Put a lid down on it, and everything will be all right.

What a great song by the Squirrel Nut Zippers. It is a great song to swing dance to. I am a swing kid. Swing dancing is only one aspect of the vintage subculture that I am attracted to. It reminds me of those glory days of yore when a Friday night was the night that Cats and Dolls would get all gussied up to boogie woogie at the jazz clubs. What has happened to our culture’s dress code since then? Gentlemen wore fedoras, pork pies and newsboy hats and ladies were expected to wear a proper head covering sometimes involving a veil. So, I propose we revive the custom of wearing hats. They can be both functional and an attractive addition to one’s outfit. Hats can transform a Sloppy Joe into a Dapper Dan. I say; put a lid on it!

Lid, cap, fez, pill box, bucket or beret; however you say it, it is a hat. I have a modest collection of hats myself. I have my Veda hat. It is a floppy, red straw cloche’ similar to the one worn by the character Veda Sultenfuss in My Girl. It is great for those “bad hair” days and riding my pink Schwinn cruiser around the neighborhood. I have a black, wide brimmed hat with blood red, velvet trim and bow. This hat is nicknamed my Virginia Woolf hat. I had to have this hat when I found it for it screamed creative inspiration to me; though, I must admit I am no poet and not much of a fan of poetry either. However, I tend to wear all black with this one. Perhaps this hat channels too much inspiration from the turmoil of the real Virginia Woolf. My favorite hat in my collection is a beat up and faded baseball hat from the French Quarter. I felt sorry for a street urchin one night and “donated” a ten dollar bill to her noble cause. I can only hope she did not exchange the bill on Bourbon Street for libations or some other vice.

I noticed not too long ago that decorators and decorating magazines were showing vintage and vintage inspired hat boxes stacked up and used as a side table or conversation pieces in a room. I love the renaissance of the hat box but what about the hats that once lived in them? Vintage hats that are in good condition are getting harder and harder to find. Most of the fashion hats that women wore; ones we are most familiar with, ceased mass production in the late ‘60’s. Women were burning their bras; why would they spend their newly, hard-earned money on a hat? There are other socio/political reasons; but that can be another Jean Louise blog topic at another time. Times, they did a change.

I began my hat collecting in the ‘80’s as a teenager. I hoped that my hat wearing would inspire others to do the same but; sadly, the inspiration was limited to a small sect of other vintage new wavers and punk rockers. I still wear my hats and I still collect them. Who knows? Maybe as we venture into the teen years of this new millennium we will see a change similar to that of 100 years ago; the fabulous jazz age of F. Scott Fitzgerald. So, the next time you are getting ready for a night out on the town think about puttin’ a lid on it.