I was incommunicado last week while preparing for my first Corset Making Workshop. And now I'm recovering from teaching for two days. It was an intense experience for me to teach 12 people at once, and I definitely learned some lessons about how to do it better, but the response was great and hopefully attendees will go on to make themselves some awesome corsets.
Meanwhile, there are some new steampunk sewing patterns out there!
Simplicity
Simplicity 1299 - This pattern features a jacket in two lengths, a fairly boring short ruffled skirt, and a mini-bustle. The coat is the only worthwhile piece, but it's quite nice.
Simplicity 1300 - Simplicity Does Lolita! I'd have to ask someone more versed in Lolita subculture than myself if this is "true" Lolita, but I personally like it. The two pattern views are only very slightly different, though, which feels like a bit of a cheat. Still, a totally fun pattern.
Simplicity 1301 - Victorian Circus Costumes - Apparently Amy Brown has a costume pattern line now. This pattern includes leggings, boot covers, waist cinchers, blouses, a skirt, a mini-bustle, and a few other small accessories. On first glance the photos look really good, but looking closer, this really looks to be very costume-y. The pattern calls for almost all knit or stretch fabrics, and the construction is pretty minimal. The waist cinchers in the drawings are just straight up and down belts without even individual panels and doesn't sound like they are even boned at all, so there will be no cinching involved. Overall a bit disappointing.
Simplicity 1294 - This one has three cape lengths with optional hood and ruffles. I quite like the short versions!
McCall's
M7025 - This isn't a costume pattern or specifically steampunk, but I adore it, and I think it would work great for steampunk. (Also I took one of the designers
Craftsy classes on pattern fitting and it was good!)
M7036 - This children's pattern falls somewhere between princess and steampunk and lolita. It's cute, though, and it'd be a fun option for a young steampunk.
I don't know much about Lolita, but from what I do know the skirt in that pattern is likely too short (which is the case for most costume patterns). Other than that it does have potential. I agree the skirt in the first pattern is really blah. I'm not sure how I feel about Arkivestry's style, I'm currently working on a review for one of their patterns right now.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was wondering if the skirt was too short. But I really like my skirts quite long, so I'm a bad judge.
DeleteJust passing through and had a look through your Steampunk 101 list. A real treat. I'm going to pass along your blog to a friend of mine, a real Steampunk lover who I think will enjoy rummaging around your site as much as I have. Keep up the good work and cheer and merry to you. =)
ReplyDeleteThe Simplicity 1300 is the right shape for Lolita. Unfortunately, the finished skirt length of 17" is too short. A commercially made Lolita skirt is 21", which fits most Japanese ladies perfectly. Lolita skirts should hit the middle of the knee, or slightly above. Taller gals usually wear an underskirt to achieve this. This pattern can be easily adjusted by adding an extra ruffle to the bottom of the skirt with either view.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the detailed info. Yeah, I'm very tall, so short skirts never fall right on me, so I avoid them. 17" would be micro-mini on me.
DeleteHi I had bought my 1299 steampunk ouTfit just for the coat but I has took out the directions about a year ago and lost the directions to it does simplicity have a spot where I can download thease directions? Thank you so much! ☺Harmony
ReplyDelete