Going fantasy

Still exhausted, and the stress about the COVID-19 virus of course isn't helping. Though my self isolation because of my compromised immune system is also helping me to get better. I walk in nature and I don't feel any pressure to meet people outside the family.

I have gradually got a little of my creative energy back. And it has made me want to make fantasy costumes, of all things.

It started when the local burlesque club, which I haven't attended for ten years, was going to have a party themed "Spring awakening". For the first time for ages I got really enthusiastic. To avoid getting burnt out by a costume project I decided to use my 1560s Venetian gown , but to make a shift in a green sheer fabric.
I did have a look in the local fabric stores, but didn't find any fabric that really spoke to me. Then I remembered that I had a cotton voile scarf that I had bought second hand. It was a litte bluer in colour than I liked, so I tried some tea dyieng. If that is what made the colour better, or if it's the fact that it bled like whoa, I don't know, but it was sufficient.
So I made a simple shift from my peasant blouse pattern, except that I slit the sleeves to make hanging sleeves.
Since several years I also had this Indian lace with white flowers, that I bought just because it was so pretty. I cut it into smaller pieces to shape it and zigzagged along the stems, and in the centre of the flowers. Then I put seed beads in green, yellow, white or bronze, in the middle of the flowers.
When I wear it, whenever that may be I will also have added fabric flowers and various greenery from fabric to the gown, bu stitching them on by hand, but since most of the ones that I ordered haven't arrived yet, and I'm not in a hurry this is not a problem. Because the event just got cancelled. I will still make the costume though and take photos of me in it.

I have also bought a artificial ivy wine with led lights in it, to make a wreath. I am going to paint the lights green, to give a sort of eerie light, because I am going to be a not-quite-safe faerie queen. But not yet, because I am trying very hard not to overdo things.
Enough talking, some photos from when I tried it on:

However, this got me so inspired that I decided to make another fantasy costume. Or, I decided to make a coprset and wear it with a skirt that I bought last month.

It was also an opportunity to try and get a pattern for a 16th century corset/supportive bodice that fits my current size and shape. It's basically an effigy corset with lots of painted felt leaves glued on.

The pattern needs some tweaking: It needs to be a little higher at the top and smaller at the waist, but other than that I am happy with it. Which means that whenever I feel the inspiration to make a new supportive kirtle from my lovely linsey-wolsey fabric I have a working pattern.

But currently I am more inspired to put on fantasy costumes and drag Rickard to the forest to take photos of me. And that's what we did yesterday. We also walked in the forest just to enjoy it of course. This time we took the car, but I can actually walk to that forest, it's about 3,5 kilometres to the forest and then the same distance to my favourite part of the forest. So it's definitely doable, I did it on Thursday. But I prefer not doing it in corset and make-up :)

Anyway, here are some of the photos that we took. I wish I knew photoshop so I could make some cool effects, but I think they work fine as they are, without filters.