The Coroner Makes a Call.... And All is Well!. (Nobody has died in the making of this Post)

Hello Dhaaarlings...

Don't Panic!

It's just the "Munchkinland Coroner"

Remember this?

Well Princess has her own take on the Coroners Robes...

I think that it should do the job... Don't you?

All I need now.... is to find a midget to put it on!

In the meantime whilst I'm off hunting for one...

Here's something nice to look at....

Bottom's up Darlings....

The Birds Are Gathering....

Hello Dhaaarlings...

There's a murder of Crows starting to hang out about the Palais...

and they are starting to get about in little black Tuxedo Jackets...

and soon they will even have wings...

And when teamed with some...

Striped Socks and 3/4 length pants

They should look faboo!

Too good for a kids stage show darlings!

Fascinating Feathery Fascinators Toto!....

Hello Dhaaarlings....

Now that the Witches Gown has been put to bed...

 Princess can get on with pondering and mulling over ideas for costumes for the Wizard of Oz.

The colour Green has been on my mind of late.... Emerald Green

While out and about over recent weeks I have stumbled across some wonderful finds in opportunity and thrift shops.

A beautiful vintage jacket in emerald green shantung and a roll of satin that is the perfect matching colour.

I have costumes to make for several groups of differing characters in Emerald City

The plan is to have the three kids in each group wearing matching costumes.

I'll run off a pattern from the jacket I found and make two more to match.
Then I plan to team them with knee length flared skirts from the roll of matching green satin....


Sounds like a plan Huh?


In the meantime... whilst pondering the above...

I've made three matching fascinators to finish off the outfits! (Nothing like putting the cart before the horse given that all i have is a jacket!)

The jacket has beautiful antique buttons with little pearl insets which might be a bit of a challenge to match.... but I'm sure I'll find something similarly suitable

The head costumier also had a wonderful find.


A vintage ensemble in dark green crepe....

A long sleeved hip length jacket with a Chinese style collar and single frog closure and long split pencil skirt to match.


Again... I'll draft a pattern from it and make two more to match the original.

Finished off with three more fabulous hats that I'll make. (I have the bases already to go)

I'll show you the original and my progress on this plan in a later post... but believe me they will be fabulous! 

In the meantime.... between pattern drafts...

It looks like I'll be doing a lot of Creme de Menthe all weekend  Darlings....

You know you are welcome to join me!

Ding Dong The Witch Is Done.......

Hello Dhaaarlings...

The Witch costume is complete...

During the fitting last week... after  pinning my customer into her gown... 

She turned around to look at herself in the full length mirror and to my horror....

Burst into Tears! 

 "Oh Fuck" I thought.... "She Hates It"

But....

Fortunately.....

 They turned out to be tears of utter joy...

"Not even my wedding dress was this beautiful Princess" she cried while giving me a huge hug..... "Thank you so much" she blubbered wiping the tears from her eyes....

On regaining some of her composure and as I began to breathe a little more easily again... she went on....

"I just love the little Spider detail.... and the web net inlay.... and the flowing cuffs... and oh it's just gorgeous....It's even better than I could have ever imagined"....

I think she's one happy customer!

Darlings....

Ding Dong the Witch is................. Almost Done!

Hello Dhaaarlings....

Princess has been beavering away at the sewing machine for much of the day

Here's an update on my customers Witch Costume!

There is still a bit of work to be done on it... Like the sleeves still needing to be attached to it.... but it will be rip roaring and ready to go for a fitting tomorrow afternoon...

Here it is from the rear....

Neckline Detail...

My customer decided that as her party is part Birthday and part Celebration of surviving a recent battle with breast cancer she wanted a plunging neckline with a lacy inset... "I've still got some cleavage you know!"....

I've used the same net on the cuffs of the sleeves and may even add a draped cape/ hood to the shoulders with the fabric remaining...

Sleeve/Cuff detail...

I'll let you know what she thinks after tomorrows fitting Darlings...

Now it's time for a little drink

I think I've earned it today!

Ps.... You may not have noticed but "Maude" my (ancient dressmakers dummy) now has new legs!

They are a result of cutting down an old card stand that my brother was throwing out of his shop. 

Maude doesn't know herself.... But.... The Cooking Sherry is 

still under lock and key!

And What Have You Been Making This Week Princess???....

Hello Dhaaarlings...

On top of making preliminary costumes for the theatre group...

 Princess has been busy filling an order for Party Invitations! 

That's right darlings... one of the Empresses friends is turning 70!

The friend has commissioned Princess to not only make the invitations for her party... but as it is a "Witches and Warlocks" themed Costume Party...

 Has decided that she would like to have Witch Costume commissioned for  herself...

So after much "ummimng" and "ahhing" over designs we settled on the above and below... for the invitations...

A Witch on broomstick silhouette printed on glossy photographic paper and mounted on black card and matching black envelopes...

with the invitation printed on white linen finish paper inserted and fixed to the inside  of the black card.

And as the friend concerned has just survived a battle with breast cancer... a costume themed party was just the ticket for someone that has never had one before in her life... And has such a marvellous reason to go all out in celebration!

The costume is in the planning stage...Picture Black and Mauve Satin with Spider Web Netting over long floaty sleeves...

As always I'll post a picture or two of the finished product on completion darlings.

Oh... and the fabric you see in the left background in the top picture is another project on which I am working...

It is to become a blouse to be worn to a wedding for a grandchild  of another friend of the Empress... It's due to be completed by the end of next week!

So... For me... I'll be chained to the Phaff.... seemingly for the rest of the year at this rate!

But I can't complain... Both the party invitations/ Witch costume and the wedding blouse are paying customers!

Things seem to be taking off all of a sudden around here!

I think need a little celebratory drink!

You know you are always welcome to join me...

Bottoms Up Darlings....

Poppy Preliminaries....*UPDATED PICS*....

Hello Dhaaarlings...

The pandemonium has begun!

With auditions being in two weeks time for casting of "The Wizard of OZ" an introduction night was held to meet the budding hopefuls and their parents.

Princess had to participate in a presentation from the costume department, explaining things to expect when participating in a stage production.

How the "Department", takes great care in replicating the costumes from the original movie/ musical, fitting of costumes to suit the individual body shape of the kid, The fact that all the costumes will be individually named and therefore responsibility of the individual to ensure that they keep all their costume pieces together etc etc was explained... By my "friend" the head costumiere...

Funnily enough... I didn't have any input into her power point presentation and quite frankly didn't want to read crap off a screen that I hadn't written myself. 

So I took the leap and went for the "Adlibbed" approach.
I talked about how we go about taking body measurements from each kid so that we can make a costume that will a) Suit them and b) fit them! so that we can make a costume without having to try it on them again and again.

 Princess then presented....

"How to use a coat hanger! Or... Turning your "Floordrobe... Into a Wardrobe!"

By throwing a shirt onto the floor... closely followed by a coat hanger... Then asking for some audience participation as to how it should be done!


Much to the delight of the parents present

The Team thought it would be nice to have some of the planned costumes on display in the foyer of the venue so that patents could see the proposed standard of the costumes that their kids would be wearing...

This was a great hit!

Sadly... Not all the costumes for the production are being made... Many of the leads have been commercially bought or sourced from Opportunity/ Thrift shops. However... over the coming months as you will see... the bulk of the supporting roles and chorus costumes will be...

Princess Creations!

Starting with some Poppies.

Girl Poppies.... (1 down 19 to go)


And

Boy Poppies... (1 down and 5 to go)

Girl Poppy Sleeve Detail...


I wanted the sleeves to resemble leaves but also wanted to shape them in a similar form to how I'm planning to shape the Flying Monkey Wings.


The Poppies... like the Flying Monkey's are after all minions of the Wicked Witch of the West are they not? so I figured on creating a subtle link through the shape of the leaves and the wings...

Of course... These pictures are of "Costumes in the making"... without the
 Top hats, White gloves and Spats for the boys and
 large Poppy Flower Hats teamed with Red elbow length gloves for the girls.


 I will post the finished articles once they get to their completion!
Which... should be soon as they are both currently still on display in the foyer of the venue...




In the mean time if you are looking for me....
Princess will be under the mountain of red tulle satin and sequins that you can see over there in the corner!

Sun Frock Finale...

Hello Dhaaarlings....

I don't recall whether I mentioned that I've been making a sun frock for my Niece?

Well I have told you now!....


My Niece has just started a part time weekend job in a cafe... and is earning her own money! 


And as a result asked me 


" If I pay for the fabric Uncle Princess... Can you make me a sun dress?

How could I refuse?
We went along to the fabric store and after what seemed like hours of looking through catalogues checking out styles and patterns that she liked, walking up and down the racks of fabric... Comparing weights and textures, print designs and colours we finally settled on a pretty white based pure cotton "Tulip" print in blues and purples.... 

 You will be pleased to learn that it is now completed and residing with it's delighted owner...

Niece is tickled pink!

And now that it is done... I can start on some creations for 

Wizard of Oz!

I just have to remind myself that the making of costumes for the show is a Marathon and not a Sprint...

Remember....Pace yourself Princess...

We are off for "Round 2" at the Hospital in the big smoke tomorrow morning   for the Empress to have her MRI....


I'm hoping that things will be more straight forward this time around! 

Something a little Blue...

Hello Dhaaarlings...

This morning... while out watering the vegetable patch...

 Princess encountered a most delightful sight...

Not one.... but...

Two families of  Blue Fairy Wrens came to visit and show off their numerous offspring...

There were two males and each had a harem of two or three females with a gaggle of about twelve baby birds between them...

The Males are quite the showy type with their vibrant blue plumage...

While the Females are more demure in their appearance and plumage...

(Princess (unusually) didn't have her camera at the ready... So takes this opportunity to thank Mr Smissen for his wonderful close ups)

Their visit brought to mind a lovely table cloth that Princess keeps tucked away in the linen closet and brings out on special occasions...


It is a very old hand embroidered tablecloth that was given to Princess many years ago in an incomplete state.
It is a square tablecloth depicting Blue Wrens in a circular garden scene... and when it was given to me several of the wrens were unfinished and/or incompletely stitched. I have no idea of it's true age as it was given to me by one of the Empresses friends. The cloth belonged to her friends mother and was never completed due to her mothers eyesight deteriorating.


Not only did the birds need to be finished but so did the crocheted edge of the cloth.

At that stage I had never done any sort of hand embroidery and it was not until several years later that I taught myself this skill and completed the tablecloth as pictured here...
following are several varying degrees of close up shots to give you a good look at the stitching involved.

And here are some close ups of the crochet edging...

for my first effort at hand embroidery I think that I did a pretty good job...


And tomorrow morning I'll be out in the in the back yard with my camera poised to see if I can't get some of my own shots of these beautiful and vibrant little birds...

White Rabbit Make-Over....

Hello Dhaaarlings..

At the almost last minute Princess was asked to work her magic on the "White Rabbit's" coat.

It was a commercially made rabbit costume that was purchased on line...

Replete with Brown Vest white fur mittens, oversized white fur rabbit feet

Huge oversized black top hat with fur and wired ears and a plain purple coat all in 100% polyester... eew... Boooring!!!

I made up a beautiful shiny purple satin ribbon that now goes around the brim of the hat and ties in a bow at the back with ling tails hanging down the back and....

 Here's the result after the ugly coat had been given 

"The Princess Treatment"

It was the least that I could do...

Every Kid on stage has the right to look Fabulous Darling!!!

The Princess and the Mushroom....

Hello Darlings...

I have some photos of the Mushroom, the Caterpillar and the Butterfly that  I talked to you about in yesterdays post...

And here they are...

I'm almost ready for a well earned champagne...

And a very long sleep Darlings...

and yes Darlings...

That is Princess in the middle photo!

Flutter By..... Butterfly.....

Hello Again Dhaaarlings...

I made a mock up for a concept...

The Butterfly costume!

No... don't be silly Darling.... That's not it!

That's just the model I made up to demonstrate the concept to those with a less "visual" imagination darlings and as I have discovered throughout this process there are quite a few!

I'm seeing it now... An electric blue "Morph" suit... In my day they were known as a full body spandex body suit?...

Lots of Sparkles 

Sparkly panels taking shape...

Wait for it...


There is colour...

Rainbow Wings with the back of the costume being the same glittery spectacle as the front...
And there is a handkerchief style black chiffon skirt covered with more strings of golden sequins....

And what's a Butterfly without  antennae Darling????

Pipe cleaners are wonderful little treasures....


It's all completed and ready for a photo shoot tomorrow...


The Caterpillar's body is already ensconced upon the mushroom
but I don't have a picture to show you as yet...


It sits atop the mushroom beside the actor playing the Butterfly and all that you can see of her is from the waist up as she stands inside the mushroom... 


To transform... she simply steps down behind the mushroom... dragging the body with her... (which is attached to the mushroom) so that it drops into the spot where she has been standing and she then emerges onto the stage proper...as the beautiful and colourful butterfly....


It's been a headache to work on.... but well worth the effort Darlings....


Opening night is on the 7th Dec with a second show on the 8th.


All the major costumes are completed now with only a few minor bits and bobs to finish.... So my work is almost done Darlings....


I will post more pics of the completed costumes as I get the time but as you can imagine I'm still fairly well flat out ....