Dress For Emma

After facebooking about my adventures in sewing, a friend of mine offered her daughter as a guinea pig, muahaha. Here is the result.

This dress was made using a cotton fabric I got from the thrift store. It is a reddish color with small white dots. The trim is a ribbon with a modern floral motif.
The pattern (also from the thrift store) is for a dress and short jacket. The jacket has puff sleeves, is fully lined, and has one button at the neck. The dress has a square neck, straps, a dirndl skirt with patch pockets, and a bow at the back. This is Simplicity 8029 from, I think, the 1990s.
I give my execution of the jacket an A- and of the dress a B- ; minus big points for the skirt being attached to the bodice crooked- you can see the pockets are uneven in the fence photos (after the jump). How did I miss that :( I am also subtracting points for choosing a ribbon trim instead of the recommended flat lace trim. The ribbon was much harder to sew into the seams.
I added a bow to the outfit (in hair); I intend to post these bow instructions (from a different pattern) because hello, cute.
I like this dress for a girl child as it is machine washable, not too short to play in, and appropriate for many occasions. The styling is classic and the dress could be worn with leggings and a long sleever in the cooler months. I would make this dress again. The only adjustment I can think of is to cut four of the bow straps, for double sided straps when using similar fabric (this fabric is printed on one side and lame on the other). I took a bit off the length but the dirndl skirt is made of rectangular pattern pieces anyway. I had to guess at the strap length due to my model being 500 miles away. The straps would be easy to lengthen if it wasn't for the damn ribbon. (They could still be lengthened another inch if necessary.)
So in sum: love the jacket, so glad Emma and her mom like the outfit, and I look forward to making more silly things ;)
See more pics after the jump.

My Janet Weiss Dress

My Janet Weiss costume posts are my most popular blog posts. All five posts are listed below.

1. Janet Weiss Makeup & Hair
2. Janet Weiss Accessories
3. Janet Weiss Lingerie
4. Janet Weiss's Pink Dress
5. My Janet Weiss Dress (THIS POST)

Here is my homemade Janet Weiss Dress. I would not rate this an "A" but I think I did an alright job for a costume. I used a dress pattern I already had with the following modifications.
Changed the sleeve to be less puffy. This was a bad idea.
Added collar and cuffs.
Changed the skirt from straight to A-line.
Added a bib front with trim and buttons using the front bodice pattern piece cut down.
And of course made the belt using a metal thrift store buckle I painted white, and white cotton strap covered with the gingham fabric using the selvage method.
I also made the slip which I have not photographed yet. I already had the bag, shoes and cardigan.
For the hair I used hot rollers and x-ed bobby pins for the front.
All in all I spent about a month on this dress and I sure I hope I learned something about making dresses!

Janet Weiss's Pink Dress

My Janet Weiss costume posts are my most popular blog posts. All five posts are listed below.

1. Janet Weiss Makeup & Hair
2. Janet Weiss Accessories
3. Janet Weiss Lingerie
4. Janet Weiss's Pink Dress (THIS POST)
5. My Janet Weiss Dress

Janet is wearing a pink dress with a peter-pan collar and cuffs in matching pink/white gingham, a bib front with white trim and non-functional buttons, long sleeves, and an A-line silhouette, with gingham belt.
The shade of pink is somewhere from baby pink to carnation pink. Use cotton or any basic smooth woven fabric. The gingham is of a medium size not currently readily available.
The white trim is hard to see but I used a type of venise lace. Jumbo rick-rack will also look pretty close.
The white buttons are round in shape but with an embossed flower pattern. You can get flower buttons but mostly in smaller sizes. There are six buttons on the bodice and one must assume one button on each cuff.
The belt has a round slider buckle that is not shiny. Find a round buckle used or make a fabric covered buckle. Take the prong out of a regular prong buckle to convert it to a slider. Match your belting size to your buckle. Use cotton belting and wrap as normal if you can't finding plastic belting. Belt instructions are in the Reader's Digest sewing book. The belt has a snap to hold down the tail.
The dress shape is fitted, with sport (non-puffed) sleeves, and an A-line skirt that falls from the natural waist. The length is at or just above the knee and has a deep hem. (The collage caption saying it is well above the knee is wrong - I am an idiot, her arms are raised and it is riding up.) The zip back goes from the neck to below the waist as normal.
The bib front falls from the shoulder to the waistline sloping toward center at the waist, with the trim sandwiched between the bib and the bodice. Attach the trim and bib before bust darts are sewn.
The peter pan collar is quite wide, you can see it goes a fair way to the shoulder. It is a two piece collar as the dress zips up the back. The collar pieces neither meet at the front nor the back. It is rounded in the front in the Peter Pan or "Claudine" style but squared at the back.
The cuff can be made using a rectangular cuff with a simple edge-trimmed slit (or make a men's style cuff if you want). Instructions for the slit and cuff are available in the sewing book.
A straight skirt pattern can be modified to an A-line shape with relatively little effort.
I have illustrated the pattern to give you an idea of it's design. I have also made a collage of screen grabs.

Materials needed for this project

• Plain-weave in Pink - yardage enough for a dress
• Pink/White Gingham - yardage enough for a belt with tail
• Eight white buttons of about 1/2"
• White venise lace trim - about 1.5 yards or two times your shoulder to waist measurement
• White dress zipper
• Belting
• White circular belt buckle
• One large snap
• Lightweight interfacing

Pattern pieces for Pink fabric

• Bodice front cut on the fold
• Bib overlay cut on the fold
• Bodice back
• Sleeve
• Skirt front cut on fold
• Skirt back
• Short piece of bias strip for cuff opening
• Front neck facing (with interfacing)
• Back neck facing (with interfacing)

Pattern Pieces for Gingham Fabric

• Collar (with interfacing)
• Cuff rectangles (with interfacing)
• Belt

I hope dress makers will see from this list that it's pretty straightforward in terms of parts and subsequently construction. Best of luck to all you little sluts.

illustration

Janet Weiss Lingerie

My Janet Weiss costume posts are my most popular blog posts. All five posts are listed below.

1. Janet Weiss Makeup & Hair
2. Janet Weiss Accessories
3. Janet Weiss Lingerie (THIS POST)
4. Janet Weiss's Pink Dress
5. My Janet Weiss Dress

Janet is wearing a traditional 3 piece set of lingerie: a bra, a panty, and a slip. Click pic for bigger.


BRA
I have seen a lot of people perform Janet a lot of times. 99% of Janets will not have the petite frame and exact breast size of Susan Sarandon. Bras have changed a lot over the decades (now, stretch fabric is king). I do not recommend trying to find an exact match of Janet's bra. If you find it, it won't fit. Like shoes, wearing an ill fitting bra on stage is just a bad idea all around. Janet is wearing an ill fitting bra (the band size is too large so the band rides up at the back).
Janet's underwire bra is in a cotton-like fabric that has no shine. It has a flat trim on the cups but the cups are solid and not lacy. The back panel edges have elastic zig-zagged on. The top edge of the back piece curves up to meet the straps. The bra clasps at the center back. The straps are shiny with a straight edge that is dotted. There is a three-dimensional rosette between the cups.
If you are a woman and A to D you might have some luck finding such a bra at places like Kmart, Target, and Walmart. Demi or pushup styling are appropriate. A smooth-cup tshirt bra can be modified by adding the cup trim (common at sewing store).
For everyone with larger breasts start with bras that are white and fit properly. Minimizer and full coverage bras will not look right as cleavage is essential. Such women may prefer higher quality bras because I sure do in which case just make sure it's white and has cleavage.
For men, get an old white bra at the thrift store that fits around the chest and is non lacy. Take out the underwire if you like.


UNDERPANTS
Janet's panties are a white brief style that sits below the waist ("hipster"). The leg is a low brief "conservative" leg. The panties have side seams and there is lace detailing on the front (in V shapes) that end at the side seams.
The most important thing for Janet's underwear is that you can wear it without your bits being visible or falling out. Larger women may prefer a full brief or a french bikini. Consider getting the matching panty to your bra, or get a plain opaque panty you can modify with the same lace as your slip. For stage work definitely wear a second pair of underpants underneath (or underneath pantyhose). This goes for women and men. The under pair should be light colored and have a smaller "footprint" than your Janet panties. On stage men should wear a dance belt but a fitted thong or bikini brief in a smooth fabric might be fine. Mens thongs are commonly available, get one that is seamless in the front. Women usually wear a smooth flesh colored thong under pantyhose for stage work.
Janet does not reveal her private landscaping. Make an effort to do the same.

SLIP
Janet is wearing a white half slip. The fabric may be a cotton voile as it has no sheen, and it wrinkles. It is a couple of inches shorter than her dress hem length and falls from the natural waist. The slip has an elastic waist. There is a slit of about 6 inches that is located 1/4 away across the front panel. The lower edge and slit of the slip is finished in a scalloped lace that appears to match her underpants.
You can make a slip yourself using your seat measurement, two rectangles of fabric with extra allowance for the elastic casing at top, normal seam allowances on the sides, and a narrow hem. Half slip tutorials are commonly available.
The slit adds some difficulty but I intend to make a slit using some instructions I have from continuously bound cuff slits and I'll let you know how it goes.
You could by a modern slip from Target etc but they are a nasty shiny nylon, and have a rounded vent.

That's it for today! Stay tuned for details on Janet Weiss' pink dress.

Janet Weiss Accessories

My Janet Weiss costume posts are my most popular blog posts. All five posts are listed below.

1. Janet Weiss Makeup & Hair
2. Janet Weiss Accessories  (THIS POST)
3. Janet Weiss Lingerie
4. Janet Weiss's Pink Dress
5. My Janet Weiss Dress

Some more Janet Weiss analysis, this time we're looking at accessories. Click the pick for bigger.

CARDIGAN
Well I only had to check the entire internet but I found a reasonably accurate Janet cardigan here
It is white (snow white, not off white), crew neck as in buttons all the way to the neck and has no collar, and long sleeved (raglan). It is a fitted shape and hip (low hip) length. Feel free to compromise on any of this other than the long sleeve if your dress is also long sleeved. For instance a long sleeved no collar zip up sweater might look quite accurate.
You might have better luck finding a new white cardigan that meets these requirements if you look in the warmer months as white cardigans tend to look great with summer dresses. Go places where dorky people shop.
Cardigan patterns are also pretty common if you can find a suitable cotton knit. Her buttons are pearly white (semi-transparent).

PURSE
Janet carries a white purse on a chain. For the wedding she wears it shoulder length then later it is shorter like a handbag. Perhaps it is the type that you can rethread the chain through a loop on one side and attach it back to the beginning to make a strap one half it's original length. See pic for evidence.
This handbag is a simple envelope clutch rendered in a patent leather or vinyl. Shiny white vinyl is commonly available at fabric stores and there are patterns available (modify to make flap reach the bottom and for chain loops and good luck working with vinyl... use an awl).
Handbag chain is best bought at bead stores but many fabric/craft stores now have jewelry items. The chain is silver colored. Purse closure seems to be a magnet (ie, not a buckle). White handbags have been out of style for quite some time but besides the thrift store you might have luck at places like Ross. Put your hershey bar in your bag.

SHOE
Janet's shoe is a white mary jane with about a 2" heel. The key thing here is that again it is snow white and fits well. Any heel height is acceptable but for stage performances I would recommend a character shoe - it will look really close and you will be able to perform in it.

JEWELRY
Janet's gold name necklace is available in a screen accurate rendering. Get your own name or get Janet, damnit. Walmart has a 14K gold version for $70. You can find goldtone versions, like on Etsy for $16.
Janet is also wearing little gold hoop earrings. I heartily recommend hinged sleepers but any kind of plain hoop one inch or smaller will work fine. If you don't have pierced ears don't bother with earrings.
Janet is of course wearing her new engagement ring. It has a round "diamond" and a thin gold band with two lines etched each side. Get something tacky.

Note About Pantyhose
As you see in the shoe picture and throughout the movie, Janet is sometimes wearing pantyhose. When she is shown close up in her underwear (with Rocky in the tank), she is clearly not wearing pantyhose. For those of you who were never old fashioned ladies, underpants are worn under the pantyhose or omitted (that would be less old fashioned). I do recommend that women wear pantyhose to perform on stage (unless you're in trousers) across the board. This provides some modesty and will make your leg color more uniform and can help with thigh rubbing (if the pantyhose fit correctly). This is all a story for another day but my point is I do not consider pantyhose part of Janet's outfit to emulate as she may or may not be seen wearing them and based on her underwear situation, would not actually be wearing them. Susan Sarandon wore pantyhose because the shoot location Oxley Castle was cold as hell.
Choose high quality pantyhose, either heavy-duty hose such as Oroblu or those designed specifically for dancers.

Janet Weiss Makeup & Hair

My Janet Weiss costume posts are my most popular blog posts. All five posts are listed below.

1. Janet Weiss Makeup & Hair  (THIS POST)
2. Janet Weiss Accessories
3. Janet Weiss Lingerie
4. Janet Weiss's Pink Dress
5. My Janet Weiss Dress

Hi! Halloween's coming up so I imagine lots of other people are working on their costumes and halloween look... because I am! Here is a pic of our heroine, Janet Weiss. Click the pic for bigger.

HAIR: Janet curls her hair in hot rollers. If you are wearing your own hair like I will be, do a natural part down the middle and curl it whatever way gives you the best curl (as seen bottom left), all the way around your head. This could be hot rollers, a curling iron, or in my case rag curls. Don't brush your hair, but style it with fingers. Use gel or mousse before rolling hair and set with hairspray when you're done. If you have those silly O-shaped barrettes pin your hair back as seen here. I don't so will probably just use bobby pins. You want your hair off your face. If you have short girlie hair definitely try to find some white barrettes and make it look more soccer mom and less pixie cutie-pie. If you have short man hair, consider a wig.

MAKEUP: FACE & LIP
Janet is sporting a natural-ish look with heavy emphasis on her eyes along with a rosy blush and lip. Wear your normal foundation or powder (i.e. to match your skin). She is wearing a rosy powder blush/rouge and lipstick -- that elusive your-lips-but-better shade of pink. If you have dark skin chose a MLBB shade even if it's brownish, reddish, or whatever, and ditto for the blush. You want to look natural. For lips, I'm pretty sure Janet wears lipstick as it's a creme finish. Not a glassy gloss look and not matte. Revlon, Maybelline, Cover Girl, NYX, and Mac have good lipstick formulas.

MAKEUP: EYE
For the eyeshadow Janet appears to be wearing a rosy taupe shadow over the whole lid. You can wear a basic neutral eye. Keep it in the brown family and make it a look you could talk your dorkiest aunt into wearing (this is not sexay eyeshadow). Really slather on the brown pencil eyeliner top and bottom. I've tried to recreate this with dark brown and now I think Janet is wearing a lighter brown.
Janet is also wearing a ton of brown mascara.

NAILS
Janet wears a longish fingernail with a natural, oval tip. Buff your nails for shine or use a clear nail polish. Personally I'd wear a silly girlie light shimmer pink just because it'd seem right for Janet. Note the ring is worn on the fourth digit of her left hand (but I'm covering accessories in a different post ;).

I know it's not the most perfect screen accurate whatever ever, but I'm trying to make it look Janetey. Some recent high school graduate who makes her own dresses, thinks weddings are swell, and has never seen a man in his underpants before.

Check The Anal Retentive Rocky Horror Costume List for more info.

Janet Weiss

Infant Pinafore Dress and Bloomers

Update: I am offering this outfit for sale, check it out: Broadway Handmade. It is $20 and Priority Shipping anywhere in the U.S. is $6 (free delivery in my hometown of Chico!).

I recently completed this infant pinafore dress and bloomers.

I found a black and white rayon (viscose) skirt at the local thrift store and had to have it. It's Italian and we all know that Italians are kings of both rayon and loud prints.

The trim takes this outfit up a notch, I think. It reduces wearability but dresses up the look from playdate to something where mum and dad are dressed fancily. As a pinafore dress you could team it with a white collared short sleeve onesie or polo and the bloomers, or something with sleeves and black tights when it is cooler. Pinafore dresses, or jumpers, are designed to be worn over a top, but being in such a great rayon I would also use it as a sundress (with just the bloomers).
This is a size newborn, so I think the reduced mobility you get from a dress is partially mitigated by the fact infants 1-3 months are barely mobile, especially in a dressed up setting (guessing?). But, being a "pretty" dress it gets brownie points for being machine washable. I doubt I will make any infant dresses longer or fuller than this one due to the decreased mobility
Overall I will say that I think this outfit is super cute and the print is amazing.

Ugly Dresses

It's a real shame that the first garments I make for myself are so awful, the pics are awful, and just ugh.

The first dress is a fitting shell B5627. This had ten pages of instructions and took weeks to do. But overall I think it came out really well. I learned some things about working with patterns. I used my reader's digest book in conjunction with it.
One problem I had was the area above the bust was bunching all funny. The bust was sufficiently roomy, the armpit was a little low but not tight at all, the shoulders seemed fine, what could it be? The neck was too tight and ruining the bust area's fit. It wasn't in the guide or the book or anything, I just decided to ignore it and go ahead with other alterations and it solved itself.
There were a lot of alterations I had to make to get proper fit. Of course bust (for "D"), let the waist and the hip out, take the shoulder point in, raise the armhole, widen the neck hole, widen the sleeve (a lot) and fix the armhole for it, and shorten the garment length. But once all that was done, I think it looks really good.
Of course this is still an "ugly dress" for many reasons. One, yellow is not my color. Two, I would never wear a sleeved dress made of (floral!) calico because I am not 10. Three, I can't pull off set in sleeves to save my life.
Also yellow is not my color! The fabric was a dollar from the thrift store. The pattern was a dollar on sale so plus the zip this whole project was about $5.
I may use this dress as pattern blocks for a straight skirt or dress. This dress inspired me to try drafting my own patterns as the bust dart was huge and there were so many adjustments.
Now I did make errors in this dress most notably with hinging the sleeve wider. On the dress the wrist is too wide because I had to make an adjustment on the dress. I fixed it on the pattern after. I also probably should have raised the armhole a little but I like roomy armholes anyway.

The second dress is from B5618. This dress is awful. The shoulders (and neck) were way too wide and I don't think it was roomy enough through the hip, either. Who the hell is shaped this way? If you want a dress like this you could probably just draft it yourself with less drama. I added pockets to this dress so it would at least be useful as a housedress.
I paid a dollar for this pattern and feel ripped off. This fabric was from the thrift store and was a dollar. It is surprisingly soft which is probably why I actually wear this hideous dress.
I also made errors in this dress (ugh, pockets) but there's no point talking about it because we all know the whole project was a waste of time.

various projects

Years ago my dad brought this kimono back from a trip to Japan. To hang this on the wall I used two curtain rod mounts (that don't seem available anymore, from umbra) and a five foot length of steel rod that I spray painted silver. I screwed the rod mounts into my picture rail. I think the cream color of the silk looks great against the fawn brown walls and I love that it's a landscape. The kimono does waft a little in the breeze which is a nice change from a painting for instance. I have more planned for the brown bedroom but so far this is all I've managed.

This pattern is a teaser for a project I recently finished. It is a gift so no pics yet! I liked B5584. The pieces I made went together without much confusion.

This overdone lump of whatever is a plum crumb cake. Verdict on the recipe is "needs work" but it was a decent enough way to get rid of more plums. Good for breakfast.

Plum Crisp

A friend gave us plums from his tree. This recipe used 3 pounds of plums and a double batch of apple crumble topping. This crumble/crisp topping uses almonds rather than oats but I threw some oats in as well. Shown with homemade french vanilla ice cream. This plum crisp didn't taste pruney at all; the plums have a mild almost apple-like flavor. Both plums and almonds are grown locally.