Behind the Lens, Under the Seam Ripper: 2013 in Review

It seems rather apt that I'm writing my New Years post two weeks into the new year...but there you are, a resolution for prompter posting in 2014!

2013 was a big year for adventures, and I'm already looking forward to more to come. I was able to complete all the planned tartan in fashion posts (although there are more in the works), and improve my photography with a new camera and a lot of patient friends/models. This review will cover all of it, with favorite pictures and projects from 2013.

January

The full force of Blingvengers is unleashed, and I become the GlitterHulk. What makes me rage? Culturally accepted misogyny. And hunger. Also I make this face a lot.

We enter the Arisia masquerade as the Birds of Prey, and I sew with spandex for the first time to make my Helena Bertinelli/Huntress costume.

February

I acquire my first DSLR, and start learning how to really take pictures. I'm in love, and my favorite spot to practice is our local comic book shop.

My social circle learns they have all been voluntold as models.

I draft a new Regency ballgown pattern, and sew a test dress for the Pride and Prejudice ball. It basically works but has a lot of problems I need to adjust, but I have yet to make a new version.

March

I complete a new chemical-dye-inspired pink plaid 1860s ballgown for Returning Heroes.

More photography experimentation with a series of "transformation" photos from modern to period.

April

I focus on detail shots,

We shoot Napoleon,

I complete a new long-sleeved sheer striped Regency dress and brown silk bonnet,

and wear them to fly kites!

May

I play with dramatic 1920s portraiture at our Great Gatsby performance

June

More photography practice...

Picnics and croquet! This is making me miss the warm weather.

July

We perform on George's Island in printed cotton 1860s dresses, and get a fabulous tour of Fort Warren!

Several of us (including me) make our dresses out of reproduction 1850s printed cottons. Also, my dress closes in front, so it doesn't matter that I never made it to closures--I can sew myself in this time. Goal for 2014: CLOSURES.

Back-to-back performances! The next day we head to the Crane Estate for their Jazz Age Lawn Party, and I make a seersucker '20s dress to wear for it. 

Playing with angles and scenery.

Photo editing to make 1920s glamour shots after the Prohibition Ball.

whew-July was hopping!

August

I put my historical costuming skills to super-use and make a Starling/Ev Crawford costume...

...and wear it to Boston Comic Con, where I took this picture. It's in my top 5 for the year.

September

Break time after a crazy summer! I start what becomes a super-hectic travel schedule for work: since September, I've been to 5 states in 4 months. 3 of those states were in September.

October

I finish a 1950s Buttrick retro striped sundress, and wear it on a roller skating/diner/Fall adventure!

The greatest picture of all time occurs.

I get to Hulk out again at New York Comic Con, ROAR!

I'm also getting better at directing stranger when I want to try a cool portrait angle.

November

I experiment with restrictive silhouettes and make a Ragtime suit with a hobble skirt for the Plymouth Thanksgiving living history weekend.

I also make a fur wrap--and I needed it!

December

Fabulous '40s for the Greater Boston Vintage Society Winter Formal

And I outfit the whole family for Fezziwig's Ball!

WHEW.

Not pictured: several other events and a whole host of unfinished projects. 2013 was certainly brimming with fabulous clothes, wonderful friends, and memorable adventures. Here's to an equally fabulous (and even better) 2014!

You are Now in Bedford Falls

It snowed this weekend! Actual, accumulating powder! I'm not a fan of the cold, but I LOVE the first snow of the season. (Although it helps that I don't have a driveway to shovel or a car to manage...) I was able to fully embrace the snow this weekend with some good old-fashioned mid-century Christmas cheer, including attending the Greater Boston Vintage Society Winter Formal. It was a lovely evening!

The Winter Formal was held at the Dane Estate, a beautiful 1891 mansion in Chestnut Hill. The dark wood and carved moldings were a perfect balance to the pretty holiday decorations.

The library was also perfect for dancing, and as two of the event sponsors were swing dance studios, we did!

guests in the library

In addition to dancing, there was a lovely dinner and a showing of It's A Wonderful Life on an original 1940s army movie projector. It was so cool! I'm not a huge fan of the movie, but watching the reels (including pauses to change them out) in a room full of other people reacting definitely added to the viewing.

The year for the evening was 1946, which is the year It's A Wonderful Life premiered. All of the event attendees looked great, and being surrounded by people in lovely 40s and 50s clothes was really fun. The organizers also did a great job building the atmosphere--little touches like hiding the iPod of dance music behind a vintage radio made the evening magical.

I was hoping to have a new dress done, but I got distracted...oops. So I wore the Butterick 4790 one-piece dress (which is the coolest pattern) I made a couple of years ago, and it was actually pretty perfect. The fabric has a tiny holly berry print, and there is a jingle-bell shaped decorative button on the front closure. I also (FINALLY) managed to get victory rolls that looked the way I wanted, so of the entire outfit I was most proud of my hair. The back is decorated with a sprig of (fake) holly and a blingy snowflake hairpin.

I also wore my 1940s mink cape, which has the iconic square 40s shoulders and is snuggly warm. (I would never buy new fur, but used vintage stuff I have no problem with.) 

It was a lovely evening celebrating the best part of winter (snow, vintage holiday goodness, and warm evenings with friends). Now all I need is to sing some carols!

The Ballot Forever

This weekend I had a crazy adventure drinking tea and discussing women's suffrage at the America's Hometown Thanksgiving celebration in Plymouth. Part of the event is a "portal to the past" living history village, where visitors can explore what (mostly military) life was like from the 17th century to the 20th.

We were going to be an all-female group (our dudes are members of the Salem Trayned Band, so they were busy in the 1630s), so we decided to spend the weekend in the 20th century as 1914 suffragettes. We had tea, sang suffrage songs, and handed out yellow "votes for women" ribbons. It was so much fun (but a little chilly)!

our set-up in the living history village

I wore the jacket and "hobble skirt" I made last week, which turned out to be pretty cozy (yay wool!), a fur wrap I also made last week, and my Tavistock button boots from America Duchess. I bought them this summer, but hadn't had a chance to wear them, so I was super excited! I think the final silhouette was pretty authentic, and it was really different from what I normally wear. I need to finish the jacket, and maybe add a belt (I don't really like wearing the tube look), but in general this worked well and was quick to throw together.

I was also really excited to tromp out my Tavistocks, and Quinn and I took the opportunity to take some shoe pictures. I'm glad, because now the next time I have to psych myself up for the 10 minutes it will take to button all the buttons, I can look at this picture and remind myself how fabulous they are.

buttons!

The one downside of the hobbled look is that it actually well...hobbles you. I had to take very small strides and couldn't actually move very fast or far without a lot of effort.  It meant that I ended up looking awfully dumb as I bopped along trying to keep up with everyone, and it was extra exhausting. I also ended up getting a couple of rides from the golf carts that were shuttling people to and from the event, and they were the best. Thank you, golf cart men.

technically this is the goofing off in between actual pictures, but we're all smiling! yay!

Actually, one of my favorite interactions of the day involved the golf cart man who drove our chairs, tables, tea equipment, and me to the site. When we were driving over this exchanged occurred:
GCM: Do you know where your spot is?
Me: no...we're somewhere in the 20th century, but that's all I know
GCM: drives into the park and stops in front of the map Find the 20th century!
Me: spots the 20th century area, and our spot I found it! The 20th century is over that little bridge, and then the suffragettes are the the left.
GCM: well, then off to the 20th century!

So with that, off to the 20th century we go!

1941 paratroopers across from us (in the 20th c)

this little footbridge in the park was totally darling, and connected the 20th c to the earlier periods

visitors learning about 1630s weaponry with the Salem Trayned Band

members of the New Plimmoth Guard

visitors learning about 17th c pike with the New Plimmoth Guard