All You Birds Beneath the Sky - Cinderella Photoshoot

"In the evening when she had worked till she was weary 

she had no bed to go to, but had to sleep by the hearth in the cinders.

And as on that account she always looked dusty and dirty, 

they called her Cinderella." ~ Grimm Brothers (1857)

"You tame pigeons, you turtle-doves, and all you birds beneath the sky."
Photograph courtesy of Maria M.

I hope that everyone had a Happy Halloween!  As one of my favorite holidays of the year, despite the current demands of school, I just had to throw together a new costume as tradition dictates.  So together with the pieces that I made last year (read the details here:  Cinderella Dress Diary - Day One,  Day Two & Day Three), various 19th century wardrobe elements, and a new blouse and little bird friend, I was Cinderella!  

Before wearing my costume to our village's Trick or Treat event, were I had the pleasure of roasting marshmallows with over a thousand visitors on the village square, Maria, sister and photographer extraordinaire, and I went to Ellison Park to document this fun costume.  It was barely 50 degrees, overcast and threatening rain, but Maria once again worked her magic with the camera before the storm.  And, as our arrangement works, I am so proud to share Maria's results - enjoy!

Completed Project Shots: 

*All of the photographs presented in this post are the original creations of Maria M., photographer, and The Young Sewphisticate.  Copying our photographs without obtaining permission and/or leaving proper credit is prohibited.*

From skin out, this ensemble includes striped wool stockings, a shift, corset, cotton petticoat, gauged flannel petticoat for warmth, corded petticoat for texture, patched "Cinderella" over-skirt and black cotton blouse.  The accessories, including patched "Cinderella" apron, linen cap, paisley shawl and pointed shoes, further the transformation.

Series I - Tread lightly through the silent marsh.

"Every day the maiden went out to her mother's grave, 

and wept, and she remained pious and good. 

When winter came the snow spread a white sheet over the grave, 

and by the time the spring sun had drawn it off again, 

the man had taken another wife."

It's still so green out there for being the start of November!  Even though the following photograph doesn't blend with the marsh series, I had to include it... I absolutely love how Maria captured those autumnal golds! 

Series II - Stick to the path through the deep, dark woods.

"Thrice a day Cinderella went and sat beneath it, and wept and prayed, 

and a little white bird always came on the tree, 

and if Cinderella expressed a wish, 

the bird threw down to her what she had wished for."

Series III - Contemplation along the long forgotten bridge.

"Turn and peep, turn and peep,

no blood is in the shoe,

the shoe is not too small for her,

the true bride rides with you."

All excerpts came from Margaret Hunt's 1884 translation of "Cinderella," originally collected by the Grimm Brothers.  You can access the digital copy through the Virginia Commonwealth University here: Cinderella.

"No matter how your heart is grieving,

If you keep on believing,

The dream that you wish will come true..."

~ Walt Disney Company

Happy Halloween!

Almost anyways...give it another hour and it will be, officially, my favorite holiday: Halloween!

So, how is that Cinderella costume coming you might ask...well, rather than sewing, I may have become a little distracted the past few days (no thanks to Pinterest), and pulled out the colored pencils & paper instead!  I was given a set of watercolor pencils a while ago that were just begging to be used, and Pinterest kept tempting me with ideas for Victorian fancy dress, and, well, the rest is history!  I mean, really, when the creative muse demands, who would dare to resist?  

My Creative Process 

"The creative process is a process of surrender, not control."
~ Julia Cameron

Each of my costume renderings begins as a simple thought, a picture that I see in my head that demands to be realized on paper.  Inspiration, be it a historical garment, image that I come across, a simple color laying next to another, etc. comes at any moment.  Morning, noon, and night I think and dream of costume designs!  Alvin Ailey described it best when he stated that the "creative process is not controlled by a switch you can simply turn on or off; it's with you all the time."  However, very rarely do these designs in my head ever make it to paper.  But, when they do, the start as a basic pencil outline:

Nothing fancy, just a good, old, #2 pencil from the pencil cup and a brief sketch laying out where "things" go.  To help keep in proportion, I usually draw guidelines for the figure first, and then build on the clothing.  For the past two days, I've collected quite the stack of pencil sketches!

Another pencil sketch, 1880s.  I think I was going for a "checkers" fancy dress...
 I really like the shape of that hat brim though!

If I am pleased enough by the pencil outline, and the muse demands it, I will move onto inking the sketch.  Again, very few sketches move onto this step...this time, it was only four designs.  Yes, I am far too critical for my own good when it comes to my drawing.  Often details will be worked out in pencil first.  After inking (employing a fine "sharpie" pen), all of the pencil framework is erased:

Then, color...this is the scary part for me!  I tried a new medium this time, watercolor pencils.  I began the same way as with regular colored pencils by filling in the lightest colored areas and adding shading.  The gold took several, different layers to achieve the color I was looking for:   

Then, I transitioned to the darker colors:  

Perhaps paint in a suggestion of a background, and, ta-da, a finished costume rendering!

Overall verdict:  I'm still not sure how I feel about watercolor pencils...they are definitely harder to use than regular colored pencils or watercolors.  And, achieving the color intensity and specific shades I wanted was a challenge, not always met.  Something to continue experimenting with...

The Finished Victorian "Fancy Dress" Results

(1) The "Lady Archer"

Inspiration came from this original fancy dress: 

Fancy dress costume designed by Jules Helleu for the House of Worth, c.1860s.
(Image via: V&A Collections, E.22036-1957)

(2) "Lady Chess" Fancy Dress

You can see that I am trying to add some sense of movement to my previously static figures.  The blue did not turn out the way I wanted, so it sort of reminds me of a 1950s diner...and, yes, coloring in those checks took forever.  Inspired by this period fashion plate:

Fancy Dresses by Capewell and Kimmel
for "Frank Leslie's Family Magazine," c.1858
(Image via: Pinterest)

(3) "Starry, Starry Night" Fancy Dress

Again, the blue proved unpredictable, despite layering like 10 different colors...Inspiration came from this natural form gem:

Toilette de promenade, c.1875-1880
(Image via: Pinterest) 

(4) Last, but not least, my most favorite:

Bustle drapery detail shot.

And while we're at it, some accessorizing for Cinderella:  
To prove that she's not forgotten...  

Warm wooly number one - a handmade sontag shawl, knit by some very talented hands (not mine!).  Eeeeeee, I love it so much!!

Warm wooly number two - fingerless mitts.  Because my blouse is short sleeved, and it's freezing cold out there, mitts are a must!  I found these fingerless gloves a while back thrift store hunting for a two dollar steal.  I think they may have had "Love" embroidered in sequins on them.  After some seam ripping...

...A perfect pair of hand warmers for Cinderella!

"I'm a very restless person. I'm always doing something. 

The creative process never stops."

~ Oscar de la Renta

Cinderella Dress Diary: Day Three

More progress to report, and finally, some pictures to show for!

Good news, Cinderella as is right now could be worn (and hopefully recognized), though I am looking forward to completing the over dress & bodice to break up the bleh off-white color.  

Wednesday, October 21st

Blouse:  Done!  So I went to put in the sleeves, and I realized I had made two rights and no left.  Le sigh...pauses for a moment and reaches for the seam ripper...why does this always happen to me?

Ripping away the evidence...

Binding.

And, finally, we have a shirt!  Wish I had thought to measure first,
because it turned out a little too big, oh well, next time.

Red Petticoat:  Finished!  Easy enough after I tamed the directional pleats!  Thank goodness for the divide and conquer method.  I made, well I'm not really sure what they're called, let's say "stacked" or "doubled" knife pleats.  

Pleats ready to be hand basted.

Just look at those directional pleats, score!

Finished red petticoat!

Close up of the patches.

Side back of skirt.

Apron:  Completed!  Instead of just gathering the apron's skirt and hiding the stitching under the band, I thought it would look cool to extend the gathers...I liked the result!  What about you?  

Gathered panel & pressed apron ties.

Close up of the gathers.

Ta da, the finished apron!  Notice the 3" hem.

I think I may have gone a little too patch happy...

And now, putting it all together...

Definitely still needs the grey over dress & black bodice!  Also, some warm woolen accessories and a coif to complete the look.  

What was playing:  Pandora - Jay Ungar & Molly Mason Radio; Pandora - Celtic Fiddle Festival Radio 

Three days down, three more to go!  We're half way there, folks!