Evenstar Designs

Who else relates to Wendy? Caught between childhood and becoming an adult - do I move on or can I stay longer? I know I related to her. And no matter how old I get, I don't think I'll ever grow up entirely ♡♡♡ So I made a Wendy dress at the beginning of the summer and forgot to post about it... oops :) I used a simple pattern for this dress and put elastic around the waist, neck, and sleeves. It was a super simple project I made in the first few weeks of summer after finishing my sophomore year of nursing school, but it pleased my romantic side ♡♡♡ I hope you have a wonderful fall and no matter what happens, remember the second star to the right shines in the night for you... to remind you that your dreams really can come true ♡☆

An elven dress worthy of an elf maiden of the Vanyar. The Vanyar, also known as Fair elves, or Light-elves, were the fairest of all elf-kind, hence the name. I made this light silky gown with silver trim to satisfy my inner elf. The bodice is boned and laces in the back, and I'm really happy with how it fits :) don't mind the road signs :)  also dont mind the van, the lighting was good lol

I'm not dead!! I started college, so sewing has kinda taken a back seat to nursing school. But I got a nice long Christmas break, so I decided to whip up a new gown. It's inspired by the Sissi Movies like my pink one . I think I might decorate it more when I come home again in the summer, but I didn't have enough time to hem yards of ruffles and bows. Also, my mom got me a "Sissi Star" necklace from Vienna for Christmas. Empress Elizabeth was known for the star jewelry she wore in her hair. Jewelers in Austria make star hairclips, necklaces, brooches, and earrings to commemorate the Empress. I was hoping for snow to take pictures, and two days before I left, it did! Oh, and I finally cut my hair! I donated 14 inches on New Year's Eve.  New Year, new hair.

New stays! I always say I'll never make another pair again, but then I do. This time I used American Duchess's Simplicity Pattern  with the accuracy "hacks" on the American Duchess blog. For example, I made hand sewn eyelets instead of grommets (did I ever mention I HATE grommets?), and I sewed the lining in after binding which is a more accurate 18th century construction method. I used off-white cotton for the outside and interlining, and linen for the lining. The entire garment is sewn by hand, but I did cheat and use plastic zip ties for boning. I love that these stays lace in the front and back which makes them much more adjustable and more comfy to wear. I also added some embroidery details just because I can. I successfully taught myself how to embroider the detached buttonhole stitch, which is great for making larger shapes on which you don't want to use the satin stitch.  This is the inside of the stays with pink satin ribbon lacing up the back:...

I call it a "faux polonaise" because it was a mistake... the kind of mistake you make when you try to hand sew a gown by yourself in about four days. I only had 2.5 yards of the fabric which we figured was enough to make a short gown. But while a was burning the midnight oil, I forgot that tiny detail, and cut the skirt full length. This meant that the skirt would be awkwardly narrow. So I decided I could disguise the lack of fullness by decorating it in the 1780s style and pretending it was a polonaise with out the "polonaised" skirt. It worked well enough. It was so much fun to fit the gown to a real person instead of a dress form! I spent hours hand hemming and gathering white trim, but I love the way it looked! It's also really fun to sew outside when the weather is nice! And here she is wearing it in Williamsburg with a neckerchief: Not my best work, but she wore it well, and I think the ruffles are darling! 

Our final day! I spent the morning trying to dry out my soaked shoes. I put the soles in the dryer, and blew dry the shoe (not sure if that was a good idea for the leather, but it survived). I also found a new way to style my hair that I quite like. My hair is 36 inches long and is a beast to stick under a cap. I curled the ends of a few strands of hair, then pinned them up, so just a few inches hung down below the cap. I braided the rest, then pinned it around my head. The cap kept it all together. I freeze sprayed the curls to make them stay put, then was ready to go! It didn't rain, but it was wonderfully windy. We met lot's of our friends from last time - I was surprised that so many people remembered us. Even the cashier at Tarpley's remembered us! Staying warm in my fleece cloak, and flannel mitts.  Liberty got a carriage ride :)  Our friend Jonah makes his clothing, so he offered to teach me a few things about sewing the proper 18th cent...

Official day 1 We went to the Cabinet Maker's and I played the harpsichord, then we went to the Raleigh Tavern for  Handle, Bach and Who . Guess what? They let us play the harpsichord in the Tavern!!   Waiting for lunch outside the King's Arms Tavern  The Midday Bill of Fare And a dish of beefy deliciousness  Because the upstairs just makes such a great place for pictures   and goofyness :)  Kristi (who is an AMAZING cellist) got to play a viola de gamba (which was the "lady's cello" of the 18th century) Then we took pictures behind the post office Remember our friend Clare we met last time? We waited for the Fife and Drum core to appear on to the street to surprise Clare.  Don't you love Kristi's gown?! When she walked out I waved to her. She did a double take, realized who we were then she  flipped out! I have never had someone so happy to see us! After ...