April 2011 Portfolio Special: "Fester's Coat"

April 2011 Portfolio Special: "Fester's Coat"

The Addam's Family: IT's Granny!

Okay, so with Hollyween swiftly approaching, I felt the Addams Family calling to me once again.  Previously, I made a Morticia/Gomez combo, and a Fester/Pugsley one (Wednesday stood alone, as always...), so I thought about a Granny/Cousin It mix-up, and the result is a coat that I know at least one of my fans will no longer be my friend if I don't give it to her.

This outfit is not so much fashion forward as it is fun and stylish to play with.  I mean, we've seen fur-collared coats before, but the overall look and story is exactly what I was going for.

I don't remember what Granny wore on the Addams family.  I think it was some dusty layered dress, but when I think of gothic grannies, I think of old-ladies that hit their prime in the 1920's, so they sill wear their flimsy flapper dresses under dusty black velvet and fur coats and put of every piece of jewelry they own. 

And of course, Cousin It can't be forgotten for what he was, so I made the coat extra... hairy, with oversized fur cuffs that can be pulled down to be used as a muff and a collar that can be popped up for extra warmth around the face or folded down and out of the way.

And, of course, Raine loved getting to look like a dark freak again, so it was difficult to get her to hide her smile and look sufficiently creepy!

The Addam's Family: IT's Granny!

Okay, so with Hollyween swiftly approaching, I felt the Addams Family calling to me once again.  Previously, I made a Morticia/Gomez combo, and a Fester/Pugsley one (Wednesday stood alone, as always...), so I thought about a Granny/Cousin It mix-up, and the result is a coat that I know at least one of my fans will no longer be my friend if I don't give it to her.

This outfit is not so much fashion forward as it is fun and stylish to play with.  I mean, we've seen fur-collared coats before, but the overall look and story is exactly what I was going for.

I don't remember what Granny wore on the Addams family.  I think it was some dusty layered dress, but when I think of gothic grannies, I think of old-ladies that hit their prime in the 1920's, so they sill wear their flimsy flapper dresses under dusty black velvet and fur coats and put of every piece of jewelry they own. 

And of course, Cousin It can't be forgotten for what he was, so I made the coat extra... hairy, with oversized fur cuffs that can be pulled down to be used as a muff and a collar that can be popped up for extra warmth around the face or folded down and out of the way.

And, of course, Raine loved getting to look like a dark freak again, so it was difficult to get her to hide her smile and look sufficiently creepy!

The Facts of Life: Okay, Natalie!

Alright, I think I tortured the spirit of Natalie long enough by ignoring her and making an extra Blair outfit.  I suppose fat girls need love, too.

What an awful thing to say!  I know.  But you know how much I love fat people, so it's okay for me to go there.

So this overcoat is completely irrational, with it being sleeveless and all.  Why would someone wear a heavy wool coat to keep them warm, but have their arms totally exposed?!  Because that's fashion, baby, and sometimes it just doesn't have to be practical as long as it looks good.

Yes, the concept is a little unusual, but why does it kinda not look so wrong?  I think has to be the accessories.  This outfit would not be the same without those gloves or the collegiate knee socks that match the sweater underneath.

I did make a little miniskirt to go under the coat, just because I felt she shouldn't go bottomless, even if it would not be seen.  Leonora took it off though.  That's why she has that, "I have a secret" look on her face in the last photo...

The Facts of Life: Okay, Natalie!

Alright, I think I tortured the spirit of Natalie long enough by ignoring her and making an extra Blair outfit.  I suppose fat girls need love, too.

What an awful thing to say!  I know.  But you know how much I love fat people, so it's okay for me to go there.

So this overcoat is completely irrational, with it being sleeveless and all.  Why would someone wear a heavy wool coat to keep them warm, but have their arms totally exposed?!  Because that's fashion, baby, and sometimes it just doesn't have to be practical as long as it looks good.

Yes, the concept is a little unusual, but why does it kinda not look so wrong?  I think has to be the accessories.  This outfit would not be the same without those gloves or the collegiate knee socks that match the sweater underneath.

I did make a little miniskirt to go under the coat, just because I felt she shouldn't go bottomless, even if it would not be seen.  Leonora took it off though.  That's why she has that, "I have a secret" look on her face in the last photo...

The Addams Family: Fester's Fabulous!

Completing my Darkness collection is a very unexpected Uncle Fester! (Actually, it's Fester with a little Pugsley combo, just like the Morticia/Gomez mixture of my last post.)  Yes, I know that Fester is bald.  But I can't do a whole standalone picture series with a bald headed model!

On the show, Fester wore a dirty looking monk's robe with a fleece or fur muffler. I recall the robe being burlap, but maybe it wasn't.  Either way, it didn't look too comfortable or flattering to the body.

For this outfit, I wanted to make something just as figure-hiding while still being fabulous.  Baggy and bulky are usually not my style, so I of course had to pair it with something fitted and skimpy, hence the hotpants and tight sweater just to make me feel more at home.  The result is a ensemble that is part Addams, part Dr. Zhivago, part Streetwalker.  Love it!

If you look at the non-fur part, yes, that's burlap, or a version of it, that I got a huge bolt of years ago for a dollar a yard sitting on a street corner.  I've used it to upholster some of my furniture peices and make window coverings, and now, it's a bog coat.  I'm telling you, after working with all that burlap and fur for this project, my nasal passages are hating me!  I'm dreading vacuuming my sewing room and looking forward to it at the same time.

FUN FACT! Wondering what make me think of making those funky curved cut-out layers with the brown tabs hanging out?  When I make mock-ups of symmetrical pieces, especially ones that require a lot of fabric, I often only make one side. After all, why waste the material if both sides are the same? Well, with this coat's mock-up, I made one side properly, and the other out of scrap material that was left over after I cut out the mock sleeve.  So the curve at the bottom that you see is actually the shape of the stop of the coat's sleeve pattern laid flat.  I liked the way it looked, so I used it as an overlayer!

I'm not going to lie and say that this coat has nothing to do with my experience in making Henry VIII costumes, but I think that I've updated it competently and Nora thinks it's hot!  Literally!

The Addams Family - Fester's Fabulous!

Completing my Darkness collection is a very unexpected Uncle Fester! (Actually, it's Fester with a little Pugsley combo, just like the Morticia/Gomez mixture of my last post.)  Yes, I know that Fester is bald.  But I can't do a whole standalone picture series with a bald headed model!

On the show, Fester wore a dirty looking monk's robe with a fleece or fur muffler. I recall the robe being burlap, but maybe it wasn't.  Either way, it didn't look too comfortable or flattering to the body.

For this outfit, I wanted to make something just as figure-hiding while still being fabulous.  Baggy and bulky are usually not my style, so I of course had to pair it with something fitted and skimpy, hence the hotpants and tight sweater just to make me feel more at home.  The result is a ensemble that is part Addams, part Dr. Zhivago, part Streetwalker.  Love it!

If you look at the non-fur part, yes, that's burlap, or a version of it, that I got a huge bolt of years ago for a dollar a yard sitting on a street corner.  I've used it to upholster some of my furniture peices and make window coverings, and now, it's a bog coat.  I'm telling you, after working with all that burlap and fur for this project, my nasal passages are hating me!  I'm dreading vacuuming my sewing room and looking forward to it at the same time.

FUN FACT! Wondering what make me think of making those funky curved cut-out layers with the brown tabs hanging out?  When I make mock-ups of symmetrical pieces, especially ones that require a lot of fabric, I often only make one side. After all, why waste the material if both sides are the same? Well, with this coat's mock-up, I made one side properly, and the other out of scrap material that was left over after I cut out the mock sleeve.  So the curve at the bottom that you see is actually the shape of the stop of the coat's sleeve pattern laid flat.  I liked the way it looked, so I used it as an overlayer!

I'm not going to lie and say that this coat has nothing to do with my experience in making Henry VIII costumes, but I think that I've updated it competently and Nora thinks it's hot!  Literally!

Brady Bunch - Cindy's Baby Doll Trench Coat

This outfit kind of evolved... Originally, Leonora was supposed to be playing a different character altogether, but since I noticed that this coat was steering to more of a "precious" direction with the pink and the frills at the bottom, I thought it would be much more appropriate for a Brady collection.  I still want to run with the "other" character sometime soon, so you'll just have to wait and see!

The material that I used for this is from my friend, Dana Louise.  She just adopted a baby girl (congratulations!) and was considering using this pink satin for the crib, but I stole it as the baby was sleeping.  Perhaps that is why the coat somewhat morphed its own design into a babydoll theme.

I ALMOST didn't complete this outfit.  Like I said before, I had a different concept in mind originally.  It was going to be more of a sporty look, but I think that the sophistication of the satin paired with my meticulous tailoring made it more "proper".  I am excited, though, that I even thought to attempt a cross between a trench coat and a babydoll dress.

One thing that I was really scared of, though, was the pleating at the bottom.  See, I just bought a special attachment for my sewing machine that automatically makes uniformly deep pin tucks at specified intervals, which saves literally hours of time because you don't have to sit there and measure and mark and fold and pin.  It's nothing short of a miracle.  However, it only pleats in one direction (at least as far as I can tell so far), so I'm still playing with around with it.  Something that I didn't realize (but should have!), was that by adding all that pleating and therefore creating multiple layers of fabric, I added bulk and puffiness to the hips.  The ONE place that a woman would not want extra fullness!  What was I thinking?!  It would have been better to pleat the top seam and let the bottom frill out naturally, like a little skirt attached to the outside of the jacket.  Oh, well.  Lesson learned!

Is it a Phail?  Not completely, but I'm still calling it one because it's not what I wanted.  Jezz, I'm tough on myself!  But I'm not bashing my head in over it.  It's still kinda cute.

In other news, I am FINALLY going fabric shopping on Sunday with my friend, Paula.  I'm sure there are many people out there who are tired of hearing me complain about how I don't have any fabric! I don't have any fabric!  Well, hopefully, I won't be able to use that excuse and if I make something awful, it's my own... fault...

...Oh, wait...

Brady Bunch - Cindy's Baby Doll Trench Coat

This outfit kind of evolved... Originally, Leonora was supposed to be playing a different character altogether, but since I noticed that this coat was steering to more of a "precious" direction with the pink and the frills at the bottom, I thought it would be much more appropriate for a Brady collection.  I still want to run with the "other" character sometime soon, so you'll just have to wait and see!

The material that I used for this is from my friend, Dana Louise.  She just adopted a baby girl (congratulations!) and was considering using this pink satin for the crib, but I stole it as the baby was sleeping.  Perhaps that is why the coat somewhat morphed its own design into a babydoll theme.

I ALMOST didn't complete this outfit.  Like I said before, I had a different concept in mind originally.  It was going to be more of a sporty look, but I think that the sophistication of the satin paired with my meticulous tailoring made it more "proper".  I am excited, though, that I even thought to attempt a cross between a trench coat and a babydoll dress.

One thing that I was really scared of, though, was the pleating at the bottom.  See, I just bought a special attachment for my sewing machine that automatically makes uniformly deep pin tucks at specified intervals, which saves literally hours of time because you don't have to sit there and measure and mark and fold and pin.  It's nothing short of a miracle.  However, it only pleats in one direction (at least as far as I can tell so far), so I'm still playing with around with it.  Something that I didn't realize (but should have!), was that by adding all that pleating and therefore creating multiple layers of fabric, I added bulk and puffiness to the hips.  The ONE place that a woman would not want extra fullness!  What was I thinking?!  It would have been better to pleat the top seam and let the bottom frill out naturally, like a little skirt attached to the outside of the jacket.  Oh, well.  Lesson learned!

Is it a Phail?  Not completely, but I'm still calling it one because it's not what I wanted.  Jezz, I'm tough on myself!  But I'm not bashing my head in over it.  It's still kinda cute.

In other news, I am FINALLY going fabric shopping on Sunday with my friend, Paula.  I'm sure there are many people out there who are tired of hearing me complain about how I don't have any fabric! I don't have any fabric!  Well, hopefully, I won't be able to use that excuse and if I make something awful, it's my own... fault...

...Oh, wait...

Gilligan's Island Collection: Mrs. Howell Loves Her Accessories

Mrs. Howell is ready for the cold island weather in her new green plaid coat over a simple belted lime green shift dress.  Doesn't the fresh infusion of color make her look years and years younger?                            On the shawl collar, she has placed a priceless diamond brooch and has topped off the outfit with a white fur Q-Tip hat with pink tips made from stray imitation rabbits that were found roaming about the island.

This coat was cut wide all around the bottom for a little extra drama and fullness.  I also added some extra interest by putting in welt pockets on the side fronts and next to the lapel.  Welt pockets are easiest to do on plaid because the outline of the pocket is built in to the fabric, and as I have said before, when it comes to using plaid, it is best to let the pattern on the fabric work for you and not against you.

You may remember I have used this material before.  I bought the whole bolt when I got it because it it's SO very hideousgorgorgeous 60's, I couldn't resist.  It was also very cheap, so that didn't hurt, either.

This coat can also be worn belted, as you can see here, for a more fitted look.  (You have no idea how difficult it was for me mentally to make something without a well-defined waistline!)