Skip to main content

Scout the Seamstress

As I have mentioned, I design book covers. For the next few weeks I'll be focused on putting together covers for a series of romance books. These aren't your typical trash books with sultry images on the cover—bodice rippers, those are called. These are more wholesome and will only have an image of the main character, fully clothed, and a background general enough to let you know where the stories take place.

Easy enough except that four of these books are historical, and the costumes have to be reasonably accurate. I wandered through a costume warehouse today with my teammate, the other designer working on this project, and we found a few suitable dresses, although it was tough going. This warehouse rents costumes to theaters, so all of their dresses relate to specific shows—Oklahoma, South Pacific, and Greek tragedies that require togas. We have a lot of fun in this shop and like to imagine wearing the dozens and dozens of hats and wigs with the hundreds of dresses and old uniforms from WW1, but we don't always find what we need.

I did not find a dress from the 1650s today because there isn't a play from that time period, or so I'm told. So, I am going to make one myself. We do what we have to do. It will take the weekend, I'm sure. This is the pattern I will use, and I will have to make some slight modifications to make it as historically accurate as I can. Sigh.

My mother sewed most of our clothes when my sisters and I were growing up. I was twelve when my parents bought a dress for me from a store, actually already sewn and on a hangar. I was amazed and felt a little guilty because it cost a total of $24.95. It was a dark blue jumper with a coordinating striped blouse, and I thought I was the coolest kid in town in that thing.

My machine isn't too different from my mothers, but it's worlds apart from my grandmothers, the Wilma Flintstone version of a sewing machine with the big foot pedal that kept the thing running. I don't know how sewing was done in the 1600s, if they had a machine or made all the stitches by hand. All I can say is I'm glad I've got a modern machine in a modern world. I'll show you the results when I'm finished.

Comments

dive said…
Cool!
I can't wait to see the result, Robyn.
Those pesky Puritans weren't really into the theatre but I'm surprised the costume shop didn't have some early settler style clothes.
Hey ho.
Making your own is much more fun.
2:36 PM
Anonymous said…
Robyn,
Who's going to be wearing the dress on your book cover? Are you going to put one of my nieces' faces on her? So many options - how do you decide!?
3:15 PM
Mrs. G. said…
What a cool task. Can't wait to see the results.
5:44 PM
Shazza said…
I am in awe of anyone who can sew! Can't wait to see the final product!
8:45 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Classic Green Bean Bake

In anticipation of Thanksgiving, I feel I must post a recipe with plenty of good old American tradition. The classic Green Bean Bake was invented in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly, a home economist who worked for the Campbell's Soup Company. A study was done determining that 50% of all Americans have eaten the classic Green Bean Bake, and 38% of those believe it is best served during the holidays, mainly Thanksgiving. So, for the other 50% and for those in other countries where this dish may be unfamiliar--my treat: The Classic Green Bean Bake serves 6 to 8 1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon soy sauce Dash of fresh pepper 1 20-oz. bag frozen cut green beans, thawed* 1 2.8 oz can French-fried onions -Preheat the oven to 350 F -In a casserole dish, combine the soup, milk, soy sauce and pepper. Stir in the green beans and half of the onions. -Bake until bubbling, about 25 minutes. Top with the remaining onions and bake for 5 more minutes. Serve hot. *Or cook 1 ...
7 comments
Read more

Bring On the Bombs

In today's edition : I generally try to keep on top of cultural trends even if I don’t adopt them, but there is a growing movement that I have only just discovered. Not long ago, I was walking along in Berkeley, California while visiting my daughter, and I saw a signpost that had been covered with yarn, like someone had sewn a knitted scarf to it. It was colorful and randomly striped, and I pointed it out as if it were the most unusual thing in the world. That’s when my daughter explained the nature of what is known as yarn bombing. It’s when knitters attach something they’ve created to a public object, most often doing their deed stealthily and anonymously. They leave a “bomb,” so to speak, for no other purpose than to brighten up the place and to bring a little cheer to those passing by. Their work has been equated with graffiti, except that the woven yarn is not permanently installed and does no damage to the object it covers. And instead of signifying the territory of a street ...
2 comments
Read more

Cindy Loo Who In October

What is it with people and Cindy Loo Who? Of my last one hundred blog hits, forty have been direct visits from regular readers, and fifteen have been as a result of people searching for "Cindy Loo Who," the little pixie from Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas . A couple of years ago, I posted an image of the original Seuss illustration as compared to the TV cartoon image, and for some reason, that post is bringing in the crowds, relatively. Maybe it's the weather. It isn't even November yet, and already we've had frost and have had to dust off our winter coats. When it gets cold like this, I start to think about Christmasy things like listening to Nat King Cole and decorating the tree. It's ironic because I am offended when retailers start pushing holiday stuff early, but I don't mind my own private celebrations. When my sister and I were much younger and still living with our parents, we would pick a day in July, close the curtains to darken the ...
8 comments
Read more