Maybe We’re Crazy

Possibly.  It sure does feel that way sometimes.

Tip Of The Day:  As promised, it’s all costuming all the time.  With lovely pictures and useful links and thrifty costuming tips and such – to insure this post is mildly useful and not just pretty.  Kind of like me.  NOT.

Tip For Tomorrow:  Another inexpensive hair care product review, plus a few beauty recommendations of the cheap products I know and love and wish for you to love, too.  Look, I just want you all to feel pretty.  Is that so wrong?

Further Elucidation Of My Cheap Deal:  In case you haven’t noticed, I am one of those Renaissance nerds.  I dress in costume, I go to multiple Faires, I’m even a member of Fest Friends – a MN Renaissance Festival “playtron” organization.  For some of you, my fest love might seem to be a contradiction in terms.  Costuming is not cheap, and it’s not a particularly useful use of one’s money/time/energy.

However, it is my hobby, and hobbies serve an important function in people’s lives.  It’s how we decompress after a tough day, it gives us something positive to focus on during these decidedly un-positive times, and furthermore, it’s a fantastic creative outlet.  Besides, if you can’t love your job, at least you can come home and love your hobby.

Costuming, and dressing in costume, has mental benefits as well.  My buddy Trayner said it best after attending her first Ren Faire in costume – “When you take a vacation, you’re still you.  Everything that’s wrong with your life is still there, you’re just in another location (usually with an uncomfortable bed).  But when you dress up, it’s like taking a vacation from the inside of your head.”

And that, in a nutshell, is why I love costuming and playing dress-up.  It’s a quick, fun break from reality, and who doesn’t need that now and then?

Enough of the whys and wherefores, let’s get down to brass tacks.  Or rather, flat pins and Gutermann thread.  Here’s what I’m working on for next week’s Ren Faire in Kenosha:

My naughty Green Bay Packer skirt.  It misbehaved and had to be taken apart.  I’ll sew it back together today, once it’s gone to its room and thought about what it did.

And after I’ve sewn it together, I’ll add the trim.  See that cream-colored stuff?  That’s cartridge pleating for window treatments.  It’s what my BFF (and costumer extraordinaire) Larue uses to make nice, even pleats in very full skirts.  Cheap, quick, and simple to use – you can find it in the home decorating department at Hancock Fabrics.

The Green Bay Packer bodice.  To be worn with the badly behaved skirt.  It looks finished, but those wee shoulder poofs are just pinned in.  Hand-stitching project number one.

The Red Elizabethan bodice.  Pretty, yes, but also requiring a massive amount of hand-stitching.  Project number two.  See those gold clasps?  I got them for 50 cents a piece from one of the Fest Friend folks.  Membership has its privileges…

What will be the gold overskirt for the Red Elizabethan.  I have to sew on all the trim before Larue can finish the skirt.  That braided trim is from the home decorating department of Jo-Ann Fabrics – where we buy about 2/3rds of our Ren Fest materials.  It’s only $1.99 a yard – much cheaper than regular trims.

What will be the underskirt for the Red Elizabethan.  I need to cut it out, have it serged, and then sew it together.  Don’t own a serger?  Befriend people who do – it’s way cheaper than buying your own.  My buddies Probie, Trayner, Potter and Larue all have sergers, so why would I ever buy one?  Yes, mooching is a valid money-saving tip.

Bloomers!  All that’s left to do is sew on the lace trim.  These are made out of polar fleece (and sewn together by Probie – thanks honey!), so they’ll be nice and snugly during the last weekend of Fest.  Which is in freaking OCTOBER.  In MINNESOTA.  Chances are it will snow.

Jewelry!  That’s just a smattering of the insane amounts of jewels the Wench Posse owns.  We are very much into the shiny objects.  Where do we find our jewelry for less?  Here goes:

The rings are from H&M and Charlotte Russe for $5 a piece.  The crosses and non-pearl necklaces are from thrift stores and antique stores around the Cities for under $15 each.  The extra-long strands of pearls are from Burlington Coat Factory ($15) and Avenue ($11), an inexpensive plus-size store, which I highly recommend.  You can also find pearls at Nordstrom Rack for around $12-$13.  JCPenney’s is a great resource for costume jewelry, too.

You can also take jewelry, buttons…

…and other findings you buy at thrift stores and craft stores, tear them apart, and turn them into this,

… or these.  Look what my buddy, Potter, made!  She is a crafty lass, that one.

And now, it’s time for some costume porn.  If you attend the MN Renaissance Festival this year, you are bound to either see this:

Princess!  Or this:

More Princess!  Or this cutie-pie court member:

The lovely Ang.

You might, if you are lucky, run into the aforementioned Potter…

…or Georgie – but sadly, probably not the dude she’s standing next to.  We don’t know who he is, but he’s a fine figure of a man, no?

All the above costumes were made by the uber-talented Larue.  Yes, you can hire her, but probably not for this season.  Think mid-October, folks.  Ooo!  Just in time for Halloween!

One last bit of costuming goodness – my other costuming love besides Renaissance is Steampunk (and for more information on what the heck that is, go here and here).  Steampunk outfits/garb/costumes are easier to come by than Ren Wear, and it’s simple to “mod” what you already own into something appropriately steamy.

However, if you want to purchase some lovely, ready-to-wear Steampunk outfits, without destroying your budget, I highly recommend Clockwork Couture.  The lovely Donna and crew run one of (if not THE) best online stores I’ve encountered in my Interweb journeys.  Excellent costumer service, great products, and a very user-friendly site with oodles of pictures and commentary and contests for free stuff.  I’m currently coveting one of everything Donna stocks.

Last but not least, it’s time to reassure the Chick.  Please tell me I’m not alone – who among you out there also likes to play dress-up?