Which makes me feel very guilty for not updating more often. It's been a very busy few weeks. That feels like a very lame excuse when I see so many people with lots of amazing costumes and updated blogs who I know have just as busy a life as I do.
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you. A big thank you to In the Long Run for this nomination!
2. Nominate 10 other bloggers, and notify them of their award.
I'm going to have to break this rule. I checked and the blogs I would like to nominate, and all have already been so (I'm even newer to blogging than I am to sewing, and my circle of blogs is small). If there's a blog out there you think I should check out, link me! I could really use blogs that have a lot of instructional photos and tips. While I do love looking at the pretty pretty, learning how to make the pretty is usually more useful.
3. Come up with 10 questions you want your nominees to answer.
I haven't nominated anyone, so I can't directly ask anyone these questions. But the following are what I usually ask when I meet someone new. And what I think would be useful for people to tell in their blogs from time to time.
(1) How long have you been sewing?
(2) Are you self taught, or did you go to school for a costuming related field?
(3) What got you interested in costuming?
(4) What is your favorite part about dress up?
(5) Least favorite?
(6) Strangest thing anyone has ever said to you while in costume?
(7) What was your funniest in costume moment?
(8) What is your favorite event to go to?
(9) How many garments a year do you make?
(10) What advice would you give to someone just starting to get interested in costuming?
4. And lastly: Answer the questions you received from the one who nominated you.
I was asked about the story behind my favorite garment that I have made. At first I thought "luckily for me there weren't 10 questions to answer!" Then I thought "crap, I don't have a favorite."
I do have outfits I like less than others. I was not a fan of my 1860s ballgown. The 1860s was entirely new to me. With time and money as factors, I randomly picked a fabric and made a fairly basic dress. I was not happy. It didn't look bad or incorrect, but I didn't feel comfortable (mentally) in it. I'm not sure if I'll ever go to an 1860s ball again. The ball itself was fun. I might take this as a challenge to try a different dress and see if I can't change my mind. I did like my 1857 day dress, so I don't think that era is entirely on the outs, I just haven't found the right ball gown look for me.
I don't really have an era or style that I would call "mine." I haven't put something on and thought "this.is.it." That might be why I can't pick a favorite. I'm not sure if it's because I still consider myself new to the whole world of costuming, or if I haven't found the look that speaks most to me. Maybe it's not a sudden realization but years of being drawn to a specific style.
Each time I have made something, I have learned something new. It's all probably fairly basic, boring skills most people learn early on. But that first "AH HA!" moment of fabric matching, to understanding why the thread of the machine is doing what it's doing, to finally learning why grain lines are important to pay attention to; things like that always show up on a project. And just when I think I've mastered a skill, something new presents itself for me to learn. Once I get the bustle skirt down, I think "what's stopping me from making the bustle cage?" and so on.
