The Queen of Hearts

This post was supposed to be about the drafting of Nebula but Halloween happened.  One of the other costumes I've been working on was The Queen of Hearts.  She has been around for several years now and I was never quite happy with the bodice.  So, when we decided to be Disney Villains, I thought it would be great to give her a re-vamp and a more historical flare.  Its first debut of the new and improved version had many, many lessons.  The biggest being that this is not the costume to be historically accurate.  She is now going officially to the fantasy side where she should have been all along.

 Lesson One:  I did not try on the bodice with the shift I made...couldn't get my arms through...the sleeves of the shift kept getting bunched up.  Brilliant!  And I already had the stays laced up...ack.  SO.  Maybe my sleeveless Victorian shift I made this summer.

Lesson Two:  My stays are the devil.  This is my third set and I have another one on the way.  The first set I tried was a pair I made for my daughter eons ago...nope.  Second set was beautiful but too small so I sold them on my Etsy.  This third set fit but wasn't the right colors.  They still had some fit issues.  I have come to the inevitable conclusion that my modern figure was not made for the Rococo silhouette.  Let me explain.  The girls are not my own and don't squish like the real thing.  It looked and felt unflattering.  This is the main reason I will be going to the fantasy side and once again remake the bodice.  Again, maybe use the Victorian corset I also made this summer.  I feel like I need new stays or a corset because they support the weight of the panniers, pockets and skirts so well. 

Lesson Three:  As hard as the last lesson was to admit...this one is just a cringe-worthy rookie mistake.  In my defense, I did it so as to make the decoration removable because I wasn't sold on the look.  I used...hot glue and pin backs.  We had snow last week and my 1928 home does not have central heat and air.  As I gracefully swooped around the glue failed and my drapery decoration fell to the floor in places.  I love the roses but not the swag...still contemplating a solution.

Lesson Four:  Also a rookie mistake...break in your shoes before wearing them for long periods of time.  I love the rose covered Converse...Going to wear them more and break them in.

Now for the things I loved.  

I adore the pockets.  They are amazing!  Pockets are important!  

I love the jewelry my friend at West Coast Clay Designs made for me.  It was perfect. 

I like the overall look of the costume it just has a few issues I need to rectify...again.  I'm glad I had this trial run before the cons started again.