Harley Quinn Corset

Hola!

Ok so in the previous post I mentioned I would dedicate a post to the Harley Quinn costume I made for a New Year's Eve party and now your dreams have come true! (haha I know, JK)

I'll start out with how this whole project/opportunity came to be... I work at an Optometry office in Rowland heights where the Doctor, my boss, has a strong connection to sports celebrities (he's a pretty big sports enthusiast!) Well Eric Dickerson, former football player and one of his patients, has a themed New Year's Eve party at his house like every year and he invited Dr. Liu and his staff (that means me :D) 

I felt that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to showcase my abilities and promote my costuming business (hello, costume party, people will need costumes again next year!) I had to get going on something super quick so I started sketching out ideas and draping on my dress form.

Design sketched out in red/black pin while I was working...

 The first drape. I made some significant changes to the seam placement for the final pattern.

After I was done draping I transferred onto paper to create the pattern and made adjustments to each piece in order to get my perfect fit. For the fabric choices I wanted to of course keep the red, black, and white colors involved but I wanted to give it a much more historical and feminine look with the lace over satin.

OK so I got the fabric and all the little notions, supplies, and trims let's get to work! Once I was able to finalize the overall fit I had to start out with the canvas foundation to which I would put all the boning into. I also then cut all the pieces in the right colors (twice I cut the middle piece wrong... Twice. UGH!)

 Well despite the two wrong cuts (that's actually 4 pieces that I now have no use for unless I cut more fabric) I had enough and I finally made it work! This whole process ran so smoothly I was honestly surprised!

As you can see the satin came out so smooth and flat, no puckers (It made me SO happy!!) This was also my first time working with a busk which went a lot smoother than I was expecting too! I hand sewed the corset face (the top layer) and the polka dot lining around the canvas foundation, which also seemed easier this time around. I guess that saying, Practice makes Perfect is fairly true! hahaha

Alright, so I got the whole construction done without too much trouble, but the tricky part was soon to be: Grommets. With this costume, I decided not to hand sew the eyelet grommets (mostly because I didn't have the time for it but also because the white metal ones I found were pretty perfect!)

Isn't that Amazing?! Well it wasn't done yet. It was still awaiting the trim. I found this cool white ruffled tulle and black crocheted lace trim that went together with everything so well I was so happy with my choices for this project! It's not always this easy, especially when you're crunched for time!

Oh and I also created sleeves that connect into a collar (this was inspired by the Elizabethan partlet just very modified to where it obviously can't be tucked into the  bodice...)

Wooo hooooo this was the finished product and I am So thrilled with how it came out! It was a hit at the party and so much so, I won the costume contest!! (we're going on our trip right after Valentine's Day)

Well I hope you enjoyed the simple tour through my most recent costume project process! It was such a great experience for me, truly testing my ambition under a very tight time frame. Keep an eye out on my website, it will soon be for  sale :D

Thanks for reading!

Holidays 2015

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone had a fabulous and happy holiday season! I stayed in Los Angeles for the first time this year and got to avoid the ridiculous hassle of traveling. It was pretty cool haha! This year was also the first holiday I've had with my own pets so it was kinda fun to buy them little toys and treats :) They loved it, especially Bart as you can see..

Teeny Toby and Baby Bart. Pretty must have been getting her beauty sleep...

I went to a New Year's Eve party in Calabasas where I won a costume contest for the Harley Quinn corset I made (we got a 2 night trip to La Quinta Resort & Spa!) Needless to say a great start to 2016!

My BF Drew and I (our makeup is on point huh?!...no)

Along with that awesome win, I gained a new bridal client (not at the party) with an Elven dress plus two Elven bridesmaids in mind! I've been able to save more of my money this year, I also have some potential employment opportunities that can further my own career aspirations and Yea, so far so good! As for that costume, stick around for the next post, I'll share the pictures I took throughout the whole Harley Quinn Corset Process.

Thanks for reading :)

So THIS is happening on Saturday!

I just became a member of the Costumer's Guild West on Monday! About a week ago, I did a Google search on "costuming conventions" and stumbled upon a giant list of All the costuming expos around the world. I found this one show in Woodland Hills called Costume College and it really looks like something I would enjoy and completely benefit from! They have varying prices for "tuition" that includes unlimited classes in a wide array of costuming topics, depending on your membership or non-membership. 

Guess which is cheaper? Membership of course.

And Of course, I'm going to become a member of the Costumer's Guild West so that I can get the discounts, but more importantly, the resources and networking opportunities of the costuming world! I mean, in all honesty, I'm always looking for a good deal and for a new business owner it's the only way. But I have to say, I'm super excited about what this membership can lead to :D

So, after registering I decided to take a look at the events calendar to see what's going on in the mean time. (Costume College is in July, 2016) WELL, the name peaked my interest so I had to find out what was the Social Daunce Irregulars - Victorian Grand Ball?

I mean, Really? This is Amazing! I've Always wanted to go to something like this, it would be like I was in Meet me in St. Louis, with my little dance card and a fancy evening gown! Of course, it's this coming Saturday and I'm not able to attend. Oh well I guess I can wait until April... it's fine... 

But hey, if there are any size 4 ladies out there in Los Angeles that want to go to this shin dig (in Pasadena) but might not have a dress yet, take a look back at my 1880s/1890s Red Vamp Gown and then travel over to my Etsy Shop to claim it as your own. You know you'll be the best lookin' socialite in the room!

New Listing on Etsy Shop

Hello! I'm doing this a bit late today because I've been working on some wedding gown designs in Photoshop (which is not my favorite thing to do therefore it takes me longer than I like...) But I did want to share the new listing I have on my Etsy shop page!

I'm pretty excited about this because I wasn't sure if you were able to put "made to order" type listings on Etsy, but YES you totally can! Wedding dresses are super special to me and I think ultimately Boxcar Boutique will become a Bridal line (Eeeeeek!! That gets me giddy!) Don't get me wrong though, I LOVE making historical costumes, it's so much fun recreating the styles and silhouettes of the past! But, if you really want to know what I'm passionate about, it's wedding gowns.

I have one bridal client so far, my VERY good friend, Lindsey Newell, who is such an amazingly talented actor here in Los Angeles! She's so good to me, always sharing my posts, bragging on me, and all the awesome things you could do to support a friend. I Love you Lindsey! But yea, she's my first bridal client, and you can see a drape of her gown in the listing on Etsy (I needed an example pic on there for potential clients to see, ya know?) 

Well, anyway, I just wanted to share that new listing with you lovely people and maybe, just maybe one of you out there is in need of a gorgeous gown!

Photo Shoot #2 (finally!)

Here ya go! It's Friday and I've got the final 5 pics taken by Robert Hayman and modeled by Beck Black!

Well that wraps the photo shoot sharing posts! I'm SO incredibly grateful to have gotten this kind of opportunity, especially just starting out! A great big Thank You goes out to Robert Hayman, who saw the talent I have in my creations and wanted to work with me immediately. You have no idea how much this truly helps and I'm sorry for taking so long to post your FABULOUS photographs! Mwuah :-*

Photo Shoot #2

Alrighty! Here is the 2nd photo shoot I was talking about. Now this one features my 18th century red and cream silk corset and a petticoat I whipped up the night before! As before the amazing Robert Hayman worked his magic with his camera and make-up on the absolutely Beautiful artist Beck Black! And to top it off, the corset fit her PERFECTLY :D :D :D Well, I won't keep blabbing, here they are!

:D :D :D Ok you know the drill, the rest is soon to come and Thanks for tuning in!

Photo Shoot #1 (Continued)

I know you've All been waiting so patiently for the final pictures from the Red Vamp Gown photo shoot, and the time has finally come :D I won't say much else, just reiterate these Beautiful shots were taken by the very talented artist, Robert Hayman! Ok... Go!

       

             

          

And that was that photo shoot! I'm super happy with the way these came out and I just can't wait to show you the 2nd photo shoot Robert did of my 18th century corset!! Keep your eyes peeled 0_0