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I had the most incredible opportunity recently to make a costume for a film made by an Albertan director. I worked with Mitchell George from Crooked Cinema to make one costume for their new film Highway Patrolman. I was so thrilled to be able to be a part of this, especially since my goal is to be a movie costumer! You can check out their website here. I made a 1950's styled diner dress for the film, which was great to do since I love the 1950's and have had a bit of an obsession recently with the era. I used the same Burda pattern as I did for my 1950's Blue Dress with a few alterations to it. I made the dress in about 3 and a half days, while working on the side a bit. It was a bit of a tight schedule, but luckily enough this was an easy style to make, and I was able to find the right colour of fabric very quickly. The collar, cuffs, and apron were self drafted, and the dress was based on the Burda pattern. The dress was done mostly on the machine to save time, and finished by hand (button holes, cuffs, and collar were all done by hand). I got quite of few progress pictures of this dress, so this will be a very photo heavy post! I am so thrilled with how this turned out, and with the fact that I got this opportunity! Be sure to keep an eye out on Crooked Cinema, and for when Highway Patrolman comes out!
~K
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I just had a very exciting opportunity, and I will tell you all about it as soon as I can! But for now, here are a few photos of me working on my bustle dress- this was just when I was hemming it a few days ago. All that is left now are button holes, although that project has been put to the side for a few days. I will get back to it very soon, and I do have a location for photos now, which is very exciting! Also, if you haven't noticed already, I added another page to my website! I added a Self Care section, which is another blog page. Since I have been doing so much training about cosmetics and skin care with my job, I thought that I would share another one of my passions with you, and some of the information that you may not be hearing from others. I also have an instagram for the self care side of my interests, and you can see that here if you are interested. I also have some more exciting news that I found out a week or so ago- I got accepted into Olds College for Costume Cutting and Construction, starting next fall.
I can't wait for all of these new opportunities, and I am very excited for when I am able to show you what I have been working on this week! ~K Since I spend quite a lot of my time hand sewing, I normally do that while watching a movie or a tv show. There are so many great period dramas to watch, and they are not only very well done but also great inspiration to keep sewing! I get a ton of ideas from costumes, so here are some of my favourite costume movies. In the Mood for Love This is a translated movie, so if you are not fond of 'reading' your movies, I would not recommend this one. I love translated movies, and this is one of my favourites! I only watched this one for the first time this summer, and I am in love with the story line as well as with the costumes. Set in Shanghai in the 1960s, the story follows to young couples that are living in the same apartment building. It is beautifully filmed, has a great soundtrack, and the makeup, hairstyles, and costumes are all spot on. Some other gorgeously done translated films are Amelie and Generation War. The Fall This is another one that I just saw this summer, and it is more of a fantasy than a historical movie. It is set in a hospital in the 1930s, and it is about a story that a man is telling this young girl. This movie truly is eye candy! The costuming is done by Eiko Ishioka, who made some of the most gorgeous film costumes throughout the years. Some other movies that she costumed are Mirror Mirror (2012) and Dracula (1992). Bright Star This has been one of my favourite Jane Austen era movies for a long time, and I don't see myself finding a movie I love more than this one any time soon. Based on the true love story of John Keats and Fanny Brawne, this movie has everything going for it. It has a stunning soundtrack and costumes (Fanny is a seamstress, which makes it even better!), as well as beautiful cinematography. Testament of Youth This is another movie with beautiful cinematography, and it is surprisingly not very well known! Be warned though, this movie will make you sob. It is also based on a true story, set during WW1. My Boy Jack, Anzac Girls, and The Crimson Field are all amazing movies and shows set during WW1. And for those who are wondering, I am almost done my bustle dress! I am just at the hand finishing stage which is taking longer than I would like it to, but I am so close! So stay tuned for photos of that once its all done.
~K As I had said in my last post, I did move my studio recently! It is easy to see that this room is larger than my last one, which is very nice. I am so pleased to have the extra space now, and I love how everything looks in the room. When I moved everything upstairs, I was pretty surprised at how much I had managed to fit in the last room! Everything in this new studio is from the last one, except for the comfy chair in the corner, which you will see in later pictures in this post. I also have a second book case in this room which was not in the last studio. I am thrilled to be able to fit all of my design books in here! If you would like to see the tour for the last studio, click here
If you are curious about my progress for the bustle dress, I am just doing the finishing touches and then we will get photos once we have the chance. I am working on a video for it as well, which I will post along with the photos. ~K I have been in Calgary quite a bit lately for training for my job, so the last time that we went my mom picked up some fabric for me while I was training through the afternoon. There are a couple of projects that I have been planning for a while now, and I am so excited that I have fabric so I can start! The first project that I have been wanting to make for a few months now is a dress inspired by the movie 'In the Mood for Love' directed by Wong Kar-wai. The movie is beautiful and sad, and the costumes are stunning! It is set in the early 1960's, and I loved the main female characters costumes, so I wanted to make myself something like that. For that project, I got a deep orange- red silk dupioni, as well as a pattern from Patterns by Gertie, which I am very excited to use since I love all of her patterns but so far have not gotten one! The next fabric that I got is a red jacket fabric, which is sort of similar to polar fleece, but more tightly woven and a little thinner. I am going to make a Victorian inspired jacket for myself to wear in Germany when I go in the spring. I have decided to use the pattern that I made for my bustle dress bodice for this one, just adjusted to fit an un-corseted body and with a collar. I also got a pin-striped light weight wool that I am going to use for a World War 1 era womens suit. I am loosely basing this one the new Wonder Woman movie, since I love Wonder Woman, and I loved the suit that she wore in much of the movie! That one is a plain grey wool, but I didn't want mine to be too close to that one, just more similar in shape, so I chose a black pin stripe instead. The last fabric that I got is a white and black striped cotton. I have been planning this project for ages, and I am really excited to get going with it! I think it will be a pretty quick outfit, which will be a nice change from my multi-step bustle era dress that I have just been finishing up. This one will be made into a a-line skirt and halter top printed with gold bees. My mom made a bee stamp for me, and since I love bees so much I wanted to make something out of it for myself that I can wear in daily life. This outfit is a little summery, but I think the skirt will be fun for winter to layer with tights. These pictures were taken in my new sewing room! I will post a studio tour in the next week or so, and I am so excited to show you! I moved into a much larger space and I am so thrilled with how everything looks in it! It also has a window, which means that I finally have the natural light that I've been missing in my old little room. ~K PS- Would anyone be interested in a video of me talking about plans and looking at fabrics and trims and showing sketches?
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