June Update! | Patreon
It is the end of the month, which means it is time for an end-of-month update! June was a busy month - and I managed to (mostly) stay on task! A peacock bodice was made, as was the silver 1820s project, and the simplicity dress, and five pairs of tula pink PJs!
I'm not sure if me staying on task makes for a particularly interesting monthly update, but you'll have to let me know.
I hope you enjoy and thank you so much for the support!
I will talk to all of you in a week, when my taxes are (hopefullyohpleasegod) done and I can get back to fun stuff.
Comments (21)
Wedding dresses and gowns oooh!
I don't think doing the barbie outfit would be bad, esp. because you have good intentions. But I discussed it with a few friends, other poc and it might not be a good idea. The name (even if you use the #), and how that doll is most likely the master's daughter/wife is problematic. I don't think your fans would take it wrong. I love your work, and know those aren't your beliefs. But who knows what others will glorify it for the wrong reasons. Their consensus was there are tons of other Barbies to pull from and it's safer to do that. On a lighter note I've thought about becoming a Patreon for a while and am glad I did! I love watching your work, it's very motivational while I work on my own projects. I like that you show projects you ended up not finalizing. It shows the reality that happens when sewing. Sometimes something doesn't work, or it's okay to scrap it and change how you're tackling it.
The pj's look great! you have inspired me to start using quilting cottons in my own sewing. I always think of them as busy, and maybe too busy, but you always seem to pull it off. Also, just saw you mentioned on Cathy Hay's latest video, which is exciting!
I'm so excited about the 1940s wedding dress. Maybe you could do a bridal series? Wedding dresses through the decades or something like that?
You've totally inspired me to make fashionable PJ's! When you mentionned it in your last video, I looked down at my work-from-home attire and thought, wow I look like a bum... I've found some vintage slip patterns to repurpose as jammies and some modern patterns to make out of loud quilting cottons I've had in my stash for years. Thank you so much for the inspiration!
Love your voice～
Nice hair !
1. I'd like to see you do a Patreon exclusive video for the Barbie outfit. :) 2. Your silver and brown Rennaissance gown is one of my all-time favorites that you've made! 3. I think it'd be awesome to break up the PJ videos into 2 or 3 - Moar content! ALL THE CONTENT <3 4. To say your peacock gown and headdress are beautiful is a massive understatement!! 5. I'm excited to see you make the 1940s wedding gown - It looks like it'd be a lot of fun and inspiring! 6. I love your idea to recreate the pattern envelopes: D Those Vogue evening gown designs are timeless and so pretty! 7. Good luck with your taxes! :D
I submitted my taxes yesterday, in Australia though it opens up on July 1st so I’m actually quite early haha I’m also working on finishing my projects that have been planned for a long time this month
What about calling her southern belle barbie? I looked up the image for her and she looks very similar to the 1960 interpretation of how a southern belle could look, with Pollyanna and cotillion vibes.
I absolutely love the peacock bodice, as well as anything that you've made, I've even purchased your cloak pattern. I have made a version of a plauge doctor kinda in a Victorian style, as well as multiple of other costumes.I am now working on the cartoon version of Belle's yellow dress, from Beauty and the Beast. Best of luck to your taxes and your project decisions.
I am good without doing plantation Barbie. Much more interested in the fantasy interpretations of historical garments! That silver dress is so, so , so pretty! And the Worth gown bodice is awesome.
I understand not wanting to misstep and offend anyone. But, by not commenting on the past, we allow history to go unchecked. It’s like the old adage “History is written by the Victors”. Was everyone during that time racist, probably, at least to some extent. They built they’re empire on the horrific idea that they were superior to other humans and that they had the right and obligation to subjugate them. But, by not commenting on the past we allow that version or view to replicate exponentially. I believe that what you have to say is important, and that it will add something of value to the way we view history.
I made that Vogue pattern back in October for a black tie event. I made the bodice 3 times, once in a muslin and twice in the final fabric because I was having a hard time with the faux button placket. I look forward to seeing your video so I can see where I went wrong. I ended up buying a large spider brooch to go over it since the event was on Halloween, it worked out.
Eek! The button placket seemed to go well on my mockup and first attempt, but I didn't fully finish it. I had some issues with the facings though - hoping that will go better on the second try. However, a spider brooch seems like an aWESOME fix!
Wow kuddos to you on being so productive! I can't wait for the pajama video, all these prints are so crazy and fun! Regarding Plantation Barbie, I think you're right to say that it would be potentially insensitive to go forward with a project like that. There would be a case for contextualizing it within its history, because this dress could be a segue into very interesting questions, like: why did Mattel issue a Plantation Belle Barbie in the first place? Was it related to the release of the movie Gone with the Wind? Why is the silhouette of the dress more reminiscent of Dior New Look rather than the 1950s take on Civil War dresses? What kind of imagination does the doll and dress materialize or represent? How do people in the present engage with the aesthetics of a traumatizing past (I'm thinking of the "vintage style not vintage values" content we've seen recently, or even Beyonce's stylist's take on southern plantation dresses in the Formation music video)... Those are fascinating questions, but it's also not easy to address them, and they call for research and reflexion. Personally, I think avoiding talking about the dress' title would also be a missed opportunity or even erasure of its history, if you do end up making it. That being said, I know those can be scary and overwhelming topics to address online. It may be worth it, or it might not be, you'll decide. On a lighter note, I'm super excited for upcoming content, and always in awe of your productivity and creativity! Looking forward to the peacock bodice too! I'm also doing my taxes this week, good luck with that!
Thank you! The description for that particular design (as per the mattel website) is "In her modern Scarlet O'Hara dress, Barbie® doll conjured up romantic images! " - so it seems likely that it aligned with one of the re-releases of the film, since the design originally came out in the 50s. Barbie designs were always very reminiscent of (what was at the time) modern fashion; regardless of their inspiration. I believe their costume barbies are a more modern invention. Which makes me think the reason for the name is quite shallow - just to piggyback profits off a (also problematic) film. It could definitely open up a conversation, and I agree that ignoring the title would be a missed opportunity to address a very real and horrible part of history (though that seems like an ‘easy out’). I’m not opposed to having that conversation, but I’m also not sure if I have the perspective or eloquence to execute it well. I was hesitant about it when including it in a poll a year ago, but clearly not enough to forgo it entirely. It was easy for me to separate it from it’s title - because the negative history behind plantations doesn’t have much impact on my life. But recent events have made me reflect on things and try to be more continuous, and I realize now it is nowhere near that simple and not ‘just a dress’ - even if it is just a dress. Thank you for your perspective, I really appreciate it! And I good luck with your taxes tool!
I have a skirt to finish and a dress that's just cut and basted together, but I also have an exam on monday... so those will have to wait. I loved how the peacock bodice turned out!! And oh the pijama sets are so cute. I'm also very excited for the series about the 40s evening gowns! The pattern illustrations are stunning
Good luck with your dress - and exams!!
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who doesn't buy skull prints. :)
I'm still sewing masks almost every day but cases have really gone down in Canada so I'll probably switch to offering more online rather than at the pharmacy where my mom works because things are still really bad in the states...