RE: BurdaStyle: Where do you find sewing inspiration?

Well as is one of my usual habits, I was zipping around BurdaStyle checking out the new stuff, when I found THIS. Well, as not my usual style I decided to comment. I rarely ever say anything over there, so no one even knows I’m there half the time! LOL! Anyways, here is my answer:

***Where do you find sewing inspiration?***

EVERYWHERE! My mom was a seamstress, sew I was already sewing at age 6. I was 16 when I graduated from a fashion design college. In the 20+ years since, I have created tons of patterns and sew all my own fashions.

I not only create my own patterns, but I also design my own fabrics as well. I paint up watercolors and than get short runs of the fabric printed up. I get ideas for a lot og my designs from nature: birds, cats, the sky, waterfalls, trees – everything inspires me to paint. Than the fabric made from the paintings inspire the flow of the dress pattern as well.

Erte is my biggest inspiration. Much of my designs are reinterpretations of his designs. I just love his art deco and flapper styles.

Also, Japanese Kimono, esp those from the Momoyama period (1500′s). I love sewing kimono, because the lines are simple and allow for display of big bold fabric prints, which thus allows me to create huge print fabric designs as well.

***What magazines, websites, books do you look at for project ideas?***

Dover Books are my #1 source of inspiration. You see, I’m a life actor, which I means I CosPlay 24/7/365 and have for years. My daily wear consists of recreations of garb from the 1500′s – 1800′s as well as the 1920′s. Dover reprints tons of French, fashion illustrations, vintage paper dolls, Goody Lady, etc. Of course they are the ones who reprint Etre’s fashion prints as well.

National Geographic and Smithsonian Museum books are huge sources of inspiration as well. I get lots of ideas from cultural photos and antique paintings. I enjoy creating ethnic and historic bases patterns.

And than of course there’s my #1 source of inspiration: comic books. Yep, you heard me: comic books! I’m a huge fan of comic books, manga, graphic novels, super heroes, etc, and well, like I said, I’m really big into CosPlay, so of course a lot of what I design was inspired by comic books.

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

Obsessed? I’m Not Obsessed… REALLY, I’m not!

When Next You See Me I’ll Look Like This:

————-
If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:

All about Lord Sesshomaru’s garb & Making a Lord Sesshomaru Costume. Plus, Sesshomaru & Rin and making Rin’s Costume; and this is for anyone who needs help Creating Character Profiles for their stories or for their SCA persona.

Categories: About me · Anachronism · Anachronist · Business · CosPlay · Gothic · Life · Lifestyle · Maine · Old Orchard Beach · SCA · Wendy C. Allen · comic books · cosplay in public · costume making · costumer · costumes · creativity · cross dressing · crossplay · drag queen · dressmaking · fabric · fashion · fashion design · fun things to do · inspiration · interesting facts · life blogging · medieval · my thoughts on… · painting · pattern making · patterns · sewing · sewing a costume · sewing a kimono · sewing advice · theater

Tagged: About me, Anachronist, Black Bobcat Fashions, BurdaStyle, CosPlay, cosplay in public, dressmaking, EelKat, Erte, inspiration, Japan, kimono, pattern making, Purple Peacock Patterns, sewing, The Rabbit Hole, Wendy C. Allen

Waiting for Emmett to come.

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http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/user/132659

NaNoWriMo Expert: Tea

Today I find myself answer this question from the NaNoWriMo forums.

[quote=Lady Wolf]The older the recipe the better as my time period is somewhat medieval. Any ideas where to look?
———-

“Who needs Plot Ninjas when I have a cheetah in drag?”

~ build-a-muse 2007

[/quote]

In your time period tea would not have been used to cure sore throats… they would have soaked a cloth in a mixture of Slippery Elm Bark and boiling water…. the cloth would have been wrapped around the OUTSIDE of the throat, as curing a soar throat from the inside was not yet thought of.

Tea, also is questionable in general, as Marco Polo was after your time period, which means that tea leaves had not been discovered yet, and thus a warm drink made from leaves would not be called “tea”, unless your story is set in China.

Slippery Elm is going to be you best bet. I use the dried bark, in boiling water, and it was used in the era you are seeking.

Lemon oand honey in boiling water is what I use, but it’s not as old as what your looking for, dating back to 1850′s-ish.

Keep in mind that lemons, limes, and oranges would not be discovered until the mid-1700′s.

For 1300-1600 era you are seeking use:

Slippery Elm Bark steeped in boiling water.

Mint leaves and honey in boiling water.

Research to find out which type of mint grows where you have set your story. There is Peppermint, Spearamint, Cat Nip, LemonBalm, BeeBalm, and a whole horde of others.

Other things you might consider:

Raspberry Leaves

Rose Petals

Rose Hips

Wheatgrass

Pearl Barley

Chamomille

Dandilion Greens

MugWort

Anise

hhhmmm… I know somebody who drinks a lot of tea! LOL!

Remember too that in your time range sugar was very rare and only kings and queens could aford it, everyone else used honey.

————-
Copper Cockeral
Publishing Your NaNo Novel?
Do You and I Read the Same Books?

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

————-
Copper Cockeral
Publishing Your NaNo Novel?
Got Writer’s BlocK? Kill It Today!
Need A Quiet Place To Write? Find Help Here!
Need Help Creating Characters? Check This Out!
Want to Do a Good Deed? Save the Goldeneagle.

NaNoWriMo Expert: Tea

Today I find myself answer this question from the NaNoWriMo forums.

[quote=Lady Wolf]The older the recipe the better as my time period is somewhat medieval. Any ideas where to look?
———-

“Who needs Plot Ninjas when I have a cheetah in drag?”

~ build-a-muse 2007

[/quote]

In your time period tea would not have been used to cure sore throats… they would have soaked a cloth in a mixture of Slippery Elm Bark and boiling water…. the cloth would have been wrapped around the OUTSIDE of the throat, as curing a soar throat from the inside was not yet thought of.

Tea, also is questionable in general, as Marco Polo was after your time period, which means that tea leaves had not been discovered yet, and thus a warm drink made from leaves would not be called “tea”, unless your story is set in China.

Slippery Elm is going to be you best bet. I use the dried bark, in boiling water, and it was used in the era you are seeking.

Lemon oand honey in boiling water is what I use, but it’s not as old as what your looking for, dating back to 1850′s-ish.

Keep in mind that lemons, limes, and oranges would not be discovered until the mid-1700′s.

For 1300-1600 era you are seeking use:

Slippery Elm Bark steeped in boiling water.

Mint leaves and honey in boiling water.

Research to find out which type of mint grows where you have set your story. There is Peppermint, Spearamint, Cat Nip, LemonBalm, BeeBalm, and a whole horde of others.

Other things you might consider:

Raspberry Leaves

Rose Petals

Rose Hips

Wheatgrass

Pearl Barley

Chamomille

Dandilion Greens

MugWort

Anise

hhhmmm… I know somebody who drinks a lot of tea! LOL!

Remember too that in your time range sugar was very rare and only kings and queens could aford it, everyone else used honey.

————-
Copper Cockeral
Publishing Your NaNo Novel?
Do You and I Read the Same Books?

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

————-
Copper Cockeral
Publishing Your NaNo Novel?
Got Writer’s BlocK? Kill It Today!
Need A Quiet Place To Write? Find Help Here!
Need Help Creating Characters? Check This Out!
Want to Do a Good Deed? Save the Goldeneagle.

>NaNoWriMo Expert: Tea

>

Today I find myself answer this question from the NaNoWriMo forums.

[quote=Lady Wolf]The older the recipe the better as my time period is somewhat medieval. Any ideas where to look?
———-

“Who needs Plot Ninjas when I have a cheetah in drag?”

~ build-a-muse 2007

[/quote]

In your time period tea would not have been used to cure sore throats… they would have soaked a cloth in a mixture of Slippery Elm Bark and boiling water…. the cloth would have been wrapped around the OUTSIDE of the throat, as curing a soar throat from the inside was not yet thought of.

Tea, also is questionable in general, as Marco Polo was after your time period, which means that tea leaves had not been discovered yet, and thus a warm drink made from leaves would not be called “tea”, unless your story is set in China.

Slippery Elm is going to be you best bet. I use the dried bark, in boiling water, and it was used in the era you are seeking.

Lemon oand honey in boiling water is what I use, but it’s not as old as what your looking for, dating back to 1850′s-ish.

Keep in mind that lemons, limes, and oranges would not be discovered until the mid-1700′s.

For 1300-1600 era you are seeking use:

Slippery Elm Bark steeped in boiling water.

Mint leaves and honey in boiling water.

Research to find out which type of mint grows where you have set your story. There is Peppermint, Spearamint, Cat Nip, LemonBalm, BeeBalm, and a whole horde of others.

Other things you might consider:

Raspberry Leaves

Rose Petals

Rose Hips

Wheatgrass

Pearl Barley

Chamomille

Dandilion Greens

MugWort

Anise

hhhmmm… I know somebody who drinks a lot of tea! LOL!

Remember too that in your time range sugar was very rare and only kings and queens could aford it, everyone else used honey.

————-
Copper Cockeral
Publishing Your NaNo Novel?
Do You and I Read the Same Books?

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

————-
Copper Cockeral
Publishing Your NaNo Novel?
Got Writer’s BlocK? Kill It Today!
Need A Quiet Place To Write? Find Help Here!
Need Help Creating Characters? Check This Out!
Want to Do a Good Deed? Save the Goldeneagle.