Don Giovanni, Act Two by Tyson Vick. My grant will go to more photos like these.

The Puffin Foundation seeks to open the doors of artistic expression by providing grants to artists who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities.

La Finta Giardiniera, Act 3 from Tyson Vick's Mozart Project

The review board says they were impressed with the nature of my proposal and the commitment I have made to my project.  I would like to thank the Puffin Foundation for their support.

Cosi Fan Tutte, Act One from Tyson Vick's Mozart Project

• The Puffin Foundation, Ltd.

In his lifetime, Mozart’s operas were respectably received by the nobility, and raved about by the populace. “The Marriage of Figaro” probably caused the most sensation of all his works, being performed and translated across the entirety of Europe. Strangely enough, it both united the rich and poor with its humanity, but divided them at the same time by claiming that the rich and the poor both shared that same humanity. When “La Finta Giardinera”, an opera with an initially mediocre draw, was translated into German as “Die Gartnerin aus Liebe”, it took on a whole new life, and became what would be called today a “sleeper hit”. (In my opinion, too, the German version is better, though essentially it’s only the opera’s language that changes. I will describe the reasons I believe this happens later.)

The Mozarts in Green. (Wolfgang, left, Constanze, right) I've photoshopped their original colors for an upcoming shoot!

However, some of Mozart’s operas were never even completed. Three were abandoned in the early stages for various reasons: couldn’t pull them together (Zaide), lack of interest at the moment (Lo Sposo Deluso), and for one he simply quit writing because he thought it was stupid (L’oca del Cairo).

One of his works, “La Betulia Liberata”, was never performed in his lifetime. It’s even uncertain if anyone other than the Mozart family ever knew of its existence.

One opera in particular was very poorly received by the nobility on its opening, “La Clemenza di Tito”, which was harshly described by the Empress as “German Trash”. This had less to do with the musical merits of the opera, and more to do with racism than anything else.

Mozart has stood the test of time where others have fallen. One of the only true musical genius’s to rival Mozart in innovation and influence is the notorious Richard Wagner, who said, “The most tremendous genius raised Mozart above all masters, in all centuries and in all the arts.”

And this, I believe, will continue to be proven time and again from generation to generation.

I help them with their Etsy Store, and I often shop there for many props and supplies. I used their items, and one of the dresses I made for my Thamos and Don Giovanni photo shoots to set up the display. I just thought I’d share! This is what I came up with.

My Snow Queen or Ice Princess window display for Montana Camp Antiques and Boutiques.

• Montana Camp Website: http://www.montanacampshopping.com
• Montana Camp on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/montanacamp

Some of my close friends came to do the shoot with me. Lizzie, who has worked on numerous Mozart shoots, helped find locations and did the make-up. Her mother Gina and her Sister Jenny, as well as Jenny’s King Charles Spaniel, Burly,  modeled.

Gina in Costume as Madame Silberklang.

Jenny in Costume as Madame Herz.

The Historic Philipsburg Opera House Theater which features backdrops from the 1880s, kindly allowed us to shoot inside their building. We used the light forest back-drop for our shoot.

Setting up Inside the Philipsburg Opera House Theater. Original backdrop from the 1880s created by artist Edgar Paxson.

This winter, it was colder in the theater than outside!

Lizzie does make-up on her sister, Jenny.

Jenny touches up her make-up.

Me and Burly.

Lizzie does make-up on her mother, Gina.

Ha-cha!

Burly is terrified of Opera.

Rival Singers.

Previous Posts About this Shoot:

1. My first post follows the making of the corsets for both ladies.
2. The second post takes a look at my embroidery process, and brief reviews of some of the movies I viewed while sewing.
3. The third post shows how I put together my Jacket and Gilet.
4. My fourth post shows the inspiration and final pigeon breasted drawstring-front jacket.
5. The fifth post talks about the hats I created, and features a step-by-step construction process.

Previous Posts in this Series:

1. My first post follows the making of the corsets for both ladies.
2. The second post takes a look at my embroidery process, and brief reviews of some of the movies I viewed while sewing.
3. The third post shows how I put together my Jacket and Gilet.
4. My fourth post shows the inspiration and final pigeon breasted drawstring-front jacket.

I spent the last week making hats, wigs, accessories and padding. In this post I would like to share with you the hats and wigs I created.

For my first hat, I drew mainly upon the image below for inspiration. But I also visited a charming site dedicated to historical hats with many great pictures called Hats From History!

Redingote gown -- Velvet jacket and sash with tassels, satin revers, cuffs and train-lingerie tie and jabot-gauze with scalloped edge and checked embroidery. Gold buttons, powdered hair, hat of dotted gauze, ostrich, embroidery and flowers. Cane with carved bird and ribbon 1787.

I took a straw hat that I already owned, added milliner’s wire to the edge and covered the bottom of the brim with silk to match the drawstring bodice. I made a little buckle for the hat and adorned it with feathers.

My upcycled straw hat. I used a gardening hat and adorned it in the 1700s style! It is placed on top of a wig I styled myself.

As for my second hat, I documented the process for you!

I used Butterick Pattern B4210, the Turn of the Century hat, with no alteration to the structure (Buckram, Milliner’s Wire, size, etc.) However, I did not follow the directions on how to decorate or line the hat.

My silk hat pieces cut out. The top of the hat has already been constructed in this image.

I put together the brim, sewed the wire to the buckram, and then decided the lining side of the hat should be pleated silk!

So I took some ivory silk and laid it out on the buckram form to see how much I would need.

I laid out some ivory silk over the buckram brim, and did a rough pleating to see how much silk I would need.

Once I had figured out how much silk I would need, I stitched two lengths of fabric together and pleated them around the brim. I left excess fabric on both edges, because it is easier than making a mistake that can’t be fixed later if you come up short.

I pleated and pined the silk to the buckram form, then stiched the center and outer edges to hold them in place.

Once the pleating was stitched on, I trimmed the edges and cut out the center circle.

I trimed the outer edge and cut out the center circle.

Next, I sewed the blue silk to the opposite side to be the outer brim of the hat. This silk has a fusible interfacing to keep it forever flat.

Next, I sewed the blue silk on the opposite side.

It was then time to add the bias strip to the outer edge. I made the strip out of the same blue silk to match.

I used some bias tape that I made from my silk fabric to bind the edges and cover the milliner's wire.

Next, I sewed the top of the hat to the brim. When you trim the seam allowances, you can turn them and stitch or glue them down so that there is extra hold inside the brim. The picture below shows the stitched and glued tabs. The pins hold the glued tabs in place.

Next, I sewed the top of the hat to the brim, and glued the notched tabs in place.

I cut a little circle of lining, and used an off-white grosgrain ribbon for the sweat band on the inside.

Finally, I added a lining and a grosgrain ribbon hat band inside the brim.

Now the finished form of the hat was complete, and I could choose how to decorate it.

I used ostrich feathers, a ribbon bow and a cameo pin to decorate the hat. However, the main reason I pleated the lining was because it was always my intention to show it off.

I shaped the hat over the wig, as you can see in the images below.

My completed hat with feathers, etc. on top of the wig. I also styled the wig myself.

The way the hat is bent allows you to see the top and bottom at the same time! It’s very pretty!

I used Epic Cosplay Dark Brown Wig, if you are interested.

Another view of my finished hat from the front.

I also made some accessories. All the dresses from the 1790s have little tabs hanging from the bodices. I knew their history but not what they were called, so I asked Alisa. She used her Google Ninja skills and discovered that they are called Chatalaines, Equipages, Fobs or Macaronis!

After looking them up to price them, I quickly discovered that it was necessary to build my own. I found a metal frame at Michael’s (Scrapbooking Section) and used a portrait of Mozart from a little book I got in the mail. I also bought some ribbon clamp ends, which I was so relieved to discover existed! (I always had a suspicion, but had never had my suspicions confirmed until now.) I bought mine from thunderrockalley21 on Etsy.

I covered the portrait in a thick varnish to make it look like a painting.

My Mozart Portrait Chatalaine (Equipage, Fob, Macaroni or what you will!)

I used a basic grosgrain ribbon for the attachment as well as a pretty little hook to clip it to the skirt.

That’s all for today! Next time you hear from my, my photo shoot will be done!

Der Schauspieldirektor, here I come!

• Learn more about Chatalaine’s, Equipages, Fobs and Macaronis!
• Buy stuff from Thunderrockalley21 on Etsy!
• Visit Hats From History, a great resource for coming up with hat ideas and decoration ideas!
• Follow the Google Ninja herself, Dragonfly Designs by Alisa.

Previous Posts in this Series:

1. My first post follows the making of the corsets for both ladies.
2. The second post takes a look at my embroidery process, and brief reviews of some of the movies I viewed while sewing.
3. The third post shows how I put together my Jacket and Gilet.

I have to make all the costumes for my photo shoot, and I was inspired by a page in the book “Fashion” by the The Kyoto Costume Institute which features two fancy ladies’ outfits from the 1790s.

The costumes from The Kyoto Costume Institute that have inspired the look for my current project.

The second outfit I chose to make was inspired by the pink-ish jacket next to the blue-ish jacket & gilet in the photo from Kyoto Costume Institute’s book “Fashion”.

The caption in the book says that the jacket features a lace-up belt and a drawstring bodice. It also says that the back is boned at the center back. Now, my first issue when tackling this project was that I didn’t know how to make a drawstring bodice, nor could I imagine how to make one, particularly because I was unable to see the jacket from the front.

After sitting and considering how to create such a garment, I decided to ask almighty Google, and Lo! Google directed me to A Frolic Through Time!

There is an article on A Frolic Through Time which describes through images how the drawstring bodice came into being (A Wild Drawstring Bodice Appears!), and how it evolved into the far more familiar Regency gown (Jane Austen-y times!). I looked through these many images to find one that looked like it may be related in design to the pink jacket from KCI.

Front view. Here we see Madame Seriziat wearing a drawstring bodice and holding what is presumably a threshing flail used for beating that smarmy little baby in the corner. Painting by Jacques Louis David, 1795.

The Frolic Through Time blog also provides a link to a Colonial Williamsburg site which shows an original drawstring front gown as well as a reproduction and a pattern.

This pattern held all the answers to my questions, and I immediately set to work. Below you can see the gown that that pattern creates.

White Cotton Gown with a drawstring front from the Collection of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

I used the bodice from Simplicity 4092, though I’m not so sure you can tell because of the thorough modifications — namely a 28inch strip of fabric in place of the stomacher, a good amount for gathering. If you make your own drawstring bodice, I recommend using 29 inches or less. I started with a longer strip, and it did not gather well.

Because I had to use all of my ingenuity to figure out how to make this jacket, I was unable to document what I was doing as I went. However, I did photograph the final garment for your viewing.

My finished orange drawstring bodice Jacket, with attached and pleated belt, cotton skirt and lace fichu.

My drawstring front jacket uses an orange shot silk (red and pale yellow cross weave). The jacket is lined with the same silk, however the sleeves are lined with anti-static lining. Has anyone else ever noticed that anti-static lining is the most static-y fabric on the market? However, sewing with it and ironing with it is a dream. It holds an ironed crease like paper, and makes the top layer of fabric easier to manage as well.

The skirt is cotton, and the fichu is lace.

Side front view of my own orange drawstring bodice. The bodice itself has no pleats, but features enough gathering to create a pleated and pigeon breasted effect.

The drawstring portion of the bodice is tacked to the lining under the belt. This holds the gathers below the waist in that position permanently. The lining side of the garment is one flat piece below the belt, while above the belt the lining is the same as the rest of the front in order to allow the drawstring to function.

The lining also features bones at the side-back and side front seams, as well as one below the waist, center front, to keep the front tab stiff.

One of my concerns was about creating an effective “pigeon-front” bodice. I am pleased to say that a drawstring bodice almost naturally creates the pigeon front effect, and with a little stuffing from the fichu can create a the perfect effect!

A detail of the pleated belt and shoe buckle ornament.

The belt is attached at the side back seams, and tacked at every seam around the bodice to hold it at the correct height. I used a shoe-clip buckle to adorn the front of the belt.

Back view of my jacket. It laces up the back because I couldn't figure out how to close a drawstring bodice of this period from the front.

During my creative process, I could not figure out a single way to close the garment in the front satisfactorily. In the KCI garment, I believe the whole bodice is one drawstring piece and the belt holds it closed at the waist, but how does one stop the gathers from shifting and poofing out below the belt, like some sort of sagging alien baby? So, to solve the problem, I just decided to use a back lacing closure, and use an inner structure that allows me to tack the front gathers down below the waist.

Sleeve detail with three brass buttons.

I decided to add a nice little sleeve detail with brass buttons and loops at the cuff.

Now that this garment is complete, I will move on to the hats and wigs. Each outfit needs a hat a wig and accessories, so there is still some work left to do before the shoot! Please join me again next time as I create these gowns and soon thereafter, take the photographs!

• Buy the Kyoto Costume Institute’s book “Fashion“.
• Visit A Frolic Through Time blog.
• See the Colonial Williamsburg Pattern I used for reference.

I have created an embroidered Jacket and Gilet (a sort of waistcoat) for my upcoming Der Schauspieldirektor photo shoot. In my last post I wrote all about the embroidery on this jacket and gilet, and in the post before that I shared the making of my corsets for this shoot.

I have to make all the costumes for my photo shoot, and I was inspired by a page in the book “Fashion” by the The Kyoto Costume Institute which features two fancy ladies’ outfits from the 1790s.

The costumes from The Kyoto Costume Institute that have inspired the look for my current project.

After all my embroidery was complete, I began sewing my jacket together. It came together very nicely. The jacket has a front layer of silk, fusible interfacing, one layer of cotton interfacing, and a lining layer of silk with fusible interfacing. The gilet has one more layer of cotton to secure the boning. This makes the outfit look a bit plush, and I believe I used much more interfacing than the original as seen above.

The jacket sewn and turned, without sleeves.

I have a nice pattern for period sleeves that I adapted from the Simplicity Pirate Coat  #4923. I made up my own cuff pattern on the spot, and sewed the sleeves together.

The jacket sleeves getting ready to be put in.

After that was all put together, I set to work on the gilet. Because I drafted my own Gilet Pattern, and the inside had to be boned (“Do not ask for whom the bone bones, it bones for thee!” — Bender Bending Rodriguez),  I had to decide how to best sew the garment together.

One side of my gilet is seen here. I turned the who piece, boning and all, through the tiny hole at the top back, which was quite a process!

I had to decide which seams to sew together and how to turn the garment. The curved side seem, and front boning meant I could not easily sew it like a typical vest (in a Y shape). I decided to sew everything except the top arm seam, and turn everything through a tiny 3 inch hole. It took a while, and the boning had to be reset in the channels afterwards, because it twisted about during turning, but I think it was probably the best way to go about it.

Then I combined the gilet, added eyelets to lace it up, added buttons to everything, et voila!

My finished Jacket and Gilet!…

My jacket and gilet is seen here, finished. It features 30 buttons with embroidery. It was inspired by the piece from Kyoto Costume Institute.

I knew at the embroidery stage that I hadn’t rounded the bottom of the gilet to get that unique “u” shape in the original, so mine comes more to a point. But since I wasn’t aiming for exact reproduction, I am quite all right with this.

My jacket from the back. I decided on a functional back, rather than a decorative back.

When we tried the jacket on my aunt, I decided to add ties to the back of the jacket to keep the front flat against the bust without having to run a pin through the jacket.

Here is a detail of some of my embroidery and buttons on the gilet front. I embroidered and covered the buttons myself. There are 16 buttons on the gilet alone.

When placing the buttons, I tried to cover as little embroidery as possible. I only had 16 cover buttons in the size used on the gilet front, though I think it could stand two more at the top (one on each side).

A view of the lapels of my Jacket and gilet.

My lapels are a bit pointier than the original garment as well, and the gilet doesn’t open down the front as far. If I were striving for more reproduction quality, I would pay attention to these things next time. However, I think it looks very lovely.

Sleeve detail of my jacket. I used my own collection of cover-buttons, and chose this smaller size.

I am pleased with this garment, and now it is on to the next one! I will go to work as soon as I finish this post!

I will have more posts on that next time! Stay tuned!

• Buy the Kyoto Costume Institute’s book “Fashion“.