Myth Masque Ball 2014

After a much needed break, I started back slowing in to sewing.  Jerry and I had tickets to Myth Masque Ball, but I couldn't handle another elaborate 18th Century fantasy gown again.   I would like to go quite simple.  To get out of making a bodice, I decided to do a pretty corset with lace top underneath.  I wanted to make a simple, yet elegant skirt.  And I wanted a floral theme. First - make a floral headdress.

Searches on the internet yielded some lovely examples.  For construction, I needed a base to put the arrangement on.  On one website I saw a great idea.  Take a tennis visor, turn it upside down, and place on your head so the brim is straight up.  I covered with my skirt material.  A trip to Michael's when they had a 40% off sale on silk flowers allowed me to stock up on purple, lavender and pink flowers.  I started adding them to the covered base. I wanted flowers to hang down the sides.  I decided to take one of the thicker flower stems, bend it to the shape of the crown, and wire flowers to it.  It would be easier to attach the one, long piece to the crown rather than individual flowers.  Once the curved arrangement was completed, I used large quilting pins to pin it to the crown.  Then I filled in the spaces by hot gluing flowers in.   Then I did the back side by hot gluing flowers on.   Here is the finished front and back.

Next was the skirt. In Los Angeles Fabric District I had picked up 6 yards of a dark purple poly taffeta with black designs. It was $3 a yard. I just love making the Truly Victorian Parisian Trained skirt and decided to use it as my skirt - minus the front aprons.  I love the way it bustles at the top and flairs out at the back.  Where one would usually put a large bow, I wanted another floral arrangement to match the headpiece.  I took another sturdy stem from the flowers I bought and wired flowers on it.  To attach to the skirt, I used two kilt pins to secure it to the peplum part that  joins the upper back to the lower back of the skirt.  Here are a few photos.

As you can see from this photo, I added a light purple and black corset over a black lace T shirt.  I added my existing accessories, and I was set to go!  That is Casey, guarding the door for me.

The photos of construction I took with my cell phone, and it makes the fabric look blue.  Its not, its purple.

Now for some photos from the event.

One last photo for you....The first and last time you will see me on a stripper pole! This was the party bus shuttle back to the hotel at the end of the night :)

 Cost breakdown

$18  skirt fabric
$7  lace T shirt
$20 purple corset
$2 visor
$20 flowers

TOTAL    $67