Those of you who know me personally won’t be surprised by this, but I’ve decided to add costuming to one of my categories.  I’ve had DeMode on my Blogroll for a little while, and my recent fascination with watching everything Elizabeth I has got me totally wrapped up in costuming heaven again.

I really tried to avoid it.  Really I did.  I didn’t want to fall into that bellydancer/rennie/pennsic/larper/roleplayer pit of chatting about costumes and movies with costumes, and this or that era.  This blog was going to be beyond that, above that - more “intellectual” and less drool. 

And frankly, I was pretty sure if I came out about all the above things, I might be immediately deemed an eccentric and relegated to ignominy in the blog world.   

But I keep wanting to tell you all things I’m finding about costumes (and movies coming out with great costumes) and etc!  I wanted to show you all the hard work I’ve done over the years with costuming, whether through a difficult purchase *ahem* or whether I actually crafted something myself.

I say crafted because, well…I don’t sew.  Not yet.  Not really, at least.  I have a sewing machine, and it can sew on fabric.  But whether it makes anything for real is another thing.  I can’t read patterns, and I chose to take shop class instead of home economics.  My mother refused to teach me how to sew because she was certain it would end up in one of our deaths (she might have been right on that, but I don’t think she realized it might have been me dying from the stifling superiority she emanates while telling me how to sew.  Love you mom.)  I did crossstitch and needlepoint and even a hook rug and none of them ever had the perfect back structure.  I’m sort of a free spirit when it comes to needle and thread.

This has not, however, stopped me from creating items.   So I call it crafting since the purists would surely not call what I do “sewing”.  Most of the time, I manage to get by with the strategic positioning of safety pins, tucks, and confidence.

There’s also the issue of historical accuracy.  I know enough to be dangerous and delighted, but not enough to really go into depth.  I know enough to understand that I should use wool in that garb (see, I’m even embracing the jargon…coming out is SO HARD!) but I will still buy it in acrylic, because it has a more pleasing pattern.  And no, I don’t (yet) dye all my own fabric or handspin or handstitch or whatever else is inauthentic about my costuming projects or purchases. 

But I love costuming, of almost all eras.  I have lots of Renaissance costumes, a Victorian costume, Bond-girl costumes.  I want more.  I want to make some of it, and I’m content to buy most of it. And I’m extra content to let others do the accuracy and researching of it - and post it here for you. 

In my “costuming”, I include hairstyles, headcovering, makeup, and footwear.  Be ready!

It’s my Blog, I’ll post if I want to!