Capsule Costume Collections

My German Renaissance costume.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about capsule wardrobes. Partially for my mundane clothing, but even more so for my costumes! It doesn’t work for everything, but I’d like to be able to shift up some of my “looks” by interchanging pieces, layers, or accessories to be able to get a little more use out of my sewing rather than relying solely on “outfits”.

Now, there are outfits that really don’t lend themselves super well to the capsule wardrobe concept as far as I’d like to explore it… and others that do super-well.

Corset class – the care and feeding of corsets

Once you have finished your corset, you’re going to want to wear it as much as possible, right?  Well, to keep it lasting, I have a few suggestions for the care (and feeding!?) of your corset.

Putting a corset on & taking it off

Hook and eye tape used in the front of a brocade corset

Remember those tricky busks?  Well you need to give them extra love so that they don’t break. If your corset has a front-opening (either a busk, zipper, hook and eye tape, etc), make sure you always loosen your laces before undoing your busk.  I know it’s 4am and you’ve just gotten home, your feet hurt and all you want to do is crawl into bed, but taking the few extra minutes can save the huge headache of having to have your busk replaced.

Maiwa Swatch book

Just some of the natural dyes for sale at Maiwa Supply

In my previous post about Maiwa Supply, I mentioned the swatch books showing off the results of different dyes on different fibres at different concentrations.
When I first picked out some dyes I had certain things in mind… but then once I saw these swatch books I totally changed my mind and was really loving different dyestuffs instead.

Maiwa Supply on Vancouver’s Granville Island

Inside Maiwa Supply in Vancouver’s Granville Island

In my previous post about Maiwa Handprints I mentioned that I visited that store before visiting Maiwa Supply. In today’s post I’ll show off a little from Maiwa Supply on Vancouver’s Granville Island.

Maiwa Handprints

Heading into Maiwa Handprints

While in Vancouver in late September I visited Granville Island and a few really lovely shops. I’ve visited Maiwa Handprints a number of times over the past years and it was a bit different than I remember, but still neat.