Since I really need to have good music to be happy I've tried to find some artists/songs that somehow fit into the big Steampunk picture in my mind.
From what I've read so far, Steampunk music is as well defined as Steampunk fashion - in other words, the rules are more like guidelines anyway, thus many genres may contribute to create the soundtrack for a productive day in the lab, or a dangerous journey to some mysterious caves in Southern Africa.
Here's a list of some of the artists that make my day, in autobiographical order:
The Dresden Dolls: Heard them play as support for the Nails and loved them from the beginning. They convinced me that Cabaret, and Dark Cabaret in particular, as a genre is just what I need to hear in 95% of all possible moods.
Amanda Palmer: The Dolls' frontwoman's solo project, and just as hot.
Voltaire: Mr. Voltaire produced a song, 'Stuck with you', together with Amanda Palmer - that's how I found out about this project. Cabaret, too.
Vermillion Lies: Again via Amanda Palmer, two sisters, even more Cabaret.
Vernian Process: labelled Darkwave as well as classical -> yesss.
Unextraordinary Gentlemen: I think I found them at cdbaby.com. This is called post/steam/synthpunk, and I recommend listening to 5 Tales From God-Only-Knows, their first EP. Do it. Now.
Abney Park: I think everyone agrees on this band being Steampunk. Earlier genres included Industrial and Gothic rock which I don't mind either.
Coppelius: German band directly from the 19th century, playing Kammercore (they remind one of Apocalyptica).
On my watch list, amongst others:
- Rasputina
- The Clockwork Dolls
- The Clockwork Quartet (yes, yes, it's becoming hip and gears are flying in all directions. It's still good music)
- Music:The Clockwork Dolls - Impartial (The Battle)
2. List 5 songs that begin with that letter.
3. Post them to your journal with these instructions.
H
Amanda Palmer - Have to drive
The Dresden Dolls - Half Jack
Nine Inch Nails - Hurt
Haggard - Herr Mannelig
Eden weint im Grab - Heimwärts ins Licht
Some more because it's fun
Pain - Hate me
Goethes Erben - Himmelgrau
Dido - Here with me
The Smiths - How soon is now
Placebo - Hang on to your IQ
- Mood:
cheerful - Music:VNV Nation - Airships
My underskirts look a bit sad without a petticoat. Thus: TV170, view 3 to the rescue.
I used 4m of white striped fabric (some cotton/linen mix) and followed the instructions precisely (tucks, gatherings...). The only exception was to add 5cm in the front and 15cm in the back part because my bustles are rather large.
During sewing a thought occured to me: 6 meters are a small distance to walk, but a long hem to sew.
PS: Yes, sometimes I actually finish projects. This petticoat took me about 16 hours distributed over four days.
- Mood:productive
- Music:The Dresden Dolls - Coin-Operated Boy
For a garden party I added a shrug.
an afternoon well spent at the Technisches Museum Wien.
A reproduction of Babbage's difference engine, air ships
and gears
Needless to say I'll be there again soon.
- Music:Abney Park - Airship pirate
- Music:Vernian Process - At the Center of the Earth
At least it's only one glove, so no worries about symmetry :)
Material: black and red leather, wires
Sketch: <to come>
To do
- Sewing gloves
- apply red leather patches
- age leather
- attach wires and similar stuff
- Music:Vernian Process - De la Terre a la Lune
After some tossing and turning it has been decided - white underskirt, striped overskirt and two bodices (one with high collar and one without ;) )
DONE
TV 362 1884 striped wash overskirt. I cut the apron so the stripes meet in the front (which they DO *yay*), and added lining since the striped fabric is rather flimsy - and I had to improvise since I didn't have enough black cotton for the lining. I simply applied netting to the upper back of the skirt, success! After some hours of peaceful working and watching Back to the Future III (which contains some nice late bustle dresses and one belle epoch outfit) everything is finished save eyes.
TV 261 white underskirt, sans le pouf but with decoration. I'm using white cotton/linen fabric which is impossible to iron. Inspired by Mme. Kupferfeuer's sewing neatness I even made welt seams :)
Remaining
TV 460 1885 striped cuirass bodice, with a bit of lace at the sleeves to complement the stripes. I've made a mock up of the cuirass bodice, status: the front looks a bit strange. But that could be the flimsy fabric's fault. Anyway: no pain, no gain I thought and started sewing the striped fabric, lined with black cotton. I found a nice description with pictures on how to cut striped fabrics. She's right - it's not possible to keep the stripes straight on all pieces - but I tried my best and I think it looks acceptable (pics to come).
The next step will be fitting (my favourite activity *eww*)
PS: Consciously deciding which size to wear is a rather strange feeling - but you have to do so when using those patterns. When I try really hard I have a 24'' waist (stop booing already, you professional corset wearers :) ), but I'll rather stick with 26'' lest I die of hunger or asphyxiation.
- Mood: hopeful
- Music:Vernian Process - Echoes
The historical soirée (February 7 2009) is over and the bodice wasn't finished in time, so I had to borrow a dress from Mme. Kupferfeuer. This dress here will be finished somewhen this year when the red silk finally arrives and my frustration subsides.
The other ladies looked fantastic!
In Victorian Fashions I've seen a wonderful evening outfit described as velvet and lace, with a particularly nice overskirt: pouffed in the back and two separate gores in the front (here is a picture I took from p.188 of Victorian Fashions by Stella Blum, Taschen Verlag).
The underskirt will be TV261, made from red silk instead of lace because it's cheaper. The silk has arrived and I've bought cotton yarn to match the colour.
The overskirt's pattern is self-made - the picture does not show the backside, so I was free to use my imagination. The particular velvet I used seems to be not too bad - it has "Niedieck" printed on the seams and from some googling I concluded that this is not the worst of brands. Besides, on the picture it looks like the back is not draped overly elaborated. I've cut two rectangular pieces (40x120cm) for the skirt front and one rectangular piece (120x150cm) for the back. After some calculations and lacing of the corset I made the front pieces smaller (24cm, without seam allowance), lined the pieces, gathered the 120cm of the back piece and made about 5 meters of silk piping. I've cut a 25'' waistband and sew three silk bands with which to drape the back. And I've spent an hour at Mme. Kupferfeuer's brooding over how to actually drape the thing. <pic to come> And I've bricked my sewing machine with all the layers of velvet so I had to resume to hand sewing some parts.
TV416 for the bodice. It's the wrong period, but some of the outfits shown in Victorian Fashions have the same low neckline, so I'm going to use it, period. And it's all about the waistline anyway, isn't it? Early bustle had a higher waist than late bustle, if I am not mistaken.
Dress decoration: I was thinking red flowers and pearls. The silk flower shop (yes, Vienna has such a thing) is closed during February, but I'll look around online for silk roses.Jewellery: bohemian garnet necklace and ring. Now I only need to find some I can afford which is nearly impossible.
Hm - oh, yes, and I need a fan and a small bag.
- Mood:
annoyed - Music:Vermillion Lies - The Astronomer
Since some twill is left from making the Zoidberg, I made a small Mantua Maker bustle - the 1888 version.
After a pleasant afternoon spent at Melwen's, the thing - I think I'll christen it Shrimp since it's so teeny tiny - is ready for being adorned with several meters of steel. - Since yesternight Shrimp has a heart of steel, a waistband, a flounce and is officially declared 99% finished.
If somebody is interested in how I came to know about the illustrator Beardsley I'll be happy to tell the story :)
Note to everybody: this pattern (unlike the other TV patterns) has no SIDE part, only BACK and SIDE BACK ( I mention this because I spent one hour running through the flat looking for the supposedly missing pattern piece).
Progress: I made a mock-up which will have to tried on over a bustle and skirts, but it all in all it does look promising.
- Music:Unextraordinary Gentlemen - All you want
As pattern I used the Mantua Maker 1880s bustle. Of _course_ I had to pick the years where the bustles were at maximum size :) This is one huge steel-eating crustacean - hence the working title: Zoidberg.
On the material list I had 2m of cotton twill, 10m of steel boning (13mm wide), 5m of lacing and black band as casing for the steel. I wanted white but did not get any and I was too impatient to search further, so the bustle reminds of a zebra from the inside. I like animals so that's not a problem with me.
Pics to come, since Zoidberg is accompanying Mme. Kupferfeuer to a historical soirée :)
The corset is no longer in Memphis. It arrived yesterday and looks w00t.
I'd like to wear it with a bustle and sew a red underskirt and a black leather overskirt to go with it. It will not fit over the Mantua Maker bustle but I could always wear it under the bustle.
DONE
- Red blouse
- Underskirt: I found a nice red-black fabric for the underskirt.
- Overskirt: The hunt has been successful - I found a shop in the city with affordable black fake leather and carried home 4 meters.
- Accessories: that will be the fun part :) falconer's glove, instrument belt and leather whip
- Music:Vernian Process - Porcelain Crusaders
The only drawback of this book is that the illustrations are not coloured, but from the description given one can easily get the necessary information to design similar outfits.
- Skirt: don't know yet
- Bodice: TV490 1892 Ball gown bodice: I think TV460 can be easily modified for the bodice.
I'll make a first version from linen since I have lots of it in dark red and white available. I researched a bit in the net and found an amazing white linen coat to go over a bustle. It's an original so I think I don't have to hide a carefully sewn linen outfit - they did use linen for elaborate garments after all. In any case it convinced me that I should use my linen carefully and make several pieces (overskirt, cuirass bodice, tail bodice) to get some practise, test the patterns and end up with some nice things which can be combined to different outfits. And the very first step will be to browse through Victorian Fashions to find appropriate types of embellishment.
DONE
- Underskirt: TV261 1885 Four-gore underskirt, "avec le pouf", from dark red linen (I have enough linen and it doesn't show the dirt as much as lighter colours). I applied netting == adding a layer of something tulle-like to the back. Thanks to Kupferfeuer the drapery and thus the skirt is finished - I just need to find my hooks-and-eyes-bag :)
- Overskirt: TV362 1884 Wash Overskirt, just the apron, from white linen. I was thinking of adding embroidery to the apron's hem.
- Bodice: TV462 1883 Tail Bodice, from white linen. It's a really strange sizing system but many people say it worked for them. I I'll use red accents on white fabric. The interfacing will be cotton twill, and the lining simple soft cotton. Boning has arrived.
- Bag: to do
- Head: to do
For the next version I'll take a look into a fashion book of the period to get a feeling which accessories, colours and fabrics might work. In any case I found very moderately priced heavy black cotton jacquard and now I possess 8m :) Then there are 5 meters of cream-colored velvet. And I must say, needle stripes also look very neat (made by Mme. Kupferfeuer).
- Music:Unextraordinary Gentlemen - Mr. Soot's black book
- Trousers: cut and partly sewn
- Vest: pattern drafted from a corset I own and tested on lining fabric.
- Blouse: Fabric ready, looking for a pattern with short sleeves
- Jacket: cut and partly sewn
- Gloves: leather ready, found pattern and will test on lining fabric
- Belt: leather ready, looking for enforcing second layer
- Spats: black fabric ready, playing around to get a good pattern following this how to.
- Music:Vernian Process - Cold
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