This week's release is an elegant forest green velvet tea gown which would work wonderfully for any special at home occassion. It is Edwardian and based on a House of Worth design from around 1901.
Anna from Curious Seamstress
Next up is a uniquely beautiful sky blue satin and swansdown evening gown. The slight train and swansdown trim is really amazing in person! May I present, Snow Princess.
Snow Princess for evening entertainments.
Thank you for stopping by. I wish you a warm and wonderful holiday.
This week there were three new releases. The first is a red velvet Victorian gown from the House of Worth. Elizabeth is a conversion gown, which can be worn either in the evening to a ball, or during the day. There is a jacket and hat for day wear, and a stunning velvet and lace bodice for evening wear.
The next gown is also a House of Worth gown from the 1890s. Done in black velvet with gold applique, this stunning gown is perfect for evening entertainments.
There are also tulle sleeves that have tiny gold sequins on them to add an ethereal touch to this gown.
Finally, we glide forward to the 1930s and a new Satin Doll gown, Joy. This pale champagne colored satin gown is cut low in the back and comes with period undergarments and shoes. The gloves are not included in this ensemble.
Three stunning gowns, two time periods, and one lucky lady to own them all! I hope that you find someone special to dance the Christmas Waltz with while wearing one of these beauties.
Bubbles, the newest Seamstress 1920s release, must surely have spiked that egg nog! Maybe? The song makes me smile and laugh, and even though there's nearly a century between this song and the dress, they fit very well together! I hope you'll come by Rosewood and pick up Bubbles for yourself!
Another release this weekend is Sheila, a 1920s day suit. Very proper and very pretty, as well as warm for those cold winter days!
There'll be more, as always, but for tonight I had to sneak in Bubbles and that egg nog song!
This week I've two new releases, both part of the Satin Dolls collection. First up is Bessy, a stunning, lush purple ensemble. Complete with undergarments and not one, but two pairs of shoes. Gloves also come with this outfit.
The music is something I found on Youtube. It's such a sweet sound and song, that I thought it would be wonderful to introduce Miss Annette Hanshaw. She was popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s. I hope you enjoy her song! It may sound a bit familiar.
The second gown this week is Stella. Hot, sizzling, and sexy, this red orange gown is wonderful for those holiday parties.
Two pairs of shoes, gloves, and undergarments come with this outfit.
The gowns are also available on Marketplace.
I do hope that you'll enjoy the new gowns. There's also a new Victorian winter outfit out at the main store of Rosewood and at New Babbage.
This week I did a rather limited release of 1930s peep toe shoes, which is a brand new line of goods for Curious Seamstress. They are available at the main store of Rosewood, or at Seraph City's Carrington shop. The music is Moonlight Serenade. It was so evocative of slow dancing in the arms of your man on some late evening, that I had to use it. Swirling in a silky satin gown, shod with elegant peep toe shoes, how could a woman feel anything but beautiful?
I've been working on this shoe project off and on since this summer, wishing to have some truly special evening shoes. I wanted shoes that would match the Satin Doll gowns that will come out shortly. It is sometimes difficult for me to run all over the grid looking for good vintage period shoes, but worse, I rarely found a pair that was the exact color or style I wanted. True, I could find black, white, and maybe red heels that could pass for 1930s heels, but they weren't always very pretty. So I started doing some research. I spent hours reading about shoe styles of that decade, as well as some of the associated jewelry. For instance, the 1930s through the 1940s was the heyday of dress clips as well as shoe clips. Dress clips were gorgeous little baubles, either of real gemstones or costume jewelry, that a stylish woman wore on her gown at the shoulders but in front. You wanted to show off that sparkle! It also helped give gowns that look that we often think of for the 1930s and 1940s. Women also wore the dress clips on their shoes to dress them up in the evenings. Anyway, after much research and looking around, I finally took the leap, made the shoes, named the line, and released them into the wild earlier today.
There are six pairs of shoes, all for 1930s wear, mostly for evening use, though I'm pretty sure no one will call you on it if you go day time with them. The shoes are fun and sweet, and I plan on adding a lot more to that line. They're also inexpensive at $150 lindens a pair. The ads for the shoes are down below. I've plans for many more pairs, since I'll make a pair to go with each new 1930s gown, plus whatever else appeals to me!
I hope you'll drop by one of the two stores and pick up a pair soon!
A horse is a horse, of course, of course, and last week I found Amaretto breedable riding horses in Second Life! Can we just say woo hoo? yes I did get some. However, one of the things I noticed right away, being a clothing fiend, was that there weren't any decent Victorian riding habits that I could find. There's some interesting ones that have been around a while, but I wasn't overly impressed with the skirt arrangements. So of course I had to make one!
The habit has more than one skirt so that you can use it either in a sidesaddle position or astride, depending on your horse . . . of course! You won't have skirt prims flying up in your face either, but do be sure and read the instructions that come with the outfit for the best fit.
And speaking a bit more about horses, we now have a herd of gorgeous Appaloosa horses at the main store! Do drop by and see them when you have a moment. Later in the month we'll have some ready to be given away, but until then, we hope you'll enjoy watching the ones in the paddocks.
This week there will be several new releases, so let's get right to it, shall we? the first is a lovely black 1920s evening dress, 'Johnnie', inspired by the song in the above panel!
Pistol not included!
Next up is Inez, a saucy little orange number!
Hot stuff! Very much in keeping with the holiday spirit! Next up is Milly, she's enchanting in chartreuse!
Perhaps a tad bit Wicked, but then many Flappers were daring!
Next we switch eras and visit our friends in the Victorian era. First is an elegant dark blue velvet tailored to perfect for an evening dinner or reception, Regina.
A truly stunning gown.
Next we will go a little earlier in Queen Victoria's reign with another gown from the 1860s. Charlotte, a lovely aubergine creation.
With full hooped skirts and a detailed jacket, this gown is perfect for visiting.
Now for a couple of comments! I love doing a variety of gowns as much for the research as to make a wide range of garments available to my clients. I'll be releasing the 1930s Satin Dolls in the near future. There are about half a dozen of those. I've also got some gorgeous Victorian gowns in the wings, and some other 1920s dresses waiting to be let loose.
I've recently changed computers and so it was a little hectic there trying to gather items together. I also had to adjust a lot of my settings for a better CPU and graphics system. I think I'm back on track though!
I've some new releases this week after a bit of a hiatus. There are two new gowns today, as well as a new line of accessories. Gowns first!
This lovely gown is based on a real one, and was great fun to make! I recently opened a store in the Western sim of Nebraska. I had such a wonderful time there. The time period is set in 1867. I didn't have any gowns specifically from that period, having mostly bustle gowns from the 1870s on. So I felt it was time to remedy that situation.
Among those who study and love the Victorian era, it is generally agreed there were three major parts to this time period. One must remember that Queen Victoria was only 18 when she came to her throne, and then she ruled for 67 years. That's three generations, give or take a few years. Most gowns from the 1860s are considered Early Victorian. They are still crinoline gowns, held out with either hoops or lots of petticoats depending on the year. To be realistic, most women probably didn't use much of a hoop in everyday life. That was more for the wealthy who weren't bogged down with the menial tasks involved in living. Or perhaps reserved for special occasions. Still they are lovely gowns and I've started a line of them and will add to the collection over the next year. Yes, year. I don't plan on going anywhere! Now for the other new gown in this batch.
This gown just makes me smile. It's fun and cheerful, and VERY Victorian!
I've also added a line of accessories. These are lace jabots and lace hair ribbons. Each package is $350 lindens. There are several colors, and the hair ribbons are copy, no transfer.
The hair ribbons have a period photo of a young woman wearing such a lace ribbon. You can see it dangling from the back of her chignon.
Lace jabots are a sweet, elegant addition to many outfits.
I've only shown the white one on the ad. There are over a dozen more in various colors.
That's my week so far. I know I'll soon have some other gowns out from different eras. At this point I've 3 1930s gowns waiting to dance out onto the stage, and 3 gorgeous 1920s dresses. Patience though, this is a very busy week for me and it may be another two or three days before everything is out in the vendors. Until then, I wish you a wonderful day.
Greetings! This blog is about both about the recently begun Steam hunt and last week's releases.
Curious Seamstress has two prizes out for the hunt this year. One at the Carrington Seraph store and one at New Babbage. They are . . . so far . . .
For the Seraph City Seamstress a 1940s women's suit, Polly Primly
And for New Babbage Seamstress a lovely day dress, Rebecca
Those are my current Steam hunt offerings. The hunt lasts for the month of September, and I reserve the right to put out more fun things sometime during the month. This is the only hunt that Seamtress is involved with all year, so now's the time to get some amazing free outfits! I will state here publicly that the only way to get these outfits after the hunt is over will be at full price in my store vendors.
Now for last week's releases!
First up are the Lady line of gowns. These are gowns picked with certain customers in mind. They are customers who have bought many of Curious Seamstress's gowns. Usually in one genre as they have preferences, don't we all! I was trying to think of a special way to thank such wonderful ladies earleir this year, and came up with the gift of a gown. Not just any gown mind you, but one picked out with them in mind. So I have two new Lady gowns, the first is Lady Gynandra, a long time fan and supporter. It pleases me greatly to offer the gorgeous blue wool day gown, Lady Gynandra.
This gown is more stunning in person. It's petable!
Next up is the Lady Savannah gown. Lady Savannah is fairly new to the Seamstress fold, but oh my gosh, she is an avid supporter and someone I have enjoyed chatting with. The gown is handpainted silk with lots of lace and moire rust ribbon. I do love the colors of it!
The last offering for the week caught my eye with its vibrant color, then caught my heart with its awesome fabric, which is a brocaded silk. The pattern on it is that of fall leaves, and in all it's just a breathtaking gown for those fall dinners or dances. May I present, Bella mia
That's it for the moment. I do hope if you have time you'll swing by and pick up the hunt offerings. The Victorian gown has undergarments and comes with hat and gloves. No stinting on my hunt items! The 1940s suit comes with the hat, and is a designer suit of that period. Now, I'm off to finish this week's releases!
I wish you the joy of the hunt, and a wonderful day!
I am a baseball fan from childhood. As a little girl on the West coast, summer to me will always be listening to a baseball game, barbecue, and freshly cut grass on a sunny day. I played many a pickup game with my brothers when I was growing up, and yes, it was a much more innocent and slower paced time. I cannot quote stats nor do I wish too, but I can enjoy a good game of baseball! That's why the video for today is one of my favorite baseball songs ever! It is my ode to summer.
Summer is quickly sliding towards the end of the season and I see fall running in this direction! I haven't yet posted last week's releases so I'm going to do that today. I have several new gowns coming out Saturday morning, but for now, let's look at last week's 5 offerings! First up is Sunshine, a 1920s tea gown I've wanted to make since I first saw it.
This gown was created by Ms. Jessie Franklin Turner, a very important and largely forgotten American designer in the 1920s and 1930s. You will see more of her gowns from Curious Seamstress, but this lovely silk ensemble is made for summer time teas.
Next is Rosemarie, a late Victorian tea gown by Doucet. I've spoken about this fantastic French designer before, and hope you'll take some time to look up his history.
It's a delicate, dreamy gown with lots of lace and chiffon.
Next up are two more modern play suits for those still warm days. Princess Lollipop is a pretty pink confection from the 1950s.
It's meant to be very feminine and fun.
Next is Rockabilly Brenda, based on a 1950s play suit, and perfectly suited for playing on the beach or even a quick game of softball at the park!
Sunglasses are included with both suits.
Last is a costume that can be used either as a ballerina outfit or as a costume or even, if you wish, as a modern party dress. I used it at a mask ball and had a lot of fun with it. It is based on a real ballerina costume. May I introduce, Rose Red.
It's great fun, really! These items can all be found on Xstreet.
That's it for last week's releases. As I said, I have some coming out either late Friday or early Saturday. I wish you all a wonderful day!
Wondering what all the hollering is about? Well, I have on my desk my book. Yes, MY book! The proofs came today and I have spent the last two hours just petting them and looking at them! The book is a fantasy novel, the first of a four. The others are in various stages of the publishing process. But this first book is going to be up for sale on Amazon.com in a week or so. Both as a large paperback and as an ebook.
Jewels of the Kingdoms: Necklace of Nithica, was written about 13 years ago. I put it away for a long time, and then pulled it out again in January of this year. It has been through four computers, several 3.5 inch disks, a flash drive, and now a netbook. The original book was written as about 60 emails to two dear friends. That turned into a 900 page book. Well, it couldn't stay that long, and so I cut it in half. The first half of that story is now sitting on my desk, smiling up at me. It has been trimmed and polished and rewritten in places, and edited, and polished again. It is a hair away from being set loose in the world, after I go through the proofs.
I keep sniffling and staring and petting it. You have to understand that writing a book is like giving birth to a child. You're never sure what the outcome will be, but you're always proud of the results of that labor of love. It has taken much nurturing to get to this stage, and there were a LOT of people along the way who helped me.
So if you wonder what designers of digital clothing do in their off time, well, at least one of us writes stories.
I did have some gowns I released on Sunday, and I do hope you'll go inworld and see them. However, please forgive me whilst I go and cuddle my newest bookchild for a bit, and tell it how very special it is to me.
cordially yours, and with a few sniffles, Kembri
PS. there's a link to the left that will take you to the blog for the book. Since book and clothing business are really not the same beasts, I thought I'd best give it its own blog!
I've been on a short break, but am back and have just released a 1920s wedding gown, as well as a 1920s afternoon dress and a 1940s playsuit! Let's start first with the wedding gown, Miss Gloria.
This is a really stunning gown, quite elegant and sleek. Yes, it IS based on a 1920s wedding gown, but is unlike any other I've seen. When I saw it, I knew it had to become one of the Curious Seamstress wedding gowns. The veil comes with as well as lingerie. A note here, there's two sets of stepin lingerie as I couldn't make up my mind for colors. So one in blue and one in pink.
Next up is a sweet, frothy afternoon gown, perfect for tea or just sitting and reading in the garden. May I present, Miss Flora:
You can wear it without the jacket, but do wear the lingerie or you'll be flashing all the men! The top is a little sheer and so you do need something under it.
Last for today is a 1940s play or swimsuit. Such a fun little flirty outfit! It reminded me of Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, and so that is the name this suit has, Dorothy:
This suit really is quite cute.
Now.. I'm distracted as I consider stuff for tomorrow's party! It is Kem's third Rezday today and we will celebrate wtih a beach party tomorrow, July 25th at noon SLT. Miss Gabrielle Riel will be spinning the tunes for a 1950s 1960s beach party theme! For an LM drop by Blisswood, the mainstore, some time tomorrow before the party. I'll also be sending an invite out to group members.
This week's blog is not about fashion, but about summer time in both worlds. This last week I've taken some time off to enjoy the lazy heat of summer. I recently wrote an email to friends, describing one of my mornings. I'm posting an excerpt for you. This is what I see in my real world, and sometimes it's fun to share with others. Fuzzybutt aka Charlie, is my 65 pound black Chow chow. Now, having said that, this is what I wrote last Thursday:
I slept late, and would have slept longer but I knew fuzzybutt needed to walk. We went out at 1ish, walking under the July sun that tapped down on us. I say tapped because it's still cool enough not to beat on you if you don't stay out too long. We walked along the corn road, me squinting and wishing for hat and shades, Charlie running ahead, pausing to sniff deeply and mark as needed. I looked at the corn plants and marveled, some of them are nearly 6 feet tall now. All the rain is soaked way down, and now the sun is doing its business. You can nearly hear the corn stretching up, reaching for that warm sunshine as the leaves grow darker and darker. They are the deep emerald green of summer now, and there is a steaminess that hovers over the fields as the sun bakes away the last of yesterday's rain. It has the smell of sun heated earth, rich and dark with the promise of growth. Clouds of wispy cotton drift through the perfect, glassy blue sky, and the wind ruffles the fields, dancing over the tops of the cornstalks. I think of the song line 'amber waves of grain' and change it in my mind, to emerald ripples of corn. There is a sound in a cornfield, it is the rustling of leaves against each other, a kind of whisper, as if each stalk is leaning to its neighbor to whisper about some delicious piece of gossip from across the field. Later in the year, in the fall when all the green has dried to faded gold, that rustle will take on more of a raspy rattle as winter steals in. But for now, it is summer, and the cornfield gossip tells me it is a good year, a happy, sunshine and rain fat year, and the corn will be sweet. Especially when it is gently boiled in water with a touch of sugar, then drowned in butter with a few dashes of salt.
That is the perfect sweet corn of summer.
And so it is. I live in the middle of several cornfields in Minnesota, but not too far from a major metro area. It's gorgeous up here this time of year. It's not a time to be missed! I'm dabbling with another release for next week, but last week was a slow down and enjoy the summer week. I hope that you too are enjoying this summer, that some place you'll be kicked back and enjoying some lemonade, sunshine, and good company. Whether it is in SL or RL, be well, and see you again soon.
Happy 4th of July! I hope you'll take a moment to watch this video from the 1940s. You won't regret it! It perhaps explains a tiny bit of what I feel for my country.
I do have a new release this week, '1876 Molly Pitcher'. It's based on a centennial gown from 1876. It comes with undergarments, bonnet and gloves. It's priced lower than most of my gowns in honor of this holiday.
The gown is a bit different than others I've done. It's not haute couture or even couture, but more along the lines of Prairie Couture! I could see this being used in a frontier or very small town in 1876. I really do hope you enjoy it.
Wishing you a happy day, no matter what city or country you live in!
This is an exciting release because it is number 59 and 60 for Seamstress this year. That's 60 new and unique outfits in the last six months, all stylishly done with great details. If you don't know how I feel about recoloring the same outfit in 12 colors by now, then I should reiterate, I don't do it. 98% of my gowns are based on original garments. I'm trying to do two things, digitally preserve an antique or vintage garment, and then bring them into SL so that they can be used and enjoyed by you, the resident. I can't always do a garment exactly as I found it, but I do try. So for all the wonderful ladies out there who have said, 'I'd buy that, if only it were in another color.', my apologies. It will never happen by my hand. Not to a garment I create. But I hear there's a lot of other dressmakers out there who do that! :-)
The video at the beginning of this post made me laugh, and very much reflects the high-spirited and Roaring 20s I've read about. Three cheers for Youtube, and I hope you enjoy the music and the video!
Now for this week's offerings. I have to gorgeous and fun gowns. The first is a 1930s black satin stunner, Missy.
Gorgeous isn't she? It's one of my Satin Doll gowns. Gosh, I think it'd make a great gown for a club singer! But that's just me. It does come with undergarments, including a lovely black lace strapless bra.
Next, my fun little 20s Flapper dance dress. This dress is a sister dress to Hot Honey Rag and Velma's Jazz. I hope you'll welcome Sheba Shimmie into the family!
I love this dress for both the bright color and the sheer shimmy of the skirts when I'm dancing. I tried it with a salsa, it looked awesome, and then with some other period dances I have. It looked good in any style.
And that's it for me this week! I'm gearing up for the 4th of July releases, and hope you're making plans for next weekend as well! Take care and enjoy these beautiful summer days! And a parting gift from me this week . . . another song! One of my favorites from childhood by Nat King Cole. I hope you enjoy it!
This week we have three new outfits, one being a white satin ballgown that could also be a wedding gown. Another is a Victorian ballgown by Doucet, a famous Parisian designer. The third is a stunning copper satin suit from the 1930s.
Before going any further though, I would love for you to take a long close look at this video. As a lover of period clothing, I was thrilled to find this clip that shows waltzing in period gowns. The original Edwardian gown that Miss Theodosia was based on would have been right at home in this ballroom. As would the gown that Artemis is based on, which is also a ball gown. I found the waltzing interesting because the ladies hold the trains of their gowns up, and the gentlemen do not hold the ladies in what we could consider the correct waltz stance. They do not hold hands, but the dancing is graceful and just enthralling to see. I have no idea if this was really done this way or not, but it does make sense when one considers the trains on these gowns. Do enjoy this glimpse into another time.
The first gown is our Edwardian gown, Miss Theodosia.
This heavy satin gown is liberally embellished with pearls and lace on the bodice. Period undergarments come with the gown, which also has resizing scripts in the skirts.
Next up is a gorgeous olive green gown by Doucet. Artemis, named after the Goddess of the hunt.
The last outfit this week is a 1930s satin suit good for everything from a power lunch to an evening at the club. Marlene, named for the famed Marlene Dietrich.
The fedora is included and left modifiable.
I do hope you enjoy the video clip! It really is great fun to watch. The outfits here can be found up on Xstreet or in Second Life at any of the Curious Seamstress stores. Also, if you're curious at all about just how many outfits are out in the store, I've put albums up on flikr containing the ads for gowns that are available. You have over 100 different outfits to choose from, and more in the wings. Yes, my dear customers, I have been quite busy! There are also many older gowns at the main store that are still available. Those are not listed on the flikr site. To get there, just click the link to the right.
We have four new releases this weekend, all geared towards summer in the 1920s. The recording here is from about 1926 and was what I had in mind for our first dress. This is a sky blue dancing dress, "Blue Skies"
As always, based on a real gown, this sweetly sexy dress comes with undergarments that were part of the actual gown! It has a slip with it that has another row of beadwork at the hem, and so that's part of this gown as well.
Next is a day dress, for church or luncheon with friends, this light weight cotten dress has colorful floral and vine beadwork on it. Perfect for the "Summertime"!
The hat comes with, and some lovely undergarments as well, though no stockings as what modern Millie wanted her legs stuffed into hose on a hot summer day?
After lunch, it's time for an afternoon at the beach! With that in mind we have swimsuits for the jakes and shebas who were ready to frolic in the surf and do a little flirting!
Just Ducky! is based on a real late 20s swimsuit. It's cute, and sexy in its own way!
The men's suit has a straw boater, and of course, he's ready to guard the lovelies on the beach!
I hope you enjoy this week's offerings, and that your Sunday is full of fun and sunshine, no matter what world you're in!
First, happy real birthday to my dear friend, Miss Breezy Carver! She's one of those sweet people that everyone should have in their lives some place! She's kind, thoughtful, and always looking out for her friends. I hope that her day today is a special one.
Now for gowns! I have one this week so far, and a man's bathing suit. Let's do the men first this time!
This is a fun Victorian man's bathing costume, complete with straw boater. May I present, Victorian Beefcake! ((avatar beefcakce not included))
The other outfit this week is a woman's gown from the Belle Epoque era. It originally belonged to Mrs JP Morgan jr. The gown is stunning and comes with two skirts. One more formal ball length, and a shorter one for dancing. I hope you'll enjoy, Mrs. Morgan:
The gown is as always based on a real gown that is now in a museum collection and not on view to the public.
Both items are up on Xstreet.
That's it for today. Again, happy birthday Miss Breezy!
