Project: Nigella Smethwyck

I'm rising to an opportunity here; we've got a local photo meetup wanting to do a photo shoot of us in a couple of weeks, and so I'm sewing/making frantically, to meet the challenge. My Steampunk wardrobe could use some dramatic improvement. I mean, I wouldn't want to wear just any old thing. Would you?

The project is essentially to outfit Nigella. Nigella is a femme fatale in the best sense. Her purposes are less nefarious than the stereotype would imply. She is far more independent than most of her peers, and views gender roles as arbitrary and outmoded, and in any case inapplicable to her. She also exhibits some aspects of the courtesan archetype; she is - shall we put it kindly - rather Bohemian in her private affairs. Nigella is the the creatrix and aesthete.

Nigella tends to prefer deep dramatic colors and luxe fabrics. Although her habit is always very traditional and elegant, she has no qualms about donning gentleman's attire when the job requires it. The ensemble usually includes a hidden deadly gadget or three.

The "sub" projects are as follow:

• A demi-train skirt, fuller in back, to permit bustling. (In process.)
• Drawers (Done. Probably.)
• A walking stick (In process.)
• A sidearm (Done.)
• A holster for sidearm
• Glovettes
• A hat (Feeling a little indecisive about the hat.)
• A hand-bag. The skirt being all gores, there were enough wonky scraps to make a hand-bag. (In process.)

Project diaries to follow. The astute reader may notice that some of the comments have been posted to my G+ account, but I'm consolidating. Thank you for your forbearance.