eff yeah costume!

Court dress and train ca. 1815

Fashion plate, 1811

Arsène Lupin (2004) - Eva Green as Clarisse de Dreux-Soubise wearing an off-shoulder evening dress made of white chiffon and lace with yellow fabric floral appliques.

The dramatic necklace worn by Eva is reminiscent of the famous Queen’s necklace, made by the Crown jewellers Böhmer and Bassenge and decorated with 540 diamonds.

The Black Bull of Norroway is a graphic novel based off of a classic fairy tale. It features a strong heroine, Sibylla, and a diverse cast of characters that, we hope, will offer representation to a variety of groups. The comic is a collaborative work from artist-writer-sister team, Kit and Cat Seaton, who have finally come together for the sake of this work.

ABOUT THE STORY

Sibylla is just nine years old when the forest witch changes her life forever. A prophecy: she will be the bride the Black Bull of Norroway. In some ways, this is a blessing. As Sibylla grows she can avoid the advances of other boys, claiming a betrothal to a creature who may or may not exist. Sure, her life may be a life of waiting, but it is her own. Until the Bull comes to collect his due, and Sibylla discovers the prophecy wasn’t simply mincing words. The Bull is, quite literally, a bull. This story follows Sibylla as she struggles to come to terms with her fate, a fate she’s not sure that she wants. Along the way, she must question the very nature of humanity itself. What makes a man? Is it blood and bone? Is it mercy, compassion? Or is it something else? A tale of expectations and crushing reality, truth and illusion, The Black Bull of Norroway is more than just another fairy tale adaptation. It is a beautifully illustrated glimpse into the human condition.

ABOUT THE CREATORS

Kit and Cat Seaton are a team of sisters who strive to tell stories to illuminate the dark. Both have been devoted to their respective crafts from childhood, always harboring the ambition to draw, to write, to create art that possesses a breath of life. At eight years age difference, it wasn’t until Kit returned from her first year of college that the two began to combine their talents. Cat writes the script, and Kit transforms words into images. They have tossed around many projects and now, after years of striving to find the right story, Kit and Cat are ready to begin sharing their vision with the world.

Our fundraising campaign will launch on Patreon on Oct. 1st. The webcomic will go live on Oct. 31st, update weekly, and be free to the public to read. Please follow us on Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter @petramagpie to receive updates! We’re so excited to show you what we’ve made, and there is so more to come!

Michele Carragher 

Embroidered details in Game of Thrones 

‘Michele Carragher is a London-based Hand Embroiderer and Illustrator who has been working in costume on film and television productions for over 15 years. She studied Fashion Design at The London College of Fashion, where the course incorporated design, pattern cutting, garment construction, embroidery, millinery and illustration. At the same time she attended a three year evening course in Saddlery at Cordwainers College learning skills in leatherwork.

After leaving college Michele worked in Textile Conservation, repairing and restoring historical textiles for private collectors and museums, specialising in hand embroidery. She then moved into a career in costume for film and television, initially working as a Costume Assistant/Maker on productions such as the BBC’s Our Mutual Friend, ITV’s David Copperfield and Mansfield Park. She soon gravitated towards the decoration and embellishment of costumes, using skills in hand embroidery and surface decoration, taking inspiration from the many historical textiles she had encountered working as a Textile Conservator. 

The first production that saw her undertake the role of a Principal Costume Embroiderer was for HBO’s 2005 Emmy Costume award-winning production of Elizabeth 1. Her most recent work has been on HBO’s 2012 Costume award-winning television series Game of Thrones, working on all three seasons.

As a Costume Embroiderer Michele specialises in hand embroidery and surface embellishment, using traditional hand embroidery techniques, smocking, beading and surface decoration. She works directly onto the completed garment or starts with motifs and textures on silk crepeline/organza, which are applied to the costume and then worked into once on the actual garment. She also works on existing machine embroidery designs that are not too dense, adding some hand stitching and beading to give a more authentic, hand-finished look.

Michele finds hand embroidery has more flexibility and diversity than that of embroidery created by machine, as there is a greater variety of thread choice and colours to use. It is also possible to work more easily on garments that are already constructed. However, machine embroidery in combination with hand work can be very useful when completing many repeats by creating light outlines or a less dense machine stitch, work can then be completed by hand and again can be carried out on a finished garment.

Michele is a highly creative Costume Embroiderer, producing original designs as well as working closely to a costume designer’s brief to create their desired look.’