Do you want to pitch in to help the first annual Jewelry City Steampunk Festival become the best event it can be? Do you need community service hours for school? Do you want to hang out with a bunch of creative people for a day in Attleboro? Then this opportunity is for you!
Author: Jewelry City Steampunk
Steampunk Festivals for the Uninitiated
My first introduction to steampunk came during a playdate.
Some Assembly Required
Today I’m going to show you how to put the garment together.
Snippin’ and Stitchin’
When last we left our heroes (you), we had just picked out our patterns and fabric for your steampunk costume/attire. Porter picked out his pattern; did you pick out yours?
So you want to make a Steampunk Costume?
Well, don’t be too intimidated. I’m going to take you through the basic steps. Remember: thrift stores, costume shops, vintage stores, or online are all easy ways to piece together a costume without doing any sewing. But I’m going to take you through some steps to show some basics of sewing your own costume.
Venue Spotlight: Ezekiel Bates Lodge
Built in 1929 by the freemasons of Attleboro, the Ezekiel Bates A.F. & A.M. Lodge is a beautiful example of Greek Revival architecture and is still in regular use to this day. Located at 71 N. Main St., the building boasts tall and graceful ionic columns and a simple triangular pediment, both hallmarks of the Greek Revival style in America.
Death for Auction: a steampunk murder mystery
Up until recently, Cleverly-Steelworks was the biggest name in modern Victorian technology. Eleanor Cleverly used her considerable genius to invent new technologies, and Julius Steel found ways to turn those inventions into cold, hard cash.
But when Julius decided to sell some of Eleanor’s inventions to the military, Eleanor felt that was a step too far. She wanted to change the world, not destroy it. Eleanor deconstructed her inventions, turning them into jewelry in the hopes that she could make something beautiful out of something so terrible.
Interested in steampunk but not quite sure about it?
That’s okay! You don’t have to come in full steampunk regalia to enjoy a steampunk festival, although looking at others in steampunk regalia is half the fun. You don’t have to be an expert at steampunk culture to enjoy a steampunk festival, either.
However, if you want to steep yourself a little bit in the culture before the festival, I have some suggestions.
Why a steampunk festival in Attleboro?
I am a new resident of Attleboro, but a longtime history lover, museum nerd (in the best sense of the term), and steampunk aficionado. Attleboro is a beautiful city with an extremely walkable downtown, train access, and an amazing, vibrant, global and interesting industrial history.
What is steampunk, anyway?
While doing the research on steampunk festivals, I noticed there are as many theories about steampunk as there are people who enjoy it. And, to me, that is one of the finest things about steampunk. It is an ideal of Industrial era aesthetic, as if Victorian people have been thrust into a more technological future, but can be imagined any way a person likes. Because it’s truly and purely make-believe. I am an unabashed nerd and live in many different worlds besides reality, and this make-believe in so-many-different-styles steampunk world draws me to it, since it is anything I want it to become. And my make-believe steampunk world recognizes and accepts your make-believe steampunk world. THAT is the true beauty behind it. So many sub-genres of culture reject anything that isn’t “it” or “cool” but steampunk is accepting and a loving sub-genre of inclusivity.
Jewelry City Steampunk Festival 