Huge Dress Update-O-Doom

This weekend has been very fun, if not hectic and at times frustrating. The bad being work harassing me pretty much non-stop, and Mo being a poor little sick goggie and pretty much, keeping me constantly carpet cleaning up piles of sick. (And also a splitting headache-trying-to-blossom-to-migrane that thankfully went away after a couple of hours. Sneak in the pills early and head it off at the pass!)

The good - being to hang out with all the awesome seamstresses (guild?! hahaha)! Holly came down for the weekend, and both dragonfly_sidhe & The Strid spent a goodly amount of time crammed in my sewing room. Thea drove up on Saturday, and experienced the wackiness that is a sewing weekend - and survived! (I hope!)

I've fallen behind in my posting about this *bleep-ety-bleep-bleep* dress, so here's the quick version:

Figured out the frogs - but yet to make them....It's a four-strand braid....




I actually finished the pinked sleeves! (Although I don't have any pictures of the finished product. *lamehead*

I graphed out the pattern I drafted up (remember my previous sleeve misadventures? Yeah. Like that.)

The grain is running down my arm, so I could (relatively) safely pink on the bias and not have it all fall to shreds in seconds. I used my trusty pinking chisel to create a quatrefoil starbursty thing in each of the squares....(I was only about 1/6 the way through in this picture, but it looks like I hadn't even started!)


Whew! Finished! Only a few bruised knuckles to prove it! They look very plain and sad when lying so flat! I also decided to pink *only* the outer sleeve to try to save on the chance of ripping and fraying or best-case catching on my belt or something.


Anyway, when the fabric moves, it kind of weirdly looks like fish scales.


Closest pic I have to the completed sleeves is Mitri 'helping' me sew on the braid to the seams....


For about two seconds I thought about putting some gold trim on it, but then decided not to. (the final straw was realizing it looked very 'trendy pirate')


I also FINALLY figured out the sleeve treatments! Woot!!!!! I do not have pictures, tho. Boo! I got a good head start on the kirtle, which I ended up deciding to do a solid pointy-front on to make it viable as a dress in its own right. The bodice is 90% done, just needs rings, and the skirt is cut out and hemmed - just needs pleating and trim (that the ever-lovely bodice_goddess sent to me!!!) around the bottom. I should have made the kirtle first - I am a bit worried that the overdress will be a bit too snug when all the underthings are on.

So, after the kirtle is done, I have left to do:

-partlet
-wired veil
-hood for mah honee because I feel so guilty that he has no new clothes

In other seamstressing news, dragonfly_sidhe is nearly done with her new gown (which is SO BEAUTIFUL), as is The Strid, who calls her dress "The Sexy Tomato". Her dress is so ADORABLE!

I made Hollyness some new gutchies and a partlet, which I am quite fond of! It works pretty well with my dress, if I do say so myself!


And bonus sneak-peek at the jewelry Hollyness made for me! :) YAY!



I think I will end up making a flat-necked partlet (like I made for Holly) - I don't think the giant popped wing-ness of the collar will play nice with the curved pleat/gathered style. (It's the corner that I think sticks too far out. I messed around with pinning the point in - It looks OK (with the ruffly partlet over it) but I don't want that to be a permanent solution)

*phew*

Hopefully I'll be better about updating as things finish up!

Oh, hey ladies! We really REALLY need to get a Photoshoot of us all together, K?

:D