The last of the petticoats is very nearly done! (w00t!!!)
I've been plugging away on the corded petticoat for a week now, but have not taken the time to post about it, until now. So, no 'making of' for this one, more of a 'this is what I did' type thing.
Apparantly, 38 rows of cording casing is MY LIMIT. ;)
The top section of cording is the smallest (5 rows), then a 1 1/2" space, then the largest section (20 rows), then another 1 1/2" space, then the second-largest section (13 rows)
And another view...
In the spaces between the cording, I'm using the same crochet cotton I used in the chemise "lace" to run a wavy line of stitching all the way 'round. I only have 2 1/2 hoops left to go on the last row... very nearly done!
Next up I think is drawers....I want to get *all* the underthings squared away before I attempt the dress(es). I still have not decided about putting the 'lace' around the armholes. I'm thinking I will. Hmmm. Oh! That reminded me, I'm not done with the chemise anyhow.....I still need to stitch down the yoke! Argh!
I'm getting pretty nervous about it. (eep!) I realized the other day that I may have to hit the fabric store *one more time*.....I need lining material for the bodices. I've been trying really hard to keep the spending to a minimum so we can get the yard put in asap...I'm tired of bare dirt and weeds all over the place.
It's late, and I need to get to bed, hopefully my posts make any klind of sense in the morning!
G'night y'all!
One side of the guards is completed....only one more side to go! Holly is working on finishing up the handsewing on the undersleeve so I can construct the whole shebang. The dress was originally supposed to be completed by Uprising (which is a month away), but Holly decided at the last minute that she wanted to go to Quest (next week) and she wanted to debut the dress there. Which is totally cool, I just had to light a fire under mah butt to get things done, and Holly has been conscripted into forced labor to help get everything completed.
The guard(s).........
I ended up sewing the ribbons to the bodice after all, and I think they'll work out just fine that way. When/if the ribbons need to be replaced, we will just have to unpick one side of the guards and unpick the ribbon stitching. So, not too bad, I suppose.
I did a deeper hem than I normally do to give the skirt as much body as possible. Man, that hem took *forever* to finish! Measure....fold....press.....pin..........repeat (x2)...............sew it all down. Yikes!!
I think the shoulder straps could have standed to be thinner, but in the end, I have hope that the overall effect will end up OK. I'm really excited to ge the whole ensemble together and do a photoshoot! (teehee!)
HRH Sati wants something 'Roman' for their stepping-down. The person in charge of the wardrobe for the even asked me if I had any ideas.....Oh the joy! She might be up for wearing crazy awesome hair (wig?) !!
(Sketch-y sketch of ideas)
Also, the iris from the wedding are blooming...it just tickles me pink! (or purple, as the case may be!)
Here's the sleeves for Holly's Blue Dress....The whole thing is one solid sleeve that will tie on at the shoulders. The outer (blue) sleeve cap is going to be cartidge pleated to the inner sleeve to get the pleated fullness on the portrait.
Tea, beauuuutiful tea!!!! I've been without my favorite beverage for almost two weeks! Today, my fix finally arrived...
Yay! Bonnet! I'm going to replace the ribbons, they're a bit on the cheap side.
And a side view....Yah, I'm in the bathroom. Heh. In my searches on the interwebs since I purchased the hat, I've found some other types of bonnet that would probably have worked better, but all in all, I'm pretty happy with it.
And now both of my patterns are here! I think I'm going to be able to double-duty all the underthings I've been slaving over. I'm actually pretty nervous about using patterns, since I usually don't have much luck making things from a pattern, but this is such a new arena for me, I really need a good starting point.
Because this bonnet (at least for now) is going to serve double-duty for both dresses, I'll probably keep the trimmings to white or cream. I need to do some more research and find out if there are anything out there that will inspire more trimming ideas. I feel it may need something other than just the ribbon edges.
he chemise is nearly done -- only need to hem and stitch down the neckline on the inside....
Here's what it looks like with the corset:
I started with directions from http://www.elizabethstewartclark.com/main.htm. This pattern calls for a straight strip to be used for the neckband. I didn't want my chemise poking up all funny, I I made mine from an oval. Also, my upper arms are all chubbified, so the sleeves directions did not end up as planned, so I changed them up enough to work for me. I french seam/flat felled the whole shebang, but on my *very last* seam, I did it backwards! Argh! It's not that noticable, especially since, ya know, it's *underwear*, but I know it's there. :(
I did one of the Blue Dress sleeves over the weekend, and while I don't think it's a period solution to the craziness shown in the portrait, it's what Holly wants. I forgot to snap a picture before I left for work to show....it's all one piece, undersleeves and all.
