Sis was able to come over tonight and work on her Brueghel dress that has been in the planning stages for....months. We got the draping and patterning all worked out, so the next thing to do is get all the pieces cut and start on the sewing frenzy.
I plugged away a bit on the Cranford dress, I got quite a bit done, even through it doesn't really look like it, because there is *so* much handsewing and gathering involved.
Bad news is I broke one of my gathering threads, so I'll probably have to re-do the entire bottom. Poo. But at least I'll know what I'm doing a bit better this time.
There is a couple of things that I fudged in the construction, mostly because I mis-read the instructions, but I think it will still turn out OK.
I've been working on my CC '09 dress...feeling quite pleased with it. I still may make a 'fancier' one if I have time. If I use the same pattern, half the battle will be fought trying to figure out the pattern....at any rate, here is what I've been doing!
I've been working on ripping off the old ribbon and lining the bonnet with a light cream silk. Not quite sure if I like it or not...but then again, I don't know jack about the period! ;)
I got the lining all cut out and darted, hand stitched down. (Yay, I can do darts now!!! muahahaha!!! Take that, medieval/renaissance periods!)
(ok, I'm sorry med/ren period, I love ya. But I do love stretching my sewing skillz.)
I've also cut and started on the fashion fabric for the bodice. I *think* everything will fit just fine, I didn't do much fudging with the original pattern. I hope it turns out ok, my quick "throw on the lining and see if it works" was perhaps too quick. I'm not sure how the bodice is actually supposed to lay. I'm hoping the ruching along the bodice will hide a multitude of sins....
It's kind of hard to tell, but these two pieces took a bit of doing....the shoulders and waist have gathering lines, and there is what the pattern instructions call a "style line pleat" (It's the faint blue line curving downwards on the right pic). It ends up looking like a curved seam on each side back, but it's actually a curved fang-shaped tuck sewn down. Kinda odd, but really cool. (And I've done yet another sewing thing I've never done before on this one project!)