I started in the top right hand corner of the background, and I'm liking the color I chose for the background more than I did a couple of days ago. (The colors and shading look a bit muddy in the pictures, it's not so in real life, I promise!) This feeling may change once I get to the poor little squillel, but right now, I'm happy. Also, the shading on the gilly flower is a funny thing - in some lights, it looks completely one shade of red, where in others, the different shading colors really *pop*. Huh. I am really enjoying the background filling work - very mindless and not too stressful. I've had one tiny snarl I only found rows and rows later, and I didn't have the heart to go back and fix it. I still haven't found a solution for the "divot every two lines" problem through. I have a feeling that if I broke the cardial rule of canvas work and alternated my half cross with a continental stitch, the problem would go away, but would that end up giving me more problems down the road than a faint horizontal striation? Anyway, on to the pictures -
Also of note, the "scroll" part of my scroll frame is failing epically. (If that is even a word) I spent so much time getting the tension *just right* on the lacing, and now it is looking like I am going to have to move to a different frame. I really don't want to use a slate frame, as it would be too large to haul around with me every where I go, and a good portion of this project is getting done while on my lunch break at work.
I'll see if I can fix the fail, but if not, I will need to find a different solution. Boo.
House is 94.2% conquered! It's the fiddly things like washing mirrors and dusting baseboards (and, let's face it, the laundry room that will never be *clean*) that's left, so I can move on to my sewing room (o'doom) with relatively little guilt. I've been so bummed about my poor room lately, that I haven't even gone in there in weeks. (And I have the completely full DVR to prove it......it skipped recording "Castle"!!! Noooooooo!)
It is so bad. Really, really bad. I spent an hour trying to clean up last night, but only got as far as putting away some of the stuff I got last time I was in LA, and getting the garbage can corner all bagged up and ready to go to the dumpster. Back in the day, I thought I had my room organized to the point that everything could be put away and off the floor, but somehow my stash has been multiplying without my knowledge, and there is No More Room. I also need to re-think my pattern and book storage. Argh. I miss the days of my sewing room looking like this:
Because right now, it looks more like this:
I'm starting to get a serious itch to get sewing again. I've not done a single productive thing in what feels like forever!
I have a few goals for this week:
1. Finish cleaning house (after a few weekends of neglect, things are getting a bit.....overwhelming.)
2. (re)Organize sewing room - is in a depserate state indeed
These two goals are in preparation of the following four goals: (Which hopefully will all be complete by mid-Mayish.....hahahaha I'm so funny!)
1. Make hubby outfit for upcoming camping season
He says he wants this:
I'd rather see him in this:
Or better yet, one 'o these:
All I have to do is slap an applique on his wool tunic, and he has his first choice....but he needs a new something-or-other to add to his wardrobe. And I'm not digging the fit of his current tunic. Again, I bemoan my mens garb suckageness.
2. Finish handsewn bodies (seriously, I'm nearly done....I can't believe they've been sitting in this state for so long!) Needs eyelets and binding and straps. All the hard work is done! When we last left this project, all the casings were lovingly hand-sewn.....
3. Make (at least) one camp outfit - TBD. The images below are particularly inspiring to me right now....
4. Start on 18th-ish c tea gown (or rather "gown to make and wear to tea I'm hoping to put together sometime in May-ish").......Akshully, I need to start with figuring out what I want to actually *do*......here are my initial thoughts (mostly because I have the fabric on hand to do either of these!) Still needs much consideration and deliberation before I start.
This is one of those projects that doesn't necessarily *need* to be an 18th c, but I need some sort of reason to make one, and the tea (which I am hoping will actually get off the ground) will be a perfect excuse. If I get buried in other projects, I may fall back on the purple Romantic, since it's only been worn once, and is lonely...
After all that, I need to finish up the red striped dress for Costume College....remember this from last year? The hat is still in itty bitty pieces, the bodice still has no buttons/holes (yes, I am still terrified of buttonholes, since you ask....), and not a single skirt has been completed. Yeah, I need to get cracking on this. Honestly, tho, a couple of weekends, and I could totally knock this one out. All the really hard stuff (read "bodice fitting") is done!
And hopefully a more-different-other tea dress.....some of my initial thoughts: (Again, these in particular have caught my attention because I have been collecting fabrics that would be appropriate for pretty much any of the following)
I have the *perfect* taffeta to do this one. I seriously love it, and if I don't do it for CC, I'll have to find some other venue for it, because it will be made one day....
Stripes! Lots and lots of Stripes! (Yeah, I need to start *using* all the striped fabric I've been hoarding)
Plaids of various styles....I like each of them, for different reasons!
