Adventures of a Wanna-Be Seamstress

Solstice 2011

2011-12-12T18:46:00.001-07:00

I had a wonderful time at ~~my birthday party~~ Solstice! John came to his first court event, and Jaquelinne kindly shared her table and spread as a 'home base' for our little crew. (By the by, she shared the most delicious goat cheese I've had in quite some time.....I need to find out where she got it!) Final court put a damper on our dinner plans with Aine's crew (*sad*), but a small cadre of people ended up going to dinner in garb (except for Jane) at Macaroni Grill.

I made a whole bunch of plain (due to potential nut allergies) toffee, and pawned it off on anyone who would take it. The tub disappeared towards the end of the event, but I'm not to sad about that, since I technically met my goal of not taking a single bit of toffee home!

I wore my chopines all day long with a trained skirt and a very crowded hall, and managed to only have one close call! I (at the end of the day, wrestling with bags and skirts!)

I had multiple comments containing the words 'elegant', 'graceful' or 'statuesque'. Never, ever, ever have these words been applied to my person! It is amazing what happens to ones carriage when one is aware (and slightly terrified) of every step!

Hubby took some pictures of the event, and they turned out quite nicely, if I do say so myself! It will be nice to have some more photographic evidence of events past; after the first year or two, I stopped taking pictures at events, and now, of course wish I had been taking pictures all this time!

I have for you, a Post of Substance!

2011-12-06T18:09:00.001-07:00

I have not been feeling well for going on two weeks now, and I took a day to stay home and sleep and take cold medicine…..I feel better right now than I have in days!

Which brings us to The Post of Substance…..(I apologize in advance once again, for my severe lack of photography skillz.)

I’m going to talk about pinking machines!

While Other Noelle was here, I gave in and purchased one of the swanky versions of the Simplicity rotary cutter. Because I’m a ‘go big or go home’ kind of gal, I purchased every cutter blade I could get my hands on. (I am really hoping for more styles…..wouldn’t it be lovely to have something that would do pinked scallops?!)

I would very much suggest buying the machine and blades on sale, while it is a fantastic machine, it’s on the pricey end, for what it does.

I was kind of surprised as I started playing with it to realize that you need a Phillips head screwdriver (oddly enough, not included in the package) to unscrew that clear plastic piece every time I wanted to change the blade. There is a safety switch that doesn’t allow the machine to run without the cover, which is kind of silly. I’m sure I can resist the urge to stick my fingers in a rotating cutting blade. I’ll be thinking of a way to keep the safety switch engaged all the time, so I can operate without the cover, or a way to quickly snap the cover off and on.

The adjustable width guide is pretty flippin’ awesome. There’s also a pedal and a separate speed adjustment knob which is pretty helpful.

Ok, on to the cutting blades! Well, the term ‘cutting’ is a bit misleading….the ‘blades’ aren’t at all sharp; pinking is achieved by squishing and stressing the fabric fibers until they break apart….which is the same way my antique pinker works. The antique pinker and the modern motorized version work surprisingly similarly, in fact!

The antique pinker has the blade on the bottom of the plate, and the blade is adjusted up/down;

Whereas on the Simplicity cutter, the blade is stationary, and the solid cutting wheel is adjustable underneath the plate;

Here is a sampling of the cutting blades currently available for the Simplicity cutter:

Small pinking:

Medium wave:

Large wave:

Medium scallop:

There’s also a straight cutter (awesome for cutting strips!), and a deckle cutter, which I didn’t purchase.

My antique cutter (which I purchased on eBay some years ago) has a much more decorative cut: (although it needs to be cleaned and tuned for a better cut!)

My Favorite Toffee Recipe

2011-12-06T11:25:00.001-07:00

1 lb Butter
1 c. Water
2 c. Sugar
1/4 c. Karo Syrup
OPT. 1 Tbs. Vanilla
(this recipe scales up really well. One batch will make a roughly 11x17" sheet of toffee)

Boil all ingredients in a heavy pan on med-high heat. Stir *gently* with a wooden spoon. As the consistancy changes, test by dripping into glass of ice water; toffee will be ready to pour out when hot toffee makes brittle strands in icewater.

There are temperatures you can track for readiness, but I prefer the old fashioned icewater method. After making toffee a couple of times, you'll be able to guess fairly accurately when the toffee is done, the color and consistancy changes quite dramatically when the toffee is ready.

Pour onto parchment paper lined pan. (I like to pour mine on my parchment paper covered marble counter.... The thickness is perfect by just letting it pool) After cool, dab the top with a paper towel to soak up excess oil.

OPT: melt chocolate while boiling toffee. Pour over cooling toffee. Add toasted nuts, or whatever sounds delicioso.

When completely cool (factor in at least a couple of hours!) break into chunks, eat, and enjoy!

I did sewing! (and candy making....)

2011-12-05T16:51:00.001-07:00

My sister and I got down to business and nearly completely finished the doublets for the boys' christmas gifts. We're down to buttons and ties now, exciting!
Last night, I also taught Astrid how to make toffee (or at least I was trying to be a bit informative while making it! )
It is also my birthday this week, hard on the heels of my first 'real' paycheck in nearly a year. The point of this story is that I want to buy myself a present, and I can't decide if I should get
A) Some books that have been taunting me from my amazon wish list/other various and sundry 'wants' from the land of Internet.
B) Fabric (my stash *desperately* needs some fleshing out after the last two years! Mostly basics, but I want something new and inspiring! )
C) Bias tape maker (the super fly kind.... That would go with my awesome strip cutter. Hm, I should post about my strip cutter, it's awesome!)
D) 1820's-ish corset. That time period is severely lacking in my wardrobe, and I'd like to at least *try*
Because no post is complete without pics, here's one of my recently (mostly) reorganized costume closet. I just need to find the time + energy to go through one last room of sewing/costuming/book/craft horror show, and I'll be feeling much, much better!

Wouldn't this make a lovely cutting table?

2011-11-28T00:26:00.001-07:00

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=320802078071&index=7&nav=SEARCH&nid=30688481147

Turkey Hangover

2011-11-25T13:48:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving dinner was quite a success! It was so fun to host various family members, and get the kids together. I am so thankful the family pitched in on side dishes and setup, you guys are lifesavers!

My stuffing didn't turn out nearly as well as it has previously, but oh well, the turkey turned out fabulous, if I do say so myself, and the cheesecake, pumpkin and apple pies turned out better than I could have hoped. I somehow missed the mark on my pecan pies, but still edible.

As soon as I can get the dishes under control, it'll be time for turkey noodle soup.....one of my favorite things about leftovers!

Here; look at pictures!

2011-11-20T11:42:00.001-07:00

I finally got a minute to get to my computer (started new job day after Other Noelle left to go home). I don’t have much to say about the pictures that follow, other than I am so glad they’re done, and I think Other Noelle looks smashing in her new gowns!

OMFGBBQ

2011-11-13T01:58:00.001-07:00

So. Updating regularly during the sewing extravaganza….not going so well. Mostly because the 18th c is trying to kill me. Kill me dead. There were some major issues RE: back pleating/neckline yoke, but for the most part, they have been sorted out.

There are some serious fitting issues in still to be addressed in the pictures below, but just to prove that we have, in fact, done something, here is some proof:

The wide gap in the waistline of the first picture has been narrowed quite drastically, and I’m still pondering how to fix the bagginess of the side seam (probably involving unpicking seams and re-doing them outright), and some lining issues to be sorted out, but it at least looks like a dress.

I really just want to lick Kendra’s brain and gain enough knowledge to get this bloody thing done so we can move on to the enormous list of other things to be done this trip. The schedule is woefully behind at this point, and I’m getting nervous!

Skirts and Pattern Matching

2011-11-09T20:05:00.001-07:00

I was asked a question today that got me thinking….hey, I don’t even know how many yards go into my skirts!

Figuring Out Skirt Yardage

My basic (very basic, no gores, cartridge pleated) methodology is this:

(Personal caveat: I rarely actually measure. I rip out the first panel, using the “step on it and pull up to waist” method, plus a generous hem allowance, and do pattern matching from the top by “rounding up” to the next matching element at the bottom of the fabric and cutting there. I feel like I’m not making sense. Please let me know……)

waist-to-floor" x 2/3/4 panels + 12+" = total inches needed

waist-to-floor" My waist-to-floor, straight down* is 41”. I find that if I measure straight to the floor, I (usually) get a good walking-length when petticoats are added. I usually don’t wear shoes with heels, but if you do, make sure to either add a few inches, or do your base measurement with the heeled shoes you’re gonna wear on. (If you’re feeling particularly confident, skip the whole measuring bit, and go ahead and rip off a panel as I described above for the first panel, and use that as a guide for the rest of them)

Where it gets different is if I’m doing pannier skirts, haaauge bum skirts, or anything with a cage/crinoline, but basically same dealio, get the waist-to-hem measurement**.

2/3/4 panels This is where it gets a bit….squidgy, and has a lot to do with personal preference, type of fabric, type of skirt, width of fabric etc. I usually end up doing two or three panels, as a general rule.

12+" More squidginess over here. The very, very bare bone minimum I feel comfortable squeaking out a skirt + hems is 12” over all. (that gives me a mere 3” hem, since about an inch is taken up in doing the cartridge pleats) More hem is always safer.

So, all that to tell you with no pattern in the fabric, that I use 2.6 yards (very minimum) to 5.5 yards (very maximum) for a plain, no gore/train cartridge pleated skirt. I suppose my average skirt is somewhere in-between!

Pattern Matching Skirts

Ok, now on to pattern matching in skirts. The basic rule of thumb is, the bigger the pattern repeat, the more yardage you’re gonna need.

For fabric without a pattern repeat, all you have to do is figure out your length, and you’re set to cut.

The very first thing to do when figuring out yardage for patterned fabric, is to measure out your base panel (in this case, 46”)

Unless you’re really, really lucky (it’s only happened to me once), your pattern isn’t going to just match up with your specific measurements***.

The top of the panel starts half-way through the repeat, so the 2nd (3rd, 4th) panels will also need to start 1/2 way through the first repeat.

Here is a link to a post I did about how to figure out the top curve when attaching skirts to bodices without all that fiddly draping. After sewing the panels together, that’s the next step in my skirt/gown construction process.

*An easy way to get this measurement with no help is to step on the measuring tape, grasping the end (the 1” end!) and stand up straight, holding the end of the tape to your waist. Bend over, and see where the edge of your foot is marking. Here is a totes cool stick figure showing you what I’m talking about:

**To get a waist-to-hem measurement with hoops, it’s backwards from the waist-to-floor measurement. First off, it’s easiest to have someone do it for you, but if you’re totally stuck doing it yourself, make sure your measuring tape isn’t all curly at the ends (like mine tend to be), or use a retractable metal measure-y thing. What is that called? Ummmmmm…..huh. Just googled it. I guess that’s called a Tape Measure too. Anyway, I digress.

So, put on your hoops or petticoats, or whatever fluffy bits you’re gonna be wearing , and feed the 1” end of the tape to the floor, going over whatever bit of you is sticking out the most.

***FYI: most modern brocades & jaquards I’ve used have been woven so the two selvages are the same. This makes it easier to match up patterns. There have been times where the patterns are off-kilter, and instead of matching across selvages. If this is the case, then you’ll have excess at the top of one, and at the bottom of another. If this doesn’t make any sense, lemme know and I’ll draw it out.

Wow!

2011-11-09T18:21:00.001-07:00

I certainly don’t deserve it, since I’ve been a Very Bad Blogger over the last few months, but woohoo! I am now at 50 followers!

I’ll have to think of some appropriately seamstressy give-away to celebrate. (I am open to suggestions…..)

With that in mind, I hereby swear that I will be a better blogger in future! (And I have the perfect opportunity coming up, since Other Noelle will be here to sew for a week….)

Post of Updates

2011-11-09T10:53:00.001-07:00

Collegium went very well, and was far better attended than I could have possibly hoped. From all accounts, it was a success. I still have some paperwork to do (ugh), and return the keys to the site. (bad Noelle!)

Just as Holly left to go home after an extended stay to get her gold gown completed, Other Noelle (from CA) is coming to visit. We have a full schedule of sewing to get done, and I am extremely excited!

My garb room (actually guest room) is getting a complete overhaul as Other Noelle is the first in many more house guests through the holiday season. (sorry you had to sleep in a mass of petticoats, Holly!)

Because no post is complete without pictures, here is one of Tiny, taking over the entire bed:

The NOT ACC dress

2011-11-02T18:44:00.001-06:00

Holly was originally going to do this gown for her ACC entry, but she decided to pull out of the competition….but that also means that I got to do it for her instead!

The gown itself isn’t anything new, it’s the same side-back lacing bodice style I’ve been enamored with lately, with the addition of a teeny tiny train. (This was a last-minute addition, so I didn’t end up doing a gore in the skirt, but it turned out quite nice nonetheless!)

What I’m totally excited about are the freakin’ cute sleeves. Holly wanted something ‘different’, so she brainstormed and surfed portraits to show me some of her favorite elements. This is what we came up with:

The teeny tassels really make the dags *pop*…..I’m really excited about them.

I didn’t really do any dress diary pics, but rest assured, I futzed and agonized over the best way to go about making the sleeves, and I changed my mind (as is my prerogative, right?) at least a dozen times. I’m pretty pleased with how they turned out!

The jewelry, of course, is Holly’s own work, and more information on how and what she did can be found on her blog.

We only had a short while to grab pics before she had to leave, so the lighting is atrocious, but you’ll get the idea, right? I’m hoping to get better pics this weekend at Collegium, with her own partlet and chemise, and hair done properly!

Holly’s Gold Gown

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Still left to do:

Second row of stitching on padded hem
Steam iron the heck out of the hem
Button/loops for sleeves

More Progress (sort of), and even more drama in the household

2011-10-27T23:07:00.001-06:00

And the hits just keep coming......Last night Holly and I were concerned about the hollowed, skeletal look developing on one side of Tiny's face. I made an appointment with the vet first thing in the morning.

Basically, he (probably) has an auto immune muscle wasting disease that attacks facial muscles. At the worst, it could give him a kind of lockjaw in which would make it impossible to open his mouth. It could also make it painful to chew. Right now, he seems to not have any side effects at all, other than the cosmetic wasting. We are hoping that with steroids, it will halt (and hopefully reverse, even a little bit) the damage.

Anyway, after all that drama subsided a bit, I was able to continue to work on Holly's gown, albeit more slowly than I had intended.

I am hoping to get the skirt fully attached before I pass out tonight!

(Ummm.....my SD card is not playing nice for some reasoon! Argh! Pics forthcoming....)

Full Day!

2011-10-26T22:07:00.001-06:00

I got Holly's skirts cut, sewn and pleated; just need to get them attached to the bodice.

Val came over today, and I got her set up with the basics for a steampunk costume. (She may be coming back tomorrow to make a hat, but we will see....)

I also tested out a new hairstyle on Holly (courtesy of my cousin Jessicas blog)....I'm quite pleased with the result!

Actually sewing! OMG!

2011-10-25T14:30:00.001-06:00

I started digging into Holly’s bodice this morning, and even took pictures! (Ah, excuse the messy background, I didn’t realize how awful it was!)

Alas, it’s a pic of boring pad stitching that doesn’t even show up that well, so meh. But my post now has a pic!

The remainder of the day is going to be divided between dinner (roast is in the oven, rolls are rising, and pumpkins are mashed for pies…..I’ll have to take breaks periodically to keep the kitchen magic happening!), and getting the bodice underway. My own personal goal is to get the bodice 100% done so the evening can be spent eating nommy dinner and doing eyelets.

Tomorrow should be skirt attachment and patterning – I’m hoping to keep up the momentum, last time Holly came up to sew, I was so sick I barely left the couch all week long! >.<

Oh my gaws this dress is Faaaaabulous!

2011-10-14T00:00:00.001-06:00

Dress, ca 1867, Kent State

I now know what I am going to do with that million yards of black lace! (But now to find striped silk satin.... Woe is me!)

Long time, no post!

2011-10-12T16:39:00.001-06:00

It’s been a really, really long couple of months, but the short version is Hubby has been in the hospital for 8 days for necrotic pancreatitis, and had surgery to remove a portion of his pancreas and remove his gallbladder.

Shortly after he came home from the hospital, my little Momo fell off the bed and broke his leg in two places. For a couple of weeks, they thought it would heal in a cast, but eventually, it was decided that the leg had to come off, as the bone was not knitting.

Pepper in other various and sundry ‘crappy life stuff’, and I’ve not had a single thought put towards sewing for what feels like forever.

Now that things are settling down, I am hoping that I will be able to get back into the swing of ‘doing things’; especially sewing things!

The current project is to help my sister get my two older nephews suited up in doublets for their respective birthdays!

So far, we have all the bits cut out, and the peplums sewn. A couple more serious sewing sessions, and we should be done. Hooray!

I’ve officially withdrawn from the ACC, but if things continue to look up, I’ll probably try to play along anyway.

Also of semi-related note, I’m in charge of scheduling the upcoming Collegium, and I am breathing a heavy sigh of relief that I’ve actually had time to devote to it, and things seem to be in place.

I’m also co-teaching a couple of classes at Collegium, so it’ll be a long day!

I apologize to any readers I still have out there…..I promise I’ll be gearing back up to a regular posting schedule!

Long time, no post!

2011-09-22T15:34:00.002-06:00

I feel I had better give an 'official' notice - "Adventures of a Wannabe Seamstress" is on hiatus for a little while.

I'm hoping to be back and blogging within a couple of months, but until then, feel free to browse through my blog.......I've added a bunch of stuff from my Livejournal blog if you get bored and want to look at some of my old projects.

Noelle/Serafina

Update

2011-09-07T11:03:00.001-06:00

I've been posting to Facebook (a bit) and google+ (a lot) but have neglected to post here. Hubby has been in the hospital all week, and this morning, finally got a diagnosis of necrotic pancreatitis.

It's been a long haul, and surgery is still forthcoming. Anyway, hit up google+ if you want more of a bow by blow, or FB for general updates.

I return you to your regularly scheduled blogging!

ACC: Muff

2011-08-17T22:53:00.001-06:00

I finally got myself into a craft store and picked up matching floss, and while I was there suddenly decided I wanted a bigger button than I had in my stash, so I picked up a small package of bigger wooden beads.

I spent a couple of hours messing around with different thread wrapping patterns, and finally came up with one that I can live with. I wanted the buttons to have a little bit of gold in them as well, so I ended up with gold ribs.

I only have two more buttons to go, but got bored doing them and moved on to the loops. I'm doing a seven stranded round braid with 4 gold and 3 red. Somewhere along the way, I messed up the cord, so the pattern shifts a bit, but it doesn't bother me enough to re-do it!

ACC: Muff

2011-08-16T12:37:00.001-06:00

I'm still stuck on muff ponderings. Right now I'm stuck on whether or not to use faux fur, or the beaver pelt. (Below, beaver on left, faux fur on right)

I'm leaning towards the faux fur, just because if I mess it up, I wouldn't be terribly upset. The color is kind of weird, however.

Hmmmmm *ponder*

I'm going to drop by a craft store in a little while and pick up some floss either way, since I'm going to need it anyway. (I'm still a little shocked that I don't have an appropriate color in my stash, but at about $0.40 a pop, I'm not too worried about breaking the bank!)

ACC: Muff

2011-08-14T23:57:00.001-06:00

I messed around for a day and a half with couching and different embroidery ideas, but finally settled on letting the fabric speak for itself. I’m pretty sure I’m going to do a black (or brown) velvet muff in the very near future as well, so I’ll probably save up my embroidery energy for that project.

I decided to center the muff on the oblong motif on the fabric, and as luck would have it, worked out quite nicely.

I remembered my nice, wide gold lace from my stash, and decided that it would give a little ‘excitement’ to an otherwise dull muff. Here’s the trim pinned in place:

It didn’t take too long to stitch down the trim, and I quite like how it turned out.

The only thing that concerns me is I’m not terribly enamoured of the finished size. It seems a bit long to me, hmmmm. If I can convince myself that I like the proportions, I’ll cut into my beaver pelt. If not, I’ll use some of the faux fur I have lying around and do an embroidered velvet version for the beaver.

I thought that I had some embroidery floss is the correct colors to do buttons, but alas, I do not, so I’ll have to the first (of hopefully few) purchases for the ACC.

MMM Pics

2011-08-13T21:32:00.001-06:00

I finally figured out the best way to get Lil Miss to sit still long enough to get her picture taken was to have her sit on my lap. It was so hellishly hot, I finally gave in and took of my sleeves for a short while. I promise, I wore them for most of the day! (As a side-note, my sister came up with a cunning plan to keep my sleeves on properly – the trick is to twist the loops before buttoning. Amazing!)

My nephew was so insistent on having his picture taken while roaring and screaming around – way too much energy!

The trick to get him to pose properly is to get him to sit with his sister!

Here are a couple “in action” shots of Lil Miss in her kirtle. She was twirling and spinning and dancing around so much, it was hard to get a good shot!

At the end of the day, there was a “torchlight” boffer tourney for the kids – with glow light necklaces taped to the swords, shields and helmets. Michael was so excited!

I didn’t get any pictures of the red surcote, as she wore it last night (and apparently she wouldn’t take it off last night to go to bed!), and I didn’t remember to grab any pictures of the “owen incess” (roman princess) dress.

Kiddie Garb Accomplished!

2011-08-12T19:16:00.002-06:00

I finally finished with the dress for my little niece. It's certainly a cold-weather/night time outfit, as it is all wool and very snuggly. I don't have any pictures of her wearing it quite yet, but here is the finished project:

2 outfits down, one to go!

2011-08-12T13:34:00.002-06:00

Sis finished both the surcoat and roman outfits. I'm done with the kirtle, and just need to finish up the sleeves and cape. Lil Miss will be well dressed for the event!

"Incess Dess" (princess dress)

2011-08-11T19:52:00.002-06:00

The easiest way to get my niece to wear anything is to tell her it's a princess dress!

My sister and her whole family are going to the event this weekend, but my little niece has nothing to wear! So sis and I raided our collective stashes to come up with some quick and easy outfits.

We cut out everything, and have nearly finished a sideless surcoat out of scrap red velvet.

I'm currently working on eyelets for a Kirtle (cape and sleeves) and hopefully will have it done tomorrow early AM.

Sis is finishing up all the underthings, and a quick Roman, so hopefully by the end of the day, Lil Miss will be completely dressed for a full weekend!

Totally Creepy, or Cute as a Button??

2011-08-10T17:06:00.002-06:00

aaaaand, I made a .gif!

How do i make a gif

Another informative posty post

2011-08-10T14:21:00.000-06:00

This website, "Old and Interesting" is a font of information!

"Antique household equipment, furnishings, utensils - housekeeping as part of social history. Domestic life, household management - how people organised their homes and did the daily chores. Yesterday's everyday objects are today's antiques or museum pieces, and we may view them with nostalgia or curiosity about past ways of life. Old & Interesting takes a look at how these everyday things were actually used, how people managed their home life - and more."

Bijbel van Anjou

2011-08-09T17:54:00.001-06:00

OMG, have you been over here? (Be sure to click through all the pages and use the zoom in/out buttons)

Moar extant stockings!!!

2011-08-09T17:21:00.001-06:00

Fabulous new pictures of stockings from the tomb of Tyco Brahe.

ACC Accessories: Muff

2011-08-09T15:36:00.001-06:00

“Venetian Women of Mature Age, and Dismesse”Vecellio, Cesare, Margaret F. Rosenthal, and Ann Rosalind Jones. The Clothing of the Renaissance World Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas. London: Thames & Hudson, 2008. Print. (pg. 136)

Muff detail:

“…muff of fine fur lined with silk, velvet or some other fabric for the winter…”

“Winter Clothing of Venetian Noblewomen and Other Wealthy Women In Our Time”Vecellio, Cesare, Margaret F. Rosenthal, and Ann Rosalind Jones. The Clothing of the Renaissance World Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas. London: Thames & Hudson, 2008. Print. (pg. 130)

Muff detail:

“At that time of the year they also wear a muff lined with fur, which protects their hands against the cold. These furs are marten or sable, and the muff is of black velvet or some other silk fabric, fastened shut with buttons of oriental crystal or gold.”

I decided on a gold patterned brocade as the outer shell, as gold is fairly neutral and would match multiple outfits.

As I am not fortunate enough to have either marten or sable in my stash (and no, I’m not going to disassemble one of my precious zibies to obtain it!), I’m finally going to use my plucked and shaved beaver pelt*! I’ve had this fur in my stash for about umpteen million years, and have always been terrified to cut into it, but now is the time!

This fur is the most soft and plushy thing I’ve ever felt in my life, it’s delicious!

The pelt is roughly 13” x 15” in the middle, with various hangy parts that if needed, can potentially be pieced for a larger finished fur.

I need to double-check my stash, but I do not believe I have any gold or crystal buttons or beads that would be large enough for buttons, so I most likely will be substituting thread-wrapped buttons for the closures.

Both muffs pictured below have a relatively thick border around the edges – I have yet to determine what exactly I’m going to do about that.

I’m also wondering if I want to do some couching on the brocade to give it a bit more oomph – I guess it’s time to sit down for realsies and figure out exactly what I’m going to do!

*Say that phrase until you giggle!

I have an addiction to rose-flavoured sweets….

2011-08-07T01:00:00.002-06:00

……and it is imperative that I try out this recipe! And even more awesomely, apparently it’s adapted from a recipe in '”The Accomplisht Cook” by Robert May (1660)

Rose Cream*

1/2 liter double cream

3 tablespoons rose water

2 tablespoons caster sugar

5 leaves gelatin

Directions:

1. Soak the leaves of gelatin for 5 minutes, then squeeze out and dissolve in rosewater in a cup, placed in a pan of boiling water.

2. Gently heat a quarter of the cream, dissolve the sugar and then stir in the gelatin.

3. When it has dissolved, remove from the heat and add the rest of the cream.

4. Pour into a wetted mould and chill until it sets.

5. Tip from the mould and decorate with petals or fruit.

I found this recipe when I went searching for something comparable to these delicious little guys:

I haven’t found anything yet, but really all it is, is chocolate-dipped rose fondant, so really, it shouldn’t be all that hard!

And while searching for a picture online for the Beech’s Rose Creams, I found out that there was such a thing as Violet Creams. (!!!)

I want to try these so bad…..Yum!

* I didn’t look too hard, but there are a few different recipes that call for cream & rose in some sort of boiled pottage pudding, the first more of a custardy pudding, and the second more of a gelatiny pudding. (Which is the one I would assume the modern interpretations above is taken from) I would actually like to try both of them at some point!

A boil’d Pudding.

Beat the yolks of three eggs, with rose-water, and half a pint of cream, warm it with a piece of butter as big as a walnut, and when it is melted mix the eggs and that together, and season it with nutmeg, sugar, and salt; then put in as much bread as will make it as thick as batter, and lay on as much flour as will lie on a shilling, then take a double cloth, wet it, and flour it, tie it fast, and put it in the pot; when it is boil’d, serve it up in a dish with butter, verjuice, and sugar. (pg.177)

To make other white Jelly.

Boil two capons being cleansed, the fat and lungs taken out, truss them and soak them well in clean water three of four hours; then boil them in a pipkin, or pot of two gallons or less, put to them a gallon or five quarts of white wine, scum them, and boil them to a jelly, next strain the broth from the grounds and blow off the fat clean; then take a quart of sweet cream, a quart of the jelly broth, a pound and half of refined sugar, and a quarter of a pint of rose water, mingle them all together, and give them a warm on the fire with half an ounce of fine searsed ginger; then set it a cooling, dish it, or cast it in lemon or orange-peels, or in any fashion of the other jellies, in moulds or glasses, or turn it into colours; for sick folks in place of cream use stamped almonds. (pg. 206)

Tufted Buttons

2011-08-06T20:34:00.001-06:00

Holly came down to visit while Kao was away on business, but job interviews and a nasty cold has taken up pretty much every moment, up until now!

We looked at inspiration portraits and decided some design details for her ACC dress.

Her main inspiration portrait is this beauty:

Bronzino, Agnolo. Portrait of a Lady. 1550. Oil on canvas. Galleria Sabuada, Turin.

She’s using blue velvet from my stash (to be traded for probably jewelry at a later date)

Because I’m still kinda feeling out of it, I suggested that we work on cording and buttons first, and do some pattern drafting and cutting tomorrow.

I kind of had a plan of how to create tufted buttons like the ones on the portrait, but I wasn’t sure if it would work until I sat down with needle and thread….And I had to figure out how to do it before I could teach her!

Here’s what I came up with, something similar looking, but not quite a copy:

1. Start as you would a regular thread-wrapped button, but with extra length. (I’m using a arm-span length)

2. This is where it gets a bit different. Tie off the thread on the bottom, then go back up through the top and use a needle as spacer for the loop, and go back down 2x…..if that makes sense. (I may still be a little loopy….)

3. Take the needle out of the little loops; now this is where the tufts are going to be anchored. I used the back end of my favorite bone crochet hook as a spacer……loop through the anchor loops as many times as it takes to get a pleasing puffiness. (In my case, 7x)

4. Wrap around the base of the tufty loops to lock in place, and plunge the needle back through the bead core. Firmly square knot, and voila! Tufty cute buttons!

5. It’s a good idea to dab a bit of glue on the end of the button to make sure that everything stays in place, then all that’s left is to sew onto a garment!

Holly and I have dubbed these “Blueberry Buttons”, as Bethaval has “Cranberry Buttons” on one of her recent(ish) gowns!

Another Post of Many Things

2011-07-30T12:35:00.002-06:00

-Bethaval and CeeCee are heading over in a little while to come and play in my sewing room….I’m so excited!

-Holly may be able to come down and visit for a few days next week; there are so many things that we’ve been talking about doing, we seriously need to write up a list and prioritize our various projects!

-Because I had to skip Costume College this year (BOO!), I'm going to re-think my costume calendar for the rest of the year. I’m hoping to be able to make it out to Dickens Fair this year. It’s been on my ‘wish list’ for a long time, so I think this year may be the year! I have a couple of gowns in my closet that would work, but really, any excuse for a new dress, right?

-I’ve more or less decided on doing a ‘fancy’ brocade gown for the ACC; now I just need to settle on a fabric and exact design details. More details to follow.

-I really want to make sure that another costumed tea happens before the end of the year, more on this to follow as well!

PSA: Jewelry

2011-07-28T15:33:00.001-06:00

A website called “Sweet Romance” has some awesome stuff, and is currently having a sale on some pretty rad swag!

These ‘Jewel Pear Earrings’ are particularly lovely, and come in multiple colors. (Though of course, the teal/peacock is my favorite…

p.s. Be sure to scroll through pages, the “Next Page” button is kind of hidden at the bottom right; it’s kinda pinkish….

Tip courtesy of Jannean!

PSA: Silk for under $19

2011-07-28T15:25:00.001-06:00

Bangkok Thai Silk appears to not have been hit as badly with rate hikes; their silk taffeta is mostly $9.99-$10.99.

And OMG, do I want this SO bad……it’s gorgeous!

Tip courtesy of Jaquelinne!

Chocolate-Dipped Turkish Delight Crème

2011-07-28T10:43:00.002-06:00

Sounds yummy, right?

I went looking through my lotions to find something super-moisturizing for my ill-fated pedicure yesterday, but alas, there was nothing to be found. Holly and I have been discussing doing another skincare cooking day (we are just now running out of all the lip moisturizer after many, many years!), and that got me thinking….

I didn’t have too many supplies on hand, but I managed to concoct what I’m calling “Turkish Delight”, due to the chocolatey-smelling cocoa butter & yummy rose oil. It smells so delicious, I can barely keep from eating it! It smells just like the little tray of chocolate turkish delights that sat by the register at the corner market in Pennard….oh memories!

Turkish Delight Crème

7 oz. cocoa butter
7 oz. coconut oil
1 1/2 Tbs. Jojoba oil
8 drops rose oil

In double-boiler, melt cocoa butter & coconut oil. Add jojoba oil when melted, mix well. Take off heat (if very hot, let cool a bit before adding oil), and add rose oil. Whisk periodically while cooling. OPT: beat with mixer to make light and fluffy! (Beating also lightens the color)

ETA: I now have my feet all wrapped up and soaking in my new crème and massaged the extra into my cuticles and elbows and spread the last bits on my slightly sunburnt arms.....I smell like a candy shop! My new favorite lotion/body butter!

AC Challenge

2011-07-28T00:33:00.001-06:00

I’m just now able to sit down and ponder my options for the upcoming ACC. In my stash, I’ve been collecting fabrics over the last few years for specific gowns, which fits into the challenge nicely.

There is a $100 limit to spending, so choosing something I’ve had on my mind over the last few years makes a lot of sense, although may not be the most ‘wow’ thing in the world.

Here’s the basic information for the challenge:

Layer 1: The skin layer. Create underclothes that someone from your selected time period would have worn. Examples include braises, drawers, smock, chemise, camacia, shift, gomlek, corsetry and so on.
Layer 2: The main garment. Create the main garment from your selected time period. Examples include kirtle, gamurra, kosode & hakama, chausses, sarafan, bliaut, cotehardie, doublet, the toga and so on.
Layer 3: The outer layer. Create a garment that would have been worn for warmth or formal occasions. Examples include ropa, saia, surcoat, jerkin, coat, peplos, kaftan, entari, a stola and so on.
Layer 4: An accessory. This could be shoes, jewelry, a hat, stockings, a handkerchief, gloves, a suit of ruffs, an almoner’s purse, and so on.

Blue gown ( s )

It’s on the plain side, but I love, love, love this outfit. I have the perfect velvet and linen to do this outfit, and I’ve been meaning to do it ever since I saw it a couple of years ago. What makes me hesitate is the plain-ness of it…..for a competition, it’s not very flashy, but it would be so nice to have the ‘excuse’ to hand sew the whole thing.

I recently found the second portrait, and would probably ‘steal’ the sleeve treatment for the gown underneath; not only is the color scheme remarkably similar, but the neckline and sleeves would lend itself fairly well to the over gown. (I think…..)

Carracci, Agostino. Portrait of Anna Parolini Guicciardini. 1598. Oil on canvas. Gemäldegalerie (Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz), Berlin.

Anguissola, Sofonisba. Bildnis Eines Paares. 1570. Oil on canvas. Uffizi Gallery, Florence.

Have	Don’t Have
Blue velvet (coat	Embroidery floss (buttons, loops, trim on coat)
White Linen (camacia/sleeves)	Silk (veil)
Blue Linen (kirtle)
Organdy (partlet)

Brocade gown ( of some sort )

I really want to have a fancier brocade gown of some sort. I’m not sure exactly of what style, but something with lace and awesome accessories. Even if I don’t do this for the challenge, I’ll be doing this soon.

Vecellio, Cesare. Habiti Antichi, Et Moderni Di Tutto Il Mondo. In Venetia: Appresso I Sessa., 1598.

Have	Don’t Have
Various Green Brocades (gown)	Gold bits (belt)
Linen (camacia)	Fan bits
Organdy (partlet)
Lace (shoulders & partlet)
Pearls (jewelry)

Teal Gown

I’ve had this gown on my mental wish list for a very long time, and have had the teal silk in my stash for at least 2 years. I’m slightly worried about the off-the-shoulderness of it (which is why I haven’t done it yet), but the portrait has lovely accessories, and is of a type that not a whole lot of people do. I’d have to do some research on appropriate “Layer 3”.

De Kempener, Pieter. Portrait of a Lady. 1530. Mixed media on poplar wood. Städel, Frankfurt.*

~~I have this one listed as “Portrait of a Lady”, but no further info – googling has proved unhelpful, as has~~ ~~tineye.com. Would be grateful if anyone has further info…..~~

Have	Don’t Have
Teal silk (gown)	Gold bits (jewelry)
Linen (camacia)	Silk (partlet)
Gold cord (couching on gown)	Fan bits
	Glove bits

*Thank you to Hastings, who not only told me what my ‘lost’ portrait was, but about Google Image search! WAY better than tineye.com! (It’s Google, of course!)

Incommunicado

2011-07-27T19:27:00.001-06:00

So, my phone decided it needed a dunk, and took a header into what what supposed to be a relaxing foot bath. I have a replacement phone on the way in the next few days, but until then, if you need to contact me, email/google talk are the best methods. :|

Barons War–”The Big Day”

2011-07-24T18:22:00.001-06:00

This weekend has been absolutely magical; I cannot express how much I appreciate all the hard work and effort so many people put in to make this day so special. I am so very grateful for everyone who pitched in and volunteered their time, efforts and skill. I love you all so very much!

Caught with a goofy look on my face during vigil (the heat was too much to bear with the walls up, so I took down as much of the wall as I could while maintaining a modicum of privacy):

The food provided at the vigil and subsequent feast was all so delicious, I was in serious peril of not fitting into my dress properly

Feast

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I managed to have my eyes closed, or a goofy look on my face just about every picture taken in my gown – I’m hoping that someone else caught me looking less…….

My sisters’ whole family was there, minus my sis – I missed her so much, but I know she was there in spirit. (Besides, she’s being paid to bum around London, I can’t feel to bad for her….):

Don Vilhelm heralded for me, and I processed with a whole gaggle of my (quail chickies) friends, and escorted by my husband. You may wonder why in the world I have this picture in here; Johanne provided last-minute candles, as court was pushed back and I ended up processing in the dark….it’s funny how things happen; one of my original ideas involved candles, but I cut it out for simplicities’ sake…..but I ended up with candles after all! It was beautiful!:

The last moments before the ceremony:

….Called before TRM; I have my Apprentice belt slung over my shoulder as I hadn’t at this point been officially released from my Laurel:

I don’t have pictures of everyone who spoke for me, but I am hoping with all the cameras around, I can grab the remainder!:

Speakers

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Swearing my oath:

Laurel regalia (Especially special as Aine, Bethany and Lisa all collaborated on it!):

Dubbing:

Presentation of the scroll:

Most beautiful scroll in the history of EVER. I cannot express how much I love this piece, it couldn’t possibly be more me, all done in my favorite colors, and each little element was so lovingly thought out;

The two baby pygmy goats at the top:

the two quail (chickies) in the left margin:

Cozmo and Demitri as supporters at the bottom:

Tiny Barsky taking a nap in the bottom of the right margin:

and me in my blue silk Italian gown with my crazy veil (if I had one that long, I assure you, I’d wear it!), with various implements of my favorite artistic endeavors (I’m pretty sure I’m sewing on the PPoD!!!)

Sleeves update

2011-07-20T00:13:00.001-06:00

So the sleeves are constructed.....just need to do button, lace cuff and figure out how the aitch-ee-doublehockeysticks to attach them!

My mom and dad spent the afternoon yesterday making yards and yards of velvet tubes (for which I am forever grateful!), now I just need to sort through the actual attaching! Hopefully with some sleep I can come up with something!

I had someone drop out on a piece of clothing earlier today, so I'm hoping I can finish the sleeves and the last minute chemise tomorrow, leaving me 2 days to do laundry, pack, and do any last minute stuff.......wish me luck!

Red Gown–Sleeves & lace

2011-07-19T12:08:00.001-06:00

I’ve got a whole mess of lace to work with, and I think I’m suffering from having too many options:

I like the pattern on this one, but I’m cringing at the synthetic content:

These two are on the cheezy/little girl side, I think, but might be made more appropriate with some creative clipping or embroidering:

My second choices if I decide the synthetic of my favorite pattern is too much to bear are one of these two, probably the first one.

Gah! Decisions, decisions…..

Red Dress Roundup

2011-07-19T11:20:00.001-06:00

Because I was having trouble with the stamp and running out of fabric very quickly, I decided to cut my losses and try to find a different sleeve that would work with the gown I’ve already made. What I came up with is this:

Muziano, Girolamo (1528-1592) Portrait of Vittoria Colonna (1490-1547). Galleria Colonna, Rome, Italy

This is a fabulous find for me, for two reasons:

1) It makes me feel a lot better about a partlet that I already have 90% complete. (It’s just the hems that need to be done…..worst case, they don’t get done; it’ll be hidden inside my bodice anyhow….) If I had more time, I’d do the rows of ruffles and the cords with wee tassels, but I’m feeling like it won’t happen. (But that’s OK, I tend towards the plain side anyway)

2) The sleeves have a lot of interest, and aren’t like anything I already have in my closet.

Back to the sleeves for a minute. Because I built my gown bodice to have the shoulder straps sitting on top of my shoulder, rather than the decidedly off-the-shoulder look in the portrait, I had to change some of the details in the sleeve to make it work, but I think it works anyway.

The biggest change I made to the look of the sleeve is to create a sleeve cap that extends up to the shoulder strap, rather than the straight-across poufy band in the portrait. This is also probably a good idea for me because I tend to have hams hanging off my shoulders rather than arms.

Sleeve muslin

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Here’s what the sleeve looks like on me: (The bottom is wrinklier than I want, but I think that’s because the sleeve isn’t pulled up all the way, and the seam allowance isn’t turned under at the wrist…..when all is said and done, I’ll turn over however much I need to at the wrist to make is lie smoothly on my arm.

(Forgive the disaster area that is my sewing room! Oh, also, you can see my sister in law, Anne, standing in the back. I’ve been helping her make a late 1400’s gamurra & giornea – I am so impressed! She has been sewing for a very short time, and is already very accomplished. I explained (poorly) how to draft a sleeve pattern, and off she went! I couldn’t believe my eyes! She’s going to be an amazingly talented seamstress, I can’t wait to see what she does next!)

I had originally thought to selectively ignore the horizontal stripes on the lower sleeve, but after doing a test pinking, I realized that a couched cord between the rows of pinks would make the whole thing much more stable. So now I’m 3/4 done with couching the first sleeve…wish me luck!

If all goes according to plan, here’s what it’s going to look like. I haven’t quite decided if I’m going to line the pinking with black or white…..opinions?

Oh! I forgot to tell y’all!

2011-07-17T05:28:00.001-06:00

TinyMan is the very first UKC Altered Italian Greyhound Champion!!!!!

*SQUEEEEEEEEEE!*

“It’s hard work to be this cute”

(Also, that’s Old Man Mo sleeping on top of Tiny!)

In Which I Tell What I’m Gonna Post About Later:

2011-07-17T04:54:00.003-06:00

1) American Duchess “Georgiana” shoes - After having them in my possession for almost a full week, I finally pulled them out and tried 'em on. I'll talk in detail about them later. (Probably)

2) Plan A B C D for Barons War Dress. Yes. I have found a solution to partlet woes, sleeve worries, and veil angst. Tis a cunning plan. (I’m going to pretend I meant to go this direction the whole time, no really.)

3) Awesomeness that I received ~~today~~ yesterday for Barons War

4) Ancient Greek "chopines". Awesome, right? Right.

My new car!

2011-07-07T23:53:00.001-06:00

No, not really, I wish! (it was for sale though.......)

On the way home from spending time with Astrid, Holly and Gypsy, I saw this beauty on the side of the road and had to get a pic!

More doggie updates

2011-07-02T22:13:00.001-06:00

Quick news update: Tiny won BOTH shows today!!! He just needs to go in the ring once more, competition or not to get champion!

Purple Turkoid = wearable!

2011-07-01T17:42:00.001-06:00

I couldn't stand it, so I decided to re-do the trim. My mom came over the other day and helped me remove the beads. (Then did some awesome braids!)

So now my trim is fixed and I don't have to mope about it anymore! All the buttons are attached, so now all that is left are the loops!

TinyMan FTW!!!! (non sewing post, sorry!)

2011-07-01T17:10:00.003-06:00

Even though Tiny was an absolute terror in the ring, he managed to beat out his gramps for "Best Male", "Best of Breed" and "Best in Show"!

Way to go, Mr. Tiny!!!

Little bit of progress, little bit of setback

2011-06-30T11:31:00.001-06:00

I don’t have pictures at the moment, but I replaced all the nail heads on my chopines; I removed all the plain headed ‘pins’ (actually scrapbooking brads) and replaced them with honest-to-goodness decorative nail heads. The effect is very subtle, but I like the new look, and the pins are much, much more stable.

Also, I mentioned the other day that I’m having problems with my sleeves…..if I can get through two sleeves without *$%&#ing up, the design looks like this:

I’m very quickly running out of fabric, so I’m thinking it may be time for a Plan B. (Gotta figure out what that would be!) If I had unlimited fabric of this color, I would bend it to my will and make it work No Matter What, but since I’m running so low, I’m scared of continuing and ending up with no sleeves at all.

I spent a little while last night making pearl ‘buttons’ for the coat. I actually wanted to use decorative headpins, but all I had on hand were plain ole flat tops. I made a few ‘buttons’ with just the large pearl bead and head pin, but found that the head of the pin kept wanting to pull all the way through. No Bueno!

I went back to my stash and experimented with a bunch of different small beads to use as a ‘cap’, and settled on a small pearl. Not the best/prettiest solution, but 1) it works 2) is stash.

Now for the final test. Here is the trim with the bead buttons in place:

I still really wish I hadn’t made the trim mistake, however, with the buttons may be slightly less noticeable. (I would be putting a crystal underneath the bottom most button to continue the pattern repeat)

So, what say you? Can I get away with it, or should I plan on carefully snipping and re-sewing?

Pictures!

2011-06-29T21:06:00.000-06:00

Left to do on the bodice do-over:
-Sleeves
-Buttons/holes
-Ruffle hem

As you can see, I changed the neckline from the last attempt....I'm kind of liking it! :)

I am inordinately proud of The Strid. She created a gorgeous vest from a sketch in just a couple of days! I should get a close up of her welt pockets, they are truly amazing.

And bonus happy dog.....

Hubris will be punished…..

2011-06-28T17:13:00.001-06:00

I was feeling oh-so-good telling my little stories this morning…..I should have known there was something around the corner!

………well, I started on my sleeves, with everything going absolutely perfectly until over 3/4 the way through. My stamp slipped and made a right mess of an entire sleeve.

GRRRRRRR!

It’s the little things that keep one going….

2011-06-28T13:27:00.002-06:00

Recently, a couple of interactions have really buoyed my confidence and made me feel really, really good.

At Laurels Prize Tourney, one of the other entrants came up to me and said “Oh! You’re the one who taught buttons!” I was a bit taken back since I didn’t recognize this lady at all, but replied that I had, in fact taught about fabric buttons at Kingdom Collegium last year. She went on to tell me about the outfits that she had made for herself and her husband using my technique, how well it worked, and had even taught a lady in her group that very same morning about the magic that is fabric buttons.

It seems like such a little thing, but she was so excited about it all that I was walking on air for the rest of the day. I felt reinvigorated to teach even more classes, and to get back to some sewing.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the presence of mind to exchange contact information, and I for the life of me cannot remember her name, but mystery lady from the North…..you MMD. Seriously.

I also had a chance to catch up with Beatricia. I tried to explain to her just how much she has influenced me over the years, but she tutted and said “Me? No – you were already well on the right path”.

But seriously, this woman has guided my every costuming thought*, though I only saw her but once or twice a year. She has always been so kind and supportive, giving gentle criticism when due, and praising the positive at every opportunity.

She certainly doesn’t only treat me in this manner, but has always been this kind to everyone. I truly aspire to be at least a little like her one day, she is my hero, both in costuming and in deportment. I love this woman so very much, she has given me an ideal to aspire to.

*I kid you not, when I’m waffling about something or thinking about taking a shortcut, I think to myself, “What would Beatricia say?”

Uh….if I told you aliens abducted me, so that’s why I haven’t posted, would you believe me?

2011-06-27T10:46:00.002-06:00

What? No?

Oh.

Um…..well, life has been capital C C-R-A-Z-Y.

And then there’s getting ready for Barons War. Which is only a few short weeks away. Yikes! Good news is, there is more or less only the whites for hubby and I to go (plus some other nit-picky things as far as the clothes go….I’ll get into one of those things in just a few paragraphs.)

But I should update on what I’ve been sewing on! Although there has been silence on my end, and my steam is certainly running out, I’ve still managed to be somewhat productive.

Here’s me with tiredface and wild hair. But look at my hair – not really the hair, but the pearls and bows! Since all of my hairpieces match my old hair color, I also need to make more braids; I have two different shades waiting for me to test out and make up some hair pieces. (The ribbons are gold….kind of hard to see in this shot, but are trying to mimic the pink ribbons in the portrait below….)

I didn’t have enough gold findings to do pearl-and-gold as I was originally thinking of, but I think plain pearl suits me better anyway. I’m really mostly a plain-jane kinda gal. Here’s one of the portraits that has the hair action I’m kinda going for:

Here’s one later than my target date, but is plain pearl, sans bows: (Argh! My portrait stash says “isabellademedici1560”, but can I find a link? No. Boo. No cookie. Will attempt to find it later today.)

And here’s the ‘big’ update……the Turkish coat is nearly done! (I’ll explain the ‘nearly’ part in a minute…..)

Over all, I’m pretty happy with it!* It’s a bit shorter than I had originally planned, but what with limited fabric and somewhat wonky hem action, there wasn’t much I could do about it.

What is really bugging me, however, is the skipped space in the trim. Of course it didn’t happen, yanno, on the hem in the back or something. No. Right. Smack. In. The. Front. See it?

Of course I didn’t notice it until all the trim was sewn on and I put it on for the first time and looked in the mirror. I saw it and about had a breakdown.

Anyway, so my options thus far are as follows:

defensively walk around with my hand firmly placed like the portrait and cover up the mistake. (Not too practical, I admit)
try and forget about it, (Yeah. Right.) and tell myself that no one will notice. (See above)
Re-do the trim from that spot down. (Time consuming and especially difficult as it’s sewn down now.)
Use that empty space for buttons. (Most likely scenario)

I was going to put massive pearl buttons on the edge like on the portrait, but because now of my epic fail, I may cut off the crystal spacers for 8” or so and pretend that I meant to put the buttons on the trim instead of next to it. This seems like the least time-intensive option, though not perfect. My ARness wants me to rip the trim off completely and re-do it all, but that is just not gonna happen.

Below is a detail of the trim on the portrait…..see how the buttons are on the edge of the trim?

So, opinions please: Just how dorktacular would it be to move the ‘buttons’ over to the center of the trim to hide my boo-boo? Like so:

Ok, enough angsting about that for a minute. Here is a close-up of both the neckline and the sleeve:

ETA: I should mention that the reason I’ve not listed re-spacing the beading as an option is because the trim has little spaces for each of the elements, so I’m not sure if I’d like putting the crystal in the ‘X’ of the undulation rather than in the center as the rest of them are. Dunno. Does that change anyone’s opinion? (Um, yeah, it is much more obvious IRL than it is in this crappy pic.)

Also of note, whether I end up using the partlet I’m not-quite-in-love-with-for-this-outfit is done, thanks is large part to my momma and Elizabeth! I do like this partlet, but maybe just not for this dress. I’m still undecided!

Also of note, I picked up the blackwork for my camacia (potentially new/4th partlet) from the ever-fabulous Jaquelinne this past weekend. It is smashingly awesome. Seriously, you have no idea! My goal is to get that piece into a finished garment by the end of the week!

I also dropped off linen with my Apprentice sister at fighter practice yesterday and she posted last night about her blackwork progress for my hubby’s shirt. Holy cow can that woman embroider!!!

*It’s short, the sleeves are much wider than I had intended (but look less crazy big when my arms are in there), the bust/waist are not as fitted, but hey, that means it’s more comfy?

Uprising Redux

2011-06-20T10:28:00.001-06:00

Pictures? No. I am the worst when it comes to taking pictures at camping events….what follows is devoid of pictures; though I’ll go trawling through teh ebil Facebook and see if there is any pictures out there….

Where to start! Uprising was such a blast. I had an excellent time, and Holly’s camp was welcoming and wonderful as always. There were a bunch of people I missed terribly, but hopefully that will be remedied at Baron’s War. Nothing like hanging out with My Peeps to make everything seem right with the world!

Uprising was cold. Like, hardcore cold. I think I was a little taken back since the last couple of years have been unbearably hot – I had kind of prepared myself for that outcome! Thankfully, I had the foresight to pack my old blue woolen cotehardie…..I ended up wearing it nearly every day! (Changed into it after dark when it got really cold) Adding to my list of things I forgot/couldn’t find…..I couldn’t find my wool hood that goes with that cote, but I wasn’t worried since I was expecting to never even wear that dress. Oh how wrong was I?!

Pastiche, one of my favorite dealers-of-choice was there, and I wandered over to grab some wool to make a quickie hood (since I had my entire sewing kit, why not, right?) as she was cutting yardage of some yummy plum wool for my new hood, I turned around and saw an already-made mantle. So I bought both. >.< (I also bought a couple of awesome books – I’ll talk more about those in another post)

And I have a secret……..I totally remembered why I loved my old persona. Camping. Oh yes. I’m going to have to rebuild my earlier period wardrobe…..I was so comfy and warm!

My bed. Let me tell you how much I love it. It’s high enough I can shove all my totes underneath and hide them all away – and the futon is nice and insulated. I just need to get some more sheep skins to finish lining the bed, and I’m good to go! (I actually do want to make new bedclothes specifically for the camp bed, but that will have to wait until after I’ve gotten a pavilion!)

I have a terrible addiction to period pottery, and there is a gentleman here locally that has started to produce some excellent pieces. I picked up two new cook pots (one with feet and one without) and a jug for Holly.

I didn’t sew on a single piece of trim for the Baron’s War coat; it was just to rainy/windy/miserable to be very productive!

As crazy as the weather was, I am completely re-invigorated for the camping season……now to find myself a pavilion (again)!

Orange pegs no longer orange

2011-06-08T12:15:00.001-06:00

I picked up a can of 'hammered finish' plastic spray paint to try and tame the orangeyness of the stakes.....first coat, so far so good. What is unknown at the moment is how well it will hold up! Usually the ground is soft enough to step on stakes to set them, I'm having a feeling it will last at least a season....or at least I hope so!

Laurel Prize Tourney @ Uprising

2011-06-08T02:48:00.001-06:00

I’ve gathered some bits and pieces from my various projects and have put together a spread for the Prize Tourney at Uprising.

So far I’ve got:

Effigy bodies + documentation (this is what I entered in KA&S not this last time ‘round, but the year before. I figure there will be enough people at Uprising that have not seen them before, it’ll be fairly new still. I’m bringing my documentation as well, just because I worked so danged hard on it! I’ll not be bringing Bertha for display as I did for KA&S. I’ve been wearing them for a year, so they’ve seen the world and are a little worn, but not terribly so.)
PPoD top (This is the Pin Pillow of Doom, for those of you who don’t know the acronym yet! It took me almost exactly a year to finish this bad boy, and I’m planning on entering it at the next KA&S, in pillow form. For the LPT, I’m just bringing the top and a picture of the original (as documentation isn’t at all required, but I would like to show my original inspiration). The good thing about this project being technically unfinished is that I’m able to show the back of the piece, as once it is sewn into a pillow, it’ll be hidden from view for all time and eternity.)
Red velvet chopines (I’m just too danged proud of these to not bring them. There are a couple of shoe peeps that I know will be at Uprising that I’d like to have see them.)
Blackwork “sampler” (This is a fairly old project, but I don’t think I’ve ever really entered it in anything….it’s been floating around my packed boxes for years and years, and recently resurfaced. I’m fairly surprised at how well the skill level has held up….I’m a much better stitcher nowadays, but I think this piece was right at the turning point of skill, and fairly well represents my needlework, even if it is on the rougher side.)

I’m thinking of bringing a couple of other ‘WIP’/demo things; I’ve been (very) slowly working on a carved comb, and may bring my carving tools to continue on that for the duration. I’ll also be bringing my polychrome coif from about eleventybillion years ago. I may not be happy with some of the stitching decisions I made in the past, but I may as well pick it back up again and finish it off. I’m wiffling on whether to bring some button samples, but that seems so…….well, boring, even if I do think they’re the bees knees!

Can you tell I can’t sleep??

3rd Law of Sewing; Projects are most likely to be finished within one week of start date

2011-06-07T22:26:00.001-06:00

“Oh for heavens sake” Uprising Edition

2011-06-07T21:51:00.001-06:00

I’m starting to panic about getting ready for Uprising, but feel better after digging through boxes and setting out outfits. I’m kind of pleasantly surprised; I have plenty to wear without digging too far into the ‘embarrassed to wear’ pile, or use the new green gown, so I’m pretty excited. I went through and emptied enough tubs to (hopefully) carry all my crap.

Right now the only thing I’m missing that I’m really freaked out about is my pulled work coif. (there’s plenty of other stuff I would like to find….like…….where the heck did all my drawers and stockings go, really?!) I wore my coif at Southern Regional Collegium, then I took it off to show how I had done it, then……………?

I’m completely blanked on what happened to it after that. Grrr! I cannot keep that thing in my possession for more than one event, I swear!

I have a whole ton of stuff (garb, mundanes, bedclothes etc) to wash over the next couple of days, and yes, another shopping trip to stock up on batteries, baby wipes, hand sanitizer. (You know, the necessities for camping!)

I also need to clean out my car and get an oil change, pick up the trailer and start packing for reals.

It doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but since I got out of the camping groove a few years ago, it seems harder and harder to get it all done!

Shade Fly–Complete!

2011-06-07T19:40:00.002-06:00

Bright orange stakes notwithstanding, the shade fly is now complete! I can’t say I’m 100% happy with it, but will suit my needs.

I had thought that making my own shade fly would make it less expensive, but what with all the bits and pieces I ended up purchasing, I spent nearly as much as a commercial shade fly, without all the extras. Oh well, it was a learning experience!

Shade fly

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The back is facing due north, so is not very shady, as the moniker “shade fly” might suggest. The curtains I hope will come in handy as the sun moves across the sky, making shade where needed. I’ll also try to set up with the back facing west whenever possible so from noon on it should stay fairly shady on it’s own.

I’m hoping to pick up some plastic spray paint in black to tame some of the ‘orangeyness’ of the stakes, and I’m wiffling on whether I should get a length of dowel to make rope tensioners; but if it doesn’t end up happening, I’ll still survive.

I’ll be taking it to Uprising for a trial run to see how it does….wish me luck!

p.s. It's set up a bit wonky and I didn't straighten the poles....both things that will be fixed for a 'real' setup!

Little Girl Dreams

2011-06-07T12:51:00.001-06:00

The purple silk gown I made for my niece a while ago still fits, but isn’t *new* any more. I saw this little girl dress on “OMG that dress!” tumblr a little while back, and decided this needs to be the next ‘pincess dess’.

As it is velvet, I’m going to hope that the current silk & embroidered net dress holds out through the warm season so I can whip this one up when it gets closer to winter and cooler temps.

Anyway, here it is!

Cute, no?!

Radio Silence Apologies & Barons War Update

2011-06-07T12:40:00.001-06:00

Sorry folks, it’s been a weird, weird weekend, interspersed with not feeling too swell….makes for a bad time for posting!

On a brighter note, I’ve been hand-sewing the hem of the red dress, and the hem is now done. (I never thought it would end…..I ended going around the hem four times in different spots to make sure the felt stayed where it ought to be.)

Some awesome new developments have come up RE: Barons War. Jaquelinne has offered up her black work strip for the red dress! It will either become the inside band of a partlet collar or the front band of a camacia – either way, I’m SO excited! You can see her work over here….go look!

Praksedys has offered up her skills to create lacing for the red dress, and that is quite a weight off my shoulders. She’s an amazing woman!

Also, my brother in law has agreed to arrange the dinner. He has been going above and beyond, and I am so excited what he comes up with, because right now we may need to invite the entire Kingdom to eat all the nommy dishes that he’s cooking up.

Dressed pheasant via “of food great and small”

I told him that I had wanted Cornish game hens and spinach & goat cheese salad, but he was free to add to that menu; and he has completely run with the whole “game bird” idea. (I *heart* wildfowl. Like, seriously.)

Peacock served at a feast via “History Undressed”

From what I hear, there is going to be a whole spread of game birds (game hens, quail, pheasant, potentially duck or goose), a couple of rabbits, and the crowning glory……….a roast peacock*. YES. I will have a peacock! Instead of stuffing the poor bird back into its skin after roasting**, I’m thinking of arranging clean tail feathers at the back, and gilding the bird. I need to do some more research on that, but that’s my initial plan.

Peacock served at a feast via “Larsdatter”

*For those totally grodied out by game bird and/or rabbit, there will be plenty of other (less weird) foodstuffs available. I’m not sure, but I may be taking reservations to the extent of finding out how many people would need/want meats other than fowl & coney.

**I’m not entirely sure it’s hygienic, even if the skin is cooked (which may actually destroy the feathers anyway)….birds tend to be kind of dirty little critters.

Partlet(s)

2011-06-04T00:59:00.001-06:00

I’m gonna be kind of full of woe for a minute here, so apologies in advance!……………….I’m feeling massively uninspired RE: Partlets.

I’m nearly finished, but not so much in love with my first attempt: (It’s nearly finished, so I’ll probably just finish it off and hide it somewhere in the back of my closet just so I have it if needed. (One can never have too many partlets?) The original plan was to put spangles all over the edges like in a bunch of portraits in Moda, but I chickened out before I got that far.

Which is meant to be kind of if these two had weird, fugly babies:

At any rate, I decided I didn’t like it (too many things wrong to detail here.), and was going to start again, only this time I was going to try a different style. I think I stopped myself from committing too much time to this one before I realized I didn’t like it…..and I’m not liking it.

I’ve gotten as far as gathering up the entire yardage on gold cord before I hit the brakes.

It was meant to be somewhat like this one, only a bit more-different-other.

I really need to sleep on it and see what I think in the morning, but my next attempt will probably be either a simple collared one: (I’ve actually made the one on the right for Aine, so I know I can do it, as long as I get out of this weird funk)

Or a gathered-neck style: (Only probably less crazy than this one, I just like the black spangles!)

I’m taking a break tomorrow to go to my baby brothers wedding reception, so I’ll have plenty of time to take a break from sewing for a minute or two, recuperate, and ponder my next move!

Saccoccia

2011-06-03T07:25:00.000-06:00

There are a couple of different pictures of saccoccia in blue and gold – I happen to have a bit of blue and gold scrap fabric, so I decided to do this quickie tutorial in that fabric.

I sewed this on a machine, so isn’t at all something I would show off as ‘period’, but is good enough for holding cell phones and cash hidden under skirts at events!

I don’t know how to upload documents yet….I very carefully drew this out to scale in Photoshop, then realized I may not be able to upload it as such!

Aaaaaaanyway…..it’s not that complicated of a pattern…just kind of an elongated teardrop shape. (I would suggest making the top longer than you think it should be….you can always cut off excess at the end)

Hokay. So, you’ll want to cut 2 fabric & 2 lining.

On the wrong side of your fabric, draw the slit line. Sew around the line as close as you can.

When cutting the slit, make a “Y” cut at the end:

Turn right side out & press slit. (I top stitched the slit opening for extra durability)

Pin lining out of the way, and pin fabric right side to right side. Sew around the outside edge, clip & press.

Pin fabric out of the way and pin lining right sides together. Sew around outside edge, clip & press.

You’re going to end up with a bellows-looking thing. But don’t worry!

Turn right side out and tuck lining inside. I’ve been folding over the top and stitching down, but you could bind the top edges or make an internal casing.

Voila! Saccoccia!

HOORAY!

2011-06-03T00:41:00.003-06:00

Kendra of Démodé pointed out there are new, improved pictures on the Kyoto Costume Institute picture gallery.

….which prompted me to go re-poking around……

……….which led me to……..BLACK LACE* ONNA 18th c gown! Hooray! It’s too late for the gown I’m doing (boo!), but it’s one step closer.

Hopefully I’ll forget about the big black lace search again and next time I’ll find something ~5 years of what I’m looking for?

*Now I want this dress too. Argh! Update: OHMIGAWD! The sleeves are LACED CLOSED!

Another update: Check this beauty out! I'm so distracted.....

Green and Gold–Finished

2011-06-02T21:30:00.001-06:00

I’m kind of *meh* about the sleeves. I thought I would like the buttoned sleeves, but I’m starting to think they will be a PITA. Time will tell, I suppose.

On the other hand, I’m pretty stoked about the dress itself. It fits pretty good, though the straps will need dressing pins to keep the shoulders from sliding off.

I’m planning on wearing this with my square-necked camacia and my organza partlet.

Yet another thing to add to the pile of “Completely Finished” (even if I’m less than ecstatic about it.)

Oh yeah, I forgot to list my gold and green petticoat on the “Completely Finished” post a while back…..that one’s done too!

Next up is the red gown tuck!

Some people have feline sewing companions….mine are canine!

2011-06-02T18:54:00.001-06:00

“mai sunbeam. u can not haz!” (Cozmo/Momo) This one technically isn’t sewing-related, but he rarely goes upstairs these days, so he gets reprieve from the theme.

“mai kayoot iz too helpz you!” (Demitri/Meaty) This is his favorite spot in the sewing room….under my desk cuddled up to my laptop bag, stack of bolt cores & bag-O-hoops

“best. nap. EVAR.” (Tiny Barsky) View by my feet while cartridge pleating the other day.

“wat u mean ‘get off’’?! iz goggie bed!” (Precious & Tiny Barsky) I finally threw a towel over my cabbage bin so I could keep it somewhat dog-free. Geez, the things I do for my goggies.

“we r helpin u hand sew!” Yes, that is every dog in the house on my lap. *sigh* I was trying to sew on buttons, but took a nap instead. (All of ‘em)

Storage Accomplished!

2011-06-02T17:46:00.001-06:00

This is the most organized my patterns have been since I had the Sewing ~~Basement~~ Room O Doom! (But I also had far fewer patterns at that point in history!)

I am really quite excited, hopefully I’ll not have to go through the pain I’ve been experiencing lately when trying to find patterns!

My most used patterns* I usually just have pinned to my board….that is a scary proposition! I want to go through and copy my top patterns*, as some of them are getting pretty ratty, and then store them somewhere else, just so I always have a back up.

I bought four tubs, but only ended up using three – there is an amazing amount of storage space in these babies!

I have the three tubs separated into major categories:

My drafted patterns
Historic pattern company patterns
“Big 3” patterns (which is actually more than the “Big 3”, but makes sense to call that tub “Big 3”

Here is the interior of the “Drafted Patterns & Templates” tub. This tub makes me happy, as it is nearly as full as all the other tubs, and is all my own work! I think this tub is deceptively full, as I don’t draw out skirts (they’re easy peasy to draft, and seems pointless to have an actual pattern for each person/outfit), whereas the other patterns do – that’s a lot of room!

This tub is subdivided into major categories:

Templates (things like embroidery, applique…..anything drawn)
Accessories (multi-size accessories like saccoccia, partlets, coifs)
Noelle
Holly
Others (this section I might subdivide as I add to the collection….I just need to remember to draft 2 paper patterns when I make patterns for people….one for them to take, and one for me to archive and store!)

Next up is the “Historic Patterns” tub. This tub is full of patterns not from the “Big 3”, with the exception of the very few “Big 3” patterns that are actually worth a crap. (Historically speaking, anyway) That is not to say that every pattern in here from a ‘historic pattern company’ is worth a crap (there are some stinkers in here, to be sure!), but is better than the very obviously costumey stuff in the other pattern tub.

This tub is subdivided into major categories:

Truly Victorian (and Truly Victorian Demi Patterns)
JP Ryan
Historic Costume Patterns (Margo Anderson)
Reconstructing History
Ageless Patterns
“Good" Big 3 Patterns
*OTHER* (This includes various patterns from different companies – I’ll subdivide if I get multiple patterns from one company)

And last, but not least is the “Big 3” tub. There is actually more companies than “The Big 3”, but is an easy name for the tub!

This tub is subdivided into major categories:

Civil War Mens
Civil War Womens
“Wenchy” Costumes (You know……the Piratey/Ever After/Braveheart/Shakespeare in Love knockoffs)
Retro & Modern

I think this is the very first time in a very long time that I’ve actually gone to the effort of putting away all those ‘floater’ pieces. (You know, the little pieces that get separated from the envelope and then multiply in the bottom of whatever pattern storage method you’re using. Yeah. I had a lot of those.)

A little note about pattern storage. I used to use manila envelopes, and paste the commercial envelope or write the description (if I drafted it) on the outside. This makes for tidy storage, as the envelopes are fairly rigid, and stack nicely.

However, stuffing patterns back in such a rigid envelope isn’t the most convenient thing in the world, and as I’m a visual person, writing descriptions on the outside until I’m blue in the face isn’t going to help much, since I’m usually looking for “that one pattern that I drew in pink marker and made notes with blue pen….you know, the one……”

So, I’ve transitioned into the gallon ziploc baggies. This isn’t a perfect solution by any means, but now I can see the contents of the packet and easily (or relatively so) fold and pack patterns.

In my recent shopping trip, I also bought a packet of cardstock, which I used as dividers, tub labels, and as a stiff insert for the ziplocs. My ziploc’d patterns stack much nicer now that there is something rigid giving the limp little baggie some body.

So now, after all of that…….How do you all store your patterns? Do you have and tips or tricks you’d like to share?

*Curved sleeve, side back lacing bodice, bodies, partlet, doublet bodice

(Yet another) Shopping Trip

2011-06-02T14:32:00.001-06:00

I really, really needed to find something to lace my red velvet gown, and went to 3 different stores only to end up with black twill tape. *curses* At least it’s better than the horrible synthetic cord I was using as a stop-gap measure!

But, on my trip I found some awesome cut worked and couched ribbon….for what purpose I’m not exactly sure, but it’s certainly on my mental checklist of “could be awesome for something”; (I think it was $5.99/yd, but would be totally affordable with a 50% coupon. I’ll be on the lookout for Hobby Lobby coupons for the next little while!) There was also a ‘latte’ color that was pretty as well.

I also saw this awesome red and gold fabric on sale for $7/yd. I know you won’t believe me but I did not buy it. But it was pretty, so I thought I’d share: (Also found at Hobby Lobby)

What I did buy was a ‘pet hair remover sponge’, which I have only tried on a little piece of fabric, but seems to be working well. I am always on a hunt for new lint/pet hair remover products! (It was originally $6.99, and it was on clearance for $2.15, so not that big of a purchase if it doesn’t work out the way I would like! Hobby Lobby impulse buy.)

Also, on a whim, I bought a spool of ‘memory thread’, which is basically just thread wrapped wire. I’ve been wanting to do a couching project for a while now, and I’m thinking this stuff would couch nicely! (There is a whole range of colors and metallics; though the metallics are a bit….well, cheesy looking. The ‘dark ecru’ is pictured below, and is quite pretty. Oh yeah, I got this at JoAnns)

Because I’ve had such problems with patterns lately, I went to the local Evil Overlord (Wal-Mart) and got 4 Rubbermaid-esque tubs to store my patterns in. Hopefully, this will allow me to be a bit more organized! I also looked for the 8.5x11” baggies, but couldn’t find any….that may have to be an internetz purchase. For now, my gallon-size ziploc bags will work.

I should finish up the other shoulder of my green dress, but I’m going to go wade through my patterns for a minute and see if I can get things organized a bit! Will post pattern updates soon!

Distraction Strikes Again…..

2011-06-01T13:38:00.005-06:00

I’ve got the green and gold sleeves cut out, ready to assemble.

Then I suddenly decide that what I need is a saccoccia. Quick look around the ‘nets for inspiration, and decided that this one is simple, and would work a charm. I think it’s hanging from a very thin leather studded belt, so I haven’t quite decided how I’m going to finish mine off. For now, I just folded over and stitched so it’ll be serviceable until I think through it properly.

Now that I have the pattern down, down the road I’ll do one with better materials and take the time to hand sew it, but as this was a prototype, I’m pretty happy with it.

Quick Update…..

2011-06-01T11:05:00.002-06:00

I had a quick fitting of my two gowns just now, and I am much relieved.

Bertha was, in fact, messing with my head, and the green and gold gown fit just fine. In fact, this gown may replace my lavender gown as my “go to” outfit! (I just need to find my danged sleeve pattern!)

I finally tried on the red velvet gown with petticoats and chopines. I’m seriously torn about hemming. Right now the hem hits right about halfway down the chopines….which means that I have to wear the chopines with this outfit. I could take the time to re-cut the hem to normal walking length, but really, do I want to? Argh. I was going to start on the tuck right now, but since I’m wiffling, I may just go ahead and keep searching for my sleeves.

Sorry, no pics…..apparently every mirror in the house has decided to be woefully dirty today, and I couldn’t bring myself to clean them while wearing pretties.

UPDATE: I finally found my sleeves. *que big sigh of relief* There are two patterns that have taken ages to get just so......I'm seriously thinking of making a copy of them and storing them elsewhere.

Green gown–(mostly) finished!

2011-05-31T22:56:00.002-06:00

I don’t have a lot to say on the construction of this gown, it’s my standard side-back lacing pattern, with the exception of a slightly narrower shoulder strap, and the felt padded hem….my new love!

The pictures of the gown look much more gold than it is IRL. (I’m also slightly worried that I messed up on my math and the back is too short, but I’ll put it all on tomorrow and find out for sure….it could just be that poor Bertha is not a very good approximation of my body!)

Here’s a close-up of the fabric, which more closely approximates the ‘real’ color of the dress.

And just for giggles, here’s the silk for the Turkish robe draped over the shoulders:

There was drama with the rest of the fabric going missing (which I eventually found, obviously)….and now the next drama is my trusty curved sleeve pattern is now AWOL too! I’m very sad about this because I spend countless hours tweaking it just so. I’m really, really hoping I can find it, I will be lost without it!

On the docket tomorrow is to search thoroughly for the sleeve pattern (and make the sleeves if it shows up), and finally figure out what I’m going to do for a partlet. No really, I’ve been putting it off for long enough, it’s time.

Progress! All the half-finished stuff

2011-05-31T15:55:00.005-06:00

Warning: this post is text-intensive, and probably mind numbingly boring to pretty much everyone other than myself!

I have a whole pile of stuff that is started, but unfinished. I am hoping that by tonight, the green kirtle will move from this post to the ‘finished’ post……I only have to attach the skirt, and it’s all done. I’m not going to be wearing sleeves, but I’ll probably make them now just so they’re available when I wear it next.

The red velvet gown is still on hold, as I’m still waiting on my die stamp. Hopefully I’ll get that soon!

The beading on the Turkish loose gown is closing in on the finish line, and my friend Gypsy has taken it home to get it finished off. I’m hoping I can get the body done before Uprising so I can wile away the day attaching the trim.

I’m having a hard time remembering if there is anything that I need to start still, but unless I’m forgetting something, all I have to start on is my partlet……I still haven’t figured out what I want to do with that yet. My brain is saying “No more decisions! Noooooo!”

To be started stuff: (I forgot about needing a dedicated camacia for the red gown. That velvet crocks all over the place, and whatever I use for that dress will likely be used for ONLY that dress.)

Partlet - decide what to do, and just freakin' do it. Gosh, Noelle! Also want to bring to Uprising and work on there if at all possible.
Camacia for red gown - simple, simple, simple. If for some reason there is any time at all, I'll do a very simple band of blackwork at the neckline. "but thats it".
Stockings - I keep remembering things that need to be on various lists. Stockings! Astrid is going to help me pattern them sometime after her wedding. They shouldn't take that long to make, so I'm not worried.

Here’s the full accounting of my half-finished projects, and what needs to be done to them:

Shade fly – needs poles, ropes & stakes. Also need to sew rear casing after I figure out the cross-support pole size. If hubby remains as busy as he has been recently, I may be doing this myself.
Red gown – needs sleeves & tuck to be wearable. I’m hoping to also do cutwork trim on shoulder treatments, bodice and hem trim.
Green gown – only needs skirt pleated and attached to be wearable. Am also hoping to get the sleeves done so I actually do them. I’m notorious for finishing a gown, and never doing the sleeves. (Sorry, Holly!)
Purple Turkish – the beading on the trim is started, and nearly completed. (handed off to Gypsy for finishing) I have the fabric for the gown, but just need to get it cut out and constructed. I’m hoping to work on attaching the trim during Uprising.

And mostly because I need to write this down somewhere, here are the projects that other people have volunteered for:

Hand towel – Praksedys (I hope I spelled that right!) has graciously volunteered her embroidering talents to make a towel.
Hubby’s shirt – Ashe’el and Michelle are on the shirt project…I sat down with Ash during court and picked out some blackwork patterns that I liked, but left the final decision up to her.
Hubby’s outfit – The fabulous Johanne has taken on the task of the doublet, coat, venetians and bonnet for my hubby. We sat down yesterday and raided my stash for supplies and figured out some of the details. She left with two large garbage bags of fabric and some sketches, so I hope she’s set!
Chairs – Johanne’s husband has taken my chair commission, so I’m really, really excited. I cannot wait! I need to get him the cash this week so he can go shopping for supplies. He’s going to be carving the back support with my fleur (hooray!), and we’re thinking that the body will be oak.
Jewelry – As if it needed to be said, Holly/Aine will be working on my jewelry. She is retrofitting my favorite belt of all time for the red gown, and is making a new pearl & garnet necklace and earring set. She got off easy!
Camacia - I forgot this one....I asked Elizabeth if she'd do a camacia for the green gown, but I still need to get the fabric to her.
Garters - D'oh! I forgot the garters! The fabulous Marguerite (another that I'm terrible at spelling!) offered to make my garters! My forgetfulness reflects on no way on my gratitude for this work, I'm just distracted as all get out! The garters will be card woven red silk & gold, and I'm insanely excited for them!
Shoes! - Astrid is making shoes to go with the green and gold gown. I am so excited!!!

Then, I have other stuff that I’d like to get done for Uprising: (crazyface, I know.)

Since it’s my last Prize Tourney (sniff, sniff!!!) I want to enter some stuff….the PPoD just needs to be sewn into pillow form, though I may just bring the top to show off….depends on time. I’ll probably going to be entering my chopines and blackwork sampler as well. I’m wracking my brain for more entries but am drawing a blank. Argh! I was going to teach a few classes, but what with all that is going on, I am in a serious time crunch, and don’t have the time to put together kits and handouts.
I’m a couple of outfits short of having a change of clothes for every day at Uprising, but I have nearly an entire linen “V” gown done, just need to finish the rings and get the skirt attached. I may just get everything cut out and bring the pieces to work on at Uprising and if it gets done, then voila, another dress. Woohoo.
Not to mention all the mending, gathering, and cleaning of garb, bedclothes etc. and packing thereof. *ooof*

Then, there is the DNP (Double Noelle Project) stuff for Costume College, which is the weekend after Barons War. Seriously?! Argh! (After CoCo, I’m going to fall-down-go-boom.)

wigs x2
petticoat
stays
gown
jewelry

Progress! Update of all the finished stuff…..

2011-05-31T15:07:00.001-06:00

My little pile of “projects that are completely finished” is growing larger!

From left to right:

chopines
painted curtains
kneeler
pillow (which I wasn’t planning on, but I had a chunk of embroidered velvet that needed to be something

I didn’t do a project diary of the kneeler, but it’s pretty basic. I took the embroidered velvet (which is a scrap from the gown that I helped create for my laurel’s laurelling!), and a plain wooden stool from a craft store.

Since I’m completely on this ‘from my stash’ kick, instead of staining it like I had originally planned, I used the ‘champagne gold’ paint from the curtain project and coated many layers. because it’s more silvery than gold, I changed up the embroidery on the cover, and used blue instead of red. (blue always seems to go with silver better than red does)

I layered foam over the pained stool, and firmly tacked it in place with canvas, close to the outside edge, so the strain of compressing the foam is taken up by the canvas.

Then I covered that with the pretty stuff, and stapled it in further in the stool. (my staple gun and I have become very good friends over the last week or so!)

I was unhappy with the raw edges, so went digging through my stash, and found some leftovers of the black and gold trim that my good friend Jannean gave me…..perfect for covering those cut edges!

The kneeler is on the small side, so isn’t a perfect size for that bit, but will become a fantastic foot stool after the fact.

Priorities

2011-05-31T14:26:00.001-06:00

Sorry for the radio silence, folks! To make up for it, here’s a new cartoon!

…..as always, I’m always happy to receive suggestions for cartoons!

“Calloo callay, oh happy, happy day!” or, “How I saved myself two days of work…..potentially”

2011-05-27T22:37:00.001-06:00

I was originally planning on either working on my partlet or stockings during the event tomorrow, but since neither of them have been drafted out, I went in search of some other project that would be useful.

I eventually remembered that I have a linen “V” kirtle that is nearly done, just needs rings sewn on (my least favorite bit, hence why it is still not done…..). In digging around in my “To Be Finished” basket, I re-found my green bodice I worked on last year. At the time, it didn’t fit at all, and the only reason I didn’t throw it away immediately was that I had put such work into the eyelets, I was loathe to part with it, even though I was very angry at myself for constructing such an ill-fitting bodice.

On a whim, I decided to try it on again – mostly to convince myself to finally throw or give it away, but lo and behold….the fitting issues I was struggling with last year seem to have magically disappeared!

Hooray!!! (I’m riding a bit, ahem….high in this pic, but I am wearing a tee, sweater, and a padded bra underneath….I think with just a chemise, it’ll be fitting quite grand. I still need to test the theory, but I’m too tired right now. Man, what is it with me posting so late at night and not caring because I’m too tired?!)

Now I have most of a kirtle already done! (At least the bits that take me forever….I’m the worlds slowest eyelet-maker) I’m thinking of wearing it underneath my loose purple ‘Turkoid’ gown, since I most certainly will not be going sans support.

Here is the bodice, next to the fabric for the loose gown….what do you think? It certainly is not a combo that sounds great off the bat…..goose turd green and plum? Like…..ew! But in a weird way, I kind of think it works…..

If this old bodice will work, that will certainly take a load off my plate, and I will be super happy…..if the consensus is “Ew, Noelle, what are you thinking?!” I’ll whip up something else, and finish up this gown for something else fabulous.

Non Costume Related Post.......apologies!

2011-05-27T19:07:00.001-06:00

Here is my pretty boy in the ring:

He won 1st in class (not that he had any competition at all), and 2nd in breed.....he was beat out by his grandpa!

Busy, busy day!

2011-05-27T12:14:00.003-06:00

Today is TinyBarsky’s very first UKC show!

I first met him when he was just a wee pup who hadn’t yet seen the world….

He’s always been a bit of a hammy goofball, and that suits me just fine!

He sure has grown a lot over the last few months, and has turned into quite a handsome little boy.

And he’s a momma’s boy, but I kind of like it that way…..

Phew….got that out of my system (for a minute, anyway!)

After the show, I need to get my butt kicked into gear, pack for the event tomorrow, and hopefully get some sort of project started at least enough to the hand work stage so I can be productive at the event.

Flag(ish) Fan

2011-05-27T00:23:00.001-06:00

I was perusing my pictures from my recent NOLA vacation, and remembered I had seen a beautiful circular fan at the Beauregard-Keyes house.

I’m not sure if it’s wishful thinking, but I swear I’ve seen circular fans in some (Venetian?!) woodcut somewhere. It’s killing me, because I can’t find it again, and I can’t tell if it’s a figment of my wishful imagination, or if I’m just overly tired and can’t search worth crap right now.

Hopefully I’ll be refreshed tomorrow and can continue to look into it!

Final Chopine Update (!!!)

2011-05-26T23:55:00.004-06:00

Finally, at long last, I was able to completely finish a project….I am so excited! (And my wrists are thanking me, too!) After weeks and weeks of unfinished projects, it feels so good to be able to completely check something off the list-O-doom.

I spent most of the day finishing up the sole and doing the decoration – which sounds like it wouldn’t take that long, but with having to run to the store, stopping to chat with friends, and being indecisive about the lace, it took a while!

My original plan was to do the very simple braid covering the seams like on my original inspiration chopines….however, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to put more bling on them. I think they turned out quite nice for my first ever shoes, if I do say so myself!

There certainly are things that I would do differently if I were to do them again, but nothing that actually bugs me enough to worry about.

I thought about doing something boufty and cute on the straps, but I didn’t want things getting caught up in my petticoat, so I decided on a flat lace & a small medallion instead. I haven’t seen anything to directly support this mode of décor, and I’ve only seen one pair so far (much later period) that has the braid around the top…..so both those things are questionable, but I like the way it looks, so did it anyway. The upper braid also does double-duty of covering some of the bumpiness from the transition from the leather sole to the cork…in another pair, I will be more careful to shape that portion properly. I wouldn’t hate the way it looks without the braid, but it certainly does detract from that area…I didn’t realize it would show quite so much!

I can’t find my ‘real’ camera, so cell phone pictures it will have to be for the time being, but I can’t wait to post about them, so here they are!

And now for some foot shots!

And for good measure, here’s a couple of pics of my good friend Holly trying on my gown, complete with chopines:

It takes a little getting used to, but they’re relatively easy to walk in, and are very comfortable.

The biggest change I would make is some sort of angle to the foot bed…having them so flat almost makes me feel like I’m tipping backwards.

Another thing I would change is the angle of the curvature on the sides; which has always kind of bugged me throughout the project, but never was able to get quite right. (I am so glad I went back and took out the bulbousness of the sides….I doubt I would be nearly as happy now if I had not done so.) I was a little nervous about making the curve too drastic and weakening the integrity of the cork, so that may have to be something that happens with a wooden or high-density cork version.

All in all, I’m really quite pleased with them, and with myself for being able to do so many new things all in one project!

Chopines–Update II? III?

2011-05-26T00:17:00.001-06:00

And here is the fruits of my labors….chopines that fit, and are relatively easy to walk in! I still have the decoration to do, but they’re functional now, and that is quite a relief.

I need to go out shopping (yet again) and grab as many gold brads as I can. Because my gold lace is so thin, big huge upholstery tacks would look a bit….off. (The picture below has a tack in the lower point right in the middle of the picture….it’s barely visible!)

I’ve been reminded to talk about my sources – I get so wrapped up in the project itself, those details seem to slip!

The fabulous website “Chopine, Zoccolo, and Other Raised and High Heel Construction” has been an invaluable resource. It’s where I first found the idea of using cork yoga blocks as the base.

That actually was one of the first diversions from the information provided therein – it was suggested to not use the blocks for chopines, but I felt that due to the minimal carving out involved, I’d risk the blocks in favor of the purse – the suggested cork was very cost-prohibitive, considering all the other projects pulling at my pockets.

My main reference was the lesson on chopine construction. Specifically the most helpful was the information on sewing the sole, and the suggestion of using the bench grinder, which worked a charm, but in the end was very, very messy, and more than once took a large chunk out that I was not meaning to.

If I were going to do chopines again, I’d use only a knife and an orbital sander with a rough grit. (I used the sander when taking out the curve, and worked just as well as the grinder, but was much more maneuverable, and far less messy)

Here is a brief list of some of my diversions from the information provided:

used cork yoga blocks instead of wood or high-density cork. (So far, so good…..I’ll hope they don’t crumble away!)
used a butcher knife instead of a saw (the saw tore through the cork, whereas the knife made a relatively clean cut)
I made my chopines to be left/right rather than symmetrical – for no other reason than I didn’t remember that bit. (d’oh!)
Patterning of the sole covering ended up being only 2, rather than 3 pieces, but that is likely due to the simpler geometry of my chopines.
I was very liberal with the use of a staple gun instead of stitching whenever possible (due to lack of hand strength, and massive pressure to finish as soon as possible!)

Hopefully I’ll have fully decorated chopines to photograph tomorrow….I just need to figure out what I’m going to do to the toe bit…I have the soles all figured out for now, that is until I change my mind yet again!

Chopines–Update

2011-05-25T20:25:00.001-06:00

Okay….it’s been a long day, but I’m close to the end! (Hooray!)

I cut down the bulbous sides that were bugging me so much yesterday to create a flatter side. I didn’t get the curve that I wanted, but at least it’s closer!

This is the soles stacked together to check that they’re matching up:

The pink lines are the center line, and the black lines are for strap positioning.

I didn’t take any pictures of the steps of gluing the velvet to the leather insole, punching holes, and sewing the vamps & sole coverings down, but here is what it looks like after being sewn down, glued to the sole, and staple-gunned down to the sole: (You can tell I’m getting tired….I’m not so careful with my shot setups nowadays!)

After that, I covered the cork sole with fabri-tac, and smoothing the fabric over the sole. I used push pins to hold the fabric snug against the cork.

I’ve stapled the fabric to the bottom of the cork, and cut off the excess (using my nifty applique scissors, btw)

I’m trying to be patient and let the glue dry before messing around with the seams, but I’m not sure how long I can hold out….I really want these to be done!

Chopines semi update

2011-05-25T00:15:00.002-06:00

I reshaped the soles, and now my hands, wrists, forearms and biceps are all killing me! Tomorrow may be an Aleve day!

I'm really nervous about the vamps and covering, so I decided it was time to stop. Hopefully I come up with a solid plan by tomorrow!

I may need to grab some glue from the store, so yet again, I'm stymied by purchases!

Chopines–I do have an update!

2011-05-24T20:54:00.002-06:00

I gave into temptation and only swept the floor….waxing can happen another day!

To recap, this is what I’m going for…something sexier than the Spanish style chopine, but less crazy that some of the later Italian chopines.

I am not a power tool expert, as I’ve found out, and my finished product certainly shows this. In carving out the base, I realized I probably wasn’t going to be able to achieve the curve….I just don’t have the finesse to do it, so plans changed half way through to a more bulbous hourglass shape. I’m not entirely convinced I love it, but I’ll keep thinking on it and I’ll see how it goes.

Here are the blocks straight out of the package:

I drew in the center lines on all surfaces to help with centering the sole pattern:

I carved a channel next to the sole outline to make it easier to cut:

Then started cutting off the excess:

Then flipped it over and did the same to the underside:

With all the cutting implements I tried, I found a small butcher knife to be the most efficient, oddly enough!

After all the cutting, I only had a rough shape outlined, and I have a whole pile of cuttings to show for it!

After that, I set up a grinder wheel to (what at the time) I had thought was to only finesse the outline. What I ended up doing is covering the entire garage and myself in a thick layer of cork dust. (I just got out of the shower…..I couldn’t even brush off that nasty dust…it stuck to everything!)

But after all that, here is what I ended up with. I’m not overly happy with them, but at the same time, it’s my first attempt at making chopines, and using power tools! (eeep!)

My feet are just a bit larger than the base, and I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to overlook the overhang, or go with the original plan of a stacked leather sole to compensate.

Hmmmm….

(I’m actually reconsidering the whole Spanish chopine idea….so much easier!)

EDIT: I'm going to take the trusty knife to them and see if I can't smooth out some of the bulbousness.....I'm not liking the shape so much right now.

Chopines

2011-05-24T14:08:00.002-06:00

As I have woefully neglected my abode these last few weeks, I have spent the morning getting everything back to some semblance of order….even if it is only the down stairs portion!

My cork blocks showed up today, and I’m really excited to get started on them, but I’ve promised myself that I will at least get the floor waxed and the collection of things off the stairs…..so I may or may not have an actual progress update today. (It just depends on how many times I get distracted by naughty dogs running away, doorbells ringing etc.)

The plan is to turn this:

Into this:

My toes hang over just about 1/2”, so I’m thinking up plans to stack leather on the sole to create a smooth curve that covers my entire foot. This is all still very much TBD, just my initial thoughts on the matter.

FYI – I wear a size 9, so these blocks should work with no mods for anyone size 8 or under no problem. I will update as I figure out how to solve my giant foot problem!

Shade Fly Update III

2011-05-23T22:58:00.001-06:00

Most of the construction is done – I just need to do one more casing for the cross supports, and then it’s on to woodworking. Because it ended up so much larger than I was originally anticipating, I may need additional poles in the middle, but that is still up in the air. I want to set it all up as is and see if the sag is too much to ignore. I tried stretching out the whole thing so I could show you all a picture of the completed project, but, alas, that may have to wait until set up, since it’s too large to photograph indoors!

As it got closer and closer to being done, it got more and more difficult to manhandle all the fabric, and boy, are my arms tired! I finally hit on a method of folding up the shade fly lengthwise with only the seam I needed at the moment exposed, and then rolling up the rest, so I ended up with a ‘shade fly scroll’ that had to be adjusted every few feet or so. With a larger sewing area and/or a helper, things would have gone much more quickly, but I got it done!

It took me all day to get to this point; between running all over town to find the correct bias tape, and my machine flatly refusing to sew; I’m sorry my poor machine, I’ll be nicer to you from now on, I promise!

Oh, what I wouldn’t give for an industrial machine! I’m never, ever sewing on this scale with my ‘nice’ machine again….I will certainly be hunting down an industrial if I ever am silly enough to do this again! I had an awful time sewing over joins, and my machine regularly needed tension adjustments. There are some seams that I’m still a bit nervous about, but there’s nothing to be done about it without a more heavy-duty machine on hand.

All in all, I was having a spectacular ‘dragon wing’ ~~moment~~ day.

For now, here's a picture of the finished stake loops…..of which I decided better to be safe than sorry and went a bit overboard on how closely they were spaced.

Shade fly–Update II

2011-05-23T02:00:00.001-06:00

I should change the time stamp for this post!

The major construction of the front (most difficult) part of the shade fly is done! (joyous noise)

As much as I want to continue on, I need to make sure I don’t slip into night owl mode! I’m stopping at the point of sewing the dags on one side. To complete the other side, I need to finish up more dags (and go get more bias tape….) I guessed correctly, I was 1/3 short.

Okay, here is where I’m at:

The green flaps are pockets for the front supports. I split them in the center so as to be able to tie stuff to the support. (Like curtains!) This picture is before I sewed everything down.

Here is the front stretched out a bit…I have the dags pinned on the right side, ready for me to work on in the morning. I can’t wait to turn it all over to my hubby and let him finish it off!

G’night, all!

Fabulous video…..and great music, to boot!

2011-05-22T20:32:00.001-06:00

"Gentlemen in Squalor" Top Shelf Jazz Directed by Alex Sufit from Lexitricity on Vimeo.

Adventures of a Wanna-Be Seamstress

Solstice 2011

I have for you, a Post of Substance!

My Favorite Toffee Recipe

I did sewing! (and candy making....)

Wouldn't this make a lovely cutting table?

Turkey Hangover

Here; look at pictures!

OMFGBBQ

Skirts and Pattern Matching

Wow!

Post of Updates

The NOT ACC dress

More Progress (sort of), and even more drama in the household

Full Day!

*Actually* sewing! OMG!

Oh my gaws this dress is Faaaaabulous!

Long time, no post!

Long time, no post!

Update

ACC: Muff

ACC: Muff

ACC: Muff

MMM Pics

Kiddie Garb Accomplished!

2 outfits down, one to go!

"Incess Dess" (princess dress)

Totally Creepy, or Cute as a Button??

Another informative posty post

Bijbel van Anjou

Moar extant stockings!!!

ACC Accessories: Muff

I have an addiction to rose-flavoured sweets….

Directions:

A boil’d Pudding.

To make other white Jelly.

Tufted Buttons

Another Post of Many Things

PSA: Jewelry

PSA: Silk for under $19

Chocolate-Dipped Turkish Delight Crème

AC Challenge

Incommunicado

Barons War–”The Big Day”

Sleeves update

Red Gown–Sleeves & lace

Red Dress Roundup

Oh! I forgot to tell y’all!

In Which I Tell What I’m Gonna Post About Later:

My new car!

More doggie updates

Purple Turkoid = wearable!

TinyMan FTW!!!! (non sewing post, sorry!)

Little bit of progress, little bit of setback

Pictures!

Hubris will be punished…..

It’s the little things that keep one going….

Uh….if I told you aliens abducted me, so that’s why I haven’t posted, would you believe me?

Uprising Redux

Orange pegs no longer orange

Laurel Prize Tourney @ Uprising

3rd Law of Sewing; Projects are most likely to be finished within one week of start date

“Oh for heavens sake” Uprising Edition

Shade Fly–Complete!

Little Girl Dreams

Radio Silence Apologies & Barons War Update

Partlet(s)

Saccoccia

HOORAY!

Green and Gold–Finished

Some people have feline sewing companions….mine are canine!

Storage Accomplished!

(Yet another) Shopping Trip

Distraction Strikes Again…..

Quick Update…..

Green gown–(mostly) finished!

Progress! All the half-finished stuff

Progress! Update of all the finished stuff…..

Priorities

“Calloo callay, oh happy, happy day!” or, “How I saved myself two days of work…..potentially”

Actually sewing! OMG!