Tales from the Sewing Crypt
Jan. 9th, 2006 07:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
threadwalkerMaster, it's aliiiiiive!
Well, I pulled it together sufficiently to wear.
Post event summary (strictly costume critique of my own stuff. Pretty boring - more for my own failing memory):
Corset: Done. I lost a few pounds and had this one as small as it would go, so I forsee a new corset in my future. In the meantime, when I was making this corset, I didn't let vanity get the best of me and try to recreate the 22-inch waist I had 10 years ago. (Okay, it was 15 years ... LOL). Aiming for correct silhouette and comfort, I have created the 18-hour corset. It was so dang comfortable! I put it on around 8:30 am and shed it around 10 pm and was totally comfy all day. I love it when I'm not miserable in my clothes.
Hoops: Done, but need repair. The rigid material had a failure at one point. I won't go into details, but I was "experimenting" to see how far it would bend, mold and twist after I was dressed. D'oh! I snapped part of it in the lowest part of the skirt. But I was dressed and alone, so I had to lump it. Fortunately, the fix is easy. On the "hurrah" angle, my hoop skirt is incredibly light. My Ropa-Compatriot had the material Jen Thomson used (platic rope with wire in it). It had a great silhouette, but it was heavy and her back was killing her by 8pm. The only rework in my hoop skirt's future is fixing the snapped part of the caning.
Hat: Done. There is no rework in its future. There is a big hole and calus on the tip of my middle finger. If you ask nice, I'll show it to you! heh! The hat behaved itself and sat in place all day. Yay! Muchos Gracias to Aurelia, who held my hand through the process.
Caul: Done. Whipped that thang out in less than 30 minutes after pulling out the materials from the garage. (Boy, I have a lot of fabric. Good thing my inner control freak likes to sort fabric by fiber and weight - it was easy to find what I was looking for).
Ruffs: ha!! Hahahahaha! ROTFL! I printed up Drea Leeds directions for 4-hr ruffs. It works beautifully ... if you start out with enough fabric. It must been bad math on my part from being in a hurry. I spent all Friday night wandering from party to fealty shin-dig to party with a long strip of linen, carefully catching and sewing my threads into their stacked pleats. I'd even sewn a narrow band of white lace to the edge to add some splash. I went to put them around my neck back in our room and .... FAILURE!!! It was not long enough. I worked on them until 2 am and was still unsatisfied. Phooey! So Saturday morning I took a bubble bath and pondered my predicament. (I do my best scheming when soaking in water). I decided to "go Italian" with the more modest ruffle look since the importance was to have some white peaking out the collar and cuffs. And since I had added the lace, it wasn't as Spartan as it could have been. So I tore the ruffs out again and whipped/pleated them into the collar and cuffs of my doublet. It's not at all what I had in mind, but given the timing and the fact that I didn't have access to more materials, I did what I could. Path forward: new ruffs for neck and cuff.
Bodice: Done, but it has rework in its future. I spent until the very last minute being indecisive about the front closure and finally realized I only had time to put on hooks and eyes. So I added a placket, added some decorative bits and consequently ended up letting it out by 1/2-inch. I'm solidly built and didn't figure 1/2-inch would make a difference. And yet .... perhaps it was a bit too loose because it kept undoing itself at the neck line. So I need to take a look at that. Otherwise, I'm very pleased with it. I got the sleeves cut so that I can raise my arms over my head. That pattern is definitely a keeper.
Skirt: Done, but could use some improvements. I need to figure out a discreet side closure so that I can wear it without the ropa. I want to add another line of tack stitches to the trim so I can wear it without the ropa. I have some more trim I can add, too. But there's nothing I need to do in order wear it again. yay!
Chemise: Not done, but wearable. heh! At 6pm on Friday I decided to start over and make something sleeveless to wear under the rig. Da Spouse ran a quick errand and we were all packed up. So I cut out linen and slapped a sleeveless chemise together. yay! Was done sewing before Da Spouse got back at 6:30. It needs finish work, but it was good enough to absorb sweat on Saturday. I'll take the other chemise I started and turn it into a shirt for my boy clothes.
Ropa: Done. I got the hem done and closures on Thursday night. Yay! I may look for some interesting closures to replace what I've got, but other than that, it's done.
Overall, I really liked the outfit. It's definitely an indoor outfit, though.
Next I need to ponder my growing wish list of projects.
Well, I pulled it together sufficiently to wear.
Post event summary (strictly costume critique of my own stuff. Pretty boring - more for my own failing memory):
Corset: Done. I lost a few pounds and had this one as small as it would go, so I forsee a new corset in my future. In the meantime, when I was making this corset, I didn't let vanity get the best of me and try to recreate the 22-inch waist I had 10 years ago. (Okay, it was 15 years ... LOL). Aiming for correct silhouette and comfort, I have created the 18-hour corset. It was so dang comfortable! I put it on around 8:30 am and shed it around 10 pm and was totally comfy all day. I love it when I'm not miserable in my clothes.
Hoops: Done, but need repair. The rigid material had a failure at one point. I won't go into details, but I was "experimenting" to see how far it would bend, mold and twist after I was dressed. D'oh! I snapped part of it in the lowest part of the skirt. But I was dressed and alone, so I had to lump it. Fortunately, the fix is easy. On the "hurrah" angle, my hoop skirt is incredibly light. My Ropa-Compatriot had the material Jen Thomson used (platic rope with wire in it). It had a great silhouette, but it was heavy and her back was killing her by 8pm. The only rework in my hoop skirt's future is fixing the snapped part of the caning.
Hat: Done. There is no rework in its future. There is a big hole and calus on the tip of my middle finger. If you ask nice, I'll show it to you! heh! The hat behaved itself and sat in place all day. Yay! Muchos Gracias to Aurelia, who held my hand through the process.
Caul: Done. Whipped that thang out in less than 30 minutes after pulling out the materials from the garage. (Boy, I have a lot of fabric. Good thing my inner control freak likes to sort fabric by fiber and weight - it was easy to find what I was looking for).
Ruffs: ha!! Hahahahaha! ROTFL! I printed up Drea Leeds directions for 4-hr ruffs. It works beautifully ... if you start out with enough fabric. It must been bad math on my part from being in a hurry. I spent all Friday night wandering from party to fealty shin-dig to party with a long strip of linen, carefully catching and sewing my threads into their stacked pleats. I'd even sewn a narrow band of white lace to the edge to add some splash. I went to put them around my neck back in our room and .... FAILURE!!! It was not long enough. I worked on them until 2 am and was still unsatisfied. Phooey! So Saturday morning I took a bubble bath and pondered my predicament. (I do my best scheming when soaking in water). I decided to "go Italian" with the more modest ruffle look since the importance was to have some white peaking out the collar and cuffs. And since I had added the lace, it wasn't as Spartan as it could have been. So I tore the ruffs out again and whipped/pleated them into the collar and cuffs of my doublet. It's not at all what I had in mind, but given the timing and the fact that I didn't have access to more materials, I did what I could. Path forward: new ruffs for neck and cuff.
Bodice: Done, but it has rework in its future. I spent until the very last minute being indecisive about the front closure and finally realized I only had time to put on hooks and eyes. So I added a placket, added some decorative bits and consequently ended up letting it out by 1/2-inch. I'm solidly built and didn't figure 1/2-inch would make a difference. And yet .... perhaps it was a bit too loose because it kept undoing itself at the neck line. So I need to take a look at that. Otherwise, I'm very pleased with it. I got the sleeves cut so that I can raise my arms over my head. That pattern is definitely a keeper.
Skirt: Done, but could use some improvements. I need to figure out a discreet side closure so that I can wear it without the ropa. I want to add another line of tack stitches to the trim so I can wear it without the ropa. I have some more trim I can add, too. But there's nothing I need to do in order wear it again. yay!
Chemise: Not done, but wearable. heh! At 6pm on Friday I decided to start over and make something sleeveless to wear under the rig. Da Spouse ran a quick errand and we were all packed up. So I cut out linen and slapped a sleeveless chemise together. yay! Was done sewing before Da Spouse got back at 6:30. It needs finish work, but it was good enough to absorb sweat on Saturday. I'll take the other chemise I started and turn it into a shirt for my boy clothes.
Ropa: Done. I got the hem done and closures on Thursday night. Yay! I may look for some interesting closures to replace what I've got, but other than that, it's done.
Overall, I really liked the outfit. It's definitely an indoor outfit, though.
Next I need to ponder my growing wish list of projects.
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no subject
Date: 2006-01-10 03:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-10 05:23 am (UTC)Thank you for the compliment!
the rework is relatively minor; so minor that if we were going to an indoor event this weekend, I'd wear it again!
no subject
Date: 2006-01-10 05:43 am (UTC)Sewzalot
Date: 2006-01-10 06:33 am (UTC)Poke me again about 3 months after spring collegium. That should give me enough time to recover from burnout and my collegium commitment will be over, so I'll have the brain-space to figure out short-term commitment thingies like getting together with people and sewing. Maybe we can work out a day where we get together depending on what you want to do or something.
I'm thinking it would be fun to do a workshop on men's 15th century Italian clothing like what I wore at A&S. (oh gack, here I go again ...) I'm committed to the apprentices to help them sew for A&S in June/July and I'm making BIG efforts to resist overcommitting myself to doing more than that stuff (work is heating up fast ...) but after A&S I think it would be a fun series of workshops to coordintate. Ponder it and let me know if you're interested. (I set up Lotus notes to send me e-mails to remind me of the stuff I want to do and I embed the names of folks who've shown interest. Use the Technology, Luke!)
Re: Sewzalot but not very well
Date: 2006-01-10 06:25 pm (UTC)Only thing we're trying to figure out short-term is how to make a Flemish for el Mamacita, since she needs, er, ~dinner~ clothes. :-> But those shouldn't be that complicated, right? It looks like it's just a fitted tunic with buttonholes...
Re: Sewzalot but not very well
Date: 2006-01-11 01:06 am (UTC)What are you doing Saturday? post me privately via the collegium e-mail on the kingdom website.
Re: Sewzalot but not very well
Date: 2006-01-11 01:13 am (UTC)Well, except all the "girls" got mad at me and I left camp to escape the estrogen. (which is also guy-like and may explain why guys carry everything on their bodies - for unexpected and prolonged camp departures). It was something about getting in trouble for checking with the head cooks and not automatically assuming it was okay to invite people to dinner. This was then followed by getting in trouble for inviting 10 more people to the pot-luck after that without checking in. I just couldn't win. I actually experienced a real guy-moment, as validated by Geoffrey M, Ivar and Wulfric.
Oh - and the guys and I compared leggings while I was experiencing my prolonged departure from camp. That was really neat.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-11 01:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-11 02:01 am (UTC)