Sabrina

I did actually sew stuff this year, but not much of what I was expecting. So here goes:

Finished:
Green stays (finally, it only took like five years... and I don't like the fit lol)
Scarf for my grandmother (knitting counts!)
Bridesmaid dress for my friend
Pink and chocolate cotton dress
18th c. style Halloween costume for my friend (Unfinished bodice Front, Back, and Side)
Ancient Roman Halloween costume (Front, Back, Fabric that I pleated)
Red satin skirt
Teal dupioni dress for my mom

Started:
Plum 1790 stays (currently whip-stitching the pieces together)
1860 corset (working on the mock-up, which has begun to co-operate, version 2 was much improved)
Chocolate knitted mitt (making up the pattern as I go, which is actually working surprisingly well so far)

For 2010:
Finish plum 1790 stays
1860 corset
Some kind of shift or chemise
Bumroll
Gold striped petticoat
Red brocade jacket
Red cotton dress
Finish chocolate knitted mitts

So, what I've learned is that I get more sewing done if: a) It's for someone else, 2) there's a deadline, and c) it doesn't take long to put together. Almost all the stuff I made for myself only took a day or two. And making things for other people forces me to finish because they need it. And while it's not always fun, it is when the person just trusts you to do what you think is best. I was going to do pictures today, but I got up way to late and now the sunlight is all gone. However, I just downloaded some old pictures. So the Halloween ones are new. And here's a bit of summer for you. Pictures of my rose garden. :)( Pretties this way )

I am almost completely done my stays. Just one more eyelet in a strap. Then they'll be done. I just did the other one yesterday and put in a white ribbon to tie the strap. It looks really pretty. So excited! Too bad I have so much homework to do.

I *heart* my tambour hook. Doing tambour embroidery is so much fun! It goes by so quickly. I have a pic of a little sample of tambour with drawn thread, but I'm too lazy to put it up. I assure you, many pictures will be forthcoming of my current embroidery projects. Just not right now. They have decided to be slightly secret for the moment. :)

In green stays news, I am over half done the back side of the binding at the bottom. Just to finish all the tabs on that side.

Well, I finished school on Wednesday. So that's fantastic. And I just had an awesome mail day. Four books that I ordered last week just showed up. They are:
Catharine and Other Writings by Jane Austen (I own all the novels already. This is other stuff like manuscripts, juvenilia, etc.)
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
A Room With a View by E. M. Forster
Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee
Can you tell that I was somewhat influenced by this season's Masterpiece Theatre? I haven't been reading anything for the past two days. It's been incredibly boring. I was waiting for these books to come in. But I am being good and am off to sew on my stays. I am finishing the outside bottom binding. Not too much more to go.

Has anybody used the combed cotton lawn from Dharma Trading? Or the cotton lawn from Silk Connection? I'm looking to make some whitework embroidered engageantes and want something that is very sheer and light. A lot of things I've read say "muslin sleeve ruffles" and talk about using lawn. I am going to be working this weekend and will have a little extra cash to spare, so I'm looking for help in spending it. :) (After all, I should only need a yard.) Looking for something like this. Any advice? Any other fabric suggestions for this? (Preferably nothing too pricey, and hopefully shipping doesn't cost an arm and a leg either.) Thanks!

Oh also, finished binding the top of the green stays. Woot!

Word to the wise: It is a bad idea to make doodles of your costume ideas when you're in class on your notes. Why? Because once the term is done it's pretty much impossible to find them again. (Hmm... Maybe if I spent less time doodling I would have done better in my Finance classes. ;p) Well, I searched through three sets of notes and couldn't find the sketch I was looking for. I found a good many of 18th century shoes, a few chemise dresses, two robe a la francaises, and some Tudor gowns, but not the embroidery ideas I had.

Embroidery ideas, you say? Yes. Why? Because last night I ordered a tambour hook as part of my birthday present from my dad! (Yes, my birthday is February. But it's nice to get a birthday present in April, as I can't expect any more presents until December.) So I am on a bit of an embroidery kick and I had two nice ideas I doodled on some notes. Now I remember one, but I think the other one was better and I can't remember it. Darnnit! Oh well.

In stays land, I am almost done binding the top. I've been studying for finals, so doing some sewing is a nice study break. I just had a final last night worth 100% of my grade. I am glad that one's over. I think I did alright on it. My next one is on Saturday. And then I'm done! And one of my friends gets back on Thursday from a really long trip he took to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, so we'll probably hang out on the weekend. Sweet!

Straps are on with seam allowances sewn down. That was done yesterday. Today I started binding. And I was binding and it was going well. I'm using a white poly ribbon. (If I haven't said it before, I'm saying it now: These stays are like practice. They will be wearable, but I am definitely making new ones later this year. New and better ones. From a different pattern. That fit better. More reasoning for this ahead.) And I was binding the straps when I realized, "Hey genius, you haven't measured how long the straps need to be". So, I had to get the contraption on and figure it out. In trying the thing on I realize (once again) that the front is not wide enough, and it affects the fit of the whole thing. Bah! So the straps fit kinda wonky in the shoulder area, and I'm rather squished in front from lacing the stays so that the shoulder blade area fits alright. The only fix for this would be opening up the front area and binding that (the fashion fabric was cut with the front in one piece, but the lining is in two pieces. Maybe I was on something while making this decision?) and making more eyelets. No thank you. I am willing to settle on these as they are my first try and all. So once I decided that, there was still strap length to decide. And I realize that I have bound past the point of ideal strap length. This results in taking out my nice whipstitches and then cutting the straps to the right length. Which somehow resulted in my cutting off the nice tail of thread I left so that I could continue whipstitching. Which resulted in having to take out even MORE stitches and then ending that thread. Phooey! Umm yeah, but one day there will be pictures. And it will actually be done. I promise. ;)

Of course, after all this I decided I needed a break. I think I will put Persuasion (which I got from the library) in the DVD player and make some chocolate chip cookies. Mmmm... cookies.

Okay, it's been a while. But in all honesty, I really haven't been doing much. It's Spring Break, so I've just been relaxing and cooking supper for my family so my mom doesn't have to. It hasn't really been a great past few weeks for me. And I think the cold, dark weather is starting to get oppressive. I've been getting headaches. Not bad ones, just annoying. There's also some other "personal life" stuff, that I don't feel like talking/typing? about. Nothing horrific, just not great. But things are getting better, and I'm just trying to keep busy and get on track with sewing.

Speaking of which, I finally finished sewing down the seam allowances in my green stays. Next up is to melt the ends of the cable ties. Then it's on to binding. So close to being done. Hurrah! I have also been watching Pride and Prejudice on Masterpiece. It is fantastic. I managed to rent the 1998 Great Expectations and watched that today. It was alright, but nothing spectacular. And right now I'm trolling the 'net looking out for stuff for my dad's present to me for my b-day last week. This means that I will soon be getting a tambour hook and some silk embroidery threads. Yay! I plan on ordering the tambour hook from Hedgehog Handworks and the floss from Eterna Silks. Any comments or stuff I should know?

Firstly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY tailordrews!!!

As far as sewing goes, I have begun the very boring and uneventful part of sewing on my stays called sewing down seam allowances. Not terribly fun or anything, but the results are pretty. Not much sewing going on though. I'm adjusting to being back in school and having to read texts, and balancing this with reading actual fun stuff. This leaves rather less time for sewing at the moment, but it should improve. Today I was having a very fascinating read about the formation of our Constitution that put me to sleep about 5 times. Not nearly as exciting as reading fiction about an enterprising, female natural philosopher determined to abolish witchhunting in the early 1700s. (That would be The Last Witchfinder by James Morrow.)

Okay, I should get back to homework though. And really, truly I will eventually replace the batteries in my camera and get some pics up.

I only have 3 eyelets to go on the back! Then I believe I will post some pics. Unfortunately, with this cold, I find it hard to do much work on them. I get really tired and headache-y after about 2 eyelets. But today I got 4 done, 3 of which whilst watching Persuasion for the second time. Persuasion is going back to the library tomorrow though. I'm considering taping all the Jane Austens on Masterpiece Theatre so that can have something to watch while sewing later.

I also made out my list/schedule and have found that I should probably be able to have my list mostly done by October. *fingers crossed* That means I could add another project or two. Hmmm... Also something new to do this year is add tags to my posts. So getting right on that.