hobbit chemise is nearly complete

Tonight I spent a hideous half hour re-threading my overlocker from scratch.  There's one tricksy part with the lower looper, ie the first thread to be done, and it took multiple goes, two needle nose tweezers and a deep seated relief that I had no alcohol in the house.  I would have resorted to drinking some and it would have taken even longer.

Anyhoo, all is well I only have the neckline and sleeve hems to go.  Here's the hem being belted around. I overlocked and turned it up, and eyeballed the hem all around.  It's an under layer and in theory only seen by me. Hopefully I don't end up in emergency, and if I did the last thing they & I are concerned with is that I overlocked a costume hem that isn't on view.



Yes, I need to work on the overlocker tension as it's a smidge tight, but *underwear*.  Do I sound like I'm trying to convince myself ;)

Oh yes, I'm using Burda7156, a little shorter, and definitely shorter sleeves. I needed to cut it out of 3m of 112cm wide, as I needed 1m for a fichu (neck scarf) for my working class regency. I thought the sleeves looked crazy wide, & they were. I took 13cm (5") out and they're still puffy.

Oh, and my dreadful attempt at photos of my tv screen (my netbook doesn't have a cd/dvd drive so no screencapping ability).  Look at the ugly cap on this woman. -shudder-

being an adult has it's less fun aspects

Seeing as I've made the mess it's only fair that I pick up the mess I've made in the past 2 weeks, but I think we all know that it's boring having to put on the big girl pants at times.

Now it would have taken infintely less time if I'd just done it instead of constantly detouring via the interwebs. So later Sunday evening I finally got the hobbit shift cut out. I'm aiming to get the first pass seaming done tonight and just overlock the seams. Which means rethreading my new overlocker which I haven't done before. One of the looper threads broke, which means as they have to be done in a specific order that I have to completely unthread and learn this new beastie.

Today I'm dropping some unwanted tubs down to a friend, having brunch and finally seeing Iron Man 3.  Yay a fun day and a getting to feel like the grotto has a teency improvement.

Oh and talking of Hobbit costumes, I've just rewatched the first 5 minutes of Fellowship of the Ring and yes, their bodices do have modesty panels. blergh. Still, not a major hassle, just a bit tedious.  I remembered to order the grommets for the back, so I hope I got enough, depending on how i do the modesty panel.



Sooo my long weekend has been hidously unproductive, with Sunday being the clean up at home day that Saturday should.

stashbusting for the corded petticoat

aiyyy, much as I'd love to be buying cotton organdy for my corded petticoat, I'm not going to.  I gave myself a mental headslap as I've 3 lengths of white hanky-weight linen in my stash. I've got 5 linen chemises already and even if I make a bodiced petticoat with one length, that still leaves 2 sitting waiting to be used. And are money already spent!

Corded linen petticoats are period so I need to just do it! Lunchtime tomorrow I'll go to the knitting shop in the city and get some heavier crochet cotton to use so that I have all the things, and can start it as soon as my Winterfest sewing is done.

Yesterday i didn't get anything sewing done, I've a mild headache that's been around for a few days. And I worked late, which is good as I need to make up time already taken. By the time I got home at 7.30pm I was tired, grumpy, hungry and my inner toddler was in ascendency. Time for takeaway, avoiding the news/interwebs cos of that stoopid sports match that was on which I have zero interest in. Along with an early to bed to get some zzz.  Except I had a crap night sleep due to being woken up by neighbours etc. Oh and I remembered dreaming - an anxiety one where I had so many deadlines and the only way I could finish everything was to do a bit of everything each day.  Oddly enough just like my real life scenario.

If I can do a couple of rows of my corded petti each day then I won't be spending my week's holiday before Steamfest sewing endless row after row of cording.

seating for working class regency events

Just ordered on eBay (waiting to hear when I can pay & collect it) a folding stool, that's suitable for regency events.  I really want a chair, but this will be lighter as I'm schlepping myself around on by public transport - both bus and train.  Seeing as Winterfest is at the end of this month I'm really looking forward to having my own seat. Though maybe like last year I'll spend my time napping on the ground.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/220865180681

and yes it may be slightly posher than working class, but it's transportable by design.

getting things ticked of the to-do list

So yes I got an extra-long zip from the stash TICK, and sewed together Catelyn's mockup bodice TICK and have an idea how it needs to be altered TICK.  On the way to the tub-o-white fabric, I looked in teh costume fabric cupboard and LO, BEHOLD there was the unbleached voile TICK.

Not even on my ticky-list was preshrinking the unbleached voile BONUS-TICK, and selecting a stash fabric to flatline the bodice of Catelyn's dress BONUS-TICK.  That's preshrunk too! BONUS-TICK I want to flatline it as linen/cotton may stretch out and this will hopefully reduce that. Though it may be totally counterproductive to do that, so I'll ponder that a little longer while I get the mockup fitted.

I also did two loads of laundry (sheets and towels) BONUS-TICK

Sadly not ticked off was altering the hobbit bodice pattern MINUS-TICK.  Partly cos I'm flat & tired after today's "may not have a job in October" news.

There aren't any photos of the mockup to share, dagnabbit, as I have 'misplaced' the memory card for my camera.  And I need the photos myself so that I can evaluate how the back fits.  Though so I don't have to wait forever, I may take it to work and ask a colleague to do some pinning. I'm so grateful that I have someone who sews sitting near me now.

Time to put fresh sheets on the bed, and then get the chemise pattern/fabric/pins together and go to bed. Have a follow up with my endocrinologist tomorrow morning first thing so I have to be up and at 'em..

Syd'nova and Winterfest costume checklists

Just to make sure I don't forget something essential over the next 3.5 weeks.  Strike through = done

Hobbit
wig - must get a wig comb & tidy it up
chemise - need to cut, stitch
bodice - need to 2nd toile, cut, sew. (ooh, must order grommets)
bag
skirt 1
skirt 2
apron
shoes

Catelyn
wig - have 2 being commissioned into 1. dye or spray my hair dark auburn
chemise (or chemisette) - find voile in the stash. check whites tub
dress - stitch 1st toile, alter pattern, stitch dress - possibly dye darker
bag - maybe embroider a fish on it?
shoes - decide on which to use
possible scarf - perhaps a length of silk chiffon?

working class 1806
cap & hat
stays
chemisette - linen (can hand hem neckfrill at lunchtime {shudder}
bodiced skirt - the pale blue linen has already been dyed
short gown - in stripe wool. short version of Past Patterns
basket with wine jug
shoes

 edited to add: cloak
seating

So tonight I'll sew together Catelyn's mockup (must get extralong zip from stash), and see how it needs to be altered.  Plus pattern up the 2nd hobbit bodice toile. And look in the tub-o-white to see if I put the unbleached voile in there, and I may make it a chemisette to make my life easier.

Tomorrow at lunchtime I can cut out the hobbit chemise, and at night I can sew the 2nd hobbit bodice toile and start the chemise (all those long straight seams for the win!)

lets not forget about shoes and underpinnings

Eep, I just realised that I've made zero thought as to what shoes Catelyn Stark wears.  Or maybe she wears boots.  I'm looking at my shoe collection and wonder what I can wear that's comfortable and closely appropriate - given that I have freakishly wide feet and can't just go out and buy shoes.

Part of me says that if I can't even see the hem of her skirt as it's covered by her coat, then surely I can chose whatever works best for me.  I've got some black hush puppies that I can wear all day, and I've pair of navy shoes I got for a costume that I could wear. Must see how comfy they are.

I also need to get some cotton organdy to make a corded petticoat. I need to start sewing this sooner rather than later, as I need it for the end of July. As I'm at Steamfest the weekend before SMASH, I can't leave it until I get home.

Plus I need a new corset to wear under my steampunk (in August) , and Ma Dola (ditto), and Clara ( at end November).  I could make an 1860s and a natural form, but I can wear the natural form corset under the 1860s.  So inspired by Before the Automobile I'm going to mock up both the 1880 in Waugh's Corsets & Crinolines and Salen's 1885 to see which is more suitable for my very different physique. Salen's because I've already scaled up the pattern and graded it to my approx size.  Even in my younger, slimmer years I was short-waisted and stocky.  Sadly I'm going to be not so elegant in appearance, and that's not even taking into account my hatred of hand sewing vis a vis flossing. But either one of these will have to do, as there is no perfect pattern.

eeee, I have Ageless #1288, a 1890 corset for a stout lady (though not as stout as me!).  I can't do this one too!

an japanese movie costume for August

Some long term planning here, well August this year.  I'm going to SMASH, and I need to upgrade my Ma Dola (from the movie Laputa).  It's now hugely big for me, which is a good place to be unless you want to wear it.  I'm going to make her skirt version as I overheated in the britches.

Though I'm not sure if overheating was cos I used a stretch woven as that was the stashed fabric in the right colour. Which isn't that of these screencaps. The standing one is darker as it's night-time, and the one below is just wrong. 

I need to watch the film again to check her skirt length. I may make a corded petticoat if it's a shorter skirt.