When discouraged...

It always helps me to remember that there have been a few successes. Here is one that I am still rather pleased with. This is a recreation of a dress from Return of the King. I had a good time with this one. Not a bad likeness is it?




This is a photo of the original taken from alleycatscratch.com. I would do a link, but I haven't figured that out yet!

And here is a close up of the embroidery and beading I did on the sleeves. This was my favorite part of the project. I love the hand work. I was pleased with the outcome. I pull this out from time to time just to remind myself that it can be very fun and sometimes successful to embark on these creative endeavors.

Barney is dead

For now. Yes, I have caved. I need an easy, actually, really, truly easy project to boost morale. I have learned that it really is best for me not to rush into a big project. I need all that planning and re-thinking before I actually cut or stitch. Enough said for now.

Barney

I have decided to name this dress Barney because it is just that annoying. Yes it is true. I pretty much despise this dress right now. I discovered today that the lovely silk is actually one of the worst colors I could possibly have picked. It makes me look recently dead. And all I have to do is sew this thing together, and yet literally with every seam I sew I run into a different problem. Most of them creative in nature. This is why it is foolish for me to rush into any major project. The temptation is great to take all the pins out and chuck this thing out of a moving vehicle. However, because I now have this blog I feel some accountability to actually finish, which was sort of the point. So I guess it is working because as painful as it may be I am determined to finish this beast and hopefully make it pretty in the end. I will have to do something about it making me look dead however...

Musing

I'm still not convinced that anyone is actually going to look at this little blog and if that is the case I am ok with that. Last weekend a friend was giving me tips on what to blog about. For example he thought that having tea with my two year old daughter and her Yoda doll would be of interest. So I guess I will just write sometimes and if any are inclined to read it then they will get maybe a glimpse into my strange small world. That being said, I thought I would ramble a bit about Dexter my cello. (I failed to mention earlier that I like to name precious inanimate objects after some favorite character. If you can name the reference you get a prize!) Anyway, I was in the car last week listening to "Drink the night away" by Romantica, which is a great song. Mid song the strings come in and it choked me up a bit. I realized that though Dexter is neglected he is representative of hundreds of hours of my life. Most of those hours were very hard work, but also so joyful. I truly believe that no endeavor to expand your world and your mind is worthless. Even if nothing else comes of it but the experience. Almost every time I hear a cello anytime, anywhere it takes me into that part of myself, that experience of learning and working and getting to a place where I could make something beautiful. I still have this skill now, laying dormant just waiting for a reawakening. Whether or not that ever comes is maybe not the point. I have those cello related treasures stored away, and it was worth it. It will be a part of me the rest of my life.

C.K. Dexter Haven

So I thought I would branch out a little and share some other things, like Dexter. This is my cello. He is sadly neglected lately because, well, my daughter is two, but he is a dear old friend. I learned to play about 6 years ago and almost 4 years ago decided it was time to buy a cello. He was made in 2000 by D. Albert of Markneukirchen, Germany and finished by A. Fein of St. Paul. It is a great cello. Great for me. It has a very dark tone to it, which I like. Nothing too "silvery" or bright. I love the cello because it is melancholy, much like me. Yours truly, Snuffleupagus.

It's the little things

Tweeking, cutting, more cutting. Very little actual sewing. However I did make this during nap time the other day. These projects must be measured by tiny goals and small victories, or I weary of them and chuck them into a box for years before they see the light of day again. I am already tired of looking at this project and I have barely started, so I need to make some progress to keep the flame alive! Just wait, when I next make a post my progress will shock my adoring fans. All three of you.

Another inspiration photo. You see, I'm stuck on the bodice so of course I turn to inspiration and examining how in the world these things went together. No luck so far, but I feel like I am doing something... without... doing anything. I'm tired today and the whole house is asleep but me. Perfect for making progress, except that the brain is fuzzy and motivation and inspiration are dead. So a cup of tea, pretty dress pictures and blogging my lack of progress is all a means to give myself a kick in the pants to get going again. Still sitting here... give the tea a little time to work its magic.

Inspiration

Here is the inspiration for my "quick/easy" project. I already have the skirts cut and a new bodice drafted, I just have to test it. I am hopeful, but need to make sure I have left over time and energy for such an endeavor!

Ah ha!

The wheels have been turning with ideas for a "quick" and "cool" alternative for this years Ren Fest. I was pondering this cotton sateen for two days. Would it work, could I pull it off with my fair skin? After an inspiring glimpse at a friends embroidery everything suddenly clicked. That boring on its own tan silk that I got for a steal years ago would look great under that eggplant and with some simple embroidery and bead work it could be beautiful. So off I went and only $20.21 later I have 6 yards. Love those Joann's coupons.

Queen for a day

At the suggestion of a friend, here is a completed project from a few years ago. This dress was so much fun. It all started with the gold silk and red velvet which had been in a grab bag at a photo studio prop sale. They just called out to me. I hunted down this brocade fabric and made the plung during a 50% off sale at Joann's. I had really wanted to try this pattern and it was really quite simple. This was the most detailed dress I had done, so it was a great accomplishment. I had recently discovered that I love hand sewing, so I had to sew all those pearls on the trim. That year I went to the Rennaisance Festival for a home school outing and all the little girls decided that I was the queen. Once I was in jeans again I lost all respect. Sigh.

Petticoat Finis

Here is the improved version of petticoat 1. This has had the boning adjusted and the skirt lined. Now all that remains is the hand sewing of the inner waistband and the hemming. I get so close to done and then I dread the finishing. Why is that? Regardless, this has probably been my favorite project so far. It is so comfy and flattering and actually fits. Even with the re-doing, I love this little dress. Now on to the over dress!

Update: I did do all the hand sewing and finishing work on this piece and it remains one of my favorite projects ever. It is so pretty and it fits!

Petticoat cont.

Here is the finished petticoat, sort of. After trying it on and wearing it around I realized the boning was all wrong and also decided that I wanted to line the skirt. This is going under a silk cotton that is almost a gauze. Very light and transparent. I'm pretty sure a modest regency young lady wouldn't want her knickers showing. So here is finished petticoat 1 before a total overhaul.

Regency bodiced petticoat

I am going to begin with this. Not a dress diary exactly, since half of this project is done. Maybe just highlights. This pattern is based on the Sense and Sensibility pattern and modifications found at Sensibility.com. This has been an exciting experience. It is the first dress that really fits me. Drafting a pattern is much easier and more rewarding than I imagined. So here is how I began and here is how it ended, the first time that is. For anyone attempting this, measure that boning well. I ended up ripping everything back to the boning because it was too long. It should sit just below your bustpoint or you get the ends of the boning sticking out into your sillouhette. Not so attractive, as you will see in example #2 which is forthcomining.

?

Well, here goes...will it work?

A fine beginning

Well, this is a fine beginning. I want to share my pretties with the world and I can't get my pictures to upload, so here is my really boring looking blog and no pictures to write about. I must have pictures to establish a visual frame of reference for future discussion, yes? Yes.