Faire Days!

Well, as previously covered, Beth and I spent last Saturday at the MD RenFest in our brand new Flemish garb. Here are a few images (borrowed from beth) to show what my dress (and Beths!) ended up looking like. Notice that we both had time for sleeves--and later in the day it was even cool enough out to wear them!! I must remember to always do fests in the autumn from now on.

This is a poor quality picture of how I ended up "bustling" the over dress--all Beth's idea, since she was fiddling with my skirts for me Friday night. I love the result of her ministrations. I think it makes my butt look pleasantly GINORMOUS. ;)


back

Here is us looking all natural. You can get a good idea of what our head dresses looked like, and maybe why it is we were mistaken for mennonites from the back a few times:


I think that's all for this gown. I actually have plans (and fabric) to make a black partlet as well, and will post pics of that when/if I have it. But since I won't be wearing this again til next faire season, it may be a good while.

Finito!

Well, approximately 14 hrs prior to wear, I made maroon wool/green cotton reversible sleeves for my flemish. Approximately 7 hrs before putting the ensemble on for the "reveal," I finished the hems. Cutting it close, eh? In any case, it is completely done. And wearing it was completely fun. See my Dress Diary main page for details of my festy weekend with Beth and hubbby.

I will get some completed dress shots up here soon. In the meantime I just wanted to give a "Huzzah!" for being done. And a *pout* for having sat in bbq sauce at the faire. :( I am sure it will come out, but damn, that's annoying.... I must say, a stained peasant is actually rather appropriate, but still. ;)

24 Hrs and Counting.

Well, here it is: Booger Christmas mates with Great Pumpkin:


redover

I quite obviously haven't hemmed yet. Yes, beth....I'm waiting for you. Adam's pinning was not to my liking--and there were other issues that will be illuminated below.
So....the rundown:
The overdress is fully reversible booger/red. The box pleats are cheated a little, since I didn't have enough fabric for full box pleats. it has the effect at least.
Here it is reversed to booger:


The thing I DON'T like about my overdress is that I have the top lacing rings placed too high. I have to take some out and readjust to get my spiral lacing working again. Blast. But the top ribbon of the overdress lacing is HIGHER than the neckline of the ornge, and it just looks stupid. I haven't hemmed because I need to get up inside the bodice to make these adjustments.

And!!!!!!!! Wheeeee!!!!!!!!!! My adorable hat came in:


This is my favorite part of the overdress: How the lacings rings are embeded into the edge seam to expose only a half circle:

lacings

That's all for now. No doubt there will be Beth/Julie pictures after the weekend.

Beth--I really will TRY to clean before you get here. But I apologize to you and the dress engineer in advance for the mess. :)

Julie's "Episode"

Last night, I couldn't find my kirtle. It was completely gone. Poof. Needless to say, with the deadline looming, I completely lost it (mentally). Hubby was sweet and was looking all around for it, and it literally was not anywhere in our apt. I was crying, throwing a little hissy and accusing him of throwing it out (as it had been bundled up in a grocery bag). This is 1) because I'm just that crazy when it comes to costuming, and 2) because I'm PMSing. Poor hubby.
In a stroke of...well, not brilliance, more like stupidness....I realized I had been working on it in my carpool partner's car. Thank god it was still in there. I couldn't imagine the fallout if I lost AN ENTIRE DRESS! I raced over to get it straight away, even though I could've waited for this morning when we leave for work. Neurotic? Why, YES.

So, between last night's dress scare and watching Lost, I worked on my overgown bodice. I decided, as beth suggested, on the green rather than the yellow. It makes my dress look much more drab and peasanty. Drab is a good thing. The yellow would've been just a bit on the chipper side. The green is a grey-green sage, and rather like pale boogers. Matched with my red overgown material, I have named the overgown "booger christmas." This with my newly recovered "great pumpkin" kirtle combines my two favorite holidays, albeit in a sorta perverse way.

No pics of booger christmas yet, since I can't lace it til I install the lacing rings. But this should placate you. Behold, the great pumpkin:


Pumpkin'd !!
(photo alteration courtesy of a clever coworker)

I Got Nuthin'

Not an ounce of sewing last night--didn't touch a piece of fabric all night. Happy anniversary to us! Let me just say that the Flaming Turtle Fondue distraction was WELL worth the missed sewing. Adam practically had to roll me home.
Hope my dress still fits. ;)

I think I will frantically cut and sew my outer dress bodice tonight after my music lesson. More to come.

Let me also say that I'm wavering on my colors AGAIN!!!! God, I'm fickle. Do I line the outer dress with the yellow linen? Or my light greyish sage linen/cotton? Hrmmmm.....The yellow requires less ironing (pro)....The sage is not as bright (which is a pro in this list). I guess I'll decide when it comes to cutting tonight. Livin' on the edge. Story of my life. ;)

Recycled Pics

Well, last night I got much less done than I had anticipated. This is because I'm addicted to that Prisonbreak show. Oh, and the internet. Definitely addicted to the internet.

Anyway, after work my carpool buddy and I stopped at Trader Joe's--a sidetrip that took significant amounts of sewing time away, but yielded some very tasty vittles... I think I must have Beth explain me to about prioritizing. This is apparently a foreign concept.

I got home and managed to at least draft the overdress bodice pattern successfully. I'm having that 3 seamed "v" thing in the back. Like this:


vback (detail from Festive Attyre site)

Besided aggregiously over-estimating strap width on the back straps, it came out fitting well and just about what I'd envisioned. I'll just hack off that extra bit of strap. With any luck, I'll get some of the pattern pieces cut out tonight, but we've got anniversary dinner planned, so who knows if it'll actually happen or not.

Other news: Finally got my bodice lining whipstitched into place on the commute in this morning.
I DESPERATELY need to hem my kirtle. But no one was home to help me pin last night. I suppose I could have Adam "pin me to the floor" as part of our anniversary celebration, eh?
Tres romantique.

Pockets!

I worked Sunday to finish up the kirtle. I got most of it done. I'm whipstitching the bodice lining into place on my commute today. My pleating could use some work, admittedly. Perhaps if i measured before hand... Oh well, I'm a peasant. I'm allowed to look a little "hand-done". The back is not really crooked like it looks in the pic, just the lacing ribbon I wrapped around my waist is. I do wish I'd make the back waistline a bit shorter, as it bunches a little...

Check out my pocket! Don't I look leisurely in my GQ pose? We'll not speak of how I sewed them on inside out (ahem...twice) before getting them right. Here it is in full "glory." It still needs hemming:

pleats

pocket!

socks

I couldn't resist puttin ths pic in. These socks are ridiculously funny. Love my new leather slippers, though!
Hrm...an iron wouldn't hurt, eh?

Now I need to knock out the overdress so I can stop feeling like the Great Pumpkin....