Real sewing today!

Today I actually picked up a needle! I moved the bar on my green matka skirt, stitched the zip up a cit as it was rather long, and stitched an inexplicable gap in a seam where I must have had a thread break or something, and not noticed.

Then I took the padding out of a pretty grey bra - my size doesn't take kindly to padding! However, I ended up with bifurcated boobs as the seam lines ran straight across them, and no amount of tweaking could improve the shape, so that went in the bin (a cheap buy from E bay.)

I then carefully darned one underarm sleeve of my lilac shirt - I have exactly the same linen, so was able to reinforce it underneath too. I plan to make a pair of trousers, or a skirt, or both, to match. (The sleeve rubs on the velcro'd crossover strap of my back pack - I need to find a way of covering that.)

And finally, I started the fine hem on the front edge of the 1750's cap I am making for the Mary Blandy outfit.

Then I went to a free "The Sisteen" concert!

Another sewing-less weekend!

Went to the Wallace Collection http://www.wallacecollection.org/ with my colleague, and spent ages staring at lovely paintings, especially the miniatures! That was Saturday, before she left for home.

Sunday we drove over to my son's, again, as his Dad had killed his computer, again, and the son is a genius-geek top class. Shopping brought several goodies, including 3 new t-shirts for £1.00!! (My credit card gives vouchers for the store I use, and I had several!) But no sewing.

And today I spent writing letters regarding the tour, and clearing up the jumble sale that was my bedroom, again, and this time actually throwing dead clothes away - and having bought a great fedora in Manchester, finally threw away the broken trilby I got in Disneyland, far longer ago than I care to remember!

Visiting costume displays!

I just spent a few days in Manchester, running round looking at all sorts of things. Owing to circumstances beyond our control, we scooted in to Platt Hall seconds before closing, so had no time to study anything , but were able to see a dress patterned by Janet Arnold, below.

We also saw this well known chemise dress. There were other wonders, but no chance to examine anything. That's for the future!

We also visited the Whitworth Art Gallery which also has textiles and garments, one of which jackets is mentioned in "Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd" - with clouds on it. I cannot work out how to search the database, but they did say that most things are on there.

I did take sewing with me, but needless to say, nothing got done!

Two caps on the way.

I've not had much sewing time in the last few days, but today I managed to make a pattern of the later cap, with which I am well pleased. I made it in a fine cotton, so it weighs very little, and the ruffles will be silk organza, to keep the stiffness. As I am travelling for the next couple of days, and plan to hand sew the hems, the ruffles will be coming with me, together with the brim of the earlier cap.

That will also have a hand sewn hem, and the lace will also be sewn on by hand. Two nice little jobs to do while chatting with my travelling companion.

An outing

Went to a medieval fayre, so called, and bought fabric, but it was a very tiring day. I wanted some really cheap calico for making toiles, but all he had was something very similar, with a dobby spot all over. I ended uop getting 15 metres, at £2.00 a metre - a steal really! A friend said she'd bought the whole roll, but not till after my metres had come off it! The rest of the fabrics were rather disappointing - he's usually good for some decent linen, or wool - good job I didn't need any. Keith bought earrings, mead, and some books, and I bought some odds and ends for stocking fillers - yes I know it's 6 months till Christmas, but buy where and when you see is my plan. Work tomorrow, then off to Manchester scouting places for our next Sensibility tour in 2012.

A quiet "me" day

After having  a couple of injections in preparation for our autumn cruise to the Eastern End of the Mediterranean, I looked at every stall down my local market to try and find a black leather shoulder bag like the one I broke an important zip on. I can't mend the zip, unfortunately. None of the stalls had medium size bags - useless tiny ones, yes, and huge ugly and equally useless ones, also yes. None of the shops locally had any, nor did the myriad of charity shops. (I saw one at the weekend where my DS and DIL live, but thought £22.00 was too much - now I regret not getting it.)

After all that activity I didn't feel like doing much, so I put bands of towelling in two of my straw hats. I lost yesterday's hat to a swift gust of wind, and was most grateful to the young man who snagged it for me! Since I bought the hat, I am wearing my hair much shorter, so it came off easily, and another was just a little too big. So I made hat bands of towelling and sewed them to the existing headbands. Hopefully they won't go flying off again, and the towelling will absorb sweat - oh yeah, a lady doesn't sweat - she glows. Well, it'll absorb the glow!!

Fittings, good and bad

Yesterday the couple who are having 1827 ish costumes came for their first fittings. He went first and I was really pleased with almost everything. The "Cossack Trowsers" were a good fit apart from the waist, which was a bit tight. I talked it through with him, and we were agreed that a couple of inches all over would be a good idea as in the original painiting that I am attemping to replicate, the young man's trowsers are even baggier. The coat was a good fit, but in spite of me lengthening the body, it still needed another inch on the length, easy enough to do, and three inches on the skirt, also easy. (My note on the paper pattern, self made for an earlier costume, said "lengthen", which I did on the body but not the skirt - that needs to be checked on the person, as each coat needs to be different.) He loved the original period shirt I loaned him, so I need to copy that. It would make sense to make and keep a pattern, although  as I still don't plan on going on working, I can't think why, right now!!

The sleeve was way too tight and not long enough, but as I drew it pretty much freehand, I wan't surprised. I have a good enough shape to work from though.

The lady loved her shift and drawers, and I showed her the calico for the petticoat. (I made a funny cobble when putting in the underarm gussets, which I haven't yet been able to sort out, but I will take the **** thing apart, again, and try and sort it out! The stays were not succesful. I will have to recut them, but in the proper fabric this time, and much wider on the hips, somehow. She doesn't normally wear a bra, and is rather soft, so I had a little local difficuly getting her to understand what I wanted, but I got a fit, which I now need to make corset shaped!

We spent some time discussing the dress itself, and it's a combination of the two dresses from "Costime in Detail" plus a couple of ideas and a sleeve pattern from Hunnisett. I will take photos I promise! Oh, and she might well have a cap as her hair is rather modern. I rather like the second one - she can't have her ears covered because she is a musician and needs to be able to hear, so I think the second one is rather good, and pretty!