Post-Pennsic

Pennsic was AWESOME but really fucking hot. Most of the garb I made was too warm, but I think if I had gone completely naked I still would have been too warm. XD

And I was hoping to take a bit of a breather after all that sewing, but...

Well. I'm working on a costume for a convention now. Lol. So so much for that idea!

Two Weeks!

Just a little bit over 2 weeks till Pennsic, and still sewing. Realized I had only made long-sleeved dresses for myself, so I'm throwing together a few short-sleeved ones.

Also have started packing, but everything is going to get a last going over before I call it done.

Mostly figured out the drama of getting the time off from work, too.

Storage Stools for Pennsic

I would caution that I don't think these stools have a terribly high weight capacity, but they seem to work well for us. :)

Wine and Weaving

I'm definitely getting better at this.

Working on band number three. :)

First Inkle Weaving

As modeled by the charming Azathoth. :)

Loom Project II

So.

I am very bad at weaving.

To be fair, the last time I used a real loom I was nine? So I hope I'll eventually improve. A real shuttle might help? tried a plastic one and a cardboard one, but neither are quite the right size/shape to go between the shed easily, and I guess that's pretty important to getting a nice even result.

So loom project is still on-going I guess, but at least I managed to get it all warped properly?

Wish me luck!

Cats + Sewing

They love to help...

Yet Another Tunic WiP

Started the next tunic. A little on the long side again, probably going to do the split front thing again, too, but with shorter sleeves this time. Still have to cut out side gores and a neck hole. :)

Current progress took about a half hour, so obviously these are really quick sewing projects. Trimming it will be what takes it from a fast project to an average speed one.

...I hate trimming. But it's still preferable to hemming, because at least with trim you sort of get a two-for-one deal: nice finished edges, and some decoration. ^__^

Inkle Loom WiP

It's a start!

 

So this is the base stuff, pre-sanding. Next:

Putting the pegs in!

   

Almost done, and corners all nicely beveled. Just a few last things to do, including seal it, but we'll have to do that part tomorrow. :}

WOO! Gonna make my own trims!

Loom Project

We're going to try to build an inkle loom tonight...

Will post progress photos, probably!

Long Tunic

The tunic is finished! and a bonus pic of my sweet kitty being super helpful and assessing the linen for maximum comfort levels.

Another Tunic Post

Finished (except for the neck hole, which I'm gonna trim!) one tunic, got another all cut out.

I've had a glass and a half of wine, so hopefully I cut the edges straight. XD

It's gonna be a longer one, should reach just below his knees, and slit up the front for mobility (and some *gasp* scandalous glimpses of his legs!) and I haven't decided yet how closely I want to tailor the sleeves. Might leave them a little loose so an undershirt can peek at the wrists. I'm contemplating a V-neckline, but have to do a bit more research. I saw someone else's that I liked, though, that had one, so that's what I'm leaning towards.

Unfortunately, because I made the tunic long, there isn't enough of the linen left to make pants out of. I'll think of something for the scraps, but I'm still a bit bummed.

Will post photos eventually. ^__^

Intermission

Took a break from sewing over the last week or two, but I got some other things accomplished! Thought of a good use for an old photo album, too.

The balcony garden is underway... 0u0

Found stuff from Pennsic 2008. :) Can't wait to get back!

The Grey Wool Dress Again

So this damn grey wool dress. lol. IT'S DONE. Finally. Inside-out, the collar facing looks like

Cut it too long, so had a lot of trimming to do before I hemmed it, but it made the dress have a bit of a train, which I like. 

 Silly clown collar~

 Mid-sewing snack! Tea and french bread. YUM.

 Aaaand here it is on a hanger. It fits pretty well, though a nice belt would make it more flattering, I think.

Grey Wool Dress

I don't know why this dress is taking me so long, but maybe I'm just feeling a little burnt out on damn tunic dresses...lol. and I cut this one long, so the seams just kinda go on foreeeevvvver. Bored of pinning. But aside from maybe one or two accessory pieces, I think I'm pretty much done with stuff for me. the other few dresses I have written down that I want to do aren't really necessary.

The Wardrobe is Shaping Up

Started another dress, this time in kind of a heather grey, still that same tunic dress pattern. (I wasn't kidding when I said new favorite pattern!)

Craig officially has two full outfits, and ten yards of linen on the way, which should make three or four more tunics for him.

So far, this is all the finished (or mostly finished) pieces we have for Pennsic. The left side is mine, the right side is his. He was teasing me the other day, after I finished the bliaut, all like, "so you have ten outfits now, and I have....one?"

No. No, he has TWO whole outfits. Lol. I need to hem the one shirt still, but he definitely has two complete outfits. and really, when you mix and match, isn't that more like four complete outfits...?

He'd bought fabric a while back, some brown and green linen. I used the brown to do a  pair of pants for him, and the green was enough to do a hood and nothing more. Next time he buys fabric, I'm in charge of yardage. Yeesh.

Actually, he just ordered two more linens from fabric.com, so hopefully those come in a timely fashion. Last time I ordered from them the fabric took almost two months to arrive. :/ Luckily, tunics are fast. 'Bout four hours to make. And I want to get some heavier weight stuff for pants, which I think I can just get from our local JoAnn's. He wears through pants like there's no tomorrow, so even though Pennsic is hot as blazes, heavier material will wear better, and hopefully last him the two weeks it needs to. XD

And in the meantime, if those fabrics are slow in arriving, I'll just make him more bedsheet tunics, like this one. The pants are also a sheet. Both are 100% cotton, which will make them nice and cool to wear, but I'm worried about durability. Still want to add a button to the top of the keyhole neckline, too.

Bliaut Part 3

FINISHED!

It took 8 hours, almost exactly. :)

 

The kitten likes the sleeves, at least!

Bliaut Part 2

Facing around the neck, and watching Project Runway on Hulu.

UUUGH so many panels to sew. :/

The neck facing (UGH)

Turning it right-side out...

 

Sewing gores and stuff together. Easy, but SO. MANY. GORES. 

I decided last minute to line the lower portion of the sleeves. It means I won't have to hem, witch is awesome, but is going to add some extra time to the total it takes to finish this dress.

 

 

Bliaut Part 1

Well, I managed to burn myself in the first 10 minutes, but I started a new dress...

Doing a bliaut, though I haven't done one before. Had already cut the sleeves out before I thought of a better way to do it. Oh well.

Also decided to do an extra full skirt, so cut extra gores. Wasn't aware I had so much fabric!

Took just under an hour to cut all the pieces out. Now to start pinning!

(I hate pinning...)

I have some trim to use as a belt and sleeve embellishment, which I think I bought almost 8 years ago, so I've been holding off for the perfect dress. I hope this is it!

 

Yards and yards of green! Gotta iron the whole lot.

    

The huge sleeves. They're gonna be a bitch to do anything in, while wearing this dress, but I will feel so damn pretty in them! :D Did them fitted till the elbow, because I have bands I want to put around there for embellishment.

Gusset bits for the armpits. 

Gores, four per side, for a total of eight. The circumference of the skirt is going to wind up being just about ten feet.

Here's the whole dress, all laid flat! Haven't put in a neck hole yet, but that's okay. This is probably one of my favorite shades of green. I've been sitting on this fabric for a few months now, maybe over a year? I dunno, a while, anyway. 

 

Seriously, fuck pinning.

 

 

My hoarded trim! I used to have this trim in brown and gold as well, but I can't for the life of me find it, which is a shame, 'cause a brown and gold version of this dress would also be lovely...