... and exhausted. I had a really lovely time though. The hotel was a complete dream come true; built in 1897 and appropriately furnished. No TVs. Afternoon tea every day. Befriended a charming British couple and we chatted about historical buildings and history in general (they live in a 16th century vicarage). Really delightful people, and it felt so quaint and perfectly Victorian to make friends in a hotel during tea. You know, the kind who end up touring the rest of the Continent with you because you hit it off so splendidly. ;)

The funniest moment: "You look like you ran right out of the 1920s!!"

Ah... okay... :-P

Tomorrow I'm going to Joann. Call me crazy, but the sale is huge and there are essentials I need. Like another bolt of muslin for mock-ups and various undergarment type things. And plain black cotton broadcloth for the Emma dress. I'm furthering my insanity by wanting new stays and a farthingale for court stuff. I'll even do them on the machine and use metal grommets, I just want them DONE. I think this is quite doable, but I wouldn't be able to get started until the end of the semester in two weeks. Then it's power sewing time! :D

I FINALLY got to sew! I feel "right" again. :]

Finished the late 1890s jacket! I can't stress how much better it looks in person than in these pictures. My Mac doesn't take the best pictures, especially compared to my camera, but I lost the battery... :-P

The red is much richer. It's so simple, but really elegant, I think. And the fur collar really makes it. My grandmother gave it to me many years ago, and I just kept it stowed away until the perfect project came along.

Also I hope it all looks better when my hair is actually done...
















Okay... time for the blouse. Should finish it quickly, except for the closures. Ewww... buttons... :-/

 There is so much to do when I get home. I've never wanted to sew this badly in my entire life! I normally do bring something to school to work on, but I didn't have any time to grab something after my procedure and before leaving for the reenactment. So I've pretty much been going nuts over here.

I *gasp* put together the 1890s jacket on the machine... I feel like a really horrible person. I never sew on a machine. Ever. Heck, if it's anything more than a straight stitch, I don't even know how to use a machine. It's a miracle I can wind a bobbin (and even THAT doesn't always go over well...). I love the intimate control you have over hand sewing. But I consoled myself by thinking that I need to get the jacket and the waist done very quickly (because of my extreme CADD for one thing) and that hand sewing was pretty much out by the 1890s. 

However, I'm still gathering and setting the sleeves by hand, and the collar as well. I'll probably finish the edges by hand too (it's unlined.. hmmm...).  I can see myself finish the waist in an hour or two, which is actually rather exciting. I want to get going on my "Teenager's Last Hurrah" dress: an 1860s dress of printed cotton in the typical children's style of short sleeves and boat neck.

I have only 4 7/8 yards of 45" fabric to make this dress, hence the teen style. But the fabric was too pretty (and perfectly period) to pass up. I found this image as inspiration. The sleeves are tiny and will save on fabric. Gathered bodice on a waistband. Shorter skirt. 

I've got the OK from the Sewing Academy experts and can't wait to get started! Should be a quick project, I think...

 We can has 1890s jacket.

Everything came today! Antique pattern and some really nice heavy red wool. It looks swell with the 1890s hat! I can't wait to get started, even though it means breaking the promise I made to finish my linen Regency dress. After all, I need the jacket in two weeks for my trip to Julian. And I was a good girl by finishing the silk Regency dress for Halloween. My only unfinished project really is the Elizabethan, since I scrapped the Alice dress and am finishing the paletot as we speak.

So tomorrow... after I come home from the hospital and eat dinner, there will be much cutting of wool before I'm off to see "The Woman in Black." I'm really excited to compare the London production with this production! Will it be scarier? I can't wait to find out!

 I trimmed my 1890s hat to make myself feel better. I think it's adorable! I need more hats from different eras... Bonnets are cute and all, but having a tiny, useless, and froofilly hat perched precariously on your head is so much fun!! :D

Velvet, silk, berries, feathers...

Hokay my pictures like to disappear wtf.



    

 Look what the ex-manfriend bought me! For our trip to Julian!

I can't wait to take off that horrid black bow and really decorate it! I love 1890s hats. They are SO ridiculous! It's going to have lots of feathers and berries and velvet. I'm so excited! :D

I've got heavy red wool for my jacket on the way, and am bidding on a pattern on Ebay. I hope it comes soon... I also finally picked out a wool flannel I like for a shirtwaist, as well as a silk for the other one. Buying fabric is incredibly soothing... It shows I'm thinking ahead and planning for a tumor-free future.

Oh yeah... I finished my bodiced petticoat last week too! Better take pics of that. :]

I think you can figure out which part is the blue silk and which part is the plaid linen. Based on PoF.

ETA: ummm... I don't know why the picture won't get any bigger... Working on that.... :-/

Just one sleeve. Because my finger got trigger happy and deleted the other picture with both sleeves. :-P


I like the two flounces better than just the one. I mean, this has to be my most ridiculous, ostentatious dress, which automatically requires as many flounces as possible. In this case, two flounces. And one deeper flounce on the skirt. I can't wait for this thing to be DONE.

I figured out a compromise for the plaid linen. Break it up with a second fabric. In this case, pale blue silk. I just need to, ah, acquire said silk, which I can now do with my last paycheck that arrived in the mail yesterday.

Had a really fun few days with ismiseniamh including archery and vintage/antique shopping. I bought a really beautiful silver bowl as part of my... hope chest? Things for the future? Pretty, shiny things collection? I'm mainly planning to use it for reenactments, especially with me organizing my own civilian impression (more to come on that in the future). White kid gloves and a 40s blouse were purchased as well. All in all, a very good two days.

I'm back in 1860s mode though. So 1898 dress is on hold for a little while. Central Park is in four weeks, and there's still quite a bit of work to be done one the red silk gown, which I'd like to wear then.

Better get going!

I'd had this itching feeling the plaid wast too big for a dress. But then I found this outfit. What do y'all think? I'd make the sleeves a bit poofier to take it back a few years. This outfit is 1899, and I'd like something just one or two years earlier.

I think the fact that it's a skirt and jacket helps break up the big plaid. I have some nice carmel coloured wool I could use as the collar facing, too. One problem is that now I need to procure a pattern for the jacket. And I'd have to make a blouse to go under it, and I'm not sure I'm up to all this extra work!

Hmmm...

Here's the plaid linen I bought in Salisbury:


It's quite a big plaid too:


Question: is it too big and busy for a whole dress? :-/

Wow... it's struck fast and hard. I want an 1890s dress. I already have the fabric. My plaid linen from England.

The dress on the right:



I need a ridiculous hat too. :]