... that I am in SUCH an 18th century mood right now!! Can't wait to get home and do a bit of work on the birthday dress! Although I wish I could make up my 1780s jacket, for which I have fabric *sigh*. And I think I'm going to turn my Frilly Friday fabric (what's left from birthday dress trim) into an 18th century petticoat. Because it'll be super cute with my pink polonaise!

Hmm... I think I could do all 18th century for Costume College!

*pink polonaise
*1780s jacket
*birthday dress

I made a boo-boo with my cotton print dress. I don't want to talk about it. Suffice to say, one sleeve has a rip in it. *cries*

So sometime before Costume College, I'll need another 18th century dress. Maybe something lower class? That has the potential to be fun!

Alright, here's what I have so far:

The hat:



The shoes:



The dress fabric:



The trim fabric (originally for the Frilly Friday dress; it wasn't quite right, so I'm going to find something else for the FF dress):



The preliminary sketch:



Underskirt will be alternating rows of pink and cream tulle. *squee!*

Oh and... this will be my Gala dress for CoCo '10!!!!!!

Because I WILL go to Costume College next year!

Yep... I already found the fabric. And I think I have enough for it, especially since I'm going to make the dress that length. Isn't it too perfect? We're both Samantha's, both brunette and brown-eyed, and we both have bangs!

:D

I'm very sad to say that I have decided not to go to Costume College next year.

I actually decided this before what happened yesterday with the economy, but it is economic in reason.

I'm going to Yosemite, England, and Tennessee this year, and all of those things are costing my parents a LOT of money. Not going to CC would mean one less thing to pay for--and as you all know, CC costs start to add up! It's around $200 just for membership and tickets, and then you have classes, food, lodgings, clothing, etc...

I've loved going to CC for the past two years and will be sad to miss it next year, but I want to help out my family any way I can. And... maybe I'll stop by for the Marketplace and to say hi! Have fun everyone, and take lots of pictures for me!

Not that I really went anywhere, I just haven't been on the computer for a week!!

Costume College was so fun, especially since I had three great roommates to share the experience with! However, I've returned feeling some adverse affects... I have come home feeling completely incompetent. Or rather, feeling completely incompetent in every era except 1860s. After pondering over it a good deal, I came to the conclusion that it's because I reenact 1860s and have spent the most amount of money and care on my 1860s wardrobe. The other things I just wanted to get done. *sigh*

Oh honestly, I have no idea. But I'm young, and I have lots of time to improve, I suppose!

I've already planned the dresses for next year heh. But I may as well get going on them so they'll be perfect. The only big project will be the 1660s dress which I still want to make. My Gala dress will probably be my Athenaeum ball gown, so that takes care of that! The other dresses are an 1830s dress (random, I know, but I'm craving a ridiculously huge pelerine!) and the 1910s dress which I'm about to make.

Speaking of which.... I officially hate Fashion Fabrics Club. First they said they lost my order, and told me to reorder it. When I did, they said it was out of stock.... So now I have no fabric. *facepalm* And I want this dress to be made in two weeks. Which can be done, I just need the danged dress fabric! I might be able to find a substitute...

Oh, and I couldn't sew this week, but I sewed like a MADWOMAN Sunday after Costume College and this morning, and have been rewarded with an almost complete 1860s wool bodice...

   

Some CC pics:

     

So after Andrew showed me this gorgeous portrait of Princess Alexandra, I decided to go a little more over the top with the ball gown. Besides, I'm going to be wearing this for another year until I make my Athenaeum gown!



I pulled out the lace I was going to use on my bustle gown and threw it all over the bodice. It's so frothy and feminine and fun!


I think I want jewelry, but I don't know what. The necklace in the pictures doesn't seem to be enough, but maybe I don't need anything? Alexandra just seems to have a long gold chain...

And I am very aware that the point is crooked *sigh*

     

Still left to do before Costume College:
1. finish armseyes on bustle
2. hooks and eyes on bustle
3. draft sleeves for caraco
4. ties for petticoat

Heaven help me!

For my own benefit; feel free to ignore!

*clean kid gloves for cotillion (I'm foregoing the Gala because there's no way I can make my dress for that, and I know more people going to the cotillion)

* hooks and eyes on 1870 bustle

* finish caraco

* buy twill tape for petticoat ties

* find schedule

* find papers with list of material for limited classes (oh dear, I have no idea where they are!!!)

Sort of. I forgot, in my infinite wisdom, that Janet Arnold patterns don't have seam allowance. And I cut into fashion fabric. *facepalm*

It fits... barely. And it's quite low, baring an amount of bosom that I feel really uncomfortable in...

Luckily, there's enough fabric left over to make new fronts. The back is fine, I just need to add 5/8 in. to the front for seam allowance and add an inch or so to the top to make it more modest. I'm hoping I'll still have enough left over for a matching petti!!

I feel even more stupid for having spent $50 on silk for a jacket and petti when I got all this caraco fabric for $20 and like it much better. The silk jacket looks cute... but I REALLY like the caraco. So to make up for it, I'll wear the silk petti to CC and save the matching petti for other times. I refuse to have wasted $50 on silk. *sigh*

Oh... this is my Friday outfit. :]

   


Edit:

Oh.... OH... I just thought of something... Maybe I'll wear my gold silk Elizabethan to the Gala... Because I'm really not happy with how the bustle is turning out. *sigh* Which is upsetting because I spent the most money I've ever spent on fabric for it. Grrr....

Maybe I won't go to the Gala. There IS the cotillion I could go to with Shelley instead.... Hmmm...

Just a quick run-down of the pictures I threw in here:

1-2) The finished sheer. It has no hem... The edge is finished so I thought it would be okay but that was a BIG mistake. It kept getting stepped on so it has a few small holes. Will be adding a hem facing soon...

3) Me and my dress at the county fair!!! I won Best of Class!!! Somehow... I lost Best of Show to a modern, machine-sewing super-short teenager's dress... How did THAT happen??? I'm sorry, but I'm a little confused by that... Hand-sewn 1860s dress WITH DOCUMENTATION versus machine-sewn modern tiny teen frock... hmmmm :-P

4-8) The 1910 dress for CC Tea. The design changed A LOT. Namely, no more yoke or ruching trim! Because the fabric is striped (not that you can see it in the pictures) I think it would have been too busy with all the ruching and whatnot. And during fitting, I just liked how it looked when it was so simple. So it's staying this way! And yes, the hat is ridiculous. I bought it YEARS ago with no intention of doing anything with it, but it vaguely works...
          

My registration packet came yesterday! I filled out the limited classes form and sent it about an hour ago. I am SO excited for this year! :]

I only picked two limited classes, Mela Hoyt-Heydon's Sense and Sensibility bonnet workshop and the 19th Century Self-Fabric Decoration workshop. No tours for me; I usually can't get up there Thursday and have to leave Sunday.

I'm trying to figure out what to wear this year... I've got two Regency dresses that are a possibility, the Jane Eyre dress, the 20s dress, and the yellow silk robe a l'anglaise that I haven't even started or told anyone about! I also want to wear my sheer and my gold silk Elizabethan. Hmmm.... I have four months to decide. :]