Alright, well the waist now fits. It just needs binding and closures. However, I've decided to spare what little sanity I have left and NOT try and get it all done for tomorrow night. I'm just going to go to the art exhibit, not in costume, and still have a good time. I should hopefully be able to find a steampunk event to wear it to eventually, or Matt and I can just do our own thing. Because if I know something about myself, it's that I would rather not wear a costume if I wouldn't be happy in it. And I wouldn't be happy in it. I don't have time to make the matching blouse, and binding takes forever. I want it to be perfect when I wear it, or at least at a point where I can be proud of it.

There. I have consoled myself. Here's some pictures. The back is my favourite part. But the front isn't very flattering *sigh*.  Why does my 24" corseted waist not appear as such?



Now that I've decided to stop worrying about the steampunk outfit, I can work on something I know I can do. This is my new wool dress. The fabric wasn't as quite as green as I thought it would be, but it's still pretty. And it's so incredibly lightweight! I love it. I think it's light enough to take to the Athenaeum. It's Pendleton wool. *love*

I thought I had fixed the steampunk waist, but apparently not. It is now laying in two pieces on the ground *sigh*. It looks like I can only salvage the back pieces, and I don't think I have any more fabric, or more money for that matter. I'm about to give up. :-/ This is incredibly frustrating. This is not going to be done for Saturday. I don't even want to go if it's not done...

I almost put Day 4. See how quickly time flies? :]

I need a break from steampunk again. I already took a break to make my 40s dress (which is done, but it's been too cold to wear it; tomorrow, I PROMISE! with belt and hair!) but now I want to cut into that wonderful wool! I've only been working two days a week now, thus my income is drastically reduced. As a result, I know I'm going to have to start scaling back on projects. It's not like that's a bad thing though! I have a lot of things that need fixing, or just plain finishing, and there honestly aren't a lot of projects I'm desperate to do. I have the pattern, fabric, and boning for Elizabethan pair of bodies (which I think I'll bring with me this Sunday to work on at faire), and I have all the dresses I want to sell that I can revamp.

Speaking of selling dresses, is anyone interested in an Elizabethan gown? If I can find the sleeves, they're yours with the forepart too. But I can't guarantee I know where they got to... :-P It's my red velvet doublet gown from a couple years ago. Lovely, but since hopefully I'll need an official, approved court dress, I don't see myself wearing it any time soon.

...until you have ripped it apart and sewn it together at least three times!

I am so fed up with the steampunk waist that I don't even want to look at it. First I sewed the wrong sides together, then it was too small. So now hopefully it's right...

Nothing can ever be easy. Ever. :-P

Day 3 of detox complete. How many more to go??

I feel remarkably better now... and remarkably like an idiot. :-/  At least the knot went away in my stomach and I can go to sleep tonight. And sew. And carry on. My emotions have a curious mercurial quality, I find.

I need to work on/finish the steampunk dress for the art exposition next Saturday.( www.thephantomgallery.com/ for those interested) The waist is going to be a challenge. I think I'm going to base it off of my 1860s waist and add the tails in back instead of scaling the actual pattern out of my Fashions of the Gilded Age book. I so do not have the energy for that right now. But... it may give me the more elongated shape I'm after. Ugh, I don't know. I guess I'll make the blouse first and then worry about the waist. 


What am I doing awake right now?!

     
       


Steampunk Skirt
     

All my fabrics are now in my possession. But I'm being very very good and finishing my other projects before I start! I finished the mourning dress accessories today, and started working on the ball gown skirt. The ball gown should be done tomorrow. Woo!

And then it's steampunk heaven.... :]

Other than really debonair gentlemen.

Mini Pith:
 

Great... my camera decided to die right in the middle of uploading... There go my mini topper pics. And the back view of the hat. *sigh* Stay tuned for more pictures, after I recharge my camera!