I looked through my tags/labels and realize I missed a few years of post costumes or forgot to tag/label them properly. Add fixing that to my list of things to eventually do.
Halloween at the paying job was yesterday and multiple coworkers said I had to wear the sewing project that I've been talking about since July, the Victorian dress that I'm sewing for the Dickens on the Strand trip. The pattern is based on the 1880s, which is later than Charles Dickens, but it's what I wanted to sew when the sewing bug bit again. But since I have never done Victorian era before I had to start from the skin out and sew foundation garments first.
"I can be a Victorian underwear model, that's all done." That was voted down, so I started last weekend sewing at an even more frantic pace. By Sunday I thought I had to buy interfacing, but then I found the interface I bought shortly after posting the planning post in the Garb Closet. I had already had shopped for all the trim and really didn't want to go back to any fabric store, so I was so glad to see it. Unfortunately I didn't unfold it or the navy fabric for the apron, bustle poof, and bodice lining when I cut out all the pattern pieces needed for the striped fabric Sunday night. My working plan was to get the bodice and skirt done and put the trim on later. Then my sister's mother-in-law died and the week got upended to go to the funeral. Monday I went to work and warned everyone that I may show up in what I had done and call myself a work in progress.
Well, the pattern instructions have you put on trim as you assemble, so as I started putting together the bodice I saw myself possible wearing it over my petticoat Thursday. Then I reached the step of assembling the interface and lining pieces and had to cut them out. The interfacing I bought was too narrow to fit the bodice center pattern piece.
Okay, new plan needed. I remembered I had a modern Victorian-ish blouse that I couldn't bear to get rid even though it was too small. Since I've shrunk recently, it now fits.
New plan: jump ahead to skirt and wear it with the blouse, decorate the hat I bought to turn it into a Victorian flowerpot hat, and the gloves I bought. The funeral was Tuesday, my parents and I would stop Tuesday night and sleep at a hotel and then making it to their doctor's appointments Wednesday with Dr. Jessica. My plan was to start sewing like crazy Wednesday when we finally got home. I managed to get one seam done before we left Tuesday, but I felt good about getting the skirt done. We got back home around 3 p.m. Wednesday and I started sewing. I put the skirt together and put the front trim on and then read ahead. The apron is sewn in the skirt waistband, so I couldn't leave it off like I had first thought. So I skipped the rest of the skirt trim and unfolded the navy. There was something white every so many inches that needed to be washed off. It was 11 p.m. already.
I cut off just enough for the apron off the bolt and washed that. While it was washing, I made a ruffle from the striped fabric because I never could find a four-inch wide lace that I liked and ended up buying navy cotton to make a ruffle for the bottom of the skirt. Navy on navy wouldn't work for the apron. I had enough interfacing for the apron with the too-narrow yardage I had and found the typo on the pattern envelope back that made me bought the wrong size. I got the waistband cut out while waiting, and typed some on the chapter that won't get post this week. Finally, got the clean navy out and cut out the apron. I can't remember now if I sewed then or later because when the clock reached 2:45 a.m., I laid down so I'd have some rest before the alarm goes off at 3:30 a.m. That's only 45 minutes when I normally get seven on top of disrupted sleep from the trip and late for me nights sewing earlier in the month.
So I got up and resumed sewing at 3:30 a.m. The apron trim had to go on because putting it on after the waistband was attached would be that much harder. Then the apron was basted onto the skirt except for two end pieces that would go around the back and close with a hook and eye. Those ends didn't go under the waistband and avoiding them (along with how little sleep) messed up the seams on the waistband, but they held. No time to sew on hooks and eyes, but I found a big safety pin to hold the skirt together. The ends of the apron do not reach around the back so it could be hooked together.
Just now typing this, I remember I had to upscale the waistband pattern for the petticoat. I used that pattern for the skirt waistband but I didn't add any fabric to the apron so that's why it doesn't fit. No matter, I already decided to take the waistband off and stick those ends under it. The gloves fit beautifully. The underwear fits beautifully. The skirt stayed on all day even though I'm tweaking it. The hat wouldn't let me stick pins in it, so I had to tape the blue ribbon on it to head out the door. I have a hat pattern, but that's an after I pay bills shopping trip. And I discovered I could drive wearing the bustle pillow!
So ultimately, I consider it a successful trial run for Dickens on the Strand. And I'm not sewing this weekend because I need to not look at fabric for a while. I'll probably start ripping off the waistband Sunday night.
Read Free!The BookWorm
