A Dedicated Follower of Fashion

I'll still do my year-end wrap-up with my big costume plans for the next year, but there are a couple things I want to make in the next month or so...

- First, since the Regency party got pushed back and Alice is encouraging us to dress for breakfast if we'd like (I'd like!), I want to throw together a "morning" outfit. I've got some wool/cotton blend twill for a petticoat and some printed cotton for a half-robe to go over top, like the one in Costume In Detail. The twill's got a purple side and a pink side; I'm going to use the pink for this petticoat (and the purple for an 18thc under-petticoat eventually).

For fellow Joann's minions - yes, that's a Holiday Inspirations print.

- There's a Downton Abbey-themed party in January I'm invited to; I'm still debating whether to make the 1913 evening dress I've had planned for years (really. years), or just to wear my 1920s evening dress. Or make that new 1920s evening dress. The 1913 dress would be more flattering I think, but exponentially more work. I have all the fabric and supplies for both, so that doesn't help...something I need to decide soon.

- I may have mentioned my burning desire for Regency winter-wear here. I know there was talk of lunch at the tavern in Old City, but I think I'd rather go to Longwood Gardens. Yes, in February. I want to take the (relatively) new muff for a spin. (If absolutely no on wants to come, I'll make mums and sis come with me some weekend. We've all got a subscription. And they're used to me dressing oddly.)
Been waffling between a red redingote and a blue pelisse for quite a while, but I realized I've got everything I need for the pelisse, whereas I'd still need to buy trim and lining for the redingote.

I got up far later than I planned to today (thanks to staying up absurdly late messing with bonnet designs last night), so I didn't have as much sewing time as I wanted. Only managed to drape the paletot on Mabel, and now it's in the fitting-on-me stages. Not too bad at this point, though it still needs a good bit of tweaking. And sleeves.

Oh, and since employees are allowed to dress up the two weekends prior to Halloween and on Halloween itself (as long as it's work-appropriate and made from Joann fabrics), I'm contemplating what to wear. Well, not really. I only have one dress made with fabric from that store; the cranberry wool anglaise. Which, yes, I do plan to wear! I don't have much from Joann's in the Stash, actually - just the wool and ALL the flannel, nothing for a quickie project.

ALTHOUGH. I do have the scraps of "indienne-ish" cotton print that Judy gave me, leftover from her polonaise, that I bet I could get a jacket out of (maybe with a bit of piecing)! Nooooo! Focus!

That leaves a whole 5% in which I could change my mind! Which I think I have. Whoops. And after you all left such nice comments about that trim design! But I've found something I like even better...I was trying to find an example of a plaid paletot for Robin (not a mantle or cape or giant blanket, but a fitted garment, which none of us can seem to find - so if any of you have seen one do share!) in the depths of the internet last night, and stumbled across this photograph.

Annnnd I think it needs to be mine. Even more than the star one. It's earlier than my other inspirations, but I think I'll just make the sleeves a little more manageable in size (and to update it a couple of years) and call it a day.

An upshot of the design change is that the only thing I'll now have to buy for the paletot is buttons. Maybe. (And hooks & eyes for the real fastenings.) Though now I want a veil for my bonnet... Anyway, fabric change as well - now it'll be my tan wool, with the trim strips out of velveteen, I think. Black or dark brown, I have both and I haven't decided which.

Now, if I can just stop looking up 1860s images...maybe I'll stop changing designs like a crazy person! (Though this simplifying of the paletot trim probably means I will have time for a day dress...heh heh heh)

I've been all atwitter over our newly-planned Gettysburg trip the past couple days, so of course all I can think of right now is 1860s. I'd really like a new dress...should I use my plaid wool or my plaid silk or a plain wool and trim it in black ribbon or...? Need to properly trim that red bonnet! Got to buy that pattern for the wrapper! Should I buy another pair of stockings? Look at all the five million ways I could trim the paletot I obviously need to make!

...but there are a few other things that probably ought to get done first. Like the chemise gown and the blue linen turque, since I need that outfit in two weeks.

Oh, right. To that end, I sewed up the brocade sash (except now I'm pretty sure it needs fringe to be properly finished) and fixed the sleeves on the chemise gown tonight. Not the most exciting things ever, but I'm trying to be good!

(And now I'm going to go look at Farmhouse Fabric's trims and plot paletot trim layouts...)

And I think I need this dress in my life. Has anyone cooler than me and vastly better at sewing made it?

...because if not, it may be going on The List!

(ETA: This is the most weirdly specific fabric-finding problem I've had in a while. Can find the polka dots, can find the solid purple, but stripes of that width in grape purple? Only exist in knits, and I don't know why. It would be easy to get from Spoonflower if I do decide to make the dress...but why does that fabric not exist anywhere else??)

Just a quick post to say, no, I'm not sewing!

I'm thinking very hard, though!blackcat452posted some glorious 1920s dresses a few days back, and now I'm waffling again about what to wear to Cairnwood. I still don't like the 20s on me, but the Jazz Age is so glamourous. And less work than a teens evening dress. Especially since I could, you know, just make that gold and white dress from months ago wearable - and might even have time to put some beads on it or something. (Since I made it in two nights, so even if I have to take it totally apart, plenty of time!)

Hmm.

Sewing..? BUT FIRST, CADD TIME!!!

So, Cairnwood by Candlelight is a thing that's happening...

( As usual, I have nothing to wear! )

The Jazz Age Lawn Party was lots of fun! We definitely plan to go again next year, now that we know what to expect and have a better plan of action - and now I have a dress, so I don't have to worry about making another 1920s dress ever again! Or until someone comes up with an event in a different season.

You'll have to wait for pictures until I can steal someone else's, though - it's very diffucult to take pictures with a camera you've put in the purse you didn't bring to the event!

( Now, on to planning for the Next Event... )

While bored at work today, I realized I have fabric earmarked for seven Regency dresses (have Regency on the brain at the moment, no idea why). Seven. SEVEN.

It's times like this I'm pretty sure I'm crazy.

Well, two of them are languishing in the unfinished bin, and another's a pelisse not a dress - but still.

Can we make up more Regency events in this area, please?

Oh, and I want to go ice-skating in costume this winter! Which doesn't have to be Regency, but I did mention that pelisse I want to make...

Annnnd now I really want a c1838-40 dress out of that shot taffeta I bought. It came in the mail today, and I'm quite in love with it:


Thank you, Thailand!

Totally unrelated to this package delivery (lies!), I finally got round to checking if my library had The Young Victoria (it did), so I took that out and watched it today. Not helpful for desire of that kind of dress! (The bonnets! OMG I want them ALL!) Only, what, three years late - I've been meaning to watch it since it came out!

I'd love to make it for Dress U, but I want a new corded petticoat that's less full than the one I have. It's good for mid-40s, but a little too much for end of the 30s. Yeah...I know. At least I'm okay with the corset?

Oh, right, 18th century. Fort Fred. Finished the shift today. Woo. Oh, and I also got a bee in my bonnet (so to speak) about the striped jacket looking too plain, so put some basic box pleated self trim at the neckline. Thought about some on the sleeves as well, but decided I don't want to bother. If I don't like how it looks in pictures, that's always easy to add!