A Dedicated Follower of Fashion

The good first! I was very pleased with my outfit, and I'm always happy to see my friends, whether in costume or not. And lunch at City Tavern was delish, as always. Why do I not go there more often? Their lunch prices are very reasonable. (I loved my raspberry shrub and my turkey pot pie!)

You'll be very displeased to hear that I got ONE picture of my outfit. And the way the wind's blowing my skirt in between my legs, it feels...indecent. That's me, always indecent! But since I only got the one, you'll have to make do.

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I sewed the hooks and eyes on this afternoon, and the white dress is therefore done. Seems to fit in a not-too-appalling-manner, but I didn't want to take pics of it over a green t-shirt, so maybe tomorrow, haha.

Will definitely not be able to fit a spencer on the leftover swiss dot, so red it is! I'll use my black wool spencer pattern, with just a bit of tweaking (as it's over a thin muslin rather than wool). I seem to have lost the sleeves though...and I know that pattern had sleeves because I labled the envelope "collar and sleeves"! Haven't the foggiest where they went, though, so it appears I'll be mocking up new sleeves for it...

ETA: Or apparently I used the pompom spencer pattern! This is seriously why I keep sewing journals, so I can go back and figure out wtf I did! Now, let's hope the pompom spencer pattern has sleeves with it.

Am on the last lap of my Stupid Alterations...should be able to finish them tomorrow, bar any really annoying things that are in the bag I haven't gone through yet.

Pinned the piece onto the hem of the LWD, and it doesn't look too stupid, so I've started sewing it on. The original hem wasn't quite the same distance from the lowest tuck, as the rest of the tucks are from each other, so it just looks like I maybe slightly mismeasured the (new) lowest tuck. Well, better that than an obvious "you made that too short, didn't you?"!

And Thursdays are now Hannibal nights again (I missed the first episode of the season airing last week because I forgot it started, whoops), so I'll never get anything done Thursdays after work because I'm too busy curling up into a ball and shrieking. I hardly watch any shows as they air, but this one? Yes please.

Still nice weather today (the 90-degree weather is coming!!), so I sat on our front lawn, under the giant sycamore, and sewed this afternoon. I really should have been doing this all along when the weather allows; not least because it keeps me off the computer and all the things that distract me on the internet!

Started attaching the skirt to the bodice; the flat front's done, and one half of the back is gathered and mostly sewn on.

And I bought a bunch of trims at work today, for stashing. Well, clearance was half off, what can I say? Red marabou, brown marabou, black and white striped cording, and some flat gold braid that might not be too cheesy to use (at the J? shocking I know)...it was 40 cents a yard so if I decide it's awful, not much money wasted! And I was quite good; the only clearance fabric I bought was two bolts of cheap ugly prints for mockup fabric. (I can't even bring myself to buy the cheap Joann muslin on sale at this point; it's so, so awful!)

After the WOE-I-must-take-out-my-tuck experience, I considered ditching tucks and doing two little flounces instead. While I considered, I mocked up and mostly sewed the bodice. I finished the top edge today, so all it really needs is fastenings (apart from the top drawstring). Which I need to put the skirt on to do. Which I need to figure out what I'm doing with the skirt to do!

...alright fine, tucks. I've scribbled all over the skirt with supposedly water-soluble graphite, but at least that's better than the neon purple marker if it doesn't, in fact, wash out. (And I only actually marked the under-side of the tuck, so "scribbled all over" may in fact be an exaggeration.) So, one tuck is sewn (again!) and I'm in the process of marking the second one.

Naturally this has thrown my nice sewing schedule all out of whack.

In other news, I went to the thrift store today for a basket to hold my sewing things for Saturday, and came home with a basket...and a blue willow sugar bowl...and a stoneware Williamsburg mug (also for Saturday, so I can have a more appropriate drink container than a plastic water bottle!)...and a silver-plate small box, also from Williamsburg, that will work very nicely for a tea caddy...and a pretty English teapot that, according to the Google, can be no newer than 1978. I love my thrift store.

First off, I finished the apron and dropped off my volunteer form to the IKT today, and remembered to ask about the Quaker thing...basically, this was a very Quaker town in 1777, is that a Thing we're doing? And the answer was, in short, no. Was relieved at not having to whip up a Poop Colored Dress in the next week, but also bewailed a lost research opportunity, because it's me. May do some finagling down the line, but I'll wait and see if they really are going to put me in charge of Things.

(The director still doesn't seem to quite believe that I'm willing to take on their Horrible Costume Closet, which amuses me. I suppose I should explain it to her like so: this is the sort of thing I wanted to do as a job, before I realized that no one will pay me to do it, as I don't have the paper or the legitimate experience or the connections. But volunteer standards are much less exacting!)

So. Since I'm pretty well set up for my First Appearance next weekend (oh god they're going to think I'm a dillweed aren't they), I thought I'd start being smart and working on my Tall Ships outfit. Last night I went on a relative shopping spree at Renaissance Fabrics that began with silk for a new bonnet. Hey, I only bought one piece of fabric that was completely superfluous! And it's silk so it folds up small. ;) I want a Moar Obnoxious Bunnit to go with this outfit - 1812-15, one of those tall-ish numbers with bows in silly places.

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