Corly's Court Dress | Rainbow Joule

July 11, 2008

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:54:51 -0500

Things have been quiet, but this time, things have been done!

On the 24th I finally finished my stockings and garters. It took me a few tries with the garters, but in the end everything came out perfectly.

I absolutely love how they turned out. I'm a bit nervous about the red of the garters bleeding onto the stockings, as my weaving cards are stained pink now, but oh well. Not much I can do there.

And on top of finishing the stockings and garters, last night I finished the skirt. Which means dear readers, Corly is, after well over a year in the works, finally wearable.

Yes, I was too lazy to get the stockings, garters and shoes on, but you get the idea.

There are still a few things left to do, such as the bracers, lacing holes on the skirt, hook and bars to hold the skirt and bodice together (maybe) and sleeves, but for all intents and purposes she is finished. I am really excited about her being done. And I am happy that all the redos and last minute unplanned changes (re: top row of diamonds) worked out really well in the end. You can't even tell I extended the skirt!

I am hoping to tackle the bracers and lacing holes this weekend, as well as making the neck opening on the chemise smaller. I probably won't post fully finished pictures until she makes her debut at MNRF in August, but I will post pictures of the other items as they are finished.

June 17, 2008

Thu, 22 May 2008 21:41:24 -0500

Well, I figured I was due for an update. Not that much has been happening.

As for my stockings, I'm close to finishing my right stocking. I am just a little bit further along then I was in this picture:

Strangely enough, my left sock (above) and my right sock are ended up different in the gusset area. I don't quite know how that is happening. The left one, as you can see, has no "border" between the gusset and the cable going down the side. The two stitches that were the border both got carried along the top of the foot. The right stocking, however, does have a border next to the cable. The two knit stitches got split so one went down the side and the other is going along the top of the foot. I don't know how that happened, but oh well.

I have the stuff for the garters now too. Just gonna wait until the stockings are finished and then I'll make those.

The rest of the costume has been sitting. The skirt is finished all except for the waist band. I did have it gathered and everything, but of course, it ended up being too small (again). Just haven't gotten around to redoing it.

The buttons for the sleeves are done, and I love them. I haven't done anything for the sleeves yet. They aren't extremely important so I'm not worried.

Other then that, I don't have anything to report. I want to make the bracers yet, but those won't be too difficult to do.

My to do list has shortened greatly.

Need done:
Skirt waist (plus hook and bars to attach to skirt)
Stocking
Garters
Bracers

Want done, but not important:
Sleeves
Jester bag

Shouldn't be hard to finish.

May 20, 2008

Tue, 20 May 2008 17:32:18 -0500

The state of things:

(PS. I love my new camera)

Things have been hit and miss lately. This is the current state of my craft room. Ugh.

I still haven't done the tabs on my bodice, but thats all for the better now. Instead I decided to work on my skirt. I had everything cut, bottom diamonds ironed and sewn into place, and outer and inner pieces sewn together when I noticed something. My new skirt was 5 inches shorter then my old one.

When I made the mock up for my original skirt (the patchwork diamond one) I had cut off some length from the bottom. But then I decided it was too short and time was running out to make the skirt. So I changed the design to the mostly red one and added length, which was easiest to accomplish by adding to the top.

Thing is I didn't add that length to the mock up, just the pieces I cut. So when I went to cut the out the new skirt, I just did it with the mock up as is.

A mistake which led to this:

Skirt design #3! Same as #2, but I had to figure out how to add 5" and not have it visible. My decision was to add the extra fabric on top of the skirt, then cut more diamonds to fit around the skirt and cover the seam. (Shown by the dotted line) This also means no waist tabs. (See why it was a good idea i skipped them?)

I have the extendo-pieces sewn on, now I just need to figure out how big to make the diamonds. And what did I do today seeing as I got off of work at 2 instead of 4? Nothing. Haven't even touched the skirt. Looked at some trim online to see if I could find something for it so i don't have to hand stitch the diamonds on, but that was it. At least pertaining to this costume.

However, I don't *really* have a lot of things on my list, just a lot of tedious stuff. If I don't get the sleeves done, no biggie. The bracers aren't going to be difficult to make. The most difficult thing is finishing the right stocking and weaving garters for them. And if need be, I can wear different stockings.

So as of now, here is my to do list:

Skirt
Cut out diamonds and sew on Add trim to diamonds Do waist
Sew to bodice

Sleeves
Pattern
Sew
Finish buttons

Bracers
Pattern
Sew

Stockings
Finish right
Weave garters

Accessories
Figure out belt
Finish knitting bag and felt
Crown?

I have a few things I'm going to have to throw into my sewing queue for other people/trips, but hopefully those won't take long.

May 15, 2008

Thu, 15 May 2008 23:05:49 -0500

Corly's bodice is almost complete. I'm hoping to have it done this week yet. I just finished sewing on the shoulder treatments, so all that is left is to do the waist treatment and then attach hook and bars on the waist and some sort of attachment on the straps for the sleeves. The hook and bars and sleeve stuff can wait a bit though. I also put new trim on that I actually sewed instead of using fabric glue. Looks much nicer now IMO.

After that is done, I get to remake the bloomers and skirt. Then its back to all the small stuff. Probably gauntlets next, sleeves after that. The sleeves aren't hugely important, but I still would like them.

In other Corly news, I've been working on some knit things for her. I finally fixed the toe on the left stocking and started the right one. I haven't gotten very far into the right one, but its started. I have also started a bag for her. The bag part is done, just need to do the straps and the tentacles (maybe I should call them dags instead though, since I'm keeping them uniform), then felt it. You can see a finished bag here. (if this person monitors their Flickr numbers, they're going to wonder why this one has so many views. I link it whenever I talk about that bag)

And just for fun, here is my current To Do list:

Skirt
Redo completely

Bloomers
Redo completely

Bodice
Cut out waist treatments
Sew, trim and attach waist
Attach hook and bars to attach skirt

Sleeves
Pattern
Sew
Finish buttons

Gauntlets
Pattern
Sew

Stockings
Finish right
Weave garters

Accessories
Figure out belt
Knit and felt bag
Crown
Figure out any other accessories

Well, that seems to be all that is going on so far. I'm hoping to get the main sewing done as soon as possible so I can get back to the knitting, because it might take me a while to finish that stocking. But there's no point in having
the stocking without garb to wear it with!

March 17, 2008

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:59:11 -0500

Everything is pointing towards me moving next month (just need to sign the lease) which means, I can work on Corly again! I have been steadily adding new things I want to knit for her thanks to Ravelry (you can find me as EvilCB if you're there!) so I hope I can keep her going so I can actually make them all! Lately I have been obsessed with socks and stockings. I've only knit the left stocking for Corly, but I keep finding new patterns that would work great for Corly or faire socks in general. I've also started buying knee and thigh high socks that I've found in stores. I'm becoming obsessed!

But anyways, since I will be moving soon and be able to sew as soon as I get everything set up in my sewing room, I figured I should figure out just what I need to finish. I really want to have her done for the opening of MNRF.

So, here's my list:

     ››  Tighten left shoulder strap on bodice
     ››  Attach shoulder and waist treatments and trim
     ››  Gauntlets
     ››  Sleeves (sketch new color pattern)
     ››  Skirt (sketch new pattern)
     ››  Figure out how skirt is going to be attached (hook and bar or sewn)
     ››  Redo bloomers in larger size
     ››  Fix toe on left stocking and knit right stocking
     ››  Knit and felt jester bag
     ››  Do more to crown/hat?
     ››  Figure out any other extras
     ››  Alter patens

I believe opening is August 18th, so I should have time to do all of these. I also have a few things to do for Ricki so I can wear her at some point this season.

January 27, 2008

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:12:28 -0600

Very long time, no post, but that's pretty much because I haven't really had a chance to work on anything. I probably won't be able to sew stuff until I move or it warms up. It's just too cold in the basement, even with heaters. So, not much to show, but some things still happened.

I found my long lost red bias tape I made way back in August. Somehow it got on top of the bunk bed and my searches there never spotted it. At least I don't have to make any more now!

Before it got cold I was going to get the shoulder treatments put on the bodice and trimmed with the bias tape. I got so far as getting one pinned on. I also think I need to unsew that shoulder strap and shorten it a bit.

BTW, that is my new dress form. I never had one before, but Daytons was having a Visual Sale (old dress forms, decorations and the like) and my mom mentioned it to me since she works there. I got this dress form for $25! I padded her with quilt batting, sewed a new cover, repainted the cap and added the knob on top. She's not quite as squishy as me, but close enough for what I need. I still need to figure out a stand for her.

I also finished my mask. It was actually ready when I wanted the costume to be, but I haven't worn it yet.

The last thing I can think of is the garters for my stockings. I still haven't started the second stocking (or fixed the toe of the first) but that won't be too difficult to do. I recently taught myself tablet weaving and decided that I wanted to weave garters instead of knitting them. I did a test piece (aka my second try at tablet weaving) to figure out a pattern and I believe I've settled on the design. The only thing I'm trying to decide now is whether I want to have a looped end (meaning I'd have to figure out how to do that) or just weave them plain and tie them. At least I have a while to figure it out.

September 4, 2007

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 23:09:33 -0500

The last few weeks have been extremely busy. I did get my jester dress done in time to wear for RenDezvous, but it was not comfortable. My plan worked as to how to do the skirt waist, but I have gained weight recently (about 20 lbs. Ew) and I don't think it will fit properly until I get closer to the weight I was at when I first started making the dress. So, the dress is wearable, but I don't know if I will wear it this season. Sadness. Still need to do the shoulder and waist treatments, and the gauntlets. And finish the crown.

I do have a few pictures I took with my computer Sunday morning. I like how it looks, but the waist is just too tight right now.

I could redo the skirt waist to make it larger (which I still might do) but seeing as how I took the waist measurement from the bodice itself, I don't know if adjusting the skirt waist will really make a difference.

August 30, 2007

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:06:32 -0500

I decided to change the look of the skirt, since as of 5pm today I only had the mock up done. Still don't have anything constructed, but all the pieces are cut out. Doing it this way will make it a lot easier to make, and I might even get it finished in time! I do have to go to Rochester again to pick up some trim for it, but oh well. Still need to make the gold bias tape as well, plus some red tape to finish the shoulder treatments since I still can't find the stuff I had made before.

Well, I guess I should actually get working on it. I just hope everything works like I'm thinking, otherwise I won't be able to finish it. Cross your fingers.

August 27, 2007

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 23:04:51 -0500

While sitting on the floor in our basement lacing up my bodice so Sam could help me with markings on my skirt, I had a centipede fall on the back of my neck. To say I freaked out would be an understatement. Gross gross gross gross gross!!!

Got my skirt mock up made, placements of the lacing openings marked, and the levels of the points on the bottom. Tomorrow I will cut to the bottom most level all around and start marking the diamond marks. I think 20 diamonds on the bottom will work. Then I will put 20 on the top and connect them. Cut the mock up along the lines (after cutting the lining) and ta-da. Diamond template that will give me the sizes I need to complete each stripe. Work one at a time and skirt done.

Still haven't gotten my shoulder treatments done. I was going to hand sew the binding on on Saturday, but I didn't like how it was looking. So then I started taking out the stitching I had put into the binding from my bodice, which too forever because the kids were over and Miley wanted constant attention. Sunday Sam and I went to faire (pictures here for now) and I was too tired to work on it then. I was all set to do it today when I got back from work, but I can't find my bias tape. I have the feeling someone threw it away. So shoulder treatments are done, but missing binding and attachment to my bodice. Then I was going to set the ribbon on my mask, but I wanted to use my leather punch to at least get the holes started. Of course, I can't find it. So I still have to do that.

Things definitely aren't going as well as I need them too right now. I ended up getting a hotel for this weekend, since it's looking like I might need to bring my sewing machine and I didn't want to bother anyone if I had to be up late sewing. Ryan might not be able to make it either, so if he doesn't I'll have the entire room to myself.

So much left to do, 5 more days to do it.

August 23, 2007

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 23:02:34 -0500

So close to finishing my jester bodice. Should be done tomorrow.

(the bodice and smock aren't sitting quite right in the pictures. Sam didn't lace it up right) So glad I put enough boning in it to not need a corset!

Tomorrow I just have to sew the straps down (and move them forward a bit), do the shoulder and waist treatments and add the trim: http://www.cloakmaker.com/trims/gor_scrollwork.jpg

Then its onto the skirt! Hope I can keep what little sanity I have!

August 19, 2007

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 23:01:14 -0500

I did a bit of work on my mask today to finish it, but I think I may have wreaked it. I sprayed a sealer on it and the glue has turned a milky white and the trim looks grummy now. I'll just have to wait for it to set completely then see if I can salvage it. If I can't, I'll have to start all over.

I splurged today and ordered some new garb. I decided to do that instead of making "normal" garb for my jester, just to ease my work load a bit. Due to the nature of the company I ordered it from, I don't know for sure if I will be able to get the exact colors I want (a lot of their stuff ends up being fairly one of a kind) and I don't know when I will get it since they are at faires around now and everything. I would love to get it before I'm done with faire this season.

This skirt...

In this color way... (the green will be where the tan is in the above picture)

With this bodice...

And this top in 'natural'

I really wanted the bodice in the last picture, but it was $60 more then the one I did order, and I was trying to be good and not spend an extraordinary amount of money. Thinking of making a coat out of a tapestry like they show here. Trying to decide if I want to spend the money or not. (more then likely I will. I'm weak) If I had the money, I would go for the one shown here in a heartbeat. But that coat costs more then the three things I already ordered put together.

Guess I should get back to working on my bodice. Only 3 more grommets to sew and the back is done.

August 15, 2007

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 22:59:06 -0500

Mask after getting a coat of burnt sienna paint mixed with an extender.

With the bodice. Colors go together much nicer.

One side of the mask is done, currently working on the other. Once both are done and the glue is set I'll be trimming the ends.

July 31, 2007

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:58:07 -0500

Haven't posted lately, but there hasn't been anything to post. I fell behind on my self set schedule and I'm trying to catch up.

I believe I'm about to the point where my bodice is ready to get put together (after cut out the fashion fabric and lining, sew on the trim, etc) but of course, I just realized I am short of grommets which means I can do everything put sew it together. (I'm putting the grommets on the inside interlining, then when I get the other pieces put together I'll sew over where the grommets are) Hopefully the new grommets will come soon.

Tomorrow I have to resize a shirt for Sam, and this weekend we're seeing Spamalot with my parents and Sam's mom and brother, which means I'll be taking her brother fabric shopping for his frock coat. And according to my schedule that is my project for next week.

2 and a half weeks til Faire, 4 and a half until RenDezvous. So much to do, I hope I can get it all done in time.

July 20, 2007

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 22:56:43 -0500

Well, I didn't get the pictures up when I had said, but thats because I didn't get the pouch done when I had said. I actually just finished today, but I'm not to worried because I decided I'm not going to bother with the basket until I decide if I need it or not.

I also ended up making my belt. Kind of. I found a chain at Michaels and a belt at Target. I took the buckle off of the belt and attached the chain to it. The buckle just hooks into the links. Took me less then 5 mins to put together. I still need to figure out where to trim the chain, and I won't know that until I get everything else put together.

Don't know if I'm going to be making any bangles either, so I'll have to put those to the end of my list. Not something I need, but I should have time to them if I decide to.

July 17, 2007

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:55:05 -0500

My hands are killing me! At least tomorrow I'll get my leather pouch finished. Just need to stitch the the lid to the rest of the bag and put on a button. Completely hand stitched with artificial sinew. Damn leather punch.

I have given myself a new schedule to get everything done. I started the leather pouch because I decided to wash the fabric I was going to make my bodice mock up with (since I'll probably just use it for the lining) and I needed something to do while that was getting done.

So as of now, this is my schedule:

July 15-21: Accessories (Leather pouch, basket lining/pockets and bangles. Gauntlets either this week or the final week.)

July 22-28: Bodice (Mock up and make, possibly leaving bottom unsewn to attach the skirt)

July 29-Aug 4: Skirt (Mock up and make, attaching to bodice)

Aug 5-11: Make Ryan's frock coat (Hopefully we'll get to SR Harris on the 4th or 5th to find fabric)

Aug 12-18: Stockings (Make right stocking and garters, add on to left foot if I have time)

Aug 19-25: Crown and belt (Finish crown, figure out what I want for a belt)

Aug 26-31: Any remaining items

I'm going to debut Corly on Sept 1 so I would like to have everything done before the 31st, as I will be leaving for Shakopee right after work. Doubt I'll be up to doing any finishing work up at the cities.

Pictures of the finished pouch tomorrow. Going to give my hands a break for the rest of the night.

July 14, 2007

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 22:53:22 -0500

I finally finished my stocking. I'm very happy. I should have made the foot longer, but considering this is the first sock I've made it turned out pretty good. Not great, but good. I'm sure the foot will stretch out a bit after wash and wear. Still need to make the garter for it.

July 11, 2007

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:50:32 -0500

I have a heel! Just need to finish the gusset then it's just the foot and toe. And the garter. And the second stocking.

I'm hoping to have this one done by this weekend and then I am going to mock up the bodice and work on figuring out my serger.

Update: Gusset is done! I have pictures, but I don't want to drag my camera out again. I have 3 inches to knit plain in pattern and then the toe. I'm hoping tomorrow I'll finish it!

July 8, 2007

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 22:48:52 -0500

I don't know how it happened, but I got to the middle of my last decrease round on my stockings (there were 9 on the traveling cable part, 15 total) before I realized I had done all of the traveling cables wrong. One night after I had just started the traveling cables I sat down and typed out all of what I needed to do for the cables because I needed to keep track of 3 things at once. Really, I only had to keep track of two things, and if I had noticed this I would have saved myself from where I am now.

When I typed out the stuff I was thinking the chart was a 8 row repeat, and that's what I have been doing. The chart is a 12 row repeat, meaning every chart row I have done is 4 rows short. I have done 5 repeats of the chart so far and to fix it I would have to tink back about 27 rows. I don't trust myself enough to just tink back the cables.

I think though that I am just going to leave it as is. I'm still moving the cables at the right spot, I'm just twisting them more often. I guess it was still look alright, just be a little more ornate.

July 5, 2007

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 22:47:48 -0500

What is it about Craftster.com that makes me suddenly understand my knitting problems? Twice now I have typed up a post asking for help and I always look at the pattern before I actually post it incase I figure it out. Both times I have. Now that I have it figured out I should be able to get things going quickly. I have 7" to knit before I get to the ankle/heel shaping. I slipped it on after I had gotten the motif finished and I really like how it looks. It gets a little wrinkly when my leg is straight, but hopefully once I get the garters made and the stockings with my bloomers it will take care of some of that.

Since I haven't posted any pictures of the stockings here so far, here's where I was yesterday. I'm not much further now since it took me so long to figure it out, but I'm hoping it will go quickly.

April 22, 2007

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 22:46:36 -0500

Well, it's been a bit since I posted in here. Things have been kind of hectic around here, and the only way they are getting better is through taking meds. Not how I wished to end the year, but it's the only way possible.

Sam finally ordered my crown and it arrived the beginning of April. I was very happy when I found out that the base of the crown was already made, so all I have to do is put the wire in the main sections and add the jewels. Yay. I have one point wired, but no pictures of that. so here's a pic of the base when I first got it.

As I have the afternoon off due to my meds (they're making me extremely disorientated, so I can't really work on my homework) and nothing to do until 7 I decided I was going to work on Corly again. Trying to decide if its easier to work on the bodice first (as I had it in my original "order") or do my skirt as that will be slightly easier. But I just had a flash back as to why I wanted to do the bodice first. I want to line up the openings on the skirt and bodice so I can possibly lace them together. I'm planning on sewing the skirt to the bodice in the end.

And as I type this I can feel myself get more disorientated, so i think it's time to go. Please excuse any typos or weird grammar. I'll have pictures soon I hope.

March 14, 2007

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:44:13 -0500

It is a very exciting afternoon! I went out to get the mail, saddened because my mail man didn't appear to have a package with him when he was delivering at the houses before mine. (trust me, I was staring and trying to figure out if he was or not) But I have a very sneaky mail man!! I opened my door and what do I see on my step but a shoe box sized package addressed to me!

I was so excited I dropped the package twice before opening it. I was so happy when I did get it open though! The shoes are absolutely gorgeous!!

They are extremely comfortable and look so much better then I was expecting! I've been sitting around with them on and my pants rolled up (see above photo) since I got them on my feet!

I HIGHLY recommend Lady Oren and her shoes! Go check out her website. I already have a few things picked out that I want next. Oh if only I had the money!!!

For now though, I leave you with some more shots of the most amazing shoes I have owned! I hope my costume will do the shoes justice!

Now I wish I could work on my costume more!!

March 5, 2007

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 22:40:59 -0600

Other then the stockings, my underthings for my jester costume are done. Mostly. I still have to add hook and eyes on the left sleeve and go over the smock seams to keep them from fraying. I'm really happy the bloomers fit, as I used a mens pattern (Simplicity 4059) and the hip measurement for the XS was 44.5". Seeing as my hips are 36.5", I thought they would be fine. Well, they fit perfectly right now, so hopefully I won't gain weight. I probably should have gone with the small.

Ignore any blue in the pictures. I still have to clean that off. And I don't know why the back picture came out crappy.

Now that I'm pretty much done with my underthings for Corly, I kind of feel like I'm almost done. But then I remember that I have the patchwork skirt to do yet. After finally working with my main fabric, I discovered just how much that fabric frays and I'm definitely going to have to figure something out before I start the skirt. Easiest thing would be to buy a serger, which is something I've been planning on getting. But then there's the money issue. Cheapest one I've seen is $200, which is a big purchase for me. I'll probably have to talk to my mom about it to see if she thinks its okay. Plus right now I don't have a huge amount of space to store another machine. I could make it work, but it would be a bit of a pain.

I've also been thinking about how I'm going to make the skirt. I need to do another sketch to try another color pattern for the diamonds I thought of. My great idea as to how to get the diamonds cut might have to change too, as I'll need to line the skirt and I'm not sure how I'll get the lining to lay right. Bit more thinking needed to be done there. If I can get a hold of a serger, I might just sew all the diamonds together with the serger so I don't have to go over the edges and then sew them together. It would be a great time saver, but it cuts down my options if I want to borrow a serger instead of buying one. And after watching The Court Jester again (I love Danny Kaye) I thought of an idea to make pockets in the skirt. I don't know if I'll actually do it, but its a thought.

March 2, 2007

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 22:39:14 -0600

It took me until the middle of the night, but the smock is finished. I had to adjust the cuff length to give me the sleeve look I wanted, but that wasn't hard. Just had to triple the measurement. :D

I was sick with the flu last week, which means I lost some weight and my corset is a tiny bit loose on me right now. Hopefully I'll get the weight back soon so it fits again.

Even in the event campus isn't closed tomorrow due to the snow, I'm not going to class tomorrow. (Showcase isn't really a class, and its the only one I have. Plus, next week is Spring Break) We have a giant snow cloud centered right over us right now though, so seeing as campus closed today there's a chance I'll luck out. Instead, I'm going to work on my bloomers and then lay off the sewing for a while and work on the stockings. I haven't touched them since my last mention of them.

Things are going pretty well with this costume. My shoes are ordered and I should hopefully have them in a week or so. I can't wait to see how those turned out.

February 19, 2007

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 22:32:28 -0600

I finally finished my corset for Corly. There's some things that aren't that great (the binding) but for my first real corset, I like it.

It needs some major cleaning, but I'll get to that later. Hopefully tomorrow I'll start on the smock.

February 11, 2007

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 00:02:43 -0600

Things are slowly coming together with Corly. I am about this close to finishing my corset, then I can hopefully get the other under-things done quickly and get going on the bodice and skirt. I'm hoping to get most of Corly done before the end of May, since I'm moving back home then and I don't know how much room I'll have to sew.

The only things left on the corset are sewing 10 more eyelets (I'm adding a jump ring on the back for extra strength, and it also helps them stay the same size), fiddling with the straps and binding them, stay stitching and some fix ups with the binding. It should be done in one more nights work, but I probably won't have another free night until after the 19th.

I have two things I need to buy yet for this costume: shoes and the crown/hat. I had an discussion with the shoe maker in early January, but it's taken me longer then I thought to get the money so hopefully she still remembers the details. I'm going to be getting the green shoes at the bottom of this page, one in red and one in yellow. The crown/hat I'm getting is this one. Sam is buying it for me for my birthday, but I don't know when she's actually going to order it as my birthday was two days ago. So long as I get it before I debut the costume I'll be fine.

January 31, 2007

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 00:46:37 -0600

I spent the evening working on my corset and it's almost completely done. The only things left are cleaning it (the inside is really marked up), sewing the shoulder straps, binding and grommets. I would like to say I'll have it done by the end of the week, but that might be pushing it. But it is almost finished and then I can move onto the smock, which is always good.

The back might need a bit more fiddling by the straps, but I'm okay with what it looks like. I'm still debating between piping and bias tape for the binding, and piping should take care of more of the gapping.

January 29, 2007

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:59:08 -0600

I've been making some progress on the costume, but not as much as I would have liked. Classes and other school related things have gotten in the way. Last night I made a second mock up of the corset using my Blue dress bodice as a guide for size, and I think I just have a few minor size adjustments left and I'll be ready to move on to the real one. I've started working on a character persona as well, so I can be more comfortable in the costume around other people. It just makes things easier in my mind. I still need to get the final "story" figured out, but I have the name and a bit of other stuff.

I haven't been able to do too much work otherwise. The stocking I'm working on is into the calf area, which means 50+ rows of working straight until any decreases. Then I still have to make the second one. I've also been making buttons out of wooden beads and embroidery floss that I'm going to use on the sleeves. I have 8 of the 14 made so far. I have also found someone to make my shoes for me, but due to money issues I haven't been able to order them yet. Hopefully soon though.

Alright, enough talking. Here's some pictures of where I am so far:

January 6, 2007

Sat, 06 Jan 2007 22:43:55 -0600

I spent some time tonight sketching out my costume and deciding on things. I believe that I'm content with it now.

I didn't do the skirt pattern on the second view, because I didn't want to spend the time figuring out how the diamonds would go. The second view skirt also isn't drawn quite right either, but I couldn't find a reference picture for how I wanted it to look, so I just winged it. The sleeves will be detachable and possibly be able to hang unbuttoned. I was just messing around with that sleeve idea, so that might possibly change. I don't even know if my idea will work or not. The skirt will be gathered, but I didn't want to try to draw that on. The color design might change too, but for now I like how this looks.

In progress news, I'm half way through the knee decreases on the stocking.

January 4, 2007

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 22:40:38 -0600

Okay, so it is technically the 5th, but details like that don't matter.

I'm using the basic Elizabethan silhouette for this costume. It won't be that historically accurate other than that. The fabric is going to be harvested from table cloths I bought from Target right after Christmas. Each one is 60"x120" (approx 3.3 yards, someone correct me if my math is off), 52% cotton/48% polyester and cost me only $5 each.

I'm still working on the small details of this costume, tiny things like the sleeves, bodice, skirt pattern, shoes... Nothing major. I'm waiting on some new patterns from Margo Anderson I ordered earlier this week, so currently I'm working on knitting some stockings. My body isn't liking the knitting though. The cotton sport weight yarn on size 2 needles is killing my wrists and the rest of my left arm. Hopefully I can hold out long enough to finish the stockings. If not, well, I have a few months yet before I plan on debuting this costume. Hopefully I can baby my way through the knitting.

I'm hoping I will get the design finalized soon. I should be getting the patterns any day now and I would like to start sewing things before I have to go back to classes the 16th.