Two and a half years...I've come a long way...

I was just thinking...this month I've been sewing for two and a half years. And I've come quite a long ways since then. I'm in a niche that I never would have thought I would like, let alone be in.

Actually, since I'm talking about a sewingversary, I guess I could talk about how I got into sewing in the first place. Back in 2008 when I graduated from undergrad, I told myself I wanted to learn two things: I wanted to learn how to decorate cakes and I wanted to learn how to sew. The former I got into right away that summer and I loved it. The latter...took a while. Sewing was something I was still a little iffy about. I didn't know much about it, certainly didn't know how to use a sewing machine. The only thing I could do was sew by hand.  I've had a needle in my hand since I was eight or nine, so transitioning from cross stitching to hand sewing wasn't difficult. I finally decided to get into it when I wanted to make my own kimono. So starting in July of 2010, I got around to taking classes. Sewing...was a lot more complicated than I thought. And like all of our projects that we start out with, it was imperfect. The stitching wasn't all that great. You probably didn't wear what you first made. But after I learned the basics I went on to make my kimono:

The thing about kimono is that it's not a complicated garment. Isn't meant to be.  It's a garment of rectangles. So once you've made one a couple of times, there's not...much else.  So I wanted to branch out after a couple of months.

Then my friend Meghann started getting into steampunk, and I was interested to a certain point.  I was interested in the Victorian aspect of it. So I did research. By September I was dabbling in Victorian clothing.  What you ask?  A skirt?  A blouse or bodice maybe?  No.  A corset.  I went from not knowing how to use a sewing machine to kimono to corsets (a perfect example of my very odd ways).  It was from a commercial pattern and I used plastic boning and it didn't fit well (I don't really count this one) but it was finished. I completed it by Halloween (no pictures of it though). Soon after I discovered Truly Victorian and, not really feeling the bustle at the time, decided to go with a plain 1890s walking skirt. That was the first skirt I made, of any kind.

There were other crafts I was messing around with at the time. Kanzashi, kumihimo. So while I worked on that type of stuff, my interest in Victorian clothing grew until I decided I wanted to tackle a full Victorian dress instead of just a skirt for my first year sewing anniversary. So by May 2011 (on my grandmother's birthday, actually, which consequently was the first time I went to the Ren Faire here and the first End of the World date) I started on my first Victorian project with stripping a pair of boots to repaint them. I finished it just in time to wear it to Archon in September, followed by Rural Heritage Day soon after.

And the truncated Project Runway project was at the end of 2011.  I never did take a picture of the vest and jacket (they're still in my sewing room, don't worry) but I had a quick picture of when I finished the pants and blouse (it's taken in a mirror tile wall, hints the weird lines).  Proof that I've made normal clothing!

Which pretty much brings us up to when I started this blog.  So yes, now you see the (very odd) evolution of how I got to where I am today.  Who makes a corset after a few months of learning how to sew?  This weirdo.  But if hadn't tried, I wouldn't be doing what I love doing now.  I always strive to push myself, strive to try something new for each project and learn as much as I can from both research and the sewing process itself.  It may not be perfect...but it's what I want to do.  It's what I love.  And you can't ask for more than that.

I love hearing about how people got to where they are, sewing wise.  Feel free to share.  I sure have jabbered on enough.

My adventures in welt pocket land

I found my NF straw bonnet from earlier this year hiding behind other sewing stuff, and I finally finished up the last few strips on it.  So that's done!  I'll probably use that for Pisces instead of making a new straw hat for it.

So I was a little bored Friday night, and I started reading some of the sewing books I got from the library.  One of them was a sewing guide reference book by Threads (awesome book by the way) and I stumbled across the section on welt pockets.  I've heard people complain about how difficult they are, saw May struggle to make practice pockets galore and still not get it right.  So I decided to try my hand at making one.

Two hours later...

Well, part of the reason it took two hours was because I hand sewed everything except for the stitching on the welts before sewing them on.  Part of the reason why I wanted to hand sew it was because I knew I could have more control on the very precise corners.  That and I ran out of thread on my bobbin and I was too lazy to wind another one.  That too.  Also, my hand sewing for this was more atrocious than usual.  Hints why some thread can be seen.  A bit counterproductive, but...

Verdict?  It's tedious.  No one can say it isn't.  Though there's a certain zen to it (perhaps I'm confusing that with all the hand sewing).  And they look impressive if done perfectly.  Mine wasn't too perfect (It's crooked on the right side!  Grr!), but hey, it was my first time making one.

I also got Period Costumes for Stage and Screen at the library.  A pity it was the 1500-1800 one.  Not my cup of tea time period wise, but I do plan on making working/middle class Renaissance garments eventually, so the chemise and partlet patterns could be useful.  I wonder if it will be more or less difficult jumping from time period to time period and having to figure out your body in comparison to the silhouette you need to have for that period.  Something to think about.

Well, the year will be winding down pretty soon.  Here's to another year of sewing!

"Listen to your creative gut" is the moral of this story

This is what happened to my first Victorian project. I had planned on using a steampunk jacket pattern for it because I loved the look of it. But my mind started tugging at me. Pretty soon I wanted to change this and change that about the pattern, and it was apparent that my mind kept pulling at me so much that it was saying "this isn't what you want to do" from the beginning. So I made a plain bodice instead, my mind eased, and I was happy with the end result.

The tugging is happening again with this military outfit.

I realized I was trying to shoehorn this outfit into something that it's not, and I've narrowed my view of it to the point that I'm not inspired by it anymore. So one of two things needs to happen. Either scrap the military outfit all together (which I don't want to do) or find something else for DPP and do the military outfit the way I want to do it, without having to shoehorn it into "steampunk."

So. We're back to square one, ladies and gentlemen. Then late last night I came up with a tenative plan. I want to keep it a secret for now, but it does involve archery.

So what about all the plans I've made for the other outfit? I can actually still use a lot of it. The breeches and gaiters could still be used. I plan on making partial gloves in the form of archery gloves (And perhaps put plate armor pieces on the fingers? We shall see.) Nothing else has been bought or done, so I'm not backpedaling much.

And see? My mind's at ease again, so this was the way to go.

But Andrea, you might be wondering, what happened to the yellow and lavendar dress? Don't. Just. Don't. That dress is very very lucky I haven't started a fire in the barbeque pit and burned it. I'm through with it. It's not worth my time. Which means that along with a steampunk look, I also have to make a few pieces for the regular Victorian stuff this year. Oddly enough, the colors I'm working with will be dark purple and gold. The color family continues to haunt me!

I was going to make a crown pun...

But I'll spare you. I'm finished with my practice run of the crown!



It turned out better than expected, though as you can see, there's fuzz from the interfacing. I'm going to have to figure something out with that. I don't want to draw the design directly on the fabric, but I can't have that fuzz...especially since I intend to have this either on a black or red background.

In the end, I didn't find an acceptable way to do the monogram, so I either need to find another, plainer font, or something not as thin. Trying to make tiny horizontal stitches is difficult. I had a more successful time with all those tight curves in the crown. I developed a method for it.

First, I mark off the starting point and some guidelines so I can see where the stitches need to "flow" so to speak.



Then I start filling in the gaps. For tight turns, I go into the same hole on the inner curve side but continue as normal on the outter side.



Depending on the tightness, I may go in the same hole one or two times, but no more than three, otherwise it starts becoming bulky. Not sure if that's the correct way, but it turned out all right.

I'll tackle the final draft later with lettering and all, but now my sights are set on gloves. I got the Butterick glove pattern (because I'm too lazy to make my own, so it's worth the 99 cents) and the pattern's cut out and ready to go.  I may work on that this weekend, but I really should get the rest of the Project Runway stuff done.  Still haven't done the final steps in a couple of things.  So I'll focus on that before I immerse myself into handsewing these gloves.

How very fitting I'm doing all this hand sewing when I'm teaching a mini lecture on that very subject on Monday for sewing class.  I'm the unofficial hand sewing expert (yeah right).  Turns out that blind hemming and slip stitching have more variations than I thought...and I've been doing one of them "wrong" from the beginning.  Well, my logic is the same way with the above curve thing: I do something by trial and error, and it works, so I don't bother going the pro's way.

It's almost 2:30.  Let me get to bed.

Project in the future

The supposed end of Project Runway is coming soon, although my sewing teacher hasn't said anything about a real date yet, so my classmate and partner in sewing crime, May, hopes that we get another month...or two. She's working on five different after five dresses, so she has had a much more difficult time at it than me. But what I've seen of it is gorgeous.

In the end, yes, again, I amended my Victorian dress plans. After doing a mockup of the bodice, I decided that I didn't like how my torso looked in my corset, and I want to make a new corset before finishing the outfit. So there's that. The skirt is almost done, though.

So what's next? Actual working on stuff wise, not much. Planning wise...oh, I have plans.

Your Wardrobe Unlock'd, a wonderful resource site with articles for sewing and historical clothing, has a contest every year, and this year one of them is for Steampunk Historical Inspirations, or some combination of those words. So I plan on participating.

I have an idea for a roughly 1874ish steampunk military dress. I am not a huge fan of the brass and leather look, it's just not me, so I'm going more towards "ficticious military uniform" route rather than traditional steampunk. I've been using inspiration from both military outfits of the time and riding habits, some of which were heavily inspired by military outfits. My dress won't be for riding since I want it to be a bustle dress, but I may be convinced to make riding pants as an alternate outfit. Am I getting on a horse? Are you kidding me?

I was planning on starting this next year, but since the contest ends in February of next year, that won't work. So I've been trying to plan ahead for when I do have the funds to buy the things I need for this outfit.

Really the only things I can do now are the mockups for the bodice and hat, undergarments (not my corset yet) and gloves. Well, I'm going to TRY is what I'm saying. We'll see just how good my hand sewing skills are. This project hindges on me learning a lot of new things, all of which can go horribly south and the way of my original plans for the purple and yellow dress. Why can't I do easier stuff? Hello, my name is Andrea, and I'm an overachiever. Nice to meet you.

Resurrected dress

After a few weeks of no productivity whatsoever, I had a thought. The Victorian dress I abandoned could be revived, but in a different way. I still have six yards of the yellow fabric left to use, which is enough for a skirt and bodice. What I'm going to do (though it pains me to do so) is take apart the pleated skirt and reuse the fabric for the rest of the outfit. I realized a couple of days ago I had no intention of going back to that pleated skirt, and if I don't want to waste a ton of fabric, I need to cut my losses and reuse the fabric in some way.

So this is what I had in mind:

Yellow jacket bodice and purple vest, but the vest will be attached to the sleeves and the jacket body will be an optional overlay. This way the vest can be an optional standalone if my torso gets too hot from the extra layer. The skirt will be yellow with a purple ruffle on the bottom (I've sworn off pleats for a while) and trimmed in some way with any extra yellow fabric I have. The overskirt will also be purple, but I don't know the design yet. That was another reason why the previous project flopped, the overskirt.

This project will also be how quickly I can put this together. I had told myself that I wasn't going to participate in the Project Runway thing anymore, but now one of the new students wants in on it, and I can't just not finish when she's starting from scratch this late in the game. So...can I do this in a month or so? Yeah, probably. It's stuff I've done before, and if I can get a mockup pretty much done in one evening, this bodes fairly well for the rest. I hope.

In sewing no man's land again...

So, it looks like my lavender and yellow dress is on hiatus. I've been frustrated with it, and the only thing that's going to come of this is (to me) a mediocre finished project. So I'm going to finish tacking the pleats sometime in the near future so the masking tape doesn't leave a residue over time and tuck all of this away until I feel inspired to fix the problems (mostly the overskirt) and start it up again. I do like the design and the colors, so I will finish it someday. Just not right now.

So where does that leave me now? Not sure. I'm low on money right now, so buying a ton of stuff won't do. I do have a red and black Natural Form dress and winter coat planned for fall/winter activities. I'm not inspired by that dress yet except for the bodice. I have a few months yet.

One thing I do intend to make is a simple Rensaissance outfit for the faire in May, so maybe I should focus on that and get my mind off of Victorian stuff for a while. We'll see!

Photo dump time!

It's been a couple of weeks since I've updated this...but I've been busy (doesn't feel like it since most of it was slow handsewing). So you, gentle readers, get to see a lot of pictures! Was that from a book, "gentle reader?" Not that that's saying much. I've read how many books?

The big project that I'm almost done with is my straw covered bonnet. The brim took about a week and a half to cover. Then I was struggling to get the bavolet (the curved part in the back) to sit correctly. Turns out the brim and the bavolet was supposed to be connected by wire on the edge before all of this, but that wouldn't have worked at all. So it's a big shoddy at the corners, but for my first bonnet, that'll have to do.

The acursed bavolet. Figured attaching it to the top and covering it with another strip of straw would be best

The inside of the bonnet, since you can't see my stitching anywhere else. All that time...

And the bonnet as it is right now!

I worked on two other things, my pleated skirt and a duct tape dummy. The dummy was...interesting. I had one of my sisters help me, and since I was making this over my waist and hips, there are just some areas that you shouldn't be touching on your sister, so I had to help with pressing down tape. ^_^ I stuffed it with the stuffing you use for pillows and stuffed animals, and newspaper/fabric scraps/plastic bags, putting the stuffing in the middle so the outter wall wasn't as squishy. The waist was too big, so I used a combination of slashing from the top, repositioning, and retaping, and taking a strip of fabric and cinching the waist as much as I could. It's not pretty, but it'll do. Now I just need to make a stand for it...

And finally, my pleated skirt. This one I've been putting off (and working on my bonnet instead) because it's awkward hand sewing. So after I machine stitched the top (it's going to be covered up, so I don't care how it looks) I slipstitched the bottom closed because I want NO movement of these pleats.

A closeup of the slipstitching, since I like detail pictures on how people do what they do

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After that, I got some tape to reinforce the back. I was thinking of just tacking it to the base skirt, but quickly realized that was more trouble than it's worth, so if I do tack it, it'll be mostly held up by the tapes.

So here's where I am with that:

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Oh, and bonus, because I was tired of doing all of this crap last Friday, I decided to spend my time in the sewing classroom drafting a basic bodice from Fashions of the Gilded Age. Wasn't expecting much...but it turned out well! And other than ease in the bust and messing around with the armhole and sleeve length, it looks that it might fit!

So yeah. Next project is my bodice mockup, not the drafted one, but the Truly Victorian one. Then fixing the overskirt mockup since I can't get the fit right. I have a lot of work to do before the end of March...

"Project Runway" project

So a little backstory on my current project...

In October, my sewing teacher gave us an assignment that she called "Project Runway,"like at the end of the season when the finalists go home for a few months and make a collection. We're required to make a minimum of five pieces plus a hat or purse by some undisclosed time in March. My project is two complete three piece suits in lavender and pale yellow, one for 2011, one for 1881, plus a straw-covered bonnet. I also plan on recovering a parasol and making a pair of gloves, a couple pieces of jewelry, and a purse, but that will come later due to time constraints.

Patterns:

Modern Suit
Folkwear Vintage Vest, Version C
Vogue 8679 Jacket (hand sewing lining shut still left to do)
Simplicity 2562 Wide leg pants
Simplicity 2758 Blouse A

1881 Suit
Truly Victorian 121 Natural Form petticoat
Truly Victorian 221 Tie-Back Underskirt (base done, sans ties, full pleated skirt half done)
Truly Victorian 420 Curiass Bodice, high collar, full sleeve (for now, pattern’s altered to look like faux vest bodice from pgs 198-199 of Fashions of the Gilded Age vol 1.)
Overskirt front based off of pg 395 of Fashions of the Gilded Age vol 1. Back my own design.
Lynn McMaster’s Natural Form Era Bonnet, View B