Weekend Sewing Plans

Tonight I want to get one alteration done and start putting the jackets together. I'll probably do Miss Von Stoup's first as it will more than likely require more alteration than mine. UPDATE -- Got the body of her jacket put together: front to side front, back to side back, shoulder and side seams are basted. No alterations though. I went and had my hair cut instead.

What I need to take to my beau's this weekend --

1. My Persian bodice and skirt for hand sewing
2. Supplies for making a hat for my Persian costume
3. My Confederate jacket
4. Fabric and pattern to maybe make my beau a new vest
5. Patterns for playsuit / skirt combo. Current idea is to use the walkaway dress pattern and a short pattern.

And now I also want this -

But I want it black with red and white diamonds. Thanks to Tuppence Ha'penny for the idea!

That's it for now!

Miss Leah J Wilde

Progress on Marcon To Do List - Week of 4/25/2011

I cut out Miss Von Stoup's Confederate jacket earlier this week. It's a size or two larger than the size chart says she needs but seeing as she is rather, well, ample in the bosom area, I figured it was best to err on the side of the jacket being too large over too small. After all, it is a lot easier to take in than to let out.

My Persian steampunk skirt is almost finished. I fixed the waistband, sewed the center back seam with overlap notch, and finished the waistband with muslin lining. I still need to hand sew the waistband in place and sew the closures on before tackling the hem.

My Persian bodice is also almost finished. I hemmed it this evening, and stitched the overlay into place. All that needs done is the zipper (which I need to purchase) and a little handstitching -- the overlay needs stitched into place along the top.

What I still need to do this week:

• Make sure Miss Von Stoup's skirt gets finished.
  
• Start putting together our Confederate jackets.
  
• Finish my Persian steampunk skirt and bodice.
  
• And get at least one of the Captain's alterations done.
  

I think these weekly to do lists are working for me. I make progress a little at a time and steadily mark things off.

I feel rather accomplished.

Bonne nuit!

Miss Leah J Wilde

Marcon To Do List - Week of 4/25/2011

First off, a look at last week's to do list and how I did:

• I finished Rachel's corset.
• I finished Miss Dashwood's Steamnun.
  
• We started our Steampunk Confederate Vivanidiere uniforms - My skirt is finished. Miss Von Stoup's is underway. My jacket is cut out.
  
• However, I did not work on my Ottoman bustle.
  
• Or on the Captain's alterations.
  
• But I did work on my beau's quilt.
• And it wasn't on the list, but I finished my Persian steampunk vest.
  

All in all, not bad progress.

This week's to do list:

• Make sure Miss Von Stoup's skirt gets finished. - It needs to be gathered, have the waistband attached and the closure put on. (One to two hours.)
  
• Cut out Miss Von Stoup's Confederate jacket. (Should only take an hour or so)
  
• Start working on the jackets. (Each jacket will take about four to six hours I think)
  
• Finish my Persian steampunk skirt. - I need to fix the waistband (its too long) and that means regathering the skirt. Then the center back seam, finishing the waistband with muslin lining, sewing closures on and then hemming it. (Should only take about three hours, mainly because the hem will be done by hand)
  
• Put together my Persian bodice. (maybe another hour or two of work to be done)
  
• And I'd like to get at least one of the Captain's alterations done. (one hour per alteration)
  

And here's the full Marcon to do list:

• Finishing Rachel's corset - DONE
  
• Finishing Miss Dashwood's Steamnun - DONE
  
• Steampunk Confederate Vivandiere Uniforms - We finally started these!
  
• Improving my Lady of the Ottoman Empire - bustle and vest. I'm pretty sure this is going to be pushed back til Dragon Con
  
• Finishing the Captain's alterations
  
• Finishing Steampunk Persian costume (including naming it...) - Vest is done. Need to finish the skirt, make the bodice and figure out the hat.
  
• Adding lace to Miss Dashwood's bustle if she purchases lace soon enough.
• In non Marcon news, my playsuit / skirt combo.
  

I may add more details tomorrow, but at least its a good start for my weekly to do list post. EDIT Details added, including hour estimations!

Bonne nuit! A bientot!

Miss Leah J Wilde

Weekend Sewing at my Parents and at the Shuttle

I got my Confederate jacket cut out but ran out of time to cut out Miss Von Stoup's jacket. I have it packed for my beau's tomorrow, I may work on it there. I did look up what size to make her, so that's something. EDIT - I cut out her jacket today.

My mother and I got my beau's quilt pinned together, so I'll be tie quilting that in my free time. Yes, I know, feel free to laugh hysterically at that notion.

After I returned to the shuttle, I worked a little on my Persian skirt - cut denim for the interfacing for the waistband, sewed it to the waistband, put the waistband together and gathered the skirt down to fit. It looks like the waistband is too long however, unless I wear the skirt around my hips which is a possibility I suppose. Or I re do the waistband. This is also packed for my beau's tomorrow.

EDIT - I worked on my Persian bodice today. I put the white broadcloth together, decided I'd alter it via the back seam when I put the zipper in (which I need to purchase), and then worked on the eyelet overlay. I laid out the center front piece so that it was on the fold, and would thus not have a center seam. Then I laid out the middle front piece so it overlapped the center front at the top and would have what amounts to a dart at the bottom. The side front piece was cut out of what was left over. This is going in my bag to go to my beau's today.

A bientot!

Miss Leah J Wilde

Weekend Sewing at my Parents'

First of all, I finished my Confederate skirt -- hand stitched the waistband into place, manipulating the gathers as I went, and sewed on a hook and eye closure.

Secondly, I finished my Persian vest -- cut open the buttonholes and sewed on the buttons. It fits a little too snug, which I need to remember the next time I want to go taking something in, and the buttonholes are just a pinch too small, which I plan to attempt to fix.

Thirdly, I cut out the white broadcloth for my Persian bodice. I plan to put it together then add an overlay of the white eyelet because I don't have enough eyelet to cut out the front of the bodice using the pattern pieces. I guess that means that the broadcloth will sort of become the lining of the bodice. By the way, I need to see if I have a zipper....

AND I bought a sheet to use for the back of my beau's quilt! Its dark red (I wanted black) and I ended up having to buy a set because the store did not have separate sheets for sale. I figure I can use the fitted sheet and pillowcases for something, either a costume or for normal clothes. Red tiered gypsy skirt anyone? Or how about a petticoat?

Tomorrow, I would like to get mine and Miss Von Stoup's Confederate jackets cut out.

That's all for now! A bientot!

Miss Leah J Wilde

Major Progress on Marcon!

First of all, most of the hand sewing on my Persian vest is finished. While at work yesterday, I pinned and sewed the armholes and last evening, I did the buttonholes. All that's left is to cut open the buttonholes and sew on the buttons!

Secondly, we started our Confederate uniforms last evening! My skirt is almost complete, Miss Von Stoup's still needs gathered and waistbanded. All I need to do is hand stitch the waistband into place and put a closure on.

We took a length of fabric (2 yards for me, 2 and a half for her), cut it along the fold, sewed the ends together (one side was sewn with a notch so that it can overlap and thus eliminate the need for a zipper), hemmed them along the selvaged edge. I went ahead and gathered mine down to a waistband, but she did not make it that far.

In my sewing bag for the weekend --
1. Playsuit patterns - btw, I'm thinking a black playsuit with a coordinating skirt or skirts in a pattern.
2. Persian vest to finish the buttonholes and buttons
3. Persian bodice to cut out
4. My Confederate skirt to finish
5. Confederate jackets to cut out
6. Ottoman bustle and vest
7. My beau's quilt

My plan is to finish the vest and skirt first, then move on to cutting out patterns.

And now its time to load up the car and get to work, and then? On to Cincinnati! I'm so excited about going home for a little while, just wish it could be longer than 24 hours.

A bientot! and Happy Easter!

Miss Leah J Wilde

To Do List Progress/Update - Week of 4/18/2011

1. Finishing Rachel's corset - DONE

2. Finishing Miss Dashwood's Steamnun - DONE except for going over it and clipping stray threads

3. Steampunk Confederate Vivandiere Uniforms - the plan is to start these tomorrow. We'd like to have them done by Marcon.

• Make two gathered waist skirts
• Cut out and make two jackets
• Embellish with braid, buttons and pips on the collars
  

4. Improving my Lady of the Ottoman Empire bustle and vest - haven't worked on these this week, but plan to take them with me to my parents' house this weekend. I'd like to have this done by Marcon, but if it's not finished, I'll just push it back to DragonCon.

5. Finishing the Captain's alterations - haven't worked on these this week. These need done by Marcon.

6. Finishing Steampunk Persian costume - As mentioned in previous posts, the vest is almost finished. I'd like this done by Marcon for a trial run.

• Finish vest - armholes, buttonholes, buttons, tack pocket flaps down, sew rings underneath for bustling
• Make skirt
• Make bodice
• Make a matching hat - I'm thinking of maybe a pillbox with a white veil or a fez
  

7. Adding lace to Miss Dashwood's bustle - She's having trouble finding something she likes with enough yardage. If she can find some soon enough, I'll get this done by Marcon.

8. Repairing Miss Dashwood's utility bustle before Marcon.

9. Playsuit and matching skirt - I found a cute short pattern in my stash. It's part of a pattern I bought for my sister in law's Christmas pressie a couple years ago, so the size is wrong, but I should be able to make it work. I plan to pair it with a Vogue dress pattern I've used before - sew the bodice and shorts together, probably with a back zipper, and then make a matching skirt with buttons down the front. This will obviously wait until after Marcon, or at least until after my Marcon sewing is finished since I'd like it before summer.

10. My beau's quilt - I have the batting, I just need to pick up a king sized sheet for the backing. Then comes pinning it and starting the quilting progress. Again this may wait until after Marcon.

What I plan to work on this weekend at my parents' -

• Persian vest if the hand sewing isn't already finished
  
• Cutting out Confederate jackets
  
• The Ottoman bustle and vest
• The quilt if I get backing for it. I'd like to get it pinned this weekend if possible because my parents' have a pool table, which is perfect for pinning quilts.
  
• Playsuit pattern (make it out of newspaper)

Persian Steampunk ...

... No, it's not done. But it IS coming along well and the vest is almost finished! Its put together and the lining is in and topstitched! There was however a small moment of panic when I realized that I somehow put the back together wrong -- I'd sewn the side back seams together as the center back seam and then the side back pieces to the center back seams...yeah it was a little bit of a mess, and I had to take out and redo all three seams. But all that's left now is finishing the arm holes, buttonholes and buttons. And rings underneath for bustling purposes of course. Oh and tacking down the pocket flaps...

I also cut out the yoke pieces for the skirt. The plan is to gather down a little under two yards of fabric to fit the yoke, have it overlap in the back and close with a hook closure because I don't want to mess with a zipper. I'm going to interface the yoke (probably with muslin) because the silk faille needs the stability and I need to decide what I'm cutting the inside yoke out of, maybe some pink lining I have...or just more muslin. I plan to just hem it to length without cutting any fabric off. It'll minimize fraying and I can easily use the fabric for something else at a later date if necessary since both selvage edges will be intact. I also feel that the extra wide hem at the bottom will give it some extra weight and hold the skirt in place properly.

Then of course comes the bodice, but I'm not one hundred percent sure I'm going to make one. I do have a blouse I could wear... The current plan is a white eyelet and broadcloth bustier made according to the pattern. I may break out my favorite corset top pattern instead, I haven't decided yet. I want to cut part of front of the bodice so that the edge of the eyelet is along the top of the bodice. The rest of the bodice will just be plain white broadcloth.

I still need to name this costume...

In Confederate uniform news, Miss Von Stoup should be visiting the shuttle Friday evening for us to work on our skirts. The plan is to take about two to two and a half yards of our gray cotton sateen, cut it along the fold line, sew the two pieces together, hem them and then gather them down to a quilt binding waistband cut to a few inches longer than our waists so that the skirt can overlap where it closes. I don't foresee it taking too long, but I've been wrong before, and I will be helping her with her skirt as well as making my own. I'd like to cut out my jacket first and then use the remainder for my skirt, but I don't know if I'll have time for that. Hopefully we can get a good start on them Friday night and finish them next week. I really feel that they won't be ready for Marcon -- while the basic construction won't take long, there is a lot of embellishment to do, like braid and buttons.

That's it for now!

A bientot!

Miss Leah J Wilde

PS I really need to make a packing list for my trip home this weekend...

Miss Dashwood's Steamnun....

...is also finished!!

My to do list is currently progressing rather swimmingly.

Tonight: Miss Dashwood tried on her tunic and it needed taken in some in the bodice area. I took care of that, put in the facing, realized I'd put in the facing wrong, picked out all the stitching, re-did the facing, topstitched the arms and neckline, then hemmed the tunic. The skirt was amazingly simple -- I just doubled Miss Dashwood's waist measurement, made a casing for the elastic, slid the elastic in via a safety pin, had her try in on for size, let out the elastic just a pinch, and sewed the center back seam together. I left the skirt unhemmed because it was a good almost perfect length and the selvage was along the hemline so no more sewing was really necessary.

Then I pulled out my silk faille. Miss Dashwood insists that the fade lines are not that noticeable, and since my beau expressed a similar opinion the other evening, I decided just to go ahead and give it a whirl. After all, no matter how many times I dye it, the faded part is likely to always be lighter than the rest of it. So I went ahead and cut out the pocket facings for the vest. Now all I need to decide is what kind of skirt I'm going to make. I was going to use my trusty Simplicity 5457 to make a gored skirt, but I don't have enough fabric, even if I shortened it. Nor do I have any other skirt patterns that appeal to me that will work with the amount of fabric I have. Part of me wants a structured skirt to go with the structured, gored vest, but another part of me likes the gathered skirt look (which is what the pattern I'm using for the vest includes). As of this moment, I'm leaning towards the gathered waist skirt, perhaps one with a yoke, but that could change. It is definitely the easiest option.

So...one more item marked off my to do list and a little progress made on another project. Not bad for an evening's work. Now if only we could get started on these damned Confederate uniforms...

Bonne nuit! A bientot!

Miss Leah J Wilde

Rachel's Corset...

...is finished! So I can mark something off my to do list! It took a few hours but the hand sewing wasn't difficult - just had to finish putting the outside and lining together along the arms and the turning opening. Then all I had to do was set eyelets and I was DONE! For future reference - next time, remind me not to put denim on the straps of the corset. It doesn't need to be there and its much to heavy to deal with easily.

I was thinking about working on the steamnun this evening, but Miss Dashwood has yet to return to our shuttle for the evening and I'm feeling rather peaked so I believe that a shower and bed are just what the doctor ordered.

Bonne nuit!

Marcon To Do List - Week of 4/18/2011

Okay, readers, here's what I need (or would like to at least) get done over the next week:

• Finishing Rachel's corset - It's almost done, all that's left are the eyelets and a little handsewing around the armholes and where I left an opening to turn it after stitching the lining to the outside. (one to two hours)
  
• Miss Dashwood's Steamnun - I need to have Miss Dashwood try on her tunic and then finish it, and then figure out the length of the skirt, hem it, sew the casing, put in the elastic and sew the back seam. (two hours, maybe three)
  
• Steampunk Confederate Vivanidiere uniforms - These WILL be started this week. Fabric has been purchased and prewashed. We are starting the skirts tomorrow. (two to three hours for the skirts, probably four to six hours for each jacket, so a total of eleven to fifteen hours for basic construction. Embellishment will add to that time considerably.)
  
• Fixing my Ottoman bustle. (two to three hours, if that)
• Maybe finish one of the two alterations remaining for the Captain.
• I'd also like to start quilting my beau's quilt, but that's obviously not for Marcon.
  

And here's the full Marcon to do list:

• Finishing Rachel's corset
• Finishing Miss Dashwood's Steamnun
• Steampunk Confederate Vivandiere Uniforms
• Improving my Lady of the Ottoman Empire - bustle and vest
  
• Finishing the Captain's alterations
  
• Finishing Steampunk Persian costume (including naming it...)
  
• Adding lace to Miss Dashwood's bustle if she purchases lace soon enough.

I'm slowly checking things off at least. I'll be going to visit my parents over Easter weekend so I need to decide what I can work on down there, because while there is a sewing machine it is not easily accessible. I'll probably take the Ottoman bustle and vest, and maybe the quilt if I get backing for it. And a pattern that I would like my grandmother to help me with -- I'm obsessed with having a playsuit / suit combination like the ones Whirling Turban sells
(http://whirlingturban.com/boutique/boutique_detail.php?id=366&c) I have a dress pattern I'd like to use, but I need the shorts portion of the playsuit. Grandma may need to help me with the quilt as well.

I'll probably be heading to bed soon, after packing up my things so I can head back to my place tomorrow.

Bonne nuit, mes amis. Dormi bien.

Miss Leah J Wilde

Weekend To Do List Progress

Fabric shopping was a success. Miss Von Stoup has our uniform fabric to prewash and I bought pretty much everything on my list. However I could not find coral fabric for my Persian vest. I'll keep a lookout, maybe something will show up. Or I could use another color, but since the buttons are already coral I feel that the trim should match.

I worked on Rachel's corset a little bit, sewed the shoulders of the white / denim together and started sewing the inside and the outside together. While working on sewing the inside and outside together, my machine died. With the corset stuck under the needle. Looks like I'll be making a trip to the "doctor's" office on Monday after work. EDIT - Got the corset unstuck and used Miss Dashwood's machine to finish putting it together. All that's left is a little hand sewing and the eyelets.

Steamnun: I picked up thread, the top pattern and elastic. I cut out the tunic and put it together. I just basted the shoulder seams because it has a facing that goes in before you sew those seams. Now all she needs to do is try it on to see how it fits! I also put the facing together and finished the bottom edge. I put together the drape (out of the red shade of cotton) - cut the two yards in half along the fold, sewed the two pieces together along the short edge, hemmed both ends and one side since the other side already has a finished selvage edge. All that's left is to finish the tunic and put the skirt together.

Persian Steampunk: The lining is put together and taken in along the necessary seams, so that's done. I attempted to dye my silk faille, but it didn't take very well -- the fade lines still show. Sigh. I'll probably give it another try before giving up, maybe I'll put the skirt together first and then see how it looks before trying to dye it again. I may also try the stove top method instead of using the washing machine on the second try. Even though I can't do much on the vest since I don't have the silk for the pocket facings yet, I did some stay stitching and put the back together.

The Captain's hooded vest is repaired. It was a bit tricky and I'm not sure how long it'll hold as the fabric is fraying but I did my best and used some Fray Check so hopefully it'll stay for a little while at least. So half of the Captain's alterations are finished!

I also worked on my Ottoman bustle, using my beau's mother's dress form to drape it. However, I can't stitch it together yet because I lack the appropriate color thread.

And tomorrow after work, I drop off my beloved Fern at the sewing machine repair shop.

A bientot!

Miss Leah J Wilde

Weekend To Do List - MARCon Preparations

Marcon begins six weeks from today (cue panicked screams). And you know what that means - lots of to do lists and updates!

This weekend I would like to:

• First of all, I'm going fabric shopping tonight and purchasing the fabric for our confederate uniforms. I have sincere doubts that they'll be finished by Marcon, but we'll see. I'll probably hand it off to Miss Von Stoup to pre-wash and get back to me asap. I'll also be getting her pattern, as well as a variety of other things. We're planning spending an evening next week working on our skirts, which will be the easiest part of the project. Then I get to make jackets!
• Repair the Captain's hooded vest. (Time estimate: around an hour)
  
• Finish Rachel's corset. She's okay with it just having lace along the bottom, so that issue is taken care of. So all I need to do is sew the lining to the outside and put in the eyelets. (Time estimate: two to three hours, depending on how much hand sewing I end up doing)
  
• Miss Dashwood's Steamnun - Part of my purchase today is for this: thread, a pattern for the top and elastic for the skirt. It should be a simple project, just an elastic waisted skirt, a loose blouse and a drape. The colors she choose are fabulous - a dark red and a deep orange. (Time estimate for total completion: 1-2 hours for the top, 1-2 hours for the skirt, 1 hour for the drape)
  
• My Persian Steampunk - I'm also planning on purchasing one or two things for this costume, including a little coral satin to use as trim. Hopefully I can match the coral I used on my buttons. I'd like to get the lining put together and the fabric dyed this weekend. (Time estimate for this weekend: under an hour to put the lining together since I already started it, 1-2 hours for the dyeing)
• Maybe work on my Ottoman vest embroidery a little. This is another project that I'm starting to doubt finishing.
  

Looking ahead, I have the following to complete before Marcon, roughly in order of what needs completed first and projects that I doubt completion of are towards the bottom:

• Finishing Rachel's corset. (two to three hours)
  
• Finishing the Captain's alterations. (three hours, one hour per item)
  
• Miss Dashwood's Steamnun. (three to six hours)
  
• Steampunk Confederate Vivanidiere uniforms. (two to three hours for the skirts, probably four to six hours for each jacket, so a total of eleven to fifteen hours for basic construction. Embellishment will add to that time considerably.)
  
• Steampunk Persian costume (I haven't worked on this enough to say how long it'll take to finish)
  
• Finishing the embroidered border on my Lady of the Ottoman Empire vest (a lot of hours, I'd guess at least around 20 hours to finish the border)
  
• Fixing my Ottoman bustle. (two to three hours, if that)
  
• Adding lace to Miss Dashwood's bustle if she purchases lace soon enough. (one to two hours)
  

In short, I have a lot to do over the next six weeks. Wish me luck.

A bientot!

Miss Leah J Wilde
Stressed-stress

PS My Shopping list:

1. Thread - red and orange for the Steamnun, coral for the Persian, gray for the uniforms, and white, black and cream for my stash.
2. Patterns - McCalls 4097 for the Steamnun top, Burda 7458 for Miss Von Stoup's uniform, and I may pick up a couple McCalls as well since they are on sale.
3. Fabric - 9 to 10 yards of gray stretch sateen for our uniforms and some coral satin for the Persian. I'm also going to check the discount table because its on sale.
4. Notions - elastic for the Steamnun skirt, elastic for my stash, and machine needles. I will probably also pick up hook closures, hooks and eyes and some snaps. I might buy some covered buttons and or bobbins as well.
   
5. Gray quilt binding for the uniforms.
6. Batting for my beau's Star Wars quilt.
   

Progress on my 4/23 Marcon To Do List

Rachel's corset: Fitting went well. Ended up altering the strap a little bit, and taking it in at every seam. She tried it on again, declared it acceptable, and went on her merry way. I then stitched the cotton/denim layer together, made the boning casings, put in the boning (two per seam) and then started to trim out the red cotton but I don't have enough lace. So either I hunt for more lace, or see if I can finagle it to look good without being completely trimmed out.

I did finish the Captain's Ren Faire tunic - cut off the excess and finished the seams, so its ready to go back to him. However I did not get to his hooded vest, hand sewing was beyond me this evening.

I did speak to Miss Dashwood about her Steamnun and we found a McCalls pattern that'll work for the top (since they're on sale this weekend) and the skirt is going to be a simple gathered waist skirt, no pattern necessary.

I did get to work on my Persian vest a little. I pinned together the lining, noticed that I'm going to have to fix the hem because my pieces didn't go back together perfectly but that can wait, and stitched one seam of it before deciding to attempt sleeping.

I didn't get to work on my embroidery at all.

Overall, not too bad for an evening's work - fitting and worked on corset, finished an alteration, planned a costume, worked on a costume.

A bientot!

Miss Leah J Wilde

Daily To Do List - April 13, 2011

With Marcon swiftly approaching, I've decided to start daily to do lists. They may progress to weekly, but this one at least is what I'd like to accomplish this evening.

• First of all, Rachel has a fitting for her corset tonight. Hopefully, I can get her corset to fit her perfectly, and then perhaps sew the cotton / denim pieces together.
  
• Finish the Captain's Ren Faire tunic. I've already taken it in, but it lays a little odd. My plan is to cut off the excess fabric, see how it lays, redo the vents if it still lays oddly, and finish the seams.
• I'd also like to repair his hooded vest, which has a seam that's starting to tear. That will be hand sewn.
• I'd like to talk to Miss Dashwood about her Steamnun and what (if any) patterns she wants to use. I won't start her costume until Rachel's corset is finished, but I'd at least like to have a mental concept.
• If possible, I'd like to work on my Persian steampunk vest. Perhaps put the lining together, as that will be the easiest part. And since I can't really do the brocade until I dye the silk faille since that will be the pocket facings as well as the skirt.
  
• Maybe work on my Ottoman vest embroidery a little. I have all the pink around the outside edge finished, next up is either more spirals or pink around the armholes. I'm also probably going to be putting a little pink in with the spirals.

I think that's probably more than enough for this evening, don't you?

A bientot!

Miss Leah J Wilde

PS The vivandiere costume may not happen. I've rather lost interest and I'm feeling time crunched so I don't know if I want to take on another project, especially such a big one.

Marcon Prep - Updated To Do List and Perisan Steampunk

Updated MARCon to do list

1. Add lace to Miss Dashwood's black cotton bustle - she still needs to buy lace for this
   
2. Steamnun for Miss Dashwood (at least I assume she needs it for MARCon) - fabric is being prewashed today, so we'll probably start this costume this week
   
3. Alterations for the Captain - These have been started
   
4. Embroidered border on my Lady of the Ottoman Empire vest - I've been adding pink slowly and purchased more silver yesterday
   
5. A more permanent solution to my Ottoman bustle - I sewed the two scarves together along the top where it wraps around my waist, and put a hook and eye closure on it to hold it closed.
   
6. Steampunk Confederate Vivandiere - We should be starting these this week, getting the fabric and prewashing it at least. We plan to have a sewing day to work on the skirts.
   
7. Corset for Rachel - started and waiting for a fitting
   
8. Persian Steampunk - I worked on this a lot this weekend actually

Persian Steampunk - I talked to Miss Dashwood and we decided that I should just shorten the pattern. So I cut it out of the white muslin, pinned it together, trimmed the edges, tried it on, and liked the way it laid. Next came unpinning it, and fixing the bottom edges of the pieces, using the pattern pieces for guides. The muslin (which will become the lining) then became my pattern and I managed to cut everything out except the pocket facing. I think that will come out of the silk faille to match the skirt.

Speaking of the silk faille. I have about two yards of it, a little less once I cut out the pocket facings. I haven't decided if I'm going to use a pattern, or just do a simple gathered waist skirt under the vest. I bought fabric dye yesterday -- IDye in Olive. I think it'll be rather lovely with the brocade, which is pink, coral and bronze-green.

This morning, I found a scrap of coral satin and covered four 7/8 inch buttons for the vest. And I found pale pink thread which I shall need for said vest.

If this is done for MARCon, I'm going to consider it a trial run for DragonCon. Because I want this to be perfect for DCon.



I think I'll work on my Ottoman vest embroidery now.

A bientot!

Miss Leah J Wilde

Marcon Prep: Corset Commission

First of all, I worked on my vest a little today, adding in more pink.

Secondly, I did the first of the alterations for the Captain. I took in the sides of a tunic, tapering out at the hem and the armholes and taking it almost two inches at the waist. The seam will need trimmed and finished, but I think I'd like him to try it on first... I looked at the vest that he needs repaired and decided that I just wasn't up for tricky hand sewing tonight.

Now for the corset work:

I put together the red and black cotton pieces for Rachel to try on when she can. I also stitched the white denim to the white and black cotton to flat line it.

I'm planning to open all the seams, press them, and create the boning channels in the denim. That way I can do two rows of boning on each seam and not have anything that's too bulky.

And of course I'm thinking about the Persian ensemble...

Bonne nuit, mes amis! Dormi bien!

A bientot!

Miss Leah J Wilde

Slow Going Progress on Marcon Prep

I haven't been up to much sewing over the last few days, between work and life.

Corset Commission for Rachel:

Rachel and James came in and bought the fabric for her corset the other day. Two cottons, one red and black, one white and black, along with white denim for the interlining. I'm going to use thread, boning, eyelets and maybe some lace from my stash. The goal is for the corset to be reversible. I prewashed the fabric and cut out the pattern pieces yesterday. Next up will be cutting out the fabric. EDIT The pattern has been cut out of all three fabrics. Next up: sewing the denim to one of the cottons and then sewing one side of the corset together for a fitting.

Ottoman Vest:

I worked on this a lot yesterday (I was in a car for four hours). All the basic border work is done, I put in a little more of the pink until I tired of it and then I started couching down spirals for the actual border. I have three spirals done, I probably have at least a dozen more to go plus all the fill in work. EDIT I worked on this more tonight, mainly some fill in work. I hope that I can have the border done by Marcon, I'm starting to think it may be too much work...

Joker:

My beau has decided that he doesn't want this costume for Marcon and wants it for DragonCon instead. So work for this is being set aside for the time being.

Cage Bustle Petticoat:

I hemmed this yesterday and just need to sew on a hook and eye closure to finish it off. EDIT I sewed the hook closure on so this is DONE.

Fabric Shopping and Plans for Persian Steampunk:

I purchased several things yesterday, but most importantly I purchased a new Simplicity pattern that is pretty perfect for the Persian inspired outfit I want to do. I think I am going to dye my silk faille olive green to go with the brocade vest. I'm going to do fabric covered buttons. I am unsure what the top is going to look like underneath the vest yet. I purchased a remnant of border eyelet, that may be what I use. I don't know if I want the stark white and may try to dye it, with tea or with dye. The only problem is its polyester / cotton blend so it won't take dye perfectly. I'm planning to line the vest in muslin, I'll probably dye that as well. Maybe coral if I can find a good shade because the brocade has coral in it.

I don't have enough fabric to make this wholly out of brocade. So my options are shortening it (which I really don't want to do) or making part of it out of something else. I think I'm going to see if I can find some coral satin or something similar to use.

Confederate Vivandiere:

Miss Von Stoup and I need to get started on these soon. I believe we may be fabric shopping this week or next. I'm thinking suiting fabric may best suit our needs.

Okay, let's take a look at my MARCon to do list, shall we?

1. Add lace to Miss Dashwood's black cotton bustle
2. Steamnun for Miss Dashwood (at least I assume she needs it for MARCon)
   
3. Alterations for the Captain - I finally gathered these from the Captain today. I need to take in a few things for him, and repair a vest.
   
4. New bustle for Harley Quinn - DONE
   
5. Embroidered border on my Lady of the Ottoman Empire vest
6. A more permanent solution to my Ottoman bustle. I'm thinking sewing the two scarves together along part of the top and then a bunch of hooks and or snaps to actually bustle it.
7. Steampunk Confederate Vivandiere.
8. Corset for Rachel.
9. I'm not really planning to finish the Persian outfit by MARCon, its more of a DragonCon outfit, but if it happens and its finished, I'm wearing it.
   

I'm starting to feel the pre-convention panic - MARCon is 7 weeks from this coming Friday.

Now that you have all been updated, I'm off to work on projects. Today will probably be - a little project for my beau, sewing the hook and eye closure on my cage bustle petticoat, embroidering my vest and maybe cutting out the corset if I get bored with embroidery.

UPDATE - Finished the project for my beau. Sewed the hook closure onto my bustle. Worked on embroidering my vest. And cut out the corset. I also spent time thinking about my Persian outfit. Not bad for a Sunday, huh?

A bientot!

Miss Leah J. Wilde

PS Non Marcon Sewing - I also cut out a skirt. The pattern is Vogue 2029, something I've had forever and never made. The fabric is a tan textured mystery fabric that Miss Dashwood got from her mother and said I could have if I wanted it. After cutting it out, I have similar misgivings to those that she had about it -- while the texture is interesting, the fabric ravels very easily and seems to lack stability. But I've already cut it out so we'll see how it goes together.