Miss Wilde's Crazy Project

Once the funeral was over, my sewing mojo came back with a vengeance.  I spent the entire drive back to Columbus from Cincinnati contemplating what I wanted to sew for the International Steampunk Symposium.  Late night drive, because I stayed at home to watch Monday Night Raw with my daddy (yes, I'm a huge wrestling fan, deal with it).

At first, I thought I'd finish a project I started last year in lime green sari brocade and navy chiffon, but that project requires a serger, and I didn't want to deal with having to arrange a visit to a friend's house to use a serger.

So then I remembered some brown silk and cream and brown linen in my stash. And thought about a project I've had in the back of my mind for a while, a nice tailored jacket using Truly Victorian's Riding Habit Jacket pattern along with an 1880s underskirt.  Of course, that also means finally making an actual corset to be worn as an undergarment (which had been started, barely) and a new petticoat (also started, aka cut out).

Corset. Petticoat. Jacket. Skirt.

In three weeks.

Told you it was a crazy project.

So far I have:

1. Torn apart, recut, rebasted, fitted and basically repeated all those actions for the corset.
2. It is now what I think is the right size, and interlined, and basted together. 
3. NEXT STEP: actually sewing it together and checking to see if I have boning and a busk *crosses fingers*
4. Read over the petticoat instructions
5. Bleached and washed some white twill I had in my stash that was formerly a pool table cover at my parents' house and thus rather gross
6. Found some green polished cotton in my stash I'm thinking of using for the jacket lining and maybe trim

I have three weeks from today.  Wish me luck!

Update on Miss Wilde

My, I have been rather remiss with updating my blog, haven't I, dear readers?

Well, you see, my beloved grandmother passed at the end of January.  So really, besides some retail therapy at the fabric store, I've been doing very little that was sewing related.

I did manage to finish a new dress for her funeral (which we just had, she lived out of state so it was cremation with services to follow at some point).  The dress was from a Butterick retro reprint with a matching jacket (that it was too cold to wear).  Butterfly print because she loved butterflies and trimmed and lined in purple because I always wear purple to funerals.  The straps snap instead of tying as called for in the pattern, and there's also a purple belt made with a buckle that Grandma gave me.  For the funeral, which was graveside, I wore a black cardigan, matching purple tights and black flats. 

I feel like I've bought a ton of fabric lately as well.  That aforementioned retail therapy.  (1) Purple butterfly print cotton to make my cousin's little girl a dress.  (2) Pepsi print fabric to make my dad a reversible apron (which is DONE), myself a 1930s skirt (also DONE, but man was it complicated) and now some to make myself a 1960s dress.  (3) Doctor Who fabric, which will probably also be 1960s dresses.  The dalek print one will be definitely.

The 1930s skirt, same pattern as my Star Wars print one just a different version.  The waistband had like four pieces plus the pleats = complicated.  But worth it, I think!

My brain has apparently decided to start planning my summer vacation wardrobe (even though vacation isn't for MONTHS because we go at the end of summer).  I've decided to go for a mostly 1960s vibe, maybe a little 1970s and a little 1950s.

Patterns I picked up recently for said summer vacation wardrobe.

Vintage lace my mom gave me

 Some patterns I might use:

I also have a pencil skirt cut out that I really need to put together because I need it for an event later this month.

And then I decided to take on a crazy project which is going in the next post...