And a leetle update

Things happened yesterday and today. Yesterday, the swimsuit pattern from Simply Modest Swimwear (I think they call themselves...) came, and also the Indispensible Corset Fitting Aid came from Fitting Room. Today, the 1840's-1880's-ish corset came from Past Patterns. So, I'm all ready for... doing some more things.

I'm very glad, although it's really odddd to be able to go ahead, now. I am really worried about not getting things done in a month. I want to make a lot of things for wearing everydayly, and then, I also want to do my historical sewing. Because we're going off to Colorado in a month, I suppose I should focus more heartily on everyday clothing. Also, I'm planning the little outfit for the opening night of Harry Potter 6...

Yesterday, I traced out the top front of one of the dress patterns from Simplicity, so I can make a slip. It's part of the HP outfit, sort of. I mean, I'm making it especially for that, but also just for everyday clothes. I don't know exactly how I'll do the neck. I'll have to fool with it and it's likely I'll end up with a V neck, maybe a little wider than the one I'll end up for the dress. Then it won't show at the neck very much. Possibly, I will just do a deep, wide neckline... I think that would be more multipurposeful, useful and all... so I'll probably aim for that. Then I can wear it under probably anything that I make.

Hopefully I'll run at this stuff with a pickaxe of doom... and get it done. Please pray that I can get what I need to done. To get an idea of what I'm AIMING for, but may easily not get to (and last night I tried to make it clear to myself that I wouldn't go insane if I didn't get it done by the ISLAS gathering), what I'll write down soon. What I'd really, really like to do is to be able to make enough everyday clothing that I don't have to wear most of the storeboughten stuff that I wear right now... just so you understand that I'm not trying to make a megawardrobe. I'm not that sort of person. :-)

Here goes:

2 pairs of swimsuits from Modest Swimwear Solutions - which means I'll make two leggings and two tops out of different fabric. That's the nice thing about this pattern; you can mix and match when you feel like it. I would like to make a dark blue and black and reddish one (I have not got fabric, but I've seen this all over, so it don't matter), and probably some dark blue leggings, and whatever else I choose to use, I'll ask Gina about. She gets to dress me up, too. :-)
A few to several simple skirts - sheer and calico, I hope, and maybe some more dressy ones for church (just to draw a line between everyday clothing and 'good'/Sunday clothing)
A few to several shirts - made of calico and maybe sheer fabric, one or so nicer than the others for church (again, to draw a line)
Slips and camisoles and petticoats (orrr half-slips, whatever they're called nowadays) - made with muslin, as simple as I can make them.
Dresses - maybe. I'm planning on making one for HP, so there will almost definitely (if I DO it) be one dress, and if that's really easy, and I feel adventurous, I'll hopefully ask Mummy if I can make another.

So, that's the idea. It IS overwhelming, and also isn't. The mainnnn problem is, if I don't have material, I can't do it. If I do have material, all I have to worry about is room to cut it out. Once the things are cut out, I think I can whip them up, and as I work on them, it'll get easier.

Now, I've got to ask Mummy if we can run off and buy *MORE* muslin! Already have tons for historical clothing. *grin*

More thoughts

Gina can wear whatever earrings she wants to, now. That's very 'exciting' for me, because I get to make her some, if I have the ingredients.

I have been planning my little HP dress out quite articulately, in a way. I believe it's going to be a little of a 'good' dress. Then, I can play around with it more and have fun.

My idea is give it a little of a V-neck, and make it some sort of an interesting collar. I have plenty of ideas for collars, but I need to quick get hard on one or this may not get done. I don't HAVE to make a collar, but I want to. My only problem is, whenever I think of the dress, I see something 1930's-ish, and I want it to have some distinctively modern properties, or at least distinctly not-1930's or '40's. The skirt will probably help in that way; it's going to be full, and either pleated or gathered into the waistband. I haven't ever pleated a skirt, and if I do it, I'm going to have to do a little math and measuring first, I think.

I want to make the waistband a little adventurous. I think I'll take some of the dress fabric and twist it around, and stitch it 'invisibly' in places, to give it a sort of wrapped and twisted look. I want it to be approximately 1 1/2" wide.

The fabric I'm going to use is toooootally not working along. I mean, I have no idea what to use. I Want to use a thin, lightish wool, but I think I'll regret it in the middle of July. Sooo, I think I'm going to hit for something made of linen or cotton, unless I find a well-breathing, wonderful wool something somewhere that's light enough and breathes well enough. Which I doubt will happen, unless I decide I might as well use a sheer.

I don't want to use sheer. If I use a sheer fabric, I have to make some kind of slip to wear underneath, or else I have to make a lining... which I believe I haven't got time to go after, unless I get it done faster than I think I will.

I may choose to use a calico, but since it is a little bit see-through in some respects, I will probably want to use something a little more... opaque? I don't knowww. I'll have to go scout around at a store and feel some fabric, and then I can decide.

I'm going to plan out some other things for it, too, likely. I may embroider it a little, or do some silly kind of decorating to give an interesting effect. If I want to, I could make some odd thing to put in my hair (I've been planning some sort of a band for ages, just haven't made it yet), and I might run after some hair combs and learn to use them. Hair combs have got to be dreadfully wizard-y, right? :P

I'll also figure out some necklace to wear. Probably something fire-coloured. I have amber, carnelian and garnet beads to use... and some other things. Time to go WILD! :-D

'Totally!'

Lest you think I have lost my mind once again, well, I have lost my mind once again. :-) Somehow, that doesn't fit. Anyway, the subject doesn't have anything to do with this post, to the best of my knowledge.

No, I haven't made anything since the last post, that I know of. I'm attempting to design clothes for going to the sixth Harry Potter movie, but it's not coming along quickly. I may just try to make a base pattern for everyday clothes one day and then I can fool with it and invent something that matches the non-Muggle world. :-) I will also try to design a cloak.

Besides that, I suppose I've gone off and lost all my past imaginativeness. What I mean is that my brain has forgotten about what I did before some day like Saturday or so, and I have gone on... vacation. Except it's really not much of a vacation. I forgot that I could play Für Elise, and I somehow forgot about 1860's things, and my mind went on complete backorder (that's what I call it...) and forgot what I used to do. Not that I did much even then. Now, I'm trying to figure out what on earth happened, and trying to figure out what to do- whether I should not stress myself and not do anything, or whether I should risk the stressing and force myself to draw, or to write, or something. I don't think I should force myself to do anything, in any case, so absolutely nothing may happen for awhile. In any case, I've got to get scooting on wizardly clothes if I really am going to dress up for the opening night... as it's in less than a month, I believe. I hope beyond hope that it's later... because I haven't had enough time to plan.

I hate to use modern patterns. Which means, I don't want to use one for making this outfit... but I might have to. I don't know... because I'm not very productive with ideas, and I'm terribly picky about things. If I made myself a base pattern, then I'd be doing dropped armscyes and the whole rigmarole. However, I have this silly, lovely idea that just POSSIBLY I could do without the silly ease-stitching in modern sleeves and forget about it forEVER and EVER and EVER!!! I might try it. If I use natural fabrics, I won'd need to do ease-stitching, likely. I'll have to modify the sleeve, but it would be lovely to drop that... it's the thing I don't like about making sleeves.

So much for thinking I wouldn't say anything artsy today. :-) I certainly have. I'm not doing much, but I'm hopefully trying to plan a storm. I think I'll try to set up a cutting area, or figure out a place in the house, and then I'll try to make some skirts. If I get happy about that, I might make the base pattern for shirts and dresses... and if I get happy about that, I might make some shirts and dresses. :-)

There are some things to note about my everyday clothing (I don't like to call it modern because it's obviously not going to be any bit modern at all)... I probably will have to gather all of the waists, which I won't mind. I mean, I can't have any darts, or it'll look immature-ish. So, all of it will be, in some way, gathered. I like things to fit at my waist (I have pretty much nothing that does, heh heh), and I want things to be at my natural waist, so that I can breathe better, and because it looks much nicer than the modern waist. :-o

Hummm. I was inspired by a few random things here and there for my everyday clothes. For one thing, the clothes from the 1910's have inspired me, because they are quite simple and easily changed for all sorts of purposes (of course, lots of historical styles are... not like modern clothes!). Also, I will probably try to use some techniques from the 1940's for some modern clothes, although I'm not sure whether what I want to use is exactly restricted to the 1940's. I just think of the 1940's when I think of them. Pleating in a skirt, to gather fulness, over the hips... not too tight, or it'll pull, but tight enough to give a sort of tailored look. Yayz. I'll probably try to get some 1940's patterns to use for a few things, too, and start a little more historical clothing that I can wear every day, if I want to.

I have said a lot, though not all I want to say.

I wanted to post pictures of my drawings at the beginning (I finally remember), but that would make this post crazily long, so I'm not going to do that now. I might do it another time... the only thing is, my thoughts on those pictures will make a loooong post. I'm long-posty. :P

God sie mid eow!

The name left again!

So, I'm pretty much feeling like a zombie. I have the feeling that eventually, when I can't even run on my mechanical habits (of speech, walking, etc.), I might get better in one big leap. I just feel like it'll be that way. But I don't know when it will be.

I am almost finished with my first chemise; I am hemming it and it needs its neck on... and the buttons, too. I need to get it some buttons.

I feel as though I'd like to hurry up on my historical sewing as much as I can, or the summer will pass with only a few creations. I am waiting for a pattern and some items to be ordered and come here, but other than that, I could be making my drawers pattern and finishing my chemises, and starting my corded petticoat.

So, I don't know that I have pretty much anything to say. Exams are creeping up on me, so I'm studying, and summer is slowly coming along, too. I suppose it already feels like summer. I don't want it to get summerier, because then it gets dryer and warmer and the trees fade away.