You are in the dark.

*clicks on the light*

For three weeks we have been off on a trip. Mainly to Colorado, but extendedly to all sorts of places. In order... Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico (I seem to think it's hilarious... we were in it for only a few minutes. It was on the freeway through the desert, at the Four Corners Monument or whatever it's called), Arizona, New Mexico (for much longer than before), Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota. :-)


Before the gathering, I sewed up my swimsuit which is mentioned in the previous post, as well as made the dress that was for Harry Potter 6 (which I declined to go to at the last minute for very complicated reasons) into just a skirt partly because the bodice wouldn't work and because I didn't really have time to figure out how it would work even if it didn't really fit. It's a nice batik skirt now, green blue and purplish pinkish with a leaf design on it. It has a buttony placket on the side and is half-circle, goes to about mid-calf. I wore it to the gathering, so lots of you will have seen it already in pictures, and some saw it in real life! :-D

I also made a brown calico skirt. It was light brown with pink-and-red roses on it. It's gathered, three-gored, with a placket on one of the front gores. It doesn't have the buttons on it yet because I couldn't get them put on, so I safety-pinned it shut for the hike at the gathering. It's a little too tight in the waist. It was rather hard getting it the right size, and then I find out it's a little tight... we'll see what I do. Never fear! I could just give it away, but I love brown calicoes strangely...

Hoping you know the details of my swimsuit (the fabric, and what it looks like), I won't go into that. It worked out very well, though I ended up adding sleeves... and people liked it. :-) I wore it at Oak Creek Canyon for the first time. So, some of you have seen it in real life, and others in pictures.

The days before Harry Potter 6 came out, I made a cloak, too. It's not hemmed. Plaid wool, not at all sweltering hot, with a yoke which I masterfully put together. Someday I will try to explain how I did it so others can try... I don't know if it's exactly easy or hard. It does take a good bit of calculations, though, and that's mainly how I made it. O.O It's very nice, and works in the rain very well. I mean to use it in the future.

So, for the future, I think I'm going to calmly not try to overdo things in my life. Not give myself too much to do. I will have much schoolwork, so I'll probably just make myself some skirts, and try to make myself some patterns for interesting mediaeval-inspired clothing. Mediaeval meaning the true style they wore then. No princess seams, and no annoying, modern sleeves. The sleeves will probably be near kimono-styled (which isn't really mediaeval, but it isn't modern and I don't like putting in modern sleeves), and the skirts will be rectangular with triangular gores in the sides. Few people probably know about that- it was how they made the fulness for skirts back then, though I find they used many triangular gores to do it, not just one, and I really, really don't want to use many. Anyway, it's not necessary.

Very soon I would like to make some more skirts, too. Since they're so simple, and if I have room to cut out and a machine to sew with, it will happen quickly (I think). I'll be looking for fabric very carefully... I love so much of it but have to pick only a few...

And I'll try to plan some Sunday outfits! I suppose I should try to get some Folkwear patterns to use for that and costumes. O joy. I shall try not to overwork myself, though.

Westu hal!

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.

Photographs...

So, I haven't been on computers since Thursday. I feel bright and educated! Not really. The time I haven't been on seems very un-full of things happening. All I really did was sew and think and go to JoAnn's once. I also went on walks, I realise. I should do one now, but I feel as though I must get something done. I feel very pointless right now. It's beautiful outside, but I just feel pointless!

I read some of Charles Dickens over the weekend, too. Not much. Of both Bleak House and Great Expectations. It's a good thing. ;)

Now, for the pictures! I got some more sewing done today and before, but I'm not going to go to get the photos on here. Just to say: I finished tucking the second chemise front, so I'm done with all that. I also started sewing the sleeves and back-of-chemise-#2 on. Looks rather spiffy. Sewing on the bias is just WEIRD, too. It feels so strange. And on the last seam I did, the needle was being bad, or else the fabric.

This is the fabric I'm going to use for my blanket. The white-looking (it's really off-white dark ivoryish; natural colour of bamboo and cotton fiber mixed) stuff is the batting, which, when the blanket's done, you oughtn't to see. ;)
Probably paua or abalone shell buttons. I got them from JoAnn's for my chemises (however, I REALLY don't think I should use them. I just adored them, and got them, even though I don't know if they're really correct to the 1860's), and the packages for the buttons there don't almost ever have real descriptions. All this one said is 'genuine shell'.
My grandmother gave me this (among other needles) back in about September last year when I was starting to sew more. It says '1857' somewhere in there, and I REALLY wonder if this is possibly from that year. It probably isn't, but... I can't help but wiiish. One thing that hurries my hope, so to speak, is that the print and all looks like something from 'roundabout 1850, or later. I want to find out, and I'm sure I'll try. I suppose it kind of makes sense that I haven't used any of the needles yet. :P They look so fine (but I haven't a picture of them).
White squill. Took this in the yard; some of you have probably seen it already. ;)
And this was the master squill-picture I took! It's so nice that the sun was shining just on the squill; it makes a nice effect. It was in sunsetting-time.
Another nice picture; I landed the camera near the ground to take it. It's the Mousie-eye view. ;) And it is in our yard, so those houses aren't this one. The white one straight ahead has architecture somewhat like it, I suppose, though. A lot of the houses around here have hugely similar design.
The front of the first chemise. Tucked. Isn't it perty? The pattern is... three tucks, three shorter tucks, five shorter tucks, on both sides, from the middle successively, if you get it. You probably can tell. ;)
Nother pic. I was 'wearing' it. I just laid it across my front, though, really. :P

--

You must be happy now. ;) Good-bye!

Floating on a cloud...

...not exactly. ;) It is quite nice nowadays. I feel a little bit jumpier, in the spirit. I just wish you all would continue praying as hard for me, or harder, because I still feel as lost as ever. Ahh, well.

The chemises (you hear too much about them, don't you?) are quite, well, closer to finished, since I last posted. I have finished one front of a chemise. It looks quite brilliant. There are twenty-two tucks on it, I believe, eleven on each side. Sadly, one side is wider in its tuckiness than the other. It looks odd. But it isn't bad. It won't worry up anything. It's very minute. ;)

It also uppifies me that the ladies on the Sewing Academy say that my chemise is very nice (two said so, so far, but I am guessing it's fine).

The cottownood tree was (and I believe still is) lit up perty nice today. Wish we lived in the country, and could see the horizon, and burn piles of wood on the lawn. Or rather, the fields. ;) I don't believe in lawns in the country. Wouldn't you think that, instead of lawns, there would be fields and fields of beautiful, rolling, long grass, even near the house? Who wants a carefully cut and tended crop of grass in front of their house? It completely murders the idea of a pretty rural lifestyle. Except, I don't believe in that, either. I just want to live like I need to make my own living, make a home, raise a family. That's my way. ;)

I'm such a goof. I put the labels for the post in before I finished writing this post... and, well, among it is wind. So, the wind was lovely today, and we got some rain (I don't know if I already said), and it has been quite amazingly lovely, with a tad of thunder, today.

Let me see. On Saturday, Mummy, Gina and I went to JoAnn's and got lots of stuff. I got some fabric for a blanket. I already had one part of it before, from Mill End Textiles, which is a lovely, cute sheep-fabric with a blue background. Very nice. It's going to be the border of the blanket. I also got a 50-50% cotton-bamboo batting because the 'cotton' batting was really 20% polyester and 80% cotton, and I hate polyester. Not to mention, it breatheth not as well as natural fibers. Therefore, we ended up with cotton-bamboo. And it's incredibly soft. And looks lovely and natural. Then, I got some dark blue flowersy fabric, and some dark blue flannel to go on the back. I have a picture somewheres, but I can't post it yet. ;) I'll try to show y'alls it sometime. It's rather lovely. I was also thinking that when it was finished, I could randomly embroider sheep on the flowered calico part of it (which is on the top of the blanket, bordered by the sheep calico), when I felt like it. So it will be a very sheepy blanket (so lovely!) And, considering, I might even embroider the flannel side of it when I feel like it. Who knows what it'll look like in twenty years! Just imagine!

Another thing I got was a lovely windowpane sheer fabric, white. I will make myself a corded sheer sunbonnet out of it as soon as I can get a pattern made. I got a yard, wish I got four, but there was less than two yards on it, I believe. I wish we got to get the whole bolt, but we didn't, ahh, well. I didn't want to make mum get more than she thought she should, even though I KNOW I could find something to use it for (undersleeves, another sunbonnet, who knows?). Evil little Rettling hath many ideas. ;)

So, that's about it. I will try to post pictures soon, but it's hard to do it. REALLY hard. I just can't do it on every computer, so I never get it done. Grrrr. >:-|

You've heard what I'm up to, now fear me! My birthday's in about twelve days (hurrah!), so I'm going to be, well, ancienter than I am now. Of course, I'm ancienter as the seconds slip by, so this doesn't really make sense, does it? (Heh heh. Randomnity!) Also, Bryan and Vicki are going to pop up on the 16th, stay till the 18th, and boyyy we've got to DO things! It shall be interesting. We've never had people really sleep over at our house before, AND our house is a dreaded mess. ;) (But, we got the dining room table finally cleaned off, and Gina's sewing on it. Heh heh.)

*edit* I forgot to say, the gadget things at the side of the screen are messed up. I can't fix 'em on this computer for some dumb reason of its own (possibly related, I think, to the Gmail-not-working thing). Awful. As well, on Sunday, I got to do my hair in a new way. My mum did a flip on it (and remarked about how much more thick my hair is now than it was, well, the last time she did it, which was probably half of my life ago, really) after I twisted the sides so that they would keep the bangs in, then I braided down the back and I still, well, haven't redone it because I'm too lazy. Another thing I did on Saturday somewhat non-officially is not washed my hair with shampoo... the reason of which is complicated and I will state later. It's really quite brilliant; my hair isn't greasy yet after four days. WH00T!