Now that’s more like it…

I really have been irked, that, after looking forward to my summer sewing time, I’ve spent most of it asleep or messing about on FaceBook!  Enough is enough, I thought yesterday, and in my true-to-form style of sudden great bursts of procudctivity, spurred on by ‘I want to wear it this weekend-itis’, I set to.

Elastic cording for bodice fastening, and the serendipitously well-matched trim I found at the rag market.  Lovely huh?

I’ve not been sleeping well lately, arthritis pains tend to set in at bed time, which is..well…a pain.  Summer hayfever, even when warded off by antihistamines, seems to make me horrendously snorey too, so I get frequent elbows in the ribs or venomous threats hissed in my ear.

I can’t really complain, this is karma for all the years I spent biffing my ex-husband over the head at night [USUALLY with something soft, honest], as his truly deafening snores ripped through the house.  I’m not exaggerating:  we lived in a 1920s built house, very thick walls and doors, impossible to hear anyone call you from an adjacent room [and I’m teachery LOUD]. I can remember hearing his din from downstairs, through two firmly closed doors.  As if he was in the room.  *Shudder*

Anyhew, instead of lying in bed, tossing and turning, I vowed to just keep sewing until I got the stuff finished.  We’re off to Wales for an anniversary weekend break, a little steam-punking and a seaside visit, so I was determined to complete

1. My ‘Mary Poppins’ inspired sort-of-Edwardian skirt
2. A flower-trimmed hat to go with it
3. One of the wife’s shirts
4. Get the fastenings onto the ‘suede’ bodice

I have reserved hand-finishing for in the car- I found this was a good way of keeping me occupied, and stopping me dozing straight off [and sending the driver mad with my snores].

I stayed up until 3am, amazingly didn’t get groggy and start screwing up anything, and did it.  They are all pinned or otherwise needing hand sewing to complete, but here are the teasers of yesterday’s work:  corded modesty panel for the silk bodice, my ‘Edwardian skirt, the hat, the ‘suede’ bodice complete with antique glass buttons, and the shirt, awaiting buttons.

I feel very pleased!

You know how sometimes, things sit in stash for YEARS waiting to meet their soulmate?  Remember those lovely antique embroidered motifs I found earlier this year?  I finally chose this 1918 suit pattern from Reconstructing History-they just supply the tunic pattern, as the skirt is pieced from rectangles.  I had been distracted by the orangey yellowness of the embroidery- colours I do not wear at all, but then realised that as contrasts on something blue or green, they would look great.

Off to the stash, and out came this silver-embroidered sari which was given to me years ago to use in school productions.  Apart from being artfully draped as set dressing several times, it’s languished in a drawer ever since.  It’s a very fine chiffon, probably manmade, ombre dyed from a clear sky blue to a deep purpley-blue.  It’s heavily embroidered in silver, which makes it problematic, as there isn’t much width of the plain chiffon left!  I will have to put in CF and CB seams.  I’ll also not benefit from the ombre shading very much!  Not to worry though, look at this colour match:

Delicious!  The chiffon is very fine, so I will underline it, and use the 2nd fabric for those under sleeves.  The belt is interesting, being two circles joined with rectangles- the circles should give a slimming illusion if a darker colour is used.  The appliques will go on the pointed drapes of the blouse…probably.

Sleeve construction is also interesting- there is an under sleeve/lining piece, and then a larger piece gathered onto it- medieval inspired I think.  The instructions for these patterns are often a bit patchy, being put together from original patterns or from extant garments.  Once the undersleeve is constructed, you are told to ‘tack it in place’.  Hmmm.  I’ll assume this means to join the armscye…what would you think?

This is not on my urgent to-do list though, so will be going back into the cupboard for now.