eveglass | Entries tagged with sewing

If you read a lot of my friends' pages right now, you'll find people in a flurry of last-minute Pennsic sewing activity. I, too, sewed two new tunics for Pennsic (well, Viking apron dresses actually, but who's counting?) and really should have done a third one, but I got lazy.

My big annoyance with my wardrobe right now are the 8 chemises/t-tunics I use as a base layer. (At Pennsic, sometimes the only layer.) I got a great deal on linen just before my first Pennsic (2003) and sewed them all up. At the time, I wasn't a particularly good seamstress. (To be fair, I'm still not a particularly good seamstress.) When I did all my measurements and cutting, I decided to err on the side of too much seam allowance instead of too little, so all my chemises are quite baggy. The arm seams fall, not on the shoulder as I'd like them, but about four inches down my upper arm. The gussets are completely superfluous and look a bit silly. The chemises look *okay,* but they don't look great, and it's been bugging more year after year, especially now that I just sewed these two new apron-dresses.

That said, I really don't feel like sewing more. I suppose I *could* retrofit the tunics I have (undo the offending seams, cut fabric, and re-sew). I *could* just buy more fabric and make new ones. But I don't particularly like sewing. Machine sewing leaves me a bundle of rage and frustration; hand sewing is better for my sanity but worse for my spare time.

I *could* buy new clothes, but I always feel weird knowing that the quality is generally worse than something I would have made myself (or commissioned a friend to make). When I buy something, even at Pennsic, I'm generally getting cotton instead of linen, and generally getting something made for someone bigger than me anyway.

I'd far rather pay a friend who *does* like sewing to make me new tunics than make new ones myself. I think it would make everyone happier, quite frankly.

I don't know where I'm going with this post. I think I'm mostly just ranting. One of these days, though, I'll figure out a solution to this particular problem, and then I'll be happy.

For those who were wondering, Viking apron dress #1 is finished! Yay! Well, not quite true: I've still got to finish all the seams. But that can wait. The important thing is that it's in a wearable state in time for Crown Tournament. Now if I could only figure out how to string the bead necklaces so that I can easily add and remove beads, I'd be golden.

Psst... anyone know how to string a Viking bead necklace so that I can add and remove beads easily and yet not have to worry about the beads falling off?

My apron dress is now at the point where I can put it on. All the seams are sewn (though not finished). I had a bit of an annoyance when I realized one of the gores started about an inch lower than the other two, but it doesn't really show when I'm wearing it. (Note for non-sewers: a gore is a triangular piece of fabric that makes the skirt of a dress fuller and flare out.)

Next steps: hem the top part, finish the seams on the straps, iron and attach them, get my mom to measure the hem length for me, finish all the seams and hem the bottom. And then it'll be time to start all over again with apron dresses #2 and #3. I promise there will be pictures, as soon as I can find someone to take them for me.

Help needed! Does anyone know how to finish the end of a strand of beads so that I can take it on and off of a dangly thing like this and also be able to add and remove beads? I'm totally stumped. Any help would be much appreciated.

In the last year or so, I've decided to move my SCA persona from 12th century England to Viking (specifically, 11th century Gotland or south Sweden). As part of that endeavor, I'm making myself three apron dresses for Pennsic. I bought all the material last year, but I just haven't had the motivation to start them yet. Until today. Laying out the pattern and cutting is always the most stressful part for me. I can never seem to get my fabric to lie perfectly flat, so I'm always worried that I'm mucking things up. But no matter. It's gotta get done sometime. I'm using this pattern, which seems pretty straightforward. Today's accomplishment: cut the pattern for the first apron dress. Amusing moment of the day: using the handle of my boyfriend's hockey stick as a straight edge because I realized I don't have a yardstick here.

For the curious: yes, those are little numbers at the bottom of each piece, to remind myself what order they're supposed to go in and which side is "inside." I'm like that.

Next step: buy thread so I can actually start sewing. I don't have any in the right colour, at least not at my apartment. Also to buy: needles (mine are all really short because the long ones have rusted) and fabric scissors (I had three pairs and they've all disappeared).

A fun day today. Started off by window-shopping at Fabricville with Mom, who (like I said yesterday) has agreed to make some garb for me. The downside of all this is that fabric is much more expensive than I remember it being, and the patterns I've seen so far use almost twice what I'm used to. (All my tunics so far use a variant of the St. Louis shirt, which wastes no fabric except the inside of the neck hole.) I really have no desire to pay $50 for a single tunic (ie: 5 yards of linen at $10 a yard). I might need to rethink this plan. On the upside, I'm apparently on John McGuire's "to make garb for" list, which makes me very happy indeed.

Thence off to Eric's to watch some B5 (midway through season 4, now) and conquer some pixels. Well, specifically he and Jing conquered pixels, I just took over a conveniently uninhabited continent. I'm so very addicted to Civ. Ian joined us later in the evening and we talked about everything from religion to comic books. Then Jing very kindly drove me home, and we didn't even get lost. Yay!

Upon returning home, my muse was struck by an offhand request from my GM from Toronto, to write a story about what my character's been doing after the session I was at two weeks ago. Understand that even though I'm no longer in Toronto, I've been staying current with the game and roleplaying via MSN with my GM. So tonight I wrote up a 1,300 word story about the further adventures of Corrigan, the second I've written this week. I like it when my muse is happy with me.

Tomorrow I've got brunch at Warren's followed by dinner with my Edmontonian aunt (and other family). And I'm sure other stuff will fill up the rest of the day. It always done. Now, though, it's time for bed. G'night!

First, a bonus for people who actually read this post. Liam St. Liam has posted many pictures of GNEW this past weekend. All credit goes to him, but you should really check them out. They're really good!

Now, with that out of the way, a not-so-short update, to compensate for the itty-bitty posts I've been doing for the past day or two. It's thoughtfully broken up into subjects, so you can pick and choose what to read. (Incidentally, I posted this yesterday but forgot to change the settings from "private" to "public," so you're all getting it now.)

( Work... 6 days left. )
( Thoughts on SCAdian households )
( Pennsic sewing projects )
( Further Pennsic plans )
( Bardic on the rise )
( Gaming on the wane )
( Self-realization: I want a hang-out )

Right. I'm sure I could go longer, but if your eyes aren't bleeding already, they probably would be soon, and I don't want to be the cause of bodily harm. That is all: move along, nothing more to see here.

Ah, GNEW! This was my second, and I'm glad I went.

( Friday night: driving and arrival )
( Saturday until court: classes, shopping, vigil-scouting )
( Saturday evening: court, bardic, bardic, and more bardic )
( Sunday: packing up, closing ceremonies, much driving )

And so it goes. Much bardic, many hugs, and a generally good time. My next event will be Pennsic: look for me there!

Well... not really. I am speaking about tunic #1. After a busy two nights of sewing, the tunic actually looks like a tunic! Huzzah! All that remains for it to be actually wearable is to hem the bottom and the sleeves, the combination of which will probably take about 3 hours. After that, I've got to finish most of the seams and add the trim. I'm hoping to have it in wearable condition by the time I reach GNEW Friday night, and completely done by the time I get home on Sunday. Of course, this means I should pre-wash some fabric tomorrow for tunic #2, to commence upon my return.

In other news, I swung by archery tonight. Didn't shoot, but did have a good time chatting with people, both at the church and afterwards at Maz. Thanks, guys! Cos: a few links. 1. Eric's comic -- very funny, well worth the read (though it's best if you start at the beginning). 2. It was, in fact, 8 intelligences. The theory was developed by Dr. Howard Gardner in 1983. That should get you enough to start googling. For my own recall ( the 8 intelligences are... )

And that's it for tonight, folks. Tomorrow I pack for GNEW, do some karate, and all that good stuff. G'night!

Right. This'll be short, because I've got to work tomorrow.

I did much sewing today. My various pieces of fabric are starting to look like a tunic. I decided to scrap finishing the seams for the time being, in favour of actually having the damned thing in wearable condition for GNEW. Also, if I can manage to prewash and cut the pieces for my cloak before Friday, that would be good too. If not... it'll keep.

SCA officers' meeting tonight. I attended. Don't ask me why I want to get into this stuff again. It must be the masochist in me. I put forward the tentative offer to act as deputy chronicler. Hawise and I are going to speak about it after Pennsic. (You know you're in the SCA when you judge time by major events.)

Not much else happened today, really. I took it easy and the migraine did not come back, so I am happy. That's it for now, as I must be up in 6 1/2 hours. G'night all.

Counting today, I'm working 15 more days this summer. I am determined to get through them. Today hasn't been bad, all things considered, and I hope this is a sign of things to come. My boss is currently away, hence my ability to update lj. Yay internet.

So... I realize I haven't posted much this past weekend. For your edification, therefore:

( A brief update )

And that's about it. Not interesting, and mostly for my own recall later, but that's why it's my journal. If you're not interested, no one's compelling out to keep reading. I use tags for a reason.

Right. And now, to relax for half an hour until I leave.

The good news is, I did karate tonight, which got my endorphines pumping and put me in a much better mood. I also sewed most of the seam of the neckline (finiky little thing, that is), and should be able to finish it tomorrow. I still have yet to decide whether I'm doing decorative stitching.

The other good news is that I have (mostly) created a character for Ian's "Game of Thrones" game. The bad news is that it took until 1:15 to finish, and so I'm getting less than 6 hours of sleep tonight. Sigh.

All the pieces for tunic #1 (of 2) are currently sitting on my cutting board. The wool (slate-blue, lightweight) is stunningly gorgeous. It drapes beautifully, it nice and light (for those hot Pennsic days), and just looks wonderful. The only piece I still need to cut out is the facing for the neckline, because I need to play with some mock-ups to get it right.

Now, when all these pieces were cut out and folded, I realized I had 60" x 33" of fabric left. "Hm..." thought I, "what can I do with 60" x 33" of fabric?" I pondered. I looked at the fabric. I looked at my patterns. I pondered again. And then it hit me: 60" x 30" is exactly the amount I need to make a half-circle cloak. And the material drapes beautifully. And looks so uber-cool.

"But wait!" thought I, "I still need to cut out the facing for the neckline! I won't have enough for the cloak!" I pondered. I looked at the fabric. I pondered some more.

"Aha!" thought I, "I've got this little overhang of 7.5" x 18.5" left from where I cut out the pattern pieces. That might be just enough to do the facing!" I pondered. I did some quick calculations. I pondered some more. If I'm right, I should have just enough width to do the facing and still have enough for a cloak.

I suspect I will be playing with mock-ups tonight after dinner. Mwhaha.

Of course, in this situation, some people might have the thought, "I'm already making a cloak for Pennsic, of lightweight burgundy melton wool, and I've already got a nice, heavy cloak to use as a blanket and cuddle-attractor... why would I need another cloak?" But as for me, this thought has not even begun to speculate about the merest possibility of crossing my mind. Now where's that fabric for mock-ups?

Okay everyone, I've got a question. I need help, and ideally someone reading this will have the answer.

I'm making a couple of tunics with keyhole necks. I've never made a keyhole neck before, and I'm going nuts trying to figure out how to finish it. I'm thinking that I'll do a facing, made out of the same material as the tunic, on the right (outer) side of the material. Fine and dandy.

This is what I figure I'll do so far (please tell me if I'm wrong somewhere):
( Cut to save space )

And here's where I run into problems. Because I've still got the OTHER edge of the facing to worry about. The inside edge (ie: the one closest to the neck) is taken care of, but the other one is still raw, unfinished, etc. What do I do with it? Do I just tuck it under and stitch it down? That strikes me as difficult if I'm trying to make it a circular facing (say, 1" evenly around the neck). Do I make it squared-off and THEN tuck it under and stitch it down?

I'm confused and frustrated. Could someone with experience please tell me how to do this? Thanks!

For the past few days, my right shoulder has been bugging me. It's been sore, weaker than normal, etc. For the life of me, I could not figure out what I'd done to it. I assumed it was something from karate, but I didn't remember doing anything particularly strenuous.

And then I realized I've done about 8 hours of hand-sewing over the last week. Yeah, that'll do it.

Right. So I did quite a bit of sewing today, and wound up both starting and finishing veil #2 (of 3). It seems that I'm averaging about 3 hours per veil, 4 hours if you include cutting and pre-ironing time. All told, this is quite a reasonable about of time. If I can get veil #3 finished by the end of the weekend, that'll give me 5 weeks until Pennsic, by which time I must sew two overtunics and a 3/4 circle cloak. If I'm good about it, I might be able to hand-sew them all. Yay! There are one or two smaller projects I might also do, time permitting, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

( And now, a brief update about the stuff I've done yesterday and today )

And that's it for now. There are a few things running around my head that might become posts at some point, or not. Consider it a surprise. TTFN!

So... almost two hours after taking the soft, warm, fuzzy linen out of the dryer, I have ironed it and cut out the 3 veils. I have also pressed the hems on one veil so that all I have to do is follow the lines. But... two hours! For 3 rectangles! Sewers who read this LJ: is this normal?!? ARGH!

Anyway, now off to buy food and go over to Ian's.

1. Fireworks last night (Italy): The Italian fireworks started off with a promising beginning. They managed to avoid the dreaded "let's do the same thing 40 times" syndrome that so many fireworks fall into. Alas, after about 7 minutes, it started going downhill. They fell into that mindset they'd managed to avoid for 7 minutes. They had many sparkly, droopy, and slow fireworks, but few big booms. And, as we all know, fireworks are predominantly about the booms. The last five minutes had some actual pauses, leaving people to wonder, "is it over?" There was a finale, but it wasn't particularly good. Overall, I don't think Italy's going to take this one.

On a completely unrelated note (ha ha): I think that Montrealers are among the world's foremost fireworks snobs.

2. The Pennsic class list is up! I will be teaching on Friday, Aug. 11 at 11 am (Your Persona in an Hour), Sunday, Aug. 13 at 11 am (Medieval Cosmology 101), and Thursday, Aug. 17 at 11 am (Your Persona in an Hour, encore presentation). Please feel free to come out and cheer me on! (Chiara, I saw you're teaching something -- I'm definitely going to try to attend.)

3. I'm back from a quick trip to Dressmaker's Limited. You know it's been too long since your last sewing project when you realize all your needles have rust marks. *grin* In about 5 minutes, I will begin prewashing my linen for the veils. According to a quick calculation, it'll take me about 6.5 hours to hem each one. I have no idea how long the other projects will take. Time will tell, I suppose.

Okay, that's it for now. TTFN!

As should be apparent from my last post, yesterday was 3Cs, a local camping event. All things considered, it was pretty chill and relaxed. A few notes / highlights:

( They're behind here! Including a massive fabric purchase and what I plan to do with it. Plus special bonus pictures! )

And there you have it. This afternoon I had gaming at Ian's (superhero), and tonight I'm going to watch the fireworks and bid farewell to a friend who's returning to Russia. I didn't sleep well last night, so I suspect I'll be zonked by the time I get home. You'll likely only hear from me tomorrow. TTFN.

The good news is that I (finally) finished the napkins for the picnic basket we will be giving to TRM Ealdormere at Pennsic this year. Here's what one of them looks like:

I would have liked to make it a bit more elaborate, but time was not with me on this one. I'm just happy they're done. It was foolish of me to volunteer for it, but at least now they are finished. If anyone is interested in seeing this project in various stages of work-in-progress status, you can click on these words.

On the other hand, I managed to pop a button on my skirt today, so the sewing isn't quite done yet!

And in completely different news, I feel like an idiot when trying to write in French. Just in case anyone cared.

( Random thoughts in my head. Topics include: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; sewing stuff; current website projects; and great TV shows. In case you were interested. )

And now, back to sewing. TTFN!

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eveglass

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March 2018

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Random Ramblings

A journal dedicated to nothing and everything

Entries tagged with sewing

On (not) sewing for Pennsic

Viking apron dress #1: Complete!

Sewing update

Viking apron dress #1: Cut!

Conquests and compositions

A bit more substantial update

Great Northeastern War XX Report

It lives!

Sleepy

Sneaky work post

Sleeeepy....

Are you pondering what I'm pondering, Pinky?

Costumers -- please help!

Calling Dr. Obvious

It's 3 o'clock. Do you know where YOUR fabric is?

Last one for tonight

A few points of note

3Cs review

Free, free at last! ... Aw, dangit!

Random ramblings