Hmm... via jenthompson - Costuming Resolutions for this year...

1. Finish the Venetian. I want to, I'm just up to all the fiddly bits and acres of hemming!
2. Garb for Festival that isn't a. Ugly or b. going to lead to head exhaustion. I'm thinking linen smocks and kirtles this year...
3. More handsewing!
4. Not to leave sewing until the weekend before I need the finished product...

I could go on, but there's a good start... :D

In my web travels this morning trying to prove to myself that if I have to have small amounts of stitching showing on the front of my gown, it wasn't the end of the world, I stumbled across this list. I concur. Completely. I just had to share.

Speaking of which, here's a bit of meme sheepage - the Costume meme:

( Cut for the non-sewers who don't care :) )

No, really. I've finished my breechy-bloomery things (I promise I'll learn the correct word eventually...), and I have my camicia sewn together, just needs hemming and the neck gathering, since I'm not going to use a drawstring this time. There'll be photos, as soon as I find the batteries for the digi camera. I'm a bit proud of myself at the moment to be honest, I was expecting that to be much harder than it was. That said, mind you, I don't seem to have much of a concept of spacial relationships - trying to figure out which bit had to be sewn to which bit to create French seams was a challenge. Because the fabric is *really* fray-ey, I didn't really have any choice but to sew French seams, which I've never done before. So, a learning experience all round. Think I'm going to go now and start gathering... ai ai ai!!

No, really. It's been a *really* long week for some reason. It's not like anything specifically sucky's happened, it just feels like it's been this week for about a month now.

Got the most of my bloomery-breechy things made tonight, not brilliant but they'll do. Just need hemming but I can sit and do that tomorrow at the Parentals. Should really at least cut out the undersmock, but I stuck a pin through my finger and being me, it bled like no one's business, and I figured that bleeding all over my lovely white fabric probably wasn't the greatest idea I've ever had... so, Kingdom of Loathing it is... :D

Well, I've done it. I've been out and bought 10 metres of lightweight cotton to start the Great Venetian Underwear Carry-On. Woo hoo. I'm in the throes of researching just how this is all supposed to go together, and I'm afraid. But we'll see how we go... I figured I can't  make too much of a mess of a shift, a pair of drawers and a chemise... might be famous last words though. Oh, and while this and this aren't extremely period, they're extremely nice, and look a little like hem decoration... 4 days to go on the auctions so fingers crossed. I'm quite excited about getting going on it all really...

So here I am, madly trying to avoid the mundanities of Saturday morning (I *know* I should be doing the washing or cleaning the kitchen or something, but hey I never said I was perfect!!). And I get to thinking about The Gown, as it has become known inside my head. It occurs to me that a court gown is going to be a good idea in the near future, say, William Marshall-wise, and given the level of my sewing non-skills, I'd best get a wiggle on.

Most of my garb is, frankly, shitty. I can't sew. Or at least I couldn't until I joined the SCA. Now I sew really, really badly. I want something *shiny*. And, being me, I've had to fall in serious lust with something that's going to be waaay too complex... *typical* I absolutely love the 16th century Venetian open fronted, ladder laced bodice look, and I BLOODY WELL WANT ONE!!!!!

So I went a-looking. The paintings I've found that most resemble what I'm after can be found here, here and here. So now begins the truly fun bit... the trying to convert what I see in the painting and in photos of beautiful gown others have made into something I can actually produce. *Scared face*