green_martha | Entries tagged with very silly project #3

I haven't been a sproductive as I wished lately. I spent Wednesday mostly slacking at

lady_darkstone's place, and Thursday having trouble with machines. Computer almost died, computer at work had TWO major freezes in 15 minutes (yay for 20 minutes on the phone in German with the hotline...), then computer almost died AGAIN. Not counting falling in the stairs an dspilling hot tea everywhere in the morning. Huh.
I did get some painting done on the wedding invitations, though not much, and I finally gave

lady_darkstone her weddign present, which means I can show it here !

Gouache and ink on wood.

lady_darkstone tells me she can even recognize her cats in the drawing, which makes me quite proud of it.

I had a bat I wanted to show you, too :

I hasn't made progress since, which I'm NOT proud of. I want to finish it tonight !

Off to run after the bus !

Current Mood: rushed

I was really worried as I had misplaced it since coming back form our vacation. And it kind of prevented me from posting Goth Kitty Goodness...

( Click for the rest ! )

I'm happy I've found the digicam, but I'm not happy with the quality of the pictures. *sigh* A new camera is in the air...

I'm slowly getting out of the pain-induced numbness. The web hiatus was necessary - the summer had already been hectic, those last two weeks were the icing on the cake. Roller-coaster, I say. Thank you for your kind words and comfort, it was a real blessing. I'm now attempting to resume a normal IRL and web life.

So I have ( some sewing content )
And then ( some house progress )

... too. Because the big carpet-ripping left some still sore marks on the right hand.
The Goth Kitty's train is all draped with the pleats tackled in place. The bodice closure is in. I'm really nearing the end on this one.
Still to do :
- bind bodice bottom edge
- attach train to bodice
- add black ribbon bows to overskirt
- add bow tothe Kitty's left ear
- but first of all, go to bed because darn ! I'm tired.

Current Mood: drained

The Pillowflower's belt is entirely beaded !

(and the underskirt and apron for the Goth Kitty are mostly done, too)

Yay for progress !

Current Mood: accomplished

We're still waiting for the green light from the bank for the house. We were told that everything was okay, but we're still waiting for the written confirmation to call our attorney for a closing date. *insert heavy sigh here*
It's frustrating to see that nothing moves and that, although we call them once or twice a day, they're still unable to get their bottoms in motion. Of course, everything is frozen until we get the papers, we can't even start packing beause we have no idea WHEN we'll move. *grinds teeth*

Anyway, back to your regular sewing content !
I've been beading a little bit, and working on the Kitty most of the time. The bodice is assembled. I must figure out how to close it, and add some schnickschnack and trim, but it's mostly done.

This is me being creative with the sleeves trim. First I added a band of brocade to the cuff, then folded said band back.

Then I made a slit.

After that I pleated the fabric on both sides of the slit, and handstitched it into place. I want to add a ribbon bow at the point of the slit.

I'm moving on to the skirts right now (underskirt is assembled), and will figure out the closures and last trimming details after that.

It may seem that I didn't sew much lately, which is right. The reason behind, apart form the stressing-over-the-house thing, is that we've been working a lot on our save-the-date cards, and those have made significant progress. :)

Current Mood: busy

I have indeed been sewing, or rather, beading. Beading. And more beading. Did I mention beading ? Cause most of my free time is spent beading, you see.
I'm about 3/4 done with the belt. When I'm done with it, I want to move on to the center front. I probably won't have the full dress done by June, but it'll be wearable. I'm rather enjoying the process - although I can tell that when I'll get to the lower part of the dress it'll start to get boring.

I took a break from beading today and worked on the Goth Kitty. Which is also due soon.

The pictures show the current stage of the underskirt (mock-up), but the bodice pieces are cut out now.

Current Mood: exhausted

Nick proudly presents, pirate shirt #1 !

( clickety-click ! )

I seem to be sewing a lot of black lately. I finished the Kitty's petticoat too :

Black embroidered cotton batiste and black satin ribbon.

Now, if I found the energy to work on something else tonight, I'd like it to be neither black nor relate din anyway to Socrates, please. I've done about one third of the translation - at least it's going relatively quick and painless, I should be done by the end of the week if I manage to work steadily.

Now Im wondering : should I start some beading for the pillowflower ? Sew the slip for said dress ? Make a pirate shirt for the HG ? Drape the Kitty's dress ?... So many projects, so little tea...

I'm totally exhausted, with quite cramped neck and shoulders, and about to crash into bed. That may have to do with the fact that the week was very busy, probably a little too busy for my own good. We tried to make the most out of my brother's short stay with us.

( For wedding stuff, click here )

( For sewing stuff, click there )

Current Mood: numb

I forgot to thank all of you for your answers to the poll. I don't promise I'll be able to add much knitting and crochet stuff soon, but I'll do my best. I must poke the HG for some OCR software that would make uploading the looooooong instructions quicker. There are tons of instructions for corchetted lace in the 1898 book...

heileen we REALLY need to find one afternoon so that I show you some knitting tricks and you show me some crochetting ones, because I'm dying to try those out (and the crochetted Cthulhu from the last Anticraft issue as well).

I have uploaded the page for the Petit Echo de la Mode, April 15th, 1923, minus the crochetted baby shirt.

This week I also tried a recipe from one of my Mode Illustrée books, a baked fish, and even though I did not follow it exactly due to the lack of eggs, both the HG and I agreed it was a very yummy one, and one we should do more often. I'm not sure I'll ever try the weird noodle tart (or should I say noodle pizza ?) I've found. *shudders*
The fish, right out of the oven, under the bread crumbs and herbs crust :

Sadly, it didn't look that good anymore once served. I guess next time I won't take an entire fish and will use filets instead.

( The recipe, for those interested )

And to make this post even more like a list of unrelated notes, I'll conclude saying I was a moron and did not buy enough lacing cord for the Kitty. And the one I have that's the right size is positively unpretty, which annoys me. Thus, it's likely that I won't finish the Kitty's underwear tonight but will instead move on to the 20's bra. Or to my brother's justeaucorps. He'll be there next week and eeep ! I still haven't worked ont he toile ! I'm a bad baaaaad sister !

Yeah, I've been a lazy bum about documenting my progress lately. Or maybe lack of progress, given how little I got accomplished everyday. Winter is for hibernation, I tell ya. And by winter, I mean the time of the year when it's dark, cold, wet and potentially snowing, like right now :

The Home Geek pretends it's spring, but I don't believe him. Besides, everyone knows this city we live in only knows two seasons : winter and summer. And inbetween them you have periods where it's summer one day, and winter the other. Spring and autumn ? They're just concepts.

(Truth is, I've been stressed as hell and running around from one bank to the next one, and the heavy cleaning and tidying up the mess did not happen all by itself)

Thanks to the power outage at work and the day off tomorrow, I do have some things to show you !
( Pinky progress )

( Kitty progress )

Disaster averted, methinks.

The original design for the bra requires you to let one end of the it go through a slit on the other side. The slit looks not tooo big in the design. Except on my bra it would need to be at least 10cm long, taking up nearly all of the fabric's width at that point (save 4cm). A slit, perpendicular to the traction that needs to be exerted in order to flattent he boobs. Methiks that would not work THAT great, right ? So I'm ditching the slit and will have simple buttonholes, and one side of the bra wrapping over the other one. Yay for thess handwork, by the way !

On the other sewing front, after much pinning (see below), the Kitty's corset now has a finished binding and half of the needed handsewn eyelets. Because metal eyelets in this size are just impossible to find...

In the breaks I had to make between the eyelets to straighten up my back, I copied a mile-long text on tailor suits and straight dresses in 1923 into my website. But now I really can't read any other line by the Baronness de Clessy, I ened some fresh air, so I'm going to go clean that darn balcony, at last !

Current Mood: sore

Did I just buy this ? Did I ? Mmmmh... COOL ! :D

After which, I HAD to be a good girl and make appointments with three different banks (one I must call back to get the actual appointment, but at least they have all my info), then tonight I finished binding the Kitty's corset (pictures coming) and scanning my latest Petit Echo de la Mode from April 15th, 1923. It even includes a crochet pattern. I'm still a lot behind (and I haven't made a proper webpage to go with said magazine, booooooo !) but I'm making slow progress in sharing my evergrowing collection of fashion magazines.

Tonight, the Google Adds I get to see on my LJ, which I normally don't even look at, offer me tonight to :
- discover a french journalling software
- learn more about the technologies involved in endoscopy
- answer my questions about mood disorders and depression
- make outlook templates
- meet jewish singles
Which, since I have two LJs, don't plan to get an endoscopy soon, feel pretty happy and balanced, have been using linux for years now, and am an engaged christian-pagan-kitty-worshipper undefined something, is rather amusing.

Current Mood: amused

Am I mad ? Masochistic ? Why do I keep doing this to myself and *enjoying* it ?... etc ad libitum...
I have added lace appliques onto the Kitty's Corset. The applique are like... the size of a fingernail. And now it's on to the binding. And you know how much I "love" (irony here...) binding.

And this is still a fun project.

Current Mood: hopeless case of gone nutty

Behold ! Actual sewing content included !

But first, let's see what we got at the flee market this morning...
( cSorry for the extremely bad pics and lighting, but I'm pretty sure I won't have the courage to take more pics tomorrow )

And then on to the progress report, and we have big news !!! All the binding is done on the 1920s bra ! Proof :

Since I'm too lazy to pull off my clothes to try the bra on and mark the slit, I'll work on the Goth Kitty's corset for tonight. Here's a shot of what it looks like presently :

Again, my digicam is being particularly crappy tonight.
The corset has three layers (red satin lining, white coutil, purple taffetas, three bones (one in place of the busk, and one on each side of the back opening, I figured the seams on the sides gave enough support). It will have some black lace applique on top of it, and probably handsewn eyelets, unless by some miracle I find more mini-grommets. It also has a clearly more defined shape than the last kitty's corset.

Current Mood: creative

Both projects I'm working on right now (the Goth Kitty and the 1920's bra*) require handsewing binding. And I'm tired of handsewing. I want to do something a tad more creative. Instant gratification, where can I find it ?

*Yes, I finished the few alteratiosn needed on the mantle. No, I still haven't got any pictures to prove it.

Editor's note : given, what I REALLY want to do right now is paint my future kitchen a pale mint green. Except we haven't yet signed for the house (next Thursday !) and won't move in before June...

Current Mood: tired

For the first time in about two weeks (did I mention I found out that planning a wedding take sup a LOT of your time ?), I was able to get some almost actual sewing done. The mantle is cut out (except for the lower pleated yoke) out of the angora-something wool. It's gorgeous, shiny and hairy. I love my grandma's stash.

That's all for tonight, now I'm off to have dinner and knit while watching Heroes, and I'll work on the kitty tomorrow morning before work. Go me !