green_martha

I. Am. Dead.

We had a very very VERY good day, with costumes, picknick in a park, not too hot weather (a little cooler than last year in Versailles), lots of (more or less silly) pictures, a beautiful park, tea, yummy food, playing graces and croquet and diabolo, and even a free carousel ride. But now I feel completely and utterly exhausted. It's a good thing I don't work tomorrow - even though it will be a very busy day (We're buying a house ! yay !)

This not very clear post brought to you by the happy costumer. Pics to come when my sister has uploaded them.

I'm not sure my recap can capture how great those days in Paris were.
( First costuming event, on Friday )

Then there was lots of seeing old friends (and the in-laws, but only for an evening), which was great in itself. All the while I was frantically working on my outfit, adding one buttonhole to the dress' collar, buttons to the mantle, sewing down the lining on said mantle, and finishing the hat. The dress and mantle were done by Saturday night, the petticoat I completely forgot to finish (thank Goddess for safety pins), and the hat wasn't done until Sunday, 11:30 pm. But in the end everything was wearable and I was even able to put it on and take the RER to lisotchka's place.

( Second costuming event was then on Sunday for me )

Then the Home Geek and I spent Monday discussing wedding cakes with my lil' brother, and on Tuesday I met heileen again to visit the Lacroix exhibit. The exhibit was in itself quite fabulous, with lots of historical pieces (I don't care that much for modern stuff, really, esp. of the unwearable haute couture kind), sadly a good part of them could have been better displayed. There were billions of white edwardian dresses, with lace, embroidery and yet more lace, a series of wonderful stripey dresses, a STUNNING white natural form dress made from alternating bands of stripey fabric and lace, a bright orange 1890 Worth dress I'd steal if I could, a vibrant blue day dress that may make me like crinolines, many many pretty 1920s tunics and flappers, yet more complex edwardian evening gowns, more dolmans and visites that you could ever imagine, etc, etc... The exhibit is seriously gigantic, but I was a bit disappointed by the way some pieces were displayed (on a clothes rack, witout mannequin, making them shapeless and sometimes squishing them between other dresses, so that you could only glimpse a little beading or some detail of the fabric) and by the book (many conceptual art pictures, concentrating on the modern Lacroix stuff). Since I didn't get the exhibition book I got myself the previously mentionned Art Déco Fashion which has been further fuelling my desire to dance in a flapper dress and louis heels.

I still have some vacation days ahead of me, to make the flat liveable again and the like. I took care of some of it today, and booked the place for our wedding (woot !), but I still have a lot to do, and still feel very very tired.

Next on the sewing list are (in no particular order) :
- finish the Very Silly Project #3, aka Goth Kitty
- make the mockup for my brother's justeaucorps
- mockup my mom's 1911 jacket
- hem and embroider the Pillowflower
- finish the 1920s bra
- sleep

I may opt for the last item on the list right now.

First, I'll be in Paris from the 22d, 10 thirtish AM until the 26th around 4PM. One of my friends has expressed interest in the Galliéra exhibit, and after some thoough planning, we thought about Friday afternoon (aka the 22d), woudl that be ok with you heileen ? I'll have some friends/family comittments both on Saturday and Monday, maybe Sunday evening for dinner, and I have Tuesday all for myself, so Lacroix exhibit, maybe ?

Then, I'm AMAZED by the eBay seller I brought my needles from. The prices are great, and the shipping... I paid PayPal on Wednesday morning around 10 AM, and got within half an hour got a mail telling me they had been sent. And today they were in the mail ! And they're great, the joint between the cable and the bamboo on the circs is WAY better than on my expensive Prym needles ! I'm impressed, and if I ever need another circ, I'll definitely buy a whole bolt of 15 from that seller again.
They have bamboo crochet hooks, too.

Then, I cut out the bodice lining and part of the fasion fabric for the Avant-Garde Dress. And I even sewed some parts together, and intend to sew some more tonight. Tough not much, it's a bit late, I spent a good amount of the evening updating my needles page on Ravelry and petting said needles (mmmh bamboo !), and then we're having crêpes for dinner, yum !

We came home almost alright yesterday - meaning the trains were on time but we called the doctor since I was again coughing like hell as soon as I tried to lay down and I had some nasty peaks of fever. Apparently just one or two nasty colds in a row, but she gave me sick leave for today. Which was good as I was again couching my lungs out until 3 a.m. Stupid cold(s). heileen, I hope you did not catch it, if so, I'm really really sorry !

I'm very happy I came inspite of the cold, it was soooooo good hanging out with you girls. I'm ovewhelmed by 18th -entury-costuming lust right now, and it's all your fault :p I'll either call Versaille sor wirte them a letter because I want to KNOW why the hell you can't be allowed in costume there. Tsss... I've checked the website, and it's definitely not written there !!!
Since I'm home and lady_darkstone is still here too, expect some beutiful pictures today !

Now I *really really* want a française or a directoire something... aaaaah...

( pirates ? )

PS : Remember, Darth Vader in a big black française ;)

Before I post this on european_cc and elsewhere, I'd like to settle on time and meeting point. As I said in a comment somewhere already, I got in touch with the Louvre, where the security guys said there would be o problem as long as we tell them where the metal bits are.
The Louvre opens at 9am, I'm tempted to vote for meeting under the pyramide at 10am in costume, so as to have some time to get dressed and not have to crawl out of bed to early in the morning. Then I'd say wander through the museum, take our time, after that maybe go eat something somewhere (in costume or not ? I'll probably be carrying my suitcase around with me all day anyway)...
I hope I'll have gotten my exemplaries of La Mode Illustrée so that I can show you something new ;)

How does that sound to you, heileen and de_ravenne ?

ETA : this is assuming de_ravenne is coming on saturday evening, I think you had said so at some point, let us know if it's not the case !

ETA2 : after a good night's sleep, I remembered the Louvre has a lot of room for us to change in, and I'm not sure taking the rER in costume is a good plan. That's for posting late at night after a gaming day...

Would that be okay for Bustles in Paris ? The national museums are free. So lots of people, but free ! (BTW, the Louvres would probably be less crowded than Orsay, though timewise we'd fit better in Orsay) I could come on saturday evening, and stay till about 6pm on Sunday, approximately. de_ravenne, how does thiss look with you ? The date, the time, the place ?
I guess we should plan some place to eat, too. So... any suggestions are welcome !
I have at least one non-costumer friend who'd like to come with us to look at pretty dresses and share the fun, so if anyone is interested to join us : it's great if you can come in costume, it's okay if you just want to share the visit and bustling ;)

On the Bustling front, the hook-and-eye tape is *not behaving* (how Ihate attachign those things, bleurgh !), but I foudn some really nifty trim for my hat today. Brown fabric roses and dark golden bows. Missa likes it !

(x-posted to european_cc)

The Winter Ball from Carnets de Bal is sold out. Til yesterday, I wasn't sure I could come. Now I am, but no more tickets. *sigh* Well, I'll just save the money and try to go to their Spring Ball. But I'm a bit pissed off nonetheless. It seems every time I want to go to a costume event in Paris, some sort of disaster happen at work which makes things float in uncertainty for two weeks or so. Grmf.
I'm sorry heileen, I really reaaaaally am for not going with you. Not so much for the dancing, as I wouldn't have been able to waltz or polka or mazurka by then (our dance school has a BAD (tm) timing for working people.... seems most leisure activities have,, fun heh ? when you work you can forget your desires to learn to dance, draw or anything else, because all the courses start at 6 and you work til 6 or 7 5 days out of 7)(but I disgress). Anyway, I'll miss being a costume geek with you :'(
We'll come to Paris nonetheless, but will probably devote the time to the HG's family and a couple of friends who've had a baby in August.
NOW we NEED to plan for the Bustles in Paris ;)

I should do the akterations on matrioschka #1, but I don't wanna, so it's back to Murder Costume #1, the drawers need to be trimmed !
I've finised edtiting the pictures from Vaux, a detailed account should come tonight.
And today, I'm enquiring whether or not I'm going to another rooco event in two weeks and a half, and then again in september. *grin*

I have no idea what it might be, there were too many people i front of us to see which costume in the elegance contest was qualified by these words yesterday.
Anyway, it was a great day. heileen and de_ravenne both looked fantastic in their costumes, and as you see I got home allright, only one hour late.
I'll post a longer update later, till then you can still look at the pics here. Beware, it has much of a rococo-ren-fairish side *shudders at the polyester monsters*. But there were also a few very good costumes.

Oh, and it was bloody hot...

About Vaux : I got my saturday off !!! My manager really is a sweetheart ! ^^ So the plan is to take the Home Geek with me on Saturday, or even friday night, take the train to Paris, stay at his prents' place, see friends on Saturday, and let him do whatever he wants on Sunday, since he doesn't want to come to Vaux, and get back to Grenoble on Sunday evening, preferably before midnight.

About Plummy : I have the right length of pleated fabric for my petticoat back, I had originally cut it about è0cm too long. And I just took some time to backstitch through every second pleat, after my thread broke on two places after I had finished the pleating process. I need to buy more thread anyhow, which I'll do this afternoon.

Time to breakfast, he ?