apron updates

Here we are...2 days into the sew-along challenge and we have updates!

Katie has been quite busy working on modern projects, a frock to wear at her sister's graduation, and she's finished a clothes pin bag for her new line! Kudos for her rocking it old school and saving energy! In terms of her apron, she has chosen the fabric, a reddish plaid, and decided on the style. A pocketed half apron that closes on the side.

Amanda has found her apron, which was started a few months ago and laid aside. It is a yellow and off white vertical stripe. It will be a pinner style closing at the side with two buttons. She needs to attach the bib portion, and hem both that and the bottom half. After that buttons and holes will be all that is left.

For myself, i have sewn my apron by hand. It is hemmed, and gathered, just waiting for the waist band to be attached. For some reason I lost all interest in it once it reached this point. I went to move on to my second apron, only to find out I don't have enough of the fabric I had chosen. Back to the storage container it will go, and I will most likely pick another. In the interim I have been working on adjusting the white voile I made last fall. I made it in a week for my sister to wear to a ball. It was 2 inches too long in the bodice, and several inches too short in the skirt. I've adjusted both, and am working on re-hemming it currently. After the hem is set I will reset the bodice to the skirt. I know that is working backwards, but one must work with what motivation they have. I'm truly hoping to finish these both in a day or so, and also work on a couple petticoats.
Goodnight my lovelies!

Harvest Ball weekend

So many things have been happening, and I'm going to try desperately to catch up on everything. Let's see, back when I was updating on a semi-regular basis I left off with promising to tell you all about the Harvest Ball. I've tried once to post about this and it became very long and drawn out. This is my second try.
The Harvest Ball was back in November, on Veteran's day weekend. That day I flew from Orlando, Florida to the Moline, Illinois. From there I drove to Dubuque, Iowa to pick up my friend Katie. We are a couple of shoppers so we made a quick detour to one of my favorite western wear stores.
From there we drove to Kathy's just outside of Madison, WI. I was picking up a sewing machine from her to bring with to lend to yet another friend. After a quick chat about dresses and battles we were off to meet Amanda and swing by a Joann's. We missed Amanda's exit so she was on her own to catch up with us at Joann's. After running through Joann's and being utterly annoyed by their lack of selection we were off to meet up with the rest of the gang for the ceili dance.
There was tons of confusion about where we were meeting, and how to get there but we made it through Milwaukee's ghetto without anything bad happening, and ended up running in to the Irish Cultural Heritage Center, just as the instructions ended.
It was a flurry of hugs and giggles. After all the dancing and talking to the wonderful band, Frogwater, we all headed to our hotel in Racine. We had several cars in our party, and each one of them managed to get lost on the way!
The next morning we were desperate for good coffee. The concierge told us we were only 4 blocks from a Starbucks. After walking close to a mile we stumbled upon a dunken donuts. It was a lovely fall afternoon, the temperature far above normal. So the long walk didn't really matter except some of us still needed to finish our gowns that we were going to be wearing in just a few hours!
I had finished mine the year before, but this year I had added more trim to it. However, the white voile I had made for my sister wasn't yet hemmed. Katie also needed help with some finishing touches on her pink and purple plaid lawn. Amanda needed her sheer white overskirt pinned up. Killer had her own group of girls she had brought down from Appleton, and several h and everyone took a wrong turn somewhere along the way!of them had tweaks they needed done. She, herself needed to use Kathy's machine to stitch the eyelets on her ballgown. Everyone was dressed and their hair done up. We had somewhere around 15 girls in our party by the time we were all done. We got to the ball a bit late as usual. The time there was a blur, I don't remember too much from the actual ball, but it was fun! Afterward we all went out for a late meal and crashed! I'm going to do a seperate post of some photos from the weekend because this one is already so long!

getting there

With the plans of going to Florida, I'm out two day's of sewing at home. I'm planning on taking some hand sewing with to keep me busy though.
I've scaled back my list of things to do, and am getting done just what needs to be finished. The white dress(photos to come!) needs hooks and eyes, which are going in tomorrow and a hem. The dark plaid really pops against the white dress!
The berthe is on the pink and green silk, all that is left is attaching the bodice to the skirt, and I think I will add flowers to the berthe and possibly the skirt.
I'm cutting out the first pair of real men's drawers, and doing the three main seams by machine tomorrow morning. These are made out of heavy duty cotton, and will be cut off below his knees, per his request. The will have two china buttons, and cotton tape running through the hand sewn grommets to tighten them a bit in back.
for hand sewing I have the three petticoats that need hems. I think I may have been off on my math, babysitting will do that to my math skills I guess, so I may have to do a very narrow hem on them. If that's the case, I may do the bottom two by machine. The drawers need a waistband attached, and everything needs buttons and holes.
I also started a headdress that I'd like to finish before the ball. It's green silk ribbon, that will be pleated and goodness only knows what else.
I gifted my black ballet flats to my friend, Katie, because they'd stretched out and I was walking out of them. I couldn't imagine trying to dance in them. Now the hunt is on for something black, flat, matte, and affordable! I had considered making shoes, but alas, no time.
I will try to update again tonight with photos now that everything is coming together nicely! Off to finish packing. I will be in Orlando in 24 hours!

updates on the sheer and a sore finger

While working on the white gown, I was just finishing stitching back one side of the center back in preparation for the hook and eye tape my thread broke! Not at the end where I was just about to knot it, but in the middle! I haven't figured that one out yet. I then managed to sew 2/3's of the waistband on before realizing there was a twist in the waistband. I was trying a new way of setting the waistband without pins. I sewed the waistband to the back left and back right, leaving the center unstitched. This way I could use my gauging threads to ensure that it would fit. I finally successfully attached the waistband and am calling it quits on the white for the evening. Tomorrow I will attach some muslin to the top of the skirt interior to bulk it up for gauging, and draft the sleeves. I'd like to make double puff short sleeves with a narrow cuff. I need to get another set of undersleeves out of my voile, and 4 tuckers. With the left over I may try a gathered bertha to go with the dress.

I've made decisions regarding the bertha for my ballgown as well, I've decided to do a a shaped and pleated bertha with green bows. Hmm...I don't think I'm describing it near as well as I'm imagining it! I never piped the bodice when I made the dress last year. I'd like to pipe the bottom edge of the bodice, and the neckline. I also need to bone the bodice, and re-hem the skirt. It is hemmed to a nice height, but I don't like the finished product on the inside. So far I've only reset the waistband onto the skirt. So much to do!

As for the nightgowns, I've finally decided on styles for both of them. Since one is for myself, and the other for a friend I didn't want them to be identical. I'm going to do two versions of a yoke bodice, one with a triangular yoke, and the other with a slight curve. Both will have a self fabric frill attached and the yoke seam and 4 or 5 china buttons. Basic gathered sleeves, and maybe a self fabric frill at the cuffs as well. I need to sort through all my white cotton fabric and find my heavier stuff for the nightgowns, don't want to be showing off more than I bargained for in the mornings!

I've reattached the waistband on the silk ballgown, but it resulted in my finger being torn apart. I'm going to call it quits for hand sewing on my silk until I get sharper needles and a thimble that fits! I may still draft up a couple patterns before bed. I'm thinking that a yoked chemise, drawers, and petticoat set, to wear with my nicer dresses, would be just adorable! Hopefully I will have something more completed to show tomorrow!