...I really don't have a good title.

I realize I don't have to actually have one, but it seems weird not to make one. So irrelavent.

Anyway. Since I am rapidly losing the ability to logically type and I need to sleep soon or I will not be a happy Moofy at work tomorrow. 1. Bouquets for wedding are finished! Bridesmaid's dress to be experimented with this weekend. Shoes must be broken in....

2. The seamstress that the Bride is going to for her dress alterations has perhaps the most wonderful workspace I have ever seen. It was raw and it was inviting and I want it.

3. I have all the piece for Project Power Train Warranty. I have cut out the pieces. I have not sewn them together. I...will work on that after Thanksgiving.

4. Petticoat is in stasis. I have done the intially sewing. I have to go back a restitch because I didn't stitch deep enough and missed catching some of it. Still looks like a petticoat, so at least that is good.

5. They've begun picking the entries for the Future Fashion Folio. I would be lying to say I wasn't nervously waiting.

6. Now Sleep.

Petticoat Junction - The second pass

Jeeze oh man.

My arm are tiiiiired.

While I am sure there is probably an easier way to baste the 8 metres of material into the 4 metre stay via some form of logic, I am currently using the: "Hang from clothline, pin at seams, clothespen mightily, and pin pin pin, adjust and now hand baste because DON'TMOVEITDON'TMOVEITOHGODSITSCOMINGUNPINNED method." I mean, it's working and really I don't have another stretch of property to stretch out that piece that I can attack it from all sides. But, stitching at chest level does tire the arms afterwhile...especially since the chest level increases to shoulder level since the whole line is on a slant and wraps around three differently sized poles in my basement. I do have it halfway basted though, so I guess that's something. After that, I have to insert the then combined section into another 4 metre piece that forms the upper part of the petticoat.

One day, I will discover what it's like making an equality majestic costume without having more than 5 metres if fabric on my person. I don't know where all of the yardage ends up, but the petticoat has 8 metres, the skirt will have about.... probably 8 or so after cutting, and then the scant metre or two in the bodice. Plus or minus, once I trim it, like some crazy woman. Can I keep it under 20 metres? Gods, that sounds ridiculous....

I DO IT FOR THE ART.

I think.

*snerk* I went to an equestrian store, to look into getting some (cheap) riding pants. Basically I wanted the effect they have with the patches on the knees/thighs. Aside from critically damaging my self-esteem (I do not know what they did to my thighs but DEAR GOD NEVER) I had to endure the classic tale of avoiding what I really needed them for.

"Are they for show or competition?"
*Be smooth Moofy* "Uhhhhhhh, neither. I need them for a, um, costume piece. For an... uh, EVENT! YES. EVENT."
"Oh! Theatrical piece for a play?"
*What? Um, no I wanna be a pretty dragon rider that has a majestic swooshy jacket of awesome. SWOOSH!* "Errr... a private event"
"Oh! Okay, this is what we have."

And then the pants, and then the weird thing they did and then the NO. Soooo, back to square one at that. I might have to butcher some normal khakis for that. Whatever, that was just an off chance since I was passing by.

Ah well. Dinner out with friends for Kashunga's Birthday. Then bridal shower #3 tomorrow.

Onwards!

What? Even more progress?

Yep. Petticoat is officially complete. And as adorably ruffly as I predicted. Plus, it sits a few centimetres higher than the over skirt, as I had tried for.

100% success all around!

Now, I am sitting with a bowl of half chocolate peanut butter cup half mint chocolate cup ice cream, mentally patting myself on the back.

Not bad for a Thursday night.

Tomorrow is the big day for Operation Get-a-table, so I best ready my email draft.

Oh, and my sonic screwdriver came in. <3 So, I set myself to building 10th's, and then since I hadn't remember to do so, 11th's that came with the DVD gift set.

Fun Fact 1! You need a screwdriver to load the batteries into the screwdriver. Derp Herp.

Fun Fact 2! I couldn't get the sealing tape off the package of 11th's, and instinctively grabbed 10th's and fired it at the package in hopes that it would open it. It didn't work. I can only assume it was deadlock sealed. It did, however, renew my geek membership to gold status, incase I had any doubt. (Which, really, I didn't.)

Now then, on to that draft.

Petticoat Junction

Mmmmph. Much needed coffee break. Been chugging away at it for a few hours on Red's petticoat, though I'm rather pleased with how it's going.

(Save for the rather spectacular three finger pin attack that cause a halt until the bleeding stopped. Ivory fabric is much less forgiving than red....)

I find it somewhat amusing that this petticoat is turning out prettier than the overskirt. Not that there's anything wrong with the velvet skirt, mind you. But adding in that extra panel and pleating the waist made it hang so nicely. Just have the trimming to do, which is going to take a while since I need to hand baste the two seperate ruffles together, but nothing difficult about it.

The last step after that is sewing on its own hook and eye for the uptack point and it will be good to go. It's a bit sheer to wear on its own, seeing as it is, techincally an underskirt but it's kinda tempting. Either way, should be able to get it finished by the end of the week. Then it's bodice time.

Ah well. Mug's empty. Back to it.

Newsflash: Irons are hot.

Gobsmacking, no? And completed unrelated to that previous thought, "gobsmack" is frankly a delightful term, and I shall make a note to fuller integrate it into my already mishmashed vocabulary of jargon and whismical colloquialisms.

I also really should stop with the shameless Bristish terms before I further offend a good third of my genetic code. Being slapped by your own stop codons would be quite embarassing.

UGA!!! *slap*

</terrible terrible biology humour.>

....

Biology. We've got a lot of humors.

</really stopping. Seriously.>

.... I have no idea what I was going to write about before.

RIGHT. Irons. They're hot.

Despite the snowny nature outside, the temperature of the living room is quite high. However, I've finished flatfelling the seams of Red's petticoat, and pinned the upper edge of the waist band, ready to begin the myraid of pleating that will soon follow. Should be able to get most of it done this weekend..... which is a long weekend 'cause of Family day, as I have just remembered. Maybe all of it will be done? Not sure if I will get to the trimming stage, but it's quite possible. Might do a little more tonight, we'll see.

It's nice to know that this will be finished well before I need to wear it. Time management, go me. Of course, next friday begins to fight to get a table at Animenorth. *crosses fingers*

Screw the budget, I have....fabric.

So much for keeping Red's petticoat cheap.

Instead of cheap cotton with a basic hem, I ended up with ivory eyelet and two matching eyelet pregathered trims of two different widths to go on the hem because frankily having an untrimmed hem is appauling in my mind.

*sigh*

However, I feel like if the petticoat does work out the way it will in my mind, (Dear gods, I hope so...) it might work as a pettcoat for underneath a natural form skirt. I might be able to modify it in such a way that all the fullness of the skirt can be shifted to the back. In theory at any rate.

Getting there with Red's actual skirt. The waistband has been hand basted to the main skirt sections, (since velvet is a shift shift fabric) after being pleated ferociously to get some of the fullness under control. Machine stitch that tomorrow and what not and then I can start on hemming it.

Yay. I hate hemming. It always puckers.

Anyway.

Also got the brown ribbon casing and the closures for Red's bodice. Which I think is almost everything I need. I don't have the lacing ribbon for the back yet, but seeing as I don't have any idea how much I need, that can wait. Those fiesty mauve shoelaces I have on my dresser will work in the meanwhile.

Velvet fluff. EVERYWHERE.

I've never used crushed velvet before. It's another tick mark to add to fabric tally. It's a lovely rich material, with such a sumptuous texture to it. In the red colour I'm using? Gorgeous.

But by the Gods of Cosplay, does it ever fluff. I was overlocking the edges of the skirt gores before I stitched them together, and fluff everywhere. I swear I have it in my sinuses, to which I will forget about it, and start sneezing out textiles tomorrow; much to my own confusion. I then take one look at my poor machine and realize how much more fluff covered the surface and insides of my baby.

Turn to page 126 of manual. "Cleaning your machine."

Cue the tender vacuuming of my baby after the delicate removal of the bobbin casing, needle plate, race etc. Could have woven a second skirt out of it. At least it's better now.

Overlocking is finished at any rate. Now I can sew the skirt together. Shouldn't take long, since it's just three panels and a waist band. Modifiying said waistband though since I don't want all the extra material that a drawsting waist would give, so I'll do the standerd gathering into waistband method I've done for...everything.

I think I need some sort of petticoat though. Not too sure how to make it per say, since I don't really want crinoline, just a second skirt in cotton to give it body, and to keep it clean. I could make the skirt again, but in cotton, though I might add an extra panel to it. Little ruffle on the end. Could work. Means another trip to fabricland, for hopefully highly discounted cotton since at worse I'd need 4ms or so. Love to keep it under $20 but who knows.

...I wonder if Zellers and their closing madness has sheets on sale. That would totally work....