Saturday, July 14, 2012

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Sunday, July 8, 2012

IRCC 2 - Nearing the finish line with the loose gown

After cutting, trimming and hemming the 14 tabs for my shoulders I sorted them by width and separated them into two similar stacks of 7 tabs each. I decided to layer them so I made two off-set stacked strips, three-on-four, and pinned them together.



After setting them into the armeye and then setting in the sleeve I have this:



Rather nice, I think. :)

I may decide to attach some of the tabs together near the tips to control the shape they make but I want to give them a bit of time to find their own way. Now on to sewing in the other side!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

IRCC 2 - Shoulder tabs are on the way

I've cut shoulder tabs from the leftover strip from the original button placket and pocket flaps of the coat, 14 in all, and am now working on the gold braid.

(Belated) Happy Independence Day!

We were in Minneapolis visiting my father for the holiday. The amazing heat wave drove us inside but it turns out his apartment is a great spot for viewing fireworks!




Saturday, June 30, 2012

Update on the bug skirt - Tahdah!

My bug skirt got hustled off into near-oblivion in the great Ack!-Mom-and-Bob-are-coming-and-the-house-CANNOT-be-such-a-shambles! clean-up of 2012 but today I got the itch (to stitch, hee hee) and finished it up.

I've been playing with pleats again but this time I did a flat front with the pleats falling away from the center in both directions. I also played with the waist line a bit. I like the raised waist on the wild pink and black (and brown and gray) print skirt but I'd need to bone the seams for the waist to stay up in the back--which I don't much want to do. On the bug skirt I decided to leave the fabric above the waist line in the front still attached which has the effect of a raised waist but disappears at the back where the other skirt gets all folded up by my rolls.

I followed the same basic process as on the other skirt, basting even pleats down from the top of the fabric to the hipline and then customizing the waist to hip angles of each one individually. I've only stitched the outer edges of the pleats down as far as the waistline. The ones in the front and back fit smoothly over the hips already and I think the slightly puffy pleats on the side back may well lay flat on their own after the skirt has had a bit of time to soften.




































What do you think?

Thursday, June 28, 2012

IRCC 2 - Inching closer...

The first row of gold trim is all stitched down and together, the second row is down, and the sleeves are pinned in place. I guess I'll have to figure out the shoulder trim any moment now...