Advanced level procrastination

Now, that I should work on my (first) bustle ensemble, I am having a total executive block. I know I can do it, I know I should start work on it, but I just cannot, so to feel less ashamed, I am working on anything else, but...

Well, in all honesty, I did the basic two layers of the ensemble: the bustle (or turnure) itself - right away in two version, because I could not decide which one to do, but more on that later in another post, when I will write on that bustle ensemble)... Also done the petticoat for the bustle period, but I will write on that later as well.

And all three items I did after I made the understructure has a story, as they always do...

The Edwardian underthings... well, at the end of last year, I made a "historybounding" ensemble to wear, when I need to look more presentable, where my usual, haphazard lagenlook mixed with handknits would not do (like in theatre or more serious - not pop/rock concerts), and for that I made a petticoat (umm, still only a phone-picture of that, you can see it in the summary of last year, but we really should do some proper photos). Since it was for historybounding (curious about that expression? I will write about it, when we manage to photo that set, I promise. Okay?) it didn't really needed to be fully historically accurate, so the lasercut "whitework" fine cotton I found in I love texile was ideal. I mean, with the cut out patterning it did resembled embroidered fabric, and had a nice romantic feeling. But then I needed less for the petticoat than I counted for, and I had about 1,5 meters of it left. So I thought I always wore my early Victorian underwear for the Edwardian period too, but always wanted to make something that is more in line with the period. 

Then while I was working on the turnure, and were looking for fabrics, and stuff that damn piece of leftover fabric fell on my head. 

Like three times. 

The third time I got angry, so I said, do not mess with me, or I am gonna cut you up. Then the thing fell the fourth time. YOU WANTED IT. Right? 

I already had the pattern from Folkwear printed taped and cut out to my size. Patterns coming in many sizes, in envelopes -like from the big 4 McCalls, Simplicity, and such- I do not cut to size, but copy the appropriate size. Printable PDF's are a different animal, as I can print them out as many time as I want or need. Okay, it needs paper and ink, but if I would copy them, they would still need paper. 

Anyhow, as I said I had the pattern, so I only needed to cut and sew. What I find enchanting about victorian and edwardian underwear, all this decorations, tucks, pintukcs, lace and lace insertions. Over here we do not have the selections of lace other countries west from us might have, so I tried those cotton laces I had in my stash. The technique still have space for improvement, but I am not unsatisfied. With the drawers I have one complaint, but that is my body, not the pattern... I have the crotch too low. I mean, I know, I have a short waist and a dislke for high waisted pants... Next tme I shall take off a few centimeters from the waistline. It is perfectly useable this way, but will be more comfortable. 

Then, I made the petticoat for the bustle gown, from stripy fabric. Why not white? I do have fabric for a white one, but my dress will be blue (ahh, such a surprise, right?), so a blue striped petticoat would be fun, Anyhow, once again, I had a bit more than meter of that fabric left over, which I did not want to put away, besides, I can always use another edwardian blouse (even for modern dressing), so I went out, got another half meter, and thus it was enough. But I knew, if I put it back to the shelf, it would be a loooooong time, before I take it out again... besides, I still needed some distraction, something to work, while I am thinking about how to attack the bustle gown, so another edwardian shirtwaist was born. I used the same Angela Clayton pattern, that I used the last time for the white shirt, mainy, because its shoulder yoke gave me place to play with the stripes. And good I did, as I still remembered the changes I needed to do (shorten the shoulder yoke, narrowing the sleeves. etc), and I could try add some bits of laces I had left from the petticoat. 

Then I could not procrastinate anymore, as the event I need the bustle gown is coming ever so fast... 

But wait!!! There is one more thing, that would help me put away doing the actual bustle gown, but I cannot really call it procrastination... I need a new Corset! Yes, I made one a year ago, but I lost a considerable weight, and while that corset still gives me good enough foundation, and it is a great example when I talk about corsets do not NEED to be so thightlaced you cannot breath in them. But then never hurts to practice, like making corsets, each I make is better than the previous one, and I could really use a smaller one.  I would have preferred a fun fabric, but none of the I Love Textile stores had anything suitable. The best fabric for corsets would be coutil, a specially woven canvas, but we don't have it here. I could order, but that is expensive and takes time, and, in my experience a good, strong canvas is just as good. Like a denim fabric... I would love it to be printed, but as I said, there was nothing I liked, okay, there was one, but that had ELASTHAN which is a bit no-no for corsets, and generally for historical clothes, though I do cheat sometimes, but with corsets, cheating is a big no. So I dug into my stash, and I had a piece of lavander-blue fabric, I got for stays and corsets. So that is what I used. It was not as thick as I would have preferred, but it would do.

I used the same red-threaded pattern that I used earlier. Back, when I bought it, they only came in one size (I mean, if you buy one, they only sent the size you selected) and since they serialized it, and if you buy one, you get the whole seria, but I already spent enough money for patterns on this project, was not about to spend another 25 bucks, so I took the last version I used, and redraw it, took out a centimeter here, a half a centimeter there. Now, once again I have a lacing gap, I can have it laced looser or thighter if I want (with the earlier version - there you have more pictures of the sewing too-I had to lace it totally shut and there was still a bit space).

But now, I realy must concentrate on the bustle dress, or I am going to the Vigadó event in my underwear,

What was?

 I slept on it, and then decided to make a summary after all... so...

I was sewing.

I was knitting.

A few historical stockings, but I will make a separate post about them.

And socks...

And all this, in the last three months of the year. Three sweaters were started earlier, some even years ago, three sweaters and a hat and a pair of mittens were done in this time from start to finish.

So the year was not without resuts... Details from the stuff I have not shown (mostly the knits) will come later.

New Year, now what?

 For days I have been contemplating whether to write/ make my year-end montage, and / or summary... And at the end I have not made that montage, because I have not felt like I am up to it.

The truth is, as happy and optimistic I was in 2018 and 2019, and even though in 2020 The Plague plagued my existence too, we were not that bad off. I was working through, we even managed to travel, and what I have not expected, that once it will (mostly) go away, I will struggle.

There I said it, my year was not the best. Okay, it was not the worst, 2008, and the period between 2010-2014 would be really hard to beat, but things are... ambigouos to say the least. And though there are parts of my life that are okay, in more areas things are not, and I do not see, how could I turn things around. 

Anyhow, having troubles on the work front meant, I could sew more than I usually do, and at the end of the year I had a good run with knitting. For the longest time I do not make New Year's resoltuions, because I just cannot keep them. I do have two must do project at hand, I already started the New Years Good Luck Sweater, and I have a full set of clothes to make a new-for-us period.

Blogging-wise the year was.. not that good either I think. Posted more than some years, but much less, than in the old times. And since there are hardly any responses, I never know if there is anybody around to read, even if I keep telling my Instagram friends, that we should do this (blogging, instagramming etc) for ourselves, not for counting likes and followers, still some response would be nice from time to time.

I do have a couple of projects from last year to post about it, we managed to do some photos over the holidays, and a couple more is waiting to be photographer, so I will have things to post about a while, then we'll see. 

In other words its not all cake and roses over here either, and once in a while I do give in to self pity and whining.