19 Mar 2009

Make a list. Check!

As I mentioned here, I was going to attending a church service commemorating the death of king Gustaf III on March 28 (it's then 217 years since the king passed, minus one day).

But now the minister who was going to give the sermon has gotten ill and won't make it, unfortunately. Instead of completely cancelling the event, we will go to the church and put down some flowers. A transcript from the original protocol regarding the king's demise will be read and there will be some music. And then we'll drink to the king at a tavern nearby! Not bad at all (if you know Swedish, you can read about this event at Slottsfrun).

I had no clothes suitable for an event like this (everything's too bright and cheerful) so I made the silk dupioni jacket for a start. But as I went on, I realized that I also needed a few other new things and "a few" soon became "several", "many" and "let's just make a completely new wardrobeZOMG!".

But for once I had plenty of time (there's even I chance I won't have to sew hysterically with a watch in one hand on the day of the event. I might even rush off without pins and loose threads everywhere. Who knows?) and a quick check confirms that the most vital parts of the ensemble are finished or very close to being finished.

List? Why yes!

  • Jacket - Is finished. Like, REALLY finished. Not one stitch off.
  • Petticoat - Is finished. As above. RLY!
  • New, smaller and cuter pocket hoops - Quite finsihed, I just need to replace the plastic failboning with something sturdier.
  • New cap - Finished it yesterday! I had to remove the self-fabric ruffle from the band and replace it with some lovely lace to make it look less like a Victorian baby bonnet which isn't flattering for any face, least mine. Now I don't look incredibly stupid wearing it!
  • Fischu - Finished. It was my first experiment with rolled hems, which worked out much better than I anticipated (but my fingers felt sore after the first 5,000 stitches).
  • Hat - Nearly finished. Must fasten the trim around the crown. I don't know why this has taken me a month. I'll do it tonight, this I promise myself.
  • Shoes - Haven't touched them yet. I bought these quite accurate-looking shoes for practically nothing in a thrift store in January and my plan is to add fake latchets and buckles. Somehow.
  • Mitts - Half-finished. The lovely grey silk taffeta I had wasn't enough for outer fabric and lining and I feel that these mitts really must be lined. I'm not sure what to do yet because I'm so freaking broke right now!
  • Necklace - I butchered a very ugly fake pearl necklace and all that is left to do is to add ribbon to tie it 'round the neck with.
(Hmm, this weekend will be busy so maybe I should start to feel a little bit stressed soon. Just not right now.)

Whaddyaknow: I also have long-term plans for this year and since you all DIE to know about them, here goes:

  • Striped polonaise -If you lurk the costumers' diaries at LJ, striped polonaise's seem to be all the rage this year and I too wanna hang out with the cool kids! I have a pink-on-pink striped fabric that is very much destined to become a polonaise for parties in the summer (which is quite funny, since I've never owned a piece of clothing in pink in my whole life. I'm so making this polonaise into a little girl's dream-dress! Think lots of trims and frills!)
  • Pet-en-l'air - Maybe, if what I have of the yellow fabric mentioned here is enough . If not so, i'll make a jacket of some kind. In either case, I'll need a...
  • Black silk taffeta petticoat to go with it.
  • Janet Arnold caraco - I have an Indienne-type printed cotton that I'd like to turn into a caraco à la Patterns of Fashion. A low-priority project.
  • Finish the IKEA Robe á la Francaise That Guards The Gates Of Hell (will be referred to as "the IKEA robe" in the future) - Oh my, I don't know where to start. But you got it right, it is a robe á la Francaise, made from an IKEA fabric. But that's not the only reason why it sucks, I think the main reason is that I suck. I should have known better than even thinking about pulling off a project like this in the first place, but here we are and I will complete the whole thing, even if it kills me in the process. Even if I get killed for wearing it.
  • New stays - This should be first on the list really. My current stays are OK but I learned much from the process of making them and if I made a new pair today, they'd turn out much better. I've also lost some weight since I made my current stays and the "gap in the back" is almost non-existant now, even though I managed to take a few seams in. All I need is the motivation to start this huge project. That, and time. Please? Send me your spare time.
  • ca 1810 daydress - Because I've needed one all of my life.
  • Masquerade gown from Russian painting - BIG "maybe" on this one

It seems I'm going to be busy this year, doesn't it? I'll be one happy camper if I manage to not only start but also finish half of the things on that list! Stay tuned...

2 comments:

  1. Jag måste säga att jag gillar din blogg! :) Hittade den precis, via Madame Paulis sida.
    Hälsningar
    //Alexander

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, tack så mycket! Det är alltid roligt när någon hittar hit :)

    ReplyDelete