Catch up

Oh hai friends. It's been awhile :)

Novel: Finished. Well, my words are finished. My story isn't. I could probably wrap it up in another 3k, roughly, but I hit 50k and brain said "ok we're done". I decided this year that what I actually write is very detailed outlines, so I might take this one and work it out "properly".

I didn't do any housework except some dishes over the week I was off. Dance recital was on the 29th and it was SO SO SO GOOD to get back to that. I started holiday work on November 30th, and that was nice too. I just did my last shift there yesterday, and it was a long one. I'm just not used to standing and moving around for so long, my hips and feet were so sore.

Then... lessee. The first day I was due back at work, I woke up with a migraine. I should have stayed home. I got off the bus early because my tummy was NOT HAVING IT. I threw up in a garbage bin, made it to work and then went home. The next day, I was feeling much better, but came home to a notice about a pest inspection at the end of the week, and spent the next two nights just picking up. Between coughing for so long and novel-writing, my place was looking very, shall we say, lived-in. Regrettably, I didn't have time or opportunity to vacuum or actually clean much, and it was pretty horrific. So horrific, in fact, that I came home to another inspection notice, of the "this is really gross, fix it NOW" variety, and I spent that weekend cleaning. But since everything had been picked up, it was the neatest it's ever been, which made it easier to move as much out of the way as I could and really give the place a good shine-up. My wonderful friend, who loves cleaning, came over with her husband and baby and they tackled the kitchen while I did the floors and washed the blinds and bathroom. It must have been OK, because I came home to the bathroom fan on and no further notices.

So now I'm planning to rearrange stuff, and thinking about how to set it up to allow the best use of space for crafting. Soon my couch will be leaving and I'll be putting in a smaller one. I'd like to move the sewing tables to the other side where there is actually an outlet and be able to use them as sewing tables (all of the stuff currently living on them as storage will need a new home but that's another story). Now that my holiday work is done, and I'm feeling so much better, and I don't have a novel to take up my time, I really need to get back to my KonMari process. Since I kinda got stuck on the costumes, I'm going to leave them in the bins I stored them in for the inspection and just move on to the next step.

Last week, during some down time, I wrote up drafts for my blog. I did up the yearly wrap-up and then the things I made last year for CoCo and the very few projects this year. I did so much more knitting than sewing, and I am OK with that. What sewing I did do was enjoyable specifically because I wanted to do it. But that is getting me thinking about the upcoming year and what, if any, goals I'd like to achieve. I sort of joined a challenge on my knitting forum to sew more, and that's going to inform some of my choices. Plus the thing I saw on IG floating around about challenging yourself, so fine, this can be the year I finally learn how to deal with welted pockets, and use the vintage buttonholer I got nearly 2 years ago.

I am going to see Star Wars tomorrow. Very excited for that, and also because I have enough for POPCORN. Yessssss.

Sewing content!

GASP a post about sewing. Well it's very slow here at work sooooo.

I have no major events planned for next year. Travel is really not feasible for long distances so the majority of events are going to be local and semi-local. My birthday has a 0 after it this upcoming year so I would like to plan something in the flavour of a costume picnic. The usual con circuit is anime and pop culture focused, but they are possibilities. Esp the pop culture one, it'd be great to have an obvious Outlander-themed one so I could get away with wearing it there heehee.

The Revamps and the UFOs

While writing the blog posts, I sort of sorted out my thoughts about some older pieces, namely the yellow and pink 1830s gown. I really need to revisit that one, as the fit was so bad when I wore it. I'm not convinced the pattern is correct about closures, I need to redo them anyway, figure out if the shoulders falling off is the neckline or the sleeves, and what the heck is up with my darts.

I also need true sleeve puffers. My little ones didn't really work, and also I forgot about them and ran them through the wash. Oops.

I would REALLY like to get the swallowtail jacket finished, as it is coming up on 6 years since I started it. I don't have enough fabric to remake the sleeves so... piecing it is. They definitely need a gusset.

Perhaps I can get my tea gown trimmed up and actually wear that again.

Finish up the pieces that are literally just waiting for finishing touches before I can get them out of my house. 2 zippers, a handful of buttons, and a hem. GONE.

The New Stuffs

My "fancy bitches" crew would like to make English gowns, so that's on my radar. I have three, but I want MORE!! I especially want a "fashionable" one with lots of trim on it, fitted over pocket hoops. The challenge there is of course fabric. I bought some silk in LA with no plan, but its really only enough for the gown itself and maybe some trim. Definitely no matching petticoat. Alternatively, I have a bunch of polyester that would certainly be enough for a full dress so I might do that too. A part of me doesn't want to, BUT I have it and it's going to collect dust for the next 10k years anyway.

Maybe use some of that same poly for a dressing gown. I have at least 2 colours.

Perhaps this is the year for the petticoat and pet-en-l'air? All of that fabric is just waiting for me to begin. I am reasonably certain the green of the embroidered fabric and the green silk from the year before are a very close match, so I could possibly use the petticoat for both. Maybe.

I have also decided I want to do another Italian gown, with the Williamsburg fabric. That will also need a contrast petticoat.

Get my red Regency gown made. I'm stuck on design. I'm trying to recreate one from the 2005 P&P, but I can't decide if I want a true recreaction or an "inspired by". The movie dress is a true wrap front gown, with an open side all the way down the left front. The few cross-front extants I've seen are apron fronts that are pinned into place. Do I want to do a crossover gown at all, or have more of a round-gown look. I'm sure I have more than enough fabric for whatever I decide, and I'm hoping to have enough left over for a petticoat for a different gown... or maybe a whole other dress. SIGH decisions.

Perhaps get started on a little overtunic to zhus up my white gown for the next round of balls.

I still want to revisit my Victorian roots, especially if I can get "Local CoCo" launched. We want to do a skating event this winter, so there's an option. I Have SO MANY OUTFITS I want to build out of the Fashions of the Gilded Age books. I have coutil and a spoon busk for a new corset.

The Challenges

Following along from an Instagram story I saw this past week, I'm going to do a few things that scare me. First, it's time for welted pockets to become my subservient. Second, I want to practice with the vintage buttonholer. Third, I want to (deep breath) drape a pattern.

Since the one dress form is close to me-sized and shaped, I'd like to attempt to drape up an Italian gown bodice pattern. While making the English gown in June, I laid out my cobbled-together pattern from RH on top of the L&S pattern and it was really similar, but a bit too small. So, I need a proper pattern, and draping one will be a right proper challenge too.

I also have plans for a wool-faced set of stays. Like I need another pair BUUUT WOOL STAYS.

Modern Thoughts, Redux

I joined a sewing group on my knitting forum (we're crafty like that), and one of the things I still want to revisit is my modern wardrobe. Now that I'm starting to publicly come out as non-binary, I really want to start getting myself headed in that direction. That was a large part of why I joined the thread, just to have a place that's active and also very accepting of a person's stated identity. I will probably think on that over the next month or three.

"Local CoCo"

Local CoCo, what? We (the fancy bitches) have mostly decided that we aren't going to CoCo this year, buuuut... why don't we get together anyway? We had a good laugh over themes and mini-events we could host, and mostly we were all excited we could go home to our own beds at a reasonable hour. It didn't go any further because it was so early in November, but now that I'm done all my non-sewing stuff for the year, it's on my mind again.

Thursday night pool party: we could possibly have a dinner at a restaurant (in costume, naturally), on the patio. There's only a handful of outdoor pools and none of them are attached to a hotel but a patio would be a good stand-in. Weather permitting.

Friday night Ice Cream Social (because we're in Canada and can do what we want): There are MANY pop-up ice cream stands throughout the city, or perhaps we could go to the fancy creamery on the southside. At least two of our people are dairy-sensitive (or outright allergic), so another option is just go out for dessert.

Saturday Gala: This was especially hilarious, and the biggest moment of "we can be in bed at a reasonable hour!". Have a picnic, with a red carpet, in our fanciest attire, maybe play some tunes, go home by sunset (at the end of July, which is still well after 9pm, if any of us even made it that long). Another option would be an afternoon thing, with everyone taking turns to talk about something for like, 20 minutes. Red carpet and fanciness was a must.

Sunday tea: have tea. If we were feeling extra fancy and like our wallets were too full, we could do high tea at the hotel we have the balls in. Then we'd all say BYYYYEEEEE and go home lol.

Even if no one else comes with me, I might do these things anyway, just for the Instagram opportunities XD I get the giggles every time I picture it.