totchipanda

GM was still feeling "woozie" from his fall, so game is on hold again while we figure out scheduling.

It's been a little chilly, post-storm, to require some form of protective equipment like coats and mitts and hats, but OH it's been sunny. So sunny. And the sun is WARM. I love these early days of spring. The crows returned last week (they are migratory up here), alas so did the gulls, and I've been hearing chickadees every morning bc the sun is now above the horizon and they are happy about it too! Plus, I learned that blue jays can make a sound other than shrieking. Ahhhhhh :D

I was making buttonholes on my dress by hand, with the lone spool of buttonhole thread I have in a colour other than white. But Guido decided the dress was the perfect place to have a Very Serious Bath, followed by a Very Serious Nap, to the point that he didn't even wake up when we had ice cream! I got several rows knitted on my sweater instead. Yesterday I finished up the buttonholes, finally, so today I will attach buttons. Then it's just attach the collar I made for the shirtwaist, figure out that hem problem and tack down the sleeve facing.

And then it's petticoat time! I think I will actually cut down a skirt I made in the summer. I'd been thinking about it already, so it's gonna happen. And then ofc I will make MORE petticoats, bc who doesn't need at least three?

This project has got me thinking about personal style again. bygone_wardrobes posted a 'teens dress she made on instagram and it is just so stinking cute. I was reading one of the drafting manuals about proportions which helped clarify that I like the proportions of this era. I like the layers that go into it. I wondered if I could make something suitable for daily wear that wouldn't be out of place in a modern office.

I've been wearing high-waisted jeans to work this week, and remembered a line from an ep of Queer Eye about how most people who come out later in life tend to dress the way they had when they wished they could come out. This was said to a man in his late 30s or 40s who was dressing in board shorts and t-shirts. And this is REALLY timely for me bc 90s fashion is back in style again, and that's when I first started exploring my sense of self, but I'm also trying to avoid it bc its such a young look! I don't want to look or feel like I'm trying to recapture my youth.

That tied into with wondering about a new-old look. How can I simulate a corset for daily wear that's comfortable? How do I deal with the undergarments? I was reading about Our Girl History's union suit, which I could probably recreate as I have a rather obscene amount of cotton jersey... in kelly green, but it would work. I could even build it to work with a modern bra, as I have been wearing lightly padded wireless bras for months now.

BUT ALSO, from seeing a couple other non-binary or trans folx on ig post about their masculine-flavoured projects of late, I love it! What if I didn't tend towards feminine garments and made masculine ones instead? I could still do historical silhouettes, like early-century pants, that would pass for modern. I did find one set of dressmaking manuals that included a section on men's garments, including their own version of a union suit. I may need to experiment with this.

The anxiety broke on Thursday, and it is such a relief to feel the tension slowly draining away. I used to feel like that ALL THE TIME, and then the spike of early March is 10 times worse. I drew a tarot card this morning just to "check in" (since I found my books yesterday), and I drew the Empress. Didn't really need to read the description to figure that out lol

Since the sacque has reached "miles of hemming" stages, I've decided to spend the bulk of my non-TV-watching sewing time working on other stuff. That made me think that I should switch back to my 20 in 20 project, and I only got a little ways into it yesterday before realizing that I needed a moment to brain out where I'm at and where I need to go. I wrote it out in a notebook, a little, but I'm especially here right now, on a Saturday, to type it more quickly. ( Stream o' Consciousness )

Only counting business days bc I wouldn't be using it on weekends anyway lol. The last part required shipped on Friday! Fingers crossed it arrives SOOOOOOOOOOOON and we can get back up and running!

I started sewing my Amalia Jacket yesterday. My curtain panel was HORRIBLY off-grain. I folded it in half and one end was narrow while the other was wide, so I clipped off a line near the former hem and ripped it. And then used that as my grain marking. YIKES, it was so bad, like over 12" from one end to the other. I had to cut it in single layers. I was careful to keep the pattern as UNmatched as possible (as my first gown has big flowers in alignment across my chest) and because it had to be cut singly, I have only a couple of significant scraps. But I AM pleased that the single curtain was enough for a full jacket with a big fluffy skirt :3

mala_14 mentioned her delightful plaid and it made me think of the skirt I made back in December for my 20 in 20 project. I had hung it to let the bias hem stretch and just haven't got back to it yet. But now I'm EXTRA excited to hem it because my AD Bernadettes should be here this week! They won't match the plaid even a little bit but at least I'll get the height needed.

The plaid was also horrifically off grain and required a good pressing and stretching. And it's SO polyester that the red threads left a waxy residue in the bottom of the dish I burned it in lol.

Back in February, I was noodlin' around with sewloud and ktlovely about a project I wanted to do. Since I got the treadle table for my 1919 Singer 115, I thought it would be "fun" to make a wardrobe as a contemporary home seamstress might on her brand new sewing machine. Each piece would be made on the treadled machine or by hand, as needed. Since it was 2020, an extra layer of "1920 in 2020", with 20 pieces to be made, was going to be the whole of the project.

2020 had other plans, naturally. Even though I'm reasonably sure I thought this up after my apartment flood, I was not expecting for the apartment to take as long as it did, Nicole to be moving and therefore me, or Covid-19. I never got past the initial excitement of "20in20". But now that I've been home from work and my brain has had time to noodle a bit more, I've been working on it again.

I only had a few ideas, initially. 1: Treadle machine. 2: Stash only as much as possible. 3: 20 pieces over the year. I had downtime at work so I started looking through catalogues on Archive.org, primarily by Eaton's, a now-defunct Canadian retailer. It was so interesting looking through them, as they really were a powerhouse of modern shopping at the tiime. Stuff for your car! Stuff for your bicycle! Stuff for your horse! Farm equipment! Modern luxuries like state of the art stoves and ovens! And the descriptions are often HILARIOUS. Such an interesting look at the past.

Changes had to be made, though. The table and machine were minor casualties of the flood, and require some restoration work before I can use them. I don't have the right bobbin case for the machine; the one I have is a repro from a different machine that fits but doesn't work overly well. Instead, I am doing most of the sewing on a 1956 Singer 301A. Aside from being electric and the ability to go backwards, the two machines are very similar. I still need to use my modern Janome, however, as the 301A has a slanted shank and some of the accessories I have don't fit. I've used a modern ruffler and a late 40s buttonholer on the Janome, and I am NEVER going back to the built in buttonholes again, the buttonholer works BEAUTIFULLY.

I purchased a few patterns for the project but I'm also using some period sewing manuals and catalogues as inspiration. I started a spreadsheet to compare common themes over the several pages of catalogue that cover a certain item (so far, only skirts and petticoats), like what sizes and lengths were available. I was able to put together combos, a corset, corset cover and a petticoat from what I already have, but now that I'm gearing up for the other layers, it's time for more research!