beading

bead, bead, bead.

I'm sewing them on in sets of three, anchoring the third with a sort of back stitch (I don't know proper beading terminology).  This will be the midriff - beading will continue up the sheer part of the bodice and down to around my hips.

Bodice muslin nearly complete!

sinus infection face didn't need to be on the internet

Granted, it will be all the same color, but this is more or less what my dress is going to look like.  (Also beads)  I'm thinking of putting a small crinoline underneath to make it more of an A-line instead of just falling right off my hips... but that can wait until everything else is done.

I want to do one more version with the chiffon overlay, to get the wrinkles, and that funny fold ober my bust out, but otherwise, its looking pretty good.

The bodice is a super hybrid franken-pattern.  The front of the underlay (highly modified) is New Look 6557, the back of the underlay is a cropped Vogue 8727, and the overlay is By Hand London's Anna Dress, also cropped.

I'm about 90% certain the pulls on the lower back are due to it continuing beyond my natural waist and not having room for my hips.   In the final, the skirt will be sewn on and the area beneath it trimmed. (Also, it will be reinforced and beaded, which will help)

Think happy thoughts, since I'm going to start on the beading tomorrow!

I have a skirt!

This doesn't do justice to all the pinning, gathering and hand basting that has been going on to connect the three layers of the skirt.   (Cotton batiste half-circle base, silk chiffon full-circle middle and silk chiffon 2.5 full circles for the top layer.)

I took over the living room for the evening.  (ha - let's be honest, I've taken over the living room for the month and will continue to work on it there, as the cats have been banned and cannot caress my lovely chiffon with their pointy little claws.) 

Don't I look absurdly tall?   The funny crease around "ankle height" is actually where the skirt hits the floor and flops horizontally for about 6 inches.  Chiffon *grows* -- especially on the bias.  

swords and things.

My fiance has taken to storing his swords in my stash.

but then, we have a drying rack just for armor. 

If you will be in the area, come see all the swords and things in action in January.   This is historically accurate recreations based on translations of 15th century texts.   Its a nifty bunch of people, and I'll be there as a scorekeeper / timekeeper.