Finally - PROGRESS!!!

My fiancé went out of town this weekend with some friends and I decided it was time to begin the bustle project. For some reason this one part has given me more anxiety than any other. I had a pattern that I was not fond of, and after spending considerable time analyzing and deciding how best to get what I want, I was quite nervous.

I found a couple yards of a medium weight woven ivory fabric and used that for the base. After sewing together the shell, I lined the bottom six inches with buchram for stability and then sewed in my boning channels. I cut tipped and inserted the bones and pinned in some ties and tried it on.

Here are the pics as it currently stands.

The next step will be to add lace to the outside to hide the bones and give some fullness.

Including redrafting part of the bustle, adjusting the darts three times and refigiuring the stablility factor as I went - Time: 20 hrs (would only take about 10 if I made another)

just a rambling update

So…For 6 months I have been planning to make my wedding dress, and while I do still plan do such…holy cow have the fates thrown wrenches into my plans.

My future mother in law has cancer and this Friday will have a masectomy (think is after a lumpectomy which did not get all the cancer), then last week she feel down the stairs at her apartment and broke her tibia and fibula just above the ankle. She is recovering well after surgery and she will be in the rehabilitation facility until the around the first week of April. Then she will come to stay with us while she heals. This is fine, but I of course had to transform my sewing room into a bedroom for her, so the walls got new paint, organization went through that room like a tornado and now all I have to do is shampoo the carpet so everything is fresh and clean and pick up the bed my girlfriend is loaning us.

Whew…

All this and I have to be in Atlanta for the two week prior to her arrival.






Now, on the plus side, I have finally made a dent in Mermaid of the Pearls:















And Stone Roses is at about 25% done! YAY!!!
Now, if you are unaware, I started this on a piece of fabric that I had laying around and did not realize how horribly uneven the weave was…I officially hate it. The big question is, do I put it away and let it become a UFO, push through and complete it or restart on something prettier? Thoughts?

Yeah Giveaways!!!

For those stitchers out there, there seem to be quite a few giveaways this month.

Be sure to check out:

Measi's Musings
Ramblings of a Geeky Witch
http://measi.net/measiblog/2011/03/06/march-is-the-month-for-giveaways/

Barbara is having a Birthday Month Giveaway with lots of lovely stash.
http://44mamawsfinishedcrossstitchitems.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-birthday-month-giveaway.html


Lynn is celebrating 125 followers on her blog with a celebratory giveaway.
http://needles-and-quilter-me.blogspot.com/2011/02/will-you-be-winner.html

underskirt

YAY!!! Fabric for underskirt has arrived. It is a satiny duponi material that I found on Ebay - 10 yards for 15.00. So 23 total with shipping!

The color is a perfect match (there is no yellow to it, just a pretty ivory cream) and the texture difference will make it noticable. I think I have decided to use the goldish fabric from my mothers dress to make a box-pleat trim to go around its hem, and when we bustle the dress up properly, it will be a very pretty accent. Will post a pic of moms dress soon.

Also, I found like 20 yards of lace that my fmil gave me years ago, so that will be gathered and flounced to make the petticoat cover for the wire frame.

frustration

Ordered a beautiful pearl trim for the bottom hem of the overskirt...what I got were lace collars. I returned today and the seller should be sending me the correct item...I hope.

Here's the trim though:

Custom Corset

Got happy reviews from the recipient of this underbust corset. I was very pleased with how it turned out. The front and back panels are a gorgeous brocade with Fleur dis Lis's (I am never sure if I have spelled that right) and the side panels are gold silk. All the trimming is a royal blue velvet ribbon. It was painful giving it away when all was said and done...*sigh*

I only wish I had had blue lacings on hand...I hate the black laces in the picture.

Fabric Found!!!

I haven’t posted an update in a while, so here goes:

Test corset is still unfinished, but will hopefully be done by Christmas.

Week before Thanksgiving I had surgery on my right foot, so the sewing pedal is still a little painful to use, but it is getting better. During my recoup time at home a local fabric store went out of business. Their specialty was high end decorator fabrics, and of course I just had to go. So I hobbled on my crutches, dear friend drove me, and WOW was it worth it. On my way into the store a beautiful silk shantung caught my eye. It is light ivory and thick and soft and incredible!!! The regular price on the fabric was 120 a yard. The store closing price was 25.00 a yard, and then because I happened to be there the day before the final day, they only charged me 20% of that price. BUT because I bought the last on the bolt, I got an additional 25% off!!! So the silk for the over skirt was bought, 6 yards of it, for less than…drum roll please…fifteen dollars!!!

Over the last two weeks I have been TRYING to organize my sewing/craft room, to make way for a home office. So I have pulled all of my bins of fabric and reorganized and got all of it onto shelves so I can see what I own. Well, it just so happened that I found a beautiful piece of ivory brocade. It matches the skirt material perfectly, and there should be just enough for the bodice of the dress! YAY for using what you got!!!

Now to just make a final decision on the underskirts…