Thursday 24 April 2014

Petticoat!

I finally finished it! My beautiful little petticoat! And it only took me about three months! I used the free petticoat pattern from Truly Victorian and found it very simple. Although I do not like ruffles. At. All.


Now I do have the wrong hoop skirt underneath it (Elizabethan) but the general shape is there and I made the dimensions for a proper era crinoline. I can also see what they might mean about needing more than one petticoat to hide the hoops! I didn't really change much to the pattern (nothing at all actually). 

These are the ruffles/pleats on the waistband. I wasn't too concerned about getting them perfectly even because I did a drawstring waistband. Although I did have to repin a couple of times!


I feel so pretty in it! I can't wait to start building dresses!

I've currently got patterns from Truly Victorian in the mail. It was a wonderful birthday present from my mother! And to finish off, I present to you Edward: My most Interesting Cat In The World!

Saturday 25 January 2014

A Finished Hoop Skirt!

I finished it! It was scary but I did it! This is probably the third hardest thing I've had to make so far (between the shift and the bum roll). It was all machine stitched, except for the closures of the hoop channels! To start, the finished product!



As you can see it looks pretty good! It was also quite difficult to get down the stairs and squeezed in front of the only floor length mirrors in my house! It's made with a cream muslin, twill tape for the drawstring and channels and the hoops are actually water plumbing pipes from home depot! They're fitted together with the connectors you would use in the house! 



Here are the pipes! I wasn't sure when I was putting them in if they were the right length but once I even the material out around them they were a perfect fit! I do have some tweaking to do with this one (seems like it with all my projects) but I would happily wear it out as it is! Now I wish I had a dress to put on over it. The next challenge is going to be the corset. Once that's done I'll start looking for a nice material for a petticoat. Once the petticoat(s) are done I'll finally start on the gown! I'm hoping to have a dress form by then that I can customize to my size. This is so exciting!


Fairy tale setting outside my house today!



Wednesday 15 January 2014

A Corset!?

Well hello again! I decided to take a break from the hoop skirt (a little nervous about it actually) and decided that since my boning had come in the mail I could get started on my corset! So far I think it's doing pretty good!


Well look at that! I absolutely love the fabric I found (I'm pretty sure it was on sale) and it is an absolute joy to work with. No bunching, munching, fraying or tearing! I wasn't expecting how thick it was going to feel with the lining attached as well but there you go!


Here's a closer look at the boning channels. They aren't really straight I feel pretty proud of them! I'm sure with enough practice I'll get better at it! I tried each channel with the boning after I sewed them and it seems to fit pretty well! There's a couple places (you can see them in the lower right corner of the photo where I need to do some serious fudging but hey, we need to make mistakes in order to improve! And, as a special treat. A photo of my piping for my hoops cut!


(Also the bag of kitty litter for my new kitty!)



Thursday 9 January 2014

'Shifting' Into High Gear!

Well it's not 100 percent complete but here is my shift! I know it doesn't look very flattering (I think I have to take it in a bit) and I have finished the trim (the lace I grabbed isn't very nice! )


I know it's slipping off my shoulders. I'll at least be taking it in there. I added the bum roll because I haven't worn it yet! (Unfortunately I already ripped one of the ties off of it. :() I didn't have too much trouble with the sleeves, considering it was my first time attaching sleeves to a garment! 

I also haven't hemmed it yet. But I think it looks pretty good for my first completed garment! (The bum roll doesn't count!)


Side view (it isn't very flattering I know!)


Next project: Hoop Skirt!





Friday 3 January 2014

My First Completed Project!





Oh Boy! This is an exciting day! I was so determined to finish something (even without a sewing machine) and I did! It might not seem like much but this is my first bum roll! And it's completely hand sewn! It's a little rough I will admit but I'm still proud of it! Next step is to cut the material for the stay. I still have to order the boning and the busk (although I might try making that too.) And I need to learn how to put in grommets! What a boost!










A Minor (or Major) Setback

Well I've run into a bit of a conundrum… My machine is not behaving properly. And I can't find the manual! I've got loops on the underside and puckering of my fabric. I've tried adjusting the tension but nothing seems to be working. I'm working on muslin too so it's not like it's a thick fabric. I'm just finding it frustrating...

Thursday 2 January 2014

Introducing Tarnished Timble!

Hello! I'm creating this blog to chronicle my experiences into the exciting world of sewing! Right now I'm working on all the undergarments for period dresses! Off I go!