Brown wool work dress done!

My brown plaid work dress is done! I actually finished it a few days ago, but I had quite a bit of trouble with the skirt. While it is completely wearable, my perfectionist self had a quarrel with the dress overall, and it took me a few days to get over it and move on :). It was only my second time sewing an off-set closure, and obviously I still have a lot to learn!

The fabric is perfect for working in the dirt and fields out the fort, so I think it will be very suitable for the type of reenacting we do. The antique buttons, however, are so old that the fabric started disintegrating while I was sewing them on, so I don't know how long they will last.

And now I must quickly switch gears and start working on my Regency things for the Spring Ball next month! Wish me luck! I am so not a corset making girl!!

Brown wool bodice done!

February is a short month, and a busy one with so many fun events, that who has time to get to the sewing?!? I really should buckle down here soon though or I will have nothing to wear to our Spring adventures. The brown wool dress is coming along, and the bodice is completed.

The sleeves are bishop sleeves, cut on the bias, pleated and backstitched at the sleeve head. They are common enough for a work dress, but add a little interest. I'm a such a girly girl, I have a really hard time leaving *anything* plain.

A detail of the cuff. The pleats are actually piped at the rim of the cuff to finish them off.


On another note, my sewing has also suffered because I am completely loving the Winter Olympics! The opening ceremonies were so Pacific Northwestern and included so much of the Canadian & Metis history that we interpret at the Fort.

I also can't get enough of the events. We love to watch Alpine skiing and Short Track, and of course, the Half-Pipe. Snowboarding is special to me because my brother is an amazing snowboarder and actually almost went professional. He even set up one of the Olympic Trial courses. I'm glad he's not insane enough to attempt some of the stunts you see on the Olympics (because they are crazy dangerous) but I am reminded of how great he is when I watch the snowboarders compete.

Ice dancing in particular has created some interesting fodder for costume inspiration.

Some of the costumes have been just plain gimmicky, like this Russian Aboriginal routine, which even included foliage sticking out of the ice skates...

And others had beautiful ethnic detailing I would love to incorporate into my modern dress, like this Indian routine performed by one of the US pairs. One of the men's skaters even had an incredible medieval inspired vest trimmed with fur!

Watching figure skating makes me realize that I missed my calling and I should have become an ice skating costume designer! Really, they do have a lot of fun, flowy fabrics and interesting interpretations.

I'm hoping that tonight's Ladies Figure skating will motivate me to finish my own dress as the projects are piling up behind it, and Spring reenacting season will come whether I'm prepared for it or not! Have a lovely day!

A wool work dress

Well, it may not be as exciting as a silk dress, but my wool work dress is in need of upgrading. My current model is made of such scratchy wool, that it probably should not ever have become a dress, and to their credit, many of my friends warned me it was not suitable for such, but I failed to listen.

As we have a work day in April, which is still notoriously cold around here, I am working on this lovely brown plaid. I'm doing a pleated bodice for a change, so we will see how the final product comes out! I'm also working on some Regency undergarments, and my silk arrived yesterday for my Regency ballgown. I must get back to sewing...in between ordering fabric that is. I wish Fabric.com would stop having such wonderful sales this winter (well, not really, but they are very tempting)!