The German skirt is coming along nicely.
First I cut out three panels of 60inch wide fabric and sewed those together (I had cut out four but only used three) and then I added pleater tape and pulled it to size and am now finished hand sewing it to a canvas band which will then get sewn to a belt so that the weight of the dress sits on the hips rather than my shoulders. If the smocking has taught me anything it’s that I really don’t have the time or patience for pleating without the use of tape. However – I should have stuck with the original plan to pleat the linen in with the skirt – in the end I decided that I was afraid that if they were pleated together then they would not flow as nicely and it would be a pain in the butt to try to clean. It is a very lightweight linen though so I will put it on a standard waistband which shouldn’t be too difficult.
Once the skirt is stitched up (which should be in the next day or two) then it can be hung so I can hem it next week. In the mean time I can get started on the top of the dress and hopefully my fabric purchase should be here by then. I’m excited to see if this gold fabric I ordered will work!
]]>And what I didn’t like about the GPM:
There’s one A&S question I hate = If you had to do it all over again what would you do differently? So what am I going to do differently when I remake this dress?
So I took a good look at how I made the last one (and I took some pictures) and I’m ready to dig into this project.
]]>
And then I started making beaded flowers for it. It’s been a couple of months and I like how it’s looking so far but I think I’m going to stop at this point. I’m thinking that the fixture needs to be painted white or cream with green accents so that it better matches the other fixtures we installed. Yes, that’s right, we also managed to install two of the other fixtures we had brought with us – one in the kitchen and the other in the entry hall. The remaining two will go in the studio and possibly the two we took out of the house. The new light fixtures make the place seem more light and airy.
]]>I don’t think there was much that we changed at the new house either. We built some storage shelves and he’s mapping out all the wiring but we haven’t really changed anything. I did remove all the curtains and wash them and then hang them up in different locations – I don’t think any of them ended where they started! And almost all of the curtains I brought with me have found homes in front of windows.
I had already known we were moving when we remodeled the kitchen two years ago. Because I knew we weren’t staying, I made a conscious decision not to install some light fixtures I had purchased with specific places in mind and instead brought them along with the hope that I could incorporate them here at the new house. I have about four of them – all of the chandelier style. I had thought one would go in the new dining room but now I’m not so sure. I’ve decided to ‘pretty up’ the one that is already there.
And I’m doing that by coving it in beaded flowers!
]]>Then in the beginning of January, at 12th Night, an advanced netting class was offered and I sat through that one as well. I learned how to do netting in the round and how to do a more period type increase. The resulting hairnet is in the picture – this one is black silk and probably near completion. I still have to figure out how to get them attached to the band but that should be the end of it.
Hubby is going to retrieve my pearl collection and then I will be able to sew on lots of little pearls so the resulting hairnet will look just like the painting that The German Dress is modelled after. I think that will then make The German Dress totally and completely complete.
Always nice to learn new skills!
]]>The class is a general look at the historical flowers with a concentration on the workroom photos since I can’t put those on the web. I will then spend time in the lab area so that anyone who wants to make flowers will have the opportunity to do so. I’m hoping for some good turnout because I don’t think I’m going to find another group of people so fiber orientated again.
I’ve wondered why this art is so little recognized and what I can do to let it become more known and practiced. It’s not difficult after all – just fuzzy.
I did load all of the instructional papers I’ve written and they can be found under the beadwork tab – Silk Papers.
]]>
I got married on April 28th and one of the things I did for the wedding was make all of the flowers. Beaded flowers! Lots of them: one bridal bouquet, two bridesmaids, three corsages, seven boutonnières. I got some help from my husband-to-be who did most of the greenery. It was nice having him involved in the project because now he knows what it takes to make beaded flowers. Despite the great quantity of beads I used, I still have a huge number so I’m sure to do plenty more bead projects.
There will be a whole page of wedding funnies in the near future.
]]>