Life, and Sewing.
10 July 2012 10:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nuranarLife has been particularly atypical for the last two months, thanks to a temporary re-assignment at work. I'm now back to my usual duties, which is both sad and a relief. Enough of that.
I have done a lot of sewing in the last couple months as well. Pretty much every chance I got, that wasn't at work or otherwise committed. First in June I had to finish up my bridesmaid dress for Bro. No. 2's wedding and my dress for the rehearsal dinner. The wedding was lovely (Saturday June 23rd), and both dresses were finished on time. The buttons made it onto the RH dress in the car on the way down the day of the rehearsal, and I put the hem in the bridesmaid dress right before getting dressed the day of the wedding. No worries! :p
I have no shame about sewing up to the last minute, provided that it actually does get Done In Time. That did NOT happen at Costume College last year. It didn't bother me too much at the time, but looking back I really regret the time spent staying up late and holed up in my hotel room sewing and being stressed instead of enjoying time with friends and hanging out.
So I made a determination this year to not be sewing at Costume College. Maybe a little beforehand, on the plane and with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
fancyfrocks, but not otherwise.
The problems are (1) inspiration doesn't strike easily for me, and (2) I have little experience in deadline-geared sewing, especially in a working/no school situation. Making the two dresses for the wedding ended up eating WAY more of my time than I expected. In particular the RH dress, which was FABULOUS and you will definitely see it here later. But it dominated June, so apart from diddling with the 1780s something-or-other I'm working on, and thinking through and sourcing stuff for the Semi-Secret Gala Gown, that was all I did.
Enough of wimpy woes, though! My life is good, and I am very blessed by God.
A way I keep motivated is by accomplishment. I have literally made a list, beginning with things I have already done, just so I can start by crossing things off. I get an adrenaline rush from crossing things off! That's one reason I hate making muslins and patterns, because there's nothing to complete. I've done a lot of that recently, for both the 1780s pink wool and the Gala.
The timing of the Independence Day holiday and the end of my job reassignment worked out really well. I got nearly 12 hours of steady work in on the Gala dress Friday, from finishing a last component muslin, to cutting out EVERYTHING, to completing construction on the bodice. (Down to the fastening! I'm SO proud of myself.) I could have put the rest of it together then, too, except I wanted things to hang a bit.
Saturday and Sunday I didn't have nearly as much time and Sunday I wasn't feeling so well, but I chipped away some more, finally bought some desperately-needed materials for accessories, and finished two simple components. (See, finishing? Yay for accomplishment!) I've also realized I need to go back to Dallas to get some more fabric, but both should still be there and it won't be expensive. I had the perfect amount of main gown fabric,jenthompson!
I still have a lot to do, though. Time for a list!
I have done a lot of sewing in the last couple months as well. Pretty much every chance I got, that wasn't at work or otherwise committed. First in June I had to finish up my bridesmaid dress for Bro. No. 2's wedding and my dress for the rehearsal dinner. The wedding was lovely (Saturday June 23rd), and both dresses were finished on time. The buttons made it onto the RH dress in the car on the way down the day of the rehearsal, and I put the hem in the bridesmaid dress right before getting dressed the day of the wedding. No worries! :p
I have no shame about sewing up to the last minute, provided that it actually does get Done In Time. That did NOT happen at Costume College last year. It didn't bother me too much at the time, but looking back I really regret the time spent staying up late and holed up in my hotel room sewing and being stressed instead of enjoying time with friends and hanging out.
So I made a determination this year to not be sewing at Costume College. Maybe a little beforehand, on the plane and with
fancyfrocks, but not otherwise.The problems are (1) inspiration doesn't strike easily for me, and (2) I have little experience in deadline-geared sewing, especially in a working/no school situation. Making the two dresses for the wedding ended up eating WAY more of my time than I expected. In particular the RH dress, which was FABULOUS and you will definitely see it here later. But it dominated June, so apart from diddling with the 1780s something-or-other I'm working on, and thinking through and sourcing stuff for the Semi-Secret Gala Gown, that was all I did.
Enough of wimpy woes, though! My life is good, and I am very blessed by God.
A way I keep motivated is by accomplishment. I have literally made a list, beginning with things I have already done, just so I can start by crossing things off. I get an adrenaline rush from crossing things off! That's one reason I hate making muslins and patterns, because there's nothing to complete. I've done a lot of that recently, for both the 1780s pink wool and the Gala.
The timing of the Independence Day holiday and the end of my job reassignment worked out really well. I got nearly 12 hours of steady work in on the Gala dress Friday, from finishing a last component muslin, to cutting out EVERYTHING, to completing construction on the bodice. (Down to the fastening! I'm SO proud of myself.) I could have put the rest of it together then, too, except I wanted things to hang a bit.
Saturday and Sunday I didn't have nearly as much time and Sunday I wasn't feeling so well, but I chipped away some more, finally bought some desperately-needed materials for accessories, and finished two simple components. (See, finishing? Yay for accomplishment!) I've also realized I need to go back to Dallas to get some more fabric, but both should still be there and it won't be expensive. I had the perfect amount of main gown fabric,
jenthompson!I still have a lot to do, though. Time for a list!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-07-10 07:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-10 08:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-10 09:53 pm (UTC)I think it will be rather awesome! The headdress looks pretty good so far. FYI, that chiffon cut on the bias does not ravel. YAY.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-10 09:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-11 12:43 am (UTC)Congrats on being so far along with your sewing. (I'm still pathetically behind. :p) It's my goal to be completely finished with my outfits by CC, too; it really isn't fun to be sewing up 'til the last minute.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-11 01:01 am (UTC)Thanks! But I've got a whole 'nother ensemble to do, plus a couple of halfs, besides the Gala. And my classes for CoLoW the weekend before, and something for that evening. Whew!
But yeah, I'd rather jettison an outfit than do that horrible last minute thing again. It's so not worth it.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-11 04:39 pm (UTC)(* Of course, I could ramble on my journal about Hammer's film adaptation of "She", if that's of interest. ;) )
no subject
Date: 2012-07-11 07:38 pm (UTC)You know, I would actually find that rather interesting. I have read She. As well as C. S. Lewis's somewhat-review of King Solomon's Mines from an earlier decade. ;)
no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 03:23 am (UTC)I watched the 1937 adaptation of King Solomon's Mines a few years ago (in the interest of getting more perspective on the character of Allan Quatermain, who features in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Fortunately, Hammer didn't do She as a musical. :Þ