robinsnest: (Default)
Prepare for a long rambley event post. I've not even going to put it behind a cut as no one reads this thing anymore but people who claim to like event posts.

It was determined that [personal profile] hiraimi 's house was the most central point of departure and that taking on car was best because of the cost of parking. So I rolled out to her house and was EARLY in fact I was the first one there. I know, what world is this! We were all there by noon, carefully packed (five costumers don't pack...lightly) it's a really good thing it was only a one night event. And we were off!

The drive was smooth, I texted [personal profile] mandie_rw 's imaginary boyfriend taunting things. We discussed cabbages and kings and made very good time. The sexy Scotsman (as we have named [personal profile] blackcat452 's Highlander) was a very comfortable ride so despite being packed in around us we were very comfy and made great time. Arriving at the hotel pretty much at 3 on the nose.

I did the easiest historical hair I've ever done. I had put my hair in pin curls the night before and just took them out, pulled it half back and pinned. I put on a thick layer of make up, my rosacea has been horrible lately. I really think I'm due to see a dermatologist, and got dressed again in record time. I'm NEVER dressed before [personal profile] mandie_rw by 4:00 we were toddling down the hall to collect the other room and by 4:37 we were calling for a very confused Lyft driver.

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I kind of am having a love affair of Alice in curly bangs. I know she can't have them every day because ew hairstyling every day, but boy do I love them on her.

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We arrived at Carolyn's maybe 10 min later and were some of the first people to arrive. Her house is AMAZING. The woodwork alone was enough to make my heart swoon. Then all the fire places and Christmas decor and and and *happy sigh*

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The Victorian Photography Studio was there taking tintypes and while I did buy one of [personal profile] mandie_rw and I (in which we're BOTH making epic derp face) I also took a long hair one with Taylor and Alice (and felt like my hair wasn't nearly long enough). And one with Carolyn holding her new (antique) sterograph.

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Aside from taking photos and eating my body weight in delicious cheese the company was really amazing.

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It was satisfying to wear the alphabet dress again, and get more decent photos. I thought the new tiara was a nice addition and my first experiments with worbla.

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We came home in the picturesque snow to our hotel STARVING and wandered down to the little "marketplace" they have. I got a salad and Amanda soup. We ate. we chatted. we slept. Then we got up early and headed out through the snowy roads home. The sexy Scotsman did superbly in the snow and we got home with no issues. By 1:30 I was napping on my couch

and now Rob is watching the Eagles game and he is NOT happy...oy

Gettysburg

Nov. 20th, 2017 06:43 pm
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So the last two times I've gone to Gettysburg I've done tons of posts leading up and zero posts after. Not even a place holder "I went"...lets see if I can do any better.

Thursday: Picked up [personal profile] koshka_the_cat bright and early after her red-eye. Brought her home and put her to bed while I finished turning alphabet letters and packing. We waited for [personal profile] mandie_rw to arrive and filled the car up to the brim. (during which the G-d damn dog ran away and I had to run towards the giant road and almost flop in panic). Everything in the car we headed out to the house. Everyone else was already there by the time we arrived. We had a lovely dinner and were hanging out. Around 11:30 we decided to go to bed at which point both toilets started backing up and over flowing. Really I can't tell the story NEARLY as well as [personal profile] hiraimi so I'll hope she comes on here and rants and raves about it. Suffice it to say we shan't be staying there again.

Friday: We started the morning very lazily waiting for a plumber who didn't show till lunch time. Had a FABULOUS tintype appointment at the Victorian Photo Studio and then did some shopping. My car went to needle and thread and others headed home. Had a FABULOUS dinner of soup and biscuits that [livejournal.com profile] damesalamode made and prepped for the fancy dress ball. Half the group decided they weren't up for the ball so five of us solidered on alone. I was very happy with how the alphabet turned out when it was all over.

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However I got ZERO good photos of it. Not sure how I'll do a blog post. I'm going to have to dress up again and find somewhere to take pictures.

Saturday: It was down pouring all day, so we dressed in daywear. ran out for our tin type appointment and ran home. This was the only part I was sad about. I barely got to wear my daywear, didn't get many photos and I missed walking around town. Too bad. Saturday evening we went to the "crystal ball" where I wore the new gown...I hate it. I feel like a man in it. a man who wants to be a cupcake. eh. BUT I think I have several ideas for improving it. And I was so happy with the alphabet and spent so much more time on it I can't REALLY complain.

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Sunday: we packed up and headed out. Did a little shopping in town but I didn't buy anything. We stopped at Alice's to play with her cat. 



All in all it was a mixed trip. Some awesome points, some points I was fairly miserable and depressed, some toilet adventures...I am sad I got so few good pictures of myself. And zero for new blog posts. 

cold yick

Nov. 12th, 2017 11:16 pm
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 sooo I woke this morning feeling crappy. Scratchy throat, throbbing head...crap. I spent most of today napping. I didn't get everything done yesterday either...double crap. Well we'll just keep plodding but it's looking very likely I won't have a red wool bodice for Friday day. Which means either A. I wear the same day outfit two days in a row. B. I wear the red wool skirt, with Rob's 18th century shirt and a sontag like I did last time. C. I wear my beloved wrapper, only downside is it doesn't fit over a hoop. If all I was making new was the ballgown and the alphabet dress I'm in pretty good shape...so we'll have to figure out my plan B for Friday.

Ballgown
-whip up bottom piping
-sleeves- made up need to be attached
-bows- strips sewn and turned, need to be bowified.
-waistband on skirt
-attach skirt
-bone bodice

Alphabet dress
-bone bodice
-cut, sew, paint bertha
-dye shoes
-sleeves- cut and sewn, halfway through painting the letters
-print cardstock letters
-tiara?

Red wool dress
-um whole bodice
-attach bodice to skirt

Chemise
-second half of hem
-button/button hole- I found a button! this is tomorrow's sew-at-work project
-wash to try and remove stains that are there before I even wore the damn thing. Stains did come out!

Odds and ends
-actual hooks and eyes on velvet bodice
-sew buttons on velvet bodice
-shorten fancy dress hoop
-waterproof shoes
-finish fringe on wool shawl

Tomorrow's a 12 hour work day so my goal is just to get the ballgown skirt on a waistband. That should be doable. 
robinsnest: (Default)
Happy Halloween! It was a quiet day here. I kinda blew my Halloween excitement on the party on Saturday. I barely managed to dress up for work. (I wore a tiara and Rob's captain America sweat shirt and called myself Miss America). Ellie did visit in her pupkin spice latte costume which was pretty adorable.

In the evening I sat by a fire and sewed eyelets waiting for trick or treaters...still waiting...last year I only had five but at least I HAD five. This year? zilch. sad Robin is sad.

Tonight I finished the last of the eyelets and made the piping for the alphabet dress and the plaid dress.
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I prefer using a slightly larger cord but couldn't find it. So I used plain sugar and cream cotton yarn. It looked so dinky, and I can't do anything the easy way, so I actually made double piping.
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Well I did get offered a job...not sure if I'm going to take it...I feel iffy about it, but the paycheck would be great...going to ponder it. I have a meeting scheduled to meet the child the one-on-one is for a week from today which is after I have my OTHER job interview next week. So I have time to ponder it and evaluate other options. 

Then I went and worked an estate sale (I've been doing that for extra money) this time they needed someone else so Rob came and that meant I basically got paid double...I mean what's his is mine right?! Plus she paid us with a $50 bill so it's in MY wallet. MWAH HAHA. 

Came home. ate dinner. cleaned the kitchen a bit. and then cut out both my alphabet dress AND ballgown bodices. I finished hemming the alphabet skirt and whipped down the waistband.It's done sans hook and eye which I need to buy apparently. I can't keep flat hooks and bars around for some reason.  

I'm in major denial that tomorrow is Friday and I have to go to work. murph. I also am in no way ready for a party on Saturday...
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 I got home and managed to trace a pattern off the muslin I fitted yesterday. the adjustments were so minor I didn't feel the need to make another. I just added 1/2" to the bottom edge of one and added 1" to the CB where it didn't quite close. 

Now I'm trying to motivate myself to pick up the hem of the alphabet dress...It's been 1/3 hemmed for days...

a weekend

Oct. 22nd, 2017 11:15 pm
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Yesterday I did pretty much nothing. I sat on the couch in the fetal position and tried not to barf. Yay periods! when you get one every 6 months it sucks. and no it's not by choice. I have defective ovaries.

Today I NEEDED to get LOTS DONE both in cleaning the house for our Halloween party next weekend and in Gettysburg sewing. In fact I'm kind of in that SO MUCH TO DO SO OVERWHELMED CAN'T DO ANY OF IT place. So I started small. I got up, showered and did a load of laundry. Then I de-clogged the tub (which was DISGUSTING) wait that was pre-shower...

Rob and I tottered off to Target to get our flu shots. PSA you all SHOULD get a flu shot and Target gives you $5 for doing so (and my insurance 100% covers it) so I got a free box of pumpkins and a free skull for making Rob get stabbed ;-) Then we came home and at lunch. We did another layer of spray paint on the patio set we picked up at the habitat for humanity re-store. only the table left to go! But we ran out of cardboard to stand things on.

Ellie and Rob went to the park and I took a nap...oops? Then I NEEDED to sew...so I started to pick up things. It's amazing what a good housekeeper I can be when I need to sew. I found half of the dining room table, emptied and re-loaded the dishwasher, picked up a bunch in the living room and found the coffee table. Still not company worth but...every little bit helps. Rob swears he's going to work on the list I made today. And I do have Thursday off.

After dinner I did FINALLY sew. I finished the corset. Got the alphabet skirt onto the waistband and the hem facing sewn and ironed up to be hand whipped down. So I just need to whip down the wiastband and the facing and add a hook and eye and the skirt at least is done...now that the corset is done I need to fit a ballgown bodice pattern.

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I forgot to post yesterday. WHOOPS. I was off yesterday but had a hard time getting started. I did eventually get some traction....


drumroll please )Yes yes I will put it over a shorter hoop. I ordered this exact one again and I'm going to just move the bottom one UP to the final length but I'm not positive what that will be. So I'm doing it over the long one at the moment.
I did not manage to get the waistband on...but I put in a real placket (that never happens). And tonight I got the grommets set for the corset (remember that one...) and pinned on the waistband...currently I don't want to go upstairs and sew it on. 

Aunt flo came today. so I feel disgusting. 
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Today was my second 12 hour day this week. But I keep telling myself I have to sew every day after work...it is less than a month and all. So today I sewed the second half of all the first french seams (up to 52 seams sewn).



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Saveall pressed open. Then I sewed the pairs into couplets for the first half of that french seam...13 more seams. (65 done. 39 to go)
Then I couldn't handle the thought of more seams so I switched gears and made a replacement for the lacing panel I put too big of holes in now that I ordered smaller grommets. They came yesterday so I should get those put in and finish the corset.

Thank you for everyone's sympathy about the car. $400 later...

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well I was making fairly good progress till I was ironing waiting for Rob to get back from the store and get a txt "I think the car is smoking"......great....it appears that something is blowing a large amount of steam out. And did I mention we're currently a one car family as the breaks in my car are suddenly massively less sensitive...so yeah. I begged a ride to work tomorrow morning...I HOPE the car is fixable tomorrow or I won't be able to get home. how we afford a repair remains to be seen. I am SO OVER being broke.

I did manage to get 26 seams trimmed, pressed and ready to be frenched. *sigh*
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I cut out the skirt pieces for the alphabet dress yesterday. All 52 of them. Which are getting sewn together with french seams. So 104 seams total. or something like that. Possible I mis-mathed. I'm tired.

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(I'm greatly amused that it looks like I'm about to make a hoop skirt out of fabric scraps...or neck ties...)

I decided the best way to sew them together was going to be in pairs, then I'd sew the pairs together, etc etc. somehow that made sense. Last night before I left the sewing room I got all 26 initial pairs pinned together.

Then today was my long 12 hour day with the really difficult doctor. oh and did I mention we're currently short a nurse? But my resolution it to sew a tiny amount every day till Gettysburg...I told myself I had to sew 5 seams today. That was all...

I sewed 26! then got four of them ironed, trimmed and pinned for french seams before my shoulder was angry.

I'm either actually inspired by this dress, need stress relief from work, or am panicked about the deadline....
Save
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well I hit a snag with the corset. I got it ready for binding but wanted to try it on first for fit...but to do that i need to put in the grommets. and the ons i bought at lowes are horrible. They won't hammer flat and they're huge...so those are being returned and I ordered a new pack of smaller ones that I already have the tools for for $2 from Amazon. The only annoying part is now I have to wait for them to arrive. SO I'm refocusing. I cut out the bedgown I need for washington's crossing on Saturday, and then I'm going to switch gears and work on the skirt for my fancy dress. There is math involved and i'm oddly enjoying it.



Ta Daaaaa! I used some of my birthday money to buy a pair of white dance boots I intend to dye. I already have orange silk and [personal profile] miss_philomena is hooking me up with some grey at Washington's Crossing.

I was supposed to be sewing my bedgown right now but I spilled boiling tea on my hand and man it HURTS...

Three dresses and a corset in four weeks is totally doable right O.O



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