sewloud

 I'm supposed to be in Gettysburg filming my super awesome cocovid video right now...we had made it to the KOP service station when I pulled off so Rob could grab a coffee and went to tell Dave our ETA. He's on day 2 of congestion after going camping with his family for a week....fuck....I went through a range of "pretend I didn't see this and don't tell Rob."..."blame it on Rob's germ based OCD"....."you know the right thing to do is not to go because you work with medically fragile kids AND your husband has OCD and you owe it to him to not cause him panic attacks"...2020, you can't even let me have one nice thing. :-( Told Dave we just couldn't swing it and turned around. Consoled myself with Sonic for lunch and were home before we would have made it to Gettysburg. Then we immediately UNPACKED a very full car, that I hat just magically packed 2 hours ago. Pulled curlers out of my hair in the sonic parking lot so I'd look like less of a mad woman. Came home and poked the internet sadly and took a nap.

Now I'm stuck with "what the hell do I do for a Cocovid video?" I could do nothing I suppose, but I'm on the schedule and that seems like shitty of me. Rob's tossed me several hilarious video ideas, but they're more of "Robin's channel" videos and not exactly what I think fits Cocovid as I want it to be instructional?  So far the only ideas I have and sort of like but don't love are 1. turning my most popular blog entry "how to make 18th century mitts" into a video. But does anyone still DO 18th century? 2. I bought that gap blouse planning to do a video on how to make it a little more historically accurate (put in a CB closure, collar stays, either narrow the sleeves or shorten them unsure which. again don't LOVE any of those like I LOVED our photography video...3. I could do a video about my new 1890s wrapper how it isn't a wash dress and what did women wear to do work in the 19th century on a farm, but I'd have to do a lot more research so far all I've figured out is that "wash dress" is much more a "ready to wear" equivalent and not really a "get dirty on the farm chores" idea and I can't find any references pre 1900...*sigh* 

 ruh ro raggy Gettysburg is mere days away! lets take stock of how behind our heroine is on her must finish projects:

Rational dress
-sew on hem facing
-sew darts (already fitted)
-buttons on cuffs/buttonholes
-sew on trim (I'll probably do this dead last and possibly thursday night in the B&B)

Dinner bodice
-only thing done is patterned and fitted. going to use muslin as my lining

Amanda's shawl
-I have 50 of 400 bits of fringe sewn on

Also need to
-make a butt pad for my new hoop
-re-trim or at least look at orange ballgown
-clean house for company
-hem Rob's new pants

I am off today but we're going to a "friendsgiving" at 2pm and I'm well aware that will eat most of the day. Then I'm off most of Monday I work 5-8, work 7-7 on tuesday 

but all that said I'm still starting to get really excited for my long weekend with friends playing in another century. 

I'm struuuuggling here with the motivation for Gettysburg. Besides Amanda who is definitely bringing the inspo it feels like most of my group is re-wearing or done or making-under-duress. JESS SHARE MORE I KNOW YOU'VE SEWED A BUNCH and I'm just...slogging. But perhaps if I'm better about talking about it I'll be more inspired to sew.

so far the only thing I've touched is my rational dress. and to be fair it's the only thing I NEED

I've mostly made a very questionable pair of pants. But really you're only going to see from the knee down so who cares.



Also I just cut the same length Alice did...spoiler alert I look like I'm 7 and wearing my dad's pants. She got waaay more leg than me.

I didn't feel like putting a waistband on them so I skipped that and started the dress portion. I mean it's all got to be done anyway right? I basted in the half lining and sewed the pieces together. I had to whip down the seam allowances over the lining as it frays like a mofo. Tonight I cut out the bias strips for the edge finishing and a wider bit for the hem facing.

To Do:
- pants waistband
-pants buttons
-hem pants

-finish CFs
-finish neckline
-sleeves
-hem

I had said I wanted this dress and the body of Amanda's shawl done by Halloween. hahahahahahahahahahahahaha At least the shawl is coming along well.

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 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 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 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 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.



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.



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. 

My list of "OH SHIT" contained two other things: a chemisette and under sleeves...and I decided that as I was so stressed cause I've been working 50-60 hour work weeks for the last money that I would give myself $30 to throw at my problems.




Yes this will work nicely...my nice undersleeves from Etsy arrive tomorrow. 

 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...

I got the bones in, all that's left is binding and grommets. neither of which I felt like starting at 12am. I'm kind of impressed how much I accomplished as I've been tired with a scratch throat all week. I've been trying to sleep off any potential cold...

Should be able to finish the corset tomorrow. Then I'm taking a short detour into the 18th century to make a quickie bedgown for washington's crossing. and it would probably also be a good idea to fix the binding in my stays so the boning wasn't escaping.

The events of Charlottesville have rattled me. I'm vacillating between deep deep sadness for my country and extreme anger. HOW DARE THEY. I try really hard to be empathetic, not see people as groups and listen to why people are so afraid that they believe something that is so completely morally WRONG...but...I'm out of patience. Rob and I have been watching the Ken Burn's Civil War to try and inspire me to sew for Gettysburg, and honestly it's creepy how similar some of the arguments and divisiveness are. Also interesting how dated the documentary feels.

But in talking to mandie_rw and koshka_the_cat I have decided that clearly what I need is a rational dress for Gettysburg...because what says "FUCK YOU WHITE SUPREMACISTS like dressing as a radical abolitionist feminist. And somehow wearing my values on my sleeve (literally) feels important to me at this moment.

I promise I'll do a gettysburg write up at some point...maybe...Let me sum up just incase I forget.

We had an AMAZING time. I'd skip the ghost tour next time, maybe do a historic tour instead? The best parts were: hanging out in the cottage which turned out to be much more generous in size than I feared and was really perfect. Cozy but not cramped. Having our tintype taken was totally amazing and one of my favorite parts. It's already been shared a ton so I won't share it again, but suffice to say it was a great experience. Rob came out just for the ball and that was really so much fun, I got to have a date to dance with and see him all spiffed up in tails and then back to girly fun. Best of both worlds!

All in all an amazing time was had.

So, where was I, oh right Thanksgiving. I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for all the blessings this year has brought me. Graduating, passing my boards, getting a new job that I love, getting an adult paycheck which I love even more. I have made new friends at nursing school, I have deepened existing friendships and reached peace with letting others go. I am thankful for my family who are all healthy, another year with all four of my aging grand parents and my growing vivacious nieces.

My turkey is in the oven, my table is set, and tonight I'm putting up the Christmas tree. This is my happy place.

okay I've come to my senses. I really need to focus on school this week and not be ridiculously trying to sew a dress, knit a sontag and make a bonnet. Plus I'm all wound up from new babyness and PMSing so I'm just too unfocused to try something so crazy.

I've decided to take my brown check 1840s that's too small and add an extension to the waist band, and un-gather the front to make it fit me. I even smartly never trimmed down the gathering threads on the cartridge pleats so that shouldn't be too hard. I won't get to wear a hoop but I'll just say I'm too poor for a hoop. Maybe I'll be mandie_rw's maid. Then if I finish the sontag great, if I don't no worries. AND the amazing madamekat is loaning me a really lovely grey coat. As for the bonnet...I have this vintage hat that I've had since high school. Somehow it ended up with me after a show and I'm really still not sure from where or how. But anyway I think If I tack the back up and add ribbon ties and ruffles it will work for a fake bonnet. And that's as good as it gets this go round.